Chapter Text
No one knows when or how it started, but suddenly all people had their soul tied to someone else, be it a relative, a friend or a person you have not yet met but will eventually do, many believe in the myth of the great Greek philosopher Plato, while the vast majority have simply accepted it and no questions are asked.
Joel is part of the second group, it's not like he had much time to ask himself things like that, he has been part of royalty since he was a child, so his life was based on studying varied topics of politics, sociopolitics, democracy and more, his free time of studies was filled with classes of all kinds of art and dance, he was raised to be the perfect prince his parents wanted him to be.
He is an adult now of course, studies are no longer necessary, but he still has responsibility even without being king, that and lately he has begun to train much more with Grian, his personal guard, maybe his father does not like this very much, but like hell if he believes that Joel will be a weak little prince for the rest of his life.
So no, he hasn't had much time to think about the whole soulmate thing so far in his life, and even if he tried to find them the things wouldn't change much, he's a man engaged for god's sake, he loves Lizzie, she's a wonderful, strong, independent woman, although none of them are really interested in getting married, but it's not like they can do much to prevent it.
In a change of subject, his days are becoming repetitive, he wakes up, tidies up his room, gets dressed and spends the rest of the day in his office doing paperwork, dinner and trains with Grian in the dark of night, if he is lucky there will still be a little light at training time, sometimes he sleeps with sweat-soaked clothes from how exhausted he is, forcing him to take a bath the next morning, which is a bit annoying due to the time he wastes.
There are times when he remembers how his soul is tied to someone else, like when he feels the phantom pain of an unpleasantly strong blow, or when he looks in the mirror when changing, sometimes he wastes the time observing his body, seeing the scars that cover it, mentally reminding himself that there is someone out there who has exactly the same irregularities in his skin as he does.
Although those thoughts quickly fade away with paperwork and a few minutes later it's as if they didn't exist in the first place, just like now, only, well, he's not really doing paperwork, he's watching through his office window to the guards do their routine, the security of the castle always increases at this time of year due to the Soulmates Season.
June is a month to celebrate all kindred spirits, it is the month when the streets of the kingdom are filled with people, especially the royal castle itself, the large front gardens are open to the public, Joel has seen a lot of engagements happen in them, he and his parents personally congratulate the couple and then go on with their day, For him it's
the most exhausting month of the year, and it's only a few days away from starting, he'll be the one giving the speech this year and he's really started thinking about pretending to be sick, childish on his part, but he really doesn't want to do it.
Oli, the bard of the palace and friend of his has helped him write and practice his speech, he is not sure he wants to do it anyway, maybe he could leave the paperwork for today and train early, maybe even just talk to Grian in the private gardens, but he really can't do that isn't? His parents would be angry with him for leaving his responsibilities undone, maybe swapping paperwork for meetings? He will need to talk to Xisuma to do such a thing.
With that in mind he walks away from the window and leaves his office, he is sure that Xisuma is in the throne room with his parents, the man is the royal advisor to the three family members, is as loyal to the royal family as a swan is to his partner and is just as elegant as one in his job.
Although alone in his work, while walking through the halls he cannot help but remember how the counselor is behind closed doors, he is honestly the kindest person Joel has ever met, but do not confuse his kindness with weakness, Joel still remembers how he hit a guy hard in the face when he tried to play smart with him, he felt a little bad about the unfortunate person who had to share soul with the guy.
Xisuma is an elegant and wise man in his work, but behind closed doors he is more like a surly cat that, when filled with affection, will melt in your lap and be clingy around you, they are similar in that aspect as Grian would say, which he will take as a compliment thank you very much, he has enormous respect for the man, moreover, being compared with Xisuma is better than being compared to the father with whom he does not have the best relationship.
But that does not matter now, what matters is that he has been denied to participate in the next meeting, rather, his father refused to let him participate, Suma tried to plead for him saying that he will need the experience for when the inevitable day comes when he is crowned king, this did not matter much to his father. Whoever sent him back to his office to finish his paperwork, in truth, if the old man wanted him to be a good king in the future should at least let him participate in meetings, especially when they were about him.
When he locked himself in his office once again he let himself fall into his chair, hiding his face in his hands, he was frustrated with all this, he knows that the meeting is about him and about who his soulmate is, it is something that happens every year since he turned 5 years, the age at which the universe thinks you are ready and tie your soul with someone else, at first it was to find them as quickly as possible and settle them with their family in the palace.
But when he and Lizzie were engaged at the age of 13, the quest turned out to be to try to separate them with the magic of Rivendell's allied king, he may not think much about his soulmate, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love them, whether he meets them someday or dies without knowing who their is. He grew up basically his whole life with the beating of a heart that didn't belong right next to his.
And even the scars on his body are something he wouldn't change for anything, he loves them as much as he loves his friends, everyone in the palace knows it, he parades them proudly when the clothes allows it, when he trains with Grian in front of the other guards, in the medical wing with Stress after a rough workout, he loves his scars as much as a heartbeat that isn't his, but feels like it is.
Joel gets out of his head when he hears a knock on his door, rubs his face one last time with his gloved hands, sits up straight in his chair, arranges his messy hair as much as he can and straightens the crown on his head, and even with all that, he knows he looks tired and stressed like shit. If the grimace that the butler makes when letting him in is something to be guided by.
Now, seeing new faces in the palace is not uncommon, the mask covering the bottom of the man's face is also not out of the ordinary in a world where hybrids, humans and other creatures live together, so no, he really couldn't see anything out of place in the albino butler in front of him.
He is pulled out of his head once again with a small, uncertain "Majesty?" Right, he's supposed to pay attention when people talk "Sorry that pretty boy, I got lost in my head again, could you repeat what you said one more time please?" Joel watched as the man straightened up more than he was and blinked confused in his direction, he just raised an eyebrow and threw a slightly mocking smile and oh, Joel thinks he looks good with a red face.
"Your personal guard, Grian, wants to speak with you in private, Your Majesty." Joel frowned as his smile faded, Grian wouldn't normally speak privately unless it was something to worry about "He told you if he's wanted to talk in his room or mine?" He asked as he arranged the papers around him "Yours, Sir." Then it was bad news, Grian only sits him to his own room when something bad has happened, looks at the papers in his hands, contemplating in if he is really prepared for whatever his friend is about to tell him "Tell him that I'm going to be there soon." The man nods and leaves quietly.
Once again, he just lets out a big sigh that he didn't know he was holding back, for the second time in the day he leaves his office, he can't help but think if it is the annual meeting about him, maybe they finally found his Soulmate? That simple question makes him pick up his pace, the thought that he can really be separated from his Soulmate stirs his guts, but he doesn't have time to think much about that, because when he closes the door to his room behind him, he gets the surprise that Grian is nowhere to be found.
And of course, to make his day worse, he is hit with a potion of weakness just seconds later, his already tired body feels like lead and his vision becomes blurry and jagged, yet he writhing in the grip of what he assumes is a kidnapper, Joel hates kidnappings, they are more planned and careful than an assassination attempt, so just like now it is more difficult for him to defend himself as he would like to do it.
He can hear the slight agitation in his kidnapper's breathing when he carries him, at this point he has given up on being let go, he feels so tired that he lets them take him, he just hopes that it is a kidnapping for money and not to torture him.
꧁♥꧂
Tango would lie to say that he is not worried, he is very worried actually, Etho, his friend and teammate was a complete idiot by accepting a job that involves the royal family, something about which the gold coins were so many to ignore, and even Skizz, the T.I.E.S team member most prone to taking risks has told him it was a bad idea, yet, here he is, with the prince of Mezalea in his arms.
He can clearly see the panic in his partner's face, Tango did nothing but accept the prince in his arms when Etho handed him over, he can hear the footsteps of Impulse and Skizz quickly descending the stairs, surely alarmed by the small scandal of Etho's own steps along with the slamming of the door as he entered, Tango would have laughed at their surprised and incredulous faces if it were not for the strange and dangerous situation in which everyone now finds themselves, he... He really hopes that no one has seen or followed his friend.
"Uhm, excuse me, why the fuck is the Mezalea Prince here!?" He is just as confused as Skizz, he really wants to say something, anything, maybe even scream a little bit, he is sure he heard Impulse say a little "oh Lord" Etho on the other hand, walks frantically all over the first floor closing doors, windows and blinds, and then do the same upstairs, he can hear his other two friends start interrogating him, But at this point it is nothing more than a white noise in the background, he tries not to see the prince in his arms, aware that if he does he will panic.
The hybrid Blaze sits on the nearest sofa, its Impulse's favorite recliner, he thinks to himself, hugs the prince now in his lap to his chest, why? He doesn't know, he's in shock and he can also feel bile running down his throat, kidnapping is nothing out of the ordinary in his group, it's part of their job as hitmen, but they never messed with anyone who wasn't horrible people, like last month's rich man, who did horrible experiments on innocent people.
This man is the prince of Mezalea whom Etho brought home... Tango should stop reminding himself of who the person in his arms is, it would be easier, which is a lie, in a few hours they will have not only the royal guard behind them, but also the people of the kingdom will be more aggressive, Prince Joel is very loved for his people after all, of course, except for a small percentage who hate him or want him dead.
Tango comes out of his head when Etho finally takes the sleeping man once more leading him in the direction of his room, the other two follow closely even asking questions that do not quite register in his brain, the blaze follows them slowly, staying still in place on the threshold of Etho's door, Watch his friend place the man with a strange tenderness in his own bed, if he concentrates enough he can hear the albino's heavy breathing and-
Oh.
Oh, God.
The remaining three men panic when their friend collapses right on top of the prince, Impulse and Tango prevent him from falling to the floor and try to make him as comfortable as possible in the not-so-spacious bed, Skizz checks his pulse just in case, he is asleep, he tells his friends, whatever happened, they can't do much more than wait for any of them to wake up.
Etho is changed room, now repositioned in Impulse's one, Skizz stays right there watching the prince, Impy obviously stays with Etho, he on the other hand goes down to the kitchen, if he thinks to distract himself for a while he could do it productively, he hides his face in his hands and can't help but let out a long sigh.
The next few days are sure to be something.