Chapter 5

Thanks to their mutual love of disobeying the rules, Zeine and Imelie soon became great friends, and meeting up to watch the darkness together became a ritual of sorts between them. Asking his father for Imelie’s company at the Palace had led to a particularly brutal beating, something about ‘undermining the law’, but once Imelie had stopped screaming at him for being reckless, she’d trudged up the slope of the mountain with him just the same.

“So what did your friends from the Citadel say when you told them about me?” Zeine asked curiously one night a few weeks later, powering easily up the hill while Imelie panted for breath, not used to walking so much. They transported everywhere in the Citadel, people hardly ever walked. That was old fashioned and a waste of energy in most people’s opinion, but Imelie was determined to prove to the Prince that she was just as fit as he was, even though she definitely wasn’t.

“Are you…” She wheezed, pausing for a moment and grabbing Zeine’s arm to stop him from continuing without her. “Are you crazy? I haven’t told anyone apart from my parents, and even they don’t like it very much. They already think I’m a bad enough influence, if they knew I was doing this, I wouldn’t be left with any friends.”

“I thought you said most people like you, even if they think you’re a b***h.” The young Prince commented, frowning a little.

Imelie shrugged. “Apparently I’m the ‘bad crowd’ people are always talking about. Whatever, just because I had one puff of a cigar one time, apparently I’m evil incarnate to their parents. And they always listen to what Mommy and Daddy say, of course.” She ranted, hands on her hips, and Zeine snorted back a chuckle.

“Wow, one cigarette? Calm down, Im’, before you end up killing yourself.”

“I know, right? People are so ridiculous, one little mistake grows into this massive thing in the Citadel. Sometimes I wish I could just live up here away from all the people. I hate people.” She huffed, recommencing their walk up the mountain.

“I haven’t really met many, but I don’t hate most of the people I have… Just my father and his ‘Mistresses’. I don’t appreciate their existence, that’s for sure.” The Prince caught up with her easily. “But from what I’ve heard about you, a lot of them are repugnant. I hope they won’t be as bad when I’m Emperor, I won’t have any time for unnecessarily rude people.”

“I wish you’d stop bad-mouthing the Emperor, it makes me nervous.” Imelie muttered, “If someone heard you talking about that in the Palace…”

“Then they’d probably agree with me!” Zeine insisted. “He’s a nightmare, I’m telling you; an utter nightmare. He had the butlers change his bed sheets four times the other night because they ‘weren’t right’. I mean… He’d slept on those bed sheets before! I don’t see the problem! He only wanted new ones because his fancy man from the South is coming in this weekend! Really creepy, he is, too. Freakishly tall, white hair, even though he’s not old. Apparently it’s a ‘fashion statement’.” He made quote marks in the air. “I’m dreading the days when I have to keep up with ‘fashion’. The idiot looks ridiculous.”

“I’m sure he does.” His companion laughed, getting used to Zeine’s impromptu tirades by now.

“And then, and then,” he continued, oblivious to Imelie’s amusement, “then he has the nerve to tell me off for flirting with the staff! I mean, really. It’s not like I’m shipping people in to sleep with them like he is! It’s only a couple of harmless kisses with the busboys, as a social experiment more than anything, might I add, and apparently I’m some wicked sexual deviant. The b*****d.” He growled, and his friend smacked his arm. “Ow! Was that necessary?!”

“Yes!” She insisted, cheeks burning. Sometimes she forgot that he was a Prince and that she could probably be locked up for even touching him. “You shouldn’t speak of the Emperor that way, it isn’t right.”

Zeine huffed, rubbing his arm moodily. “It’s all true, though. He’s such a hypocrite.”

“Even so, you shouldn’t say it out loud! Everyone is supposed to worship the ground he walks on, especially you! How many Princes do you think hated their fathers, Zeine? Probably every single one! But we haven’t heard about any of them, which means you should keep it to yourself!” Imelie maintained, “For all you know, I could be one of his spies sent to make sure you behave and then where would you be, hm?”

“But I know you’re not a spy, I’m not simple.” The Prince shot back, “if you were a spy you wouldn’t have let me leave the castle.” They were approaching their ledge now, which was a little lower than the ledge Zeine used to stop at… He walked slower now that Imelie was with him; she was rubbish at exercise of any kind.

“Touché.” Imelie muttered, sitting down on the moss-covered stone, stretching her legs out with a quiet groan. “I regret doing this every single day.”

“Shut up, you’re such a wimp.” Zeine laughed as he joined her, earning him a shove that sent him sprawling onto his backside, which caused him to grin. “Alright, perhaps not a wimp, but you’re sure gonna need some fitness training before you go to your planet.”

The female rolled her eyes. “I have a hundred years to get ready for that, yet. Besides, when you turn 21 we can be friends without having to sneak around, so I won’t have to walk up here with you every night.”

“You love walking up here to watch the suns and you know it.” The Prince arched an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged.

“It’s alright.” Zeine’s eyes narrowed. He may not be very experienced at friendship, but he knew when someone liked him, and Imelie liked him, she liked him begrudgingly, admittedly, but she still liked him. The redhead relented, rolling her eyes slightly. “I love coming up here to watch the suns.”

“I know you do.” He replied simply, resting his head casually on her shoulder.

Imelie gave him an odd look as she always did when he got affectionate, but allowed the touch. “You are way too physical for your own good, Zeine.”

“What do you mean physical? I’m tired, and your shoulder isn’t as bony as it looks.” He sulked, nuzzling all the more into his companion, and she sighed as if it were a great personal tragedy to allow the Prince to do so. “Why are you being so cold with me, today? We snuggled properly last week; you didn’t seem to have any problem with that.”

“It was cold last week! And I didn’t break a coat!” She reminded him indignantly. “And if I remember rightly, you’re the one whose teeth were chattering. What was I supposed to do, let the Prince of Rhinella get frostbite?!”

Zeine smirked secretly, he loved the tone her voice took on when she was telling him off, it was amusing to him, not to mention refreshing after a day of ‘yes Sir, no Sir’ in the palace. “I appreciate your efforts to keep me safe, Peasant.” He chuckled, resulting in another smack on his arm. “You are such a violent person, Imelie, I think you should seek out help.” He deadpanned.

“I’m going to call you Dick from now on.” She sniffed. “Actually, no. I’m going to call you ‘Vain’, because that rhymes with Zeine and you are vain so hah, now your name is Vain.”

“I’m really not that vain.” Zeine laughed, and she gave him an incredulous look.

“I saw you looking at yourself in that puddle we walked past.” Imelie leaned back on her elbows. “You love yourself, Vain, admit it.”

“I was simply checking to see if I looked as tired as I feel!” The Prince insisted, although he knew that wasn’t strictly true. He couldn’t help it; he liked how grown-up he’d been looking lately, his face was starting to lose some of its puppy fat.

“Bull. S**t.” She snorted, her eyes on the suns as they started to dip below their opposite horizons. “But I suppose if every male looked like you, they’d be vain.”

Zeine smirked. “I knew it.”

“What?” Imelie snapped, cheeks pinking up a little, although she glared at the young Prince.

“You think I’m attractive.” He said smugly, feeling more validated by that than any compliment he could get from the staff in the Palace.

The redhead looked aghast. “I do not! I simply… I recognise that some people may find you… Aesthetically pleasing, but I in no way find you attractive personally. You’re too… Pretty.” She maintained, nodding once curtly.

“You don’t find me attractive because I’m too… Pretty?” Zeine repeated slowly, looking at her as if she were crazy. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” he uttered sarcastically, “but don’t the words ‘attractive’ and ‘pretty’ basically have the same meaning?”

“Don’t be a dick, Vain.” Imelie glared at him again. “You’re not my type, is all. You’re too pretty, I prefer people to be a little… Rougher around the edges. You’re too coiffed and stuff, I don’t know.” She shrugged. "I like muscles. You're... Kinda gangly, to be honest."

“Gangly?!” He yelped, eyebrows raised high. “I am not gangly, I’m perfectly in proportion! I just don’t spend every second of my life killing myself at the gym.” The Prince grumbled, folding his arms, and Imelie giggled quietly.

“You aren’t going to cry, are you?” She asked, biting her lip to keep from laughing. Sometimes he was so childish, she almost felt sorry for him. And then she remembered that one day he’d be the most powerful man in the Universe, and suddenly she didn’t pity him quite so much anymore.

“No! I don’t cry, I am a Prince.” He replied sharply, nose wrinkling a little with irritation. Imelie thought he’d never looked younger. She could just squeeze his cheeks and coo over his little face. But of course she didn’t. “I just think that you’re the kind of person who puts pressure on society to be the perfect ‘man’ and I just… I think it’s stupid. Everyone is different.” Zeine said superiorly; chin high in the air as they were thrown into darkness.

“Just because I personally don’t think of you that way doesn’t mean other people don’t, Zeine. When you’re announced, I’m sure most people will swoon tremendously over you, I just…” She shrugged, settling her head against his shoulder, feeling like she’d perhaps crossed a line. “It would make things even more complicated than they already are, if I found you attractive.”

The Prince frowned deeply, shifting a little so his head rested on top of hers. “So… You’re just saying you don’t find my attractive so things won’t get ‘complicated?’ But… What if I find you attractive, too?” He asked tentatively, glad the darkness was there to hide his blush. He was actually blushing. There was a first for everything, it seemed.

“Shut up, Zeine. Don’t be ridiculous.” Imelie lifted her head, moving away from the Prince instantly.

“Why is that ridiculous?” He demanded, the rejection stinging harshly in his chest, “just because I’m a Prince, or is it because I’m not ‘rugged’ enough for you?!”

“Both!” The redhead snapped as the suns came up, getting quickly to her feet. “We’re friends, Zeine, nothing more! It’s dangerous enough for me like this!”

Zeine scowled. “Fine. I have enough admirers in the Palace to keep my entertained, anyway. I don’t need you.”

“Good.”

“Great!”

“Fine.”

“Awesome!” He snarled, fixing his eyes on the Palace, his face like stone. Imelie sniffed unapologetically, sniffing a little as if she couldn’t decide whether to stay or go. “Go if you want, if I really am that pretty.”

“Is all this attitude just you having a sulk because I don’t want to be part of your little fan club you have in the Palace? Are you really that self-absorbed?!” Imelie shouted, cheeks flushing in anger.

“I’m allowed to be self-absorbed; I’m the Prince of Rhinella!” He yelled back, standing up too and towering over her frighteningly, eyes flashing darkly. For a moment, Imelie thought, the resemblance between Zeine and his father was uncanny.

“Yes,” she nodded, shrinking back a little despite herself, “you are. I forget that.”

Zeine softened, guilt at his sharpness and pride in himself tearing his heart in half. “I didn’t mean to shout.” He muttered, an edge of bitterness in his voice due to the latter quality, but he backed away a little. “I like that you forget who I am… Mostly.”

“You can’t have it both ways, either you want me to treat you like a Prince and fall at your feet, or you want me to treat you as an equal.” She pointed out, and he nodded begrudgingly.

“But if you treat me as an equal, if you just put aside the whole royalty thing… That means you can’t turn my admiration of you away because of it, either.” Zeine replied, causing his companion to shift awkwardly, folding her arms.

“You never said admiration, you said attraction, there’s a difference.” Imelie insisted, cheeks burning. She’d had a couple of ‘admirers’ before, and mostly she’d just played along with them until they got bored and moved onto someone else… But this was a whole different ballgame.

The Prince narrowed his eyes a little at her embarrassment, torn between amusement and irritation. “Of course I admire you, you’re brilliant. Why wouldn’t I admire you? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Just drop it, Zeine.” She snapped, “We should go, anyway, or you won’t be back at the Palace in time.”

“Fine, but I’m not giving up. It’s not in my nature to give up easily.” He growled in response, following her back down the mountain.