Oh, prince...

Nobody told him anything, not even after his old guard disappeared. That is how it has always been. Something goes wrong and he is either, always the last one to hear about it or the one to never hear about it at all. It made him quite furious, he didn't know why this was.

His parents expect him to run a kingdom one day, yet they can't trust him with things that he needs to hear?

There was a slow and consent stream of tapping noses that came from the contact of wooded boot heels scuffing against a marbled floor. Tubbo was marching back and forth around the big room as he waited for Alaric, his father's advisor, to come and escort him to the throne room. Tubbo wanted nothing more than to not down with a good book and disregard everything his father wants to say. But that was no use, as the book wouldn't help calm down his nerves. It might only make his nerves worse.

The door was pushed open and Alaric stood under the polished mahogany frame. "You're allowed to come with me, the King is all set," Alaric spoke in this sickly fake, refined voice. Tubbo was reluctant to go with him, but it was that or get punished. Tubbo walked past him with a worried look on his face. Alaric followed right behind Tubbo with a blank face.

"Alaric..?" Tubbo started as they began the descent down the tower's stairs. "What happened to my guard?" He continued to ask his question.

There was not a single sound that cake from Alric that would prove he was going to answer the question. Tubbo was already bummed out that he has to look for a new one. He wanted to know what happened so he could look for the family and give them whatever peace they crave. There was nothing that he could do and that heavily weighed on him.

"My prince, there are things that you shouldn't ask. Your guard is not your guard anymore and that is all you need to know." Alaric replied in a slow voice. One of the calm and demanding tones.

Tubbo wasn't having it.

He just wasn't going to have it.

"I want to know, Alaric. You have to tell me what I want to know. I have a right to know since he was my guard." Tubbo knew that adding authority into the sentence would make Alaric forced to tell.

"I am sorry, but these are orders from the king. I am obligated not to take orders from you, other than the normal ones." This came in shock to Tubbo... Alaric was told not to take orders from him? In every way, this made him angry. Once again he was getting the short end of the stick. Tubbo tightly clenched his fists together. Tubbo and Alaric got to the giant doors that opened into the throne room. Tubbo walked up to them and roughly pushed them open. He caught sight of his father and mother sitting in their thrones.

"Father, why will you not tell me what happened to my guard?" His father didn't change his look. But his mother covered her face in shame.

"Because son, I do not need to tell you. There is no reason I should have to." He began to look amused as he crossed his legs. Tubbo had a bad taste in his mouth from his father. There were parts of him that despised what his father was like. "He was my guard."

"And? You're the reason he left. That is all you should ever need to know." Tubbo froze in his tracks.

'The reason he left?'

Tubbo walked to the center of the throne room with a blank look on his face. There was nothing that hurt Tubbo more than people pretending to be friends with him. Just because he is of a royal bloodline doesn't make him a bad person. He told everything to that guard and considered him a close friend. That broke Tubbos heart in more pieces than just one. Sure, when he wanted to know something he would be constantly asking questions. There weren't many times where that happened though. Other than that Tubbo was taught better than his parents ever were. He didn't listen to what they had to tell him. He would always watch the people of his kingdom, his servants. There were times when other high members of society would come to the castle for dinner or a ball. His parents would eat like true royals. Then, when they were not here they would want like pigs. If they didn't like something they would throw it onto the floor and cry like an animal. It disgusted Tubbo to the point where he would leave the room.

He hated the way they acted.

There are many times where he wished that he wasn't born into the family at all.

"What do you want?" Tubbo held back

his urge to cry.

He would have rather been lied to.

"Well..." His father started. "Your mother and I have arranged a marriage for you to partake in. This will be better for both kingdoms." Tubbo's eyes went wide, enough for them to start hurting. "You have no choice in the matter. You will marry her and you will join the kingdoms." His father got up from his throne and began to walk down carpeted red steps. "She is a beautiful girl and I think you will like her." Tubbo looked up at his father. He had this smirk on his face, "Your my only son, and I want what is best for you." That was a complete lie.

"Now, turn around and look at your future wife." His father placed his hands on his shoulders and forcefully turned Tubbo to face the other direction. Behind him was a girl, around to what looked about the age of 16.

Tubbo was a month away from 18.

She had waist-length wait brown hair and a big ball gown. It started with a royal blue that faded into a white. There was a silver tiara encrusted with sparkling diamonds and emeralds that adorned her head. Her eyes were a dark green.

"Hello, King and Queen Schlatt and Prince Toby." She curtsied. Tubbo's father walked past Tubbo with a smile. "Princess Amelia... Welcome to our kingdom." Tubbo bowed at his father's words. At the moment he wanted to run out of the room as can't as he could but his feet couldn't seem to move. The princess walked towards him and grabbed onto his hands gently. "It will be an honor to be your wife." She said in a sweet tone. 'It will be an honor?' Tubbo hissed at the thought. She's not an item and he didn't even ask. "The honor is all mine." He replied before bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it. He looked up at her face, disgusted by the romance he was giving her.

"Alright that's enough you live birds. Toby, Amelia, will be staying in the left ring wing of the castle with her parents and her older brother. Princess Amelia, you are free to go and so are you son." Tubbo walked to the door with Amelia right by his side. The two giant doors were pulled open by the attendees. The couple walked out of the room, and the doors silently closed behind them. "It was nice to meet you, princess." She smiled at him. "Same to you, prince."

Both of them awkwardly walked away from each other. Tubbo didn't know what to do and neither did Amelia. So they just walked away without thinking about doing anything special.

Once Tubbo was knowingly out of her sound or sight reach he started to run. In the process, he pulled off the tight tailcoat and the white shirt he had on underneath. Dropping everything on the ground as he ran. Leaving him in a soft tan short sleeve shirt that wasn't quite long enough to be tucked into his white pants. He needed to get out of the castle and into a place with fresh air as quickly as possible.

As Tubbo was the prince, the fact that he has lived in the castle his whole life he had the place memorized by heart was a true one.

So, when the time came and he saw the window of opportunity, he jumped through it.

Literally.

And with that, he landed in the garden below him. It was only about a 5-foot dropdown. Tubbo was not scared because he had done it so many times.

But, what he wasn't expecting was jumping onto someone. There was a scream, "Ranboo!" Tubbo rolled over on the ground in pain. He didn't know what just happened. He felt like all of the air was sucked out of him, he got onto his knees, and sat down on them. Sitting with his head towards the ground as he gasped for air. He could feel a hand get placed on his back and another on his shoulder. Tubbo being the defense one he is wanted to with every bone in his body, roll away. But he couldn't.

"Oh, my... Are you-". Tubbo turned his head to look up at the person who was talking to him. The person froze... " Prince Toby!?" It was the face of a woman and by the looks of it. The worst one at the time to run into. She eerily looked exactly like princess Amelia. Tubbo sat up, holding his stomach, "Oh no." Were his exact thoughts at the moment.

He looked around him to see a female attendant aiding someone else. Gradually, Tubbo got up and walked over to the person who was on the ground. He was sitting up, with a hand resting behind him and one on top of his head. It was obvious that he was a royal. Since he was dressed in a slick black suit that was decorated with different white lace and golden strong. "I am so very sorry." Tubbo got onto the ground, he bowed on his knees in front of the person, he assumed he hit.

"Oh, no please don't do that." The woman grabbed Tubbo by the shoulders and pulled him back. "There is no need for you to do that. My son will understand. There is no need to apologize to him like that." She said in a rushed tone of voice. Tubbo looked at the male, he completely ignored what she had just said. He bowed down with his face to the ground. "I am very sorry-."

"Please, don't." The male spoke with pain in his voice. Tubbo flinched and sat up, "Why?" He asked like he was defending himself. "Because you are the prince."

"That's not an excuse, I didn't something wrong. I hurt you." Tubbo got up onto his feet and looked around. He saw his crown laying a few feet away from him. He leaned down and picked it up. Turning around he walked over to the other male, "Your a prince as much as I am." Tubbo placed the crown on his light brown head of hair. "I never asked to be a prince. So don't treat me like I did." Even though Tubbo was in pain he still turned on his heels and ran.

-

It was late at night and Tubbo was sitting in a tree looking down at the dirt and grass stains that covered his knees. He didn't care. The ladies who washed the clothes would find a way to clean them and if not he has like 10 other pairs.

The tree hung over a pond, which he and an old friend of his used to jump into the pond from.

This was a spot that people were too dumb to come and look for him at. So he could sit there in that spot for hours and nobody would find him. Which was a good thing since he didn't want anyone to. Tubbo laid back and looked up at the clear sky through the breaks in the tree leaves.

The wind was softly blowing a light breeze through the branches. Lightly tapping on the leaves, pushing them in the direction softly.

"So, you stay here all day and decide to stand up to my sister 4 times and miss out on the huge family dinner." Tubbo sat up and looked by his feet. There was nobody there. Maybe he was just hearing things?

It was made apparent that he was not hearings when a person climbed up the tree. Tubbo froze, someone found him.

"I honestly thought you were more like your parents, but I was wrong." The person who found him was the other prince. That surprised Tubbo with a complete passion. How?!

Tubbo scooted back on the huge branch. "How did you find me?" Tubbo asked in a scared voice. The prince moved up and sat on the branch. "Because I know you. I knew that you would come here." It was shocking for Tubbo to hear something like that from someone he had just met. "No, no you don't know me." The prince scooted to Tubbo more, the closer he got the further away Tubbo scooted. "I've never met you before. Please just leave me alone-." Tubbo lost his balance and fell off the branch.

In a completely normal situation, Tubbo would have fallen into the water and would have been fine. But someone didn't want him to fall. "This is why you need to be careful. I've said it once and I'll say it again. If you don't wanna be called 'princess' by the other guards. Then don't keep needing to be saved." Those words pierced right through Tubbo's heart. He could feel himself start to tear up. The prince pulled Tubbo up onto the branch. When he did that Tubbo situated himself then pulled the other male into a hug.

"Why... Why did you leave me?" Tubbo started crying. "Because of you." That statement alone broke Tubbo's heart again. "I thought you were my friend. I thought of you like one and then you leave because of me. No wonder I don't have anyone." Tubbo cried as he pushed him away. He hated him, he hated him with a passion.

"What did I ever do to you that would make me be the problem?! I'm not like them, don't you see that?!" Tubbo shoved his face in his hands. But that didn't last long as he scooted forward and wrapped his arms around the other male. "It's not that way. Tubbo, I left because you are getting married to my sister. I went back home to be with her." Tubbo melted even more into the hug as he tried. "Mark-."

"That's not my real name... I had to lie to keep from my parents finding me. My real name is Ranboo." The prince said.

"Ranboo... I don't want to marry your sister..."

"Yeah, I know."

They sat there on the tree branch for a little bit longer just basking in each other's presence. Tubbo was kept warm and so was Ranboo. They would have stayed out there for a while if they both knew that people would be cross with them if they stayed out even later.

"We should go in..." Ranboo said in a soft voice. Tubbo didn't want to go inside but he knew he had to. "Also, I put your crown on your bed."

"You could have just kept it. I wasn't planning on coming back. But I have to now." Tubbo let go of Ranboo. Before pushing himself off of the tree and falling into the pond below. Ranboo jumped in after him.

Tubbo was holding his breath as he looked up at the dark surface of the water. He always likes the way that it looked. He swam back up to the top, talking in a huge breath.

"Why did you do this again?" Tubbo looked over at the other male. His hair was covering his eyes. "Ranboo, you are the one who jumped in after me wearing a suit and I wanted to do this. I wanted to taste the last fleeting moments of freedom before it's all taken away from me." Tubbo laid on his back, spreading out like a starfish. He knew that he was going to be in a lot of trouble.

"Maybe, then we don't have to go back. Instead, we go back to me being your guard and you being my prince. We'll leave this place and never come back. Be anyone and live free." Ranboo copied Tubbo's actions. Tubbo's eyes gazed up at the dark canopy of trees above him.

"I wish." Tubbo was anything but relaxed. With a soft sigh, he swam over to the side of the pond and pulled himself up. He had his legs hanging in the water.

His eyes trailed over to Ranboo, who was looking back at him. "Why didn't you tell me... That you were a prince?"

The shift in Ranboo's facial features was obvious. He dropped from floating in the water on his back. "Tubbo, I wanted to. But I couldn't. You have to believe me... I trust you with everything."

Tubbo had a sad look on his face. He didn't know if he should believe Ranboo. He was also thinking about their time together. If Ranboo told the truth when talking then he could trust him.

Because, if there was something that was real. It was the friendship they made together.