king. john price

price wasn't meant to be crowned king. yet here he is, once an esteemed general in the military made king.

it's saddening to know that his life was already predetermined by his parents the minute his eyes opened to the world for the first time. a path already laid out for him on a silver platter, disregarding any of his future wishes (if he ever has the opportunity to even express them). didn't have a choice in the end, do you, johnathan? the thought so melancholic and suffocating — buried into a pile of expectations without no means to escape except from giving in to those demands. parasitic, in fact — gnawing at him like the devil crooning sweet-nothings in his ear every moment he was breathing perfectly fine — drowning in everything all at once. overwhelming. of course, not that price had any say in it, to begin with. just a mere prince back then — a shadow to the golden light that was his brother. obviously, his elder brother was made heir to the throne.

and as for price? already had a clear-cut path for the military. obviously, he was going to spend his entire childhood putting on a smile for the public and spend hours under the sweltering sun to become proficient in combat. gone were the prospects of sitting through gruelling etiquette lessons and whatnot — not that he was complaining, the idea already had the young prince dreading even attending for a mere second — but his brother had to go through that. made their differences so… apparent that scared price to death. already when they weren't even adults — price wasn't so naïve to know that he was destined to be inferior compared to the golden goose that was his brother. not that he was complaining, in all honesty. politics was never made for price the more he came to terms with his position in the royal family — the brute, the general — preferred the sword than frilly words masking true intentions. straightforward, like the blade, birds of the same feather always flocked together.

when their father died — oh, price didn't really mourn during the funeral, just kept his head low throughout the ceremony — his brother was made king. adding more to the significant difference in power between the two. price a mere general in the military while his brother ruled over the realm with his heart on his sleeve. no matter how respected price was, now first in line to the throne, he unfortunately knew his place. underneath his brother. never had the spotlight to himself outside of militaristic achievements.

but his brother died, falling along with their father. so price was made king.

the ceremony felt so dull. so lifeless. a few months after the death of his brother — merely just crowning and anointing price in holy oils and fragrances from the high priest as he crooned on about how it was God who blessed him to rule the realm until his timely death. could see the sorrow in some of the court's men's eyes. was his brother really that benevolent?

a murder mystery happening before his eyes ever since news reached that his brother was no longer walking amongst others on earth. was going to a better place, your highness, he was told, the words sugar-coated to keep the nitty-gritty details hidden from him. the constable was incompetent as ever — chalking it up to it being self-inflicted or a possible murder. yet still the press said something else, illness. price knew for a fact that his brother was at his absolute prime. surely illness wasn't the cause of death. still didn't stop the public from speculating otherwise. painting the newly-appointed king as a murderer, painting a story that price was some bitter individual who killed his own kin in old blood. the court distrusted price vehemently. oh, the newly-appointed king was all alone within his own people. he didn't sign up for this life. never was his fault for his poor brother's death. just fate being a cruel mistress — just fate trying to stir the pot and make a much more different outcome. something about karmic justice for all of the days where young price was relegated to the side as a spare.

a tumultuous life in palace courts defending his honour that he would never do such harm to his own fucking brother wasn’t a life that price wished to live. but he was in too deep now, what could he do if he just abandoned the throne just like that? hah, some leader i turned out to be.

a stubborn man price made himself out to be — really… really stubborn. but he would never back down from his duty. swore to it till the end. and price surely will make the most of his… newer circumstances as king.

---

the palace gardens were awfully serene compared to the running thoughts that plagued the king's head — so artistic, as if price could trace each brush stroke of lilies and roses blooming with his finger reverently — a complete foil to who price thought himself to be. the brute, the general. kingly life wasn't made for him, in marriage they would've been disputing like an old couple getting sick of each other. of course, his advisor assured him that he would get around with these new adjustments. oh, his heart ached for the battlefield, so. maybe he was just merely destined to be with the blade, to be the protector. but you'd find ways to find satisfaction in your predicament, johnathan...

maybe one day he'd come to terms with his king title — the one that he didn't deserve as much as his late brother did — but for now... for now he can get wrapped up in —

“ah, your majesty!”

isn't that sir garrick?

“you don't have to be so formal with me, boy,” price's lips quirked up into a small smile as he regarded the knight, patting his shoulder in a paternal fashion. barely over a decade of taking the lad under his wing and gaz still had the gall to refer to him with such frilly titles that he did not deserve. well, he did instil respect into that boy — but surely, gaz mustn't regard him with such professionalism! “guess i taught you well, huh?” the king couldn't help but muse out loud, letting out a throaty chuckle. “anyways — ” the king cleared his throat, “spit it out, boy.”

“jus’ some reports for ya, sir,” gaz explained. still so stubborn on the formalities when price is essentially his father, huh? price had half the mind to roll his eyes with a mirthful chuckle. taking the documents away from the bumbling knight — just some… scouting along the border or something, price still needed to give it a read-through.

“aren't you supposed to be training new recruits, boy?”

“and your kingly duties?”

“come off it, garrick!”

sharing hearty laugh with the knight for one last time, they parted ways. gaz running off to train the squires to become fully-fledged knights. price remembered that, over a decade ago, he did the same for gaz. saw the potential in that boy and said to him straight up 'one day you're going to be an elite one, boy' and he did the same for soap and ghost. and now, where are they in standing? part of an elite squad of knights at his beck-and-call — trusted by the king himself (not saying much considering how tarnished his fragile reputation is), but powerful enough!

and then he heard humming. and who you might be roaming around here?

entranced by the sound, clutching onto the reports that sir garrick gave him with gloved hands — price scoured through the palace gardens. surrounded by the endless maze of lush green hedges adorned with varieties of flowers that blurred into splashes of colour the more efficient his booted steps became. it came to him like a siren's song, luring the lonely pirate that price hypothetically was. tugging at him closer and closer to shipwreck and drowning. the musicals notes making each step he took to the source of the noise a lot more lighter. and at the center of it all he spotted... her.

a measly gardener — he noted quickly — but there was something about her. something like those books detailing a strange akin to love tugging at his heartstrings. those pretty sonnets and ballads describing a man's helpless pining over someone. except this is the first time that he laid eyes on this woman. price dared not make a noise, leaning against an intricately carved marble pillar with a dreamy look on his place. nearly forgetting about the reports he needed to look over.

then and there, price just knew.

so this is love...