Damien's POV
I didn't hear Alec's footsteps behind me. He had the good sense to stay away. Maybe he'd realized, like everyone else, that I didn't care for their pity or their attempts to understand me. The only person who got it who really got it was Caspian. But right now, I couldn't even look at him.
I walked briskly through the palace gardens, the familiar scent of roses and jasmine clashing with the gnawing frustration that I couldn't shake off. I had to get away. I hated the way the walls seemed to close in on me when things got too real. When I felt the weight of expectations.
Damien Lucian the prince, the heir. It was a role I had never wanted. A throne I didn't care to sit on.
If anyone knew that, it was Caspian.
I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling the strands harshly as the anger inside me simmered again. Damn Alec. Damn the whole damn situation. I wasn't meant to be here. Not like this. Not with eyes always watching. Everyone waiting for me to slip up.
It wasn't my fault. I didn't ask for any of it. But that didn't stop the pressure from crushing down on me every single day.
And then, there was my father. King Lucian. The man who expected me to carry the weight of this crown one day. I wasn't sure I could live up to the image he had of me. Not that I even cared to try.
I froze, my breath catching in my chest.
"You think I'm just some puppet for you to control?" I muttered under my breath. "You'll regret that."
But that was the reality. The expectations, the crown, the destiny. It was all there, hovering like a storm cloud I couldn't escape.
Caspian understood that storm, though. He had been there every time it had rained on me. Every time I fell apart and he had to pick me up.
I didn't need anyone else. Not Alec. Not even my father. All I needed was my brother. The only one who saw me for what I was, and still didn't turn away.
I made my way through the long hallways of the palace, keeping my footsteps light, as if I didn't want anyone to hear me. I stopped in front of my quarters, the door creaking open under my touch. The room was dimly lit, the evening light barely filtering through the curtains.
But I couldn't stay here. Not now. I couldn't sit and wallow in my anger. I had to get out.
Alec's POV
I leaned against the stone wall, my arms folded across my chest as I stared down the corridor where Damien had vanished. He was different. Not just the arrogance and anger it was the emptiness behind his eyes when he spoke. It was like something in him had died long ago.
I wasn't used to seeing a prince like that. Not in all my years of service, and certainly not from someone of Damien's stature. There was a darkness in him, but it wasn't just born of cruelty. It was born of hurt of loss. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together.
What did Caspian mean when he said Damien wasn't like other princes? That he had more beneath the surface? It didn't take long for me to realize Caspian wasn't just protecting his younger brother. He was shielding him from the world. There was more to their bond than mere family ties.
I had to admit, I was intrigued.
But that wasn't my problem. My job was to watch Damien and keep him safe. Whether I understood him or not was irrelevant. My task remained the same.
But that didn't mean I couldn't keep an eye on him, right? I smirked to myself, pushing away from the wall and walking down the hall in the direction Damien had gone
Damien's POV
I was already halfway to the stables before I heard the faint sound of footsteps behind me. Of course, it was Alec. He was persistent.
I turned abruptly, facing him, my posture stiff. "What do you want?" I snapped, unable to hide the irritation in my voice. "I told you I don't need a babysitter."
Alec stopped a few feet from me, not intimidated by my tone. His eyes held a mixture of curiosity and concern, but mostly... uncertainty. "I'm not your babysitter, Damien. I'm just doing my job. You don't have to like it."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "And you think I care about your job?"
He didn't flinch. Instead, he took a step forward, lowering his voice. "You think you can do this on your own? You think you can just run away every time it gets hard?"
I felt a flicker of something something I didn't quite understand. It was as if Alec was trying to push me, but I wasn't sure in what direction.
"I'm not running away," I said, my voice steady, even though my heart was pounding in my chest. "I'm just... leaving."
"Leaving what?" Alec asked, his tone more serious now. "Your destiny? You think that's something you can just walk away from?"
For a moment, I didn't say anything. My jaw clenched. I wanted to punch him. But instead, I just turned and walked away.
I could feel the sting of Alec's words, even though I wasn't going to let it show. I had learned long ago to mask everything. At 22, I was supposed to have it all together, but I didn't. And Alec, despite his persistent attitude, wasn't wrong. I couldn't keep running away from my problems.
I stopped walking and turned to face him again. "You know," I said, my voice almost cold, "you talk like you know what it's like. But you don't. You don't know what it's like to have the weight of everything on your shoulders, always being watched, always expected to be perfect."
Alec looked at me, his expression softening, but he didn't say anything at first. He was only 22 as well an age where the world was supposed to feel full of possibilities. But with us, it felt more like a ticking clock, waiting for us to either fall in line or fail.
"You're not alone in this, Damien," Alec finally said. "I'm not your enemy. But you need to stop pushing people away. You and I... we're supposed to be in this together."
I could tell he meant it, but that didn't make me feel better. It only made my frustration grow.
"Maybe I don't need anyone," I snapped, though even as I said it, I knew it wasn't true. I did need someone. It just wasn't Alec. It was Caspian.
Alec took a deep breath, clearly not buying my words. He had been around long enough to know when I was hiding something. "You're just scared," he said softly. "And I get it. You think you're gonna screw everything up like your old man expects. But you've got more than one person to trust. You don't have to do it all by yourself."
I didn't say anything for a long moment, weighing his words. What Alec didn't understand what no one understood was that I didn't want any of it. The throne, the palace, the crown. It was all just chains that bound me.
And my father, King Lucian, was the worst of all. He never asked me what I wanted. He just expected me to fall in line, to be the son he always wanted, the prince he always dreamed of.
But I wasn't him.
"I don't want it," I finally said, breaking the silence. "I don't want to be like him."
Alec's eyes flickered with something like understanding, but he didn't push me. Instead, he just nodded and took a step back.
"Then don't," he said quietly. "But don't push away the people who care about you."
Alec's POV
I couldn't quite figure Damien out. We were the same age—22, just like everyone else in this palace—but sometimes it felt like he was living a life far older than mine. His anger, his pride, they were like walls that no one could get past. But under all of that... there was a pain. A deep, gnawing pain that he didn't want to let anyone see.
I had seen it that night when he fought me. The way his hands trembled just before he threw the first punch. The way his eyes darted to the door when Caspian intervened. He didn't want to fight me, not really. He just wanted to prove something. To himself. To everyone around him.
I couldn't help but wonder if Caspian knew all of this. He was the only one who seemed to get Damien, the only one who could pull him back from the edge.
But that wasn't my job, was it? My job was to protect Damien from threats external threats. Not from the ones that lived inside him. And right now, I wasn't even sure how to protect him from himself.
I glanced back down the hall, my thoughts still on Damien's words. I don't want to be like him. What did that mean? Damien didn't want to be a king, but his father would never allow that. Lucian would never let him walk away from the throne. It was all Damien had known since birth. And I knew that, in some twisted way, Damien felt trapped.
I sighed and turned back toward the stables. If I could just keep my head in the game, keep my distance... maybe things wouldn't get any more complicated than they already were.
But even as I thought that, I knew it wasn't true. Things were only just beginning.
Damien's POV
I was tired. Physically drained from everything the fight, the anger, the conversation with Alec. I needed space. I needed time to think.
That's when I noticed the stables, the barn doors wide open in front of me. The fresh scent of hay filled the air, and I could hear the soft sounds of the horses shifting in their stalls.
It was quiet here, a stark contrast to the palace. There, I was always on display, always the center of attention. But here, in the stables, I could breathe.
I walked to one of the stalls, my hand brushing lightly against the horse's mane. This was one of the only places I ever felt peace. With the horses, there were no expectations, no walls, no pressure.
I leaned against the wall, letting my body relax for the first time all day. I had no idea how long I stood there, just taking in the calmness of the place.
"You think you're the only one who wants to escape?" Alec's voice broke through my thoughts, and I glanced up to see him standing at the entrance of the barn, looking at me with that unreadable expression of his.
I straightened up, but didn't move from my spot. "Leave me alone, Alec."
He didn't listen. He walked in and stopped beside me, his gaze on the horses. "You don't have to do this alone, Damien. You have more people who care about you than you realize."
I turned my head slightly, meeting his eyes. "I don't need anyone," I said, though I knew the words weren't true. Deep down, I knew.
Alec seemed to understand that without saying anything. He just nodded and turned to leave. "Take care of yourself," he said over his shoulder, his voice surprisingly gentle.
I didn't respond, watching him disappear into thedistance. But the emptiness inside me lingered, gnawing at my insides.
Maybe Alec was right. But I couldn't admit it ...not yet.