Chapter Text
Sharpness wanted to do anything except sit through another lecture about who did what two centuries ago.
He sat in the kingdom’s private library at a long wooden table covered in scattered books and loose papers. Towering bookshelves surrounded him from every side, stretching so high they nearly touched the ceiling.
You could probably find any book in existence somewhere in this room.
His tutor, personally hired by his father, was an old man who just kept talking and talking about the greatness of the kingdom.
Heroes.
Kings.
Politics.
Absolute bullshit.
Everyone knew history was just a carefully arranged pile of lies. One country would tell you how disgraceful a ruler was and another would praise that same person like a hero.
And naturally, you were expected to believe your own land.
Your birthright.
Your roots.
But Sharpness wasn’t really thinking about any of that.
Resting his chin against his palm, he stared blankly ahead while the old man continued tapping a long wooden pointer against the map spread across the table.
Is it hard to make traps?
It seemed like an easy way out.
If you were losing a fight, you could just bait your opponent into one. Not that Sharpness would never lose a fight.
He was good.
Not in an arrogant way, he simply knew he was skilled.
Traps were for scaredycats anyway.
He should bring food for Tom today.
Sharpness seriously doubted Jude or Parker had anything remotely healthy in that house, let alone proper cat food.
I wonder what Tom’s doing right now.
Probably sleeping.
He loved sleeping in warm places, especially under the sunlight. And whenever someone scratched his head or touched his ears to wake him up, he’d make the funniest face.
It was adorable.
Sharpness smiled slightly at the thought.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, just— oh.”
Sharpness blinked and looked up, only to find his tutor staring at him with visible annoyance.
Right.
He was still in the middle of a lesson.
“Um… sorry. I just didn’t sleep much last night,” Sharpness stammered awkwardly. “So… sorry.”
Honestly, it wasn’t even a complete lie. After everything that happened yesterday, proper sleep had been impossible.
The old man sighed tiredly.
“It’s alright. We can continue tomorrow.”
He gathered several test papers together before tapping them neatly against the desk to straighten the edges.
With that, the tutor finally left the library for his own break.
Silence settled across the massive room almost immediately.
Sharpness leaned back in his chair with a long sigh, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes.
The library was strangely quiet once he was alone in it.
A soft click echoed from the door.
“Yo bro, you good?”
Sharpness looked up at the familiar voice.
Twirps walked in wearing light armor, casually tossing a red apple toward him.
Sharpness caught it easily.
“Yeah. Just sleepy,” he muttered while rolling the apple slowly across the table with his fingertips.
Twirps studied him silently for a moment before sitting down beside him and resting a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s gonna be fine,” he said softly, giving him a reassuring pat. “Don’t overthink it.”
“How can I not overthink it?” Sharpness huffed. “I’m so stupid. They’re literally bandits. How could I trust them with Tom? I should’ve left him somewhere else. What if I go back and they’re gone? What if they kidnap him?”
He continued rambling while burying his face in his palms.
Twirps honestly wasn’t sure what to say.
Everything he knew about those two came from Sharpness’s extremely biased storytelling from yesterday.
Apparently, there was a rabbit named Jude and an enderman named Parker who were… definitely not nobles. Or anything remotely close to that.
Their first meeting apparently involved Jude stealing something from a store Sharpness happened to be in.
Not to mention the way Sharpness described him afterward.
“He wasn’t scared at all.”
“So arrogant.”
“Proud.”
“Annoyingly skilled! The way he jumped over that fence—”
“You should’ve seen the trap I got caught in — it was disgustingly genius.”
Those were Sharpness’s words, mind you.
Twirps had never heard someone complain about a person so enthusiastically before.
“We’re visiting them again today anyway, aren’t we?” Twirps shrugged casually.
Sharpness finally pulled his face out of his hands and looked up at Twirps.
He nodded slowly.
Not fully convinced, but it was something.
“You should probably get back to studying now,” Twirps said as he stood up from the chair.
“Ugh,” Sharpness groaned in response. “Lesson’s over anyway… let’s go see them. I wanna bring food for Tom too”
Twirps paused.
“Weren’t you just exhausted?”
“Not for this”
Sharpness flashed him a wide grin that immediately made Twirps raise a brow. He really did care for the cat.
By the middle of the day, they finally reached the forest again.
Before heading there, Sharpness had insisted on stopping by a small animal supply shop in town to buy proper food for Tom, which he stored in Twirps’ bag.
Twirps still found it slightly ridiculous how seriously he was taking this entire arrangement.
Neither of them brought horses this time.
The house honestly wasn’t that far from the castle once you knew where to look.
Still, the deeper they walked into the woods, the more identical everything started looking.
Trees.
Roots.
Endless patches of moss.
“It’s ridiculously easy to get lost here,” Twirps muttered while stepping over a fallen branch.
“There.” Sharpness nodded ahead confidently. “Just a little more and we’ll be— AH—”
The ground suddenly disappeared beneath him.
“What the—”
Twirps jerked back in surprise as Sharpness vanished straight into a concealed pit dug into the forest floor.
Dirt crumbled down after him.
Twirps stared for half a second before a laugh escaped him.
He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, shoulders shaking anyway.
“Are you okay?” he called down while stepping carefully toward the edge.
Sharpness lay face-first at the bottom of the pit in complete silence.
“Mm.. that Fucking bitch.”Sharpness groaned while pushing himself upright, brushing dirt and leaves off his clothes with visible irritation.
Twirps lost the battle against laughter immediately.
“It’s not funny. Like, at all.” Sharpness called out.
Suddenly, the sound of fast approaching footsteps echoed through the trees.
Twirps straightened instantly.
His hand moved toward the weapon at his side out of pure instinct.
Then a figure appeared between the trees.
Purple ears.
The figure came to a stop on the opposite side of the pit.
“What?” he called out while glaring at Twirps suspiciously. “Who are you?”
“LET ME OUT!” Sharpness shouted from the bottom of the trap.
Jude immediately leaned over the edge.
“IS THAT YOU AGAIN?”
“I LITERALLY TOLD YOU I’D COME BACK TO CHECK.”
Jude stared down at him in disbelief, his ears droopy.
“You ruined my trap.”
“How is that my fault?!” Sharpness snapped, hands on his hips as he looked up at the furious Hare. “A warning would’ve been nice!”
“I didn’t think one was necessary since I assumed you had eyes,” Jude deadpanned. “Turns out they’re just decorative.”
“SHUT IT.”
Sharpness grabbed a pebble and threw it at him.
“WATCH IT.”
Jude jerked back to avoid it and kicked loose dirt down into the pit instead as a comeback.
Sharpness immediately sputtered in outrage below.
“What is even going on?” Twirps finally interrupted, trying very hard not to laugh.
Jude’s attention snapped toward him immediately.
“I never gave you permission to bring servants,” he said suspiciously.
Twirps arched his brow.
“He’s not a servant, he’s my friend. And a guard,” Sharpness argued from below. “And I don’t need your permission in the first place. Do you even know who you’re talking to?”
“Yeah,” Jude replied without hesitation, crossing his arms. “An idiot who fell into a trap that wasn’t even meant for him.”
Sharpness glared.
“That trap was supposed to catch my dinner, by the way,” Jude continued while gesturing toward the pit. “Now what am I supposed to hunt and eat?”
He looked up at Twirps afterward like he expected sympathy.
Twirps was losing the fight against laughter more every second.
“Just let him out,” he said finally. “We’re not here for this.”
Jude sighed dramatically before stepping on the edge of the pit and extending a hand toward Sharpness. “Come on.”
Sharpness narrowed his eyes immediately.
“I don’t trust you.”
“Oh my god.” Jude raised both hands in annoyance before stepping away from him completely. “Whatever.”
After a few failed attempts and a significant amount of complaining, Sharpness finally climbed out of the pit, with Twirpss’ help. The first thing he did was brush dirt off his clothes.
The second was glaring at Jude.
Jude returned the look with a shit-eating grin.
Sharpness disliked how pleased he looked.
“Follow behind me if you don’t want to fall into anything else,” Jude said before turning around, his long ears bounced slightly with each step.
“You can’t trap me as much as you think you can,” Sharpness scoffed.
“I could literally trap you thirty seconds ago” Jude taunted and without even looking back, he stomped the side of his boot against a nearby rock.
A sharp metallic snap echoed through the forest.
Twirps immediately jerked backward.
Several thin wires dropped from the branches above, stopping only inches from his face.
“Whoa.”
Jude finally glanced over his shoulder.
“Look. Your servant’s impressed.”
“Not a servant.”
“Twirps isn’t a servant.”
Both of them spoke at the same time.
“Whatever.”Jude rolled his eyes and continued walking.
“How many of these things are out here?”Twirps watched the wires sway gently overhead.
“Enough.” Jude shrugged.
The forest slowly began thinning as they walked. Sunlight slipped through the leaves overhead, scattering patches of gold across the ground. Eventually, the familiar clearing came into view.
Then suddenly—
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
A bell was ringing somewhere nearby. Sharpness glanced at Twirps and he glanced back. Neither of them had any idea what was happening. Meanwhile, Jude didn’t even react, as he had expected it.
He casually changed direction and headed toward the fence.
The bell continued ringing.
Sharpness watched as Jude crouched beside one of the fence posts.
A moment later, the noise stopped.
“What was that?” Sharpness asked.
“Bells.”
“Yeah, no shit.”
“Then why ask?”Jude stood up.
“Why were they ringing?”Sharpness narrowed his eyes.
Jude looked at him like the answer was obvious.
“How do you think I knew someone fell into my trap?”
Oh.
Sharpness’s gaze dropped toward the ground. Hidden among the grass sat a collection of small bells connected by thin wires.
Lots of them.
At least fifteen. Two of them had been triggered.
His eyes lingered there for a second.
“Was this why you were so awestruck yesterday?” Twirps nudged him, making Sharpness snap out of his thoughts as they continued following Jude toward the house.
“What do you mean by that?” Sharpness frowned.
Twirps merely shrugged, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“I think he’s in the living room,” Jude pointed at the cat who was indeed in the living room. Sleeping without any care in the world.
When they finally stepped inside, Twirps immediately began looking around, quietly observing the place. Sharpness, meanwhile, had already made himself comfortable on the living room floor. Leaning against the side of the couch, he scratched Tom’s stomach while the cat rolled onto his back, meowing and batting at his hands with his paws.
“Did you feed him?” Sharpness asked, looking up at Jude.
Jude was busy digging through one of the drawers. “Um… I think Parker gave him some of those snacks Lopezz gave you yesterday,” he replied without paying much attention.
“Okay, I brought cat food. Feed him three times a day,” Sharpness warned.
Without saying anything, Twirps set the bag of cat food on the table.
“Three times?” Jude repeated.
“Yes.”
“He’s smaller than my boot.”
“Three times.”
Tom suddenly trapped Sharpness’s hand between both paws, wrapping his tail and legs around his wrist while nibbling on his fingers.
“Okay, can I go now?” Sharpness murmured to the cat as he tried pulling his hand away.
Tom responded by sinking his teeth in slightly harder.
“Ow!” Sharpness yelped. “I wanna go!”
The front door opened.
“Yoo, good afternoon.” Parker walked into the living room and gave everyone a quick wave before leaning against the doorframe.“Yo Jude, did you catch it?”
“Yeah,” Jude scoffed, pointing toward Sharpness and Twirps.
Parker glanced at them.
Then back at Jude.
“Oh.”The excitement drained from his face. “So… no dinner?”
“What dinner?” Sharpness asked, looking up from Tom.
Twirps was listening too, though he remained silent. He wasn’t much of a talker around unfamiliar people. Usually, he preferred observing first and speaking later once he got a feel for the room and the people in it.
“The trap you fell into,” Jude reminded him as he finally gave up searching through the drawer and slammed it shut. “Parker heard the bell and thought it was prey. That’s usually how we get dinner around here.” He paused before adding, “If Your Nobleness can understand that.”
“Are you calling me dumb?” Sharpness narrowed his eyes.
“You said it, not me.” Jude raised both hands innocently.
“Well—” Parker cut in before the argument could continue. “How about you go to the shop and buy some supplies so we don’t starve…” he paused. “Again.”
“Dude, what?” Jude groaned immediately, his ears drooping. “Why me again?”
“Because yesterday you told me you needed more stuff for your traps,” Parker reminded him. “You can get that too.”
As far as Sharpness and Twirps could tell, Jude looked deeply annoyed by the suggestion.
With a dramatic groan, he grabbed his cape and wrapped it around himself before tucking his ears inside.
“See y’all later.” His voice lacked any enthusiasm as he fastened a toolbelt around his waist.
A moment later, he was out the door, leaving the three of them behind.
“Uh…” Parker rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Tea? Coffee? Water?”
“Water would be nice,” Twirps replied as he sat down on the couch near Sharpness.
“Good, because we only have water anyway.” Parker disappeared into the kitchen.
“Ah.”
Silence settled over the room as Parker went into the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Sharpness’s gaze remained fixed on the front door.
Twirps noticed immediately.
“Please no.”
“What?” Sharpness asked innocently. “I haven’t said anything.”
“Whatever you’re thinking is a bad idea.”
“I’ll be quick.”
Before Twirps could react, Sharpness carefully nudged Tom off his lap and jumped to his feet.
“Sharpness.”
“Keep him busy,” he whispered, subtly tipping his head toward the kitchen.
“Sharpness.”
Then he slipped out the front door.
“Sharpne—aand he’s gone.” Twirps slumped back against the couch with a sigh.
There was never any point in arguing once Sharpness made up his mind. The prince was unbelievably stubborn. Once he decided something, that was it. Trying to change his mind was about as effective as arguing with a brick wall.
A few moments later, Parker returned from the kitchen.
Empty-handed.
“So…” he began awkwardly, “turns out we’re out of water..”
Then he looked around the room.
“Wait.”
A pause.
“Where’s the other one?”
Sharpness was quiet.
Well… at least he was trying to be.
He followed Jude from what he considered a safe distance, slipping behind trees whenever the rabbit glanced to the side. He carefully stepped over roots and patches of dry leaves that looked one breath away from crunching beneath his boots.
For a while, it seemed to be working.
Then Jude suddenly stopped.
Sharpness immediately pressed himself against the nearest tree trunk, peeking around it.
Jude stood still for a moment. He tugged his hood down, one of his ears twitching.
Sharpness held his breath.
Come on…
Keep walking…
A few seconds later, Jude continued down the path.
Phew.
That was close.
“You are literally standing on top of my trap.”
Sharpness froze.
Slowly, very slowly, he looked down.
The ground beneath his boots looked suspiciously loose.
Shit.
“You bitch,” Sharpness said as he stepped away from it and emerged from behind the tree. “You knew the whole time.”
Jude didn’t even bother turning around.
“I have hearing ten times better than yours.”
Sharpness huffed in disbelief and quickened his pace until he was walking beside the hare.
“That’s not fair,” the prince muttered.
“Neither is stalking people,” Jude shot back immediately.
“I wasn’t stalking you.”
“You followed me into the forest.” Jude finally glanced at him.
“I was going in the same direction.” Sharpness crossed his arms.
“You hid behind a tree.”
“I did not.”
“You did.”
Sharpness opened his mouth to argue.
“Three times.”Jude’s smirk widened.
Nothing came out.
“That’s what I thought.”
Sharpness clicked his tongue and looked away. It had only been two days since they’d met, but he’d already noticed something about Jude.
It didn’t matter what Sharpness said. The Hare always had an answer ready. Either it was a sarcastic comment or a clever observation or some annoyingly witty comeback he’d somehow pull out of nowhere.
And the worst part?
Most of the time, Sharpness couldn’t even argue back because Jude was technically right.
It was incredibly irritating.
There was silence for some time. Sharpness spent most of it looking around, observing the territory. This road wasn’t familiar to him.
They weren’t going to the market.
“Isn’t the market that way?” he asked, pointing to the opposite side of the road with a furrowed brow.
“We’re not going to that market,” Jude said.
Sharpness frowned. “There’s another one?”
Jude glanced at him. “Officially? No.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means the people running this place would rather keep it underground.”
Sharpness raised an eyebrow.
“You can find things there that don’t show up in regular markets,” Jude continued. “Stuff that’s rare, strange, illegal or stolen.”
“Stolen?”
Jude grinned.
“Try not to look so shocked, princess. Half the kingdom buys from there.”
“Oh.”
“Just wait and you’ll see.” Jude hummed. “Why did you even follow me? Wouldn’t you rather be with your precious cat?” he scoffed.
“I trust Twirps with him.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. He’s my trusted friend,” Sharpness announced proudly.
“Mm.” Jude nodded, mentally tucking the information away. “And you followed because…?”
Sharpness hesitated.
He didn’t fully know why he had followed. Maybe he was curious. Maybe he didn’t trust Jude enough. But neither excuse felt right.
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
“Aww, you missed me.” Jude cooed.
“No, I didn’t.” Heat rushed to Sharpness’s ears.
“Sure, princess.”
“Stop calling me that.” Sharpness glared.
Soon after, they arrived at their destination.
At first glance, it looked like a small town built around a market. But the longer Sharpness stared, the stranger it became.
There were no banners displaying merchants’ names. No town guards patrolling the streets. No tax collectors, no official records, no signs of the Crown’s presence at all.
The stalls were packed tightly together beneath crooked wooden roofs and patched canvas awnings. Goods spilled across tables displays—silver goblets engraved with noble crests, exotic animal pelts, bottles of potions, dye made out of glowing liquids, rusted weapons, expensive jewelry, maps, books, and objects that Sharpness couldn’t even identify.
Some merchants openly displayed their wares. Others kept them hidden beneath blankets, revealing them only after quiet conversations.
Nobody seemed interested in where something had come from.
Only what it was worth.
The crowd was just as unusual. Witches bartered beside hunters, Pillagers haggled with traveling merchants, piglins from Nether overpricing their stuff, just to get their greedy hands on as much as gold as possible, Hooded strangers slipped between the stalls carrying wrapped bundles that changed hands without a single question being asked.
“I’d recommend pulling your hood up,” Jude muttered as they merged into the crowd.
“Why?”
Sharpness did it anyway.
“Because you’re nobility. A walking gold star for robbery,” Jude whispered, just loud enough for Sharpness to hear.
“I can handle myself.” Sharpness huffed. “I can’t be played that easi—sorry.”
Someone bumped into him, their shoulder colliding with his.
Sharpness barely caught a glimpse of the person beneath the hood covering their face.
As he turned to walk away, Jude suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the stranger’s wrist. With his other hand, he revealed the faint glint of a knife hidden beneath his cape, threatening to use it.
“Give it back, or you’ll find out what happens.” Jude’s voice had changed completely, becoming colder and far more threatening.
“Chill, man. I was just messing around,” the stranger said sheepishly. Looking at Hare and knife back and forth.
Jude only tightened his grip.
The man caved and extended his hand, revealing the small pouch of pennies that had been hanging from Sharpness’s tool belt.
Sharpness’s eyes widened.
How had he not noticed?
“Get lost,” Jude spat, snatching the pouch back.
The man muttered something under his breath and disappeared into the crowd.
“Not easy, you said?” Jude mocked, tossing the pouch back to Sharpness.
“How?” Sharpness caught it and immediately stuffed it into his pocket for safety.
Jude smiled.
That proud smile again.
Sharpness was about to say something when he was startled by a hand suddenly wrapping around his wrist.
Jude’s hand.
Jude tugged him closer as he continued walking.
He was pulling him through the crowd, looking forward. Sharpness could only stare at their hands.
Sharpness couldn’t remember the last time someone had grabbed him so casually.
Servants bowed, Guards stood at attention, Advisors kept their distance. Even during sparring, opponents were careful about how they touched him.
But Jude simply grabbed his wrist and dragged him through a crowd as if he were anyone else.
Jude’s hand was slightly smaller than Sharpness’s and also colder against his skin. He wondered if it was always like this. Compared to his own hands, they were freezing. His hands were always warm, no matter what.
Soon after, Jude took a turn, pulling the prince into a small shop.
He opened the door and let go of his wrist.
“Hello?” Jude called out.
Sharpness snapped out of it and looked around, suddenly aware of his surroundings.
The shop was small compared to where Sharpness usually shopped. There were various redstone components, potions, blueprints for contraptions, puller blocks, and the latest versions of sticky pistons. What caught Sharpness’s attention was that everything was labeled. At the bottom of every item was a small sign saying what it did and how much it cost. Usually, you had to ask for the price or bargain.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of wood creaking.
A short guy stepped out. He wore a yellow coat similar to a raincoat and matching boots.
He waved at them and made a gesture with his hands.
Sharpness furrowed his brows.
“Yoo what’s up? This is Godis,” Jude explained. “He’s mute.”
“Oh.”
Sharpness widened his eyes.
“Hi, I’m Sharpness.”
Godis smiled and nodded, signing something.
“He says he knows,” Jude translated. “Godis, I need sticky piston slime and some redstone. Uh… probably three bags.”
Godis nodded and disappeared through the back door to grab them.
Jude rummaged through his tool belt, taking out a money pouch, preparing to pay.
“Oh, now you pay?” Sharpness clicked his tongue.
“Godis is my boy. No one dares steal from him,” Jude said.
Soon after, Godis walked out with a large bag, placing it on the counter. Jude opened it and checked the contents.
“Thank you. And here.”
The Hare placed the money pouch on the counter.
Godis shook his head, signing something and pointing at both of them.
“Oh no, no, no. He’s— just— he’s just accompanying me. Just take the money.” Jude’s cheeks went slightly red, his ears twitching upward.
“What did he say?” Sharpness raised a brow.
“Nothing,” Jude muttered.
Godis smiled.
Interesting.
“See ya, bye!”
He waved and shoved Sharpness out, thumping the door closed behind him.
“Wha-? Wait what did he say?” Sharpness repeated.
“Not your business.”
“Dude, tell me.”
“No.” Jude huffed and kept walking.
“What? Why?” Sharpness trailed behind him.
“Because it’s not your business,” Jude muttered and shoved the bag into Sharpness’s hands.
“Oof— I’m not carrying this,” he said while continuing to hold it.
“Why? Weak?” Jude mocked, giving him a small, proud smirk.
“No.”
“Then good.”
Sharpness grumbled and followed him while looking around at the various items lining the shelves.
One thing in particular caught his attention.
Hanging from the ceiling were dozens of paper lanterns in different colors, though most were a soft, milky yellow.
“What’s that?”
“Hm?” Jude followed his gaze. “Oh… sky lanterns. They’re made of light paper. You light the thing inside and they float away.”
“Oh.”
“I think they’re preparing for the festival in two weeks, you know?”
“What’s happening in two weeks?”
“Dude, you’re the prince of this place. How do you not know?”
“I’m usually busy with more important things around the kingdom.” Sharpness huffed.
That was a lie.
In reality, he tried to stay out of anything that involved his father and kingdom duties.
“It’s a tradition. By the end of the spring everyone lights one with their loved one and they float into the sky as a sign of eternal love or some shit.” Jude shrugged.
Sharpness glanced back at the lanterns.
“Have you ever lit one?”
“No.”Jude answered a little too quickly “Come on. We don’t have time for this. It’s getting late, and I’m sure Parker is already cursing me out.”
“Right.” Sharpness tried not to smile at the image of Jude getting scolded by his friend.
As they passed a butcher’s shop, Jude suddenly stopped in front of a display of cut chicken, cow, sheep, and pig meat.
“Open the bag,” he whispered.
“What?”
“The bag.”
Sharpness frowned but opened the same bag they had been using for trap supplies.
Jude glanced around.
Then he casually shoved an entire fucking chicken inside.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Sharpness whisper-shouted as Jude pushed it all the way in.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Jude asked as if stealing an entire chicken was a perfectly normal activity.
“You’re stealing!”
“Good job. You figured it out.” Jude rolled his eyes. “Just shut up and walk.”
He immediately started walking away.
Sharpness had little choice but to follow, clutching the bag against his chest.
“YOU TWO! PUT IT BACK!”
A man burst out of the shop, shouting after them.
“Shit.”
Jude grabbed Sharpness’s wrist.
“Run.”
Sharpness yelped as he was suddenly dragged forward.
The two took off running.
Sharpness awkwardly hugged the bag to his chest with one arm to keep from dropping it while the other remained caught in Jude’s grip.
Or rather—
Jude was holding him.
Again.
He wasn’t supposed to do that.
Sharpness tightened his grip around Jude’s hand.
They sprinted into the forest.
The man’s shouting still echoed behind them, but the distance was growing, making it harder to hear.
Jude suddenly yanked him toward a patch of tall bushes.
Sharpness nearly pitched forward face-first into the dirt.
Luckily, he caught himself on his knees.
Both of them ended up crammed into the bush, which wasn’t even large enough to properly hide two people.
They were both panting from the run.
Sharpness let the bag slip from his hands and placed it on the ground beside him.
He glared at Jude.
“I will k—mmph!” Sharpness started to whisper-shout, only for Jude’s palm to press firmly over his mouth while His other hand settled against the back of Sharpness’s neck, holding him still.
Sharpness was about to slap his hands away and continue yelling but he noticed-
Jude was staring directly at him. His brows were furrowed with concentration, His ears had fallen back, A small frown tugged at his lips, His chest rose and fell from the run, and a faint flush colored his cheeks.
He was close.
Far too close.
He couldn’t do that.
Sharpness felt himself go still.
Apparently satisfied that he wasn’t about to start shouting again, Jude slowly pulled his hands away.
Hare's ears were perked up now, one twitching to the side as he listened closely. He leaned forward and peeked through the leaves, pushing a few branches aside.
The shopkeeper’s voice was no longer audible.
“I think he lost us,” Jude whispered. He waited another minute or two, just to be sure. “Okay, yeah. He definitely lost us.”
A proud chuckle followed the announcement.
“What were you thinking?!” Sharpness hissed, grabbed him by the shoulders, and shook him. “Are you stupid? We could’ve been caught and— you just—”
A giggle escaped him.
Jude froze.
Then another one followed.
Jude blinked.
Sharpness covered his mouth, but it was too late.
The giggles turned into laughter.
“Have you seen his face?” Sharpness wheezed. “He was so red and angry! And we ran so fast he didn’t even have a chance to catch us—”
He broke off with another laugh.
Jude stared at him.
“Yeah, I know, right?” he chuckled back.
He was slightly confused by the sudden change, but at least one of them had enjoyed the experience.
His laugh sounded nice.
It was almost afternoon when they arrived.
Golden hour was slowly slipping away as the sun began to set, painting everything in warm shades of gold.
Jude opened the front door, and Sharpness followed behind him with the bag slung over his shoulder.
“Yo, we’re back,” Jude announced as he stepped inside and looked around. “Where are—”
“Dude, you can’t win eight times in a row this isn’t possible.”
“Unlucky.”
The voices came from the living room.
The two walked in to find Parker and Twirps playing cards. Twirps had his head buried in his hands while Parker sat across from him, smiling proudly.
“Finally.” Parker glanced up at them. “Welcome back, Did you bring the stuff? I’m starving”
“Yeah,” Jude answered, tugging off his cape. “I don’t recommend playing with him.”
Jude pointed at Parker.
“He’s unbelievably lucky,” Twirps complained.
Jude stepped over to Parker and grabbed him by the end of his hood, lifting him up like a cat. He then bent down and picked up a handful of cards Parker had skillfully hidden in the sofa cushions and waved them in the air.
“No, I meant this.”
“Oh, how did those get there” Parker asked innocently.
Twirps glared at him.
“So that’s why you kept suggesting we play for money.”
Parker only shrugged, still smiling.
Jude let him go and shook his head before looking back to see what Sharpness was doing.
The prince was kneeling on the floor, absentmindedly petting Tom.
The cat was stretched out in a patch of sunlight, enjoying the warmth. He didn’t seem to mind the physical affection either.
Prince’s hair was slightly messy, probably from all the running. Blond strands stuck out in every direction, and the ribbon holding the upper half of his hair back had slipped sideways.
“Will y’all stay for dinner?” Parker asked, skillfully shuffling the deck.
“No, we have to get back. It’s late,” Twirps replied.
Sharpness glanced over.
He hadn’t realized how much time had passed.
The room had grown noticeably darker, the last rays of sunlight spilling through the windows.
Tom immediately lifted his head at the sound of his voice and sharpness scratched behind the cat’s ears one last time before standing.
“I guess we should go.”
“Aw, already?” Parker complained. “That’s a shame. I was gonna win all your money.”
“Too bad,” Twirps huffed.
“And I would’ve succeeded if Jude wasn’t a snitch.” Parker shot Jude a glare making Jude roll his eyes.
Sharpness snorted.
The exchange earned him a grin from Parker.
“See? The prince gets it.”
Twirps pushed himself to his feet. “We should really go before somebody notices we’re gone for half a day.”
Sharpness nodded and turned toward the door, but paused after a few steps, Then he glanced back at Jude.
“See you tomorrow.”
For a brief moment, Jude stilled, Then he relaxed back into the couch.
“Mhm.”
Sharpness nodded to himself and headed for the door, Twirps following close behind.
The door shut behind them.
Hare immediately slumped further into the couch.
“Fuck, I’m tired.” Jude groaned.
“Okay, what happened?” Parker leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.
“What do you mean?” Jude asked, closing his eyes and resting his head against the cushions.
“Dude.”
Parker raised an eyebrow.
“You two come back in here looking at each other every five seconds. You could barely take his eyes off him and the “see you tomorrow” I’m also here you know? But no. he directly said it to you-”
“Huh— what? What are you implying?”Jude opened one eye.
“You know exactly what.” Parker snorted.
“I don’t know what you mean.”Jude furrowed his brows and closed his eyes again, sprawled across the couch as if the conversation didn’t concern him in the slightest.
“Look, I’m not telling you what to do,” Parker started. “But he’s a prince and you’re some poor guy taking care of his cat because he asked you to. You’re lucky he even offered payment.”
“Oh, fuck off. I know what I’m doing ” Jude groaned and threw an arm over his face. “Plus, he saw me steal, Got chased with me and in the end, he laughed.”
“He— You what?” Parker stared.
“He probably doesn’t have anything interesting going on in his life.” Jude pushed himself upright. “Imagine being excited over stealing.” He threw his hands up. “He watched me shove a whole ass chicken into a bag and thought it was funny.”
“It’s not, but every day, he gets to go back to a castle. You don’t. We steal because we need to eat. It’s not the same.” Parker continued and glanced toward the door Sharpness had left through. “He’s not your friend stop treating him like one.”
Twirps and Sharpness were on their way back to the castle.
“And there was this guy. He couldn’t speak, so he used signs, and he said something, but Jude wouldn’t tell me what it was even though I asked him like five times—“
Sharpness was passionately recounting everything that had happened, throwing his hands around as he spoke and barely stopping to breathe. “—and after that we went to get food. Well, I thought we were getting food, but Jude apparently had other plans. Then he shoved a whole-ass chicken into the bag, and the shopkeeper started chasing us, but we were faster, and—”
“Okay, okay. I get it.” Twirps chuckled. “So you enjoyed his company?”
Sharpness fell quiet.
“I mean…” He shrugged. “It’s bearable.”
“Right.” Twirps smiled to himself. “At least you got some reassurance that Tom’s safe.”
“Yeah.” Sharpness nodded. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips before he looked away. “Yeah.”
Twirps noticed.
Of course he did.
He knew Sharpness like the back of his hand. Sharpness had told him things no one else knew. He knew about his strained relationship with his father. He knew how much he loved the art of combat. The list went on and on.
And because of that, Twirps also knew something else.
Sharpness needed friends.
Not just him.
Not just people from the royal circle.
People who didn’t bow every time he entered a room.
People who argued with him.
People who treated him like a person before a prince.
Twirps glanced at him.
Sharpness was still staring ahead, completely unaware of where his own thoughts seemed to drift every five minutes.
A small smile tugged at Twirps’s lips.
Good.
He supposed that maybe, with Jude and Parker, Sharpness felt somewhat free.
Free from the endless rules about how a future king should act and carry himself. The two of them didn’t know much about royal life, and Twirps doubted they cared.
And honestly?
He thought that even if they did know, they probably wouldn’t care anyway.
Soon, the castle came into view.
Long hallways stretched before them as they stepped inside.
“Sharpness.”
A rough voice called out.
Both of them turned.
The King.
Twirps glanced at Sharpness and immediately watched the color drain from his face.
The smile was gone.
“Yes?” Sharpness murmured.
“I need to speak with you. In private.” The King’s gaze shifted to Twirps.
If Twirps had any say in the matter, he would’ve stayed.
But, unfortunately, he didn’t.
So with a bow, Twirps turned and left.
He decided to wait in Sharpness’s room.
Twenty minutes passed before the door finally opened.
Sharpness walked in wearing a sour expression and immediately dropped face-first onto the bed beside where Twirps was sitting.
“Yo. Everything good?”
“Mmmf.” The response was muffled by a pillow.
“What’d he say?”
Sharpness lifted his head and sat on the edge of the bed. His elbows rested on his knees as his fingers dug into his hair.
“I’m so sick of this,” he groaned, His brows knitted together. “What’s wrong with being interested in combat? That tutor talked to him, and now I have to study even more history. Harder history.”
Twirps snorted.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to come tomorrow.”Sharpness sighed. “Or the day after.” He added.
Twirps understood immediately.
Tom.
“It’s okay, man.” Twirps shrugged. “I’ll go instead and tell you how he’s doing.”
Sharpness hesitated.
“I don’t want to burden you…”
The pathetic puppy eyes appeared. Twirps immediately regretted looking directly at him.
“You don’t burden me, bro. Don’t worry… I’m serious.”
“Thanks, Twirps.”A small smile appeared on Sharpness’s face.
“Don’t mention it.” Twirps stood. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”
And with that, he left.
The room felt much larger without anyone else in it. Sharpness was alone again. He sighed and fell back onto the bed, his legs hanging over the edge.
The heels of his palms pressed against his eyes. He rubbed them for a moment before letting his hands fall away.
His left arm dropped to his side.
His gaze lingered on the other.
His hand.
He couldn’t do that.
Wasn’t supposed to.
Yet it hadn’t felt bad.
Jude had grabbed his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
As if Sharpness wasn’t a prince.
As if it wasn’t something forbidden.
And he hadn’t let go until they were safe.
Sharpness rolled onto his side, still staring at his hand.
Slowly, he pulled it against his chest.
The thought lingered for a while longer.
Then exhaustion finally dragged him into sleep.