(Okay)
Chris awoke to the sound of pots and pans. His mom was making breakfast in the tiny room they called the kitchen. Chris didn't bother to eat, even if he was hungry. He left with his parents staring after him, and Chris wandered aimlessly, not noticing where he was going until he was on the road where he had walked with Dan. Chris kept his head down, even though it was a perfect day outside.
When Dan woke up in the morning one of the staff of the castle brought him his breakfast. He asked them to get a specific guard as they left. He sat there in his room eating and waiting for the guard. Soon they came in. "Come here."
"Yes? Your princelyness."
"Oh shut up. I just need a favor."
"What?"
"Make sure nobody comes in my room today. Tell them I feel ill."
"Alright. I will personally guard your door." The guard smiled.
"Thanks." Dan said then finished his food and went to change as the guard left to guard his door.
He got changed soon enough then left. He got out easily then went for a little walk. He didn't even look like a prince in his attire.
(You said Chris again in the beginning… plus I gtg)
(Sorry again. I am so bad at writing and reading before. Also bye.)
(No, you're fine! You're doing an awesome job!)
Chris sighed and smiled peacefully. This was his escape. Nature. Even if some people questioned him about it, and told him to stop, he couldn't find a better way to calm down, to escape the world by being in nature. Even if the place had guards on patrol, Chris couldn't find anyplace else as nice as the wood that surrounded all sides but the front of the magnificent castle.
Dan walked towards the forest on the east side of the castle. He walked with his head down never meeting the eyes of a guard. He was not looked at or paid attention to.
Chris noticed Dan first and said nothing. There were too many people around, but he did give Dan a slight nod as he passed him. Chris wasn't the person to snitch, especially on a friend.
Dan nodded back slightly. He kept walking towards the forest. As soon as he was in the forest he relaxed a bit and looked around. He walked through the trees looking around. He breathed in the cool morning air.
"So, got any plans?" Chris had followed him. "Or are you deliberately trying to escape your royal life?" He had a soft smile beginning to form on his face.
"Just deliberately escaping royal life." Dan said smiling then leaned up against a tree. "What about you, running away from life too?"
"You bet. My family's too…nice, to put it bluntly. Nature helps most of the time." Chris smiled after biting his lip.
Dan smiled and nodded. "Well maybe they just care too much. At times I feel suffocated by the pressure put on me to succeed." He said and sighed.
"So, complete opposite families, then? Well, maybe not. My family wants me to meet people and actually do productive things that would benefit my life and all, but we barely scrape by money-wise. So are families are relative to each other, I guess." Chris kept his eyes wary of any oncoming guards if they happened to come their way, but there seemed to be none at the moment.
"Yeah, I guess so." Dan replied. "Come on, let's go deeper into the forest. look around. Get away from the road."
"Sure. Lead the way." Chris smiled contently as his mind drifted elsewhere.
Dan nodded and started walking in a random direction away from the castle and road.
"So, what do you do? Besides going to events and running away from life, of course. I've never seen the rich side of the spectrum, so I apologize if I'm bothering you. I'm just curious." Chris admired the serene beauty of the scenery, but he kept his eyes straight ahead, sometimes making quick glances towards Dan.
"Well us rich people do stuff. Like have parties, fancy evening meals, and shit like that. Though most of the time my mother is in her room or her study. My father in his office working on 'work'. Then there is me, figuring out anything to keep myself entertained. It usually results in reading." Dan said then looked up at the tree tops.
"Interesting. My parents can't stop giving me all the attention. Sure, my father works as a blacksmith's apprentice, but that's just about it." Chris followed Dan's gaze to the treetops. "Nice, isn't it? There are so many different types of birds up there, maybe even unknown ones that we've yet to discover."
"Yeah. It is so peaceful and serene." Dan replied quietly. He had even stopped walking without noticing it.
"You alright?" Chris paused in front of him. "Have you never ventured out here before?"
"No… I haven't really ventured outside of the castle walls. It's like being held captive." Dan replied and looked at Chris.
"That's…odd. I've always dreamed of living like you, having people do things for me. I guess it's not all that grand, isn't it?" Chris thinks and nods. "I guess that's what makes us similar, then? Two guys who just want to run away from their lives."
"Yeah, I guess we are alike in ways." Dan replied to him. "If you ever did run away. Where would you go?"
"I don't know. Somewhere nice, populated, with people who are realists other than optimists or pessimists. Don't get me wrong, I like it here, I just wish I could move somewhere better. Somewhere where people don't care who I am. Where would you go?" Chris responded, a comfortable tone in his voice.