The first night at the farm was an anxious one. Sage tossed and turned. The fire in his room was too hot, despite the snow building up on the hills outside. Taro was in plant form on the bedside table, he transformed around an hour ago when Sage was pretending to be asleep. His thoughts raced too fast for him to keep his eyes closed for long.
He quietly peeled the duvet away, and suddenly craved cold bitter air on his skin, rather than hot stuffy air that made him uncomfortable.
He snuck from his bed, careful to step lightly on the wooden floor. Some creaked a little, but Taro's vines didn't move an inch. Sage was very slow on the stairs. They creaked the loudest, and at night when half of the guards slept in the living room close by, the noise was ten times louder. The other half of the guards were outside. Sage hoped they weren't too cold as he grabbed his coat and slipped on his boots.
He tiptoed through the house and into the kitchen where the backdoor sat already ajar. Sage zipped up his coat. The fresh bitter air was welcoming after being too hot for too long. He peeked through the door. Katie's father sat on a bench underneath the kitchen window. He had a cigarette in one hand, and a hip flask in the other.
His head tilted in Sage's direction. "Your Royal Highness!" Fergus struggled to get to his feet and bowed lowly. "Join me, if you want to. Or I can leave you to be by yourself. Or did you need anything?"
"I'll join you, if you don't mind." Sage shared the bench and the old farmer sat down again.
"Want a sip, Sir?" Fergus offered the prince his silver flask.
"What is it?" Sage questioned.
"Whisky. Keeps away the cold."
Sage smiled and took the flask. The drink left a warm trail down the back of his throat and in his chest. "Is it homemade?"
The farmer raised a brow. "You could tell?" He smiled. "My brother makes it and sends us a few bottles every winter. Drinking it makes me feel closer to him."
"Does he live near here?"
"He lives abroad, somewhere warm. He always did hate the cold." Fergus stared into the dark abyss. Snowy fields sat beyond, but in the middle of the night, it looked as though the world stopped ten feet in front of them. Sage stared too, letting his vision fall into the night. "Have you heard from your family yet?"
"No. They could easily get in touch with the guards, but I've heard nothing."
"Your family probably know where you are. If they cared, they would have arrived at the cottage and checked all surrounding farms in the area. Your cars are still there, so it's obvious to them that you've fled. I think they know exactly where you are, they're just choosing not to do anything."
Sage's gaze fell to his lap. He sank his hands into his pockets to keep warm. Fergus was right. If they cared about finding him, they would be here by now. "I guess we're more focused on running from the reporters."
"You have a guard watching the cottage. So far, it's been quiet because I've been pestering them about it. So, whoever took that photo of you and your boyfriend didn't share your location."
Sage shivered. The word boyfriend made him feel uneasy, like he had to suddenly lie and tell the farmer he didn't know what he was talking about. Everyone knows, you're not hiding anymore.
Fergus stared at him and slowly sipped his brother's whisky. "I'm an old man now. I've seen my share of evil in this world, and I've lost my share of loved ones. The day those tabloids criticised you for crying at the late Kings funeral was the day I stopped reading them. You were just a boy, and you were grieving, and they were laughing at you. Our little village was outraged for months. We burnt the papers that posted you on the front page. They kept us warm for two winters."
Sage was stunned. "You really did that?"
"Of course we did. This village is very loyal to the crown." His old eyes trailed the darkness, and he lowered his voice. "Many are the ways of the green. They would support you no matter what."
Sage nestled his chin into the top of his coat. "I've not known about them for long. Taro was just an ivy plant I nursed back to health because I was bored. My gardener was very reluctant to give him to me and I now understand why. He was strange to look after- fast growing- with strict watering routines. I still struggle to believe that he's my plant and my plant is . . . him."
"You nursed him back to health? What happened to him?"
"An animal attack."
Fergus didn't reply. He frowned into the darkness.
"He doesn't like to talk about it," Sage continued. "I understand why. I'm just glad my gardener found him when she did."
Fergus quickly shifted his expression to a smile. "Taro's kind are resilient because the plant is famous for being hard to kill, though surviving an animal attack on his kind would be almost impossible. You have the green touch."
"He's just strong willed."
Fergus tilted his head, watching the prince as he sipped more whisky. "The green in this village feel at their best when royalty is nearby. They could tell you were here, but they wouldn't have said a thing to anyone. I don't know who snuck up on you and shared that photo, but you should be careful who you trust. The green, however, are always your friends, you can always count on that."
Sage shivered. "I've been calling them plant people," he admitted, lightening the conversation. "The green sounds better."
Fergus chuckled. "That it does." He screwed the flask shut and slowly got to his feet. "Best go to bed before the cold gets into our bones. Is your bed comfortable?"
"Yes, thank you so much. Though I feel terrible that Katie is sleeping on the couch and I'm sleeping in her bed."
"She insisted. And I'm sure that one day the story of how prince Sage slept in her parents' farmhouse will go down a treat with the locals." Fergus entered the house chuckling at himself.
Sage entered the house with a smile. "Good night, Fergus. Thank you again for letting us all stay here. This won't be forgotten."
"It's an honour." Fergus bowed and watched while Sage left the kitchen. He went upstairs as quietly as he could and snuck back into the room that was orange and flickering from the fireplace. Taro waited on the bedside table in his human form. His arms crossed loosely over his chest. His green sleepy gaze followed Sage until he sat next to him on the bed.
"I just needed some air."
"I know. And I know that I'm your guard and your person of interest, but I want you to have your space too."
Sage slid under the duvet. "Thank you." He wondered if Taro had felt or heard him leaving the room. "What are we doing tomorrow?"
"I'm not sure yet. My parents will be here at dawn, and then we can decide."
Sage's stomach flipped with nerves. He and Taro were barely just getting started with their relationship, and now he was about to meet Taro's parents after he was splashed across the front page of a thousand news articles. By now, the scandal would be international.
"You're nervous," Taro observed.
Sage rolled over to face the wall. "I just need to get some sleep before I start overthinking." He heard the table creek and felt the bed dip beside him. Taro kissed his temple and whispered, "Good night, Sagerian."
The next morning, Sage woke to the sound of rain hitting the small window. He rolled over and almost fell, not used to being in a single bed. Taro wasn't in the room, so he braved the cold and stretched above the duvet. His sleep had been restless, but at least he had rested. His shoulder hurt, as did the wound on his head. His joints ached from the cold. Sage wished he had chosen somewhere a little warmer, though part of him was thankful. Reporters would struggle to reach him in the snow.
He grabbed his bag and hurried to the bathroom. A guard was outside the room. Sage greeted him tiredly before shutting the door. He stared desperately at the shower, wanting warm water and sweet-smelling soap on his body. He reluctantly dressed himself for the second time in twenty-four hours.
He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and arranged his curls to look less frizzy. "You can do this," he whispered to himself. The longer he stared, the harder he could conceal his sadness. He might've been able to wear a brave face for others, but he couldn't hide from himself. "What the hell am I doing?" he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to the cold glass.
Sage counted to ten and left the bathroom in black jeans and a dark brown jumper. He wore thick black socks because he couldn't stand the cold wood on the souls of his feet.
"Is Taro's family here yet?" he asked Agnes who guarded the upstairs corridor.
He nodded to say yes. "They've been here for almost two hours, Sir."
The morning was still young. He felt bad that they had travelled through the night, so he hurried to tidy the bedroom in case anyone wanted to nap. When he was finally ready, Sage smoothed down his jumped and stared down the staircase.
He was already losing one set of parents. he didn't want to mess up meeting another.