Winter Wonderland

Bovine Bluffs was the perfect small town for a royal hoping to blow off his responsibilities. After living here for so long, the people here treated him like any other. He didn’t have to be crown prince Charming, he could simply be Charming. Everyone treated him as an equal, that is, except for one.

His personal guard, Miles, had decided to tag along on his “excursion” as the other man put it. His own home was large enough that he never got in the way of Miles’ day to day life, nor did the guard get in the way of his…unless you counted how he doggedly followed Charming everywhere he went.

“A prince requires an escort,” the crown guard always said anytime Charming complained. He didn’t terribly mind being followed by a handsome man everywhere. Miles was easier on the eyes than most. But there were times Charming felt guilty that his guard followed him everywhere. Like today, for example.

A blanket of freshly fallen snow covered Bovine Bluffs, making everything look pure and pristine. Charming had always been partial to colder weather. He couldn’t just stay inside all day long; he and Aspen had to get out and enjoy the cold weather while it lasted. And so, he led the way out on a walk through the lazy town with his Kobon following and yipping excitedly by his heels. The air was crisp and dry, and Charming felt right at home in this winter wonderland.

It seemed, however, Miles was struggling with the cold. Charming caught a few glances of him out of the corner of his eye while he walked and played with Aspen. Every once in a while, Miles would rub his arms or breathe softly into his hands to warm them up. Eventually, after a bit more walking, Charming felt so guilty that he decided to confront the other moo about it. He stopped in his tracks and turned to the guard with a dry expression.

“You’re cold,” Charming accused. He set a hand on his hip and Aspen stopped at his heels. The Kobon looked between the two men curiously.

Miles kept an indifferent expression on his face, masking his discomfort expertly. “It’s nothing I can’t handle, I assure you, my Prince.”

“Oh no?” Charming questioned with a raised brow. He let his fingers drum gently against his own hip as he looked Miles over slowly. What he wouldn’t do to be the one to warm up his own guard…but it didn’t seem as if Miles was interested in giving him that sort of chance. “If you say so,” he said with a quick indignant huff. “But if you get uncomfortable, you should go back to the estate.”

Charming didn’t realize just how much his words stung Miles, but the royal guard kept his indifferent expression. Even as Charming turned away and started to walk off, Miles, the ever-loyal guard, followed.

Charming’s guilt weighed heavy on his shoulders; he knew Miles would never be the type to abandon his post to take care of his own personal needs. He could stay miffed about it, or he could try to take care of Miles himself. He kept walking, but he started to stray closer to the town instead of the wilderness on the fringes. He waved and said hello to a few people as they passed by, but for once he didn’t stop to chat. He had somewhere in particular in mind he had to get to, and quickly.

Charming led the way through a local park, all the while on the lookout for exactly the stand he was hoping to find. It didn’t take them terribly long to reach it, and there weren’t many patrons at this time either. Charming grinned and walked right up to a small cafe stand in the middle of the park with Miles following closely behind, still trying to warm himself.

“Hello again today,” he said to the proprietor with a dashing smile. “Two hot chocolates, if you please. One for myself and another for my friend here.” Aspen yipped from down near Charming’s feet. “Oh! And of course our reason for stopping by, some whipped cream for my Kobon, if you please.”

The owner smiled and nodded as she got to work on Charming’s drink order while Miles walked up next to the prince, looking quite confused.

“I didn’t ask for anything,” the guard said softly, dropping his typical serious tone for just a moment.

“Well, it’s only polite of me to order something for you as well, isn’t it?” Charming flashed Miles a genuine smile as he tilted his head. “I did drag you all the way out here just to get whipped cream for Aspen.” The ice blue Kobon did an excited little spin between them at the mention of his treat again.

Charming couldn’t read the expression on Miles’ face, but it was different from his typical demeanor. It was gone all too soon, replaced with his mask of indifference yet again.

The barista called Charming over with two cups in her hand and a cup of whipped cream sitting out on the counter in front of her.

“Ah, excuse me just a moment, Miles,” he said as he walked over to the counter again. He picked up both drinks and the whipped cream. “Let’s find somewhere to sit so Aspen can enjoy his snack,” he said as he approached the guard again with another charming smile. He led the way to a nearby park bench and dusted the snow off of it before he sat down. He set the whipped cream down on the ground before handing the other cup to Miles. “Take a load off,” he insisted with a soft chuckle.

Miles paused. He accepted the hot chocolate, but his pride wouldn’t let him sit down on the same bench as his prince. “…Thank you,” he said, in an almost reluctant tone.

Charming let out a soft sigh, a little disappointed he wouldn’t be closer to his guard. “Anytime,” he said genuinely. Charming spent the rest of the day in town, ducking in and out of stores anytime Miles seemed too cold. He even made an excuse to buy a pair of gloves in a size too big for his own hands. He passed them off to Miles with the excuse that returning them was too much of a hassle. It was the only way the guard would let Charming spoil him.