The prince wasn't sulking. He wasn't avoiding speaking to his advisor, or his advisor's mystery friend, or any of the crew, he was just thinking a lot. He certainly wasn't upset about the loss of the pirate that had kidnapped him, and he certainly wasn't avoiding saying his name.

Roman boarded the royal vessel without complaint and immediately retired to the cabin. He hoped that Logan would take the hint not to bother him as he laid down on his bed.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he thought about the adventure that had just come to an end. He didn't want it to end, which was ridiculous given that he'd been forced into against his will, but made sense when he remembered who the captain had turned out to be. His misty eyes focused on the black tattoo on his wrist, making his lip tremble as he felt the ocean rocking the ship. After not knowing the truth for so long, the pirate had given him the answer to the question he'd been asking his whole life. He also gave him the chance to fall in love, but now he was going the opposite direction.

The dampness of his cheeks told him he'd started to cry, making him curl in on himself with frustration and despair. Memories of the pirate's arms looping around his waist made him cry harder as he started to fall asleep. When he woke up, he was cold and alone in bed.

"Afternoon, your Highness," his advisor said as he sat up in the bed. "We've arrived."

Roman's heart dropped and his body felt strangely hollow. He was going to get married to a princess he could never fall in love with after finding the person he knew he'd be in love with forever. Looking down, he nodded and stood up, getting ready to disembark the ship and enter his future wife's palace.

"Are you alright?" Logan asked him cautiously as he rubbed his forehead with a sigh. "You seem very... distressed. Your Highness, I know you've been dreading this, but it's better for you."

"Better for me to give up the love of my life and remain a prince than to run away with him and become a pirate," he mumbled, talking more to himself than anything. He sighed again, looking at him with tired and sad eyes. "You know, I'm not a prince."

The advisor raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not a prince, Logan," he said, smiling sadly to himself. "I was kidnapped by human traffickers at the age of three. That's what this black mark is; it's a tattoo from their sorting system. That pirate that took me... he and I are childhood friends. He's the only other person with this mark, and he was looking for the keys to get a chest that contained his journal."

"Journal?" he echoed.

"Yeah, he would write about what was going on, and that was too much information so they locked it away," Roman explained. "Apparently I had one too, but I can't remember..."

Logan was silent as he sighed again, standing up and shrugging as he exited the cabin of the ship. He couldn't stall this wedding any longer; his father and fiance were waiting for him. The prince shoved down his emotions. He was going to have to get used to doing that. His advisor joined him on the dock after a couple moments, accompanied by his friend; Roman believed he'd heard his name was Patton.

The three of them made their way into the kingdom and into the palace. There was clearly a lot of commotion going on with the wedding being set up and his arrival, but he just couldn't bring himself to care. He was numb as people escorted him to his room to get dressed.

His advisor came along as well, of course, which he was grateful for. "So, are you no longer going to be my advisor after this wedding?" he asked as he adjusted his suit.

"I suppose I won't be," Logan replied, adjusting his glasses. "I'm your father's advisor, so I'll be going back to Paisean after this... but your Highness? I believe I have something you need to look at."

Roman turned to him, watching as the advisor pulled out a worn brown journal nearly identical to the black one the pirate had removed from the chest. His breath caught in his throat as he took it from him. "I found this on the ship while you were gone," he explained. "I assumed it was just stories of a child's imagination, but it seems they're actually your memories."

The prince started to flip through the pages, eyes watering slightly as he read through his past. There were stories of him tending to the pirate's wounds after a rough day, stories of the ship they'd been transported on, and the last entry was the day he'd found the ruby key.

"How-"

"Perhaps you should ask your father," Logan said, clearing his throat. "I wasn't aware of your origins, I wouldn't be able to answer your questions. He should be in here in a few moments. I'll go make sure Patton is alright."

He nodded to his advisor shakily as he continued to thumb through the pages of the journal. The way his younger self described their situation made him want to vomit and cry, but there were stories of him and the pirate he refused to name that made his heart warm and ache. He desperately wanted to return to him and hug him close.

"Roman?" His father's voice broke him from his thoughts. He looked up to see the King of Paisean; he smiled at him warmly as he approached him. "How are you feeling son?"

The prince shook his head, staying quiet to let him know there was something wrong without saying it. There was a tension in the air that was choking him, but he had to ask. "I'm not your son, am I?" he asked softly.

His father looked shocked, blinking a couple times. "What?"

"I'm not actually your son," Roman repeated firmly. The king swallowed and sighed as if he realized that he knew about his past. He shook his head, making the last questioning part of his heart shatter as he exhaled. "How? How did I end up here?"

He looked down at the prince with another sigh. "I had lost my son to an illness during a sea voyage," he began to explain. "He was about your age when we'd found you. You were passed out with an injury on your head. You probably would've died if we left you there, so we took you onto our ship with us and I nursed you back to health. You couldn't remember anything, so I just treated you as my son. No one knew about my son's death yet anyway."

"You... why didn't you ever tell me?" he demanded, feeling choked up.

"What reason did I have to?" the king countered, smiling warmly at him. "I love you as my own son, Roman. I mean that. It doesn't matter to me where you came from, you're my son."

His eyes began to water and soon tears were slipping down his cheeks. His father pulled him into a hug; it was the first hug he'd had in a while. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said.

"Dad, I'm gay," Roman replied. The king pulled away to look at him as he continued. "I'm gay, and while we were on our way here, I was kidnapped by a pirate named Virgil Black. He's not just a pirate though. He's my best friend, my companion from childhood. I... I love him, Dad, and I don't know what to do. I don't want to marry this princess. I just want to run back to him."

He sniffled as he reached up to wipe his cheeks. His father took his hands away from his face, meet his gaze. "Roman, do whatever you feel is right," he said. "I know what I've asked of you is unfair and cruel, and I'm sorry for that. Do what you feel is right in your heart. If you love him, go to him."

"He probably doesn't want me anymore," he whispered, walking around the room with a sad expression. He made it to the window, looking out of it toward the see when his breath caught in his throat. "Oh my god..."

Captain Virgil Black's ship was docked at the harbor. "Oh my god, he came back for me," he breathed, a shaky smile appearing on his face. "He came back."

"Go to him, Roman," his father said, smiling with a little sadness lingering in his gaze. "I'll take care of the wedding and what to tell the kingdom. I just want you to be happy, and if he makes you happy, I support you."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" the prince said, hugging him tightly before dashing out of the room.

He ran through the palace, not pausing as he made his way through the village too. He couldn't stop. Seeing Virgil's ship in the harbor made his heart race with excitement and joy. A smile was on his face as his feet hit the wooden dock. The captain was standing on the deck of the ship, his back to him as he leapt onto it from the pier. This made him turn around in time for Roman to press their lips together in a passionate kiss.

The pirate gasped but returned it, pulling him closer and not breaking apart even when the kiss was over. "You came back for me," Roman murmured, eyes sparkling as he met the dark brown pools of the man he loved.

"Well," Virgil said softly. "I figured I let you walk away once. I wasn't about to let you do it again."

The prince giggled a little, pressing their lips together again. He knew who he was, and this, this is what he wanted. He wanted this pirate to hold him and kiss him as they sailed all over the seven seas. He didn't need the palace and the riches to enjoy his life. He needed this man by his side.

"Promise me you'll never leave me again," the captain said, a slightly desperate tone in his voice.

Roman smiled against his lips. "I promise.

The End.