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It was no secret to anyone currently living in the Somniel that the Crowned Prince of Brodia barely slept. The bags under his eyes were a fixed feature on his visage, the slump of his shoulders and exhausted smile a daily occurrence.
It wasn’t uncommon to see him chatting with the Prince of Firene at the break of dawn, after all they made a funny pair— Alfred, just out of bed and ready to start his day and Diamant, still awake from the day before.
It was thanks to this that most denizens of the Somniel didn’t pay the Prince’s insomniac habits any mind.
The keyword here being “most”.
As an insomniac himself, with terrible sleeping habits and eye bags as prominent as Diamant’s, Alcryst couldn’t help but worry over his older brother. He figured that if he felt fatigued and heavy with exhaustion during the day, especially while fighting the corrupted alongside the Divine Dragon, then surely Diamant must be miserably tired— after all, Alcryst knew the meager hours of sleep he managed to get in a daily basis were more than whatever sleep Diamant was getting.
It was highly concerning, and yet, Alcryst had no idea what to do to help. Not that that was surprising, really, he’s never been the most reliable person and even if he tried to help, he’d probably make his brother feel worse.
Well, if Alcryst couldn’t help, then maybe someone else could.
With that thought in mind, Alcryst walks in the direction of the royal retainers’ sleeping quarters, his gait quick and determined, lest he loses the nerve to recruit the one person he’s convinced can help with Diamant’s sleeping dilemma.
It’s late at night when a timid, yet urgent knock reverberates inside his room. Whoever is behind the door is lucky he’s still awake, had he been asleep he most likely wouldn’t have heard a thing; after all he is famously known for sleeping like a log, his sleep heavy and impossible to rouse, unless he wakes up on his own— it’s pretty much why Jade makes sure to shake him awake every morning, lest he sleeps in.
He opens the door with a yawn, expecting Jade or maybe even Prince Diamant. What he absolutely does not expect is his liege’s younger brother, Prince Alcryst, standing right before him, looking like a frightened alpaca, anxiousness exuding out of him in waves.
“Prince Alcryst, what a surprise! Is there something wrong?”
Even though they’ve known each other for years now (almost four years, give or take!) Alcryst very rarely approaches Amber with the intention of just hanging out, it’s usually because something’s up with Diamant— and even then he’s more often than not Alcryst’s second choice, Jade being the first option (as always). Still, he offers the young prince a sleepy but reassuring smile, he knows Alcryst is prone to bolt in the middle of a conversation if he feels nervous enough.
“Oh…Ah! I–I’m so sorry for bothering you so late at night, Amber! It’s just that I need to talk to you. T–Though I will understand if you’d rather do anything but, I’m fully aware I’m awful company.”
Amber shrugs at Alcryst's self-deprecating comment (as usual) and opens his bedroom door as much as he can while standing to the side, giving Alcryst lots of space to come into his room.
“Oh, don’t worry about it, come in!” Amber smiles wide and reassuring, all traces of sleep gone, “Please make yourself at home!”
He sees the prince walk sheepishly into the room before closing the door gently behind them; through past experience, he knows treating Alcryst as he would a scared alpaca works when he’s this nervous.
Amber waits patiently as Alcryst looks around the retainer’s room— he knows he should feel embarrassed over how messy everything is, clothes and treasure maps scattered everywhere, but he’s seen the chaotic mess Diamant’s room is, so he guesses it could’ve been worse.
“So! What can Amber the hero do for you, Prince Alcryst?”
Ok, so maybe he should’ve used his indoor voice as Jade constantly tells him to do, since Alcryst slightly jumps at the volume. The teenager composes himself quickly though, taking a determined stance and locking eyes with the Hero.
“It’s Diamant. I’m worried about him and thought that…maybe you could help? You are his best friend and trusted retainer after all!”
Alcryst’s serious tone of voice and change of demeanor makes Amber’s blood run cold. The fact that the young prince came all the way from the royal sleeping quarters to his bedroom in the middle of the night means something terrible must’ve happened to Diamant, right?!
“Oh no! Is he Ok?! Did something happen?!” he yells, indoor voice once again forgotten. Amber supposes he could feel bad over it later with the way Alcryst winces at his tone of voice— especially considering the fact that Jade, Citrinne and Lapis have their sleeping quarters right next to his, he’s absolutely getting a scolding from Jade tomorrow morning for being so loud.
“Wait, no! He’s fine!” Alcryst cries as Amber feels his strong hands grab at his clothes in an attempt to stop him from barging out the door in search of his liege, “Ok, maybe not fine, but he’s not in immediate danger! I’m so sorry for worrying you!”
“ Ah ” Amber pauses, long enough to release a long sigh, relieved nothing terrible had befallen his liege and friend, “then, what’s up? Why are you worried about him?”
At this Alcryst retrieves his hands from where they were grabbing at Amber’s clothes and slowly walks towards the retainer’s bed, sitting on it with a dramatic sigh.
“He hasn’t been sleeping, I can tell because I’ve been checking on him during the night and he’s always awake– either signing some paperwork or outside chatting with Prince Alfred. He’s miserably exhausted every day, and I…I’m worried.”
Oh, he understands where Alcryst is coming from perfectly well, in fact, both Jade and Amber constantly comment about how exhausted and drained their lord looks every day. They’ve tried to talk to him about it, but to no avail, Diamant is as stubborn as an alpaca when it comes to that topic.
Amber sits right next to Alcryst on his bed and slumps, he is also worried but knows it’s a lost cause; telling Alcryst he can’t help pains him, after all, of what use is a hero if he can’t help the ones he loves?
“I know what you mean, Prince Alcryst. Honestly, Jade and I have been worried over Prince Diamant’s lack of sleep for ages now, but he refuses to talk to us about it. He’s such a stubborn alpaca when he wants to!”
Despite Amber’s confession over not being much help, Alcryst still looks determined, both fists clenched on his lap.
“I think I know how you can help, Amber.”
Alcryst sighs for the second time that night. It’s not that he doesn’t trust Amber, but telling him of his plans to help Diamant means opening up about his night time meetings with Princess Cèline and— well, it’s embarrassing!
Another deep sigh. All for his brother's sake, he supposes.
"So? What is it? What can I do to help?"
Amber's excited and anxious voice cuts through his thoughts like a knife. Right, he still needs to tell him his plan. He feels his face burning with embarrassment, and yet he knows Amber would never judge nor make fun of him for this. With that in mind he begins to talk, ignoring the heat pooling all over his cheeks.
"W-well, as you know I also suffer from insomnia quite regularly, just like Diamant— however mine isn't as severe as his. I've found a way to keep the anxious thoughts at bay during the night, at least long enough to get a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep." He says, voice steady.
He waits for Amber to interject with a question or a comment, when he receives none, he continues.
"I…I recently discovered that Princess Cèline has just as much trouble sleeping as myself and during nights when sleep is hard to come by w-we found out that laying next to each other helps!"
"Wow! I didn't know you and Princess Cèline were an item!"
"What?! No! W-we're just friends, Amber!"
Amber's huge goofy grin tells him he doesn't believe a word he's saying.
"Sure thing, Prince Alcryst"
"Anyway!"
Alcryst takes one deep breath to compose himself, after all what he's going to say is the very reason why he came all the way out here to talk to his brother's retainer.
"I don't want to assume, but I believe that Diamant, just like myself (not that I'm comparing us, it's just a thought!), would feel at ease sleeping next to someone he trusts and feels safe with. M-maybe that way he can finally sleep through the night."
When he doesn’t get an immediate response from Amber, he spares a glance towards him. He sees him deep in thought—a rare occurrence for the happy-go-lucky Amber, and self doubt immediately takes hold of his heart.
What if he miscalculated…what if Amber isn't as close to Diamant as he thought?
"So…you're saying that we should ask Princess Cèline to sleep next to Prince Diamant to cure him of his insomnia, like she did with yours? Uh, sorry to break it to you Prince Alcryst, but that's never gonna work." Amber says suddenly, confusion apparent in his tone of voice.
Of course Amber would come to that conclusion, he should’ve expected this, and yet the way Amber's mind works still surprises him— even after all these years of knowing each other.
Alcryst fights (and loses) the urge to cover his face in his hands in both frustration and embarrassment.
"No!! What I meant is that I am able to sleep through the night because I feel safe next to Princess Cèline, (as friends mind you!) So maybe Diamant would feel the same way sleeping next to someone he deems trustworthy and safe to be around, not necessarily Princess Cèline!"
"OH! That makes sense!" The hero practically yells and Alcryst can’t help but wince at his loud excited voice, especially with how close they're sitting next to each other. It’s honestly a wonder that neither Jade nor Citrinne have come knocking down the door, demanding them to be quiet.
"So… who do you have in mind?"
Oh Divine One, give him strength.
"I was thinking about you, actually. I was under the impression that you two were rather close. Though I may be wrong, as I usually am…!" He says the last line with uncertainty, he doesn’t want to assume, even though he's almost one hundred percent certain that he is right.
It's Amber's turn to blush furiously this time, a small fond smile decorating his face. He turns slightly so he can look at Alcryst's face, determination and excitement visible in his yellow eyes.
"Yes, you're right, Prince Alcryst! Your brother is my most cherished friend! I don't know if your plan will work, but I'm willing to try! I AM a hero after all, the least I can do is save my prince and friend from the clutches of insomnia!"
Alcryst supposes that the dramatic pose Amber strikes is a little too much, considering it's the middle of the night and there's no one else present, but he's grateful and relieved all the same.
Diamant is miserably exhausted and yet, no matter how hard he tries, sleep keeps eluding him.
He wonders if he's ever going to sleep through the night again. At this point it feels like a curse, one where he can only sleep through small intervals at a time— a bunch of mini naps littered throughout the day and night, instead of sleeping a couple of hours in one go.
He yawns for the umpteenth time while reviewing some paperwork Citrinne gave him earlier during the day. It’s hard to read them in the state he's currently in, the words blurry and dancing all over the page.
It’s still preferable than trying to sleep, the paper and its dancing words distracting him enough that his awful thoughts can't reach him.
Awful thoughts like how he failed to save his father— like how he failed as an older brother by letting Alcryst deliver the finishing blow, something that should’ve fallen to him as the eldest.
Thoughts like how he has the entire weight of a kingdom pressing down his shoulders.
Diamant sighs heavily, putting his paperwork down back on his desk. He should go for a walk. It’s still too early into the night to bump into Prince Alfred starting his training routine, but it's late enough that no one should be out at this hour.
He stands up and goes to open the door—just to find Amber standing right in front of him, fist raised like he was about to knock.
Now, this is odd. Why is his friend here at this hour? Did something happen? Amber usually goes to sleep at midnight and doesn't wake up until Jade drags him out of bed in the morning. He should be asleep, why is he here?
"Amber?" He asks, confusion lacing his words, "Why are you here at this hour? Is everything alright?"
He gets a classic Amber smile as a reply, blinding and beautiful, and he feels his breath hitch a little, as it always does when his retainer flashes him with one of his trademark smiles.
He's down bad, uh.
"Prince Diamant!" Amber stage whispers, probably in a failed attempt to keep his voice down and avoid waking up the other royals sleeping next to Diamant’s quarters. "May I come in?"
Amber doesn't wait for a reply as he brushes past Diamant and walks into the Prince’s room. This isn't the first time his retainer has been in his quarters, Amber sometimes keeps him company while he works on his desk, his friend's excited voice and tales of his latest adventures filling every crevice of his room.
Diamant closes the door and turns to face Amber, who's currently occupied grabbing the piles of paperwork he keeps stacked on his bed. Diamant figures that if he isn't going to use the bed for sleeping, then he'll use it as a second, larger desk. It’s only logical, right?
"Not that I don't appreciate you being here, my friend, but …what are you doing?" He asks, still standing by the closed door. Now that he's able to concentrate on Amber he notices his friend is wearing his night clothes and is clutching a big …alpaca?
"Wait…is that an alpaca plush you have there?"
"Yep! I can't sleep without it, so I figured I'd bring it with me! Hope you don't mind!" Amber practically sings, putting said alpaca plush on Diamant's bed, now that it's paperwork free thanks to him.
"Hold on, Amber. Are you implying that you're going to sleep here, in my bed…?"
"Yep!"
"....What?! Why?!"
Diamant is well aware that he is severely sleep deprived, meaning that sometimes it takes him a spell to catch on to what's going on around him. Amber generally is a very confusing and unpredictable variable in his life; he stopped trying to understand what goes on in his retainer’s mind long ago. But this? This takes the cake.
Amber smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, color blossoming all over his face. Diamant hates how beautiful he finds him, despite the weird circumstances.
"Ah, sorry! I forgot to explain", Amber starts, embarrassment apparent in his tone of voice, "You see, we are all very worried about you, Prince Diamant— Jade, Prince Alcryst, Citrinne and I most of all."
Diamant walks towards Amber while the other speaks, stopping right next to him. What does he mean they're worried about him? He's fine!
"I appreciate the sentiment Amber, but I'm fine, truly—"
"No, wait! Let me finish!" His retainer interrupts him gently, "We can all see that you haven't been sleeping lately, you can't deny that, not with how exhausted you look every day!"
Ok, fair, he supposes his sleep deprivation is obvious nowadays, what with how prominent the bags under his eyes look.
"So! I decided to help you with your sleeping problem! It's my duty as your retainer and best friend, you see!" Amber puffs out his chest with pride while saying this, and Diamant can't help but chuckle at this. It’s a silly gesture, sure, but extremely charming if you ask him.
"Anyway, uh, a friend! Yes, a friend of mine told me that he is able to sleep like a baby alpaca throughout the night whenever his…friend lays next to him. Said something about making him feel safe enough to stop worrying and relax!"
Diamant wonders who this friend might be, Prince Alfred, perhaps?
"That makes sense, I guess…" Diamant mumbles, thinking over what Amber just said. It takes him a second, his mind still slow, to catch on what his friend is implying. "Did you come all the way over here to sleep next to me, in hopes it may help with my insomnia?"
"Yep!"
If he were able to see himself in a mirror right now, Diamant is certain his face is currently the same shade as his hair— a deep red.
He doesn't know if it is because he's desperate to try anything that would help him sleep or if it's Amber the one offering, but the idea of laying next to his friend during the night is extremely appealing to him.
Plus it's an excuse to be closer to the one he's been crushing on for the past couple of years; he's been hopelessly enamored with his retainer since the first day he laid eyes on him, that fateful day at the tournament. He took one look at Amber’s face, wet with tears, and knew he was a goner.
"Ok. Let's try it", he hears himself say, barely containing his excitement at the idea of sharing a bed with Amber and the possibility of a full night's rest. "Let me change into my night clothes real quick."
Ok, this clearly isn't working.
It's been around twenty minutes since both, Prince and retainer, got under Diamant’s blankets and tried to get some shut eye.
The emphasis here is on "tried".
Amber can feel the anxiousness coming off Diamant in waves. They're laying next to each other on Diamant's bed, sure, but there's a huge space between them, making the entire thing extremely awkward and uncomfortable.
However, Amber isn't one to give up on a mission easily. After all, he promised Prince Alcryst he was going to try. He can’t let him down now!
That, and it kills him to see Diamant so uncomfortable and anxious, especially in his presence. Now, Amber knows he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he also knows he's excellent at handling alpacas— and his prince has the soul of one. This should work.
With a determined nod he slowly slides towards Diamant’s side of the bed, until his arms are touching Diamant’s.
"...Amber?" His Prince’s sleepy voice rings through the room, confusion evident on his handsome face.
"Don't mind me, Prince Diamant, just relax and close your eyes!" He soothes, while he maneuvers his hand over the Prince’s head. He sees Diamant’s shoulders immediately melt the moment his fingers lace through the Prince’s red hair, petting him the same way he pets his beloved alpacas back home.
"I hope this is OK, I can stop if you want", Amber says, suddenly shy and self aware. He knows he might be crossing a line— no matter how fond he is of his prince, of how much he loves him, they're still liege and retainer in the end.
"Please, don't stop."
Amber can't help the grin that appears on his face. He knew Diamant would like it, he has the soul of an alpaca after all.
It isn't long until the Prince’s breathing evens out, deep in sleep. Amber can't help but feel a warm fondness overcome him when he listens to Diamant’s little snores. So cute!
As gently as he's able, trying not to move the bed too much, the hero slowly leans over his prince, kissing his forehead tenderly.
"Sweet dreams, Diamant."
Jade is going to kill Amber the second she finds him. Ok, maybe not in real life, but she's definitely killing him off in one of her novels; she's going to make sure it's the silliest death she can think of.
It's what he deserves for making her worry so much, so early in the morning.
Every day she wakes up, prepares herself to face the new day, and then proceeds to wake Amber up. Her fellow retainer is the heaviest sleeper she knows, if she doesn't wake him up, he can keep on sleeping way past noon. Which is unacceptable as a royal soldier of Brodia, obviously.
However, when she walked into his room today, with the intention of shaking him awake as always, he wasn't there.
To say she was surprised is an understatement. They've known each other, have been fellow retainers of Prince Diamant, for four years now and never, never has he woken up early. Never .
So obviously something must’ve happened to him, which is why she's spent the last hour asking around the Somniel if someone's seen him.
Which brings her to her current predicament. After everyone she stumbled upon told her they haven't seen him, Prince Alcryst said the most curious thing when she eventually asked him.
"Maybe Diamant knows where he is!"
With that being her only lead on Amber’s whereabouts, she immediately finds herself in front of her liege’s door. She loathes to bother him when she knows how busy he is on a daily basis, but she supposes that if Amber is truly missing then he needs to know.
She gingerly knocks on the door and waits. After a couple of minutes of waiting, she notices the door is unlocked, Prince Diamant probably forgot to lock it last night, absorbed in his paperwork as he usually is.
She knows she shouldn't, but she slowly opens the door enough to peek inside anyway, just to see if Diamant is actually in his room or not.
Oh.
OH.
So that's where Amber went, she thinks, amusement replacing the annoyance she's been feeling during the past hour.
The scene she stumbles upon is both extremely cute and also extremely funny, her favorite type of scene.
Amber and Diamant are sleeping on the Prince’s bed, cuddling each other, a giant alpaca plush right between them.
Jade immediately takes out her notepad, the one she carries with her at all times— and starts writing, determined to capture the scene in its entirety, she must add it to her next novel, it’s just too perfect not to.
She doesn't know if what she says next while closing the door is in response to those two getting together or to Diamant sleeping soundly, but she supposes it can be applied to both things equally.
"Finally!"