Thread: Prince on the Run [Barb1968 and Sigr]

Arthur wandered aimless across the forest, surprised and frustrated at his current completely lost state. It was ridiculous, he had examined the maps thoroughly and knew the area, but it turned out that the boy didn't even think that orienting himself through a forest wouldn't be the same than looking at a map of it. It had been days since he had fled the castle with little preparation, a pouch of coins and a couple things to eat, running away from a betrothal he didn't care about into the world he so much longed to see. With a brilliant mind for science, Arthur was the perfect example of the new directions the world was taking to, leaving superstition and witchery back behind them and advancing into a brighter future. It was true that his father didn't agree with his particular worldview of analyzing those traditions and magics from the point of view of science, considering them something to be banished, not dissected, but Arthur didn't care. Can't use the stars on full daylight... he mumbled, tired and unable to guide himself around. The rations he had packed were already gone, and the forest didn't care for his coin or status, as he had nowhere to spend those. Arthur had enough botanical knowledge to see which berries or mushrooms he could eat, but without the skill needed to make a fire, those were just some uncooked distractions and not anything really filling. Water? There shouldn't be a river here... he gasped, realizing that he was completely lost, even more than he had thought so, and started to walk towards the source of the sound. Soon enough and after a couple of clumsy stumbles, he managed to reach his newfound target, a wide pond where a river took a small pause before heading downhill, the perfect place to rest a bit. Arthur knelt on the shore, quenching his thirst as well as he could, drinking awkwardly with his hands and silencing his hunger for a while. Resting there the boy missed the commodities of living in the palace, but he had made his mind and going out was what he wanted, right? Nodding to himself, Arthur noticed how dirty he felt after days of walking almost aimlessly, so he decided he was going to put the lake to good use. It wasn't a warm bath readied by the servants, but since it was a warm summer day it would have to do. First of all, he got rid of his gloves and specially his coat, regal and full of practical pockets for his studies, but not as much for long travels, leaving it hanging on a tree branch for it to air a bit. After fiddling with buckles and cords, soon his blouse and belt were gone, boots and pants following afterwards, all of them bunched by the tree in absence of a servant that properly folded them. Last of all and without a worry in the world, with a naivety born from knowing no better, Arthur ditched his white undergarments into the top of the pile, approaching the water completely naked. The boy's body was mostly lean, product of his physique, but also soft since he didn't exercise much if anything at all. That made him appear slightly chubby here and there, from flabby biceps to rounded buttocks, passing by a squishy little belly. His skin was pale without being sickly, just a byproduct of his indoor activities and lack of sun exposure. His manhood, shy against the sudden cold exposure, dangled protected between his thighs as he ventured into the water, finding it warmer and more welcoming than expected. He had no soaps or perfumed oils himself, but at least some washing would do good to both his unclean state and sore body. Never in his life he had done so much physical effort and his legs were aching, so he massaged his supple thighs underwater, so focused on himself that he didn't even care much about his immediate environment. Getting partly out of the water until it reached his knees, Arthur examined the lake, noticing fishes swimming around here and there. Maybe he could manage to capture one? But even if he managed to devise a way to do so, something that was unlikely at best, how would he clean and cook it? Thinking of methods to design a dam or a net without having the manual expertise to actually build them and wondering how to get a fish to sate his hunger, Arthur was just there, relaxing naked on the lake and without a care in the world.