Cade raised an eyebrow, giving him a midly amused look.

"Oh...thank you. I didn't think it was that loud. It was a song my friend liked," he explained softly, staying a step or two behind the man.

He was pretty sure it was supposed to be the opposite way, but he didn't feel like catching up with the guy, or walking in front of him. Martin had been different, and Beau had been completely different.

Cade walked in silence for a few minutes, realizing that he should probably continue some kind of conversation, to keep an awkward silence away, and he glanced up, seeing the stars glittering above them.

"Do you know the constellations?" He asked quietly. "My friend and I got bored one summer, and learned them all. We stayed on the roof of the palace for half the summer, trying to find them all. My mum was furious when she found out. The paparazzi couldn't get pictures, but still."

Cade cut himself off, biting his tongue. Why had he opened up so much? The guy didn't care. It was his job to protect, not hear about his stupid childhood. Trying to distract himself, he rubbed at the dried blood on his arms, working his fingers over the soft skin, and wiping the blood away.

He gauged the damage on his pants. They were definately washable, and would be fine once they'd been through a good cleaning cyle. He looked back to Hendrix, waiting to see if he would comment on the Prince's oversharing.

Hendrix's lip twitched as if he wanted to smile. "You learn to have good hearing in careers like mine." He said quietly, it was true. Many men had to get out of the career from not hearing certain frequencies anymore.

"Yea, I know some constellations." He admitted in an almost whisper. He looked up at them, admiring the stars with pained memories. He had learnt some of them by necessity during a job gone sideways in northern Canada.

Hendrix glanced sideways at Cade, "I wouldn't mind learning the rest someday. What ones can you see tonight?"

He didn't know what he was doing by asking questions. He imagined the Prince would probably shut this down and they would continue in silence. He didn't mind one way or another but he preferred keeping his charge happy.

"Is there anything you want me to do or not do while I'm working with you? I'm here to protect you, so I won't do things that you don't want unless I deem them absolutely necessary." He slowed his pace to walk beside Cade, giving him a small nod of encouragement.

(I think we're in that awkward stage where replies might not be as long. I don't mind as long as there's a paragraph or two :D)

Cade flicked some of the blood from his fingers.

"Well...there's Cassiopeia, and Orion, and Taurus. On Taurus's shoulder is the Pleiades. My friend hated that story. He said Orion sucked."

Cade trailed off, the memory taking hold, and he ran it through his mind a couple times, then turned back, and started listening as the guy started talking about his job. He considered for a moment, running through the things he hated, and they all led back to one thing: Beau.

"I don't care what you talk about, just please, please don't bring up Beau. I don't know what my parents told you, or what you saw on the news or anything, but it still hurts too much."

Cades voice was raw and pained, and he swallowed hard. His mind flashed to the confused looks on so many people's faces.

"Though I'll make an exception for right now, if you have questions. I know a lot of people wonder what all the stuff with him was."

Cade wondered if the guy was going to ask anything. He honestly wouldn't mind it too much. He still cared about his friend, and loved talking about him, but the events surrounding Beau's death were still pretty painful to talk about to most people, especially the press, who just wanted it for a story.

He put his hands in his pockets, and turned his full attention to the bodyguard, a neutral look gracing his face.

(I feel like you're right :D I'll try to give you at least a good bit to work off of though ^^)

Hendrix watched Cade, leaning towards him slightly as he opened up to him. "If I'm being perfectly honest, I don't know anything about you or your family." He shrugged, glancing around.

"In my world, the royal family existed but that was all. I thought I was being hired to babysit a kid, so imagine my surprise." Hendrix looked Cade up and double before clearing his throat and meeting his eyes again. Hendrix gave a half hearted grin and whispered quietly, "I don't even know your parents names."

His chest vibrated softly with half a chuckle. He reached out and touched the back of Cades hand with the back of his fingers. "I won't ask what happened but I'd like to hear more about those stories of mischief sometime."

He could tell this mattered a lot to him and he'd humour the Prince if it helped him process the grief. He was no therapist but he was a good listener.

"Let's get inside now before we both get hypothermia. This doesn't have to happen now." He didn't want to put Cade in the spotlight if the man didn't want to be there. And he could tell he was hurting, had been hurting all day. So another time, Hendrix vowed.

(We can skip forward time if you want? Maybe a few months of working together? Not much changed)

Cade sighed, following his bodyguard through the french doors, back into the small ballroom.

"Not many people actually know that much about my family. My mum was supposed to take the throne. My dad wasn't even a royal. He was the kid of a model and a pro baseball player. I don't know how they met."

As he said the words, it dawned on him that he didn't know that much about his parents either.

"I guess I should probably learn more about them," he murmered, turning his attention back to the man, continuing back to his rooms.

"Look...I don't sleep well. Hell, I don't sleep at all, so I'm sorry. I get up a lot, cause if I'm still for too long, my thoughts get the better of me, and...it's not good."

He didn't know why he felt apologetic. Martin hadn't minded, and this new guy shouldn't be any different. Especially since they barely knew each other. And yet? Cade still felt bad for making his job harder.

"I won't leave my rooms tonight," he promised, "so you can get the sleep you need. I can't promise about other nights though."

He pushed his door open, and stepped inside the room, relaxing visibly. Being out of the mansion meant the possibility of press, and he still had to look his best. Here, he didn't. Cade draped himself over a couch, picking up a book, and mindlessly flipping through it.

"I hope your room is alright," he said, really as just something to say. "Like I said: I'll be here. Probably for most of the night."

He gave Hendrix a small, sad smile, and wrapped himself in a soft blue afghan, sitting in the corner of the couch.

Hendrix understood what Cade was saying. He ducked into his room to grab a book and his tray of food then joined him back in the parlour. He wasn't great company but it was better than being alone. After dinner, he would read for a bit and then relax into that light sleep so many in his career had perfected. The brain didn't fully shut off, still aware of everything happening yet resting as much as they could in-between moments of busyness.

He would continue to spend his nights almost insomniac with his charge, keeping him company for majority of it. He spent few of the night hours in his bed, most spent watching the grief and pain slowly drown the Prince while no one else seemed to notice.

One particular morning, after he was able to get out and go for a run around the grounds in the early morning, he came back to a maid busying herself through his room, tidying an already tidy and clean room. This particular young maid seemed to have a bit of a crush on him, she was always coming round at times when he would be in the room, especially when he was doing his morning exercise. He stepped through the parlour, heading for the shower. He ripped his soaked shirt over his head as he walked, bumping into her as she was coming out of his room.

Hendrix growled lowly under his breath, grabbing her almost roughly. She softened under his touch and tipped her head back in a submissive way. He felt the shiver rack her body, her eyes tracing the dark lines on his sweaty chest. It spoke to a beastly part of him that was buried deep. She reached up to touch a particularly large scar over his pec. His lip curled into a soft snarl, his whole body curling and cringing away from her touch.

"Enough. Do not touch. Get out of here." He enunciated slowly, letting her go and taking a wide berth round her back to the parlour. He would have to speak to Cade and ask her to be kept elsewhere. She wasn't unattractive but he hadn't felt stirrings of chemistry for years now. He watched her exit, glancing over her shoulder with heated cheeks and a glint in her eye, and then continued to do a workout on the floor. His hopes of a shower doused by the agitation rushing his body. He pushed his body through a gruelling workout, body tensing more than relaxing, mind closing off. He shut down the feeling of pain of the memories running through his head of the last time a girl softened underneath his glare. The pain of missing her struck him deeper than usual this morning.

(Soz, idk where im going with this lol I just wanted him to be a lil dramatic XD)

Cade had walked into the parlor in time to see things he did not want to see. He quickly spun on his heel, hurrying out of the room as quietly as he could, a million thoughts racing through his head. He wished he could go back and unsee the whole thing. Not only had it been very awkward for him, but he also just hadn't been prepared to walk in on something like that.

Cade went to the library in the mansion, going to the smallest corner of the room. He triggered a hidden latch, and slipped into the smaller place beyond. It was also filled with books and soft chairs, and he settled down there, wondering why he felt so hurt by his bodyguard's interactions with the maid.

Well, he told himself, for one, it was unprofessional. Secondly...he couldn't think of anything. He missed Beau especially badly that day, since it was his absent friend's birthday. The pain had been almost unbearable, and the memories plagued him consisently. He'd been going to find his bodygaurd, and had been planning on opening up, a lot. Just so that he didn't have so much on his heart, and no way to rid himself of it.

Like that was going to happen now. He wondered vaguely if that would get either of the two fired. From his vantage point, and the few seconds he'd been there, it had looked more like the maid was allowing the man to do things to her. But, since he hadn't been there the whole time, he decided he'd just wait, and started looking for a book.

He pulled down the first one that he recognized, curling into a chair, and hoping that he'd never have to leave. Books were such a wonderful escape. Cade never felt as lonely when he was reading.

Cade had managed to completely loose himself in the book. He had no idea how long he'd been there, and he didn't care anymore. In the book, his life wasn't a problem. In the book, he could be alone, but not lonely. He found himself invested in the storyline, picking sides, and dying to know how it ended, but also not wanting to know, so that the book wouldn't end.

He was curled in the corner of the chair, his feet pulled up under him, bent over the book, his lips slightly parted as he emersed himself into the soft pages. He flinched when he heard his name, and looked up, as confused as the voice sounded. He stared longingly at the book for a second, but didn't want to loose his hide-away if something was truly wrong. He left the book on the table, and stood.

Cade slipped out from between the shelves, scanning the room for whoever had called for him. The books had garbled the voice so much, he had no idea who it could've been, but it definately hadn't been formal enough to be a servant, and it hadn't been informal enough to be his parents or Beau.

He swore softly. No, not this again. Even years after, his brain liked to pretend that Beau was still there, that there was no problems with his life, and that if he just turned around, his handsome, grinning best friend would be standing there, a devastating smile on his face. Cade winced, and finally found the voice. It was Hendrix, and Cade couldn't help the midly repulsed look that crossed his face.

Obviously, he and that maid had been quick. Cade opened his mouth to say something incredibly rude, but then another security guard walked in. Cade turned to him, glad to have the distraction. The guy murmered something to him, and the young prince's face dropped the neutral look it usually held, pure pain mixed with fear.

He turned away from his bodyguard, following the other man to the the doors, hurrying down to the gates. Standing just inside, away from the press, was a man. He was ridiculously handsome, dark brown hair, and deep, fathomless green eyes. He was a dead ringer for Beau, and Cade took a step back, trying to figure out whether his eyes were playing tricks on him, or if he was going insane.

"I don't understand," he whispered. "Beau?"