PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Fernweh || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: Fernweh – Watching Trains

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; mortal AU

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, art, misunderstandings, cuteness

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Rachel Elizabeth Dare

Summary: Percy is a well-respected photographer, who was first inspired by the Ghost King, a graffiti artist. Percy's best customer is a lawyer named Nico di Angelo. They keep passing each other like two trains, until they finally meet at a train station at night, one spraying and the other taking pictures.

Fernweh

Watching Trains

Percy Jackson had always loved watching trains.

As a small child to a single mother, it was the closest they ever got to having a vacation. Sometimes, very rarely, the two would spend a weekend in Montauk. But it wasn't much, never enough for them. Many evenings, when the sun already set, Sally and Percy would go to the train station and sit at the bridge, just watching the trains rush in and out. They'd sit there and imagine where the trains were heading, imagining that at the end of the journey was some kind of exotic place waiting for them. They spun tales of magical vacations and adventures together.

It were those moments that started it all, Percy mused.

After high school, where he barely managed to graduate, Percy was a bit of a lost soul. He tried some odd jobs, applied for college and basically sampled all classes they had. He just couldn't settle. He didn't know what was his. Until one day, when he had been visiting his father in Miami for the summer. Two months just the men – Poseidon, Triton, Tyson and Percy. Percy loved his half-brothers, little Tyson who adored him and grumpy Triton who was still very protective of Percy. Anyway, the point being what Percy found upon his return. As he got off the train, the first sight that greeted him was a gigantic graffiti. It was overwhelming, absolutely incredible. There was a boy on a train, back toward the viewer as he looked out the window. He was just a black silhouette with a curly head, staring out of a train's window. Said window served as the frame of the actual picture – a skyline, but oh what a skyline. The Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, the leaning tower, the Colosseum, the Golden Gate Bridge and so many other sights that Percy probably just didn't recognize. It should be a mess, it should edge on with what Percy knew, but in the end, the way the artist arranged them made them look like an actual landscape, like an existing place. The sun was setting in the background, illuminating everything in marvelous colors. It wasn't just aesthetically pleasant, it evoke feelings – a feeling of longing yearning for all the places offered and then some more. It perfectly captured that sense of freedom, that want to travel. It was, to date, the most impressive piece of art that Percy had ever seen and it had changed his life.

The moment he looked at it, he knew what he wanted. He wanted to make art. He wanted to make others feel like he felt. He wanted to be able to express himself as well as the Ghost King.

The Ghost King.

Percy had spotted graffiti with that signature ever since middle school. Scrawny things at first, mostly skeletons and creepy stuff at the beginning, but then they evolved. During Percy's high school days, there would be beautiful graffiti of the underworld – a river with a boat and a skeleton ferryman, a beautiful island that could only be Elysium itself, even various scenes of punishment from Greek mythology. After Percy graduated and while he was in college, the Ghost King must have moved on again. His art turned from dreamy myths to something more sad. Somehow, his graffiti made Percy feel deeply sad and lost. They were... lonelier. Of places in their city, the park or the lake or even the mall, but somehow they felt empty and lonely. Like something was missing. Percy suspected that the Ghost King must have lost someone dear to him.

Inspired by the Ghost King's graffiti, Percy applied to an art school. His father, mother and stepfather weren't entirely pleased. After all, he was throwing everything away to start over again. But then they saw his determination and enthusiasm. He found his calling.

He replied to an ad for a roommate and ended up moving in with a crazy redhead named Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She was insanely amazing and awesome and they fast became friends. Rachel had, from the start, known she was a painter. She was really great and filled with a lot of fantasy.

Percy enjoyed school and what they taught him and after two semester of trying basically everything – painting, sketching, building, crafting, sculpting, digital art – he finally found his calling. Photography. Capturing moments and feelings and scenery. According to his teacher and Rachel, he was very talented. Finally, Percy felt like he belonged and he loved it.

His life took an upturn from there. He graduated and started freelancing, mostly taking family pictures and school pictures. Not what he had dreamed of, but it paid the rent so he could follow his passion in his free time. He liked taking photos of people, but in their natural environment. Once he photographed an old man with more lines on his face than a tree could have rings, looking worn and lonely as he sat in front of a chessboard all on his own. Percy sat down with him afterward and talked, learning that his chess partner of forty years had died a few days ago. When Percy edited and developed the photo, he kept it in mind and he managed to highlight that loneliness and pain even more. It was the perfect depicting of loss and Percy was incredibly proud of it. Other pictures of a happy couple just as he proposed to her and they both were unaware of being captured like this, their joy genuine and pure and practically radiating from the picture, or one of a homeless man with his dog, showing their suffering and also their loyalty to each other.

Percy loved his art and he wasn't the only one. Sure, his parents and siblings hung it wherever they could. But Rachel liked it. And Rachel had inherited a ton of money when her parents had died in an accident not many years ago. That and the firm. She got a capable CEO to do the work and finally could spend the money on what she enjoyed. Her parents had denied her that for years, saying that there was no future in art, and she had done three jobs parallel to college to pay for things. Now she had the means to pay off her student loan, then she bought a gorgeous loft and invited Percy to live with her – rent free. She proceeded to buy the entire building, actually, and opened up her own art gallery. Percy was not the only fellow student from their class that Rachel supported by putting their work up in her gallery. The RED Gallery soon became a respected gallery promoting young, talented artists. The RED Gallery was also how Percy made a name of his own.

Ironically, he used his real first name as his alias – Perseus. Simply Perseus, without a last name. And Perseus soon became a well-known name when it came to photography, thanks to two people. Rachel, for putting his art out, and a man named Nico di Angelo, for buying it.

Nico di Angelo was a hot piece of Italian man, wrapped into an expensive Italian suit. He was a lawyer, the biggest law firm in the state and also beyond. He had a smirk that made pants drop and girls swoon, dark eyes that seemed to bore into your very soul and a nice build. Short: Percy was totally into the man. Coincidentally, Mister di Angelo seemed to be into Percy's art. Nico di Angelo had been the very first one outside his family to buy his art. For a ridiculous price. Apparently, Nico put it up both at home and at the firm. At the firm where his clients saw it and seeing as Nico was one of the ten richest men in the state, he was also a trendsetter. The rich and famous soon were all over Percy's art and he found himself actually running out of pictures to sell. Sure, they were photos and he could probably develop the same one multiple times, but to him, those photos captured one specific moment so there should only ever be one version of those pictures.

"You outdid yourself again, Perseus."

Percy blushed and ducked his head at the praise. At this time, with the name he had made for himself, he should really be used to praise, but it still warmed his heart and cheeks. Especially coming from the handsome lawyer. Nico smirked at him and lifted his champagne flute toward Percy, who returned the motion. Even though Percy was rich and famous himself at this point, he still preferred faded jeans and his worn-out blue hoodie. The money had never gone to his head. He had started a college fond for his baby brother Tyson, had bought his mom and stepfather a house and the rest was laying around and waiting to be used. Percy wanted to buy himself a house, once he found the right man to settle down with, and then spend the saved up money on the kids he planned on adopting. He was not going to waste any of it on something silly and unnecessary.

"Thank you. I'm very proud of it myself", admitted Percy with a small grin.

Okay, there was one thing Percy spend money on. Travels. He had gone to all the places he had dreamed of as a child – and he always took his camera. He had a series of pictures from the rainforest, had visited the Arctic and captured a blizzard, had checked various Hawaiian islands, had captured various exotic locations that he only knew from pictures himself before. But his main focus was still on people. The endless awe of a child taking in a new city for the first time, the contrast of pain and heartbreak with the skyline of Paris in the background, the uniqueness of native tribes in the rainforest and the unbound joy of a luau. His latest works were focused on Italy and more specifically the carnival in Venice. All the masks and gorgeous costumes, the canals and contrasts. He had been captured and inspired. Nico had bought the entire series without missing a beat, as soon as he entered the gallery and saw the first photo.

"Oh yes, Perseus is my bestseller. Thanks to you", laughed Rachel, patting Percy on the back.

Percy smiled thinly, loving Rachel dearly but hating when someone interrupted the few moments he got to spend with Nico. After all, they always only met on the art exhibitions. And oh, how much Percy enjoyed Nico's company. Short quips, pleasant conversations and quite the view. Percy had a serious crush on the lawyer, but he had not yet found his courage to actually speak up.

/break\

"You spent the entire night fawning over Nico di Angelo again!"

Percy blushed as he turned to glare at his roommate. The redhead was flushed as she giggled, having consumed a little too much of the champagne. She collapsed on their comfy couch and Percy instantly followed, curling up with her. Both laughed softly, at everything and nothing.

"He's just so... so... you know", sighed Percy a little dreamily. "He's so... grown up but also so childish on the inside. You know those mythological pieces? When Nico and I stood in front of them, he went on and on about mythology. Apparently, he has been quite obsessed with it as a child. It was so endearing having him rattle on and on about the myth of Hades and Persephone."

"You should have heard his rant the first time he learned your name", muttered Rachel and rolled her eyes. "Oh, he was instantly hooked on that. So, when's the first date?"

"I told you it's not like that", groaned Percy embarrassed, hiding his face in her curls.

"He's staring at you like you're the greatest piece of art in history", teased Rachel knowingly. "And he spends practically the entire exhibition at your side all the time. Every exhibition."

"...Not true", argued Percy weakly, cheeks rosy.

"You're so into him", giggled Rachel, judging him.

Percy huffed and got up. "I'm gonna... gonna make more art! For the next exhibition."

He could feel how Rachel rolled her eyes at him as he grabbed his equipment and ran out of the apartment, basically fleeing from his best friend's accusations. He knew he had it bad for the handsome, charming Italian. Glowering to himself, he headed straight to the train station. It was still the place he went to whenever he needed to think or to be inspired. It was weird, even though he could afford to travel to any place he'd ever dream of – including all the places he had already gotten to see – the one that filled him with most longing was still the train station. Besides, there was a new building, a small café, that still had a posh white facade. Who knew, maybe the Ghost King had spotted it already and Percy could draw some inspiration from a new graffiti. It was the middle of the night on a Thursday, so it was relatively empty. The McDonald's was still open, with a few drunk teens in it, giggling and laughing. Only three or so people were at the platforms, waiting for a late night train. Percy grinned to himself. Some people found train stations at night to be creepy or 'dangerous', but Percy enjoyed them. They gave off an entirely different feeling than they did during the busy days. He sneaked off toward the back of the train station, at the farthest end where the new little café was located opposite the main building. He halted instantly when he saw a dark hooded figure with spray-paint. A squeak was caught in Percy's throat. The dark hooded figure turned around with a whirl. For a couple seconds, they just stared at each other, only then did his eyes drawl over to the graffiti. It wasn't even close to finished, but it looked intriguing. It reminded Percy a lot of Venice, the carnival he had visited earlier this year. He instantly loved it.

"Y—You're the Ghost King!", exclaimed Percy excited.

"...That's what it says on the tag", grunted the Ghost King in a gruff voice. "Hello, Perseus."

"Y—You know my name", squeaked Percy enthusiastically. "Oh my gosh."

"Of course I do. Not many have such a good eye for... longing", drawled the Ghost King.

The Ghost King looked very amused, even though he had a black scarf covering up the lower half of his face and a hoodie drawn deep down to shade his eyes. Again, they just stared at each other for a little while, before the Ghost King just turned back to his graffiti.

"What are you doing here? Not the safest part of town at this time of day", offered the Ghost King. "A famous fancy artist like you should be in some posh gallery, sipping champagne."

"Yeah, did that already", giggled Percy, still feeling said champagne. "But then my roommate started getting on my nerves and I figured I'd use the extra energy to be productive. Besides, I'm a big boy, I can watch out for myself. I'm glad to see your work again. Haven't in over a year."

"I've been... busy", drawled the Ghost King.

"Okay. Uhm, well... I should get to it. The next trains are coming in in a few", said Percy awkwardly, shifting around a little, eyes darting from the graffiti to the man. "See you around?"

With that, the photographer left to get on the bridge. The pedestrian's bridge going right over the train station, overseeing the rails. Percy set everything up just in time. He perfectly captured one train going in as another left, with the stars above and the train station empty. It was a perfect shot. Pleased with himself, Percy sat down at the edge of the bridge, just where he and his mother used to sit. His gaze turned more longing as he fixed the horizon. He was only startled out of his trance as he heard the familiar click of his camera. Blinking, he turned toward the sound. The Ghost King stood there, holding Percy's camera, obviously just having taken a picture of him.

"You looked like the perfect motif of one of your own works", justified the Ghost King.

The Ghost King put Percy's camera back where he had taken it from, before sitting down right next to Percy. Percy's heart sped up a little at the close proximity to his idol.

"I always admired your work", blurted Percy out, cheeks dark red. "They inspired me."

"...I inspired you?", asked the Ghost King stunned, turning to look at Percy. "Seriously? You're a real big name and manage to capture what I try to depict way better than I do and I'm just a hobby sprayer who did this since middle school to rebel against daddy dearest."

"And I guess I wouldn't be any of that if I hadn't discovered your work. That one down there, more specifically", replied Percy, pointing at the one of the boy with the amazing view.

"Ironic. These days, I draw my inspiration from... you", whispered the Ghost King amused.

"Yeah. Well, fate, maybe?", shrugged Percy with a lopsided grin.

The Ghost King stared at Percy with oddly familiar dark eyes. But it was too dark around them for Percy to make out any details or really recognize anything. After a little while, the Ghost King got a sketch book and a pencil out of his backpack, the cans of spray-paint clanging against each other. The Ghost King cocked one eyebrow, lifting his sketch book up in indication.

"Can I sketch you?", asked the man with his dark, purposely gruff voice.

Percy blushed, feeling oddly honored. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Though... I wanted to take a couple more pictures, of the weary last travelers and the empty train station."

"Please. Go ahead", said the Ghost King, grin evident in his voice. "I don't mind."

Percy arched one curious eyebrow before getting up again and continuing on his way. The Ghost King followed him, silently. While Percy took more pictures, the Ghost King sketched him. After a couple of minutes, they started talking. The Ghost King started asking Percy questions, about his travels, while Percy also asked about the Ghost King's life. Sure, the street artist was purposefully vague, but he still answered some of Percy's question. The unfathomable sadness, for example, had rooted from his sister's death. The longing for other places – mainly so places in Europe – had come from his initial dislike for the US. The conflict of the ancient, rich culture of Europe and all those fancy, suffocatingly modern buildings of the US. It was fascinating to hear.

"So. Done for the night", sighed Percy exhausted as the two of them returned to the bridge.

They sat down at nearly the same spot again, facing out toward the horizon. The Ghost King hummed pleased as he got more comfortable, the sketch book on his lap. Percy stared a little.

"Would... you mind if I looked at it?", asked Percy softly, greedily.

"Naw. Just go ahead", grinned the Ghost King and handed it over.

Percy grinned. And then he awed. The sketches were really great. They weren't da Vinci great, very rough around the edges and raw, but they captured the dynamic and energy wonderfully and Percy easily recognized himself. The Ghost King had a special kind of talent alright.

"Those are great", praised Percy with a grin. "I really like your style."

"Thanks", grunted the Ghost King and ducked his head in a shyly proud manner.

They went silent again as they turned their gaze toward the slowly raising sun. Percy was shuddering at the cold night-air. The only thing he had grabbed before leaving had been the equipment, not a jacket. He startled a little as a jacket was placed on him. He turned toward the Ghost King, who had shed his black hooded sweat jacket to place it on Percy's shoulders.

"You're cold", pointed the Ghost King out, shrugging. "Better?"

"...Yeah, a bit. Thanks", mumbled Percy embarrassed.

"No problem", replied the Ghost King with a grin, before slowly wrapping an arm around Percy's waist to pull him closer. "That... okay too? To make you warmer."

"Very", nodded Percy sharply, heart hammering in his chest.

"And...", started the Ghost King unsure. "If... I'd ask you to close your eyes so I can kiss you... Would... Would that be okay too, or is it too weird to be attracted to someone through their art?"

"If... If that's weird, we're both weird", whispered Percy and closed his eyes slowly.

Their lips met in a soft and slow kiss, sparking more want and longing than Percy had ever felt before. When they parted, they snuggled up to each other and continued watching the sunrise in pleasant silence. The same silence in which they parted once the morning rush started.

/break\

When Percy was woken up around noon by a way too chipper Rachel offering him a coffee while giggling at him like she was in on a great joke, he was way too tired to be awake.

"So, when you ran off yesterday, you went to see Nico after all? Does that mean you two are finally together? Had some great confession, kisses under the moonlight?", teased Rachel.

"...What are you talking 'bout, woman?", groaned Percy, hiding in the warm sweater he wore.

"The sweater. That's Nico's. He always wears it when he comes to pick up the pictures he orders. He always picks them up himself in civil clothes. It's weird seeing him without suits", mused Rachel.

"...This is... Nico's...?", asked Percy stunned, picking at the Ghost King's sweater.

"Uhm, yeah. Isn't that where you got it from?", asked Rachel confused.

Percy's face screwed up as he bolted off. Again, Rachel was left to stare after him surprised. Di Angelo & Sons was not far away from their apartment, maybe half an hour or so on foot and Percy needed the walk to clear his head. The Ghost King, who had been so nice yesterday and had inspired him all of his career, and Nico di Angelo, who was his big crush, were the same person. It wasn't hard sneaking up to Nico's office after giving his name to the pretty secretary and pretending to be some new fancy client and that the appointment must have 'slipped'. Nico, in his large office, sitting behind his large mahogany desk, looked up at him surprised.

"Perseus?", asked Nico confused. "What... are you doing here? I was expecting a Mister Jackson."

"Yeah, I may have lied to your secretary when I said I'm a new client, but I am Mister Jackson. Perseus Jackson, though I actually prefer Percy", offered Percy, one eyebrow raised as he put the sweater down on Nico's desk. "And I just came to return this to you." Nico had the decency to look like a guilty puppy as he stared at his hoodie, making Percy snort. "At least you're not trying to deny it. You should have told me last night, when you kissed me."

"Told you what?", grunted Nico defensively. "That I've been hopelessly gone from art exhibition to art exhibition, hoping you'd be there and hoping I'd get to spend a few minutes with you? That those short conversations with you are what I look forward to all month? That I stare at your photos for hours at time because your art makes me feel so understood? That when you said you liked my stuff, I felt like a little kid at Christmas and just couldn't help but want to kiss you? That spending last night with you was absolutely amazing and that I was afraid I'd ruin the perfection by telling you I'm just... me. That... being the Ghost King is... different for me than being Mister di Angelo?"

"Yes", hissed Percy annoyed and stalked around Nico's desk to grab his face and kiss him. "Yes. Yes, you should have told me all of that! Because... I... I've been falling for you for months..."

Percy blushed and averted his eyes, just as Nico pulled him down into his lap. "Sorry. I was... nervous. I never told anyone about my... night time hobby. I started when I was a rebelling teen and my dad was annoying me and my... my sister died. I've always kept Mister di Angelo and the Ghost King separate from each other. The graffiti is my way of... escaping this life. And having you... transcend from one to the other last night, it was... weird. I didn't expect to meet you there, or to hear you say that you like my stuff. You, of all people! I've never seen anyone who could capture emotions quite like you. I fell in love with your photographs the first time I laid eyes on them in Miss Dare's gallery. And... when I first got to talk to you, hearing you speak with so much passion and conviction and... and emotion. You're so filled with emotion, it left me in total awe. And then you made me fall in love with you. I was... I guess I was just so nervous last night? Hearing you say you like my graffiti is one thing, but I didn't know how you felt about... the lawyer me."

"I like the lawyer you", whispered Percy against Nico's shoulder. "He's dorky and fun to talk to and kind and I look forward to my exhibitions the most because I get to see you..."

"Well that... makes me an idiot then", mused Nico with a frown. "So I should have asked you out months ago then? Because I really wanted. But I thought, well, I don't know..."

"You were being silly", hummed Percy knowingly and stared up at the lawyer. "But so was I, so I guess we deserve each other for being idiots, huh?"

"Yes, I suppose we do", laughed Nico, kissing Percy's cheek. "I do. Love you, that is. And your art. The new series that I bought last night, it was so intense, it instantly inspired me. Which is why after the exhibition, I headed out to the train station to start a new piece myself."

"It's funny", chuckled Percy and tilted his head. "You inspire me and I inspire you. Poetic, eh?"

"It's sure going to be interesting", hummed Nico, licking his lips. "So... Would you like to come over to my place some time and be my model? Because I wanted to do a piece of you for a while now. You, the trains. I do have a vision for it, but I want to do you justice."

"So, that's why you... made those sketches of me last night, yeah? Well... Okay. Only if I get to take a couple photos of you", whispered Percy with a predatory gleam.

"What kind of emotion does a lawyer convey?", snorted Nico amused.

"Oh. Not for a series. For me", chimed Percy with a broad grin. "Because I like looking at you."

"That... feeling is mutual", whispered Nico, caressing Percy's cheeks as though he was following the outlines of Percy's face. "You're the most intense piece of art I've ever seen, Perseus. Your eyes... they're so expressive. I feel like getting lost in the swirl of emotions they present."

"Flatterer", whispered Percy red-cheeked. "So... you busy at the moment?"

"Very", nodded Nico seriously, watching Percy falter a little. "After all, I just cleared my schedule for an entire hour to talk to a new client. Now, Mister Jackson, what would you like to talk about?"

Percy's face instantly brightened again as he grinned at the lawyer. "How about we go and grab a coffee and breakfast? Because I'm positively starving and I left my coffee in Rachel's clutches."

"Yes. Breakfast sounds brilliant", agreed Nico and got up before pressing a button on his phone. "Miss Beauregard, I'll be out for the next hour. An important meeting. Do not bother me."

Not waiting for a reply from his secretary, he grasped Percy's hand to pull him along.

/break\

It was somewhat poetic, Nico had to agree with that as they were in Rome two months later, Percy in the middle of a photo shooting on a hill overseeing the city while Nico sat on a bench close by and was capturing Percy in rough sketches that he'd be turning into a graffiti later on. Percy was interacting with the little girl with the ice-cream that he was trying to capture in a carefree moment. He got the moment as a flock of pigeons rose next to them and the little girl stared after them with an o-expression. Percy looked at her so fondly as he captured her between the rising birds and with the beauty of Rome in the background. Nico smiled pleased as he captured Percy's expression the moment he looked at the little girl. Being with Percy was so inspiring and fulfilling. He had tried to fill the void and longing ever since his sister had passed and Percy's art had come close, but being with Percy finally made him feel whole again.

"Thanks for your time, princess", grinned Percy, ruffling the girl's hair.

She giggled and ran off to her mom waiting at the sidelines. Both waved at Percy and Nico as they left again. Nico slowly packed his things up and walked over to his lover. Percy smiled brightly as he greeted Nico with a deep, passionate kiss. Grunting amused, Nico wrapped one arm around his lover's waist to pull him up against himself some more. Art made Percy horny, Nico knew that. And Nico appreciated that. Smirking into their kiss, Nico adjusted them both a little.

"I'm... glad we took the time for this vacation", whispered Nico.

"It's a work trip", chided Percy with a half-grin. "Though, well, my work is more fun than work. And with you, it's actually even more fun. Thanks, for clearing your schedule for the week."

"For you? Always", smirked Nico and took Percy's hand. "Now, shall we get back to the hotel?"

"That is a great idea", agreed Percy, leaning his head against Nico's shoulder as they walked.

And truly, Percy's life had become a masterpiece after he became an artist.

~*~ The End ~*~

Author's note: This story was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend about the word "wanderlust", which is German and is being very much misused in the English language. Wanderlust means, literally and figuratively, the desire to go hiking. It's being used as what we Germans call "Fernweh" however. Fernweh is the yearning for other places, to travel the world, go on vacation, to literally just be away from where you are. It irked me that the English language decided to borrow a German word... but they just took the wrong one. Anyway, that's what inspired this story!

Next update is going to be another Nicercy oneshot titled "Sharing Pizza With a Prince" on Wednesday; Prince Perseus of Atlantis is visiting New York with his family. On a gala, he talks to Nico, who is a cook and just there for work and really not interested in royals so he has no idea the cutie he's chatting up is actually a prince.