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phoenix-downer · 1 year

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The Way You See Me

~2360 words. Roxas/Naminé. Royalty AU. Meet Cute, Romance, Fluff. Includes Portrait Sitting and Fancy Balls. POV Roxas. Written for @rokunamizine. Leftover sales are now open: https://rokunamizine.bigcartel.com/

Summary: Prince Roxas is due to sit for another royal portrait to add to the collection lining the castle walls, but the pretty, charming young lady named Naminé is not at all who he expected to be the artist.

The banner art is by the wonderful @ao-kagi! Please check out her other pieces as well and give her your support ❤️

Knowing from birth that you’re gonna be king someday really puts pressure on a guy.

Ruling is a great responsibility, his father always said. He would know, being king himself. Which meant Roxas had to prepare to be king from the time he could walk. And he got the importance of being ready to rule, but there was just so much he had to learn. It made the extra court stuff seem really unnecessary. Like what his mother the queen was pushing him to do now.

“Do I really need another royal portrait?” he said, eyeing the nineteen other ones lining the walls of the room. Surely he didn’t look that different from last year, right? Same spiky blond hair, same serious face, same bored haughty look. No smiling allowed because it didn’t give off a regal enough air, apparently.

“Yes,” his mother responded matter-of-factly. She lifted up two different types of flowers, white lilies and blue roses, and he pointed to the roses. “It’s been a year, Roxas, and you still aren't married. We can use this year’s portrait to advertise the masquerade ball.”

“Getting married just isn’t that big of a priority right now,” he muttered. “I have to focus on my training to be king.”

“Yes, but you will need a wife eventually. It’s not something you can put off forever.” She held up a yellow ribbon and a pink one, and he pointed to the yellow ribbon and sighed deeply. This was a conversation that popped up more and more often, but he really didn’t want to think about it.

“When am I supposed to sit for my portrait?” he finally asked, because he knew fighting his mother on this was pointless. Especially when she was on a roll with the ball preparations. Planning events like this really put her in her element, especially ones that involved her beloved son.

“This afternoon,” she replied. “Don’t worry, I’ve already had the servants clear your schedule.” She turned to one of them, a tall, lanky woman with impeccably-styled hair. “Thank you, Alexandra, for arranging that.”

He sighed deeply. His mother was nothing if not efficient, and the staff adored her for treating them like family. He really could take a page out of her book.

The rest of the morning passed without incident, then lunch, and then it was back to the portrait room to meet the artist. Roxas was expecting an older guy with white hair and glasses perched on his nose, someone who had been painting longer than Roxas had been alive. There’d been a few men and women like that who’d painted him over the years, masters at their craft who were impossibly old. Who would it be this time? Sir Hokusai? Lady Cassatt? Sir Jacques-Louis David?

His eyes flickered to the portrait from last year, still hanging proudly on the wall. He was seated on his stallion Hengroen, about to ride into battle. Something he’d never actually done but what he’d been training all his life for. Sir David had painted that one. Maybe it would be Sir Hokusai this year.

There was a hesitant knock. “Come in,” he called, and a moment later, the door creaked open.

He wasn’t prepared for the beauty that floated into the room. Her golden hair cascaded down her shoulder, her blue and yellow dress was simple but elegant, and in her hands she held a sketchpad, pencils, and paints.

Wait, she was the artist? She wasn’t who Roxas had been expecting at all!

“Are you gonna be painting me?” he said, then winced at how stupid the question was. What else would she be doing here?

She just smiled shyly and nodded. “I am. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Prince Roxas,” she said with a bow. “My name is Naminé. I may be young, but I do have the necessary credentials.” She shuffled through her things. “Here.”

She handed Roxas her certificate of training. Apprentice artists always worked with master artists for seven years before they had a shot at becoming full artists. Then it was another seven years before they could apply for master status themselves. Her certificate indicated she’d just become a full artist this year.

She was around his age, then. A lot of apprentices went into their trades at thirteen or fourteen.

“My master couldn’t be here today,” she said, “so he asked me to come in his stead to make the initial sketches and paintings. Rest assured, I will do my very best on your portrait.”

“I have no doubt about your abilities,” Roxas said as he handed the certificate back. “You have top scores from one of the best painters in the kingdom.”

She ducked her head. “Your Highness knows the reputation of my master and even knows how to read my certification in detail?”

“It’s important I know what the lives of my future subjects are like. I want to rule them fairly when I’m king.”

She looked up, and he found himself getting lost in her eyes. He’d never seen anything like them before. Soft violet with an intensity that took his breath away.

“Yes, of course,” she said. “My apologies, Your Highness, I’ve never been around royalty before, and I’m a little flustered. But it’s an honor to be here, and—”

“Trust me, the honor is all mine.”

Her face flushed and she looked away. “Your Highness isn’t just well-educated; he’s very charming, too.”

“I don’t know about that. And you can drop the ‘Your Highness.’ Just…Call me Roxas, okay?”

Her eyes went wide. “But—”

“Please, Naminé. I promise you won’t get in trouble.”

She relaxed. “Okay.”

Roxas smiled and decided to lighten the mood further. “But enough about me, my mother wants her royal portrait, and she’s gonna get it.” He chuckled darkly. “If you think I’m charming, multiply it by ten and you’ve got an idea of how good she is at getting her way.” He thought for a moment, then added, “She always uses her powers for good though. Always to help other people, never herself.”

Naminé smiled as she set out her art supplies on a nearby table. “It sounds like you really admire her.” She selected a pencil from her repertoire like a conductor preparing to direct an orchestra. “Any requests for your portrait?”

“Please, just don’t ask me to make a stoic face like this,” he demonstrated with an exaggerated frown and stiff upper lip, making her giggle, “or make me sit in an awkward pose for hours on end like this,” he gestured, positioning himself like was sitting on horseback.

“I promise I won’t. Sounds like you’ve had to do a lot of poses other people wanted. Tell me, Roxas, what would you like?”

He thought for a moment. No one had ever really asked him that before. “Paint me the way you see me,” he finally said.

“The way I see you?” she asked, tilting her head.

“The way you see me. Not as a future king or a prince or anything like that. No, paint me like I’m a person you’d feel comfortable talking to.” He hesitated, then added, “Paint me through your eyes.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

Usually, when Roxas had to sit for his portraits for hours on end, he got bored. But watching Naminé draw was mesmerizing. The initial part of the portrait process involved a lot of sketches, and she worked like a magician wielding her wand. She asked him questions about his life, his interests, his hobbies, what made him laugh and smile. And he asked her about herself too, about what it was like to be an apprentice and grow up in the castle town.

Really, he was glad for the excuse to get to know her better, even if it was just for this portrait.

By the time she was done for the day’s session, she’d completed several sketches. As she packed up her tools, he asked, “You’ll be here again tomorrow, right?”

She smiled. “Yes, Roxas. I’ll see you then.”

The next few weeks went by like this, and seeing her was the highlight of his day. He couldn’t wait to talk to her, laugh with her, smile at her. When at last they reached the sessions where she started painting him, she kept the canvas hidden from him.

“I want you to be surprised,” she explained, a twinkle in her eye.

He just sighed and gazed happily at her. He would’ve done anything she asked of him.

A few more weeks of this passed until one morning, Roxas strode into the portrait room expecting to find Naminé, but instead he found the finished portrait. A light blanket was draped over it, and on the blanket was a note.

Here’s your portrait, Roxas. I hope you like it! I’m sorry I couldn’t be here in person to show you, but I’ve been called away on another assignment. Please send word to my master if there are any changes you’d like.

As he removed the blanket with shaking fingers, his mouth dropped open. This was the best portrait anyone had ever painted of him. Naminé had a masterful sense of light and color, and her brushstrokes were bold and fluid. But that wasn’t what caught his attention or made his heart race. It was how she’d painted him that took his breath away. The delight in his eyes, the smile on his face, the faint blush dusting his cheeks…Was this how she saw him?

Was this how he looked at her?

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring at the painting when his mother entered the room.

“I knew I made the right choice in requesting a young lady,” she said, beaming. She wrapped an arm around him and squeezed his shoulder. “This portrait is fantastic. It’ll be perfect for the invitations to the ball.”

He searched her eyes. “Wait, you requested Naminé?”

“Not Naminé in particular, but a young lady, yes. I figured it was about time we got a different perspective.” She looked at the portrait again and grinned. “I’d say you’re quite taken with her, and she with you.”

Roxas gulped. Was it possible Naminé liked him too? Well, only one way to find out.

“I want to invite her to the ball.”

His mother’s eyebrows shot up. “She’s an artisan, not of noble blood.”

“I don’t care. I want to see her again.”

His mother studied him for a few moments, then laughed and ruffled his hair. “You’re as stubborn as your father,” she said, her voice full of affection. “I can see you have your heart set on this girl. Alright, we’ll invite all the eligible young maidens in the kingdom so she can come too.”

The night of the ball, Roxas couldn’t calm the fluttery feeling in his stomach. Would Naminé come? He wanted to see her again, more than anything.

As he paced the halls waiting for the guests to arrive, his mother laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. “Roxas, calm down. She’ll be here.”

“And in the meantime,” his father added, “remember you are a host and must entertain all your guests.”

“Right,” Roxas said, fiddling with his eagle mask. As much as he wanted to focus on Naminé completely, he had his duties to attend to. As the guests trickled in, he did his best to compliment everyone’s costumes. But he couldn’t help but search for the person he most wanted to see. Even when he was dancing with the other young ladies, he couldn’t help but dream of dancing with Naminé.

But as the hours went by, he began to lose hope. Maybe he’d just imagined the way she smiled at him. Maybe she was just doing her job and he’d read too much into things. Maybe it was foolish to wish she’d come just to see him.

Just as he was about to give up, however, there was a great stirring at the top of the balcony. Everyone turned to look at what the commotion was about, and Roxas’s heart pounded and his mouth went dry.

Naminé was there, wearing a dress so shimmering and beautiful she looked like an angel. Her golden hair drifted down her shoulders in gentle waves, glitter adorned her face in the shape of a mask, and gossamer wings extended from her back. He removed his mask so he could more easily see her…and so she could see him. Their eyes met, and when she smiled, he knew he would be happy to look at her and her alone for the rest of his life. As he strode to her and she glided to him, all his carefully-planned words fled his mind.

When at last they’d reached each other, she smiled shyly. “We meet again. Sorry I’m late. My costume took a bit longer to finish than I was expecting.”

He cleared his throat, the heat creeping up his cheeks as he tried to get his brain to form coherent thoughts. “Um, you look…you look…really beautiful.” Her smile got bigger, and now he really couldn’t think clearly anymore. “Your costume is amazing,” he heard himself say, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. “I could never make something like it, er, I mean, I can only imagine how much time and effort it took you to make it.” He cringed over how much he was fumbling, but at least he remembered his manners well enough to add, “Thank you for coming.”

She blushed and ducked her head. “Thank you for asking, I’m honored to be here. Though I must admit, I was a little surprised when I got the invitation.”

“Why? The moment I saw the finished portrait, I knew I had to ask.”

“I just painted you the way I see you, that’s all.”

"You’re too modest.” Roxas smiled and offered his hand. “You’ve shown them the way you see me. Now I want to show them the way I see you. Please, may I have this dance?”

Her lips parted and her eyes went wide, then she smiled and took his hand.

“Yes.”

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A/N: A big, big thank you to everyone who made RokuNami zine possible! I really enjoyed modding the project and working with you all, it was wonderful seeing all the love and passion for RokuNami ❤️ And thank you to everyone who bought the zine and supported the charity RedRover ❤️

Also, thank you to @scoobysnack1107 and @angel-with-a-pipette for reading over the story for me and offering feedback and suggestions ❤️

And a big thank you to @ao-kagi for collaborating with me and drawing the beautiful banner art 🥺 ❤️ It captures Roxas and Naminé’s playful joy and instant chemistry so well, and I really enjoyed working with you ❤️ I love the costume designs you chose as well and then the brushes you used for the textures, it all looks fantastic!

Last but not least, thank you all for reading! I had a lot of fun with this one, especially with the references to famous artists (all I want now is to see a ridiculous portrait of Roxas riding a horse a la Napoleon Crossing The Alps lol). And then the ballroom scene at the end was inspired by Cinderella 2015 and Ever After, those entrance scenes are so magical, and I hope to have captured a little of that magic.

Thank you again everyone!

#kingdom hearts #rokunamizine #rokunami #roxas #namine #naminé #namixas #phoenix writes #phoenix-downer #ao-kagi #kh fanfiction #rokunami fanfiction #long post

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