Axel and the Prince: first one-to-one meeting(confinement days short story)

For the timeline, this moment happens  to sixteen year old Axel and the Prince. Those short stories help me build my characters, to make them more 'real'. 'The commander' is commander Bielo, the first in command in the King's Elite team. Gregory is the second in command in the Queen's team, and there are tensions between the King and the Queen's teams. The story is set in the Palace in Here (name of the town). I am currently working on the first book of 'A deck of cards' where all these characters live in.

The young man sitting across from him stares at him silently. The Prince has no doubt that he has noticed everything about him, from his short hair, cut with precision every two weeks; to his burgundy coat embroidered with the finest threads and beads in all of Here. The prince threads his fingers together on the table, noticing too late the dark blue colour still staining his thumb and index.
The other man's eyes lock on the stains then says, one eyebrow raised:

'Writing?'

'No,...'

'Axel.'

That's right. The Commander's son. They look the same in some ways, in looks as well as in behaviour. The arrogance is there. Not like his own father and himself, who don't look like each other at all.

'Right.'

What am I supposed to do again? 

Gregory, one of his mother's men had told him something, but he'd been working on a challenging part of the hand, painting the skin exactly the right tone after going over the dark lines under the palm. He'd not been listening...
Axel smiles, saying:

'You don't know why you're here, do you?'

The prince blushes. He can feel it so he shakes his head.

'Gregory saw me in the Royal library after my shift. More exactly, he saw me returning a book on one of the shelves.' Axel explains in a level voice, no arrogance in his voice. Just the facts.

'And?'

'He says you need to kick me out because I'm a thief.'

'I see.'

Axel crosses his fingers to mirror the Prince.

'Were you planning to take another one?'

'I was.'

'Even though you could get kicked out?'

Axel nods slowly.

'Why?' the prince blurts out after a moment.

Axel stays silent for a moment, so long that the Prince wonders if he'll get an answer. 

'There are some things which are important to a man.' Axel finally answers. 'For me? It's knowledge. I know that we'll go through intense training, but the body is not everything. I plan to be the best, and those books gets me one step closer to that goal.'

'But is it worth getting yourself kicked out?'

'The way I see it? That library isn't used much...'

'So?'

'So, you've got so much knowledge at your fingertips, and you probably don't even realise it!'

Is this guy for real?!?

'My prince.' Axel stands up, walks around the table that separates them and comes to stand in front of him. Going down on one knee, Axel says in a calm voice 'I am here  for you, the same way that my father is for yours. As I don't plan to fail my training, this is the only way you will get rid of me. I will listen to you and give you the best council I can. But that will only happen if you let me be the best there too. You can't feed my body and not feed me here too.' He touches his own temple. 

'And open access to the Royal library would do that?' The prince asks, mesmerised.

Axel inhales sharply, clearly unsure how to answer. Yet, the prince can see one answer to his own question.

'Fine. But you better deal with training so that you stay in command.'

Axel nods quickly.

'Understood.'

'Go home now. I'll make sure that you can read anything you want from tomorrow.'

'My prince.'

Axel stands up then inclines his head in salute. Stepping away with a careful smile, he turns back when the Prince calls out:

'One last thing: are you always so blunt?'

Axel grins, the transformation of his whole body something that the prince takes notice with an artist's mind.

'Well, I figured you'd prefer I speak the truth. If we work together like I intend us to, we better trust each other, don't you think?'

The prince nods. Once the door closes behind the other man, he lies back in his chair with a sigh. If the reports from his new team are correct, Axel will have to be ruthless, just to deal with the men under him. Somehow, he wonders if the man will be up to the task. 

Staying seated as he thinks first about this team of guards he will have with him at all times, he can't help but think about the King's team. Compare it to the Queen's team. Thoughts bounce back in his mind about people's behaviours and quirks, their reputations and their image. The prince knows all too well his parents mannerisms, he's watched them often enough. Considering his frustration with his painting at present, he wishes he could have a new person to watch and learn on. 

What did Axel say about the Library?

The prince stands up so fast that his chair fall back. Picking it up as he looks around for his sketch book and pencils, he grabs those on the shelf behind him and walks out the door like the place has caught fire. 

The library, I need to go to the library.