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Phil had been expecting it all his life. In the last week alone, he’d been anticipating the order every time a servant entered his presence. Important meetings between kingdoms were happening, something to put an end to the tension and the conflict so everyone could finally exist in peace, and Phil doubted he’d escape the politics. Expecting and anticipating were not the same thing as being prepared. Phil learned that quickly when the order came.“Phil,” his brother said solemnly. He looked tired and worn down; Phil supposed that happened when you were king. “I’ve arranged for you to marry the prince of Iridacia.” Here it goes, I guess, Phil thought with a sigh. He bowed. “As you will it,” he said stiffly to the floor. He straightened, but his eyes remained trained on the floor.You had no right to imagine anything else. This is your duty, he tried to tell himself.“Hey,” Martyn said softly. He took a step closer to Phil and laid a hand on his shoulder. Phil looked up, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. Martyn smiled a small smile. “This is a good thing. It’s important for our kingdoms to show our cooperation now. It’ll bring peace and prosperity to both kingdoms.”
Peace and prosperity for everyone. That’s why you have to do this. It’s bigger than you.
Phil nodded, returning Martyn’s smile. “I know.”Martyn’s hand slid around until he wrapped Phil in a tight hug. Phil reciprocated, burying his nose in Martyn’s neck.“I’m sorry it has to be you. I know it’ll be hard, especially at first, and it’ll all be weird and foreign and new, but I think, one day, you’ll be happy,” Martyn murmured, trying to be as reassuring as possible. His hand rubbed soft circles on Phil’s back.It wasn’t often that Phil got to see his brother Martyn as opposed to King Martyn, but he was grateful to his brother for understanding what he needed at that moment.“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” Phil said quietly. He pulled back from the hug and put on a brave face and a smile. As much as he appreciated Martyn’s comforts, he knew that if he wasn’t careful with how he showed his feelings then Martyn was likely to call the whole thing off, and that would be much worse than marrying a foreign future king. “I’ll be alright. It’s all in the name of peace and prosperity.”~~~~~~~~~~After Phil left his brother to attend to his other kingly duties, he wandered a while, lost in thought. If he’d been back in his family’s palace in Cirrus, he’d have made his way to a quiet corner of the library to sit and think. But Martyn had insisted that Phil come to the negotiations with their rival kingdom, so he was forced to wander unknown territory.The two kingdoms, Stratalary and Iridacia, had agreed to meet on neutral grounds in Fractalis, their mutual neighbouring kingdom. Years ago, their forefathers had fought a terrible war over a small patch of land to the west of both their kingdoms. Now, after decades of a bitter armistice, the kingdom of clouds and the kingdom of flowers had finally agreed to set aside their differences and sign an official treaty of cooperation and friendship. Phil was unbelievably proud of Martyn for accomplishing it. Other Stratalarian kings had tried, but none succeeded. This would be an amazing step towards a better, calmer world for all their subjects. If that meant he had to marry a man he’d never met, so be it. It was worth it.Or at least, that was what Phil was trying to convince himself as he crunched through the icy snow outside the palace at Chrystite. Marrying for love was always a hopeless dream, he reminded himself, stuffing his freezing hands into his pockets as he approached a high balcony. It was a good dream, but hopeless. And that’s fine. I’ll still be happy. I’m always happy. I just have to find the good, as ever.He sighed as he stared out into the surrounding mountains. It was beautiful here. Snow and ice covered every inch of the landscape, making everything shimmer. He looked down off the edge of the balcony, admiring the way the mountain dropped off steeply to the ground below. It was frightening, but Phil couldn’t pull himself away. The light cast sharp shadows that made the ground look like a white and blue collection of geometric shapes. Reaching inside himself, he willed a wispy cloud to form in the abyss, then watched it dance in the wind and sun before dissipating. He did this several more times, before finally creating a stronger cloud closer to him and making it snow. He caught the flakes in his palms and watched as they quickly melted.When I’m in Iridacia, I’ll play with clouds and help to water their flowers. I’ll show them how pretty clouds can be, and they’ll show me their prettiest flowers. Even if I never love the prince, I’ll fall in love with the land.~~~~~~~~~~The wedding was to take place in a month, which meant rushed preparations and many, many meetings and appointments for Phil. His suit needed to be fitted and modified, he needed to be taught about the culture he was marrying into, he needed to know the schedule of the wedding and reception and who he was supposed to talk to and who he was to avoid at all costs. A week before the wedding, Martyn talked him through the politics of the situation as Phil put on his wedding attire for one last tailoring check.“You will marry the prince, of course, and then there will be the wedding reception. You must speak with the royal families this time,” Martyn commanded. Phil squawked indignantly, turning from fastening his shirt to look at Martyn. “Hey, I always speak with the royal families! Every ball we go to, I spend hours talking to them!”Martyn fixed him with a look that said, You’re a terrible liar. You’re not getting out of this.“You won’t have a choice, anyway. You’re not to leave your husband’s side except for your dance with Mum and his dance with his mum, and he’s really going to speak with all the royals.” Martyn lifted his book of notes and instructions on the wedding, checking the contents and pretending not to notice Phil’s groan and pout.Phil huffed when he realized Martyn wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction, then turned back to the mirror to continue dressing.“Ah, yes, speaking of the dancing,” Martyn continued, “you will not be allowed to dance with anyone other than the prince or Mum all night. It’s apparently an Iridacian custom for the newlyweds to dance the night away with only each other as a sign of your devotion to your relationship.” He looked Phil in the eyes through the mirror. “That means that even when old Aunt Madelyne comes around expecting a dance, you have to turn her down, understand?”Phil’s eyes widened. “How in the world am I supposed to do that? She’s so persistent!”Martyn shrugged. “I’ll have someone warn the Iridacians so they know to look out for her. With some help, you and the prince can steer clear of her.”Remembering past family celebrations, Phil grinned. “If we stay away from her, she won’t have the chance to tell me all about her cats’ genealogy for the millionth time!” His grin turned smug. “But you’ll still have to listen to her. I bet Mum will make you dance with her twice to make up for missing me.”Martyn paled. “Oh, god.”Phil cackled as he straightened his sleeves. His laughter died away in a sigh as he saw Martyn raise the notebook again through the mirror. “What else do I need to know?”“Well, at the end of the reception, we will be signing the treaty. I will give a short speech about the honour this treaty will bring to Stratalary, then the current king of Iridacia will give a speech on his relief that the matter is finally being put to rest, then their prince will give a speech about his excitement for his future with you and his kingdom.”“That doesn’t sound too bad. Maybe a bit boring, but nothing too intense,” Phil commented casually. He reached for the cape hanging off the back of a nearby chair but paused when he saw Martyn’s face in the mirror again. “What?” he asked nervously. “You’ve got that face you make when you have to say something but don’t want to say it. What’s wrong?”Martyn hesitated, his face scrunched up in discomfort. “It’s- it’s just what comes after the reception that you won’t like. I don’t know that it will be bad, but it’ll be…” he trailed off and refused to look at Phil, instead choosing to fiddle with his notebook.Phil set down the cape and turned to face Martyn fully. “Martyn. Just tell me. I’ll have to know eventually anyway,” he reasoned. He tried not to look as freaked out as he felt. If Martyn was this uncomfortable even telling Phil what it was, then how would Phil feel when he actually had to do whatever it was?His brother let out a long sigh, then finally made eye contact with Phil. His expression melted from the concerned brother and into the responsible king. “After the reception, you and the prince will travel to the palace at Perennis, where you’ll be living from then on. It’s expected that you two will-” some of Martyn’s facade cracked, letting Phil see an awkward, apologetic expression, “- will consummate the marriage,” he finished.Phil spluttered. “Excuse me?” he squeaked. So far, he hadn’t complained about any of it. Not the marriage, or the ceremony, or how he’d be sent away from friends and family. Martyn had enough to handle as it was and he didn’t need to feel guilty about taking control of Phil’s life. But this time he couldn’t restrain himself, letting his worry spill out of his mouth in a rush. “Consummate the marriage? I don’t even know the prince! Why is this necessary? It’s not like people are gonna know if we do or-” Phil’s already-pale face got even paler. “There won’t be people watching, right?”“Oh, god, no,” Martyn reassured quickly, hands held out in a placating gesture. “No one will be in the room but you and the prince, so technically no one but the two of you will actually know if you do it or not. It’s another Iridacian custom that they want you to follow, but that’s between you and the prince.”Phil’s breath caught back up to him at that. “Thank god. I don't really have to sleep with him, then.” He nodded once, somewhat reassured, and picked up the cape again to try it on.Martyn’s uncomfortable face came back. “Yeah, probably not.”Freezing again, Phil slowly looked up from the cape. “What do you mean ‘probably’?” he asked tentatively.“Technically, the prince has an absurd amount of control over you and could order you to?” Martyn said quickly, fidgeting with his notebook again. “Not that he will- from what I understand, he’s actually really nice and at least a little uncomfortable with this arrangement, too, so it’ll probably be fine-”“How much control will he have?” Phil whispered. Martyn cringed and hesitated. “He can’t- like- physically control you, or anything, those are just myths-”Phil took a step towards him. “I know that,” he said softly. He was a little offended at the implication, if he was being honest with himself. It seemed like Martyn didn’t know him at all if he thought Phil would subscribe to the rumours and stereotypes flying around about the Iridacians. “Please, Martyn. Just tell me.”Martyn sighed and ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking more exhausted than Phil had realized he could be. “You’ll be completely under the control of the prince and the king. They’ll have to formally approve of everything you do and everywhere you go outside of the castle.”“So,” Phil started, inhaling deeply. He stared blankly down at the cape still in his hands. “What you’re saying is that I’ll essentially be a prisoner of the Iridacian royalty?”Solemnly, Martyn nodded. “I’m sorry, Phil. I wish it didn’t have to be like this.”Phil shrugged. Pull it back, Phil. You have to be strong for Martyn. He forced himself to give Martyn a small smile, then raised the cape and put it on. He turned to the mirror. “How does it look?” he asked, straightening out the fastenings and running his hands down the white suit jacket. Martyn looked like he wanted to say more about the arrangement, but he held himself back. “You look amazing,” he said. He walked up behind Phil and looked at the two of them in the mirror. “Thanks,” Phil replied quietly. He scanned himself in the mirror, taking in the full extent of his wedding clothes. He wore a white suit with shimmering silver embroidery and light grey patches, almost like his suit was meant to camouflage him into a cloud. The cape was just barely long enough to drag on the floor. Phil crinkled his nose at the realization that he’d likely get dirt in the soft white tufts at the end of the train. “You’re missing one piece,” Martyn commented. He held the veil headpiece in his hand. Phil hadn’t noticed him pick it up, but he watched as Martyn delicately arranged it on his head. Despite his displeasure at his arranged marriage, Phil did have to admit that the aesthetics of the wedding would be perfect. He wore a white flower crown that draped into a light green veil that covered his face and extended to his elbows. Combined with the white suit and cape, Phil’s wedding clothes would be a symbol of the union of the cultures of the two kingdoms.“I can almost hear the wedding bells now,” Phil mumbled.
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The day of the wedding began much too early in the morning. Apparently, Phil needed to get cleaned, shaved, decorated, dressed, and all manner of other things before he could so much as breathe. He was awoken at the ungodly hour of five in the morning by a stream of servants pouring into his room. One drew the curtains, revealing the beginnings of sunrise, while others opened wardrobes, prepared a bath, or dragged the covers off him. Phil sat up in surprise, then jumped when a few servants began touching his face and hair, presumably to figure out how much work they’d have to do.“What- can you-” he began, desperately trying to get his bearings. The servants weren’t paying him any mind as he stuttered until he finally found a voice and yelled, “Everyone stop!”The command was only moderately successful. People continued bustling about the room, but at least the people touching him let him go.“Is everything alright, Your Highness?” a woman asked, hands hovering near his hair.Phil hesitated. You’re getting married for the kingdom. You have to get dressed up. Just let it happen. “Y-yes, I’m fine. I just need a moment to breathe. Could you all take a step back for me? Please?” he pleaded. “Only for a moment. I know you have a lot of work to do.”The servants exchanged a glance, then nodded and stepped back a few feet to give him some space.Immediately, Phil felt like he could breathe again. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm down. He thought about why he was doing this and what was at stake. It will be alright. You’ve prepared for this your whole life. Let them do their jobs. He opened his eyes and nodded at the servants. “Go ahead,” he said, allowing himself to be led over to a chair. For the next few hours, he didn’t have control over his own body. Other people pulled him this way and that, and he let them, patiently playing the role of a doll for them to make up and beautify. One of the main wedding coordinators, Judy, talked him through the day again, helping him rehearse his vows and reminding him how to bow for the Iridacians. There was a lot of pomp and circumstance going into the day and it all had to be managed perfectly.Phil hated pomp and circumstance most times, but especially now. It was just a reminder that he was being used as a bargaining chip in an international game of politics.He forced himself to ignore the voice in his head telling him all the rumours about the Iridacians and reiterating the loneliness he was sure to feel in the strange kingdom that would soon be his home. Phil was an optimist as much as possible, but he was having a hard time seeing the bright side of his own future. Since he couldn’t find the happiness, he shut off his thoughts and focused on doing his duty: be diplomatic, be polite, and marry the prince. When the servants were finished, they put him in front of a mirror so he could admire their work. Phil looked at himself for a moment, but everything about what he saw felt so wrong that he couldn’t stomach it. His skin sparkled, his suit accentuated his figure, the garments represented so much, and Phil couldn’t handle it. The man he saw in the mirror may have been him, but he had never felt so out of place in his own skin in his life. Smile. It’s your wedding day. Aren’t you happy? a cruel voice snickered in his mind. Phil shook his head to clear it. The voice was right, even if it was harsh. He had to smile and pretend this was what he wanted. Be diplomatic. Be polite. Marry the prince.He turned and gave a practised smile. His years of princely duties made it look almost natural rather than forced. “Thank you,” he told the servants around him. “You made me look amazing.”The servants beamed at him and bowed. When they had straightened, Judy stepped forward.“Sir,” she said gently. “It’s time to get in the carriage.”He nodded, then gestured for her to lead the way.As they walked down the long corridors to the entrance of the palace, Judy slipped him a bread roll.“With all due respect, Your Highness, you have to eat something. I know you must be nervous, but please. Eat this. You won’t have a chance again until this evening.”Phil blinked in surprise. He hadn’t thought he was allowed to eat once he was in his wedding clothes, and he’d been too startled upon waking to eat anything before getting dressed. “Oh, thank you, Judy,” he mumbled. Although he didn’t want to, he conceded the fact that he would need food before the processional began. He was terrible at diplomacy and politeness when hungry. So he took the bread from her and took a small bite, being careful not to let any crumbs fall down his front. When they reached the doors to the palace, they stopped. On the other side of the huge metal doors, the white, roofless, pegasus-drawn carriage would be waiting, along with a crowd of people excited to see their prince off to be wed. Judy turned to Phil and gave him a once-over, then nodded once.“You look amazing, Your Highness. Just remember to smile and wave to the crowds, and you’ll be there before you know it,” she said with a smile.Phil managed to smile in return. “Thank you.” She bowed as he walked past her and out of the palace.~~~~~~~~~~The carriage ride was long. Very long. The wedding would take place directly on the border between Iridacia and Stratalary, which meant the procession would take almost a full day of nonstop travel. The journey began at the Stratalarian palace in the mountains at nine in the morning and passed through several cities and prominent villages, each with Stratalarians waiting in large crowds for a glimpse of royalty.Everyone expected Phil to smile at them and wave. Even years of training in diplomacy couldn’t prepare Phil for the agonizingly extended period of muscle use. Occasionally, they would pass through some empty countryside or a dense forest without seeing anyone and Phil would immediately slump back in his seat and relax his face muscles.The only people in the carriage were Phil, the carriage driver, a knight, and another wedding planner. Phil was fairly certain his name was Tom, but he couldn’t be sure. Whatever his name, he didn’t speak to Phil unless answering a direct question, and even then he’d only use the fewest possible words before falling silent once more. The knight was worse; he wouldn’t even answer questions. Phil had given up on communication within the first hour, resigning himself to a torturous eight hours of silent travel.The silence gave him plenty of time to consider his situation again, which he had wanted to avoid. Unfortunately, his thoughts got away from him and the anxiety began to set in, especially in the few periods away from the public view.I don’t know him. He doesn’t know me. We don’t even know what the other looks like. How am I supposed to marry a man I’ve never seen? In what world is this a good idea? Phil shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Martyn said he was nice. How does he know? How do I know that this man won’t lock me away the second I get to Iridacia? What am I supposed to do with my time there? I won’t have any rights or power or responsibility, so am I to just sit around, following the king and the prince’s every order? Phil didn’t like that thought. In Stratalary, he didn’t have much power, but he always tried to be a voice for the people. He had made it his goal to meet as many citizens of the kingdom as possible and know their struggles, hoping to help Martyn understand the plight of the people. Would he be able to do that in Iridacia? The Iridacians were terrified of Stratalarians, no doubt, just as the Stratalarians were afraid of the Iridacians. Beyond that, what would the king allow him to do? Phil had no answers to his questions, so they rattled around his mind unendingly, fueling the anxiety. When the carriage passed through populated areas again and he waved at the crowds, his eyes widened. Thick clouds were forming all around the carriage, which meant he wasn’t controling himself. His nerves were manifesting themselves in clouds that were now visible to all the people they passed. He quickly willed them away and clamped down on his emotions. Princes weren’t supposed to be afraid of their own wedding. It seemed like the crowds weren’t concerned, luckily; Phil figured they thought he was just feeling the normal pre-wedding nerves rather than an all-encompassing anxiety about the future.The closer the carriage got to the border, the more people they encountered. Phil had anticipated there being large crowds of people, but this was at a higher level than he had ever thought would happen. For the last three hours of the ride, he was constantly smiling and waving at crowds. By the time the carriage pulled to a halt at the base of the state building where he’d freshen up before the ceremony, his arm felt about ready to fall off.Phil’s royal guard opened the door of the carriage and gestured for him to step down. Phil took a fraction of a second to breathe, thinking, It’s almost time, then stepped off the carriage and into a huddled group of handlers and servants, who immediately led him up the steps and into a small room full of mirrors.He was guided to a chair near the centre of the room, then the servants converged. It was a blur of hair and make-up retouches that he didn’t care to follow. A few times, someone would tsk at him for apparently damaging the overall look on the way by touching his face or hair, and he’d give them a sheepish smile.“Sorry, I play with my hair when I’m nervous,” he told them. The servants all cooed in response, rushing to reassure him that he looked beautiful for his wedding and telling him not to worry because it would all turn out well.He appreciated their intentions, but they felt rather empty. They couldn’t possibly know how it would turn out or understand what he was so worried about.For the ride to the border, they had left the veil headpiece off him. People wanted to see the prince’s face as he rode past, after all. Now, however, it was delicately placed on his head, resting in his quiffed black hair. The veil was thin and didn’t particularly obscure his face from view, but it was the tradition of the garment that mattered. Looking in a mirror, Phil appreciated the aesthetic. He really did. But he still couldn’t find it in himself to like how he looked in it. It all felt so wrong. “Thank you for fixing where I messed it up,” he said to the servants.They hurriedly assured him that it wasn’t his fault, really, and it was their pleasure anyway, bowing several times.His royal guard came into the room and told him it was time to leave for the ceremony. Phil nodded, thanked everyone again, and followed the guard out of the room. They walked in silence down a few long hallways before finally coming to the back side of the state building and the fancy double doors that would lead along a path to the bridge between the kingdoms. Someone handed Phil a massive bouquet of white and pink roses. He’d been told they symbolized a combination of innocence and thanks, which he figured was appropriate. Both nations were thanking him for marrying the Iridacian prince and solidifying the treaty to end the armistice, after all. Someone else directed him to a predetermined spot in front of the double doors, then told him to wait a moment.Phil stood nervously, trying not to fidget. A rather large group of people were watching him, supposedly all waiting for the doors to open and for him to walk down the aisle. The aisle, of course, was around half a mile long, since he had to walk from the state building to the river and then onto a bridge. It would be a lot of time for Phil to feel his anxiety growing before he finally met his betrothed.I still haven’t met him, Phil thought desperately. I’m about to walk half a mile to marry a man I have never seen before in my life, and I have to pretend I’m happy about it. I have to pretend not to be repulsed by this whole thing, by him. What am I gonna do?Eventually, an arm slid between his own and his side, making him jump. “Martyn,” he breathed. “You scared me.” Martyn gave him a small smile. “Sorry, little brother. I thought you were expecting me, since I’m giving you away and all that.” Phil tried not to think about how accurate that statement was.“Right. Sorry,” he said, shaking his head to clear it. “I guess I’m just nervous.” He avoided meeting Martyn’s gaze. He didn’t want to see the pity he knew he would find there.“That’s understandable,” Martyn mumbled. Phil could feel Martyn’s eyes scanning his face through the veil, probably trying to determine if he needed to delay the wedding so Phil could calm down.“Let’s get this over with,” Phil insisted. Delaying would only make it worse.Martyn nodded, still looking at him. “You look amazing, you know.” Phil shrugged. “It’s my wedding day. But if we don’t get moving soon, it’ll turn into my wedding week.”Martyn chuckled lightly. “Alright, we can go.” He faced the doors and squared his shoulders, then nodded at the guards to open them.Phil barely had time to compose himself once more before Martyn was gently pulling him forward. That was for the best, if he was being honest with himself; any longer, and Phil wouldn’t have had any composure to regain. He didn’t remember much of the walk by the time they made it to the bridge. It felt both longer and shorter than he had expected: longer because of his straining muscles as he continued to smile as he had been all day but shorter because of the distinct lack of thoughts. He’d forced his thoughts out of his head, with a little help from Martyn’s presence at his side.They could hear the string quartet playing the processional music. Phil didn’t recognize it, so he assumed it was Iridacian. The bridge itself was large, having been built specifically for this purpose. It was wide enough to fit the highest members of both Iridacian and Stratalarian society side by side with room for an altar at the front. After the wedding, the bridge would remain standing as a sign of the open borders between the two kingdoms, and a statue would be commissioned of the princes getting married in the spot where the altar now stood. Phil made himself focus on these facts as Martyn guided him up the aisle so he wouldn’t think too much about what would happen when Martyn’s arm left his.That is, until Phil was close enough to see the Iridacian prince. Prince Daniel already stood at the altar, waiting for Phil to be given away. He was dressed similarly to Phil, but where Phil mostly wore white, he mostly wore dark green. His suit was a deep forest green and the jacket was embroidered with purple and blue flowers. The trousers had black vines curling around the legs and were held up with a belt of braided vines. Settled around his shoulders was a green cape with flowers to match his suit jacket. On the collar and at the end of the train were white clouds of fluff, just like Phil’s own cape. Prince Daniel didn’t have a veil, of course, because he was the Crown Prince; officially, he wasn’t the one being traded like property. He did, however, have a crown, which was nestled delicately in his curly brown hair. The crown was fluffy like the ends of his cape. Together, he and Phil would look like a perfect combination of their kingdoms. Phil tried to take all this in as clinically as possible. He didn’t want to let his emotions make a judgement of his soon-to-be-husband before they had had the chance to speak to each other. He mostly succeeded in that goal, but he did notice a few things that weren’t strictly objective.He’s very pretty, at least, was his first thought. He has a nice smile, but I don’t think it’s real. Just because he’s not leaving his home like me doesn’t mean he wasn’t forced into this marriage, too. Phil’s eyes scanned the prince (my prince- he’s about to be my husband) again. His hair looks soft. I wonder if it feels soft, too. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.By this point, Phil was at the end of the aisle. Martyn’s arm was slipping out of his, then subtly tugging on his hand to get him to turn and face him. Martyn gave him a sorry smile, though the people watching probably didn’t notice the guilt in it. He was great at hiding his emotions behind a fake smile by now. In compliance with what must have been an Iridacian custom, Martyn bowed slightly and kissed Phil’s hand, before passing it into Prince Daniel’s. It was warm and a little sweaty.“I pass on my own flesh and blood to begin his future,” Martyn stated.“I take him with great anticipation and hope,” Prince Daniel replied. He spoke loudly so all in attendance could hear, his voice smooth and even. It had a softer edge to it, though, something that Phil found strangely reassuring. Phil didn’t particularly know what the words meant, since it was yet another Iridacian tradition, but he wasn’t sure he liked the connotation. He felt like property.Not that that’s unusual, at this point, he thought to himself.Martyn inclined his head in a small bow, then backed up to his spot at Phil’s side. Phil finally looked at his betrothed from up close and had to hold in a gasp. If Prince Daniel had looked pretty from far away, he looked downright heavenly up close. His skin looked as smooth as silk and was lightly freckled. Phil wanted to trace the freckles into constellations on his tan cheeks and nose. And his nose, god, Phil didn’t even know why but he loved it already. Dimples poked into his prince’s cheeks and all Phil wanted to do was poke them oh-so-gently. On his jaw rested a small rosy patch that Phil had the urgent desire to kiss. Tracking his gaze up Prince Daniel’s face, he looked into his eyes and saw that he had big brown doe eyes like melting chocolate flaked with gold. He noticed the prince looking over his own face and immediately felt self-conscious. It was a Stratalarian custom for the bride to wear extravagant makeup, complete with dramatic light blue eyeshadow, thick mascara, and matching blue lipstick. Since Phil was the one being given away, he carried those customs. He hadn’t minded earlier, but now he just wished his prince could see his face for real.When the prince’s eyes wandered up and met Phil’s, Phil found he couldn’t keep the gasp in any longer. Air rushed from his lungs in a quiet whoosh as they looked into each other’s eyes for the first time.This time, the gasp wasn’t because of the prince’s beauty, however. Instead, it was because of what he saw in his eyes. The big brown doe eyes were wide in awe and softly glazed in wonder. Is that how I’m looking at him? Completely enamoured? Phil thought. He wanted to examine the rest of his prince’s face again but couldn’t bring himself to look away from his eyes. He looks so young, he noticed. I knew he was only twenty, but I wasn’t expecting this.“Hello,” Prince Daniel whispered.Phil blinked in surprise. He was fairly certain they weren’t supposed to speak to each other before the vows. He’s literally the Crown Prince. I’m sure it’s fine, he told himself.“Hi,” he tentatively whispered back.The prince’s lips widened into a bigger smile and he giggled softly. Phil could only stare in appreciation. That looks more like a real smile.The officiant stepped forward, breaking them from their spell somewhat. Phil still couldn’t look away from the prince, but he was at least aware of the world around him again.Only a few seconds had passed as he took in his betrothed’s appearance of the first time, but it had felt like an eternity. An eternity we’ll actually have, his brain supplied. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, which he hid well enough that only the prince, who was still holding his hand, noticed. His expression turned more concerned, although still hidden in the mask of a smile.Unsure how to communicate his feelings, Phil simply sent him a soft smile.“Please lift the prince’s veil, Your Highness,” the officiant asked Prince Daniel.Prince Daniel nodded, then released Phil’s hand to carefully lift the veil over and behind Phil’s head.Phil couldn’t be sure, but he thought he heard a soft “wow” come from the prince’s lips as he pulled back. Once Prince Daniel had leaned back, he took each of Phil’s hands in his own, then looked to his right at the officiant.The officiant gave a long speech about the importance of marriage and this particular union, but Phil didn’t really pay attention. He had been told the contents of the speech already so he would be able to talk about it at the reception, so he let his mind wander. Of course, it wandered to the man holding his clammy hands.I hope he doesn’t mind the sweat, Phil worried. Given how sweaty his hands are, I don’t think he does. I think he wouldn’t mind anyway, though. He seems genuinely nice, just like Martyn said. Maybe this won’t be terrible after all. At the very least, I think he likes me already.He snapped out of his thoughts when the officiant turned to Prince Daniel.“Prince Daniel,” he began. “Will you take Prince Philip to be your husband, will you love, honour, and protect him, and keep him in sickness and in health and forsaking all others keep only unto him so long as you both shall live?”Prince Daniel took what Phil assumed was a steadying breath. “I will. I, Prince Daniel, take you, Prince Philip, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, while we both shall live.” His voice projected the vows beautifully and clearly. If Phil hadn’t been so nervous about saying his own, he would have taken the time to appreciate how well his almost-husband could speak to an audience.The officiant turned to him. “Prince Philip. Will you take Prince Daniel to be your husband, will you love, honour, and protect him, and keep him in sickness and in health and forsaking all others keep only unto him so long as you both shall live?”Phil’s hands shook, and he cringed when he realized Prince Daniel would definitely notice. He swallowed, then took a deep breath. Just as he was about to speak, he felt his prince’s hand lightly squeeze his own, as if to say It’s alright. Phil shot him a small, shaky smile, then stared at his chest while he recited his assigned vow: “I will. I, Prince Philip, take you, Prince Daniel, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, while we both shall live.” His vows came out much weaker than Prince Daniel’s. His voice shook and he hadn’t projected enough for the crowd to hear. He felt another squeeze on his hand and glanced up at his prince, who smiled gently at him. Phil was really starting to like this man.“Bring forth the rings,” commanded the officiant.Prince Adrian, Daniel’s younger brother, stepped forward with the rings resting on a plush velvet pillow.Prince Daniel picked up the ring closer to him and took Phil’s left hand.“Prince Daniel, as you place the ring on his finger, please repeat after me,” the officiant instructed. “With this ring, I thee wed, and from this day forward, I consecrate and commit my love and my life to you alone.”Phil didn’t understand why all the vows and speeches had to be about love. In a normal marriage, it made sense, but this was not a normal marriage. There was no love between them now, or maybe ever. Despite his disapproval, he smiled as Prince Daniel repeated the words and gave him the ring. The Iridacian prince smiled as Phil did the same for him.“I now pronounce you partners for life,” the officiant announced happily. He inclined his head to Prince Daniel. “You may kiss your husband.”Phil felt nerves erupt like a volcano in his gut again. He’d known this was coming, but he still felt unprepared. He’d never kissed anyone before. Why would he? He had never courted anyone because he knew he would never be lucky enough to marry someone for love. What if he was bad at it? What if Prince Daniel laughed at his inexperience? What if-Prince Daniel’s face leaned in, tilted slightly so their noses wouldn’t bump. Just before their lips connected, he heard a quiet, “I’m sorry”. Something soft touched his lips for a moment, and then it was gone. It surprised Phil to realize that it hadn’t really felt like anything. It was a slight pressure on his lips, there and gone, with no emotion. It had been an empty kiss. He couldn’t help but compare it to their marriage; maybe if they knew each other, the marriage, and the kiss, would mean something. As it was now, both were hollow.Phil turned to face the crowd at his husband’s (I have a husband) light tug on his hand. They were all cheering and clapping. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Martyn shake hands with King James of Iridacia. Then, Prince Daniel tugged him forward towards the fancy white carriage that would take them to a building just across the border to Iridacia for the reception. A royal guard sat with the driver at the front to give them some privacy. Prince Daniel let go of Phil’s hand when they sat down, though he kept their hands close together. The two of them smiled and waved at the crowds on the path to the reception. Phil didn’t expect them to speak, but he felt extremely awkward about sitting in silence. Luckily, Prince Daniel seemed to feel the same.“It’s good to finally meet you,” he said, still smiling for the crowd, but now looking at Phil. Phil nodded. “You, too, Prince Daniel.”The prince visibly cringed. “Oh, no, please, call me Dan. We are m-married, after all.”Phil caught the slight stutter on the word “marriage” and felt a twinge of sympathy. He’s uncomfortable, too. I don’t think he wanted this any more than I do.“Alright, then. You can call me Phil,” Phil replied. “‘Philip’ is for special occasions and my mother.” Dan laughed. “I can understand that.” He turned his face away from Phil to wave at the crowd some more, and Phil followed suit. After a few minutes of silence, Dan spoke up again.“I hope it’s alright that we’re not holding hands right now,” he said quietly. Phil turned to look at him again. Dan’s expression, although it maintained the perfect royal smile, seemed wary.“I’m not all that comfortable around you yet,” Dan continued. His eyes widened as he realized what he said. “Not that you make me uncomfortable! I just don’t know you and I don’t-”“It’s fine,” Phil reassured. “I’m actually glad for it, really. I know we’re married, but I don’t want to rush into things, if that’s alright with you?” he asked tentatively. Relief immediately flooded Dan’s eyes, and Phil found himself relaxing at that. He had said the right thing.“That sounds perfect. Thank you,” Dan said sincerely. He waited a beat, then said, “Of course, we’ll have to be holding hands all night at the reception, since that’s what they expect of us.”Phil nodded. “Of course.”The carriage pulled to a stop. The door opened and Dan stepped out, then held out a hand to help Phil. Once they were both on solid ground, they linked arms and walked into the building for the reception.Dan and Phil didn’t talk to each other much during the reception. They greeted their most important guests individually in a receiving line, then cut the cake together and fed each other a bite, as tradition dictated, which left little time for getting to know each other. They got to eat dinner finally. Phil had to hold himself back from devouring everything put in front of him despite his hunger after hardly eating all day. A few speeches were given, none of which Phil paid any attention to. And then the dancing came.First, Dan danced with his mother. Their dance was a smooth foxtrot to a slow jazz piece from the string quartet. Phil watched in admiration as Dan glided gracefully across the dancefloor, speaking softly with his mother. If Phil tried to do anything like that, he would surely fall on his face.Unfortunately, Phil did have to try something like that. He had to dance with his mother. Luckily, they got away with a gentle swaying step, since they both knew how clumsy Phil could be.“Oh, Phil,” his mother whispered emotionally. “You’re so grown up and handsome.”Phil tried not to sigh. He knew his mother was excited, but he wished she wouldn’t look too much into it. It was an arranged marriage, not a dream wedding. Instead of voicing any of that, however, he just smiled at her. “Thanks, Mum. I’m sorry we can’t have a proper dance.”She chuckled. “We tried to teach you for years, didn’t we? I guess it turns out you were a bit of a lost cause on the dancefloor.”Phil laughed at the memory of his early dance lessons, where he had spent most of his time apologizing for stepping on other people’s feet or falling to the ground.“It’s possible that I may have coordination issues,” he conceded. Hopefully they won’t shine through when I dance with Dan in a minute.Too soon, his dance with his mother ended, which meant his dance with Dan would begin. He led his mother off the dancefloor and turned to face his husband, who stood on the other side of the floor. The string quartet began to play a classical waltz.Phil took a deep breath, then walked as calmly as possible to meet Dan in the middle of the floor. When he had made it without incident, he bowed to Dan. The easy part is over, then, he thought as he straightened. Now I just have to dance without making a fool of either of us.Dan picked up Phil’s right hand and bowed, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. When he was upright again, he put his arm around Phil and led them in a basic waltz.
Don’t step on him, don’t step on him, don’t ste-
Dan let out a muffled grunt as Phil’s elephant foot stepped just a touch too far forward and landed on his own.Phil winced. “Sorry!” he apologized quickly, falling a beat behind in the dance and throwing Dan off-balance. He braced for impact, but it never came. Instead, he was pushed out in a twirl and ended up back in Dan’s arms, perfectly in step. Phil’s eyes widened. “You’re really good at this.” Dan laughed softly. “I appreciate that, but I can’t take all the credit. I may have been told about your difficulties with dancing.”Oh, great. I have an international reputation for clumsiness, Phil thought sarcastically, ducking his head in embarrassment.“Hey,” Dan whispered fondly, which made Phil look up through his lashes. “It’s alright. I actually think it’s kind of endearing.”Phil felt heat rise on his cheeks. How could anyone think clumsiness is endearing? He’s so nice. I must’ve gotten lucky.“I’m sorry, anyway. I don’t want to hurt you,” he said meekly.Shaking his head, Dan twirled Phil out and back in for a dip to end the song.Phil felt surprisingly light in Dan’s arms, which sent a rush of butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He didn’t have time to dwell on it, however, as Dan apologized quietly before leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips. This kiss felt much the same as the last: empty and meaningless, although it did make the butterflies double the fluttering speeds and deepened the blush on Phil’s cheeks. For the first time all day, Phil was grateful for the makeup on his face so Dan wouldn’t see it.Dan pulled away a few seconds later and helped Phil stand properly amidst the cheers of the audience.“Why do they do that?” Phil mumbled. He didn’t want people cheering every time he was kissed. It made him feel uncomfortable and reinforced the feeling that he had no control over anything that happened to him; he existed and acted purely for the whims of the people.“Because they’re at a wedding. It’s all a fun evening for them,” Dan remarked bitterly, surprising Phil. So far, he’d been all smiles, even if they’d been tinged with some discomfort. “They don’t understand that this means so much more than that, especially for our lives.”Phil wanted to hear more about what Dan thought of the marriage. He wanted to talk about it and ask questions and find a sense of friendship with him through their shared fate. Unfortunately, it would have to wait, as Dan was already moving on as if nothing had happened. His arm dropped from Phil’s waist and instead linked around his elbow.“We have to mingle now. Is that alright? You don’t have to say anything to anyone if you don’t want to. I was just told we’d have to do it together, but if you don’t feel up to it-”“No, it’s fine,” Phil interrupted. “I’ll let you know if I need a break, but I’d appreciate if you did the talking.” Dan nodded, shooting him a small smile, then led him to a few people chatting on the side of the dancefloor. Phil paid attention to the conversation, but was never expected to say anything. He was surprised at how articulate and charming Dan was with these stuffy aristocrats. Phil had never been particularly good at talking to people in general, but especially in cases like this. After a few minutes of small talk, Dan gently pulled Phil away to bring him to the next group. On the way, he asked, “How are you doing? Good to keep going?”“Oh, I’m fine,” Phil replied, surprised to even be asked. “I’ll probably stop paying attention, though, if that doesn’t cause too much trouble.”“Of course not,” Dan assured him. “I’ll handle it.”For the next half hour, Dan and Phil moved from group to group, accepting congratulations and well wishes. Between each group Dan would check in with Phil, making sure he didn’t need a break. It wasn’t until an especially long conversation ended that Phil finally tapped out.“Could we take a minute to sit, maybe?” he tentatively asked when Dan checked in. “I need some water.”“Definitely.” Dan swiftly located some chairs at a table for the two of them and told Phil to sit down. “I’ll find us some water. Do you need anything else? Food of any kind?”“Oh, um. Sure?” Phil squeaked out. “I’d take any of the desserts, really.” Dan nodded once and left. He was being so understanding and courteous that Phil didn’t quite know what to do with himself. Dan was the future king of his country, and yet he was acting like Phil’s servant. Phil found it rather nice; maybe it was a sign that Dan wasn’t as stuck-up as most of the other members of high society.Moments later, Dan returned with a plate of chocolates and a servant carrying two glasses of water.“John here saw me struggling to figure out how to carry liquids and food at the same time,” Dan explained sheepishly. “But I brought you chocolate.”“Thank you,” Phil said with a smile as he took the plate from Dan. “And thank you, John.”John placed the water glasses on the table and bowed before rushing off to continue his tasks elsewhere. Phil picked up a square of chocolate and popped it into his mouth, closing his eyes and holding back a moan at the sweet taste.“Chocolate is truly one of the best things in the world,” Phil commented as he opened his eyes.Dan hummed in agreement, taking a sip from his water. He stole a piece of chocolate from Phil’s plate and ate it. “And this is some of the best chocolate in the world.” Nodding, Phil ate another piece. They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying their time away from everyone else, but were interrupted by a few wedding guests stopping by.An older man and woman bowed to them.“May we offer our ecstatic congratulations, Your Highness,” the man said as he rose from his bow. Dan inclined his head politely. “Thank you, Duke Earnest. I would love to speak with you, but my husband is quite tired at the moment, and so we are taking a short pause from conversation. Perhaps another time.”The Duke nodded curtly, looking as though he was trying to hide his displeasure. “Of course, Your Highness,” he said, then bowed and left with the woman.Phil turned wide eyes to Dan. “Well, you shut that down quickly,” he commented, slightly amused, but slightly in shock. He hadn’t expected Dan to take their break that seriously, but he’d offended a duke just so they wouldn’t have to talk. Dan shrugged. “You said you needed a break. Talking to them wouldn’t have been a break.”“Oh,” Phil breathed. He did that specifically for me? He felt the blush return. They fell silent for another few minutes. It was a little awkward, but Phil didn’t mind. He would rather a slightly awkward silence than talking at this point, given the craziness of the day. This way, he could eat the chocolate with Dan in peace, recharging for the next round of socializing.When the chocolate was gone, Dan stood and offered his hand to Phil. Phil accepted it and rose to follow Dan back into the crowd of guests. Last time they’d ventured into the throng of people, it had been arm-in-arm, but this time they were holding hands. To Phil, it felt more intimate, which gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling. He wasn’t sure why; it was just their hands. But he supposed there was a kind of comfort in it.This round of mingling went much the same as the first, with Phil tuning out the conversations and Dan doing all the talking, but it didn’t last as long. About twenty minutes after they started again, a woman came up to Dan and whispered something in his ear. He nodded and turned to Phil.“It’s time for us to go,” he informed Phil.Time to go live in a foreign kingdom away from all my friends and family, Phil thought. Well. I guess I’ll technically have some family here, now, too. “Can we find my family first so I can say goodbye?” he asked cautiously. He wasn’t sure how fast Dan wanted to leave and was a little nervous he wouldn’t be allowed to see his family one last time.Dan looked surprised and a little hurt at Phil’s tone. “Yes, absolutely!” he was quick to say. “Take your time, of course.”Phil felt a comforting wave of relief wash over him. The anxiety about leaving home was still there, but at least he would get one last chance to see his family before he left.They soon found Martyn and his parents and were able to pull them away to a private room.“I’ll wait out here,” Dan said when they got to the door of an office. He squeezed Phil’s hand once before letting go.“Thanks,” Phil said. He followed his family into the room and was immediately met with a fierce hug from his mum. His eyes watered as he realized that this was it. He would be home to visit, of course, but he wasn’t sure when that would happen.“I’ll miss you,” his mum whispered.Phil wrapped his arms tighter around his mother and rested his chin on her head. “I’ll miss you, too,” he whispered back.“Let the boy breathe, Kath,” his dad said with a sad chuckle. “He can breathe when he leaves,” she quipped, though she released her hold on Phil. His dad hugged him next with a firm clap on the back. “We’ll see you soon, alright?” Will you? Phil thought, but refrained from saying. It would’ve made everything more difficult for all four of them. Martyn was the last to hug him. He approached with a sorry smile and Phil felt his heart wrench.“I’m so sorry, Phil,” Martyn whispered, just low enough that his parents couldn’t quite hear.Phil shook his head. “Don’t be. I’ve been expecting this all my life, remember? It was the smart thing to do and I’ll be fine.” Phil wasn’t sure how much he was trying to convince Martyn versus himself. He tried not to dwell on it. “Besides, Dan has been great so far. I think we’ll get on well enough.” He leaned back a bit from the hug. “Now, don’t go blaming yourself or being upset, or I’ll have to come back and kick your butt, you hear?”Martyn’s smile looked a little more convincing at that. “I’d like to see you try, little brother.”A few “I love you”s and a group hug later, Phil walked out the door and away from his family.“Ready?” Dan asked when Phil reached him.Phil nodded and took Dan’s hand in his once more. “Let’s go.” ~~~~~~~~~~The sun was setting as they got in their carriage. Unlike the others, this carriage was black and had a roof. A few servants had just stocked a few drinks and snacks for them, as well as a cloth for Phil to wipe off his ceremonial makeup.“Oh, thank god,” he breathed as he wiped his face clean. “It was really beginning to itch.”Dan, who sat on the opposite bench, stared at Phil with wide eyes and a soft pink colour rising on his cheeks.“What? Is there something still on my face?” Phil scrubbed the cloth across his cheeks again, just in case.The flush on Dan’s cheeks deepened and he quickly looked away with an awkward cough. “No, um. I- you-” he coughed again. “You look pretty without the makeup.”Phil inhaled sharply, a blush colouring his own cheeks.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomforta-”“No!” Phil practically shouted, startling Dan into looking at him again. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m not uncomfortable.” He let his hand drop to his lap as he considered if he should say more. He looked down at his hands and quietly said, “I think you look pretty, too.”When he was met with no response, he looked up and saw Dan looking out the small window and biting his lip to hold in a smile. How is he so unintentionally cute?They didn’t talk much for a while after that, instead choosing to silently watch the fields pass the farther they got into Iridacia. Phil had never been here before, so he drank in as much of the scenery as possible with the fading light. Phil had been to other kingdoms outside Stratalary before, such as Amalia, one of Stratalary’s neighbours. There, they had extremely varied terrain, making it perfect for the wide variety of animal life. He had always loved it there; he’d always ask an Amalian to tell the animals he said hello. If he’d had the chance to pick a kingdom to marry into, it would’ve been that one. He could’ve had so many dogs. He’d visited the icy Fractalis, too. They were Stratalary’s other neighbours, staying up in the frigid mountains. Despite the cold, Phil wouldn’t have minded living there, either. The land was always gorgeous.But now he was in Iridacia, his new home. He hadn’t particularly known what to expect besides plants, but he liked what he saw. It was relaxing, even if it didn’t feel like home yet. He did miss the dense forests that made up much of his kingdom, but he knew he’d get used to their absence.Iridacia was very flat compared to Stratalary. There were occasional hills, but most of the terrain consisted of plains. The fields were filled with grains and flowers of every kind, most of which were unfamiliar to Phil. He made a mental note to ask Dan to teach him about flowers sometime. Even with the fading light, Phil could tell that Iridacia was beautiful. There were so many flowers that all seemed to be different colours, and Phil wanted to smell every one of them. The fields seemed to stretch on for miles in every direction, which Phil supposed could get tedious after a while, but he still found himself enjoying. It was all so new and exciting.About an hour into their journey, Dan spoke up.“Have you ever been outside of Stratalary?” he asked.Phil startled at being pulled out of his thoughts but quickly recovered enough to nod. “Yes, I’ve travelled quite a bit with my brother on diplomatic missions. What about you?”“Yeah, the same for me. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Amalia, actually.” Phil watched Dan tapping his fingers on his knees for a moment, fascinated at their rapid movement. “I always liked it there. Wanted to live there for some time, too, but their young prince was-”Dan groaned. “The Amalian prince, oh my god. He’s such a little brat, isn’t he?”Phil laughed. “Well, I was about to say ‘a difficult child’, but that’s much more accurate.”“I promise I’m not usually one to complain about people,” Dan replied sheepishly. “I’d hate for that to be your impression of me. But, my god, I’ve never met anyone so entitled.”“That’s very true,” Phil agreed. “One time, I was walking through the palace, minding my own business, and he yelled at me. I don’t even know what I did wrong! He just threw a fit about how it was ‘his hallway’ and the way I walked was inappropriate or something.”Dan nodded. “Sounds like him. He once asked me to go on a picnic with him but I couldn’t because of some diplomatic talks and he just about cried in a fit of rage. All the nearby animals ran for the hills as he literally dropped to the floor screaming in anger.”“Oh my god,” Phil commented. “Did you go on the picnic anyway?”Dan snorted. “No way, I was not about to deal with that. I took the animals’ lead and booked it out of there and into my next meeting. Everyone wondered why I was huffing and puffing, face red as a beet and dripping with sweat, but what could I say? ‘Your monstrous child of a prince made me run away in sheer terror’?”Phil gasped out a laugh. “That’s insane. I think I’ve ended up way better here, to be honest. There are fewer dogs, but the scenery is pretty enough and I’m fairly certain I can handle you better than I could’ve handled him.”Dan paused. “Do you really? Think you ended up better here, I mean.” His tone was much softer than it had been a moment ago. He sounded unsure of himself.Phil studied Dan for a minute, taking in how he fidgeted with his hands and wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I do,” he finally said. “I like all the flowers we’ve seen, so I know I’ll be happy with that, at least. And you’re definitely more manageable than he would’ve been. We don’t know each other all that well yet, but you seem nice so far. I’m excited to get to know you more, actually. I think we’ll be good friends.”It hurt a little to say “friends”. They were married; the goal shouldn’t be to be friends. They should be in love. Phil brushed away the thought as Dan replied.Dan was smiling softly and looking at him again. “I’m glad. For what it’s worth, I think we’ll be friends, too.” He glanced away for a second, then back to Phil. “I want you to know that I just want you to be happy. This isn’t the most…” he paused as if trying to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say, “...ideal situation for either of us, I know, but I do want it to be as comfortable as possible.”Relief flooded Phil. “Thank you, truly. I wasn’t all that sure what I was getting into with this, but that’s good to hear,” he remarked appreciatively.The rest of the carriage ride was nice. They chatted for most of it, getting to know each other better. Phil was confident that they would have a rewarding friendship throughout the coming years.When they arrived at Perennis, the capital, it was late. Phil looked out the window to see the city for the first time, admiring all the streetlights and buildings. The architecture consisted of interesting shapes rather than the standard rectangular structures he was used to. These had a childlike whimsy to them with their curved corners and elliptical windows. When he got the chance, he would surely find a way to explore the city.He couldn’t see much of the palace as the carriage pulled to a stop, but he figured he had plenty of time to take a look later. After the long day he’d had, he just wanted to go to bed.A servant led the newlyweds down several hallways and to a room with two grand doors.“Thank you, Jeffrey,” Dan told the servant. “You’re dismissed.”The servant bowed and left as Dan opened one of the doors and entered the room, Phil following close behind.It wasn’t until the moment Phil crossed the threshold that he remembered what Martyn had said about the wedding night.
It’s expected that you two will consummate the marriage.
A blush lit up Phil’s cheeks and he stumbled on nothing, falling forward onto Dan. Dan let out a surprised yelp and lost his balance, sending both of them crashing to the floor. Phil landed on Dan’s back, his face smooshed between his shoulder blades.Oh no.“I am so sorry,” Phil said immediately, rolling off of Dan’s back and sitting with his head in his hands. “I tripped, I think, even though there’s nothing even there, I’m sorry-”Dan cut him off with a giggle as he pulled himself into a sitting position. Phil tried not to think about how cute that giggle was.“It’s fine! I’ll probably have a bruise, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.” Dan’s eyes sparkled in amusement. “Come on, let’s stand back up.”They clambered to their feet, Phil still feeling incredibly embarrassed.“Really, Phil, it’s alright,” Dan reiterated with another giggle when he saw Phil trying to hide his face. After a few more reassurances, he managed to get Phil to quit hiding, which allowed him to finally take in the room as they both removed their capes.It was large, fitting two desks, several wardrobes, two vanities, a loveseat in front of a fireplace, and a huge four-poster bed, complete with curtains.
This is nice. It looks comfortable, if a little generic. I hope Dan will let me decorate to make it feel homier.
Dan shuffled awkwardly next to him and Phil realized they’d both been silent for a minute. He glanced over and saw Dan looking self-conscious for the first time, an arm wrapped around himself and clutching at the opposite elbow. His head was tilted down and a deep blush graced his cheeks. Phil was just about to ask what was wrong when Dan spoke up.“I don’t want to have sex with you,” he blurted. He briefly looked at Phil through his lashes, then back down at the floor. His hand pulled at the fabric of his suit jacket.Phil blinked in surprise, but Dan continued before he could say anything. “I know it’s tradition to, um, consummate the marriage, and everything,” Dan continued in a hasty explanation. “I just- I don’t know you, and I’d really- really rather not?”A relieved smile made its way onto Phil’s face. “Thank god,” he breathed. “I was worried you’d want to.”Dan peeked up at Phil again, looking unsure. “Really? You’re not mad?”Phil shook his head. “Not at all.” He hesitated, wondering how much he could share without making the conversation more awkward than it already felt. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “If I’m being honest, I dreaded tonight. Before you, I’ve never even kissed anyone. The thought of my first time being with someone I’d never met was terrifying.” Was that too much? He doesn’t want to know that, does he? God, why did I-“Me too,” Dan whispered, pulling Phil from his thoughts. “I felt the same way.”For the second time, Phil was struck by how young Dan was. In that moment, all Phil saw was a scared kid. Even if he was only two years older than Dan, he felt the age gap like a physical barrier. “Do you wanna sit and talk about it, maybe?” Phil asked tentatively. He looked around the room again to see where they could sit, immediately passing over the bed; that would feel too intimate. Instead, he focused on the small sofa in front of the fireplace and pointed towards it.Dan bit his lip, considering for a moment, then nodded. They walked over and sat down as far apart as possible, Dan immediately bringing his legs up onto the seat with him.They didn’t speak for a long moment. Phil was worried Dan had changed his mind, but then he spoke.“I know almost nothing about you,” he began quietly, “and that scares me. It scared me more before today, since I didn’t even know what you look like, but I’m still afraid you’ll ask me for something I can’t give you. Like with the sex,” he said awkwardly, suddenly bashful about even the word. “I know you just said you don’t want that now, but what if you do someday and I don’t?” He fell silent and avoided Phil’s gaze.Phil nodded as he thought through his response before voicing it. “I feel the same way,” he said, matching Dan’s quiet tone. “I was worried you’d try to force me to have sex with you because of something my brother said. I just want you to know that I’m not sure I’ll ever want that, either, and even if I do I won’t expect anything from you. More than anything, I want us both to be happy.”Dan gazed up at Phil through his lashes. “Thank you, Phil.”Phil felt a rush of affection at how Dan said his name. The quiet seriousness and genuine gratefulness made him feel like he’d done something right. “I haven’t- I haven’t told anyone else this, yet,” Dan said tentatively. His fingers pulled at the fabric of his trousers, which he watched intently. “Or, well, I haven’t talked about it with anyone. I don’t know why I’m telling you, even, we don’t know each other,” he said more hurriedly, now tugging harshly at his trousers.“It’s alright.” Phil wanted to be supportive. Whatever it was, it seemed like Dan was extremely bothered by it. “I’m here for you.”Dan shot him an appreciative glance before watching his trousers again. He took a deep breath, then said, “The idea of sex makes me uncomfortable. I mean, for one, I genuinely can’t imagine myself being with anyone so intimately, but also anytime I think of myself actually, um-” his face scrunched up as he thought of a way to phrase it, finally settling on- “you know, I feel repulsed, if that makes sense? And I can’t imagine looking at someone and wanting that.” He paused, stealing another glance at Phil as if to test his reaction, then hurried to say, “It sounds idiotic when I say it out lou-”“It’s not idiotic,” Phil whispered. “You don’t have to want sex, Dan. It’s perfectly alright if you don’t think people are attractive-”Dan shook his head, interrupting to say, “No, I do think people are attractive. Or, well, I think I do. I don’t know what that means, I suppose, but I know when I find someone beautiful. My heart races and I don’t know what to do with myself.” His cheeks flushed again as he shyly looked at Phil. “I feel that around you.”“Oh,” Phil breathed. He felt himself blush as his heart thudded loudly in his chest. He thinks I’m beautiful. “I feel that around you, too.”They fell silent, simply staring at each other with small, shy smiles, until Phil let out a yawn, which made Dan yawn. Phil giggled at the contagiousness of the action. Dan’s smile grew in return, making his dimples pop. Phil was in awe of the indentations, and he wanted to run his thumb across them. “We should sleep,” Dan suggested in a whisper, careful not to break the quiet bubble around them. “It’s been a long day for both of us, I’m sure.”“There’s only one bed,” Phil reminded him. “I can sleep here.”Dan scoffed. “You are definitely too tall for that. The bed is big enough that we can sleep together.” Dan’s eyes widened at the innuendo. “I mean- er- sleep in the bed next to each other, not-”Phil let out a proper laugh at that. “It’s alright! I know what you meant. If you’re comfortable sharing, we can do that.”Dan nodded and stood, reaching out a hand to help Phil stand. He led Phil over to the wardrobes, and they changed out of their wedding clothes with their backs turned for privacy. Finally, they climbed into the bed, keeping some space between them. “Thank you for listening,” Dan murmured. He already sounded half asleep. “You didn’t have to.”“Of course,” Phil replied, equally quietly. “I’ll listen to you anytime.”“I’m glad it’s you I had to marry.”“Me, too.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Phil awoke the next morning, he was disoriented. He knew he was in Perennis, but when did all the flowers get there? He hadn’t noticed them the night before.Sprouting from the bedposts were daffodils and peonies. Near the loveseat they had talked on the night before were some pink flowers that looked almost like daisies, but the petals were too wide, as well as a bush of orange flowers that Phil couldn’t identify. He sat up and looked to his left to see Dan stirring from sleep. As he moved, the daffodils multiplied. Phil watched with fascination; he knew Iridacians had some control over plants, but he’d never seen it himself. Dan finally sat up with a yawn. “Good morning, Phil,” he said, his voice husky with sleep. Phil nodded in greeting, then pointed at the flowers around the bed. “Was that you?”Apparently, Dan hadn’t noticed them yet, as his eyebrows raised in surprise before crinkling, turning his expression to confusion. “Must have been,” he said sheepishly. “Sorry, I don’t always control it so well.”Phil shook his head. “Don’t be. I like them.” He pointed towards the loveseat. “What are those ones? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before.” Dan looked over and frowned. He hesitated, then said, “The orange ones are begonias and the pink ones are lisianthuses.” He fumbled a little over the words. Phil noticed the reluctance in Dan’s tone and turned back to face him. “Do they mean anything?” “Um, well,” Dan began, sounding uncomfortable, “the daffodils here represent lasting friendship and new beginnings, which makes sense, given the events of yesterday. The peonies could mean a few different things, but I think in this context they mean marriage.” He hesitated as if deciding how much more to say. “The flowers I grow by accident always have something to do with my emotions,” he explained, avoiding the begonias and lisianthuses.“What about those?” Phil pointed to the loveseat again and watched Dan shift awkwardly.“I think they probably happened when we were talking last night,” he said quietly. “I must not have noticed them.” He stole a cautious glance at Phil, but snapped his eyes back to the loveseat. “The begonias probably represent being cautious at new beginnings, but the lisianthus represents calmness. You usually want those when you’re stressed.”Phil thought back to their conversation from the previous night, where Dan told him about his concerns regarding their marriage. “That makes sense, then. Getting married like this is stressful.” Dan nodded, but didn’t say anything. They fell into an awkward silence then, but, luckily, it didn’t last long as a servant arrived with their breakfast.They ate in silence until Dan cleared his throat. “Would you like to take a tour of the palace with me today?” “Sure. The sooner I learn where everything is, the better,” Phil replied. “Although, just to warn you, I sometimes get lost at home, even though I live- er, lived there my whole life, up until yesterday,” he tried to joke, but it fell flat as he realized that the Stratalarian palace was no longer his home.Dan offered him a sympathetic smile. “Well, we can try to help you find your way around here, at least.”After breakfast, they made their way through the palace, Dan providing occasional historical facts or personal anecdotes. Phil’s favourite stories were about Dan getting into all sorts of trouble growing up, from accidentally barging in on important meetings unannounced to physically running into servants carrying fragile objects or food and making a mess. Overall, the palace was as he had expected: a normal palace. The arrangement of rooms and the decorations were slightly different from what he was used to, but, on the whole, it was still just a palace. The one extraordinary part was the gardens.After they had wandered the palace halls, Dan took Phil outside the back of the palace, where there were hectares of open land covered in every variety of plant imaginable, complete with a tall hedge maze. Phil stopped in his tracks at the sight of it. “Wow,” he breathed.Dan nodded, a bright smile on his face. “Would you like to see it closer, or are you just gonna stand there with your mouth hanging open?” he teased.“Oi!” Phil exclaimed, playfully indignant. He bumped his shoulder into Dan’s, pushing him. Dan returned the bump, but harder. Naturally, this turned into a good-natured push-fest full of giggles and yelps.And then Dan pushed Phil a little too hard and, Phil being Phil, was knocked off-balance. Phil flailed wildly in an attempt to regain his balance, but soon found the ground swiftly approaching until-The landing never came. Phil opened eyes he hadn’t realized were closed and found himself close to Dan. Very close. Dan’s arms were wrapped securely around his waist, keeping him from falling over. Their faces were so close together that Phil could feel the air leave Dan’s mouth as he breathed. Freckles, he thought in awe, unable to pry his eyes from Dan’s cheeks. How many are there? They stayed like that for a still moment, neither backing away or saying a thing, until Dan seemed to come back to his senses. He cleared his throat and pulled back carefully, making sure Phil was solidly on his feet.“Sorry, I didn’t mean to push you that hard,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Phil nodded and coughed once. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”After a beat of tense silence, Dan cleared his throat again. “Shall we?” He gestured towards the gardens.“Yeah, let’s go,” Phil agreed readily, grateful for the distraction from the way his heart was racing.He only caught you. It’s not like anything happened, he thought to himself angrily as the butterflies in his stomach continued to flutter.He put the incident out of his mind as best he could and instead let Dan lead him around the gardens, telling him the names of the flowers they encountered. There was no way Phil would remember all or even most of them, but he enjoyed the time together nonetheless.They came upon the hedge maze, and Dan expertly led Phil through the confusing series of corridors and turns while explaining some of the history of the gardens.“These lands have been handed down through the generations,” he explained. “From the origins of the kingdom to now, every ruler has added their own section to the gardens. The closer to the palace, the older the arrangement. This maze was my father’s addition.”“Is there anything at the end of the maze?”Dan’s lips quirked up in a smile. “You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?”Phil pouted. “But I’m so impatient,” he complained. He tugged on Dan’s arm and fluttered his eyelashes when their eyes met. “Tell me? Please?” Dan laughed, eyes twinkling. “Nope. You’ll find out soon.”Sure enough, only a few more turns saw them at the centre of the maze. There was a regal statue of Dan’s father standing in the middle of a bunch of stalks of pretty orange flowers. “Those flowers are called gladiolus,” Dan told him, staring at the display intently. “I like them,” Phil commented. “Are they your dad’s favourites?”Dan nodded. “He likes the symbolism. They’re a variety of iris, which represents wisdom, trust, and valour. Gladioli, then, are signs of strength.” He glanced at Phil, then back at the flowers. “I’m not sure if you knew, but Iridacia was named after irises. Each ruler is supposed to live up to their meaning.” Something in his tone seemed off. Phil looked away from the flowers to study Dan’s face. His expression was carefully blank. “Supposed to?”Dan’s eyes flickered to Phil’s, and it took him a few seconds to respond. “All my ancestors have, so far. I’m not so sure I’ll quite fulfil that particular duty,” he said quietly, as if ashamed.Phil was surprised. Up until now, Dan had seemed so sure of himself, so confident. “What do you mean?” he asked cautiously. Dan shrugged, breaking eye contact to look at the ground instead. He wrung his hands. “I- I shouldn’t be complaining about this. We still barely know each other. What kind of impression must I be making?”Phil shook his head quickly and reached out, resting a hand on Dan’s elbow. “No, please. Tell me.” Out of the corner of his eye, Phil noticed the gladioli were growing bigger. Phil wondered if Dan had something to do with that.His husband hesitated, but eventually gave in. “It’s a lot of pressure. Being king, that is. I’m supposed to be this great man who exudes strength, and I’m not sure I know how to do that.”Phil didn’t know how to respond. He wanted to be reassuring, but he didn’t know Dan well enough to know what to say. Just as he opened his mouth to try to say something, Dan shrugged off Phil’s hand with a smile. “So, that’s the maze. Shall we head back?” Dan looked like he was desperately hoping Phil would put an end to this part of the tour, so Phil agreed and let Dan lead the way back out of the confusing arrangement of hedges.As soon as they exited the maze, a servant found them and told Dan his father needed him.“Will you be alright on your own, Phil?” Dan asked. “This could take a while.”Phil was about to say yes, he’ll be fine, but he realized that he had no idea where to go or what to do without Dan. A soft blush crept up onto his cheeks. “Where- where are we, again? And how do I get back inside?”Dan turned to the servant. “Aiden, could you help Phil get wherever he wants to go?”Aiden bowed. “Of course, Your Highness.” “Brilliant.” He turned back to Phil. “I’m sorry I can’t stick around longer. I hope you liked your tour. I had a good time,” he said shyly, a blush colouring his cheeks. “I’ll see you at dinner?”Feeling a blush rise to match Dan’s, Phil nodded. “I did like it, thank you. I’ll see you then.” He inclined his head in a bow, then looked up to see an expression of discomfort on Dan’s face. “I know you’re technically supposed to do that, but please don’t. I’m not your superior by any means,” Dan said. “Equals in marriage, and all that.”Phil opened his mouth to argue, but quickly realized there would be no point. He actually found himself feeling relieved, despite knowing it was an unusual request, because it meant he wouldn’t have to bow to his own husband for the rest of his life. He quite liked the sound of equals in marriage. “If you insist,” he replied, the corners of his lips quirking up slightly.Dan flashed him a fast smile, then left to find his father. Phil watched him go, admiring the way his husband held his head high as he walked. Phil wasn’t sure he had that kind of confidence or grace. “Your Highness,” Aiden said, bringing Phil’s attention back to the present. “I have been instructed to take you to your lessons.”“Lessons?” Phil quirked a brow. “On what?”“Iridacian history and culture, sir.”That made sense. Even with some instruction before the wedding, Phil had next to no knowledge of anything to do with Iridacia, since he’d been raised when Stratalary was still having disagreements with the Iridacians. “Lead the way, then, Aiden.”Aiden silently led Phil back through the gardens, which were as much a maze as the maze itself, and into the castle, which gave Phil a chance to think about what Dan had revealed earlier. He was worried about becoming king. He knew that it was his duty, but it scared him. Phil had never experienced that pressure himself, but he had witnessed Martyn’s struggles as he approached his own coronation. As much as he could, Phil had tried to support Martyn, reassuring him that he was ready to be king and had been taught well by their father. He wasn’t sure how much that helped Martyn, but he liked to think that Martyn had shown himself how capable he was when he was coronated. Phil hoped Dan would have a similar experience. In the meantime, he resolved to encourage Dan as much as possible. Then there was the matter of their marriage to consider. It had only been a day, but Phil felt like he was already growing closer to Dan. They got along well so far and had a similar sense of humour. Phil liked him quite a lot; he was kind, gentle, funny, and smart. Dan was also ridiculously pretty, which certainly helped. Of course, it was too early to say for sure, but Phil thought that, given enough time, he may even begin to love Dan. But maybe it was too soon to think that. For now, Phil was just glad that he and Dan were becoming fast friends. As Phil’s thoughts quieted down, he realized Aiden was standing rather far away from him, looking very uncomfortable. Phil’s brows furrowed in confusion. Had he done something wrong? He looked around himself and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. He’d just been walking down the halls normally, even if he was deep in thought-Oh, he thought, looking at his hands. Dark clouds swirled around his fingertips, an old thinking habit he’d picked up from Martyn. I think he’s afraid of me. The thought of anyone being scared of him was outrageous, kind and gentle as he tried to be, but he remembered the tension between Stratalarians and Iridacians ran deep. Phil’s powers of cloud manipulation must be frightening to someone who had only heard rumours of their dangers. Phil willed the clouds to dissipate, watching as Aiden relaxed. “I won’t hurt you,” Phil told him quietly. “I’m not sure I’d even know how to hurt someone with my clouds.” Aiden startled. He probably hadn’t expected to get caught. “Of course, sir. Sorry, sir,” he said in a rush. Phil was fairly certain Aiden didn’t believe him, but he had no chance to insist, as Aiden finally stopped and opened a door, gesturing inside with a bow. “Here we are, sir.” “Thank you, Aiden,” Phil replied, stepping into the room. It was a small room with only a desk, a few chairs, and a table inside. The only person in the room curtsied as he entered. Aiden shut the door behind him. “Your Highness, my name is Clara. I’ve been instructed to teach you about Iridacia.”Clara looked to be older than Phil, but not by much. She wore a modest lavender dress with her brown hair up in a tight bun. “Clara, it’s nice to meet you,” Phil said with a soft smile. He wasn’t so sure about this; he’d never been particularly attentive in his lessons back home, so why should here be any different? Pushing his concerns from his mind, Phil sat down in one of the wooden chairs at the desk and watched Clara follow suit on the opposite side. “I’ll primarily be teaching you about our history and basic etiquette for now, but later on I’ll also teach you the most popular Iridacian dances. With His Royal Highness in the room, of course,” Clara explained. “If I ever confuse you, please don’t hesitate to ask a question.”Phil smiled sheepishly. “I already have a question. Why did you say that last bit about my husband?”Clara blinked in surprise. “I see we’ve already found a cultural difference. Your husband must always be in the room when you dance, as that allows him to keep an eye on you. In Iridacia, spouses must look after one another very carefully.”Phil was still confused. “I don’t understand. Does this custom assume everyone will be unfaithful in their marriages?”“Oh, no!” Clara reassured quickly. “Infidelity is practically unheard of here. This custom is in place because of the wedding vows. Iridacians swear to ‘love, honour, and protect’. Since dancing happens in such close quarters, spouses are always present, ready to rescue each other if necessary, whether from general discomfort or unwanted advances. It’s a formality, really, as nothing like that happens during dances in a civilized court.”Phil nodded his understanding, though it still sounded strange to him. He supposed that was just the cultural gap. “I see.”Clara continued, jumping straight into Iridacian history with their foundation. It was similar to Stratalary’s foundation; they both began as small tribes of people with control over an aspect of nature before growing into their current nations. She didn’t go into much detail about the progression of that growth, however, choosing instead to jump ahead to the conflict with Stratalary. “One hundred years ago, tensions had been rising over control of a plot of disputed territory that contained many valuable resources. Iridacia and Stralary had been alternating control over it through skirmishes and small-scale battles for decades already, but it was under Stratalarian rule at the time.”Phil, of course, knew all of this, having been taught it back home. What Clara said next, though, was different from everything he had ever been taught.“The Stratalarians were greedy and overtaxed the disputed territory, which had originally belonged to Iridacia. A rebel group formed and decided to take matters into their own hands, assassinating the Stratalarian king. The outraged Stratalarians wrongly assumed it was the Iridacians who had assassinated their king and launched a misguided war in response, plunging our two nations into a harsh conflict that would last until an armistice was signed ten years later. No formal treaty was signed, however, so tensions remained high and hatred ran deep. Thieves raided and pillaged constantly across the border, terrorizing Iridacians unchecked for years. That is, until a treaty was signed at your wedding yesterday.”Phil sat in silence for a moment, gaping at Clara. How could she be so confident that she was right when she was so wrong? “That’s- that’s not what happened,” Phil argued. “At first, we assumed the Iridacians had ordered our king killed, but before any action was taken we launched an investigation that found the guilty party to be the group you spoke of. But they weren’t rebels; they were radicals. Stratalary didn’t tax that land a penny more than Iridacia ever did. The radicals wanted the right to self-determination, but the rest of the territory didn’t want that.” Phil paused for a breath, but hurried on when he saw Clara open her mouth to argue. “The conflict with Iridacia began because these radicals fled to Iridacia to hide and the Iridacians wouldn’t release them into our custody to be dealt with as the criminals they were. As for the thieves, we had plenty of Iridacians pillaging our own Stratalarian villages. Neither should have happened, but you can’t pin all of it on Stratalarians.”Clara’s eyes flashed with what Phil took to be anger, though she reined it in before she spoke. “Your Highness, I’m afraid you’ve been misinformed. Stratalary was cruel and most definitely in the wrong. Iridacians have not crossed over the border into Stratalary since the war, with the exception of the preparations for the wedding. We have not pillaged Stratalarian villages. In addition, you are no longer Stratalarian. You are Iridacian and therefore must not speak of Stratalarian decisions in the first person. Sir.” She added the form of address with a sneer, as if calling Phil her superior was the most detestable thing she could think to do.Phil was shocked; he had never been spoken to so harshly in all his life. He had thought Clara was so nice, too, which made it all the more surprising. The way she spoke to him made him feel small, especially with her cutting reminder of how far he was from home. But she’s right, he thought. Stratalary isn’t my home anymore. Abruptly, Phil stood up, staring down at Clara. “That’s enough for today. I find I’m feeling quite ill, suddenly.” Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him. It wasn’t very princely of him, but he couldn’t help the force of his anger and hurt. He walked quickly down the hall, unsure of where he was going but needing to put some distance between himself and Clara. Soon enough, he was completely lost, but fairly certain he was far enough away from Clara to feel like he could stop running away. He paced up and down the hallway, feeling his emotions coursing through him and manifesting themselves in the form of thick clouds trailing in his wake. What if Clara was right? What if his country, his family, had been cruel? What if they had started this fight?Phil shook his head. There was no way. He’d seen the legal documents, the letters, the reports. He wasn’t naive enough to think that his family had handled the situation perfectly, but he knew there was no way Stratalary was the only group to blame. He stopped his pacing, rubbing the heels of his hands roughly against his eyes and running a hand through his hair in agitation. He had to get a hold of himself, then find out how to get back to his and Dan’s suite, hopefully without encountering anyone else who might be afraid of him or angry with him simply because of his heritage. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Phil willed away the clouds that had completely fogged up the hall, then tried to take in his surroundings. When he still had no idea where he was, he sighed in defeat and picked a direction, following a long hall a ways.As he approached the end of the hall, he stopped, sniffing the air. It smelled like food. He kept walking and soon found what had been his favourite part of his palace at Cirrus: the kitchens. His stomach grumbled. It had been a few hours since he’d last eaten anything, so he cautiously entered the kitchens.About fifteen servants bustled about, some carrying dirty dishes, some carrying clean ones, some cooking, and one man yelling instructions and encouragements at them all. It took them a moment to notice his presence. A servant carrying dishes saw him hovering in the doorway and yelped, nearly dropping their stack of plates, before addressing him by his title and bowing. “Jackie, what on earth are you-” the yelling man chastised, but stopped, eyes widening, when he saw Phil. “Forgive me, Your Highness, I didn’t see you there,” he apologized quickly with a bow. The rest of the kitchen copied him, bowing and curtsying in the midst of the hustle and bustle. “No, it’s fine,” Phil reassured. “Please, go back to work.” The servants jumped back into action, most pretending he wasn’t there, though some were eyeing him with suspicion. Phil could practically hear the gossip spreading already. The man who had been yelling approached Phil, who could now clearly see his young face, framed by unruly curls of brown hair. “What can I do for you, sir?”Phil smiled awkwardly. “Well, I was walking near here and-” his stomach interrupted him with a growl, making his cheeks heat up.The man laughed. “You’ve come to the right place, sir. We don’t have anywhere fancy for you to sit and eat, but would you care to have a seat at our servants’ table? I promise it’s clean.”“That would be fantastic, thank you, er- pardon me, but what’s your name?”“Peter, sir. I’m the head chef,” Peter explained proudly as he led Phil over to the table. “Then thank you, Head Chef Peter,” Phil said cheekily. “I’ll have your finest table scraps.”Peter bowed exaggeratedly, a twinkle in his green eyes. “As you wish, sir.”A few minutes later, Phil had a hearty bowl of stew, a crust of bread, and a glass of water. Peter stayed nearby, hovering off to the side of the table.“You don’t have to stand there,” Phil told him. “If you have work to do, I’ll be fine on my own.”Peter shrugged. “I think I’d better keep an eye on you, anyway. You don’t seem like the kind of person to try to ask for help.”Phil blushed. “You got me there. How could you tell?”“You just happened to be walking near the kitchens in the very far corner of the palace, on the opposite side from the residential area? Not likely, sir.”Phil was starting to like this Peter. He was funny and he wasn’t afraid to mess with him a bit. He only hoped Peter wouldn’t turn out like Clara.“Fine, then. If you’re not going to get back to work, you’ll just have to sit and chat with me. I won’t have you standing awkwardly off to the side while I get to sit and eat,” Phil commanded, though he tried to keep his tone light to show Peter that he still had a choice. Peter grinned and sat down across from Phil. “What would you like to talk about, sir?”Phil made a face. “Drop the ‘sir’ nonsense. It makes it sound like I’m somehow better than you, and I’m not.”Peter coughed out a laugh, confusion evident in his expression. “You’re a prince; of course you’re better than me.”Shaking his head vigorously, Phil explained, “I have about as much power as a dead rat. I have no practical skills, and I know exactly two people in this entire kingdom: you and the prince.” He took a bite of the bread to punctuate his point. “I think you underestimate the power of a dead rat,” Peter said cryptically. Before Phil could question it, he moved on. “Are you settling into Perennis alright?”Phil shrugged. “I suppose so. It’s very pretty here, though I don’t think anything could beat the forests back ho- back in Stratalary.” He barely caught himself before calling Stratalary his “home”. He needed to accept that it wasn’t his home anymore, which meant he couldn’t keep calling it that. Peter nodded. “That makes sense. I’ve never been to a forest, though, Stratalarian or otherwise, so I couldn’t say.”“Never been to a forest? How tragic! Surely, there must be at least one forest somewhere in Iridacia?”“Nope. It’s all gardens and grasslands.” Phil stared into his stew in shock. No forests? That couldn’t be! What would he do with himself if he couldn’t go to a forest every so often? They had always calmed and centred him in Stratalary.“I’ll be right back,” Peter told him. As he stood up, Phil saw a pitying look on his face. About a minute later, Peter returned and handed Phil another plate. “Chocolate chip, fresh from this morning.”Phil smiled sadly. “Thanks, Peter.” Peter returned the smile, then changed the subject again. For the next fifteen minutes or so, they talked about food and pastries. It was nice, providing a distraction from Phil’s distress after his lessons with Clara and his sadness at the lack of a forest. Phil felt like he’d made a friend, especially when Peter playfully kicked him out.“Alright, enough chit-chat,” he said, standing up. “I have to get back to work now, as much as I’d love to sit around all day. Come on. Up and out of my kitchen.”Phil was quick to comply, but he stopped at the door. “Um, Peter?”“Um, sir?” Peter mocked goodnaturedly from near the stoves.“How do I get back to the other side of the palace?” Phil asked, cheeks a dark pink.Peter grinned. “Mary, take the prince back to his suite, please.”A girl at the sink nodded, swiftly drying her hands on her apron as she walked over to Phil. “This way, Your Highness,” she instructed. “Come back any time, Your Highness!” Peter called as the door closed behind them.Phil grinned, glad that Peter seemed to enjoy his company in return. ~~~~~~~~~~ Phil didn’t see Dan again until dinner, which was an awkward affair. He had to sit next to Dan’s little brother, Adrian, while Dan sat next to his mother and the king. He didn’t know what to say, so he let the king and queen carry most of the conversation, only giving polite answers when directly asked a question. Finally, Dan and Phil were alone in their suite again after dinner. “I heard you had lessons today,” Dan said, settling on the loveseat in front of the fire. Remembering Clara’s harsh words, Phil grimaced. “I did.” He awkwardly crossed an arm over himself and held the opposite elbow.Dan frowned, sitting up straight. “What’s that face for? What happened?”“It’s- it’s nothing, really,” he tried to say. He didn’t want to make a fuss.“It doesn’t seem like nothing. It looks like it’s bothering you.” Dan shyly patted the spot next to him on the loveseat. “Come, sit. What’s wrong?”Reluctantly, Phil joined Dan on the sofa, though he kept his distance. “I’m overreacting. It’s fine,” he said, still trying to brush it off. Dan gave him an unimpressed look. Tentatively, he reached out and rested a hand on Phil’s. Phil looked at their hands in surprise, but slowly rotated his hand so their fingers intertwined. It felt distinctly romantic, which didn’t fit what their usual interactions from when they’d been alone so far, but he liked it. Dan’s hand was warm, soft, and comforting. “Phil. Please tell me what happened,” Dan whispered. His thumb rubbed Phil’s. Phil sighed. He didn’t want to complain, but Dan didn’t seem about to back down. He told Dan about what had happened in the lesson, starting at the easy beginning and ending with Clara’s indirect insults and how he’d stormed out. As he spoke, he watched Dan’s brows draw closer and closer together. He worried for a minute that Dan would take Clara’s side, reminding him that his home was now Iridacia and telling him that Iridacia had done no wrong, but it turned out to be a needless worry. “I am so sorry, Phil,” Dan said when he’d finished. “You’re absolutely right that both sides are to blame. I’ll have her replaced first thing in the morning.”Phil bit his lip and shook his head. “No, I don’t want that. She shouldn’t be replaced only because I disagree with her interpretati-”“That’s not why I want her replaced,” Dan argued. “She insulted you. I don’t like that we have titles to differentiate us from everyone else, but we have them for a reason. You deserve the respect that comes with your title and proper address.”“But it’s meaningless,” Phil countered. “I have no power, no influence, no control.”Dan’s expression was unreadable for a second, then a small, fond smile grew. “Of course it has meaning. You have meaning, and power, and influence, and control. Maybe not direct power, that’s true, but you definitely influence me, and you certainly have control, at least of yourself.” Dan’s eyes scanned Phil’s face. “Besides, this clearly upset you, and I’ll not have that. I told you I want you to be happy, and I intend to make that happen.” A swell of affection rose in Phil’s chest. Dan’s care and concern weren’t what he expected, by any means, but he appreciated it immensely. It was sweet of Dan to listen to Phil and promise to do something about it. Phil didn’t know how to communicate all that, so he settled for a grateful smile and pressing a kiss to the back of Dan’s hand, still clasped in his own, a deep blush colouring his cheeks.The moment felt too intimate for their current relationship, but Phil found himself feeling comfortable all the same. After a beat of silence, Dan asked him to talk about what else he’d done, so Phil explained meeting Peter in the kitchens and how they talked about forests. Phil managed not to get as emotional about the lack of forests in Iridacia this time, but he couldn’t keep all the wistfulness and longing from his voice. To his surprise, Dan seemed genuinely interested and engaged in everything Phil had to say about his day, never once looking bored or annoyed. It was nice to feel heard. Phil asked Dan about his day next, but he didn’t get much of an answer. “My father and I just went over some policy things and talked to a few advisors, nothing special. It was pretty boring really,” Dan said with a shrug. “It’s getting a little late, so I think I’ll head to bed, if that’s alright with you?”Phil got the feeling that there was more Dan wasn’t saying, especially with how Dan avoided his gaze, but decided it would be best not to push it. “Yes, of course. I’ll change and join you in a minute.”A few minutes later, Dan and Phil were lying next to each other in bed. Phil wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to that. He couldn’t feel Dan because the bed was so big and he couldn’t see anything because of how dark the room was, but he knew he wasn’t alone. It was a weird thing to remember after spending his whole life sleeping alone. He didn’t mind, though; he found it comforting to be around someone he genuinely liked now that he was in such a strange and unfamiliar place. He was sure it wouldn’t be like that forever, that one day he’d feel at home, but, for now, he would take what comforts he could get.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After a few days of befriending servants and spending as much time with Dan as his busy schedule would allow, Dan had some news.They were lying in bed facing each other after a long day. Dan had been called away for future-king duties, and Phil had been stuck in lessons most of the day. They hadn’t seen each other since breakfast, so they were quietly enjoying each others’ company, fingers centimetres apart on the duvet but dancing closer and brushing every now and then. They hadn’t been as intimate as they had been at first, keeping the touching to a minimum, but they were starting to play at the idea again. It made Phil’s stomach flutter with excitement.“There’s going to be a ball next week,” Dan said casually at a lull in the conversation. “My father says that you have to be formally presented to the Iridacian people and aristocracy.”Phil’s head snapped up from where it had been peacefully resting on his pillow. The room was only lit by a few candles on either side of the bed, but he could easily make out Dan’s expression in the dim light. His face was neutral, his eyes watching the way his fingers tapped a made-up rhythm on the bed."A ball?" Phil asked. "Will I have to do anything in particular?"Dan looked up to meet Phil's eyes, a reassuring smile on his face. "Not much. We have to dance together and greet people, but it'll be a lot like at the wedding." He frowned. "You might have to dance with other people, too, but I'll see what I can do about that if you don't want to do it."Phil nodded appreciatively. "That would be good." He paused, considering. "Will I have to learn new dances?""I wouldn't think so. It's a fairly standard ball, so traditional dances would be fi-" Dan cut himself off with a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Traditional Iridacian dances. I guess some lessons may be required."Giggling, Phil agreed. "I'm afraid I'll be a bit rubbish, but I'll give it a shot."Dan smiled softly. "I'll help you. After all, I'll be the one you dance with the most.""Good." Phil sighed and flopped back to look at the ceiling. "I'm pretty rubbish at talking to people, too, so it's good that you'll be there to help."Phil felt something soft and warm touch his hand and glanced down to see Dan's pinky wrap around his own. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach once more as he looked back up to Dan's wide brown eyes already looking into his."Of course I'll be there to help," Dan whispered.Phil's breath caught in his throat. Dan looked at him like he'd put the stars in the sky. Phil didn't really understand that, since certainly it was Dan who put them there, not Phil. All he had to do was look at Dan's soft, freckled face to see that."Thanks," he breathed after a long silence. "You're amazing." Phil froze as soon as the words left his mouth, worried he'd broken this peaceful moment with too much of an emotion that neither of them was quite ready for.His worry didn't last long, however, as Dan's expression lit up in a broad grin, his freckles overshadowed by a blush. A giggle escaped his lips, and Phil swore he heard angels sing."You're not so bad yourself," Dan teased.Phil snorted and rolled his eyes playfully. "Gee, thanks."Dan's pinky disentangled itself from Phil's, but he didn't give Phil a chance to mourn its absence as soon his whole hand covered Phil's."I think you're amazing, too."The way Phil's heart soared and mind raced was dangerous and he started to worry that he might do something he'd regret. He and Dan still barely knew each other, after all, and the last thing he wanted to do was push Dan to do anything too soon. "We should get some sleep," he told Dan. He rolled over and blew out the candles on his side of their bed, feeling the bed dip as Dan did the same, hands still linked.In the dark, Dan whispered, "Good night, Phil.""Good night, Dan." He gave Dan's hand a gentle squeeze, then closed his eyes to surrender himself to sleep.~~~~~~~~~~The next few days felt like deja vu to Phil. He was fitted for a suit appropriate for the occasion, learned a few dances with Dan's careful guidance, and was informed who he would have to speak to at the ball. It was very reminiscent of the time leading up to the wedding with the rushed plans, but Phil didn't have time to be worried. Even if he had been, Dan was at his side through the whole process, lovely as ever.The day of the ball, Phil finally got a chance to sit for a minute. It was ironic, in a way, since today was the day he'd be putting all the preparations to use. But everyone left him to his own devices for the whole morning, a luxury he hadn't known since before the announcement of the ball. He and Dan lounged in bed as long as possible, then took a walk through the gardens. Dan seemed to sense Phil's growing anxiety about the ball, so he provided a perfect distraction of stories and laughter. Phil felt his affection for Dan growing by the day, and today was no exception.That afternoon, however, the madness returned. Dan and Phil were separated so a team of people could bedazzle them for the ball. A man named Greg made a few last-minute alterations to Phil's classic Iridacian suit, adjusting the hem of the white dress pants and the waistline of the blue royal jacket, while a woman named Hannah fluffed his quiff to perfection. Time passed in a blink with all the people swirling around him, and suddenly he was standing with Dan again in their suite.Dan wore his own royal jacket, though his was a delicate lavender with a fancy green sash. His pants were also a pristine white and his hair had been left in their natural curls, neatly styled into a controlled pile that fell just over his left eye and topped with a purple flower crown full of what Phil now knew to be gladioli."You look wonderful," Dan breathed in awe, his eyes scanning Phil slowly.Phil's cheeks flushed under Dan's warm gaze. "Thanks, so do you." He probably would've gone for something more along the lines of spectacular, perfect, or gorgeous, but he decided Dan's descriptor would be sufficient.A servant came to them and told them it was time, which Phil decided was good. He wasn't sure he'd be able to stand there much longer without trying to run a hand through Dan's perfectly arranged hair, which would ruin the hard work everyone had done to it.Dan held his arm out, and Phil gladly accepted it and let Dan lead him to the ballroom.Their first dance of the night went surprisingly well. Phil didn't stumble even once, nor did he step on Dan's toes, which he would definitely consider a win, even if the rest of the night didn't go so smoothly.As it turned out, it was good that Phil had a win to consider. Almost immediately, he and Dan were separated by a few aristocrats vying for Dan's attention, which left Phil alone and defenceless against the hoard of people that wanted to meet the latest addition to their royal family.At first, people were nice, if a bit pushy. They asked him questions about Stratalary and his cloud manipulation powers, which he answered easily. He liked talking about home. It was later in the conversation that things took a turn for the worse."How are you settling into life in our great Perennis, Your Highness?" asked a duchess (or maybe she was a countess... Phil couldn't remember after all the titles people had thrown around)."Oh, I'm settling in fine," Phil replied with a polite smile. "I've even been making a few friends here and there.""That's wonderful!" the duchess/countess exclaimed. "Tell me, who might they be? Perhaps I know them.""They're actually the servants. I've found myself popping down to the kitchens on occasion and made fast friends with the head chef," Phil told her proudly.The woman gasped and put a hand to her chest, scandalized. "Servants? But you're a prince!"Phil furrowed his brows in confusion. "I am, indeed. What has that got to do with my friends?""Surely you Stratalarians have more taste than to consort with servants!"Phil didn't know what to say. Did status matter that much to Iridacians, or was it just this woman?"Maybe it's simply a cultural peculiarity," he tried to salvage the conversation. "My marriage to Prince Daniel is centred around such things, isn't it? The merging of two cultures previously at war."The man Phil assumed was this woman's husband scoffed. "Sure, the merging of cultures, not a calculated measure to prevent further financial and military conflict. Do you even know why you're here, Prince?"Phil bristled. He didn't often throw his weight or title around, but he felt he had no choice. He stood up straighter, held his head up high, and said in a commanding tone, "I'm here because I am married to your future king. Now, I am a prince and the husband of your leader, and you will treat me with the respect I am owed."The aristocrats around him looked taken aback for a moment, and Phil took a moment to bask in the glory of it. He had stuck up for himself, and quite spectacularly, if he may say so himself. At the same time, however, anxiety at telling off a group of wealthy people he didn't know kicked in, a feeling exacerbated by the next person to speak.To his left was a curmudgeonly old man with a cane, who told him point-blank, "Back in my day, those damn Stratalarians knew to stay the hell away! They wouldn't dare enter the royal court, much less worm their way to the top of civilized society, treaty or otherwise. But I know better." He eyed Phil with suspicion. "I know what you are, boy, and I'm watching you. You'd better watch your back," he growled, punctuating his vague threat by spitting on the ground at Phil's feet before turning and hobbling off.As a prince, Phil should have expected threats, especially when moving to a foreign land full of enemies, but he couldn't help his shock. No one had ever treated him like this and he didn't know what to do about it. The threat combined with the obvious hostility from the duchess had anxiety rising in his chest, making it difficult to breathe. His control over his powers slipped and he could tell clouds were beginning to form around him. He needed to leave and he had to find Dan. Dan could help. Dan was always so calming."Ex- Excuse me, I'm so sorry," Phil stuttered. He stumbled out of the small circle of people he'd been talking to and scanned the crowd for Dan, quickly finding him in his unique purple jacket and flower crown standing tall above the rest of the guests. He made his way towards his husband as fast as he could, feeling his breathing grow more and more laboured.Dan saw him coming from a few steps away and his face lit up, but the smile soon turned into a frown. He excused himself from the guests he had been talking to and met Phil a few steps away."Hey, come on," Dan murmured, gently placing an arm around Phil's shoulders. He guided Phil out of the room, down a hallway, and around a corner, all while Phil shook like a leaf and desperately tried to even out his breathing. When they stopped moving, Dan turned to face Phil, looking into his eyes. "Phil, focus on me, alright? Breathe with me."Phil nodded, wide eyes fixed on Dan's lips. He took in a shuddering breath when instructed, then let it out slowly, repeating the process a few times. Gradually, the panic subsided and Phil felt like he could breathe again. As soon as the panic was under control, Phil felt tears leak out the corners of his eyes and a sob spilt out of his mouth. A slightly shaky hand reached up to cover it as more sobs came.Dan's expression was horribly concerned as he pulled Phil forward into a hug, which Phil gratefully accepted. Dan swayed them slowly. "I'm here, Phil, it's alright. It's alright, shhh," he whispered. "I promise, you're alright."A few minutes later, Phil's sobs turned to hiccups, and the hiccups turned to totally steady breathing. Finally, he lifted his head from where he'd buried it in Dan's neck."I'm sorry," he sniffled."Oh, Phil, no," Dan replied. He placed a hand at the base of Phil's skull and brushed his fingers through the short hairs there. "Don't be sorry, it's alright.""But- but I cried all over you," Phil mumbled ashamedly.Dan shook his head. "I don't care. You can cry on me whenever you need to."Phil felt tears well up in his eyes again as he nodded. Dan was truly too nice to him."Now," Dan said cautiously, looking into Phil's eyes. "Could you tell me what happened? Please?"Phil shuddered again, and Dan's arms came up to wrap around him in another hug, this time for warmth rather than purely stability and grounding. Phil took the time to gather his thoughts, then told Dan what had happened. As he spoke, Dan kept his face carefully neutral, though Phil could see the facade cracking as he continued. When he finished, Dan's jaw was set and his lips were in a tight line."I'm so sorry, Phil," Dan said. He pressed a long kiss to Phil's forehead, then a shorter one to his temple before pulling Phil's head back towards his neck. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."Phil nodded into Dan's neck and tightened his grip around Dan's waist."You don't have to stick around at the ball any longer, obviously," Dan continued. "In fact, I think I'd rather you didn't. I hate seeing you like this. You're such a ray of sunshine, you don't deserve to be overshadowed by clouds and sadness.""Clouds," Phil murmured. He lifted his head off of Dan again and looked around him, noticing for the first time that the whole hallway was filled with fog. "Damn. I hate losing control."Dan shook his head. "It's alright. You're in control now." He smiled, chagrined. "Sorry if the metaphor was a little too literal."Phil tried to offer him a small smile in return, though he wasn't sure how successful a smile it was. He focused for a moment and willed away the clouds, relaxing slightly when the hallway cleared."It's nothing to be ashamed of," Dan continued. "I lose control sometimes, too, and then flowers start to spring up everywhere."Phil nodded, smile turning a little cheeky. "I'd noticed."Dan rolled his eyes and pushed his shoulder lightly. His expression screamed "fond", which Phil found extremely comforting. Anyone who could see him go through a panic attack and still look at him like that was truly someone special.A moment later, however, Dan's expression sobered. "I don't like what I have to ask you next, but I have to ask. Since you don't remember the names of these people, could you come with me back into the ballroom briefly and point them out to me?"Phil's eyebrows scrunched up in worry. "But won't that make me look like a tattle-tale?"One of Dan's hands came up and rubbed at the wrinkles on Phil's forehead as if that would make the worry go away. "That's a possibility, yes, but it'll also send a message to everyone that you are not to be treated this way and that I will personally see to it that there will be consequences to acting similarly in the future. I don't want you to feel unsafe or like an outsider."Phil felt another surge of warmth at Dan's words, loving the reminder that Dan genuinely cared for him. He hesitated for a little longer, but eventually agreed to do as Dan asked.When he and Dan reentered the ballroom hand-in-hand, the whole room stopped what they were doing to look. A few people glanced from them to the ceiling and back again, which confused Phil, until he also looked up. Near the tall ceiling was a large group of grey clouds, which Phil knew only could have happened as he left. Shame built inside him as he willed them away, but a quick squeeze of his hand from Dan calmed his thoughts again.Dan leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Who am I looking for?"Phil scanned the room and found the culprits scattered around. He pointed them out as fast as he could, then asked Dan if he could return to their suite yet."I have to stay here and speak with a few more people, but I'll be there as soon as I can. It won't be more than half an hour. Will you be alright until then?"It wasn't ideal, but Phil would take it. He'd have Dan's help to stay out of his own head soon, but now the priority was staying away from the ball guests, so he told Dan he'd be fine."Good," Dan said with a nod. He faced Phil and took both his hands in his, pressing delicate kisses to each, then leaned in and kissed Phil's cheek. "I'll see you soon."Phil tried not to show his shock at Dan's sudden kisses, given their audience. Internally, he was fairly certain he had just melted, but he forced himself to turn and leave the room. On the way, he found a servant rushing from the kitchens to lead him back to his suite. Upon arrival, he changed into his pyjamas and climbed into the soft bed to wait for Dan.He didn't have to wait long; Dan's estimate of half an hour turned into something more like ten minutes.As soon as Dan entered the room, he was apologizing."Phil, I'm so sorry. That was horrible for you to have to deal with, and I shouldn't have let us get separated. And I'm sorry I had to send you back here alone after all that."Phil was fairly certain the apologies would keep coming unless he did something, so he spoke up. "It's not your fault. Besides, I'm alright now, and that's what matters."The guilty expression Dan wore relaxed somewhat, but not by much."Come here," Phil requested when it became apparent that Dan wouldn't let it go that easily.Dan reluctantly shuffled toward the bed to stand next to Phil, who took his hands in his.Phil kissed Dan's hands. "Thank you for helping me," he whispered. "Now get changed and join me." He kissed Dan's hands once more before dropping them and pushing Dan away to change.Soon after, the two of them were in bed together."I'm going to try something, if that's alright," Phil murmured. When Dan nodded, Phil scooted his body closer, tentatively wrapping an arm around Dan's waist and sliding one of his legs between Dan's.Phil heard Dan's breath hitch at the close contact and was about to back away and tell him to forget the whole thing when an arm snaked around his own waist."I think I like this something," Dan whispered. Although Phil couldn't see it, he knew Dan was smiling.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The days following the ball were full of time spent with Dan. There was only the occasional hour where they were apart so Dan could perform his duties before they were together again, walking through the gardens, reading books, chatting, doing whatever they felt like doing. Phil liked that he got to see more of Dan; the longer they were together, the more Phil got to know his husband. But it went beyond that. Dan spending his time with Phil meant that Dan met the servant friends Phil had made like Head Chef Peter. There were whisperings of how inappropriate it was for Dan to associate with his inferiors, of course, which Phil thought would put an end to their visits to the kitchens, but he didn’t give Dan enough credit. Despite the disapproval and the rumours, Dan continued to follow Phil’s lead. Phil felt like he had found a way to make a difference because of it; if Dan was befriending servants, surely the aristocrats of Iridacia would soon learn by example, which would help the poorer Iridacians be heard in society. Even if it took time, Phil was thrilled to see the wheels of change start turning. The days spent with Dan couldn’t last, however. Dan’s responsibilities were growing by the day as he approached his coronation, which was set to be the day of his twenty-first birthday in a few months’ time. The occasional hour apart became more routine then stretched from a single hour at a time to two, then three, and soon enough they had fallen back into the schedule from before the ball where they only saw each other each morning and each night. Phil missed Dan. It had only been a month since their wedding, but Dan had already become such a good friend to him that Phil couldn’t imagine life without him anymore. He was particularly happy to note how physically close they’d gotten, as they were now spending most nights cuddling. Phil tried not to read into it too much, but it was hard when he realized how Dan made him happy like his friends never could. He was forced to recognize that he was maybe developing just a teeny crush on his beautiful husband (or maybe it was quite a big one, though he was trying not to admit it to himself).They built a routine around their schedules that meant that every night they would get into bed, cuddle up, and talk about what they’d done that day. Phil liked that it gave him a chance to hear Dan’s thoughts and learn how Dan reacted to things. They were becoming more familiar with each other in a way Phil had never been able to do with anyone else. They shared everything they could think of with each other, from childhood stories and insignificant details to their deeper opinions and feelings.So when Dan walked into their room after an especially long day apart without so much as acknowledging Phil’s presence, Phil immediately felt a spike of concern. The concern grew into worry as Dan agitatedly paced the floor, biting at his nails, with flowers growing in his wake. When Phil recognized the flowers as the pink lisianthuses Dan had told him were given to someone feeling stressed, he knew he had to at least try to help. “Dan?” Phil asked cautiously, standing from where he’d been reading a novel on their bed. Dan’s head snapped up, eyes wide, and vines shot up to wrap around Phil’s legs, keeping him in place. Phil flinched at the tightness of the vines. “I’m so sorry,” Dan said quickly, willing away the vines. “I didn’t realize you were in here and then you said something and it startled me and I really hope I didn’t hurt you-” The lisianthuses multiplied steadily around Dan’s feet as he spoke faster and faster.“Hey, no, it’s fine,” Phil said, waving away Dan’s apologies. He took a few steps closer, though he maintained some space between them so he wouldn’t overwhelm Dan. From this distance, Phil could clearly see Dan hyperventilating through the stress. “Can you breathe with me? Nice and slow, yeah?” Dan took a few shuddering breaths with Phil, his eyes locked onto Phil’s chest as it rose and fell, but suddenly wrenched his gaze away. He looked out the window, up at the ceiling, at a wall, eyes constantly moving as he shook his head rapidly. “No, no, there’s too much to do. I have so much to do and it all has to happen so soon, I have no time to do that,” Dan rambled. Tears began to leak out of his eyes and the flowers grew steadily as the panic welled up in him.Phil’s heart was breaking. He hated to see Dan like this, hated to see him scared and upset with no knowledge of how to help. He took another step closer and gently took one of Dan’s hands, keeping him from viciously biting at the nails and attempting to ground him.“Dan, you need to breathe. Come on, look at me,” Phil commanded softly. When Dan’s eyes shifted back to his own, Phil gave him a small smile. “Good. Now follow me. Breathe in, and out.”This time, Dan kept his focus. It took several long minutes, but he finally stopped shaking and flowers stopped growing around the room. Fat tears fell down his cheeks and shaky breaths escaped him, but the panic had gone down. Phil waited for Dan to speak, letting him take his time calming down.Finally, Dan spoke, his voice hoarse. “Can we cuddle?”Phil nodded. “How about you get into some pyjamas first? Then we can be nice and cozy.”Dan let go of Phil’s hand and walked shakily over to his wardrobe. Phil followed and held onto the pyjamas Dan handed him so he could take off his shirt. Helping Dan dress was something new and surprisingly soft, though Phil would’ve loved for this to first happen at a more pleasant time so he could truly appreciate it.Phil guided Dan over to the bed and they climbed in, settling facing each other on their sides, Dan carefully tucked into Phil’s chest. Phil brushed one hand through Dan’s curls while the other rested securely on his back.After a few minutes of quiet breathing, Dan spoke again.“My father keeps talking to me about being king.” Dan tightened his fist in Phil’s shirt. “The coronation is coming in only a few short months and he won’t stop reminding me of my responsibilities and-” He stopped, taking a shuddering breath to prevent another onslaught of panic. “I don’t think I’m ready,” he whispered, tensing immediately like he was deathly afraid of Phil’s reaction.Phil continued petting Dan’s hair. “That’s alright. It’s a lot of work, no wonder you’re nervous.”Dan shook his head. “I’ll be responsible for so much, Phil. So many people. And I have no control over it.”Phil wasn’t sure what he meant, so he waited for Dan to elaborate. After several seconds of silence, he realized he wouldn’t, so he gently said, “I’m not sure I follow.”“I mean-” Dan huffed an irritated sigh and tightened his hold on Phil’s waist. “It’s just that I have no control over my own life, you know? I was born first, so I have to be the king, which means I have to take care of everything and everyone. I didn’t ask for that. And then on top of that, someone else decided when and who I would marry, which I didn’t ask for either.” He lifted his head to look Phil in the eyes. “Not that they chose poorly, of course. You’re amazing. I just wish I’d been able to make my own decision.” Phil nodded. “I understand. I mean, I didn’t choose this either. But I’m glad that it’s you they chose for me.”The corners of Dan’s lips curled up in a soft smile for a moment, then he buried his head back in Phil’s chest. “I find it so- ironic, I guess? That I’ll be the man with the most control and power in the entire kingdom but I have no choice in what happens in my own life. I don’t even get to decide when I’m coronated.”“Not at all?” Phil asked, surprised. In Stratalary, the crown prince got to decide when he was coronated so long as he was of age and the king was still alive. He’d assumed that was the case here, too.Dan shook his head. “If the previous king is alive, he gets to decide when he steps down and lets the next ruler take the throne. I have to be of age, which will happen in a few months when I turn twenty-one, and it’s almost always the twenty-first birthday of the next ruler when they’re coronated. It’s what’s expected of me.”Phil frowned. “But you said ‘almost always’, not ‘always’. When hasn’t it been like that?”“That only happens when the king isn’t ready to give up power and decides to wait a few more years, but even with that the next king is twenty-five or younger.”“So what you’re saying is that if the king decides not to abdicate yet, you don’t have to be coronated?”Dan leaned back again to meet Phil’s gaze. His eyebrows crinkled his forehead in confusion. “What are you getting at?”“If you convince your father not to give up his throne for, say, a year, then you won’t have to become king in June.”A few emotions flitted quickly across Dan’s face, from confusion to excitement to finally settle on worry. “But do you think that would actually work? It’s very uncommon for a coronation to happen beyond the twenty-first birthday, so the people wouldn’t respond-”“I’m sure the Iridacians would prefer to have a king who felt confident in his ability to lead them,” Phil reassured. He slid his hand off Dan’s back to instead reach for his hand, using his thumb to trace over the knuckles.Dan watched Phil’s thumb move across his hand, deep in thought. “But how would I convince my father to wait? I’m not sure he’d agree that our people would be fine with it.”Phil hummed. “We could come up with some compelling reasons, I’m sure.”They fell silent, each thinking hard about what could help. “Well, we did only get married a month ago,” Phil began. “You could say that that was a big change and you still haven’t fully settled into that. Tell him becoming king so soon after our marriage would throw you too far off-balance.”“I could do that,” Dan said, though Phil could sense his hesitation. “I could tell him the truth,” Dan offered. “I could say your thing, too, but the absolute truth is that I don’t feel ready and that I don’t feel like I have any control, so how can I be king.”Phil nodded contemplatively. “You could say that you don’t want to jump straight into being king and that you want to settle into the duties more. Maybe you could suggest that you spend more time with him and gradually take more control over some decisions?” “That sounds good,” Dan whispered. He looked back up into Phil’s eyes. “You’re so wise. How did that happen?” he asked in wonderment. The awe and appreciation that shone in Dan’s eyes took Phil’s breath away. Dan looked at him like he was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He shook his head. “I’m really not. Sometimes, I have intelligent or helpful things to say, but I wouldn’t call myself wise.”Without missing a beat, Dan replied, “I bet you wouldn’t call yourself stunning, either, but that doesn’t make it any less true.” Phil’s cheeks heated in an intense blush and he sheepishly broke their eye contact, but he couldn’t hide the grin that made its way onto his face. It took him a few seconds too long to respond, but at last he managed to say, “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you would call yourself that, either, but I insist it’s the truth.” He took some pride in how his compliment made Dan try to hide, too. He raised their clasped hands and pressed a kiss to the back of Dan’s. “I think I got very lucky,” Dan mumbled into his pillow. “I must’ve done, since you’re here. Thank you for helping me with all this.”Phil nodded. “Anytime. Truly, I’m here for you anytime you need me.”Dan looked like he was about to say something, but he cut himself off with a yawn, which made Phil yawn.“Alright, maybe I’m not entirely here for you anytime,” Phil joked. “There’s always sleep to be had.”The giggle Dan made had Phil’s heart soaring. “We should sleep, then,” Dan reasoned. They rolled away from each other briefly to blow out the candles around their bed, then used their still-joined hands to find their way back to each other. They returned to their arrangement of Phil’s arm resting around Dan’s waist and Dan’s head tucked tightly into Phil’s chest. As sleep crept up on Phil, he asked, “Will you talk to your father tomorrow?”“Yeah. The sooner the better, right?”“Promise? I don’t like seeing you stressed about things.”Dan’s hold on Phil tightened and he felt Dan press a kiss to a small spot of exposed skin on his collarbone. “Promise.”~~~~~~~~~~The next morning, Dan went to talk to his father. Phil offered to go with him as moral support, but Dan declined, saying this was something he needed to do on his own. That left Phil with nothing to do; he had no lessons to attend for once, so he decided to wander over to the kitchens to visit Peter. Phil still got lost easily in the palace, but he was finally confident enough to travel between his room and the kitchens without help. Over the last month, he’d visited Peter often, especially when Dan was occupied elsewhere. Peter usually had a snack for him ready to go, but he couldn’t always sit and talk like they had that first day. Sometimes, Peter would give Phil little cooking tasks to occupy his time, since Phil so often felt like he was dead weight. By chopping vegetables, Phil felt useful. It had taken some time to convince Peter that Phil wanted to do this, but Peter had eventually realized that Phil truly didn’t care what people thought a prince ought to be doing and began to teach Phil what to do.Today, Phil barely had a chance to say hello before Peter was putting him to work. “Ah, Your Highness! Glad you’re here,” Peter called from across the room when Phil entered. “We’re a bit behind this morning, so it’s all hands on deck. Remember what I taught you about slicing cucumbers?” He didn’t wait for a response before continuing, “You’ll be doing that again today, over here.” Peter set down a pile of cucumbers and a knife at a cutting board and directed Phil over towards it.Phil obediently followed directions and chopped the cucumbers, grateful for the distraction, even if Peter was too busy to talk. He had put on a confident front for Dan’s sake that morning, but he was more nervous than he’d let on. What if the king didn’t listen? Dan would be forced to take the throne before he felt ready for it, which would pile so much stress onto his plate that Phil wasn’t sure he’d be able to relax from. He was worried, but the rhythmic, menial task helped him keep calm.After he’d finished with the cucumbers, he moved on to carrots, then onions. Tears were streaming down his face when the door to the kitchens suddenly opened, revealing Dan, though Phil didn’t notice until Peter greeted him.“Your Highness,” Peter said with a bow.Phil’s head snapped up to see Dan scanning the room for him, a relaxed smile on his face. He carefully set down the knife and onion he’d been holding and rushed over to his husband.“Oh, there you a- what happened?!” Dan exclaimed when Phil was close, raising a hand to cup Phil’s cheek, still wet with the tears from the onions. He gently swiped his thumb across Phil’s cheek to brush a tear away, concern painted across his face.“I’m fine! I was just cutting some onions over there and they really got me,” Phil laughed. He was touched by Dan’s worry, but felt a little guilty to have caused it. Dan’s expression softened into a fond smile. “A prince cutting onions? You defy all expectations, Phil.”Had it been anyone else, Phil might’ve been offended at the implication that he was doing something beneath his standing, but this was Dan. Dan didn’t think like that, and that was reflected in his amused grin. “I do my best,” Phil replied, feeling cheeky. “Now, that’s enough about me. How’d it go?”Dan grimaced, but there were still hints of a smile. He began to lead Phil to the gardens as he talked. “He’s not thrilled about it and made sure I knew that, but he’s at least agreed.”Phil let out a whoop of excitement. “That’s great!” His excitement vanished when he saw how Dan was still grimacing. “It is great, isn’t it?” he asked tentatively.“Yes, it’s great,” Dan quickly reassured him. “But he had a few conditions, which make it less great.”“Oh dear. What conditions?” “It’s nothing too drastic, but he said I would have to spend a lot more time with him in preparation of when I’m actually coronated. We won’t be able to see each other nearly as much,” Dan explained with a frown, “and I might have to travel on diplomatic missions on occasion without you.”Phil matched Dan’s frown. “Oh.” They walked in silence for a moment, finally reaching and entering the gardens. “That’s not too terrible, I suppose.” He tried not to sound too put out, but he wasn’t sure he succeeded. “I’ll miss being around you,” Dan replied. “We’ll still see each other every night, though, won’t we?” Phil wanted to know. “When you’re not travelling, that is.”“Definitely, but it won’t be the same. I like talking to you and spending time with you.”They stopped to sit at a bench in a section of the garden with a small, calm fountain in the middle of a patch of red and purple tulips. Dan took Phil’s hand in his own, lacing their fingers together. They let the conversation die down, simply enjoying each others’ company for a while. After a few minutes, Dan rested his head on Phil’s shoulder and played with their fingers. “What do the tulips mean?” Phil wondered aloud.“The colours mean different things, but purple tulips stand for royalty,” Dan mumbled. “Red tulips are for perfect love.” He looked up into Phil’s eyes.The air felt charged with emotion, each of them poised to do or say something more, but neither knowing what that could be. Phil thought Dan might kiss him, but he couldn’t be sure. He also thought he wanted to kiss Dan, but he didn’t want to accidentally make Dan uncomfortable. As time passed, it seemed like Dan was working himself up to say or do something, and Phil watched as his eyes flashed with determination and his lips opened to speak.“I-”“Your Highness!” a voice called.Dan and Phil jumped apart and looked toward the source of the sound. Aiden was bowing a little way up the path.“Yes, Aiden?” Dan asked.“His Majesty has requested your presence.”Dan sighed. “I’m on my way.” He glanced at Phil sadly. “I’ll see you tonight, then.”Phil nodded. “Tonight.”
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Even though Dan wasn’t having his coronation on his twenty-first birthday, he still had to have a party. Unfortunately for Phil, this would only be his second time meeting aristocrats of Iridacia, so he had no idea how these interactions might play out. He was also told he’d have to dance again, which he certainly wasn’t looking forward to.As with the last party, Dan and Phil were separated to get ready, so they didn’t see each other for most of the day. When they finally were together again, Phil didn’t have much chance to appreciate the wonderful sight of Dan in another suit before noticing the deeply unhappy look on his face. “What’s wrong?” he immediately asked, rushing over to put a hand to Dan’s cheek. Dan placed his own hand over Phil’s and gave it a slight squeeze. “It’s nothing.”Phil gave him a look that he’d grown very used to giving Dan over the last few months; it screamed I don’t believe you, now talk. Dan groaned in response, but relented. “I’m not too keen on this whole birthday celebration, is all. The Iridacians were expecting a coronation and instead, they got a prince who doesn’t think he’s ready to be their king and a ridiculous party.”“Hey, we’ve been over this,” Phil chastised tenderly. “This is perfectly fine because you’re easing yourself into the job rather than throwing yourself blindly in. It’ll be better for your people this way because you’ll have better control and more knowledge in a year than you do now, right? And it’ll be better for you because it gives you more time to prepare yourself in every way.”Begrudgingly, Dan nodded. “You’re right, I know. I’m just not particularly excited to go make small talk with the disapproving aristocracy.”“Now that I can’t help you with,” laughed Phil. “But we’ll be in it together, alright?”Dan smiled softly. “Of course.” Aiden told them it was time for the party, so Dan held his arm out for Phil, then walked them towards the ballroom. Unsurprisingly, neither of them enjoyed the party. The aristocrats hadn’t gotten used to Phil yet, so they didn’t quite know how to act around him. It didn’t help that, after the last time Phil had met them, they were wary; the critical duchess of before had been stripped of her title for her comments to Phil, and no one wanted to follow her example. Dan, for his part, seemed to get on fine with the guests, but Phil could tell he was straining to be polite. They both had heard the rumours flying about Dan’s lack of a coronation, many of which they suspected had been started by the people they were forced to make small talk with.About an hour in, they hid away in a corner behind some plants to have a few of the hors d’oeuvres and avoid people they weren’t particularly fond of. “You know,” Phil said as they snacked on some chocolate biscuits, “we should do something to celebrate your birthday tomorrow.”Dan snorted. “Why? We’re doing that now, can’t you tell?” he asked sarcastically, gesturing at the guests, food, and decorations.Phil rolled his eyes. “No, I mean something you want to do. It’s your birthday, which means you should be able to take the time to do something you like.”“But I don’t want to do anything,” Dan countered. “Even if I did, my father expects me to join him tomorrow for more work. He wouldn’t let me take a day off.”“Did you ask him that?”Dan gave him a weird look. “No, I just know he won’t let me.”Phil shook his head adamantly. “You can’t know that unless you ask. Come on, please? We haven’t been able to do anything together for months, but now’s the perfect excuse! And we can do anything.”Dan hesitated, but eventually nodded. “Alright, fine. We can ask him. What do you want to do?”“Daaaaan,” Phil whined. “The whole point is that you decide what we do! So, the real question is what do you want to do?”Sighing, Dan looked around him like he was looking for inspiration, before his gaze ultimately fell back on Phil. “Honestly, I don’t really care so long as I spend time with you.”Phil’s heart thumped in his chest and a blush crept up his neck. “Oh. Alright.”“Did you have anything in mind, or…” Dan teased. Phil shrugged. “I thought you would have something you wanted to do, so not really.” He took a moment to think. “Well, there aren’t any forests in Iridacia, right?”“Right,” Dan confirmed.“So you’ve barely been to any forests?”“Actually, I’ve never been to any forests.”Phil gasped. “Never? That settles it, then. Tomorrow, we have to travel to Stratalary’s forests and have a picnic for your birthday.” Anxiety flashed in Dan’s eyes. “Travel to Stratalary?”Confusion shone on Phil’s face. “Well, yeah? The new treaty allows for open passage between Stratalary and Iridacia, doesn’t it?”Dan blinked, still concerned. “I suppose so, but I’ve never been there.”Phil laughed. “That’s the point! I want to take you somewhere you’ve never been and show you how wonderful it is.”Dan still hesitated. “I don’t know, Phil. That’s a long trip just for a picnic.”“It wouldn’t only be a picnic, though!” Phil exclaimed, excitement building as he planned the trip in his mind. “We could walk through the woods and I could tell you all about them, since you’ve never been to a forest! Please, Dan?” Phil pouted and made his best puppy face.“Oh, alright, then,” Dan yielded. “If my father allows it, we can go to Stratalary tomorrow. But I suspect we’ll have to be on our best behaviour for the rest of this party for him to let that happen, so finish your biscuits and let’s go greet more guests.” For several more hours, Dan and Phil made the rounds, chatting with as many people as possible before approaching the king. “Father,” Dan began, “Phil and I would like to travel to the Stratalarian forests tomorrow as a more private celebration of my birthday. I know I’ll be missing important lessons from you, but-”“Of course you can go!” his father boomed. “You never ask for anything for your birthday, so this will make up for it. Make the necessary arrangements and be back by the day after tomorrow.”Dan blinked in surprise. “Th-thank you, Father. I’ll speak with the necessary people.” He bowed, beckoning Phil to do the same, then guided Phil away. Phil was beaming. “I told you he would let us!”Dan grinned back. “I’m glad you were right. I’m excited to spend a whole uninterrupted day with you for once.”A whole uninterrupted day rattled around in Phil’s head and he felt his excitement grow. Tomorrow would be a great day.~~~~~~~~~~The morning began bright and early for Dan and Phil, who had to leave just as the sun came up to make sure they’d have enough time to travel to Stratalary and back in one day. Most days, Phil would hate getting up so early, but he found that he was much too excited to be bothered. He got dressed in comfortable black trousers and a loose-fitting white tunic while Dan found matching black trousers and a lavender tunic. Dan looked especially soft and huggable, the looseness of the shirt letting him stretch the sleeves over his hands and showing off his long neck. Phil had to make an effort not to stare, but he realized he’d failed when Dan turned to him and blushed a deep red. Phil looked away quickly, embarrassed at being caught staring. He had a feeling that would happen often throughout the day. Their private birthday celebration was accompanied by a carriage driver and four knights to keep them safe, as the king had insisted that it was a necessary precaution. They weren’t thrilled at the thought of still being with other people on a day like this, but decided this was better than not being able to go. Luckily, they got to ride in the carriage alone. They sat next to each other, pointing at things out the window and giggling together about nothing. At some point in the long journey, Dan laced their fingers together and rested his head on Phil’s shoulder as they talked, providing a comfortable warmth. That was one of the things Phil loved about Dan; he radiated heat, but not in a sticky, sweaty way. It made their cuddles that much cozier. After several hours of travel, they arrived at the border between Iridacia and Stratalary. Their carriage rolled across the wide bridge on which they’d been married a few months ago. It looked different without all the people, chairs, and decorations; now, it was a plain bridge, save for the statue standing in the middle on one side. The bronze statue was of the two of them holding hands, marking the exact spot where they got married. Phil understood that it was there because of the significance of their marriage, but he felt weird about it. His marriage was a political statement more than anything else, which was shown by that statue. Now that he’d had time to adjust to married life, and Dan, by extension, he wasn’t sure he liked how it had been warped for politics, taking out all other meaning. He shook his head to clear it; now was not the time to worry about it. He instead returned his focus to the excitement of their trip and the celebration of Dan’s birth.Phil hadn’t been back to his family’s kingdom since the wedding, so he eagerly looked out the window at his homeland. The forests began only a short way into Stratalary, so their journey was almost over. Excitedly, Phil turned to Dan and told him to look out the window.“Do you see the trees off in the distance?” he yelled, head sticking out the window. He heard Dan laugh behind him, so he turned around. “What? Are you laughing at me?”Dan had a twinkle in his eye and his lips stretched in a wide grin. “Maybe a little,” he giggled.Phil pouted playfully, which only made Dan laugh more. “Come on,” Phil whined. He tugged on Dan’s sleeve like a child. “Look out the window!”Dan rolled his eyes in amusement. “You want me to stick my head out the window?”Phil scoffed. “Obviously!” That earned him another giggle and Dan finally stuck his head out the window to look at the steadily-growing treeline. “Those are definitely trees,” Dan commented, pulling his head back into the carriage.“Alright, smartass,” Phil teased with an eye roll. “I bet you’ll be speechless when we actually go into the forest, at least. It’s literally the prettiest thing you’ll ever see.”“I think I’ve already seen that,” Dan whispered. If his expression were any softer, Phil was certain he’d turn into a puddle. Blushing, Phil opened and closed his mouth a few times and tried to figure out what to say, but Dan moved on before his brain could work properly again.“Did you have a spot in mind for our picnic? I’m starving.”Phil mentally shook himself to get his mind to catch up. “Yeah, it’s not far into the forest. We’ll have to walk there, but it won’t take long.”The carriage pulled to a stop in front of a path into the forest and Phil clambered out, then hold out a hand to help Dan. “Ooh, what a gentleman,” Dan said with a mock curtsy. “Of course, m’lady,” Phil teased back, bowing. “May I lead you onwards, fair maiden?”Dan snorted. “I suppose you may.”Phil took Dan’s hand more firmly in his own and guided him forward into the woods. He watched Dan’s face carefully, searching for signs of wonder. He didn’t have to wait long, as they entered a thick grove of massive trees. Dan looked up and around, eyes wide and mouth falling open. “Phil,” he breathed. “This is amazing. How are these trees so tall? Look at that one!” with his free hand, he pointed to a tree farther up the path that was as wide as Dan’s arms when outstretched. A face-splitting grin refused to leave Phil’s face as he took in Dan’s excitement with the welcoming scent of the forest. Phil had missed the relaxing, familiar smells and sounds of the forest. He found the rustling of the leaves in the wind immediately soothing.He led Dan down the path, loving the quiet gasps coming from his husband as they passed increasingly beautiful trees and plants. They were nearing the meadow Phil had intended to use for their picnic when Dan suddenly stopped."Dan? Are you alright?""Shh!" Dan insisted. He pointed off to their right. "Is that- is that a pegasus?"Phil followed the direction of Dan's finger and saw an absolutely stunning white, winged horse watching them from behind a group of trees. He inhaled sharply."It is! It's considered the best luck to see one in the wild here," Phil explained. "I think I might be able to get it to come closer, if you'd like?""You can do that?" Dan asked, incredulous."I certainly can try. Pegasi are generally fond of us Stratalarians and our cloud manipulation." Phil concentrated on the pegasus, then produced a tendril of cloud leading between him and the pegasus. He slowly beckoned it forward, inch by inch, until at last it was right in front of them.Phil was fairly certain Dan was so shocked that he wasn't breathing. He would have laughed if he wasn't worried about scaring off the pegasus. Instead, he calmly raised a hand, inviting the pegasus in to caress its muzzle. When its nose bumped Phil's hand, Dan jumped in surprise. The pegasus immediately turned to look at him, ready to bolt."Shhh," Phil told the pegasus. He reached out his hand again and stroked its cheek soothingly. "He won't hurt you." He looked over at Dan. "You can pet him. Just be gentle, yeah?"Dan gulped and nodded, turning his full attention to the pegasus. Ever so slowly, he raised his hand and pet the soft fur on the pegasus's nose. Phil watched as Dan began to relax, his wariness turning to admiration and joy. His expression lit up when the pegasus pushed against his hand for a scratch on the chin.This was why Phil had wanted to take Dan to the forest. He'd known Dan would love it as much as Phil did, and he was unbelievably happy to see he was right.After a few minutes, the pegasus backed up with a snort, which Phil interpreted as thanks, then clopped off back to where it came from."Where's it going? Did I do something wrong?" Dan asked, clearly distressed.Phil laughed. "No, of course not! He must've decided he'd had enough. Now come on! You said you were hungry, so let's find the meadow!"Not long later, they stepped through some trees into the meadow. It was a large clearing full of beautiful wildflowers of every colour, rustling in the breeze."This is beautiful, Phil," Dan whispered, sounding like he was worried that speaking any louder would irreparably disturb the quiet of the meadow.Phil guided them closer to the middle of the meadow, then beckoned over the knight that had been carrying their picnic basket a few steps behind them. He thanked the knight and pulled out the blanket someone had packed for them, getting Dan to help him lay it out on the ground before sitting on it. He patted the spot next to him as he looked up at Dan."Join me?"Dan complied, lying down next to Phil. Phil opened the basket and pulled out their sandwiches."Thank you," Dan said sincerely.Phil grunted an acknowledgement around his sandwich."No, really," Dan insisted. "Thank you for bringing me here. It's gorgeous and so peaceful. And I just met a pegasus over there. That's insane!"Phil shrugged, pink rising to his cheeks, and refused to meet Dan's eyes in embarrassment. "Don't mention it."Dan sat up. "Hey, look at me. Please?" He waited for Phil to make eye contact. "I want you to understand. This right here is the best birthday I've ever had, and it's all because of you. And I know, we've only barely been here at all, but it's true.""I'm happy you're happy," Phil replied softly. "You really like the forest that much?"Dan nodded vigorously. "Absolutely."Phil grinned. "I'm so glad."They ate their picnic lunch quickly, then leaned back on the blanket, hand-in-hand, to stare up at the sky together.It was an incredible day out, the sky a pure blue with poofy white clouds. The June heat was lessened by a cool breeze blowing through the meadow and making the wildflowers sway. Phil turned his head to look at Dan and watched the way the breeze pushed his soft curls on his forehead. He looked so relaxed and happy, a dimple digging into his cheek, that Phil’s heart melted. Seeing his husband like this was wonderful; no one else ever got to see him quite so at peace.Suddenly, Dan pointed at a cloud. "That one looks like a dog.""It does, doesn't it," Phil laughed. He pointed at another one, more bulbous and weird, and said, "That one looks like you.""Oi!" Dan exclaimed, indignant. He playfully smacked Phil's arm. "Shut up, you. I don't look anything like that!"Phil grinned mischievously and created a cloud over them in the shape of a rat. "Fine, this one's you."Dan rolled onto his side and released Phil's hand. "I do not, you spoon!" he whined, pushing Phil away.Cackling maniacally, Phil changed the cloud into the shape of a cartoonish poop with a wave of his hand."Don't you dare," Dan threatened, hands poised over Phil.Phil looked challengingly up into Dan's eyes. "I think I've recreated your face perfectly this time.""You little-" Dan roared, launching himself at Phil and attacking him with vicious tickles.Phil shrieked, desperately trying to squirm away, but Dan had him pinned to the ground."I take it back! I take it back!" Phil yelled through a laugh. "Please! Sto-hahaha-p!"Dan relented, only to start back up again when Phil immediately changed the cloud into a middle finger.Several minutes later, they both were too worn out to continue the tickle fight, and Dan collapsed on top of Phil, their chests heaving. Phil reached a tired arm up to wrap around Dan in a hug."Thank you for convincing me to do this," Dan said into Phil's neck."You already thanked me so much, rat," Phil reminded Dan with a laugh. He yelped when Dan's fingers dug into a ticklish spot on his side. "Oi, enough of that! I don't know how much more I could handle."Dan ignored him and continued to speak. "I genuinely love the forest and I'm so glad you dragged me all the way out here."A thought occurred to Phil. "Since you like it here so much, does that mean we'll get to visit these woods more often? I've missed forests so much while I've been in Iridacia.""I'm sorry, but I can't promise that we can visit more often," Dan said sadly. "I'm lucky my father agreed to this trip, never mind more regular visits."Phil held back a sigh. It wasn't Dan's fault and the last thing he wanted to do was make Dan feel guilty. "I understand.""I do have good news, though." Dan lifted his head to make eye contact. "Remember how I told you that kings get to add their own section to the gardens in whatever configuration they want?"Phil's brow furrowed in confusion. "Yes, what about it?""I decided my addition will be a small forest, made especially for you."Phil's jaw dropped open, and he blinked in surprise. "I- for- for me? A forest?"Dan giggled, his eyes lighting up in fond amusement. "Yes, Phil. For you.""But it's supposed to be about you! Isn't it? Since it's the king's addition to the forest, I just assumed-""It's my addition, yes, but I get to choose what I add and what I make it about. And I want to make it about you," he finished shyly.Phil teared up, overwhelmed with emotion. He couldn't believe Dan was willing to make such a big part of his legacy about him, of all people."Plus, I knew how much you were missing the forest. Peter told me as much, once, and the way you've been looking around this place as if it's the most important thing in the world-" Dan cut himself off, seeming like he was searching for the right words. "I couldn't make it about anything else."The tears slipped out of Phil's eyes. Dan's eyes widened, his expression changing in an instant from shy happiness to extreme concern."Oh, no, please don't cry! What's wrong? Did I say the wrong thing? I- I can think of something else, it doesn't have to be-"Phil shook his head adamantly. "No! No, I'm happy!" He choked out a laugh. "I just don't know what to say."Dan relaxed a bit, clearly relieved that Phil wasn't upset. He snaked a hand down to find one of Phil's and brought it up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. "You don't have to say anything, if you don't want. I'm glad you're happy.""I thought it was supposed to be your birthday, you spoon," Phil huffed, feigning annoyance. "How am I supposed to follow that up?" Even as he asked it, an idea popped into his head. He hadn't been sure yet about what he had to say, but it had been floating around for long enough now that he was fairly certain it was true. This latest surprise from Dan solidified his feelings and convinced him it would be best to voice his thoughts.He tuned back in to catch the tail end of Dan saying, "Phiiiil, you don't have to follow it up! This already was plenty enough for me to be perfectly happy!" His thumb brushed against Phil’s knuckles softly."Well, I have something for you anyway." Now that he'd decided to say what he had to say, the nerves kicked in. He hastily pushed them down, reminding himself that this was Dan he was talking to. It would be fine. No, it would be better than fine; it would be amazing.He took too long, apparently, because Dan got impatient. He teased, "What is it? You're leaving me in such suspens-""I love you," Phil blurted, a violent flush rising to his cheeks. "We haven't known each other long, I know, but I've never been so sure of anything in all my life." When Dan continued to stare at him in absolute shock, he hurried on. "I love your kindness, your humor, the way your eyes light up when you're excited, how patient you are with me when teaching me about flowers. You're so intelligent, and so brave, and-"A pair of lips covered his own, preventing him from rambling any more compliments. They were as soft as last time, but the kiss felt so much different now than it had those few months ago. Where it had felt empty and meaningless before, it now felt charged with emotion. He tentatively moved his lips against Dan’s, still unsure of how to properly kiss someone but wanting to so much. Dan didn’t seem to mind Phil’s inexperience, as he reached up a hand to cup Phil's cheek and deepen this kiss, and Phil's arm tightened around Dan's back. He never wanted it to end."Your Highness!" called a frantic voice, shattering their bubble of serene privacy.Dan pulled back immediately, though Phil tried to chase after his lips, and sat up, taking Phil with him."Yes, George? What's wrong?" Dan called back. He blinked in confusion. "Where did all this fog come from?"Phil blushed heavily. "That may have been my fault." He willed away the fog surrounding them, allowing the knight to see that they were both alright.George was a few feet away, eyes wild in concern, though the worry lessened when he saw Dan safely sitting beside Phil. Then, he seemed to notice Dan's dishevelment, with his tunic askew, hair a mess, and bright flush."Oh, um," George said awkwardly. "Sorry to, er, interrupt, Your Highness," he apologized. "I'll- um- sorry." He bowed and jogged off to a respectful distance.Dan and Phil glanced at each other, still embarrassed, then laughed."Liked that kiss, did you, Phil?" Dan teased through his laughter. "Fogging up the place enough to scare the guards?"Phil groaned in embarrassment and covered his face with his hands. "Actually shut up!" He peeked out from between his fingers at Dan and noticed a bush of flowers had grown all around them. "You're one to talk, Mr Dark-Red-Rosebush!" Phil froze. Dark red rosebush. He didn't need Dan to tell him what those meant, but he wished he'd tell him anyway. He wanted to hear Dan say it.Dan went from teasing to shy in an instant. He broke eye contact and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. In his other hand, he conjured another dark red rose. Phil watched intently from between his fingers as Dan lifted the rose to his nose, inhaling deeply, then leaned forward towards Phil. He gently pried Phil's hands away from his face and put the rose in one. His hand lingered there, stroking Phil's knuckles once before he pulled his hand back into his own lap."I love you, too," he whispered nervously.Phil glanced between the rose in his hand and Dan several times. A grin spread on his face and he leaned forward, grabbing Dan by the collar of his tunic and pulling him in for another kiss.By the time they were heading to the carriage, Phil was holding a full bouquet of dark red roses in one hand and Dan's hand in the other. Their hair and clothes were thoroughly rumpled, and neither of them could stop smiling.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
One Year Later
The day of Dan's coronation began softly. They both woke up before it was necessary, but remained cuddling in bed."How are you feeling?" Phil asked in a whisper.Dan shrugged, jostling Phil on his shoulder."I'm alright." He turned his head to look down at Phil, leaning in to press a lingering kiss to his lips. "Now I'm better."Phil huffed a laugh. "Nerd."Dan nudged Phil's leg with his own, which surprised Phil; he'd quite forgotten whose legs were whose in the tangle under the blankets."We have to get up soon, you know," Phil reminded Dan. "It's a big day.""Ugh," Dan replied. "I'm well aware.""Hey," Phil whispered. "You'll be amazing."Doubt clouded Dan's eyes. "Will I, though? What if I took this extra year and still let everyone down?"Phil shrugged. "I think that's kind of the nature of being king. You'll let some people down, I won't lie. But, sometimes, what seems like a let-down isn't so bad, after all. And, besides, you'll have me here to support you. You'll be brilliant."Dan sighed. "But how can you know that?"Tightening his arms around Dan's torso, Phil leaned up and kissed him long and slow. When he pulled back, Dan's lips chased his own and he smirked. "I know that because I know you. You're brilliant now, and you'll be brilliant as the king."A knock at the door startled them both."I guess that means it's time to get up," Dan said.Phil found Dan's hand and brought it up to his lips for a kiss. "I'll be right at your side the whole time.""Promise?""Promise."The morning simultaneously crawled at a snail's pace and flew like a pegasus. There was so much work to be done to get the two of them ready and it all seemed to take so long while it was happening, but then suddenly Dan was in front of Phil again, this time in his coronation robes.The coronation robes looked similar to what Dan had worn at their wedding, which felt so long ago now. A royal purple cape with a train several feet long hung from his shoulders, embroidered with irises and leaves. He wore a crisp white suit under the cape and his hair was perfectly styled, not a curl out of place."You look beautiful," Phil told him, making that patch on his jaw turn rosy. He loved that he could still so easily make Dan blush. He pressed a delicate kiss to the patch, then whispered in his ear, "Remember, you'll be amazing."Dan gave him a tight smile when he pulled back, then kissed him on the lips. "I love you.""I love you, too.""You know what we should do after this?" Dan asked suddenly."Cuddle in bed with hot chocolate?" Phil suggested.Dan laughed. "Well, that too, but I was thinking something else.""Care to share with the class?" Phil asked, quirking a brow."Phil, you are the love of my life. You're a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Marry me?"Phil snorted. "We're already married, rat. How long did it take you to come up with that pun?"Dan looked up at the ceiling as if pondering the question. "Hmmm, about a year.""A whole year, and that's the best you could do?" Phil shook his head in mock disappointment. "Here's one I've been saving for a while: I feel my love for you growing by the day.""I rescind my previous offer of marriage," Dan deadpanned.Phil giggled. "That's alright, I don't think your husband would much approve.""You could be right," Dan conceded. He glanced past Phil, then pecked him on the lips once more. "They're waving me over. Let's get this over with." He took a deep breath, then confidently walked over to where he was supposed to wait for the procession.Phil, meanwhile, was guided to his place to watch the coronation in the massive great hall of the palace. The hall was decorated in purple and green splendour, irises and gladioli all along the walls. A long purple carpet extended from the door Dan would enter through all the way to the middle of the hall, where there were a few steps leading onto a platform where he would be crowned by the prime minister. Phil would be the closest person to Dan not actively participating in the ceremony, per Dan's request. He took his place, standing with the other Iridacians, looking out over the sea of people waiting to watch their prince take the throne. A few royals from other kingdoms were there, as well, to show their support for the new king of Iridacia. Martyn was among them. Phil was excited to talk to him later, as he would be staying in Iridacia for a few days on business. He'd heard rumours of a woman named Cornelia attracting his attention lately and eagerly anticipated getting the details.Finally, the doors at the end of the great hall opened, revealing Dan, face set in a serious expression, walking slowly and purposefully towards the middle. Phil felt his breath catch in his throat. Dan looked so natural like this, so ready to take the responsibility of becoming king. It made Phil proud. Dan had been so afraid of this very thing only a year ago, and now he was confidently climbing the steps in the middle of the hall, no unexpected flowers in sight. He was about to adopt the power to make a real difference in the lives of his people, and Phil couldn't wait to see what he'd do with it.Words were exchanged in the middle of the hall as Dan knelt in front of his father and his council of advisors, then Dan's father knelt in front of Dan. The prime minister removed the crown from Dan's father's head and placed it on Dan's. A few more words were spoken, and Dan stood. The council bowed before him, and Dan turned to face his people. His eyes flickered to Phil's for a brief moment, and Phil smiled at him, just as the prime minister announced:"Long live King Daniel!”