May look into moving permanently to Monday night updates (EST). Will see what next week brings, but until then, here's the new chapter!
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Chapter 150:
Unhindered Love
In the manure filled carriage, the smell of feces was the last of the group's worries. Their noses had already grown dull from the stench, and their eyes and ears were far more open, moving to see and hear at a moment's notice. The fear of being caught weighed on the group, and even the children, as hard as they tried to act brave, were afraid and nearly reduced to tears at the thought of being caught by the bad men, as the queen had explained to them.
There was no safe space for them to stop yet, so they could only stop momentarily for the children to stretch their legs and use the bathroom in the forest before the cart continued on its course to the west. The only safe space they could find would be Eva's group, particularly the crew with Jasmine. While they would not be the most welcoming to the royal family, it was the first step to solving the diplomatic turmoil in the kingdom.
Over the course of the journey, Clarence had been moved to the middle, between Silas and Maeir. Keeping Bloody Maeir from harming the prince, who seemed interested in getting to know the elves, was a battle of its own, but Maeir had no interest in bothering with the young prince. While the prince attempted to warm up to Maeir, the children were kept busy with games Silas played with them, primarily games like "I spy" and other seeking games. At first, Julian felt too mature to play such simple games, but as he watched his older brother get more into it, he joined as well, attempting to beat his sister at the game.
After nearly an hour of the game, Maeir and Ecaterina had had enough of the children's game and made them stop, returning the cart to quiet as the children soon fell asleep, leaving only the adults to be awake. They quietly discussed their future with baited breaths
"Once we find the other group, we'll figure out where we're headed from there. We can't take you three to any of the other kingdoms, your citizen tokens would be flagged immediately." Silas said, rubbing his fatigued eyes with the back of his hand. "And staying in any of the cities would be extremely foolish. Malcolm's troops must already be looking for us in the major cities as we speak."
"We'll talk to the group and figure out what will happen moving forward. We may not agree with what you have done, but your children should not suffer as a result." Maeir said vaguely, staring at the prince with a sideways glance. That human will never leave my son's side. Clarence had grown far more attached to Silas than she ever thought, and by the way the two interacted, it was not simply a one sided infatuation. "It would be best for us all to stay together and find the rest of our group."
"I don't care what happens to me. Please, protect my children. I will repent and do whatever is necessary to keep them safe." Queen Racliffe uttered finally, falling quiet as her words fell.
Clarence stared at his mother, his expression equally as concerned. "Nothing will happen to you, Julian, or Eloise. I promise, mom."
"I can only pray so, Clarence." The queen remained deep in thought, sitting in the back with a despondent expression, watching over her children with a protective panic. Fortunately, her children were unaware of the dangers around them, sleeping peacefully in their mother's arms.
With the rocking of the carriage, Silas, sitting in the front, began to doze off slightly. His eyes rested half-lidded as he attempted to keep himself awake. His sleepy figure was not unnoticed by the prince, who seemed to be sitting on the edge of his seat for any opportunity to be sweet to Silas.
"If you're tired, rest." Clarence said with a soft smile, patting his shoulder with his hand. "I can watch the cart with your mom." His expression was relaxed, appearing uncaring, but inside his chest, his heart was throbbing fast. Even the edge of his ears were dyed red with a heavy blush.
"Are you sure?" Silas turned towards Maeir, but she only nodded her head, looking straight forward as if she heard nothing.
"Sleep. We'll be fine." Maeir finally said, her eyes falling over Clarence's blushing ears.
"Well, thanks." With a single yawn, Silas finally relented, saying in a quiet tone. "If I sleep too long, make sure to wake me up." The prince tapped his shoulder again, gesturing lightly with an embarrassed smile. Carefully, Silas rested his head on Clarence's shoulder, the top of his head gently brushing against the prince's neck. His soft hair fell around Clarence's shoulder, resting gently behind his back.
"It wouldn't be the first time." Clarence said naturally, relishing Silas's touch as he had in Camille's palace. He kept his hands on his lap, unintentionally smelling the sweet forest scent permeating Silas's body with joy.
Hearing their words and the comfort in their skinship, Queen Racliffe's jaw nearly fell to the ground. Her eyes widened like saucers, and she wanted to say something at that very moment, but a dark, strong pressure from the front of the carriage stopped her in her tracks. Looking forward, only a short distance in front of her, was one of Maeir's eyes, looking at her from over her shoulder. The colorful hue of her iris was bright, nearly burning the puckered lips of the queen's mouth shut with her glare.
The only sound at the time was the sound of Silas's quiet breaths, his fatigue evident on his tired eyes. The adults had remained awake most of the journey, as hard as she tried, the queen could not bring herself to fall asleep in the carriage full of elves she had no reason to trust, unlike her son, who was far more than infatuated with the other elven man.
Is his behavior just an act to save his life? Or does he truly love that filthy elf? The queen asked herself, staring at the long, silky strands of Silas's hair. Staring at the light hair, the queen was reminded of something herself. A bitter feeling swallowed her heart as she bit her lip, keeping the tiding feelings at bay as she gently closed her eyes, unwilling to watch the scene in front of her any longer.
As the journey continued, the cart traveled down the abandoned road with haste. The group tried to avoid as many bumps as possible, but unfortunately, the unused road was full of rocks and other holes in the dirt. The thick foliage made it difficult for the horses, but Maeir was undeterred, leading the horses through the path with her dexterity, avoiding the many obstacles with ease.
Hidden under a large patch of grass was a sizable hole, nearly as large as a human head. Unknowingly, Maeir had passed over the bump, but the carriage wheels to the right were not safe, and there was a loud ker-thunk, jolting the carriage with the heaviness of the thud. The drop startled Eloise awake, who nearly bumped her head on the wooden seat in front of her. With a startled jump, she looked around her before she realized where she was. She held her mother's hand, staring forward with some sleep still lingering in her eyes.
In front, Silas's head bobbed, nearly falling off of the prince's shoulder. Moving his hand, Clarence cradled Silas's forehead in his palm as gently moved his head back onto his shoulder, the strands of Silas's bangs tickling the soft skin of his palm. The skin of Silas's forehead was just as soft, and Clarence's fingers lingered on the soft skin for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the elven man resting on his shoulder.
Even after they passed the bump, Clarence's hand remained on Silas's head, his fingers gently tangled in the other man's hair. With a pass of his hand, he straightened out the stray hairs out of Silas's face, pushing back the stray strands with a smile. His eyes, dancing like crescents, were full of an unhidden love and adoration.
Watching her brother touch Silas's hair, Eloise stared from behind, her hands nearly reaching up to touch the soft-looking strands of Silas's shoulder length hair for herself. As her hand was raised, nearly touching the hair, the queen raised her hand and gently stopped her, shaking her head.
Eloise would have none of her mom's protests, however, as she said with a pout. "How come Clarence can touch his hair, but I can't?"
Everyone fell silent at that moment, particularly Clarence, whose hand fell still on the crown of Silas's head. He stared at Eloise with a tinge of embarrassment, feeling as though he were caught doing something immoral. Clarence let out a light cough, his cheeks turning pink as he fell still. "I was straightening up his hair. See? It's not sticking up anymore."
His little sister was far from convinced. "You want his hair yourself! You big meanie!"
Feeling the gentle strokes stop, Silas adjusted his head back into the center of Clarence's palm like an affectionate cat, rubbing back and forth. Watching Clarence's face burn bright red, and Eloise's pout grow larger, Queen Racliffe was nearly beyond herself. "Both of you, keep your hands to yourself!" She spat, barely raising her voice above a breathy hiss.
Having to witness the unintentional affection between her son and the bastard royal, Maeir could only steer the carriage forward, not interested in intervening further in her son's love life. Once they were safe, and they knew what would happen to the royal family, Maeir was prepared to have the difficult conversation with the queen, a conversation neither was open to having with the other. She had yet to speak to her son about the prince, but, watching the pair's interactions, she felt the conversation between her and her son would be far more difficult than she first imagined.
While her thoughts of Clarence slowly changed, Maeir still held some ill feelings towards the prince. As much as he wanted to right his wrongs, he had tortured her son, attacked their village, and chased Silas throughout the kingdom like a maniac. If Silas's corpse left the palace rather than her live son, Clarence and his family would have never seen the light of day.
If not for Silas's feelings, I would have killed that royal fool dead. Maeir thought, adjusting the reins in her hands. Even if Silas were to love him, if the prince did not return his feelings, that man would have conveniently disappeared by now. He'd have to be an idiot to not realize how lucky he is. The leather reins wrapped around her palms, and her thumbs trailed across the stiff fabric, tightening the material like a suffocating thread in her hands.
Unaware of Maeir's thoughts, the queen was only partially aware of Clarence's affairs with the elf in the palace. She could not hide her disgust in Clarence's infatuation. I always thought he would marry a woman from a good family and rule the kingdom like his father, but he's only destined to walk in my footsteps.
With the queen lost in her thoughts, she was unable to hear the carriage slowly stop, the voices in the carriage hushed with a sudden urgency as another foreign sound filled their ears as Maeir addressed the group, her hand resting on the sheath of her sword as she pulled the reins to a sudden stop, quietly coaxing the horses with heavy whispers.
"Shh. I hear voices." Maeir lifted her finger, hushing the children as she readied her sword, staring forward with alarm. "Clarence, wake Silas up." Maeir whispered harshly, her eyes falling forward as the queen helped her children lower their heads, even the still-sleeping Julian, who slept like the dead in the manure-filled carriage.
With a gentle shake of his shoulder, Clarence lowered his head as he whispered in Silas's ear. "Silas, wake up. Someone's here." The tips of his hair brushed against Silas's cheek, his warm breath passing the elf's pointed ear like a passing breeze, full of warmth.
It took a moment for Silas to awaken, but once he did, he was startled by how close the prince's face was to his. Their cheeks were touching, and if he were to move his head to the left, their lips would nearly brush against one another. With an embarrassed frown, Silas moved back, using his free hand to rub his eyes awake, channeling the mana in his body in preparation of a fight. Together, the two stepped down from the cart, crouching down and away from the queen and Clarence's siblings.
"Be quiet, Eloise. Everything will be okay." Ecaterina whispered softly to Eloise, stroking the young girl's hair as she hugged the young girl to her chest. The queen remained close to Julian, keeping him hidden as he continued to sleep, unseen.
They were hours from the palace. The voices could belong to anyone. Peasants, merchants, mercenaries, even soldiers. There was no place to hide, no safety net to catch them. If they were found now, they could all be slaughtered. There was too much yet to be done, too much that could be risked if they were found now. Their group was exhausted, and if the fight was too long, they could lose their lives at that very moment.
Lifting her sword, Maeir watched from the side of the carriage like a lynx as Silas hurried down from the carriage, holding his own sword in his hand as he blinked his eyes, attempting to wake himself as fast as he could. Clarence kneeled at his side, holding his own sword on the other side of the carriage as they looked forward, listening carefully to the quiet voices that drifted over from deeper down the hidden path.
…
Standing with his arms at his side, shrouded in the dim light of the lantern, the lower half of Alywin's face was lit with the warm yellow light, hiding the pale tone of his face. The shadows under his eyes lingered, shrouding the bubbling tears out of view, hiding his leaking fragility.
There was no worry for the princesses anymore, now that they had disappeared down the tunnel. Now, they could fight without worry, keeping the man they both swore to protect by their side if they emerged as the victor in their twisted game. Much like a golden trophy, there could only be one winner to claim such an invaluable prize.
Please, hurry Theo. Alywin prayed, blinking his eyes as he bit his lip, holding down the sobs that threatened to spill from his throat. He could only remain still, allowing Malcolm to hug him until Theo could attack him, striking the other man down directly.
Quietly, not even the sound of footsteps, Theo lifted his blade in the shrouded darkness, his eyes gleaming as his weapon reached its peak, beginning to fall in one smooth arch as the tip of the blade attempted to slice the faux royal's neck.
As the woosh of wind passed through the air, the hairs on the back of Malcolm's neck lifted, and the man turned, his eyes making contact with Theo, his blade falling rapidly towards him like a scythe. Malcolm's hands moved faster than the blade could land, and with a heavy shove, Alywin was pushed down the tunnel, nearly falling on his rear as the sound of fabric ripping tore through the air, a muffled gasp followed with it. The lantern remained safe in his grasp, lighting the space around the three men with a dim yellow light.
"You barbaric fuck." Malcolm's voice was dangerous, his words spilling out of his mouth like a curse as he rested his hand on his left shoulder. "I should have known… you were alive this whole time." He gritted his teeth, his words stained with regret. Squinting his eyes, he could make out Theo's darkened figure staring back at him, the edge of his sword pointed at him.
Theo did not respond. He could only stare forward, his fury keeping him in place as he stared towards Alywin, relieved he was not injured by the blade. Fortunately, Malcolm would never let Alywin get in harm's way, even if it meant saving himself. To the royal, he was the only person that could touch Alywin, harm him, or even lay eyes on him. His obsession was strong, far too strong for Alywin to take, but in the years they were separated, his attraction never waned.
"Did you utter some curse to keep you alive, hm? How did you do it?" He smiled wickedly, the glasses chain stringing along the sides of his face with a dull glimmer. "Did someone help you, perhaps?" Malcolm's gaze stayed forward, but his words were biting, directed straight at Alywin, who stood next to the wall, shrunken away as much as he could stand.
Whatever I say, he won't believe me anyway. Holding his hands to his chest, Alywin froze, his pupils shrinking as the rest of his body trembled, still unable to forget the feeling of Malcolm's arms wrapped around his body like a chain. His teeth began to chatter lightly, his reddened eyes fixed forward on the two men with palpable fear. His hands trembled violently. Alywin could never respond to the man, and Malcolm knew it.
"Was I right? Hm, I'm disappointed in you, Alywin." Malcolm's words tore through the small space dangerously, his voice low as his fingers grazed the bloody wound on his shoulder. "I thought you were better than this."
"Alywin has nothing to do with this." Theo shot back, defending Alywin as he laughed, his smile biting, "The only thing that kept me alive was the thought of your cold corpse."
"My corpse?" Malcolm chuckled, his eyes full of mocking, "You're very sure of yourself."
Theo stepped forward as he snarled, "You've tormented Alywin enough, you royal bastard!"As the word abandoned fell from Theo's lips, Malcolm's figure drastically changed. His golden eyes darkened, dimming like dark gold saucers. "Was capturing him from Duke Cyneric not enough?"
Standing with his sword in front of him, holding back Malcolm's ferocious attack, Theo laughed aloud, his voice echoing in the narrow dirt path in the underground hell. "Did I strike a nerve?"
"Keep his name out of your filthy mouth, you barbarian." Malcolm's blade swung inches away from Theo's face, barely missing his nose from the horizontal swing. The pressure behind the blade was growing heavier and heavier, and the air around them was stirring with dirt and dust from their footsteps, making the air around them full of a dusty haze of fog. The heat of the lamp only worsened their visibility, and they began to sweat, their movements as heavy and ferocious as the other's.
"Stay back, Alywin!" Theo yelled, shoving Malcolm back as he stepped away from the two men, hoping to lure Malcolm closer to him down the tunnel.
"You're acting as if I would hurt him." Malcolm's expression was warped, his hands clenching the small sword in his hands like a crucifix. "When you're the one that has hurt him far more than I ever have." Madness lingered in his eyes, stirred from the comments of Theo.
Anything to do with Alywin or their upbringing was a trigger for Malcolm, a trigger to the times that the pair spent in this very town. It brought back the first intimate memories Malcolm held, and the first memories of his abandonment the moment Alywin was found by the duke.
If it was not for Theo, things would have been different. The man's thoughts chanted repeatedly, singing in various tones in his mind as his sword moved fluidly, nearly striking Theo's arm as he lifted his sword to defend. He's ruined everything between Alywin and me. Now's the time I can truly make him disappear.
With the two men in such a beserk state, the space fell into chaos. The lamp Alywin had been holding was thrown aside by Malcolm, who slapped the item out of Alywin's hands with little concern, only showing a distorted expression as he faced Theo, smiling like a demon as the lantern slowly fell to the ground. The glass casing shattered by the force of the throw, and soon, the space fell dark.
"Dammit!" Theo cursed, narrowing his eyes as he channeled the little mana in his body to his eyes, dodging the rapid attacks from Malcolm until he could strike with the upper hand.
Glass shards littered the ground, making clinking, chiming sounds of clittering as the men stepped over the pieces, the shards growing smaller and smaller under the pressure of their footsteps. There were screams, gasps, and sounds of passing metal clanging against metal. In the dark, the sounds blended into a strange symphony of horror, bending the very fabric of reality in the small, hidden tunnel.
It was impossible to see the men fighting, the darkness swallowed them whole the moment the candle's flame was extinguished. Only by listening could Alywin know what would happen to them, and if he and Theo would escape with their lives today.
…
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So close to the wrap up of his arc, and onto the "final" arc, what I originally intended to be extras. There is still too much relationship building to be done, even at this state. Having our leads rush into love is not my tastes, and would ruin our lovely slow-burn ;D YMtK's 3rd anniversary will be (I believe) next week, so while I have something special in mind, my schedule will dictate if that happens or not.... :(
Again, apologies for my lateness.... I haven't had much time to write, let alone sleep. I've been teaching Japanese classes three days a week at my studio though, and it's been lovely! Work... is work. I had to sniff a mattress today, so there's that :)))
I have hope my schedule will rapidly decrease in March. Call it a gut instinct, but it's my new YMtK end goal >y< My friends and family have been very helpful and supportive, and all this wouldn't be possible without them and all y'all :D Thank you all kindly for the lovely words, likes, follows, etc. It's a breath of fresh air ;u;