On top of the clocktower, amidst the clicking of the hands, the two had stayed close to avoid the chill of the air, and watched as the star-like crystals had begun to glow once more.
Then, soon after, they descended.
As the two walked, August glanced up towards Artemis sheepishly, offering his open palm.
"Will you... hold my hand?"
Artemis was surprised by this. Had they grown this close that quickly? Of course, it wasn't something he minded. He grasped August's hand gently with his own, lowering it towards his side as he continued walking, paying it no mind. It seemed to have some inauspicious effect on August, however. His mood grew quieter, more contemplative, more reserved, very docile. When their skin touched, he seemed a lesser self, a less dominant self, an entirely August-less person. He didn't joke, and he didn't chide, he only acted feeble and weak. Artemis found it... kind of adorable.
In the morning, they had begun to walk through the quiet backstreets. There wasn't many people around, and so they were able to have some peace and quiet. Of course, if they had chosen to walk the main streets, August would have caught too much attention. After all, his portraiture was commonly known. He was the Witch-King, that much was to be expected.
They had decided to go out together on that day, if only to get to know each other a little better. What Artemis knew of August amounted to what had been told of him in tales, fables that had been bolstered theatrically and dramatically to paint a grand picture. And what August knew of Artemis mostly amounted to the dossier that had been collected around his character, which was common for most Nobles. Herding the Noble Houses required such detailed knowledge.
Going out was Artemis's suggestion. After all, if the goal was to fall in love, to be lovers, then wasn't going out as if they were just a part of the process?
"So, when do you want to get married? You said it had been all but decided..."
"A week from now, if that doesn't sound terrible to you." August smiled, glancing over at Artemis, his mood gradually brightening as the topic had been brought up. "I've cleared my schedule for the next seven days. I hoped that we could spend them together..."
"When you had only just announced the danger of the dungeon underneath the palace? Isn't that an urgent matter?"
August shook his head. "I determined that scouting needed to be done prior to any further action. I've sent a few Archknights out to scour the entire dungeon in the hopes of ascertaining what needs to be dealt with first. I guessed this would take about a week, and so that's why I picked our wedding date out so soon. I think my life might get very busy soon, so I have to try and frontload these nice experiences. I really hope this advancement condition doesn't take too long to fulfill..."
"You said it was to fall in love?"
August nodded his head in response, so Artemis continued with his pondering.
"What is love to you?"
"It's a feeling, isn't it? The warmth in your chest, the ache in your stomach when you crave a person, to long to be with them, always and forever. Does that seem too cliché?"
Artemis shook his head. "No, I understand what you mean. But I wonder if 'love' as an idea can be boiled down so simply. This is something I once thought too, this idea that had been burned into my mind as pertained to romance novels and plays. But then, I asked my father if he loved my mother once. It was after they had some petty argument, and my mother had stormed off in anger. I wondered how he could look at her in that way while still espousing his love for her. Wasn't it contradictory, antithetical?"
"What did he say?"
Artemis smiled, glancing up at the starless cavern ceiling as he replied, "he said that 'love' wasn't contradictory of his current anger towards her. He said that his 'love', as well as hers, was that the day after, or perhaps even the day after that, they would still be married, they would have still lived a happy life together, and have shared many memories. They would have had wonderful experiences before that, their first meeting, their feelings of warmth against each other's skin, their marriage, their children. Love to him, or to her, wasn't a feeling like that, some desire to want to be close to one another, he said that would often fade, or arise much later once more. Like a flame that could die or be rekindled. He called that feeling 'yearning', not love."
Artemis paused for a moment, looking at August as he let out a suppressed laugh. "In my head, 'love' is the idea that you trust and value someone enough to last through hardships, to always continue to be with one another when there is no spark, no kindled flame, knowing that things will get better, and that you can continue to live a happy life with them. Love is like friendship in a much closer setting, a commitment. Towards you, I don't feel much of that flame, perhaps not yet, perhaps never." He raised August's hand with his own, gesturing towards it with his gaze. "But I think to me, this is the start of love."
August gazed at Artemis in silence. In his pupils, the reflection of the cavern's stars glimmered, bright lights that shone like joy and excitement, his heart fluttering in that very moment. The corners of his mouth curled up, and he broke the silence.
"Perhaps we can create a love with a mixture of both. I will be the flame, and you will be the commitment."
"Perhaps so. I don't think I would mind."
The two soon came before an inn nestled into the backstreets of the center of Henem. Flower baskets hung from quaint black-iron chains from wooden beams that held up the second floor of the inn, blueish-green vines and ivy spurting from the cracks in the stone-brick foundation, bursting against the side of the building like strange surrealist portraiture.
August pulled a hood over his head, nudging Artemis. "Order a room. If I do it, we'll never get peace here. We might be swarmed, or worse."
"You really hate attention, don't you?"
August couldn't bear to mention to Artemis that they were already being followed. At least three Archknights had positioned themselves on the rooftops around the inn, cautiously scanning the street for any dangers to their King.
After Artemis had spoken with the innkeeper, they were allowed to ascend the steps to the upper floor, quickly entering a room on the left. It was cozy, small, certainly in comparison to the Starke Estate and Naasis's grand halls.
There was a small bed adorned with a bright-red comforter at the edge of the room, which August quickly walked over towards and fell backwards into its rough, harsh embrace. He let out a small groan as the bones in his back popped, letting out a heavy sigh as he smiled.
"Is it not fit for a King?" Artemis teased.
"I spent half a year sleeping in a boat. This is heaven."
Artemis walked over to the bed, kneeling with one knee on the edge as he bent over August, placing a hand beside his head as he glanced down at him. As soon as August opened his eyes, he met Artemis's gaze, his cheeks flushing.
"Certainly, I might fall in love with you..." August reached up a hand to touch upon Artemis's cheek, gently, heartfelt.
Artemis raised his own hand, placing it on August's. "Isn't this something that lovers do? Should we go this far, so soon?"
"Nothing has happened yet, but whichever direction this goes, I don't think I care..." August's words were careless. As a King, as a Ruler of so many, of an entire continent, he should have some semblance of measure in how he weighed his words. With caution, with dignity- but there was something strange about the way he acted when he was with Artemis. He had only known this tall, stoic man for a week, but it felt as if there was something... ancient between them, as if they weren't meeting for the first time, only reconvening after a long period apart.
Artemis slowly bent down, placing his lips on August's, his hands navigating towards his collar, slowly fidgeting with the top button of his pleated shirt. August let out a whimper through his muffled lips, grasping at Artemis's sleeve and neck, pulling him in as close as he could bear.
This... warm feeling... it was unknown to Artemis. Despite his looks, he was devoid of any such experience. He should have been a heartthrob, but he was a recluse. His life was free of this pleasure...
This heat that spread through his body, it was blinding.