"What's happening, guys ?"
Hearing Malik's voice, Asbel raised his head. He gulped, put his hands in his pockets, before deciding to speak up to Richard again.
"If... If you don't want to, it'll be okay. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked for that."
The king of Windor slowly smiled, but Asbel could tell there was something wrong with his smile. He knew what he was doing was going to have a deep impact on their whole life. So he started walking away, probably trying to avoid his responsibilities. Wasn't that the behaviour he had had for at least a long part of his life ? He felt disgusting. How could he protect someone by hurting him so much ?
"I'll do it."
He shouldn't even have asked. That had been stupid from him to imagine that Richard, a king, would even bother to - wait, what ?
"Sorry ?
- I'll do it. I'll be your best man. After everything that has happened so far, that's the least I can do for you."
Asbel bit his lower lip, knowing his friend wasn't telling him everything. But for a little while, now, Richard had started having secrets of his own. Secrets no one had been able to find out so far. Not even him, his best friend, his brother of heart. Everyone had their own secrets, of course. But that one looked like it was taking too much place in the king's heart, and that was frightening. Not as worrying as the time Lambda was taking over his mind, yet enough to make the swordsman uncomfortable at nights. Especially on nights like this one, when they were all camping togeher, Cheria in his arms and Richard not that far from them.
That was the main reason Asbel had woken up and went walking for a few minutes. He didn't even remember when or why the king had joined him, neither how they had come to that point. Yet there they were, Richard agreeing to be Asbel's best man at his wedding with the red-haired healer. That was also going to be the day they officialised Sophie's adoption in the Lhant family. That seemed to make her so happy she was the most excited one about the wedding, and had already started preparing the ceremony, with the help of Hubert, Pascal and Malik.
Sat on the grass, his knees under his chin, Asbel kept on thinking about that day. It wasn't that far in the future, be he had decided late who he would choose as his bestman between his younger brother and Richard himself. Had hesitated, wondering things like "is it right to ask a king to be a landlord's best man", answering to himself by a "well, it's okay to ask your best friend to be, so why am I worrying that much ?". Now there were only a few days left before Cheria and Sophie would officially be part of his family. Even though he didn't need that to feel they all were a big, weird family.
On that thought, under the captain and the king's look, he fell asleep. Richard sighed, closed his eyes.
"You're really okay with that ? I thought your majesty would at least talk him into not getting married so fast. Your accepting of that doesn't sound very you to my ears," teased Malik, while the blonde was going walking towards the pond next to their camping place.
"Shut up !" moaned Richard. "I..." he sighed. "I can't do anything about it. I have no right to do so. Kerri wants her son to get married, he chose the woman he thinks is the right one. I can't do anything but supporting his decisions. That's what I am supposed to do as a friend, and as a king."
The stronger man rested a hand on the blonde's shoulder, while he gave him an encouraging smile. That attitude was more than unnerving. Being positive even in the worst situation was something he was getting sick of, lately.
"You know, I do think he chose the right woman, but that he chose the wrong person," he emphasized that last word, "to marry. Are you sure you want him to see his mistake when it's too late ?"
Richard smiled softly. He wouldn't answer that. He didn't need to. So instead of insisting on it, he only stood up, looked at his own reflection in the pond, before walking back to the camp. He looked at his friends, all sleeping in their very own way, Pascal seemingly deciding her friend were a pile of pillows and blankets. He took a look at the lord of Lhant, sleeping a bit apart from the rest of the group, and in an unusual position. Not saying any word, he took his cape off, put it on his best friends shoulder.
"Good night," he whispered, before going next to the fire and finally sleep a bit.
A few days later, the king of Windor was helping his childhood friend ajusting his clothes. They were very different than the usual white uniform he used to wear. Kerri was looking at her son, a proud smile on her face. A smile every mother should look at their son with, thought Richard, finding himself smiling while looking at Asbel.
"I'm so nervous," smiled the younger one. "It feels like it's the most important day of my life !"
His friend could tell the young lord wasn't able to stay still just by watching the way his hands were trembling. He did his best to keep smiling the same way. Rejoice, he told himself. Remember. It's a happy day for him.
"I don't know if it's the most important one, but isn't it the most beautiful day of your life ?"
Kerri was as excited as her son, if not more. Yet, Asbel remained silent. He opened, closed his mouth a few times, moved his fingers, his hands. And finally gulped, before giving an answer.
"Yeah... You're right. It's going to be the most beautiful day of my life. It's Cheria I'm marrying, after all. And Sophie... Sophie's gonna be part of the Lhant family. I'm nervous. I'm terrified !"
He started laughing.
"I'm terrified, but it's gonna be the best day ever !"
The blonde sneaked behind his friend's back, adjusted the latter one's hair. Didn't he need to look perfect ?
"I think you're ready. It's going to be time, Asbel. Don't worry, everything is gonna be perfect. Just be yourself.
- Thank you, Richard. I'm glad you accepted to be here with me. It really is important for me."
The king smiled, rested both his hands on his friend's shoulders. He took a deep breath, anchored his gaze into the younger one's.
"I know," he murmured. "And that's why you have to promise me you'll be happy with the life you chose. Promise me you won't regret this day, and that whenever you'll think about it, you'll see it as a wonderful day."
Surprised at first, the lord of Lhant finally gave Richard his biggest smile ever.
"Don't worry, Richard. There is no way that could turn wrong." His smiled faded a little. "And even if it did, you'll be the first to know. I'm still your sword, Richard. And always will be. Please don't worry so much. I'm getting married, I'm not leaving anybody behind.
- I know. Now, let's go. It's you who are supposed to wait for her, not the opposite."
Asbel nodded, and the three of them headed to the Lhants' garden, where the ceremony would take place. Hubert and Sophie were greeting the guests, while Pascal worked on some mechanism she had invented so everybody could hear the ceremony clearly's finitions. The captain was discussing with a former colleague, and even Raymond, Hubert's adoptive brother, was participating.
"Okay ! The thing looks like it's working, we can start !" cheerfully claimed Pascal, before going to her seat.
The priest stood behind the reading desk, Asbel approaching it, too. A riding turtle, decorated with white and red streamers, stopped next to the garden. Frederic, wearing a smoking, got out of it first, his hand reaching for his granddaughter's one. She looked beautiful, her hair styled in a complex chignon, her simple white dress enlightened by red gallons here and there. Richard watched her walking to the reading desk in an elegant manner. Who wouldn't like such a woman ?
His smile was turning fake as each new minute passed. He did his duty as a best man, and so did Raymond for Cheria. As they crossed each other's gaze, he understood he wasn't the only one living that day as a test. That helped him cheer up a little and feel happy for Asbel and Cheria, at least until the end of the ceremony.
But the time of the feast came, and that was too much for the king. He stayed a bit apart from the crowd, sat on the border of the river that flowed next to the mansion. The place was calmer, and far from everyone. He could at least pretend to feel good in this place, couldn't he ? While taking a look at his reflection in the water, he saw a familiar face approaching.
"Pretty bad day, huh ?"
He could only smile a little, before letting out a sigh.
"So you saw it too.
- Of course I did."
The older of the Oswell brothers sat next to him, a faint smile on his face.
"At least, she looks happy. Now, I just hope she will be happy."
Closing his eyes, Richard nodded, before taking a look at his best friend's face, in the middle of the crowd.
"You can be sure he'll do his best in order to make her happy."
He had blurted that out without even thinking of it, even though that hurt him to think like that. He knew Asbel all too well, and the lord would snatch his own heart if it could make anyone happy.
"That's what frightens me, to be honest," admitted Raymond, before starting laughing uncontrolably. "And since he's the only one she sees, she'll stay with him until the end, won't she..."
The king silently nodded. He didn't know what to add. Was there even something to add ? He closed his eyes, wishing for this day to end as soon as possible. All he got was a hand on his shoulder. Though there was no need for it, he looked at his childhood friend, smiled at him.
"What were the two of you talking about ?"
For a second, Richard wondered if the fact that Asbel was a stupid idiot was a blessing or a curse, but before he could decide, his hand reached the younger one's head, before ruffling through his hair and destroying all the efforts that were put in making him look at least a bit classy.
"About how the two of you looked cute together. Congratulations on your wedding, Asbel."
What a stupid idiot I am.
A/N : Here is my first, serious fiction about the To fandom. I've been playing Tales of Graces f lately, and I swear this game looks like a BL fanfiction.