Dragon's Consort
A/N: EYEPATCH DRAGON JESUS IS HERE!
For those who don't play Fire Emblem, you might not know him, but for those who DO... Well, give a round of applause for EYEPATCH DRAGON JESUS!
Steven
The next day came too quickly. Before the sun was even up, his valet had come knocking on his door, and rushed in to get him prepared for the day. He forced Steven to take a long, hot, scented bath, instructing him to scrub in all the right places, before fussing over what he should wear and what color was to the King's liking. Steven, who didn't manage to get a good night sleep, followed his orders in a half-asleep state, yawning every now and then.
"The King is fond of simplicity and the color red. But red doesn't suit you, my Lord," that man murmured as he studied Steven with a serious expression, as if he was a confusing puzzle to solve. "Not, not black either. Aquamarine would be nice, but the King does not like bright colors. You can see that from the way he dresses every day. Black and black throughout. No, no, no, definitely not black for you."
Steven was still sleepy and his valet was speaking nonsense, but somehow he managed to smile and nod at the right moments. In the end, his valet decided on a white shirt, simple blue waistcoat, navy blue coat, black breeches, and black shoes. "That'll have to do, I suppose," his valet murmured as he secured a bright blue scarf around Steven's neck.
Steven didn't need to look into the mirror to know that his valet had done an impressive job, Steven had learned that on his first day in Blackthorn. "What does the King plan on doing with me?" he couldn't help but ask as his valet combed through his hair.
"I do not know, he didn't give out any specific orders to anyone. He did instructed someone to bring you over to his hall for breakfast, but other than that, nobody knows for sure."
Steven was sure he could handle breakfast, and he was praying that breakfast was all that the King had in mind for that day as he was escorted to the royal dining hall.
"Steven," Keith and Kyle both gasped in unison, one greeted him with a smile, while the other with a disapproving frown. "Good morning." They were saying the exact same words in the exact same time; adorable, but slightly unusual.
Sitting in between them in that dining hall was their father, the King, who had been staring intensely at Steven ever since he walked into the hall. Lance stood up to greet him, "Good morning, Lord Steven." Neither his voice nor his eyes betrayed a single emotion, he was so hard to read, and Steven was nonetheless bothered.
"Good morning as well, Your Highness, Prince Keith and Prince Kyle," he returned the formal greeting with a good-nature smile. "Thank you for having me for breakfast, it's an honor to be here with all of you." he took a seat across the King and offered him a smile.
"It's nothing," Lance replied, his gaze firmly fixed on Steven. "Thank you for joining us."
Even though Steven had had dinner with them just a couple of nights ago, it felt different this time around. Maybe it was the children, who somehow were much more talkative compared to the last time Steven sat down with them. Or maybe it was the fact that the King was trying to woo him that made him feel slightly uneasy. Whatever it was, he was somewhat glad that he managed to go through it without a hitch, though he wasn't even supposed to be surprised. It was, after all, just breakfast.
When they finished with breakfast and after the children had gone off to start their daily routine of endless tutoring and training, Lance looked at Steven and said, "I have a mind to take you for a ride today. I am sure you have nothing against that idea, yes?"
Steven's heart raced with excitement at the thought of riding a wyvern again. "Of course not," he couldn't keep the enthusiasm out of his voice. He remembered the ride they had on the first night Steven was in Blackthorn. It had been quite late into the night, but Blackthorn proved to be as wondrous as the rumors had claimed. He couldn't help but wonder if Blackthorn seen from the skies during the day would look any better. He was aware of the need to quickly inform Lance that he wasn't interested in being suited, but he concluded that it can wait until after the ride.
Lance
Lance was nervous. As a King, he had never been nervous before, unless he counted that time when he was getting married to his wife, but that was an exception, everybody in his position would get nervous. He had been young and experienced, still overwhelmed by Clair's death, and was getting married to a woman he hadn't known that well. His nervousness at that time had stemmed from grief, uncertainty, and doubt on whether or not he was making the right choice. This time, however, as he walked down the hallways with the young lord by his side, he was having a hard time figuring out why he was nervous.
Perhaps the fact that they had slept with one another was one of the reasons. Even though they had parted on a somewhat good terms that morning, Lance was nonetheless ashamed that he had acted so out of control. He should've tried to get to know the lord better before bringing him to bed, and not the other way around. He pondered on the question of whether or not he should apologize. For Rhea's sake, of course I have to apologize. Even though Steven had done his fair share of flirting, in the end, it was him who had lost his control first.
Glancing to his side, he saw the young lord walking with a smile on his face, all radiant and simply beautiful. If he was bothered with the situation between them, he was doing a good job not showing it. Steven noticed him staring, and quickly, his pale skin adopted a slight pink color. "Is there something wrong, Your Highness?" He asked.
So he is thinking about it too, Lance thought. "Please, call me Lance." The knowledge that Steven wasn't the only one bothered comforted him a little, but he was still nervous nonetheless. "I know that this might be a little too late, but I do believe I owe you an apology."
"For what?"
You know what. Lance hesitated, wondering how he should answer that question. "For... Ah, being so hasty... And..." he felt the heat rising up to his face. By the Dragons, please get it.
Thankfully, Steven did. "Oh, that..." he sounded slightly embarrassed, but not as uncomfortable as Lance. "You don't have to apologize. I was the one who seduced you," Steven said.
"No, I should have been able to control myself much better than that," Lance insisted.
Steven paused, and then said, "Either way, there's nothing to apologize for, truly. Besides, we both wanted it, am I right?"
"Yes, you are right," Lance had no choice but to agree. There was no denying that he had wanted it.
"Then, that is it," Steven smiled at him. "Do not fret too much over it, Your Highness, wait, I mean, Lance. I promise that I'm not going to cause you any trouble."
Lance then realized that both of them were worried about troubling the other. It felt funny that Steven was worried about causing trouble for him, when it was him who should be more worried about causing trouble for Steven. Steven was the one at a risky position after all. In the shadows, assassins were sharpening their blades, all ready to cut him down at the order of whoever was willing to pay enough money just to make sure Steven didn't get any closer to the King. It had happened before when he was choosing his first Consort, and even though the security had been doubled this time, Lance was worried that it might happen again.
He cut off his train of thoughts when they arrived at the courtyard. In the vast field covered with green grass and decorated with dragon statues, a wyvern was sitting down and gazing into a pond. "Leviar," Lance called out her name, and immediately, she responded by bounding towards him and Steven.
"Leviar," he heard Steven trying that name, his voice hinted his awe at the sight of the female wyvern.
"She's a forest wyvern," Lance informed him as Leviar crouched before them, head lowered and chest rumbling in hopes of gaining Lance's affectionate touch.
"Forest wyvern?" Steven asked, slightly confused. Of course he wouldn't know the difference, after all, most wyverns can only be found in Blackthorn. And forest wyverns were particularly shy creatures.
Lance reached out to stroke Leviar, "Yes, forest wyverns are different from fire wyverns, as you can see from their hides. Whereas fire wyverns have tough exterior that can withstand overwhelming heat, forest wyverns have softer hide. They are also generally smaller. However, compared to fire wyverns, they are faster and more agile. They are much gentler and calmer in nature as well. Our patrol officers make use of their help every day." As soon as he was done talking, he looked at Steven, and found that the young lord was staring at him with lips parted open and eyes wide with confusion. Lance was sure his explanation was simple enough, so he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"I'm sorry," Steven quickly snapped out of it. "It's just... I... You've never talked much before, so it is quite surprising to hear you talk that much," Steven smiled at him and said, "People do get talkative about the things they're passionate about, don't they?"
Lance didn't know what to make of that. So he settled with a simple, "I apologize."
"What?" Steven shook his head, "No, no, you're not suppose to apologize. There's nothing wrong with that. And I'm not bothered. In fact," he smiled shyly as he said, "I like it better when you talk."
For some reason, Lance was happy to hear that coming from him. "Thank you," was all he could muster at that moment. Leviar suddenly let out a low rumble, and Lance remembered what he had planned for the day. He nodded at Leviar, before he turned to Steven and said, "Let us be off."
Steven
Steven watched as the wyvern lowered its back for Lance to climb onto, before the Dragonlord extended a hand towards Steven and said, "May I?"
He didn't need to ask. Steven took his hand, and Lance pulled him up. As soon as Steven had straddled Leviar's back safely, the King placed one hand very close to Steven's thigh and said by his ear, "Ready?"
Steven nodded, "Of course."
"Leviar, let's go."
As soon as the command escaped his lips, the forest wyvern spread out its fore limbs, and took off to the sky with a mighty flap of its wings. The take off was rough, and Steven was thrown back by the force of it, however the King steadied him by wounding one arm around Steven's waist, and immediately, Steven felt save. Cold wind blew against his face, and the sun's bright ray blinded him as Leviar flew towards it. When the wind settled and the sun was not directly shining on his face, Steven open his eyes, and once again marvel at the sight of Blackthorn spread out below him.
He could see almost everything from up there, from the brown tiled roofs of the many houses near the outskirt of the city, to the peculiar star-shaped city's square. The people were but mere specks from up there, moving through alleys and roads, up and down the stairs, crowding the marketplace and the city's square. Moving his gaze to the Palace, he noticed that it wasn't as brilliant as it was during the night, but that didn't change the fact that it still looked enormous and magnificent.
"Ah," Steven couldn't hold back a gasp when he noticed that they weren't alone on the clear blue sky. Looking around him, be could see several other wyverns on the sky. Some of them with riders, others without. On a much closer look, he noticed the presence of dragons as well. They were flying much further away though, nearer to the palace than Leviar was. "Dragons," Steven muttered in awe.
"I'm afraid we can't take a closer look," Lance spoke by his ear. "Wyverns don't like getting close to dragons."
Steven quickly turned to look at Lance, "Why not?"
"I can not say for certain, but I do believe that the wyverns are respecting the dragons' boundaries. Dragons are isolated creatures after all, they don't like unwanted companions."
"I didn't know that," Steven murmured as he gaze back at the dragons flying over the Palace; their bodies curling, tails swishing, wings outstretched. A familiar sense of reverence washed over him as he gaze at those dragons. It made him understand why they were so respected and worshipped. "They are wondrous beings, aren't they?"
Leviar circled Blackthorn for several more times, before she turned and flew straight for the Ilex forest due west. The scenery below rapidly changes; from houses to farms, and then an open green field as far as the eyes can see. Slowly but surely they approached Ilex forest, which looked green and lush even from the distance. Steven had been to that forest once, several years ago when he was travelling due south from Rustboro. He remembered that it was a beautiful place, so pure and serene, teeming with countless of lifeforms. It had taken him months to get to Ilex from Rustboro, it amazes him that it had taken him less time than that to reach that forest once more.
Leviar flew lower, until she was flying lower than the canopies, straight towards the closely packed trees. Uh-oh, Steven mentally cringed, don't tell me... Before Steven could open his mouth to throw any question, the King wounded his arms around Steven tighter and pressed his chest to Steven's back, forcing Steven to lean forward, "I am here," Lance whispered by his ear.
Steven swallowed nervously before he nodded, and then Leviar twisted her body as she flew between the trees. Steven let out a surprised cry, unprepared for such sudden movement. His fingers were digging into Leviar's back as the wyvern kept on twisting and turning trough the trees; up and down, left and right, over and under and around. Every single time Leviar was faced with a tree, Steven thought that she was going to fly straight into it, but instead she lithely avoided it even though barely. The flight was nerve-wracking. Steven had lost count on how many times Leviar had turned upside down, effectively rendering him dizzy and sick, and each time she did that was no better than the last. The only thing that kept him from screaming at the top of his lungs were the arm wrapped around his waist, the hand placed near his thigh, and the King's back pressed solidly against him. Holy Rhea, Steven inwardly groaned as he closed his eyes, feeling more and more sick by the passing moment.
Just when he thought he couldn't take it any longer, Leviar suddenly slowed down, and steadily descended onto the ground. Steven dared to open his eyes, and saw that Leviar had landed on the side of a vast lake. He would like to appreciate the view, truly, but he was feeling too sick at that moment to even think straight.
"Are you alright?" The king asked as he pulled away from Steven and jumped off the wyvern, looking as if he was perfectly fine. He offered his hand, which Steven took as he groggily unmounted Leviar.
Steven found that the experience still overwhelmed him, and that he was unsteady on his feet. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he somehow stumbled forward, and landed against the King. Steven let out a helpless groan, hating the way his vision still rocked and swayed.
"That was not a wise idea on my part," Lance murmured apologetically as he held Steven upright. "Apologies."
"Just need a minute," Steven moaned.
"Can you walk?" Lance asked and Steven managed a weak nod in reply.
Lance
Lance led him towards the nearest tree, and let Steven sit down against it. The young lord didn't look so well, and Lance felt rather guilty for bringing him out for such a dangerous ride. Councilor Lorelei did suggest something much less dangerous, horse riding or simply walking around the palace, she had said, but horses hated Lance for some odd reason, and Lance didn't feel like talking with Steven in the palace, too many ears and eyes, he believed.
Lance sat down cross-legged before Steven, watching and hoping that he might get better with a little rest. Fortunately Steven did get better, and when he was good enough to speak, he said, "That was horrible."
"I'm sorry," Lance apologized. "I did not think that you would..." No, he should have known. After all, he had had the same reaction when he first rode a forest wyverns through the trees. "I'm sorry. I did not think this through."
"It's alright," Steven said. "I was just... Unprepared. I've never experienced anything like it before," his eyes observed Lance for a moment, before he chuckled, and asked, "And I suppose you're used to that kind of ride?"
Lance couldn't hold back a small smile, "Yes, I am. I've been riding since I was very young, but I did experienced what you're going through when I first rode a forest wyvern."
"Hard to imagine," Steven chuckled. His eyes then drifted towards the lake behind Lance, and a small smile graced his face, "This is a beautiful place."
Lance didn't need to look to agree. He had found this place when he was young, and it had become his private sanctuary ever since. There was nothing there aside from the vast blue lake, and the trees that surrounded them. No councilors, no financial advisors, no court politics, simply nothing to bother him. "Yes, it is."
Steven sat a little bit straighter as he looked at Lance again and asked, "Why did you bring me here?"
He was so straightforward that Lance was caught off-guard. He quickly regained himself though, for he knew that Steven was going to ask sooner or later. "I..." he hesitated for a moment as he gathered the words. "I would like to get to know you better, to be honest. And I believe that this is the best place where we can... talk."
Steven smiled, before be replied, "This is a nice place to talk, but... Get to know me better? Your Highness, you flatter me, but I do not think that I will make a good Consort for a King such as yourself."
"Why not?" He asked, trying not to let his disappointment show.
"Well, there are so many reasons," Steven started, "I do not understand politics, I do not know how to manage a Kingdom, and I most certainly do not know how to behave appropriately. Moreover..." Steven paused, "As you may already know, I have a tendency to sleep with just about anyone as long as they're attractive. Simply put, I do not have a good reputation."
"It does not bother me," Lance honestly replied. "You are not required to perform my duties, so it is fine if your knowledge in those areas are minimal. And your reputation does not matter as well. If you really are the one for me, then no one have the right to deny me of you."
Steven looked somewhat surprised, but he quickly regained himself and continued, "Not to mention, I have no plan to settle down at the moment."
Lance was confused, "If so, why are you in Blackthorn? Is it not for the sake of looking for a consort?"
Steven smiled, "No... I've always wanted to visit Blackthorn, and the invitation came at the right time. It's also a good chance for me to learn a little about the Court, so I immediately took the chance."
Lance felt a sinking feeling in his gut, "So... You're not looking for a Consort?"
Steven shook his head, "No."
"Oh, I see," he murmured as he looked away, unprepared for this turn of event. How should he proceed? What else was he supposed to say?
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Steven said.
"There's no reason for you to be sorry," Lance dared himself to look at Steven in the eyes. No, he wasn't going to let his disappointment show. He was turned down almost immediately, before he even got a chance to do anything, but perhaps it was for the best. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. Maybe their relationship was best left as it was; a dirty, little secret. "I am glad you are honest with me."
"It's one of my charms," Steven said with a smile. He then stood up and deeply inhaled, "I feel better now."
Lance stood as well, "I'm glad you are." Lance thought about what he should do next. He had planned on spending the rest of the morning talking with Steven and getting to know him, but now that Steven had rejected him, Lance wasn't sure if talking was still an option. Their best option at that moment was to return to the palace.
As he was about to suggest that idea, loud rustling could be heard from the trees right behind them. Steven turned to look, curiosity written all over his face. The rustling grew louder and louder, and before neither can say anything, forest wyverns burst out of the trees, speeding across the lake, before making a turn at the other side, and then moving towards them. They slowed down as they came near, and finally landed right in front of Lance. There were five of them, and each eagerly shoved their snouts near Lance's face to gain his affection and attention. Lance couldn't hold back a smile. He reached out to stroke one of them, and that forest wyvern growled with pleasure. It had been quite some time since he last came to that place, so it wasn't really a surprise that they missed him that much.
"Wow," Steven murmured in awe. One of the forest wyvern curiously sniffed him, and Steven nervously reached out to touch it's snout. The wyverns weren't hissing at this newcomer, so Lance took it as a sign that they didn't mind Steven's presence.
Come to think of it, Sorengard didn't act hostile towards him either, Lance suddenly remembered. Clearly there was more to the young Lord that met the eyes. Perhaps he's of the Dragon's blood as well? That was not unlikely, since many of the First Dragonlord descendants who did not get to become Dragonlords decided to lead a more secluded life in many different places all around the continent. If that was the case, then they were more or less related in blood, though possibly very distant. But I do not feel magic in him. If he was a descendant of the First Dragonlord, he should have been able to control magic to a certain extent.
A low growl jarred him from his thoughts, and Lance tore his gaze from Steven to look at the forest wyverns. They were done greeting him and were ready to leave. Lance gave them his nod of approval, before they took off once again into the trees. Steven watched with widened eyes, his face showed nothing less than amazement at the sight of those wyverns disappearing into the sea of trunks and leaves.
Steven then turned to look at him and said, "Being a Dragonlord is amazing, isn't it?"
"Why?" Lance asked, because he really didn't know what was so amazing about being a Dragonlord if it came with a price of his freedom.
"Because you can get close to those wyverns and dragons without fearing for your own life." He innocently replied.
That ability had not come with the title, Lance wanted to tell him. But then he would need to explain what had come with the title and what had not, and how the dragon blood in his veins played a role as well. It was going to be a long explanation, one Lance wasn't sure where to start from. "It does not work that way," Lance hesitated with his words. "This ability to be accepted by them... It comes with practice."
Steven curiously gazed at him, "What kind of practice?"
Lance really didn't know where to start. "Well... to start off, you have to study them carefully. Observe their behaviors, make sense of their body languages, learn how to read their moods... it takes time, a lot of time, but once you understand them... you'll find that they're less complex than you originally thought." He paused, then added, "Being a Dragonlord... It does not make it any easier. That title does not grant blessings or powers that many of you would like to believe... that title..." he let his voice trailed off, unwilling to reveal to Steven that the title only brought about a burden that he never wished to bear in the first place. He shook his head and said, "There is nothing special about it."
Steven was silent for a moment, but then he finally nodded and murmured, "I see..." there was a hint of understanding in his voice that made Lance felt as if he had heard the words left unspoken. But that was impossible, nobody could understand the responsibility he carried along with the title save for all the Dragonlords before him.
Silence fell over them, but it was contemplative rather than awkward.
"Ever since I was a boy, I've always wondered what riding a wyvern feels like," Steven suddenly broke the silence. "There are a lot of ice wyverns in Rustboro, but they are unfriendly at their best." He paused for a while, then continued, "It feels like a dream come true, to be able to touch them and even ride them. Thank you, Lance."
Steven's smile was warm and sincere and for some reason Lance felt happiness bubbled up in him. He had to look away to stop himself from blushing, "It's nothing..." Lance muttered as he folded his arms.
Steven chuckled, "You're cute when you're embarrassed."
Lance groan inwardly as he felt the heat rose up to his head and elicited a mirthful laugh from the young lord.
Steven
Steven was surprised that he had managed to turn down the King in such a short time. He hadn't even given the King a chance to try, and that made him feel bad. He should have given the King a chance, but impulsivity was one of his vices. He had told himself, on several occasions where his impulsivity had led to unwanted outcomes, to start thinking twice before saying anything, but it proved to be easier said than done.
"Well, shall we head back to the palace now?" Lance asked, his face showed that he was still flustered from Steven's teasing.
Steven thought about it for a moment. He didn't really want to go back so quickly, not when he just stepped into the forest not too long ago. But on the other hand, if he stayed, he was at the risk of sending the wrong message to the King. That was the last thing he wanted to do. "Yes, we shall," Steven finally said.
Lance let out a sharp whistle, and then almost immediately, Leviar appeared on the sky above. She slowly descended onto the ground, before lowering her neck to let them on.
"Please tell her not to go through the trees again," Steven almost whimpered at the thought of being taken for that wild ride once more.
Lance smiled in amusement as he stroked Leviar's neck, "Of course."
Leviar flew above the canopies this time, and Steven watched as Ilex forest slowly became smaller beneath him. It was such an amazing sight to see, he never thought that the vast Ilex forest which had taken him weeks to travel through could look so small.
Steven was still looking down onto the ground as they flew away, and that was why he caught sight of quite a huge flame burning. "Lance, look! Down there!" Steven said as he pointed down at the flame.
"What is that?" Lance murmured, before he directed Leviar to fly closer to the ground.
Steven soon realized that there was a village down there, and a house was on fire. As they got closer, he could hear the sound of people screaming for help, and the sound of cruel laughter as well. Immediately, he realized what was going on, "Outlaws."
During his journey, Steven had faced a lot of troubles with many different groups of outlaws. They were troublesome people, living in hideouts hidden in the depths of forests and caves near the borders, surviving off the hard work of other men and women. They attacked villages, and sometimes towns, too far away to allow immediate reinforcement from the capital city of the Kingdom. Before the knights from the capital city could arrive, the would have already swiped all the village's supplies and valuables. Still, to attack a village close enough to be reached by wyverns in less than an hour, from Blackthorn no less, was pure idiocy. Either they were too dumb, or too confident in themselves. The first one is more likely, Steven mused as Leviar landed safely on the ground not too far from the burning house.
"What are you doing?" Steven immediately asked the moment he realized that they had landed, and that Lance had jumped off Leviar, leaving him behind on the forest wyvern's back. "Lance, wait!" Quickly, Steven unmount the wyvern and ran to catch up with the King.
The flame roared as they walked pass the burning house. There was a lot of screaming coming from up ahead, and there were women crying as well. When they finally got close enough, Steven could see the back of the villagers, all gathered and made to kneel in front of the outlaws. Lance kept on walking, not even pausing to think about the best course of action.
"We should call the wyvern riders," Steven suggested as he trailed behind Lance. From the looks of it, there were probably thirty of them. Not too big of a group, but Steven wasn't sure if it was wise to confront them head on. The King, however, marched on, disregarding Steven's words. Steven hesitated between stopping him, or letting him go, but in the short time it took him to think, one of the outlaws spotted them already.
"Boss, look!" One of them shouted over the cries of the villagers as he pointed at them. "Lordlings!" They were armed with axes and swords, all of them rusty, but looked capable enough of causing a great deal of harm to someone as unarmed as Lance.
Lance kept on walking towards them, not even bothering to pause in his steps.
Another different outlaw laughed out loud, "They came too late! Boys, retreat! We've got enough loots to last for weeks!" And with another cruel bout of laughter, they quickly grabbed their loots and ran away.
Steven finally released the breath he had been holding. For a moment he was worried that Lance was going to confront them head on. It was a good thing those Outlaws decided to make a run for it instead. A confrontation with those kind of people can get dangerous really fast.
One of the villagers came up to Lance, and said, "Thank you for saving us, young man."
"Is anyone hurt?" Lance asked.
"No, thankfully no," the villager replied. "But our homes and food supplies..." his voice sadly trailed off as his eyes gazed around their ravaged homes.
"Do they come around often?" Lance continued to question.
"Not so often, my lord, once or twice every year, but... Not so often. They travel, my lord. From villages to villages. They only attacked villages the patrols never visited. One of our young man went to the capital to report this, but so far... nothing has been done to stop those savages."
"Yes, it's true," a woman cried out in agreement. "My cousin's village on the border of Viridian Kingdom, and my brother's village on the border of Evergrande Kingdom have also fallen victim to them! Please, my lord, you need to help us! Please inform the King about this!"
He is the King, Steven thought. And I thought I was the only one who doesn't know. He needs to make more public appearance.
"I will get to the bottom of this," Lance told them, seemingly unbothered by the fact that they did not know that he was the King. Lance turned to look at Steven and said, "Lord Steven, I apologize for this trouble. I will ask Leviar to take you back right now."
"What about you?" Steven asked.
"I need to take care of this problem," Lance said.
"All by yourself?" Steven shook his head, "Impossible. You have to go back first and discuss this with your Generals."
"It's fine," Lance assured him. "I can handle them. Besides, the Generals plan more than they act. It will take quite some time before they are ready to move out. I prefer to be done with it as soon as possible."
"You can't face them all by yourself," Steven insisted.
"I can, trust me," Lance seriously said as he looked at Steven in the eyes, and Steven then remembered that Lance was the Kings of all Kings, the most powerful of them all, and there was no way he could not handle a handful of outlaws all by himself.
Steven felt dumb for worrying so much, but the worry was still there nonetheless. "I'm coming with you."
Lance was nonetheless surprised, "No, you're not."
"I am," Steven stubbornly insisted. "And we'd better get going if you want to catch up with them. Goddess knows we've wasted enough time here."
Lance sighed out as he shook his head, and then said, "Go back. And that's not a request. That's an order."
"I can fight."
Lance sighed again, "I deeply apologize, but you leave me with no choice." As soon as he said that, Lance turned his gaze to the sky and let out a long, shrill whistle.
Immediately, Leviar arrived, and before Steven knew what Lance was going to do, Lance slung him over his shoulder, before unceremoniously dumping him on Leviar's back. "Ouch!" Steven cried out, and before he could say anything else, Leviar took off to the skies. "Hey! Wait, Lance! By the Dragons!" Steven cursed as the village went out of sight. "You can't be serious."
No matter how hard he tried to command Leviar to go back to that village, the forest wyvern wouldn't listen to him. Instead, it kept on flying ahead, ignoring Steven's words as if he was but a mere fly. When Steven finally got tired of commanding, he began pleading, but that didn't work either, so Steven fell silent in the end. The rest of the flight was filled with worry and guilt. What if something happened to him? What if he got hurt? It was all his fault, if only he was better at persuading the King to go back first instead of blindly confronting those outlaws.
It seemed as if it took forever for Leviar to reach Blackthorn. As soon as she landed on the courtyard where they set off from that morning, Steven quickly dismounted the wyvern, though a bit clumsily, and went inside the palace. He needed to find someone, anyone, to report the incident to. Finding someone wasn't hard though, for as soon as he stepped inside the lonely hallway, a figure clad in dark appeared out of nowhere right in front of Steven, giving him quite a fright.
"Where's the King?" That woman asked.
"Outlaws," Steven quickly replied. "We were on our way back when we saw this village attacked by outlaws, the King, he-"
"Where?"
"Not far from Ilex Forest, on the border of Blackthorn."
"Come with me," she prompted. "I will inform General Haar, and you will lead him there."
Steven nodded in agreement.
X
General Haar was a man with tall, sturdy stature, unkempt swept-back black hair, and a black eye-patch which covered his left eye. He donned a set of unpolished black armor that looked quite heavy, and a red cape hung from around his neck. His looked intimidating from afar, but once Steven got close enough, his sleepy eyes and bored expression said otherwise. When the mysterious woman clad in black and Steven found him in the training yard, he was talking to his subordinate.
"General Haar, I brought bad news, it's about the King," the woman clad in black said.
General Haar turned to look at them, his good red eye studied them both for a moment, before he turned to his subordinate and said, "Go, I have Kingly matters to attend to." The subordinate immediately complied, and the tree of them were left alone. Haar faced them both, his eyes studying the woman for a moment before he asked, "You're Koga's daughter?"
"Yes sir, Janine is my name."
'Where is the old coot? Haven't seen him in a few days."
"He's out on a mission, sir. He won't be back until the end of this week."
"That guy still owes me a drink..." Haar muttered before he let out a loud yawn. "It's almost time for my nap, let's just get on with this. What's going on with our royal Highness?"
"He encountered a band of outlaws when he was riding out with Lord Steven, and has gone to pursue them by himself."
"Oh?" General Haar sounded mildly surprised, before he let out a tired sigh. "Is that it?"
"General Haar, this is a situation of critical consequence, if anything happens to the King-"
"Nothing will happen to him, he's a grown man, he can take care of himself," Haar sighed again. "Just go to Jasmine, tell her to bring a lot of wyverns for the prisoners. I'm going for my nap." He let a yawn again before he made to walk away.
"You're going for a nap when your King is in danger? What kind of General are you?" Those words escaped Steven's lips before he even realized what he was doing. When he did realize what he was doing, he didn't feel anything else but annoyance. He wouldn't say he was angry, he knew that Haar was right when he said that Lance was able to take care of himself, but he was still a bit irritated by Haar's nonchalant attitude.
The General stopped and turned to look at Steven. He silently studied Steven for a moment, his eyes sleepy and bored, before he said, "First off, the King is not in danger, and never will be. Second, I am Haar, the Dragonmaster, and the General in charge of the King's entire wyvern army. Have I answered all your questions?"
Steven had to admit that he was slightly intimidated by his monotonous voice and red eye, but he refused to back down. "Aren't you going to do something to help the King?"
"Yes, I've told you to get Commander Jasmine, didn't I? Anything else you might want to ask?"
Steven couldn't believe how difficult the man was. "You're... impossible," Steven shook his head, "Goddess, are all the Generals here this unreliable? Your King is out there helping his people and might possibly be in danger and all you care about is your nap?" Steven raised his voice. "Do you realize how ridiculous you sound?"
Haar stared at Steven with his dull, red eye, and he kept on staring for a long time until Steven began having doubts on what he was doing. Finally he sighed and said, "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."
"Wait, what?" Steven was nonetheless surprised. He had thought that Haar was going to kill him or something.
"I said you're right, and that we should go. Don't want to keep him waiting, right?" Haar then let out a yawn as he headed to the wyverns resting on the side of the training field. "Janine, go get Jasmine. This annoying lord is coming with me."
"At once!" Janine said before she disappeared right in front of their very eyes.
Steven looked at Haar and said, "What...? I mean... why?"
"Less talking, more walking. I want to get back in time for my evening nap." Haar said.
Steven was still left speechless.
Haar's wyvern was a big, black fire wyvern twice the size of Darkstar, which Haar referred to as 'the overgrown lizard'. It was no doubt a magnificent wyvern, Steven could feel its muscles rippling as they flew to the village with Commander Jasmine, a few other riders, and a handful of riderless wyverns. Steven wanted to know how Haar managed to get those wyverns flew obediently alongside with them even though they were riderless, but he had a feeling that Haar didn't like him that much.
Soon they came upon the village, and Steven noticed that the fire had been put out.
"In which direction did those outlaws run to?" Haar asked.
"To the East, towards the border of Viridian Kingdom."
"Ah, so they are the kind who danced near the borders, eh? They're the most troublesome bunch." Haar muttered, before letting out a yawn. "Holy Rhea, I thought he was over the age where he runs off making trouble all the time."
It was safe to say that Haar was talking about the King. If that was the case, then Steven had a feeling that Haar and the King was somewhat close, maybe even related, considering the way Haar handled those wyverns with so much ease. "The King used to get in trouble all the time?" Steven couldn't help but ask, for it was hard to imagine Lance getting into trouble, he didn't look like the type.
"Hey, there was a time when he wasn't a King, you know," Haar shrugged. "Dragged me and a friend across the land, hunting outlaws, keeping peace, and whatnot. Always a magnet for trouble. I thought he had finally decided to settle down after getting crowned. Heh, must have missed the good old days."
Steven tried to imagine this younger, less burdened version of Lance, but somehow the image was kind of hard to wrap his head around. "He does not look like that kind of person."
"Oh, you didn't know him as well as some of us do," Haar simply replied. "Oh, down there."
Steven peered down and saw several fire wyverns cornering the group of outlaws who had previously attacked the village. He was nonetheless relieved to see Lance standing not far from there, looking as if he was unharmed. They all landed not far from the King, and as soon as they dismounted, the King looked at them, and immediately his eyes went wide.
"Haar?" Lance asked, sounding surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I can't go around disobeying our future Lord Consort, can't I?" Haar replied, making both Lance and Steven inwardly cringed. "Jasmine, seize them all at once." he ordered the Commander, before he turned his attention back to Lance, "Gotta make a good impression, otherwise future Lord Consort might decide to make my life difficult later on."
"That's... Unlikely," Steven murmured.
"You don't really have to worry about that," Lance hesitated.
Haar alternated his gaze between the two of them, before a look of realization went across his face, "Oh... I see. This young Lord doesn't fancy married men with two children, eh?"
"That's not-" Steven was about to correct him, but Haar cut him off.
"Yeah, don't feel bad about it. I wouldn't want him either. Children are such a pain in the ass. And married men are boring," Haar said before yawning again. "Heh, I guess I came here for nothing after all. I'm going back first, don't bother me with unimportant stuff like this again, okay?" Without another word, he mounted his wyvern and immediately took off.
As soon as he left, Lance directed his words to Steven, "I must say, I am surprised. Haar does not usually takes an order from anyone but me."
"He does not?" Steven was unsure of what to say.
"No, he's loyal to a fault. He does not deem an order valid until he hears and sees it coming out from my mouth. So it surprised me greatly to see him here."
"Well, I think it was because he assume that I am the future Lord Consort." Steven jokingly said, though it felt rather awkward saying it considering that Steven just turned Lance down earlier that day.
"No, he never..." Lance's voice trailed off as he looked away. "Ah... I think it's time to return to the palace."
Steven wondered why the King didn't finish his sentence, but when he was about to ask, the King had turned his attention to Jasmine and the captured outlaws. The wyvern riders from the palace had tied them all and were slinging them over the wyverns' backs. Lance went to talk with Jasmine.
Steven stood from a distance and watched the King. He couldn't help but to think of all the events that had happened between them so far. It had been a short time, but Steven had learnt more about the King than he was willing to admit. It felt funny to know someone with such an esteemed social status so well, but the more Steven knew, the more he wanted to know. Ah, but... that's not good, isn't it?
The King walked up to him as soon as he finished talking to Commander Jasmine. "I apologize for making you wait. Shall we head back now?"
Doesn't matter, I suppose. After all, I turned him down. Once we return and part ways, I'll probably never see him again.
Steven smiled at the King and said, "Yes, we shall."
Lance
They returned to the palace in the mid afternoon. He helped Steven unmount Leviar, before sending the forest wyvern away. They stood and watched as Leviar disappeared, before Steven turned to look at him and said, "You know... This might be strange for me to say, but I really think you should know this."
Lance looked at him and asked, "What is it?"
"You're a good father, and a good King, and I'm sure you'll make a good husband as well. You're... a really good person, and I wish you all the best."
Somehow, those words felt like a parting gift, and Lance wasn't sure if he was supposed to be happy or sad. He was glad to hear the compliment, but he was also saddened by the reminder that they might not see each other again. "Thank you," he replied. "And you're... a very interesting person as well."
Steven chuckled, "Hardly, but thank you."
So, is this it? Lance wondered. "Shall I escort you back to your room?"
Steven shook his head, "No, I... I don't think that's necessary. I'm sure you have other matters to attend to."
"It's fine. I can not let a young lord such as yourself wander around without an escort."
Steven knew better than to argue, "I suppose you're right."
The walk was filled with an awkward silence which reminded Lance of the first time he escorted Steven back to the West Wing. He knew he needed to say something, but the words he wanted to say just sounded wrong in his head. Will you come with me for another ride next time? Can we stay as friends? Are you sure you're not interested in me?
He felt like a little boy all over again, so full of doubts and hesitation. He couldn't help but wonder why he wanted to be with Steven so much. What is it that you see in him? He asked himself. He glanced at Steven, and thought, he is handsome, and good looking. But was that all? Was his attraction purely based on his fondness of Steven's features? Nothing but mere lust and want? If that was the case, then maybe Steven did the right by turning him down.
"You're a good father, and a good King, and I'm sure you'll make a good husband as well. You're... a really good person, and I wish you all the best."
Lance suddenly stopped. No, that wasn't the case. This attraction... It was more than just lust and want.
"It's one of my charms."
"It doesn't bother me..."
"I kept thinking about you the whole day."
Steven noticed that Lance had stopped walking, and did the same. He looked over his shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?"
Steven's winning traits were more than just his outer appearance. He was honest, unabashed, and simple. He was modest, he didn't try to hide his true self beneath layers of false courtesy like all the others Lance had met. He was simply who he was. No deep, dark secret, no hidden intentions, no ulterior motives. And that was probably why Lance felt so comfortable around him. "... I know that you've turned me down..." Lance let the words came out of his mouth. "And that you're not interested in me. But I believe that you should know... that I like you."
Immediately, Steven's eyes widened with surprise. His mouth parted slightly in disbelief, and Lance got the urge to kiss him right there and then.
And so he did.
Steven was rendered speechless for the second time that day.