Chapter Four: Content
Arthur was slumped down against the heavy oak door, his hands lying in his lap, and his head hung in disgrace at his actions. His cheeks were tear-stained from where he'd been calling for Alfred, his family, his freedom. His emerald eyes revealed themselves as they focused on his marked hand; the lines of the Spadian Crest connected effortlessly against his pale skin.
Knowing that there was nothing more he could do, besides hurt himself banging at the door anymore, he got up from the floor and wandered over to the four-poster bed, and sank into the plush duvet. Arthur curled up tightly, pulling the navy-blue sheets around himself, as if to hide himself from the world around him. There were only two things that he truly wanted at that moment: his family, and Alfred.
Images of his siblings, his mother, and Alfred all standing together with open arms filled his mind. Arthur always believed these images made him weak, but truthfully, he didn't care. A real man would understand the importance of family, and cherish it, not push it away as if it were nothing of meaning to him. That's what his father had always said; until his final breath.
In his thoughts, Arthur rushed toward those people, his family, and his betrothed, he could almost touch them, until his dream was interrupted by a loud click. The lock on the door? He sat up and turned to the door, but no one stood there; it wasn't open. He quirked a brow, getting up, and walked over to the door. Trying the handle, he confirmed that it was still locked; a sudden frown stained his face.
However, the soon-to-be Queen was grabbed from behind, but before he could cry out, a hand covered his mouth, and a soft voice spoke.
"Shh! Relax, it's me!" The voice was hushed, yet familiar. Arthur turned his emerald gaze and met a pair of sapphires staring back at him, a cheeky grin on his face.
"Alfred! What are you doing he-?!" But before he could finish talking, the Prince had already met his lips in a deep, apologetic kiss. All Arthur could do was sink into the bliss given to him by the golden-haired boy. A moment later, too soon for Arthur, Alfred pulled back and pressed a kiss to the other's forehead.
"I came to rescue you, that's what the hero of all those fairy stories do right? I am the brave, noble Prince come to rescue my damsel-in-distress-!" Alfred chimed, before it was his turn for his mouth to be covered.
"Damsel, my arse! I can stand up for myself perfectly fine!" Arthur scowled, but Alfred simply chuckled as a peachy blush rose over his Queen's cheeks. He nodded happily in response, almost sad when Arthur removed his soft hand from his lips.
Arthur was about to ask the question again, of what Alfred was doing here, but was captured by the Prince's strong, yet loving hold, another kiss placed on his lips; this time a little more passionate. His eyelids fluttered shut, the blush continuing to grow on his cheeks.
The Prince's hands shook slightly as he thought about what to do next, should he keep going or should he hold back and let Arthur make the first move? He really didn't know what to do! While he internally panicked over what he should do next, he felt the other's nimble tongue tap at his lip, asking for entrance. Alfred shuddered softly, but slowly parted his mouth and welcomed Arthur in. Their tongues danced together as they continued to kiss, everything seemed to be a blur around them as they focused solely on each other.
After a few more passionate moments, their lips withdrew; both swollen from the romance shared between them. Arthur's eyes widened as he realised where they now were: lying on the bed, with the Prince above him, glancing down through thin sheets of glass. A bright blush made his face light up, but Alfred just chuckled with delight.
"We seemed to get a little heated there, I'm sorry Artie!" He chuckled, sitting up, so the other could escape from underneath him, but Arthur just lay there, hiding his face in his hands.
Arthur's eyes focused onto Alfred's smile, then he sat up and rested his head against the Prince's shoulder. "I-It's alright… I did make the required move. I'm the o-one to blame…"
"No blame! It was… r-really good. I'd never kissed anyone before you, let alone do that," he shrugged his shoulders. Now it was Alfred's turn to blush. The Queen-to-be simply laughed and kissed Alfred's cheek, as if to say it was alright. His sapphire eyes met emeralds, causing a smile to appear on his lips.
"Anyway, now that we're calm again. Why are you here?" Arthur piped up, glancing up at his King.
Alfred's face screwed up slightly as he tried to remember, then he gasped, pushed up his glasses and turned to Arthur, taking his hand. "I wanted to get you outta' here! Why don't I take you back to your family home? I'll go with you, and that'll prove to Yao that no matter where you are, who you're with, or what you're doing, I'm always there to protect you! Then he may let you out more until the wedding!" He grinned, his words causing Arthur to blush.
"You honestly mean that Alfred? You'd take me home?" His eyes lit up with joy at the thought of seeing his family after the Jack had strictly said he would probably never see them again, at least not for a long while.
"Of course, I would! Family's important, right?" He grinned, though in his mind, he thought of his mother, who was better from her panic at the dance. However, she was still unhappy about Alfred choosing a man as his Queen. The Prince pushed the image from his mind and focused his gaze on Arthur once more. "What do ya' say? Shall we go see your family?"
Arthur beamed, his eyes twinkling, "Yes, I'd love to go and see them-! A-Alfred… you said 'we'?"
Alfred nodded definitively, "Well yeah, I wanna' meet them. I haven't met your family yet, and you've met mine. So, it's fair right?" He grinned childishly. The other male nodded in acknowledgment, then decided that they would go that night; back to his home, where he grew up.
After a long ride, the duo finally made it to the Kirkland home. A warm orange glow emanated from the windows; Arthur suspected that the fireplace must be lit. Hopping off their horses, Arthur petted their noses, before bringing them to the stables, it was warm and comfortable in their for the royal horses, known as Kimberley and Coconut, as the two were a golden blond and white respectively.
The green-eyed male turned to face Alfred, whose lip was quirked slightly, and his hands intertwined with each other; he was clearly nervous. Arthur wandered over to him and took Alfred's hand, "There's nothing to be afraid of Alfred. It's only my family; they'll be honoured to have you in their home." These words let Alfred relax slightly, as he took a deep breath and nodded that he was ready.
Turning toward the door, Arthur gently knocked of the solid wood. Upon hearing a few footsteps, the door was opened by Eire
"Arthur, welcome home! How was your-!" She gasped, her eyes widening at the sight of the Prince. "Y-Your Majesty?! W-What are you doing here…?"
"Eire, Alfred has come to pay a visit to us. So, he could meet you all before the wedding; may we come in to see everyone else?" Arthur chucked softly at his sister's shocked expression. The girl nodded slowly, before stepping aside and letting the two come in.
Arthur led the way to the main room, a cosy room lit with the fire, just as he expected, and his family sitting around after a long day's work. They were all conversing calmly, until they noticed the new presence. Jaws dropped as their eyes focused on the Prince, all except for Arthur's mother, who simply smiled elegantly, got up from her chair, curtsied to the boy.
"Good evening, Your Highness. Welcome to our home. It may not be as extravagant as your palace; but we call it home," Victoria spoke with grace, her olive-green eyes sparkled with excitement at having the Prince in her home.
"A pleasure to meet you all. And please, all of you may refer to me as Alfred. Outside the palace, I am happy being called by name~" He grinned, taking Victoria's hand and pressing a kiss to her cheek in greeting.
Alfred greeted each of Arthur's siblings one-by-one, shaking their hands, and trying to keep their names locked in his mind. When the formalities were over, the Prince glanced around and tapped his finger against his lower lip. "N-Not to be rude, but where's your dad?"
Everyone's face seemed to sink at the mention of their father, Peter sniffled softly, causing Eire and Eoin to wrap their arms around him, consoling the boy. Alfred swallowed awkwardly, about to apologise, when Victoria spoke up again.
"There is no need to apologise for your words, my boy. My husband passed away about three years ago, he was sick, and could not get better. There is no harm done; you did not know," her face, despite being wrinkled and frail, held a glimmer of hope and happiness, even when talking about her deceased partner.
The Prince's blue eyes momentarily lost their sparkle, he had regretted asking that question. His head perked up as he felt a tender touch to his arm, turning his gaze to meet Arthur's, who held a sympathetic smile on his soft features. It was as if happiness simply passed between the two, as Arthur's smile caused Alfred's lips to turn up into a smile as well.
A few hours later, most the family had gone to bed, the only ones who were still awake were Arthur, Alfred, and Alistair. Soon, Arthur got up from where he sat by the window, kissed Alfred's and went to the room, that would soon no longer be his.
As Alfred was getting up to follow after him, Alistair spoke up. "Do you love him?" His dark green eyes shone with curiosity, a cigarette between his lips, before he exhaled a puff of smoke.
"O-Of course, I do. W-Why are you asking me that?" He felt attacked, how could Arthur's brother ask him a question like that? It's not like Arthur meant nothing to him, he chose him without knowing of the Queen's mark, so he clearly was important to Alfred.
"I'm only asking… purely because I know that me' wee brother doesn't like being used or taken advantage of. That's a reason why he was afraid to reveal his wee birthmark in the first place, that and the fact that he couldn't bear the thought of leaving us behind." He bowed his head, his red hair prominent in the near finite glow of the fire.
Alfred's sapphire eyes widened slightly, "I can assure you, that I'll protect your little brother with my life should the need come for it. I do really love him; I'll prove it to you throughout the next few years of Arthur and I being together in matrimony." He held a determined expression, which soon faltered as a throaty laugh escaped the other.
"I know ye' will. Arthur tells us all about you when he's home; don't tell him I said that, he'd kill me. But enjoy the time you have with him, Arthur is a calm lad, one who cares a lot for those around him, especially his family," Alistair grinned, putting out the cigarette and walking past the other, he stopped for a moment though, looking to Alfred. "Arthur's room is down the corridor, third door on the left." He then went to his own room.
The Prince sighed softly, followed Alistair's instructions, and entered Arthur's room. He was sitting on his bed, glancing down at his right hand, tracing his fingertips along the black lines that stained his skin almost therapeutically.
"Come in, Alfred. I know that's you at the door," Arthur's voice rose from the darkness, the light of a small candle highlighting the straw-colour of his hair. The addressed male entered the room completely, shutting the door behind him and went to sit beside Arthur, putting an arm over his shoulders. "Were you speaking with Alistair?"
"Only briefly, he was just telling me about why you were so afraid… to show me this," he took Arthur's marked hand, kissing the rose in the centre. This caused Arthur to blush and smile softly.
"I see… Let's get some sleep. We're in for a long day tomorrow should Yao find we're missing," Arthur laughed, climbing into bed, he had already changed into his pyjamas for the night.
Alfred grinned, setting his dark blue coat and waistcoat off to the side, and unbuttoning part of his white dress shirt. Then he slipped out of his smart shoes and trousers, folding them neatly like his mother showed him how to do, before climbing into bed beside Arthur.
"We're not really meant to be sharing a bed until the wedding, y'know that right?" Alfred chuckled softly, setting his glasses aside. Arthur snuggled into the Prince, a sly look on his face.
"What they don't know won't hurt right?" He chuckled, pressing a kiss to the Prince's lips before settling down. "Get some rest Alfred~"
The Prince happily obliged, pressing a kiss to Arthur's forehead lovingly, before shutting his eyes. He and Arthur basked in the moonlight from the window, both falling asleep content n each other's hold.
Author's Note:
Hi everyone, hope you all enjoyed the chapter, A little mushy in places I know, but I had to do a few sweet moments between Arthur and Alfred. Also, this story will not contain full on yaoi, but the occasional passionate kiss, as shown in the chapter, may appear every now and again.
Again, apologies as to what happened with Lower Your Ghostly Sword last week, if anyone of you read that story as well. It's all sorted now, and in case you didn't see the update in my bio, I will be uploading two chapters of Lower Your Ghostly Sword on Wednesday to make up for the long wait on last week's chapter.
Thanks everyone for reading, see you next week!