Chapter 48: Arrival
Izaya couldn't tell how long they had been resting like this. Couldn't tell how long they both pretended to be asleep, but at some point the pretension became reality as the blazing ray of the sun's light grazed Izaya's cheek.
It was hot. Hotter than any day back at the castle.
The carriage had yet to move and the smell of doused flames lingered in the air.
The knights' laughter had ceased and the smoke was all that remained from the previous night.
And Shizuo-
Shifting barely, Izaya noticed the soft weight pressing on his shoulder.
He had actually stayed.
Right next to him.
Whether Shizuo had fallen asleep before Izaya had or simply decided to stay wasn't anything Izaya could tell. But fact was that he had.
Blond hair struggled against the king's odd position. Half sitting, half leaning onto the backrest of the carriage and Izaya's shoulder the king had chosen anything but a comfortable spot to rest in.
Yet his expression seemed peaceful.
Just so, so calm and soft.
It was funny, this was not the first time Izaya looked at Shizuo up close, yet he somehow had the feeling he never truly explored the blond's expressions.
The way his brows arched into worry, and the way his eyes, that were usually so powerful and full with confidence, radiated nothing but pure calmth whilst closed.
He was gorgeous. In his own way.
Shizuo's palm laid atop Izaya's blanket, almost as if he were trying to protect him from any danger even while he slept.
It was a gesture that made Izaya's lips form a smile.
Shizuo was tall. Taller than Izaya at least, and it showed in his hand's size. Laying open like a freshly budded flower in spring it served a tempting sensation. Mindlessly taking it, Izaya fit his own to his palm.
His hand was so big compared to himself. Marked with scars and signs of rough labor. His skin was sturdy due to years of handling his sword, yet awfully soft.
It was probably Shinra's soaps and otherwise clean approaches that kept it spared from a more blistered fate.
Izaya's hands were fragile in comparison- suiting the role of a woman really. They were just as cold as expected of a sickly queen.
In comparison Shizuo's was pleasantly warm.
Just like his entire personality.
The soft sound of whispers and people waking from their own slumbers caught Izaya's attention.
The knights were moving.
As if on cue Shizuo himself stirred as well and Izaya quickly retracted his hand.
A gaze, out of this world and its entirety, lingered on Izaya for a moment in which Shizuo seemed to wonder where he was, who he was and how he got here.
It was an awfully disheveled and funny expression and Izaya gracefully failed at hiding a laugh.
Recapturing his kingly presence and state of facts Shizuo cleared his throat in a useless attempt to save some of his dignity.
"Hey-" an awfully straight and casual response compared to a good morning. But it was just so Shizuo on multiple levels and Izaya couldn't help but adjust to his groggy state.
"Hey, to you too."
Shizuo's mind didn't seem to be blessed with further enlightenment as he yawned heartily. Arms were lifted, his back stretched like a cat on a summer day and only after what must have been a full minute his brain seemed to have caught up to the current events.
Body tensing quickly the worry Izaya was so used to seeing replaced the confusion and Shizuo's full blown attention rested on him.
"How are you-"
"Please stop asking that." Izaya had seen the question coming much faster than Shizuo was even able to think of it.
Being shut down immediately like that it took the king a second to regain his posture. A soft groan left his lips, but it was paired with a smile.
Glancing over carefully as if looking too closely would threaten the picture he was seeing, Shizuo hummed.
"Did you sleep well?" The answer was clear as daylight. A lively color of beige had chased away some of the paleness in Izaya's face as well as the misery lingering in his eyes.
He seemed lively, much more than he did weeks before.
"I know you did." Izaya snorted instead of giving a reply and Shizuo couldn't really do anything but smile at the soft insult.
"Now did I?"
"Accusing me of snoring when you could fell an entire forest by yourself. Quite rich don't you think?" Izaya chuckled and this time no coughs followed.
Izaya had sat up straight, had laughed, breathed- yet none of it triggered an onslaught of coughs.
If this was no good sign then what could possibly be one?
Reaching out by instinct more than intention, Shizuo's palm found its way to Izaya's forehead.
His queen stilled and Shizuo's expression became even more cheerful. The searing heat was gone.
Hope of a kind Shizuo hadn't dared to hold blossomed in his chest and a deep sigh left his lips.
Thank god.
He was getting better.
"Anything else you want to touch?" Izaya joked, seeing as his palm was still in place and Shizuo quickly retracted his hand.
"Sorry, should have asked before touching a lady, shouldn't I?" he hummed and Izaya shrugged. "Good thing I ain't one, right?"
"Hey, Chester-!"
It was then that quiet hisses and suppressed commands reached the pairs' ears.
The knights had woken, possibly way before their commander did. But without further instructions they wouldn't proceed their journey.
Izaya realized as much as his eyes followed Shizuo who quickly got up from his seat.
The door to the carriage was opened and an awful silence greeted the king.
"Is she…" Karazam whispered quietly, but loud enough for Izaya to hear all the way inside the carriage.
Obvious confusion wrecked Shizuo's mind and Izaya couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm not dead yet, Karazam," he announced as loudly as he could without straining his throat and the knights audibly stirred with relief.
"My lady!" Karazam quickly said whilst approaching the carriage with blinding speed. "I apologize I didn't mean to-" But there was no need for apology and Shizuo didn't seem to think so either.
"We are not stopping until we reach the border!" The king announced with the bellowing voice of a commander and the knights straightened immediately.
"One full day it shall be! Anyone falling behind will tend to the horses!" Craigh laughed and with that they dispersed.
Horses were freed from their bindings, supplies repacked onto their backs and before Izaya knew it the carriage was moving again.
A soft breeze, too hot to consider as one of spring's children grazed past the curtains and soothed Izaya's skin like a silken flower's gentle touch.
Even sitting up didn't provide Izaya with the usual set of coughing fits and so he enjoyed the sight bypassing the window.
Open meadows, fresh fields and small batches of forests providing minimal shelter for local animals had replaced the cool density of mountains. Izaya could see much further into the distance than he ever had before and it evoked a funny mixture of fear and amazement.
… he had been out of it for a while, hadn't he?
The past few days were more of a blurry haze than anything else. He remembered Shinra of course, and every word spoken by Shizuo and himself, but somehow an odd sense of alienation made him feel like he hadn't been part of it all.
It made him appreciate the clarity he was now provided with.
Not having had the chance to ask, he suddenly found himself wondering which direction their trip was leading into.
Troubles at the border, that's all he had caught from the knights upon moving. Something about people going missing.
Superstitions grew stronger the further the villages strayed from the castle and Izaya wondered what the actual cause of them could be.
Wild animals? A dangerous slope that they weren't aware of?
…. an illness?
Feeling his grasp on his blanket tighten a bit, Izaya's eyes narrowed.
He wasn't quite sure why Shizuo brought him to these lands, but the idea of finally getting better only to end up catching whatever knocked out those villagers was quite unsettling.
Another breeze picked up and Izaya closed his eyes to relish in the sensation it brought.
It was warmer in these lands, the air wasn't full of water.
Made him feel better too.
… was that the reason Shizuo had brought him here? The weather?
He had to ask him the next time he came to check on him.
But that check never came. Or at least, he wasn't aware of it.
Colors of purple and red illuminated the clouds when he opened his eyes and his body jerked up from his bed in a quick jump start.
Ah-
He had dozed off without noticing.
Again.
Groaning softly, Izaya reached for his temples. Warmth seeped from his skin and he brushed his black strands of hair behind his ears. It had grown quite a bit since he started the pretense of a woman. Having reached down to barely brush his shoulders it had accumulated enough length to cover his shoulders.
The urge to pick it up and secure it further up was high but he resisted the temptation.
Longer hair was only going to make him look more feminine and as long as he was trying to play the role of a queen it was wiser to keep it down.
It was only now upon noticing the ease with which Izaya moved his hair around that he noticed the carriage had in fact stopped.
The same bloody colored treetops he had looked at upon waking looked back at him again as he faced the window.
Yet it was quiet.
Where had the knights gone?
Light confused, coupled with curiosity took the best of him as he slowly let his body slip to the side.
He had been doing nothing but lay in bed and sleep for days- it caused his actions to unfold much slower and cautious than he used to move.
Gingerly his feet touched the floor of the carriage and he paused.
Getting up.
That was the goal.
But was it a good idea?
He could already see his knees buckle and gracefully send him to the ground. It would be a sight to behold, really.
And as lucky as he had been recently he wouldn't put it beyond his fate to send Shizuo his way in such a most embarrassing situation.
It would probably be wiser to lay back down again and simply remain but-
After not having moved for days it was more of a desire to walk around than a necessity. The stuffy heat and enclosed space of the carriage was starting to make Izaya feel trapped.
A sensation he didn't really fancy experiencing.
Reaching for the ledge of the makeshift bed Izaya pushed himself off carefully. Ornaments filling the carriage's walls inside out provided a fairly good grip and Izaya's palm circled the delicate patterns of leaves and flowers.
Taking a moment to pause Izaya assessed his situation- the nightgown he wore looked feminine overall, but probably a bit too obscene for knights.
Grasping the top layer of the blankets that had kept him safe and sound like a cocoon he quickly pulled it onto his shoulders to form a makeshift coat.
Eyes flickered upwards and he took a deep, careful breath.
He could stand without any trouble it seemed.
No sudden increase in fatigue, no dizziness, no nausea- his body felt a bit weak, but it was nothing that a bit of extra caution and careful movement's couldn't intercept. If walking was okay, then so should walking be, and so he pressed the door to the carriage open.
Slowly, taking all the time in the world he needed, Izaya stepped out of the carriage.
A slightly cooler breeze brushed past his black hair and impaired his vision for a moment.
The smell of a burning fire and herbs lingered in the air accompanied by an awfully peaceful silence.
Izaya blinked, shoved his strands of hair back, only to see that the knights were gone.
All except for one.
"My lady-" Karazam was sitting at the fireplace, now quickly rising to his feet as he watched his lady descend onto the grass.
Only vaguely Izaya suddenly remembered the knights having talked about a competition regarding their arrival. The horses had been tied to the surrounding trees and Izaya could spot a wall, marking the entrance to the neighboring duke's land.
Shizuo and the knights were probably arranging everything for their entry- and Karazam had been the last to arrive and burdened with the duty to tend to the horses.
A smile spread across Izaya's lips as he faced the busy knight.
"Good evening, Karazam."
to be continued~
We finally arrived yay~! Prepare yourself for laughter, flirtery and very confusing desires by very confused kings C:
Also, just a quick newsflash xDDD
For one thing, It's officially been exactly 10 years now since I wrote and published the first fanfiction haha xD
Ten years damn. A fucking decade xDDD
So I just wanted to say thank you for sticking with me and my stories for the last DECADE holy fuck
xDD Ahem anyway~ Thank yo love you all, from everyone who comments and delights my days with awesome conversations to everyone who quietly reads and simply enjoys my stories haha 3
I will continue to write tons of stories and as a matter of fact a new one is just about the corner called: "Angel shot" which will start right after SnS ends.
Which leads me to the second info I wanted to give you xD There will be only one update next Saturday which will be the final chapter of Shingeki no Shizuo - one reason for that is that I suck at writing last chapters and tend to procrastinate on them and this is a countermeasure to that xD
The other is that I am having my sister over, and with her final exam in 8th grade and a job interview at my workplace hovering over her like the blade of a guillotine I will be spending time with her and probably not have a lot of time to write xD
So yeah, in a nutshell: Thank you for reading and see you in the final SnS chapter on Saturday xD