Chapter 60: Conflicting feelings
Stress. Hurry. The danger of being discovered. Those emotions had prevailed when it came to cleaning his body the last time he tried to relax.
Sure, the water had been nice nonetheless, but there had been no time.
But today?
The servant's room was empty, just as Shizuo had promised. A window next to the bathtub served just enough sunlight to flood the room in the most pleasant manner.
And most importantly, Shizuo was guarding the hall.
Meaning Izaya had time. Had peace. Slowly and gently he let his body descend into the soothing warmth of comfort and well scented soap.
Right now it was just him, the water and the spell.
Yes. The spell.
Careful as to not accidentally destroy the rune on the back of his hand, Izaya closed his eyes in both relishment of this soothing moment and the sensation his magic brought as he mad it course his body once more.
He wasn't feeling bad or anything. Right now the opposite was the case, and yet he couldn't quite resist the urge to use it.
Again the warmth sept through Izaya's veins like liquified gold and Izaya smiled at the way using the spell had considerably decreased in difficulty.
The more he used the magic he had been taught the simpler the thoughts had to be in order to evoke the same sensation over and over again. He couldn't really describe it, but it was less the memories and the people he thought of, but more the sensation he felt when diving into them that seemed to trigger the healing process.
A certain kind of peace of hope.
Maybe hope was what the priests used?
Belief.
Right. They always preached about those things, didn't they? How people should keep their beliefs strong.
If it were the highest priest who could use the most efficient magic then Izaya understood how they came to achieve such.
Raising his palm against the rising sun he captured the golden light with a playful fist and smiled. And now it was him. Playing around with the healer's spell like he had never done anything else before.
Was there a way to overuse the rune?
Maybe.
If there was then he was definitely bordering on what was advised, but who was he to stop himself when his body was this delighted over its effects? Be it at night, or right now, the sensation of his limbs actually doing as he pleased without any downsides was just too exhilarating to neglect.
The draining sensation he had felt in the middle of the night was being soothed by the relaxing warmth of the bathwater and took away all negative side effects he had previously experienced.
And who was to say that using the spell when he was not actually in discomfort wasn't still going to help in the long run?
A bit of time had passed by the moment Izaya realized he had forgotten time while playing around like a fool and raised from the tub.
A pile of expensive fabrics caught his attention next as his eyes lingered on a small table inside the room.
Red.
It had turned out to be his favorite color when it came to dresses and he hummed approvingly as he picked the crimson piece of clothing from its folded state.
Satin made up most of the fabric, long sleeves mimicking a butterfly's folded wings reaching all the way down to the floor whilst Izaya's hip was encircled by the shape of a lily. The corset had been spared and he was most grateful about that fact. Had he been forced to put one on by now he would have probably taken another five years to get ready.
But like this?
Golden patterns of embroidery in the form of leaves sneaked their way across every inch of the beautiful dress as Izaya glanced inside a mirror in the corner of the room.
His hair.
Taking a strand of it he brought it to his nose as if having seen it for the first time.
It had grown quite long, hadn't it?
He still remembered his father's look of disgust when he saw his feminine stature, his hips, his smooth shoulders and lean legs. The hair had been the only odd detail about his disguise, but now?
It was a bit awkward, almost embarrassing to think, but looking in the mirror Izaya couldn't help but feel that he looked quite gorgeous.
Like a woman, of course, especially with long hair, but also like a pretty one. His eyes and lashes way too long for a male as well as his motions and gestures. He had never been the type to overly use his hands and feet to talk in the first place, but right now his controlled movements only aided to the idea of a gorgeous queen, standing above everyone with wisdom and a gentle mind.
The dress was aiding most to that idea of course, but Izaya still couldn't help but smile as he turned towards the door.
He remembered Shizuo being ripped off by its price when they finally arrived in Lord Hebaron's territory, but it seemed he hadn't been scammed in terms of quality at least.
With a harsh creak the door to the hall opened. It was still the same as Izaya had remembered. Most of his memories made during the past few days were extremely selective and some blurred by the fog of fever, but if there was one thing he recalled, then it was the way Shizuo had helped him get to his room.
It should have been embarrassing, should have hurt his pride in a way, and yet, even now thinking back, he saw nothing wrong with it.
As if on cue the blond hair of his favorite king entered his vision.
He had stayed.
Just as promised.
Back leaning against the wall and arms crossed, his expression held a certain aura of intimidation.
Almost like a hound sitting in a corner, ready to rip the head of anyone that dared to threaten its owner. The danger radiating was clear as daylight, and yet Izaya couldn't help but feel his breath still for just a second as he found himself quite enraptured by Shizuo's appearance. A king. A warrior. A gentle man with a golden heart. Shizuo was many things, and right now Izaya somehow had a hard time finding words.
Having noticed the door opening Shizuo was facing Izaya with awfully similar emotions.
He had guarded the door, made sure that no maid or servant thought it to be a good idea to quickly sneak inside. Izaya didn't need help. Not right now. Eight now he needed peace.
Some rest.
It was already enough distraught to have to drag him out of this castle and his bedroom just because of some useless collective prayer. But it was what Izaya had decided was the right thing to do and so Shizuo had no real choice.
Stepping away from the wall he turned towards his fake queen.
Was it the dress? The hair? Still slightly damp? The way he smiled? He didn't know.
And yet, somehow, the moment he laid eyes upon her his body froze.
Because Izaya was beautiful.
Beautiful as a freshly budded flower in a garden full of roses.
Had he always been this gorgeous? This pretty?
His skin was silken like a moth's gown, a soft scar sat on his collarbone from the day he got kidnapped, but even that served no blemish to the radiating beauty.
Izaya's hair had grown even longer and for a moment Shizuo had a really hard time sorting his emotions.
"Did you wait the entire time?" Izaya spoke first, and Shizuo had never been more glad to receive a question he could actually answer.
"I did. How are you feeling?"
A much dreaded question.
Shizuo realized the moment it left his lips in an all too familiar fashion. It was what he asked the most and what Izaya despised to hear.
And yet, right now, it seemed he was going to receive a favorable answer as Izaya's expression peaked in a smile of hidden joy.
"Good," his queen whispered, and his eyes, so full of life, directed themselves at Shizuo. "Better than at the inn actually."
The inn.
Memories circling back to the way they danced and enjoyed themselves for a single night of freedom Shizuo couldn't help but smile as well. Smile, because he was relieved, because Izaya was undeniably speaking the truth.
He could tell.
From the way he looked, from the way he moved and the way those words flowed off his lips.
It was then that a maid turned up at the far end of the corridor that Shizuo snapped out of his long wordless gaze and realized they actually had a destination to reach.
Blame it half on habit, half on worry, but he was quicker to offer his arm than he could think about the action.
Because Izaya still looked so fragile. Small and delicate. As if a breeze could carry him away the second he stepped ahead.
Of course. He had only just started getting better after suffering for so long. Even with the healer's spell Shizuo surmised it would still take at least a few days until he was back to full health.
A smile was flashed towards the king and Izaya took the offer as quickly as it came. He appreciated the extra balance and understood Shizuo's concerns of appearance in front of the maid.
Descending the stairs of the mansion was easier than expected. Walking in general took less of a toll on Izaya's exhaustion than he had anticipated and with a smile on both their lips the couple emerged from the building.
Horses, servants and most importantly, the knights had already gathered.
All in front, Karazam.
Spotting the queen, his soul appeared to leave his body at once as he hurried towards Izaya with quick steps.
"I'm sorry my lady-" he bowed immediately and almost bit his tongue at the speed his words left his mouth with, "I didn't know you were in you nightgown I-"
A soft snort escaped Izaya's lips at the action as both relief as well as humor mixed in a funny manner. For just a second he had worried that Karazam might have realized his true gender, but it seemed the guy was too innocent to even think about Izaya's shape in his nightgown and so he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Karazam it's fine," Izaya quickly spoke, interrupting the poor knight halfway, but of course his comrades weren't willing to let go of this new opportunity.
A quick whistle traversed the air and Alaric pulled up on top of his horse.
"Karazam, I didn't think you would be this feisty, I misjudged your character!"
Colors of different shades of red painted Karazam's face over in a matter of seconds as he turned with as much feigned anger as he could muster.
"Please stop, Alaric-!" Izaya couldn't help but laugh at the weak plead. He appeared awfully flustered and served a quite fitting expression of a chicken trying to scold a wolf.
Shizuo's horse was what cut Izaya's view on the young knight and the king quickly slipped onto his horse with the elegance of a warrior that had done so an infinite amount of times.
A quick glance was cast towards the horse, the reins grasped and with a soft smile the king held out his hand towards his queen.
Izaya couldn't help but hide a smile on his own part as he wondered just when Shizuo had learned to act this gallant.
It hadn't been too long ago that Shizuo had pulled Izaya onto his horse by his hips like a sack of potatoes. Compared to that time he was being awfully courteous today.
A side glance was cast towards the mansion and Izaya noticed Lord Hebaron's presence.
Emerging from the front himself he had taken quite his time to appear it seemed, in order to make a grand last entrance.
Grasping Shizuo's hand Izaya let himself be pulled into the horse with ease.
Izaya was smart enough to conclude that the king was trying to keep his good appearance in front of the people he was supposed to rule from now on.
He couldn't have been much wronger about that as Shizuo's thoughts turned into a jumbled mess the second Izaya joined him in that horse.
It was hell.
Hell of his own kind.
A horse's back was, what it was, just a simple back, made for one person at a time, not two. So of course the second he pulled Izaya onto his good friend he was bound to lean into Shizuo's chest. Was bound to have their bodies touched in places Shizuo had never paid special attention to, but right now he suddenly realized all these details with the intensity of a scream directed at his face.
And suddenly handling his horse was just that much harder than ever before.
How was he supposed to move? How was he supposed to act?
Izaya was too close to form a clear thought and the king swallowed hard as he was suddenly overly conscious about every touch.
Izaya's breath, close enough to hear, his glance, his eyes, so brilliantly beautiful-
"I'm glad you decided to join."
Had the lord not spoken at that moment Shizuo wouldn't even have noticed Hebaron had joined them. Turning his head he quickly nodded towards the lord, completely having forgotten the context of the conversation.
"I thank you for letting us stay in your mansion," Izaya quickly replied and Shizuo had never been more glad for him to speak.
"It was my pleasure," Lord Hebaron smiled, and even bowed to Izaya's surprise.
Honestly, he hadn't expected the lord to be capable of modesty, but right now he appeared to be.
It was funny, Izaya should despise this man for his character. He tried to scam Shizuo together with another noble, held opinions that Izaya wasn't even willing to understand and an arrogance reserved for a king but not a man of his status, and yet- despite all that Izaya found himself thinking that he was not that bad of a person.
He kept true to his words, sent a healer too, ultimately it was Lord Hebaron's healer that probably saved Izaya's life.
And so he bowed too, just slightly, it wasn't much more than a simple nod into the lord's direction, but Hebaron seemed more than delighted to have gained the queen's favor.
Because honestly, he did.
Right now, Izaya felt nothing but gratitude for the man that brought about the solution to his demise and so he smiled.
And the knights did too as they steered their horses into the direction of the church.
After all, they had a collective prayer to attend, didn't they?
to be continued~