A Dragon's Treasure

Chapter 15 - Two Blessings

Despite his assuredness the day before, Roman was reluctant to speak with Janus. He didn't know what was holding him back, it didn't feel like fear, okay, maybe a small part was fear but there was more to it than that. Something else sat heavily in his chest, a call he didn't know how to answer. The walls around him provided no answers as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He needed a change of scenery. Roman sighed, stretching out his body and his time before he got out of bed, heading towards the main opening to the cave. During his first few weeks here he would come to the entrance and watch the sunrise over the kingdom, mourning the life that he had lost. However, more recently, it had become a place for him to relax. Staring out at the forest, and the town in the distance, Roman felt a peace that he hadn't had back at home. When he left, he was going to miss this.

That-

That's what it was. He was going to miss this place. Somewhere in the chaos of hanging out with Janus, Remus, and Patton, Roman had fallen in love with being here. He had learned more about himself, had made a friend in his long-lost brother, and felt valued; but still wanted to become king. Doing so would mean leaving all of this behind, all of these people behind.

"Hey, kiddo?" Patton's voice was soft and quiet as he sat down next to Roman. "Everything okay?"

"I... I'm at a loss with what to do. I have been faced with two decisions, both wonderful and both beautiful, but they can't coexist. I don't know what to choose, and I'm afraid to make a mistake. I know we've been working on small mistakes but this feels like it could be a really big one if I don't choose the right path."

Patton sat down next to him, curling up his legs as he looked out at the sunset with Roman. "Sometimes there isn't a right path. For example, when I started learning magic I could have made a hundred different choices about what I wanted to study, and any of those choices would have led me down a different path in life. I can never know if there was a right path, but I made the most of the path I chose. Sometimes, that's all we can do, make the choice we think will make us the happiest, and then walk down it with our heads held high."

Roman bit his lip, he knew what he wanted to ask next, but he also knew that it wasn't a helpful question. He couldn't ask again how he knew he was making the right choice because Patton had just explained that there was no 'right' choice. He needed to find a better way to explain his worries.

"I'm afraid of the consequences." He finally said softly, and a silence fell between them. It was one of the things he really appreciated about Patton; when Roman said something, Patton listened and thought about it before responding, a skill he had apparently had to learn over the years he had been alive.

"As long as you continue to believe in yourself, as cliche as that sounds, I know you can face any challenge."

"What if I forget?"

Patton tilted his head to the side, looking at Roman.

"What if I forget to believe in myself?"

His face was grabbed so softly and so gently as he was led to face Patton. "We will be here to remind you. Even if you go far away, we will always be here to remind you of your worth."

Roman hesitated for a moment before holding his arms open. Patton came in for a hug, wrapping himself around the king-to-be.

"Thank you," Roman whispered. That was what he needed to hear, to know that even if things didn't work out, he could come back, to know that the people he cared about would still be here to support him when all was said and done.

Patton held him, whispering kind words in his ears, and Roman almost thought he heard the sound of a crow cawing in the daylight. Yeah, it would be okay.

[Section Break]

Patton's reassurance and his own realization didn't make facing Janus any easier. They had made a deal, and Roman was about to attempt to go back on the deal, or at least he was going to ask to. He stood outside the door to the dragon's study, looking at it as if he could burn a hole through the door just by looking at it. It was better than the pacing he had been doing just a few minutes ago. It was a process of back and forth and back and forth until he was finally ready to knock, but the door opened for him instead.

"Do you need something Roman?"

Janus' voice held only curiosity, no venom, and yet Roman found himself nervous. He cleared his throat, pushing his shoulders up, trying to stand tall, trying to show that he was confident, but one raised eyebrow from Janus had him withering, shoulders dropping.

"I just... I was hoping..." He took in another deep breath. He wanted Janus' approval, not just to leave, but that he was doing the right thing and how did he possibly ask that? "I want to go back to my kingdom so that I can become king. I would still be part of the hoard, I just wouldn't be here and I could visit often-"

"Okay,"

"What?"

"I said okay,"

"But... the deal."

"I made that deal with Roman, Prince of Nevarci, but you stand in front of me as Roman, Brother of Remus, Friend of Patton, Future King of Nevarci. You've already fulfilled what I wanted from our deal. Remus got the chance to know his brother, and I got a chance to know you. Family is important, good family even more so." He gently put his hands on Roman's shoulders. "I was hoping you would find happiness here, but I see the fire that burns in your eyes. If you really can't be happy here, you are free to leave. I do think it's important you go looking for your happiness, Roman."

This was... this was too much. He surged forward, giving Janus a hug. He would normally never do this, Janus obviously was a man who liked his space and privacy, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't help his overwhelming feelings of relief. "Thank you."

Then Janus hugged back.

Roman swore he wasn't crying, swore that this wasn't all it took to send him over the edge, but he knew it was. This felt like acceptance, even though he was going against what Janus most likely wanted, he still let Roman go, still let him do what he needed to do for himself. "Thank you." He whispered, pulling back slowly. "Thank you."

Janus rubbed his back gently. "You deserve happiness," Janus reminded him. "And it's okay to go after what you want."

Roman continued to sniffle, holding him. He didn't say anything for a while and Janus finally spoke again. "Have you told Logan and Remus yet?"

Roman shook his head. "I was going to tell them tonight if you said yes, no need to bring it up if it wasn't going to happen."

Janus nodded, straightening out Roman's hair as the two began to separate. "I suggest you let them know. Logan may want to go with you, and Remus will probably be a little sad and upset."

"Hopefully not too much so, and I think Logan should stay. The library, and Remus make him happy."

Janus nodded, thinking about what Roman had said, "And how are you feeling about that?"

"This is where his happiness is. I'm okay with that."

Janus gave him a soft smile, the upturn of his lips showing off one of his fanged teeth. "I'm proud of you."

Roman refused to cry again, but he could feel the lump that formed behind his throat, begging to escape. All he could manage to get out was a simple, "Thank you."