Kingdom Come

Chapter 1

"What was it like?"

In the lamplight, Simon looked like nothing more than a shadow. His long trench coat was patched at the elbows, his loosely curled hair covered his eyes, and he didn't need his boots to look tall, but he wore them anyway. He leaned carelessly against the post at the train station, his back turned to Kerri.

"What was what like?"

"Falling in love."

"It was the best thing to ever happen to me," Kerri said, his voice barely a whisper. Sitting on the bench, he looked around, trying to avoid looking at Simon anymore. The benches lining the railway on either side of him were all empty, and the overhang barely kept the rain out, let alone the wind. It was dark. The last train had left hours ago. Why were they here?

"I was told that finding love was the best experience that somebody could ever experience. Even you said so," Simon said. "Why do I feel like it's been nothing but one mistake after another?"

Kerri swallowed. "Because that's how life is."

"Life." It was practically a harsh laugh rather than a word from Simon. "What even is life? We grow up and do well in school so that we can go to work to pay for better schooling. We get better schooling in hopes that we will get a better job to pay us livable wages and live better lives. Healthier lives so that we can keep going back to work each day. It's a ruthless cycle, a cruel joke, life. Even the royals must live in some version of this cycle."

"Simon...."

"I think I should go home."

Kerri wasn't surprised, but the hurt was still there. They'd both left home years ago, though home for them had been completely different. And technically, Kerri had since returned. Simon had come from a castle, he had been the prince with everything he could ever want within reach, and food for every meal plus more if he wanted. Kerri had been living on the streets of the southern part of the kingdom when they'd met. He'd been without parents in the years since the plague. He'd gone from home to home until nobody else would take him, he ate whatever he could find and hoped for a meal for the next day, and he'd never had much hope for his future. He'd been lucky that a local inn had let him work for them for a short while.

"Why are you telling me? It's not my choice to make." The words hurt Kerri to say, but he knew he had to try to brush it off.

"I want you to come with me," Simon said. "One last adventure together before we never see each other again."

Before we never see each other again. It had been coming for a while. Even after they broke up, Kerri and Simon had still been close, and they'd tried to move on, but Kerri could never find it in himself to do so. He'd been in love with Simon. He'd never said it, but he'd never had to either. He didn't respond to Simon just yet; he wasn't sure what to say. He had nothing to stop him from going, but he wasn't sure that he should go either.

"When are you leaving?"

"Does it matter?" Simon finally looked at Kerri now, his blue eyes piercing him quizzically.

"You're leaving in the morning."

"It would be the best time to leave. We'll have all day to travel and prepare for the night. There wouldn't be that many people around either."

"And then the next day? And the day after that?"

"It will only be tomorrow and the day after. Once we get to Jolier, I'll make sure you get home safely."