Moonlight Beneath Arvan

Chapter 2: Secrets Beneath the Stars

Ethan slipped into the lower quarters with practiced stealth, cloaked in shadows as he made his way through the winding alleys. The late autumn night was cold, his breath clouding in the air as he ducked past the scattered groups of commoners who remained out this late, laughing and calling to each other as they closed down the market. Ethan's heart raced with every step. It was reckless to come here again so soon, and he knew it. Yet he found himself unable to resist.

Tonight, he was hoping to find Luca.

Their last meeting lingered in his mind. The way Luca had handed him the hammer, the way he'd guided his hands with a gentle confidence—each memory played over and over, an irresistible draw to return. Ethan had spent the entire day pretending to listen to his father's lectures on trade alliances, but his thoughts had been anywhere but with the family business.

He was nearly to the marketplace when he heard a low voice call his name.

"Ethan."

He stopped, pulse quickening. It was Luca, leaning against the wall of a narrow alley, his arms crossed and a small, mischievous grin lighting his face. Ethan's tension melted into a smile before he could stop himself.

"You're getting bold, aren't you?" Luca asked, pushing off the wall and walking over. "Back so soon?"

"Couldn't stay away," Ethan admitted, his voice low. He felt his cheeks flush, but under the cover of night, he wasn't as worried about hiding it. "I... I enjoyed our last meeting. More than I thought I would."

"Well, that's a compliment if I ever heard one," Luca teased, but his eyes softened, an unreadable look passing over his face. He gestured to a small patch of grass by a quiet street, out of sight from prying eyes. "Come on, let's sit for a bit."

They settled down, side by side, beneath the stars that peeked through the clouds. It was silent for a moment, the city's usual clamor softened to a distant murmur. Ethan felt a strange peace settle over him. Here, in the quiet company of someone who didn't know him as Lord Ethan Cael, he could almost imagine he was just... himself.

"You said something last time," Luca said, breaking the silence. "About wanting to find something real. Did you mean that?"

Ethan hesitated, but Luca's gaze held no judgment, only curiosity. "I did," he finally replied. "I've spent my entire life... learning how to be something I don't think I am. Every day, I'm reminded of what I should want, who I should be. But sometimes I wonder if I even want any of it."

Luca nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds exhausting."

"It is," Ethan whispered. "It's like... everything is already decided for me. Who I'll marry, what I'll do, even what kind of person I should be. I don't know if I can keep pretending."

Luca looked at him, his face softening. "Out here, people get to be who they want. Not always easy, but at least we've got a choice." He looked up at the stars, his voice dropping. "You should have that choice too, Ethan."

Ethan's breath hitched. The idea of choice felt both thrilling and impossible. He wanted to hold onto that feeling, the way Luca's words made him feel like he could be someone other than his father's heir, someone with dreams and desires that belonged to him alone.

"Luca," he began, his voice barely more than a whisper, "have you always known what you wanted?"

Luca was quiet for a long moment, his expression pensive. "Maybe not always. But once I figured it out, I held on to it with everything I had." He glanced at Ethan, a spark of intensity in his gaze. "Even when it's hard, even when it costs something... I know I'm living for myself."

Ethan's chest tightened. "But don't you ever worry that... that it could be taken from you? That someone could come along and tell you that your life doesn't belong to you?"

Luca's jaw clenched, his gaze darkening. "Every day. But that's why I fight. I don't let anyone tell me who to be. Not my father, not this city. No one."

Ethan looked at him, captivated by Luca's determination. In his world, no one spoke like this—no one dared to challenge the expectations laid out before them. And here Luca was, a common blacksmith's son, speaking with a fierceness that left Ethan feeling almost breathless.

"I envy you," Ethan admitted, his voice shaking slightly. "I wish I could have even half your courage."

Luca laughed, the sound low and warm. "Courage? Trust me, Ethan, I'm no hero. I'm just stubborn." He nudged Ethan's shoulder lightly, grinning. "But maybe you've got a bit of that stubbornness in you too."

A small smile tugged at Ethan's lips. "Maybe."

They fell into a comfortable silence, the sounds of the city fading as the night deepened. Ethan let himself relax, savoring the warmth of Luca's presence beside him, the quiet closeness that felt more precious than anything he'd ever known. But a question nagged at him, something he'd been afraid to ask but could no longer hold back.

"Luca..." Ethan's voice was barely a murmur. "Do you ever feel... alone?"

Luca's expression shifted, his gaze growing distant. "Sometimes," he said, his voice soft. "It's part of this life, I think. You push back against the world, and sometimes it pushes you right back."

Ethan felt a pang of empathy. He wanted to reach out, to somehow bridge the space between them, but he held back. Instead, he looked up at the stars, the sky vast and endless above them.

"It sounds strange," Ethan said after a long pause, "but I think I feel less alone when I'm with you."

Luca turned to him, his eyes warm, a faint smile curving his lips. "Not strange at all. I feel it too."

They stayed there, each wrapped in the quiet comfort of the other's presence. And when Luca's hand brushed against his, the touch was so gentle, so fleeting, that Ethan almost thought he'd imagined it. But he hadn't. Luca's fingers lingered just a moment longer, and Ethan's breath caught as an unspoken connection blossomed between them, something deeper than words could express.

Finally, Luca pulled his hand back, clearing his throat. "So, noble boy," he said with a grin, his teasing tone breaking the tension. "Think you'll survive out here in the real world?"

Ethan laughed, the sound light and free. "I think so. As long as I have a guide."

"Well," Luca said, his grin softening, "I'll be around. But remember, I won't be easy on you."

"Good," Ethan replied, surprising himself with his own boldness. "I don't want easy."

They sat together in silence again, each wrapped in thoughts too private to share, but somehow knowing they understood each other perfectly. Here, beneath the stars, they were just two young men, each carrying burdens the other couldn't fully understand, yet bound together by the small solace they found in each other's company.

As the night grew colder, Ethan reluctantly stood, his cloak heavy around his shoulders. "I should go."

"Yeah," Luca said, his voice soft, almost regretful. "Wouldn't want to get caught sneaking around down here, would we?"

"Right." Ethan hesitated, then met Luca's gaze one last time. "Thank you. For tonight."

"Anytime," Luca replied, a warmth in his eyes that sent a shiver down Ethan's spine. "Stay safe, noble boy."

With one last look, Ethan turned and slipped back into the shadows, his heart pounding as he made his way up the familiar path to his family's estate. Yet as he walked, a new feeling bloomed within him—a quiet, fierce determination. For the first time in his life, he had a taste of freedom, a glimpse of something that felt real.

And he would do anything to hold onto it.