The Merman's Lament - IvanTill

~12~

After lunch, Till and Ivan decided to spend some more time inside the castle, taking into account Ivan's health.

"How about we draw a portrait of each other?"

Ivan looked at him confused, not knowing what a portrait was. Till understood he didn't perhaps know, and decided he would start drawing him first.

"If you don't know, here, I will start doing one of you first! Then, you can do one of me after I'm done!"

Ivan nodded in understanding and followed Till's instructions to stay as still as possible so Till could draw him. However, he also wanted to see what he was drawing, so it was hard to resist the urge to move and look at his sketchbook.

"No peeking! You have to stay still! Otherwise I can't get a good sketch!"

Ivan couldn't really help his curiosity. He really wanted to see what the silver-haired boy was drawing. Fortunately, once he moved on to coloring, he was allowed to take a look, and the result marveled him. The portrait looked exactly like him.

Ivan was really happy and wrote down in his notebook.

"I love it! It looks just like me!"

Till was glad the black-haired boy liked it.

Then, it was Ivan's turn to sketch Till. Till stayed as still as he could as Ivan tried to draw him the best he could. In the end, he managed to do a decent job of it, and Till wasted no time placing the portrait on the wall once he was done.

"It also deserves a spot on my wall. Anything you make does."

Ivan couldn't help the blush that made his way to his cheeks, and he noticed that Till also blushed as well.

"I wanted to tell you something."

Till had to take a deep breath before he started talking.

"I have known you for a very short time, but I really like you, Ivan. I feel like we have a lot in common. Considering I would never be able to find the person who saved me that day on the beach, I would really like to marry you instead as you are the closest to my type."

Ivan, hearing that, couldn't stop himself from freaking out. He immediately pulled him into a hug, leaving Till taken aback. However, he didn't pull away and instead, he also wrapped his hands around him as tightly as he could.

"I love you, Ivan."

Ivan felt as if he were in a dream. He couldn't believe his beloved truly loved him. Till pulled away after a while and, after they looked each other in the eyes for a few seconds, they pulled each other into a kiss, pressing their lips together. They broke the kiss to catch their breath after a few seconds and then, Till confessed once again.

"Really, ever since I saw you at the beach, you really caught my attention. And then, the fact that we both have so much in common really ended up being it for me."

Ivan couldn't believe he really had been in love with him all this time. He wished he could remember when he had rescued him too, but it was fine anyway. He was indeed in love with him regardless and was not going to lose him.

Ivan grabbed his notebook and wrote down.

"I love you too. Ever since you rescued me at the beach."

Till pulled him once again closer for a kiss, yet this time, he wanted to go further. They started caressing each other all over their bodies, until eventually, they ended up naked, in bed, and becoming one.

________________________________________________________________________________

When Ivan woke up, the sun had already risen. Till was next to him, already awake and dressed.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Ivan nodded, still a bit sleepy. He got up as well and went to get ready to have breakfast. He had a quick bath before getting dressed.

This time, during breakfast, Urak was there too, and he was anything but pleased seeing them coming into the dining room together. He, on top of that, had important news to share with his son, which hopefully would put an end to everything he hated about him.

"Till, son, I have some news to share," he said as soon as they sat down.

Till already had a bad feeling about it, as anything his father ever had to say was bad.

"What is it, Father?"

"I have decided to arrange your marriage with the neighboring country's princess."

Both youngsters were left in shock at the news and Ivan's whole world seemed to immediately come crashing down.

"What?! Father, I don't know her at all! How am I supposed to marry someone I don't know at all?!"

"I don't care! You are going to marry her whether you like it or not. I'm tired of your rebellious behavior. It's time you start behaving like the prince you are and focus on your royal duties!"

Till decided then to stop having breakfast and grabbed Ivan by his hand, dragging him away. They both left the dining room, leaving Urak alone.

"I refuse to let that happen, Ivan. He is not going to force me to marry someone I don't know. We are going to run away together right now.

They began heading out, but before they could even step out of the castle, the guards stopped them and Urak came out from behind them yelling.

"You are not going anywhere! Guards, take that boy away!"

The guards apprehended Ivan and took him away from Till, which Till tried to prevent, however, he wasn't strong enough and they succeeded. As for him, he was locked inside his room as punishment by Urak.

"You will stay here until we leave to meet your future wife this afternoon!"

Till tried to take the door, but the door was too big and heavy for him. He worried they would harm Ivan and he would be powerless to do anything about it. He decided he would come out with the plan of agreeing to meet the neighboring country's princess but then would take the chance to flee with Ivan while visiting the kingdom. He wouldn't give up so easily. He loved Ivan and would definitely find a way to escape with him.

Meanwhile, Ivan was thrown into a jail in the deepest corner of the castle by the guards. He was told he would still come with them to the neighboring country, but he was forbid of interacting with Till. Urak wanted him to be there when Till would be forced to wed the princess before getting rid of him. Ivan could only hope that Till still could somehow find a way for the two of them to escape, but as the time to board the ship that would take them to the princess' kingdom neared, he was growing more and more hopeless and he kept hearing more and more the sea wizard's words. If nothing was to be done about it, he would be doomed.