Royal

Fire in the Woods

I sit with my numb fingers outstretched over the small flickering flame. How Peter actually managed to get it going amazes me, I would never be able to survive this without him I would have slipped and cracked my head open on a rock by now. 

Peter sits next to me, legs and hips touching mine. He is as cold as I am and subconsciously rubs his shoulder every few minutes until I get fed up and shuffle to sit behind him. "let me see your shoulder" I ask and Peter winces away looking down at the ground the shadows of the night hiding his features.

"I'm fine don't worry about it, I've had worse." He mumbles and I sigh resting my chin on his good shoulder. 

"just because you have been tough your whole life doesn't mean that this doesn't hurt. Let me look maybe I can help." I ask softly and Peter sighs his black hair fanning over his eyes his shoulders sag down and he reaches for the bottom of his shirt. I sit back and let him pull it off I gasp softly when I see his back. 

His shoulder is already beginning to bruise turning blue and purple, the skin is puffy and irritated with a few scratches here and there. My eyes continue to wander down to the scars across his shoulders and lower back inflicted from years of harsh treatment. I run my hand gingerly across one and Peter sucks in a quick breath through his nose. I shuffle closer on my knees and inspect his wounded shoulder noticing small wooden splinters embedded into his skin. I carefully reach for a larger one and pull it out Peter hisses as it comes loose. I continue this process trying to take as many as possible from his skin without causing him too much pain. 

He still whines about it and hisses every time a new splinter is touched. I place a kiss on his good shoulder every time a particularly painful one is pulled and eventually the process is done the splinters tossed into the fire only the select few too small to pull out by hand remaining in Peter's shoulder. I shuffle and sit back next to him. Peter eyes his still damp shirt next to him and sighs straightening it out on a rock next to the fire instead of pulling it back on. I watch him shuffle around my stockings and the other items on the rock before coming back to sit. 

Our bags also got wet when I fell into the water meaning we have no dry warm clothes to change into and nothing but each other to warm us up. Peter sits next to me again and places his hand on my knee. I blush and my cheeks get so hot so fast it stings Peter notices and smiles placing a kiss onto my burning cheek causing my face to flare even brighter. He rests his slightly damp head of hair on my shoulder and sighs. 

"What do we do now?" He asks I crane my neck to look at him and he tilts his head back to look me in the eyes.

"I'm not sure. Honestly, I never planned for anything like this to happen. We are outcasts if we return to the kingdom we will surely be executed in the town square. We could try to find a way to a new kingdom but surely those too will soon fall at the hands of the people." 

"So then what? We live our lives in the forest like a couple of deer? What about Spain? Or England? Surely someone will take you in, you were a king you had to have had connections somewhere in case of this happening." 

"That's the thing, Peter, when my father was in charge he fucked things up so much with every other country that no one wanted to do anything for our kingdom. I've spent my entire reign trying to fix the problems he created and no one ever forgave the kingdom meaning that there is no one that will care about my name or my kingdom and is probably dancing over the revolution. They probably are just disappointed that no one caught me. We have no place to go unless we sneak our way in under disguise. This is a catastrophe."

"So you're telling me we are hopeless then?" 

"Basically so." I sigh and Peter runs his hands through his hair and flops onto the ground. " I mean I am the one they know the name of. I was the king no one knows your name Peter, you could go back and live among the people take half the gold we have buy some farm land and live happily. Just without me." I bite my lip and look to the ground, I can tell Peter is running the idea through his mind and I do not blame him. It's a good idea because he would have complete freedom and not have to worry about the hell that faces us in the future.

"Never." He says almost a whisper but I hear him perfectly fine. I smile down at him and lay down next to him cuddling into his chest.

"Thank you." I whisper placing a kiss on the tip of his nose. He smiles and pulls me closer rubbing my back to warm me up. I feel my eyes drooping as exhaustion hits me like a wave and my eyes fall closed.

When I wake up the sun is shining in my eyes and Peter is sleeping beside me in the grass. I sit up and rub the sleep from my eyes. The fire has died out in the night our clothes still lay scattered around like a peice of luggage exploded around the fire pit. I unwrap Peter's arms and make my way to the clothes pulling on some of the now dry articles of clothing. They are stiff from drying the way they did but warm enough to not care. Peter stirs and I grab a shirt for him and crouch next to him. His eyes flutter open and a lazy smile crosses his face when he sees me. 

"I could get used to the sight of you every morning." His voice scratchy from sleep. I blush and throw the shirt at him mumbling for him to shut his face.