Of Kings and Queens

Part II/15/This Is It/

"I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it

If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me,"

•••

At the refreshment table there was a short break for the two teenagers to talk in privacy. The bodies of people dancing and people milling about blocked surrounded them. "I'm sorry," Oliver told apologetically.

"For what, exactly?" She danced around the subject. Robin wanted him to admit it.

He poured them both a small bit of champagne while he pondered. He handed her a glass with his mind made up, "I denied having previous connections with you, and you are upset. Though I cannot see why," Oliver knew exactly why, and he wished she wasn't as clever to know about the lies in his words.

"I thought- Nevermind. It's not important. It's not like you could ever understand; You're a Roscoe." She thought how could someone like her ever have a shot with someone like him. He was royalty, with a pretty face.

He thought how could someone as broken as him ever deserve someone like her.

"Goodbye, Oliver." She turned to leave, but he caught her arm in the last second.

"I- Wait, Robin. I know why, I swear. I'm just... Scared. Okay?"

"What could the almighty Oliver Roscoe ever be scared about? Stone walls quiver in his presence, he's so emotionless." Robin shot back.

He desperately searched her eyes, "I'm not as emotionless as you seem to have previously thought, I'm afraid." He glanced around timidly, but was rest assured when all the other guests seemed to be in the ball room.

"Enlighten me, Oliver," She challenged him. Her jaw clenched, waiting for his defeat, but it never came.

"Would you believe me if I told you that you scare me?" Oliver asked, slightly sidestepping the question.

"I scare everyone, Roscoe. Now tell me, or I'm leaving."

Don't leave me, Oliver silently prayed. This was it.

"I'm scared the you'll break what little bit of self defence I still have up and I won't stop myself from falling in love with you," Oliver admitted in a whisper. She almost missed it, it was so quiet.

"How could you- ever fall for a 'nameless' like me?" Robin asked him.

"I don't know," He gave her a broken grin, one full of vulnerability and fear. The floor swayed slowly underneath him from nerves and they both thought their heartbeats were going to burst out of their temples. "How could a girl like you end up with someone as broken as me?" He whispered.

His cold hand fell from her arm and he made small patterns on her skin until his hand came down to hers. Barely seconds had passed since his confession but it seemed like hours.

Robin sighed and then whispered, "In fair Verona."

"What's that?"

"A play," she told him. "Romeo and Juliet. You know it?"

Oliver scoffed lightly, offended before dramatically speaking, "'From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers-'"

"'Take their life'," Robin finished the verse with a frown. Oliver swallowed and nodded as silence fell between them.

"Star-crossed lovers never have happy endings, do they?" she asked him.

"We could, if you wanted to," He asked cheekily. All the liquid courage in his whole life had to build up collectively to say those words. He had no idea what he was doing for the first time ever, and the thrill of not knowing made his heart beat heavily in his ears.

This is it, she thought to herself; the almighty Oliver Roscoe is finally opening up to someone.

Emotions were soaring, and they met at a common ground in the middle. Their verbal battles no longer ended with slamming doors or half finished cigarettes, and they knew it was okay for once. A year and a half of craving to know what was going on between them was finally satisfied with a ten-minute conversation at a charity ball.

He thought that if he confessed his feeling and she shot him down, then it would end him forever.

But then again, when you're young everything feels like the end of your life, but in reality it's only the beginning. If everyone has one moment in their life when they realise they're going to be okay, this was it for them.

"I'll see you later, Robin." He handed her a drink.

"Sure, Oliver. Thanks," She replied, then she turned and retreated back to whom she came with.

•Robin's POV•

The next thing she knew was the feeling of stepping straight into someones shoulder. She automatically said, "Sorry," and carried on but the person caught her attention. It was a young man, with striking platinum white hair, and he was looking at her like a cat and she was a bowl of cream. But the thing that stopped her was the eyes that stared into her. Cold, grey, unerring eyes; Dead eyes.

"Dar Daden," He said with a tilt to his tone. He licked his lips. "Ryler Norton," The boy -man held out his hand.

"-Alicia's daughter?" Robin nodded in amazement. "Go figure. You're the spitting image of her."