The Warlock (BxB)

Chapter 9

Casimir was bored as they walked together. Since their previous conversation, neither of the men were willing to speak with one another. Casimir was worried about bringing up something else that might hurt the warlock's feelings. Since Logain was two hundred years old, he had more experience than Casimir. The prince wasn't sure what would be safe to bring up.

It didn't help that Casimir was extroverted, unlike Logain. They were the complete opposite. Casimir went out of his way to help people; he enjoyed conversing with people. It would have been nice if Logain was willing to open up to him. The only thing that warlock seemed to care about was returning home. Casimir understood why, but that didn't mean they had to be silent during their journey. Even a small conversation would have been enough to satisfy the prince.

Logain noticed Casimir glancing over at him. He sighed and asked, "Is something wrong?"

The prince had to suppress the urge to flirt with the warlock. His charm clearly wasn't working on this man, and after learning about Logain's feelings for another, Casimir didn't want to cross any boundaries. Besides, Casimir needed to learn not to flirt with every cute man he met. He just wasn't used to rejection like this. Most men fell for him when he tried to seduce them. Logain was the only one who didn't seem interested.

"Not at all. Though I was wondering, what will you do once we reach Ambria? I know you said we would go our separate ways, but what happens after that?" Casimir asked.

He knew Logain wasn't interested in seeing him again after this. The warlock would most likely return to his life as if this never happened. For someone who was immortal, this was only a mild inconvenience for now. This wasn't the first time Logain traveled with someone, and it wouldn't be the last. Logain would eventually forget his encounter with the prince.

"After that, I'll continue living as I always have. In silence and without a crown prince to bother me. My life is fairly simple. I have a home far away from civilization, where hardly anyone ever bothers me. The only time I ever venture into the city is for supplies or work, which is rare. I like taking on jobs that pay a lot so that I don't have to travel to Ambria often. I'll go back to my world after this, and you will go back to yours," Logain answered.

"I won't ever see you again after this?" That was okay with Casimir, but he had to ask.

If they were going to travel together for a while, then maybe they could try to be friends. Casimir wouldn't push the relationship any further than that. Besides, Casimir could use a friend who wasn't interested in him for his divine gifts. That was the only thing people ever seemed to care about when it came to him. Most people used him since he was the crown prince and one of the most powerful people in Ambria.

This made Logain chuckle. "Don't tell me you're already starting to catch feelings for me? You'll be fine without me. We've only known each other for a day, after all. A few more days together won't change anything."

"A few days?" It seemed too soon for their journey to end. If Logain calculated their travels to only last for a few more days, then he would be forced to return home before he was ready. He wanted to experience the outside world for a little longer. He wasn't ready to return to staring at the same walls of the castle.

"If things work out for us, reaching Cordea and then traveling through Rasea shouldn't take too long. Maybe a week at most if nothing sets us off the path. We're making good time, I think," the warlock answered.

This made Casimir come to a halt. He knew he would inevitably need to return to the castle, but why did it have to happen so soon?

Logain noticed his hesitance. He sighed and stopped with him. "Look. I know you don't want to return. I'm sorry for everything you must face at the castle, but you have responsibilities as the crown prince of Ambria and as the divine savior. You carry a heavy burden on your shoulders, but you're the only one who can do this. No one else can carry the weight of your fate. One day, you will lead Ambria. It's hard now, but once you're king, you'll be able to change things. Every obstacle you face now will lead you to your brighter future."

"And keep in mind, the church won't let you hide for long. Once they learn you're gone, they'll tear Ambria and every other nation apart just to find you. You are the most important person to them. If they find out that I'm with you, I'll surely be executed for what I am. It might have been an accidental kidnapping, but they won't look at it that way. They'll claim I had ill intentions when that's not true." Logain crossed his arms and blushed as he added, "We have to return to Ambria so that you can protect me. I need a c-cute prince like you to take care of me."

That last part took Casimir by surprise. He wasn't expecting Logain to say such a thing, which made him smile. Casimir couldn't help teasing him as he said, "Wow, that was cringe. Was that your attempt to flirt with me?"

"S-shut the fuck up! I was trying to cheer you up." Logain bit his lip and glanced away. "D-did it work?"

Surprisingly, it did help. He knew Logain was right, even if Casimir didn't want to face reality. Sooner or later, he wouldn't have a choice. Eventually, the church would find out about Casimir, and they would hunt them down. They would make it seem like it was for good intentions, but the prince knew better. After what they tried doing to his mom, he would never trust those people. He might not have been born during that time, but he heard the stories. He knew about the sacrifice.

To lighten the mood, and because Casimir could no longer help himself, he took Logain's hand and said, "Of course. I should try harder to protect my adorable warlock."

"Y-you better. Now can we get going?" They were killing too much time by standing around talking, so Logain was ready to get back on the road.

"Lead the way, sweetheart." Casimir smiled.

Logain turned and pulled his hand out of Casimir's grasp. His face was red, and he could no longer take the prince's flirting. He never met a man who flirted as much as him. Logain had met many people, but most didn't give him the time of day. They were always too afraid to, except Casimir. It wasn't like the prince needed to be afraid of Logain anyway. Despite living for two hundred years, his magic wouldn't be a match for Casimir. People with divine magic were the strongest beings in the universe that Logain knew of. A warlock was no match.

They continued down the path that would eventually lead them to Cordea. If they kept stopping to chat like this, then they would barely make any progress. This was the last time Logain would let them get sidetracked. He hoped after his words, Casimir would be willing to return to Ambria without any more fuss. He felt sorry for the prince, but things weren't always fair. If the prince wanted things to get better, then he needed to face reality instead of trying to run from it.

As they walked, Logain cursed when he saw two children, a young boy and girl, running towards them. They weren't the only ones on the path, but most people avoided them when they saw Logain carrying his staff. The children didn't know any better as they came to a halt in front of the prince and warlock. They didn't seem afraid as they looked up at the men with panicked eyes.

"Misters, please, can you help us?" The little girl was the one who asked.

Out of all the people walking down the path in either direction, it was just their luck to be the ones who were stopped. Logain was about to tell the kids to get lost, but the prince jumped in before he was able to.

"Of course, just lead the way," he said with a smile. When he saw Logain's annoyed expression, he added, "This will be a good exercise for you. You need to be more willing to help people, regardless of what they're asking for. Unless, you know, they're asking for something scandalous."

"You're insufferable, you know that? Fine, but you're paying me extra once we get home." Logain crossed his arms, infuriated that they were stopped once more.

Casimir was surprised Logain didn't put up more of a fight. If they were going to do this, then it was best to get it done now before the warlock changed his mind. He would take this opportunity while it presented itself.

Without waiting for a second longer, Casimir took Logain's hand and followed after the children.