When blue blood spills - Septiplier kingdoms

When summer winds blow

Just a warning but this one this has some fluff-ish bits :)

Mark rode into the woods, his sword and bow banged against his back gently as Tim galloped through the underbrush. His nimble hooves dodged roots and bushes as Mark ducked close to his neck to make himself more streamline. As soon as he rode people had told him how gifted he was at it. He could out-ride most on a normal horse but on Tim no-one could catch him. He was one of the few who could get a stallion-stag to bend to his whim and he didn't want to let that go to waste. Tim leaped, his feet colliding with the soft ground of the clearing when Mark woahed him. The sun shone clear and warm, the breeze gently blowing through his hair. The sound of charging and fighting in the distance was a reminder of how close the war was. Mark shuddered. He pushed that thought out of his mind and thought of Jack, of how they planned on running away into the forest and not fighting in that retched war. It was just a plan, a joke of sort that they had made up when they were young, but looking at himself now he realised how much he wanted it to become reality, or at least plausible.

'It's almost a waste of such a beautiful day to just speed around, eh Tim?'

Tim whinnied, making Mark laugh. He got down, slowly walking through the meadow. How odd to find a meadow in the middle of the woods. Tim shook his head, snapping Mark back into reality where he hastily got back up to ride to the tunnel. He had to meet Jack.

Jack had gotten better around Tim but still couldn't stand Chica, so she was forced to 'wait at home and whine' as Mark had put it. He did feel a little bad about it but MerePeople had always been hunted by wolves when they went onto land, even before the war started and the land turned against them. It was a risk he couldn't take.

He swam, slowed down by the water basket he was holding, its content consisting mainly of things he had stolen from the kitchens. Finally he reached light, climbing out the tunnel and shaking the water off himself. Mark wasn't there yet. Jack opened the basket, checking the content had stayed dry in the watertight weave of it. Check. He took out the book on ancient symbols he had found buried deep in the library, trying to find the page he had seen earlier. Finally he found it. It was titled 'Symbols from the Obsidian kingdom'. Jack decided that that was the name of the kingdom when it was joined. The symbols matched the ones on the rock, and Jack tried to sound them out with the guide of the book, but eventually decided to write on the slate next to him. 'O n e  t i m e  t h e s o n  o f  f i r e  f e l l  i n  l o v e  w i t h  t h e  d a u g h t e r  o f  t h-' Jack was cut off by the sound of hooves clattering against rock and Mark's feet landing on the ground.
'Mark!'
'Hey Jack.'
'Mark, I found this book! It has the symbols on the rock in it!'
'Really? Let's see!'
Mark rushed over to look, seeing the marked slate Jack had been writing it out on. His eyes widened as he saw the title.
'Jack, if this stone is written in that form of writing, that means this was made before the war! What does it say?'
Jack dictated what it meant to Mark who was sitting on a rock with the slate, writing it as best he could and resisting the temptation to read it before it was finished.

' A O S... that's it! What does it say?'
'Ah-hum! One time the son of fire fell in love with the daughter of the water. This love drove him to her, and her to him. Their wedding would mark the truth behind the unity of their kingdoms. In their kingdoms, although many were happy, more saw it as an insult to their royalty. At their wedding the brother of the bride, the heir of his kingdom, killed the son of fire. This drove the bride to madness, killing her father and brother before leaping from the battlements. Both sides blamed the other and soon the fighting began. The war can only end as it starts, a child of their kingdom to end the fighting, after our kingdom was left in chaos'

Mark shook his head quickly, tucking the slate behind the rock before rising to his feet and quickly ushering Jack away from the darker conversation with talk of the picnic that they had put together.
'Mark, I thought we were having it here?'
'We were but I found someplace better!'
'Great but Mark, I can't go that far into your land remember? I mean, what is they find us? What if some animal attacks us? What if-'
'We'll be fine, but to get there...'
'No. NoNoNoNoNoNo'
'Jack pleeeaaase?'
'I am NOT riding that... beast you come here on!'
'Tim's alright, he won't hurt you'
'I-'
'C'mon!'
And with that, and a bit of a struggle, Mark was on Tim with Jack clinging to his back for dear life.
'You ready?'
'Mark, what are doAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!'
Tim leapt off, propelling himself forward with Mark's expert ridership being slightly put off by the screaming boy on his back.
'Mark Edward Fischbach, some day I will kill you.'
This drew a laugh out of Mark and Jack couldn't hold back his fit of giggles.

Jack was clinging to Mark's back for dear life, the wind whipping him, the horse galloping at full speed and branches appearing left and right. He was faintly aware of the fact he was screaming and before he could stop the horse broke the hedge line and landed in a meadow, slowing to a halt. Mark swung down and sarcastically offered Jack his hand. After they had stopped laughing at the sheer oddity of the day they took their bags off Tim, Mark letting him off to feed. They picked a nice spot to eat and lie in the sun, the warmth washing over Jack and the light bouncing back off Mark's shining hair. Sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, scones and lemon buns came and went, leaving them lying, looking at the sky.
'Jack, look at the clouds... that one that looks like a crap with legs? Let's call it Jack!'
'How 'bout the shattered mirror looking one? Let's call it Mark!'
They went on like this until Mark seemed to fall into the sky, his eyes simply infatuated with the blueness of it. Jack stared at Mark, the way his golden skin and black hair shone and his eyes, pure and red, but soft, looked gently at the shapes of the world around him. Jack blushed slightly, thinking of how they had once planned on running away. Jack shifted into an odd sleep, dreaming of Mark and him having a future not locked in battle, but as friends. Friends. That didn't sound right to Jack, they were closer then friends. Not best friends, not brothers...
Mark looked over to see Jack asleep curled up next to him. His heart swelled as Jack shuffled and purred in his sleep. He gently stroked Jack's hair, silky and brown. Jack looked so small when he slept. It made Mark want to save him from everything, just keep them there, in the meadow, without the others forever.
'Mark... run... together...'
Mark could hear Jack whisper in his sleep. Mark started to turn red and realised one fundamental fact that he had been missing the whole time. He had three options. He could fight Jack, maybe even kill him, he could pull out the war and live his life in shame and disgrace or he could run away with Jack. And the thing he had been missing was the fact that he loved Jack more then a friend, more then a brother. They would have to pick the third. No, what was he saying? Jack was a part of him but he couldn't be his future.

Jack woke up to feel Mark stroking his head gently. Heat rose in his face as he thought about it all. Still half asleep he lay there, Mark unknowing of his consciousness. He had always felt like he was missing something when he was at home, something he had always thought of as excitement, friendship or love. When he met Mark, he had triggered those feelings in him, even if just for a short amount of time. He sat up slowly, yawning before leaping up to see Mark blushing and grinning at him. He felt his hair and realised Mark had been weaving flowers into it.
'You!'
Mark ran off laughing, being caught up to by Jack and leapt on. They continued to play in such a way until they found themselves at a stalemate, both covered in dirt and panting.
Jack looked at himself and then at Mark before saying 'We should wash off'
'Yeah, but... how?'
'I saw a lake on the way here!'
'No.'
'C'mon Mark, please?'
'Fine.'
Jack dragged Mark to the waters edge and leapt in, showing him that the water was fine. Mark cautiously stepped into the shallowest part, going further and further until the water was up to his chest.
'C'mon!'
'Jack, I can't swim!'
'I'll teach you then!'

After a few hours of splashing Mark was swimming relatively smoothly. They had a fight, spraying water at one another, before clambering out.
They lay in the sunset, drying out. Mark and Jack had made little flower crowns for each other and Jack sat with his head on Mark's chest, Mark fiddling with his hair.
'Mark, I need a favour...
Mark was surprised but quickly answered
'Anything'
'Please Mark... Please let's not leave this place. Please don't leave me alone.'
Mark was surprised but in the moment of serenity it seemed so right. Jack looked at Mark and all Mark could see was fear, the same fear he had felt when he was drowning. The fear of being lost.
'Don't worry, I won't.'