Notes From a Dragon Queen

Chapter 22

"Caius?" Rosario asked, lying in bed, looking up at the ceiling.

Caius lifted his head from Rosario's chest to look him in the eye. "Yeah?"

"I think I've done something terrible."

"What do you mean?" Caius sat up.

Rosario bit his lip, blinking back tears. "No, no, it's not us." He gently guided Caius back into his arms. "I just... I'm scared, that's all."

"You don't want to talk about it, do you?"

"I don't think I can." Rosario slipped up, letting out a single sob. "It's bad, Caius. It's really, really bad."

"Okay, okay." Caius gently cupped Rosario's face. "Look, it can't be as bad as you say it is, and if you don't want to talk about it, I won't pressure you." He brought his lips to his. "But I think whatever it is, you can fix it, or at least make it easier on yourself."

"It's not that easy. There's other people involved here, Caius." Rosario started to shake. Caius kissed him again.

"Nothing is easy, Ro. That's what makes the best solutions."

"Why do you care so much about me, Caius? I'm the worst person alive right now."

"You are not the worst person, and you need to stop thinking about that. The worst person alive is Vana, we both know that." Caius's words struck Rosario right in his heart. Every part of him that wanted to tell Caius about his actions vanished with the simple realization that if he did, he would lose Caius.

Rosario laughed, even through the tears that clung to his cheeks. "I think you just might be the best thing in my life right now."

Caius just smiled, pulling Rosario closer to him. "You'll fix this. Whatever you did, you can fix it, I know you can."

Rosario let Caius whisper those words to him, comforting him until he fell into some semblance of sleep. He finally had some idea of how to lift part of the guilt that crushed him.

The next morning, Rosario rose minutes before the sun. He placed a light kiss on a sleeping Caius's forehead, then made a mad dash into the square, where he saw Zephrine and Xavier, securing the saddles to a pair of horses. Thanking God, Rosario ran to Xavier's horse.

"My Lord, please be wary around Fulke." Rosario whispered, stopping the king as he was climbing atop his horse. "I fear his intentions with Zephrine aren't as pure as they seem on the surface."

Xavier nodded in thanks, kicking the side of his horse, riding off with Zephrine out of the citadel. As the two blended into the horizon, Rosario noticed that his guilt only worsened.