Kings [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Five - First Meetings

Dan jolts awake when the carriage stops for the night, his heart starting to race almost instantly. Outside, he can hear people speaking to one another, their accents Northern and in some of them, so thick Dan can barely understand them.

The royal pulls his crown on and pulls his cloak a little tighter around himself, listening and waiting for something to happen. The crackling of fires fill the air, mixed with the tell-tale flutter of tent fabric in the wind. Snow blows into the carriage through the barred carriage window, although it's not enough to really bother Dan. Black swirls of shadow-like magic dance around his body and warm him up considerably, although when he tries to unlock the carriage his magic bounces back like it's been burned.

"Your majesty, what do we do with the King of Tenebris? We will only move him from the carriage once we have orders from you," someone says.

"Set up a tent near my own, and when he heads to bed station guards at the door. Until then, I will deal with him," King Philip replies.

"Are you sure, sire? He is your enemy, after all."

"I trust that King Daniel is not stupid enough to try anything when he is an undetermined distance from home and severely outnumbered. As well, he will do nothing because he is ill-equipped to handle winter in a more mountainous region than he is used to."

"Of course, my king. I will leave you to your business."

Footsteps, crunching in the snow, grow fainter as they retreat. After a second, a different pair of footsteps approaches the carriage and the doors swing open. Dan flinches from the sudden influx of snow and tries not to shy away from the enemy king, bathed in moonlight and silhouetted by stars.

"I hope that confirmed the reasons why you shouldn't try anything, King Daniel," Phil says as Dan regains his composure.

Dan nearly smirks. "You knew I was listening."

"Of course. Only a fool would assume you weren't. Now come along, I would hate to starve anyone, even if they are my prisoner."

Dan gets to his feet shakily and keeps his cloak close to his body, the warm hood replaced by his cold metal crown. Phil leads him through the campsite, and Dan can't help but feel incredibly uncomfortable at the prolonged stares he earns. He's unspeakably grateful when he sees that there's a separate fire burning especially for Phil and that the king is going to let Dan sit with him. Both kings sit and servants bring out food, which Dan tries not to inhale. He hadn't even realized how hungry he was until food was placed before him.

"So, you have no wife and no children. Do you have any other family? Siblings, perhaps?" Phil asks, his blue eyes boring into Dan.

"I have my parents and a little brother," Dan replies.

"And you have the mark? Are you the original bearer?"

"Yes." Dan reveals his wrist, where a raven wing mark sits. The mark is something that every ruler has, and it signifies their right to rule. Dan was born with it, and if he ever dies it will burn itself into his brother's skin. He desperately hopes that Adrian doesn't have to wake up at any time in the near future with the mark on his skin. "Where's yours?"

The king flips down the waistband of his pants to reveal a leaf on his hipbone. Dan looks at it for a fraction of a second too long before meeting Phil's eyes again, and the King of Divum smiles faintly as he covers it back up.

"So, are you going to go with the traditional route of beheading me with a sword or are you going to shake it up and pull out a guillotine?" Dan asks, a slight sarcastic tone barely taking the edge off of the question. "We have to talk politics, don't we? If I'm going to die."

Phil exhales and clasps his fingers together between him. "What I do is my decision and my decision alone, King Daniel. I do not know yet whether your life is at stake."

"How comforting," Dan mutters. "And my kingdom? What will you do with it?"

"It will become a piece of Divum property, but it will keep his name. Most likely, I will send a Lord or Lady to watch over it until I make my decision regarding you."

"How am I going to affect your decision?"

Phil shrugs. "If I decide to keep you alive for whatever reason, you may someday have the opportunity to go back."

"Will the kingdom be my own? Because there is nothing more undignified than a conquered king ruling under the reign of another king. I think I would prefer death."

"That is a decision I have yet to make."

Dan exhales heavily and pulls his cloak tighter around himself. The black fabric and fur contrasts highly with the light blue cloak and bright clothing of the enemy king, Phil standing out while Dan blends in with the night.

"I am going to retire for the night. My guards will escort you to your tent," Phil says, standing up from his spot. Dan stands as well and two men emerge from the shadows nearby, ready to guide the king towards his tent. However, before he goes, he turns to Phil and meets his eyes.

"If you kill my family or my staff or any of my people, Philip, I will never forgive you."

The king of Divum holds his gaze for a moment, expression serious. "I will not harm anyone, Daniel. I can promise you that."

Dan nods and follows the two men to his tent. He steps into his temporary shelter and allows the entrance to flutter shut before exhaling, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. What's happening in his kingdom right now? He's already been gone for a day, so they must be in a frenzy. They've probably checked Adrian for the mark by now and confirmed that Dan is alive. But, what if they come to the conclusion that Adrian is not the rightful ruler and that the mark went to someone else and that Dan is indeed dead? Did anyone die at the hands of the Divian soldiers? Is PJ okay? The questions swirl around Dan's head, making his chest tighten and his pulse quicken.

He can't do anything to get answers. So, with heavy footsteps and a heavy heart, he discards his clothing for the night and settles into the bed to try and get at least a few hours of restless sleep.