Kings [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Thirteen - Library Conversations

"Did you see what he did to me yesterday?! He had no hesitation when it came to tying me up and gagging me!" the advisor exclaims. "This is not the kind of person we should keep around."

"Henry, please," Phil replies with a heavy, tired sigh. "I know what he did. I have already talked to him about it and he did not do it out of malicious intent."

The advisor grits his teeth and pinches the bridge of his nose, clearly frustrated. Phil glances around at the throne room, at the high ceilings and the long carpet leading to the throne, and leans back in his chair. He inhales, holds his breath for a moment, and exhales, wanting to be anywhere but here.

"Your majesty, I beg you. Please, do with King Daniel what you must, but do not keep him here and alive for much longer," Henry pleads.

"I do not want to talk about this right now."

"Stop avoiding it!"

Phil makes a motion with his hand and Henry falls silent. As he speaks, blue magic starts swirling around Phil's hands. "Do not speak to me like that. I am the king and I will do what I please. I will try to dislike him, but do not push me to extreme measures when I am not ready."

Henry bows. "I am sorry, your majesty."

"You are forgiven." Phil clenches his hands into fists and the blue magic retracts back into his skin. He takes a deep breath and stands up from his throne, looking to Henry again. "I am going to the library. If there is a matter of utmost importance you may contact me, but other than that I would like to be left alone."

"Yes, sire," Henry replies.

Phil strides from the room and makes his way towards the library, thinking about Dan and his kingdom the whole way there. He's tired of talking about executions. He's tired of trying to figure out what to do with Dan. If his father was still the king, he would have been able to make this decision. Dan would have been dead the moment he stepped into the castle. Phil can't kill him, and he's not entirely sure why.

He moves along the shelves of books, pulling a few from their places and putting them back moments later. He reaches a more secluded corner, walled in by bookshelves, and grabs a novel, flipping through a few pages with disinterest.

"I didn't expect to see you here, Phil."

Phil jumps and nearly drops the book he's holding. "Jesus Christ, Dan! How did you get out again?!"

The king of Tenebris leans on the bookshelf beside him, watching Phil with deep, dark eyes. A slight smirk plays on his lips, and Phil gets lost in his gaze for a second before snapping out of it. "I made a new lock pick. Obviously."

Phil takes a breath, hoping to calm his racing heart. "You need to stop doing that. If someone finds you that isn't me, you are in for a world of hurt."

"Believe me, I already know." Dan lifts the hem of his shirt to reveal a dark, but fading bruise on his abdomen. "This looked a lot worse yesterday when it was given to me."

Phil's eyebrows furrow. "Dan, who..."

"Who did that? Just some guards that caught me in the hallway after our little spat in your office."

"What did they do?"

Dan shrugs. "Kicked me around a bit. Nothing I can't deal with."

"They have metal boots!"

"Hence why the bruise is so bad."

"Dan, please let me heal you," Phil begs, reaching towards him. Dan recoils a bit and crosses his arms, eyes downcast.

"Not again. You've already healed me before. I can deal with it."

"Dan..."

"I'm serious, Phil. I can handle this. I already healed the internal bruising."

"Did that not hurt?"

"It hurt like Hell. I still did it, though."

Phil exhales and pinches the bridge of his nose. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Sending me home is always an option."

"You know I can't do that."

Dan groans. "And why not? You're not killing me anyway. You might as well send me home."

"You know more than anyone else in this castle about the political climate of this land and exactly why I cannot send you home."

"I know, I know." Dan waves his hand a bit. "The image of your kingdom and tradition and all that. You can't appear weak or look like pushovers."

"Precisely."

"It's stupid, but I get it. Diplomacy and traditions suck sometimes. Being a king isn't easy."

Phil nods and Dan exhales, leaning against the bookshelf behind him and scanning the rows of novels. He seems distant, lost in thought, and Phil lets himself get distracted by the curve of his jaw and the dark, rich brown of his eyes and the gentle curls in his hair. The shirt he's wearing shows off lean muscle and a strong frame, and Phil suddenly wants to know what it would feel like to hold him close and kiss his skin...

"Something on your mind, Phil?"

Phil snaps out of his daydreaming and flushes, looking away from Dan in an instant and hoping the king doesn't notice how hot his face is. "Uh, no, sorry, just zoned out."

A small smile pulls at Dan's lips and Phil's mouth goes dry. He's handsome. Dan is really, really handsome, and Phil needs to stop before he gets carried away. He's supposed to hate him. He's supposed to get rid of him. His mother told him to follow his heart, but his heart is going to get him in trouble. Good Lord, he's going to get himself in so much trouble if this continues.

"I have some work to do, so I'll see you later. Uh, try not to get caught when you go back to your room," Phil says, needing an escape.

"I'll try," Dan replies.

Phil nods once and hurries off, heart racing in his chest.