Kings [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Fifteen - Visitor

The next morning, Dan makes it his mission to find a balcony. He picks his bedroom lock and sneaks into the hallways, where servants and guards are already moving about, tending to their daily responsibilities. The king of Tenebris does his best to avoid them as he investigates more rooms and hallways, searching for some sort of balcony. If he can find a balcony, he can get fresh air (something he's been denied for a long time now) and possibly a view of the town he hasn't been in yet.

He climbs a set of stairs and steps into a small, walled off hallway. It extends past a stained glass window and to another small staircase, and Dan's curiosity peaks. Walking as quietly as possible, he heads down the passageway and up the stairs, emerging on a small corridor with windows open to the outdoors. If there was ever a siege on the castle, archers would most likely stand here and fire at the people attacking the gates, but right now there are no sieges happening. It's not a balcony, but he gets fresh air and a nice view of the small, quaint village of Divum.

He watches people and animals walk around below him with a strange sense of longing stewing in his heart. He wants to go to Rose's shop again and get a cup of tea. He wants to walk among his people and be a king again. As much as his family annoys him sometimes, he desperately wants to see them again.

Trundling down the road towards the castle is an entire cartload of food, and he watches it for a few moments before realization hits him in one, cold wave. Beside the cart is a servant in black robes that are so distinctly Tenebrisian that Dan's heart leaps. That's someone from home. He can tell that person everything he needs his kingdom to know.

Dan races from the balcony and through the halls, ignoring the fact that guards or servants from Divum can see him. He practically sprints towards the front doors as the cart enters, followed by some Divian guards and the Tenebrisian servant.

Except the man from Tenebris isn't a servant. Dan freezes in his tracks, jaw falling open when he sees PJ standing there, looking nervous and fidgety. PJ's blue eyes (which aren't as clear or water-like as Phil's) land on him and a second later, they're holding each other in a tight embrace.

"Oh my God, I thought you were dead," PJ breathes. "How are you alive?"

"My execution hasn't happened yet," Dan replies. He tightens his grip, fighting back tears. "PJ, I thought I'd never see you again."

"I thought I'd never see YOU again!"

Dan lets him go just as Phil approaches, looking from Dan to PJ and back to Dan again. "Daniel, who's this?"

"Philip, this is PJ, my advisor from back home. PJ, this is King Philip of Divum," Dan replies.

PJ bows. "Your majesty."

"I have a lot of questions, but some of them must be discussed in private," Dan says. He claps PJ on the shoulder. "I will speak with you soon. Right now, I must speak with King Philip."

"Of course, sire," PJ replies. "It's so good to see you again."

"And you as well," Dan states with a smile.

PJ smiles and walks back to the cart of food. Dan watches him go before turning to Phil and placing a hand on the small of his back, leading him away from the bustling guards and servants.

"So you escaped your room again," Phil says as soon as they're out of sight and earshot.

"Of course I did. That's not why I dragged you away," Dan replies. He takes a step towards Phil and grabs hold of his wrist, making Phil's face turn red. "Why is PJ here? Why are you taking food from my kingdom?"

"My people don't have enough to get us through the winter. We're taking what we need to survive," Phil replies. "If we didn't, Divum would fall. PJ is here because it's customary to have a representative from each kingdom in situations like this."

"I swear, Phil, if there isn't enough food for my people—"

"There is." Phil places his hands on Dan's shoulders and meets his eyes, gaze intense and sincere. "I promised to protect your kingdom. I made sure that every person would have more than enough, okay?"

"Okay," Dan replies, his voice soft.

Phil smiles gently and lets his hands slide down to Dan's biceps. The king of Tenebris flushes even darker and resists the urge to pull him in and never let him go. Phil shakes his head a bit and lowers his arms to his sides, face red.

"Um, I should probably go tend to the food. I'll talk to you later," he says, his words coming out in a rush. He smiles nervously at Dan and exits the room, the tips of his ears completely red.

Dan watches him go, his heart thudding and his stomach filled with butterflies. He takes a few seconds to compose himself before heading out again, looking for PJ. He finds him standing beside the cart, looking lost, and Dan takes him up to his room. Dan's servant girl brings up a tray of tea and Dan prepares two cups, handing one to PJ and keeping one for himself.

"So, this is crazy," PJ says as they settle into the two chairs that surround Dan's fireplace.

"Agreed. I'm just so glad to see you again," Dan replies. "I was terrified that I would die without seeing anyone from home ever again."

PJ shakes his head a bit and brushes his curls from his eyes. "You need to explain this to me in full. Usually, enemy royals are executed within a couple of days. It's been far longer than that and you're still alive."

"I wish I could explain it better. Every time I've asked Phil about my execution, he just says that he hasn't made a decision yet." Dan sighs. "At this point, I don't know what's going to happen to me. I'm surprised the Tenebrisian army hasn't attacked yet in order to get me back."

"We could have, but even if we have the advantage of food supplies, they have a significantly larger army and allies. As well, with their presence in Tenebris, there's no way we could get out undetected. We also thought you were dead, so a rescue mission would have been pointless," PJ replies. "In other news, Adrian has been closely monitored. We all started to believe that maybe, he wasn't the rightful ruler after all and that the mark had gone to someone else."

"Well, keep watching him. There's still a possibility that I could die here."

PJ leans forward in his chair and meets Dan's eyes, gaze intense. "Be honest with me, Dan. How likely is it that Phil will decide to kill you?"

"Phil on his own? He probably won't. Phil with advisors pressuring him? Chances increase exponentially."

"Why are his advisors so against him?"

"They worked for his father, who was the king before Phil was. His father was more traditional in his beliefs and more solid in them, and he was the one who chose the advisors. When he died, Phil took the throne and kept the same advisors. They're good men and good workers, they're just too traditional for Phil's progressive views."

"Ah." PJ leans back in his chair and exhales, taking a long sip of tea. "So, what have you been doing around here for the month and a half you've been gone?"

Dan shrugs. "At first, it was a lot of reading and looking out the window, but that was incredibly boring. Phil visited my room quite a bit and we went on walks together, but I still didn't have enough freedom, so I started breaking out. It's been pretty good since then."

PJ grins. "You've been breaking out?"

"Yup."

"Well done."

Dan laughs, and in turn makes PJ laugh. It feels so good to be with him again, and for the few days he's here, Dan will make the most of it.