Kings [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Twenty-Four - On the Road

Dan ties his cloak around his throat, eyeing himself in the mirror. For the first time in several days, he's actually wearing his crown. It sits atop curly brown hair that's starting to get a bit long, the silver metal glinting, and while he thought he would feel comfortable with it on, he doesn't. It feels strange. It makes him feel like he has to be proper again, and he doesn't really want to be. There's a weird sense of contentment that comes with just being you and not a king.

The door to his room clicks and a few seconds later, Phil wraps his arms around his waist. He presses a kiss to Dan's cheek and looks at him in the mirror, gaze flitting from his feet to his eyes and back again.

"You look so regal," Phil murmurs.

"Yeah. You'd think that after a lifetime of being royalty I'd be used to it," Dan replies. He exhales heavily and rests his head against Phil's, his eyes never straying from his reflection. "I look like a king."

"You do." Phil's eyebrows furrow. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No. It's just... odd. I've never felt less like a king in my entire life."

"That might change the moment we reach Viride."

"It probably will. But, for the journey, it will be strange."

Phil chuckles a bit. "The moment you're in front of the caravan, your status will come flooding back to you. Now, come on. We don't want to keep them waiting for too long."

Dan nods and steps away from the mirror, letting Phil lead him away. They hold hands until they reach the doors of the castle, where they let their arms fall back to their sides and stride out looking like two proper kings. Phil was right; Dan does feel his royalty coming back to him. Straight back, chin up, demanding attention and obedience with every step. His cloak swishes around his legs as he walks, silver crown shining in the weak winter sunlight.

Dan's horse waits for him near the front of the travelling party, black coat thick and glossy. It eyes Dan down as the king approaches, tail flicking, and ever so slowly Dan lifts his hand and strokes its neck.

"That stallion is a fantastic horse," Phil states as he approaches. He leads a light grey, speckled horse behind him, and Dan grins.

"He looks like a great horse. Yours is beautiful."

"She is." Phil pauses and steps towards Dan, taking his hand. "Are you ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Phil nods, and a few minutes later they mount their steeds they head off. Dan takes a deep lungful of air the moment they exit the kingdom, the chilling wind refreshing. He hasn't been on the road in ages, and the last time he was he was getting kidnapped.

It feels good to have this kind of freedom again.

They ride all day, only stopping briefly for meals or for the horses. By the time they stop for the night, Dan very nearly falls over thanks to the numbness in his legs. After regaining some feeling, he leads his horse to where the others are waiting and makes his way to dinner. Phil joins him, pressing a kiss to his cheek before settling on the bench next to him.

"So, we have separate tents," Phil says with a heavy exhale. He meets Dan's worried gaze and reaches over, squeezing his knee gently. "It's just for appearances. If you want or need to come to my tent, you can. I just can't leave my tent because if the guards don't know where I am, that's a bad thing."

Dan nods and rests his head against Phil's shoulder. "As long as I can be with you, I'm good."

They sit like that for a few minutes longer before getting up and bidding each other good night. Dan heads to his tent and tries to settle down, but he can't. He stares up at the roof, listening to the cold wind rustle the fabric of the tents outside, and thinks about how much nicer it would be to have Phil in bed with him. He turns over onto his side, pulls the blankets up to his face, and exhales, forcing all the air from his lungs before taking a deep inhale.

A few seconds later, Dan tosses his blankets off and wraps his cloak around himself, heading out into the cold night air. It bites at his cheeks and nose, so he picks up his pace and reaches Phil's tent in a matter of moments. Upon arrival he discards his cloak and sneaks over to the bed, lifting the covers and snuggling in next to Phil. He pulls the other king close by an arm around the waist and presses his forehead to his back, already feeling more calm and relaxed.

"It's just me. I couldn't sleep," Dan whispers in response to Phil's unintelligible mumbling.

"Okay," Phil murmurs back.

Dan starts to settle again, but is interrupted by Phil turning over and pulling him close. Dan buries himself in the king's chest, eyes already fluttering shut. In the warmth and safety Phil provides, sleep comes easily.

~

"Dan, we have to get going. Come on, you can't sleep forever."

Dan opens his eyes slowly, his brain tuning in immediately to the warm hand on his cheek. Pouting, he reaches up and finds the face that belongs to the hand, his thumb tracing their cheek.

"I can if I try hard enough," he murmurs.

"No, you can't."

"I'm a king, Phil. I can do whatever I want."

Phil chuckles and bends down, pressing a kiss to Dan's lips. Dan kisses back, pulling the king of Divum back into bed with him as he does. Phil makes a sound of protest, but doesn't break their contact.

"I'm not kidding, Daniel. We do need to get moving if we're going to reach Viride any time soon," Phil murmurs against his lips.

"How boring," Dan replies with a grin. "Stop talking and kiss me."

Phil sighs and pulls Dan close again, his hand trailing up his scarred back beneath his shirt as he kisses him senseless. The king of Tenebris indulges in the romance while the back of his mind nags him about the scars that he hasn't yet showed Phil. Does the king of Divum know? Will he be shocked to find out?

Phil pulls away and meets Dan's gaze, a small smile playing on his lips. "That's all you get for now, Howell. Now come on and get ready."

"Okay, okay." Dan pulls himself out of bed and grabs Phil's hand, leading the king to look at him. "I love you."

Phil grins and squeezes his hand. "Love you too." 

A/N: I haven't updated in 21 days.  That's disgusting.  Thank you all for your patience and please excuse how poor this chapter is.  I swear, the next ones are going to be better.  I'm just trying to get back into the writing flow after tour.