Kings [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Twenty-Five - Revealed

The caravan rides for the entire day, their horses plodding along across snow-laden fields and valleys. Phil wraps himself in his cloak to keep the cold air out, his face going numb within minutes of leaving the camp in the morning. He rides alongside Dan, and for whatever reason the king of Tenebris is particularly quiet today. Usually they can talk about everything under the sun, and yet today is different. He seems occupied with his own thoughts, and a certain tension lingers in the air that Phil really doesn't like.

They arrive at camp late, and the two kings take their suppers to eat together in Phil's tent. It's warmer in there thanks to the numerous candles that burn cheerfully, filling the space with warm orange light, and Phil would rather sit in a warm tent than in the cold. His face tingles as feeling slowly returns to his numb body, and he finds that sitting close enough to Dan to feel his heat helps quell the shivers that run through him. The king of Tenebris is still being fairly quiet, and if he's being honest it kind of worries Phil.

When their food is done, Dan places his tin plate on the bedside table and wraps his arms around Phil's waist, allowing black magic to swirl lazily around them and warm them up even more. The king of Divum relaxes as the heat sinks into his very core, his own magic pulsing gently along with the beat of Dan's heart.

"Thank you," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to Dan's curly hair. His crown is on the bedside table already, and moments later Phil's crown joins it. In a place like this, they aren't kings. They're just Dan and Phil, two regular people who love each other no matter what.

"You're welcome," Dan whispers in response.

Silence falls for a moment and Phil presses his nose to Dan's hair, holding him close. He can feel the king of Tenebris' heavy exhale, his chest rising and falling against his, and Phil tightens his hold on him.

"You've been awfully quiet today. Are you alright?"

Dan shrugs and tucks himself beneath Phil's chin. "There are just a lot of thoughts in my head."

"Do you want to share some of them?"

"I think I need to."

Dan pulls himself from Phil's hold and the king of Divum lets go, immediately missing Dan's warmth. He absorbs his magic back into his skin and stands in front of Phil, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"I need to show you something. You probably already know about it, but I just need to show you and confirm that you 100% know."

Phil frowns a little, concern blossoming in his heart. He adjusts himself slightly on the bed, his fingers digging into the mattress beneath him. "Okay...?"

Dan takes a deep breath and pulls his shirt over his head. As it comes off, he turns around to show Phil his back, which is covered in ten long, jagged scars. Phil inhales sharply, his gaze flitting over his back, and no matter how badly he wants to look away he can't. Dan's lean, strong back is completely disfigured, and a stab of guilt travels through Phil's gut. This is his fault. If he had refused the whipping, if he had been stronger and more firm...

The king of Divum gets to his feet and steps towards Dan. "I gave you those. Maybe they wouldn't have scarred if I hadn't healed you—"

"Phil." Dan shakes his head, effectively cutting him off. He takes Phil's hands and runs his thumbs over his knuckles, his eyes glistening. "I would have scarred anyway. Your healing just lessened my pain."

Phil frees one hand in order to brush a tear from Dan's cheek, which causes the king of Tenebris to choke back a soft sob. He scrubs at his face with his bare wrist and allows Phil to take him into his arms, his face tucked into the crook of his neck.

"I can't stop c-crying," Dan mumbles with a teary laugh.

"That's okay," Phil replies, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? You didn't have to let this stew."

Dan shrugs and sniffles. "I don't know. I don't like thinking back to the whipping, so when I actually did my thoughts just got darker and got really scared about telling you."

The king of Divum exhales heavily and leads Dan over to the bed, settling him in before pulling his own shirt off. Then, he pulls Dan close and runs a hand up his back, feeling the scars that he's felt so often but had never actually noticed or seen before.  Dan presses himself against his chest, sniffling and trying desperately to wipe the tears from his cheeks.  Since the whipping Dan had been hesitant to go shirtless, and Phil feels so dumb for not noticing. 

"I love you," he whispers.

"I love you too," Dan breathes.

They lie there quietly for a long time, but neither of them fall asleep. Dan traces lazy circles on Phil's pectoral, their legs tangled together. Phil plays with the other king's hair, twisting his little curls with his fingers. Outside, fires still crackle and faint chatter can be heard, the wind whistling past and rustling the tent cloth. Occasionally the snow will crunch with passing footsteps, coming and going in moments as guards or servants pass by. Every once in a while Phil's gaze will flit over to the candle on the nightstand and he'll watch it for a while, the dancing flame intriguing and beautiful.

"Phil, what will I do if I have to go back to my own kingdom?" Dan says softly, breaking Phil out of his thoughts. "I don't want to leave you, but... I miss home, and I'm scared that home won't feel like home anymore if you're not there. I've been gone for so long already."

Phil bites his lip, and after a moment he shifts so he can meet Dan's gaze. "I can't hold you here anymore, so if you want to go home at any point after we get back to Divum you can. It would hurt to not be around you, but I would understand your decision. However, you have to promise me one thing."

"Anything."

Phil grins and runs his thumb along Dan's jaw. "I want you to come back and see my kingdom in spring. I want you to see all the flowers bloom and the trees grow leaves. I want you to smell the air when it's filled with blossoms and new life. Then, I want you to see the summer, when the sun shines the brightest and makes everything warm. I want you to hear the laughter of children as they splash around in the fountains and ponds. And then you can see autumn, when all the leaves erupt into crimson and yellow and orange and the people gather for the harvest. Everything smells like nature. And then, when the frost comes and the first snow falls, we'll be right back to where we were when we first met."

Dan watches him, his eyes sparkling and a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "But I can see all those things at home, Lester. What makes Divum so special?"

"If you saw all those things back in Tenebris, it would just be another year. It's the same thing you've seen your whole life. If we're together, it's like we're experiencing it for the first time all over again. And then, when you go back to your kingdom at the end of it all, we'll have those memories to keep us close despite all of the distance. Maybe Tenebris will feel a little more like home again."

Dan stares at him for a moment before finally finding the words he needs. "God, I am so in love with you right now."

Phil grins and catches his lips in a gentle kiss. Dan kisses back, his fingers tightening around the king's waist. Their kiss only breaks when they need to surface for air, and soon after Dan snuggles close against Phil's chest again.

"Goodnight, Dan," Phil murmurs.

Dan hums a response and allows his eyes to flutter shut, falling asleep in moments.