Kings [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Thirty-Three - Home Again

For the next four days, Dan and Phil only leave each other's sides when it's absolutely necessary. Dan finds the idea of leaving Phil so unpleasant and terrifying that when Phil offers to help him pack up, Dan nearly bursts into tears.

"You're going to be more stressed about leaving if you're unprepared," Phil insists, taking Dan's hand. "Come on."

The king of Divum leads him to his room and pulls a bag out of his closet, tossing it onto the bed and starting to fold the assortment of clothes that Dan managed to collect while in Divum. Dan watches him, tears burning in his eyes.

"Phil, I don't know if I can do this," he says, his voice soft. He scrubs the tears away, but more just keep coming. "Phil..."

Phil meets his gaze and stands up, setting his things aside and pulling him into a hug. Dan holds him close, his nose pressed to the crook of Phil's neck.

"We're going to figure this out, okay? This isn't the last time you'll see me," Phil insists, pressing a kiss to Dan's hair.

"I know, but... I don't like the distance. I don't like the thought of not waking up beside you, or going about my day to day life without seeing you," Dan mumbles into his neck. "I want to be near you so badly, and our kingdoms don't allow for that."

Phil exhales. "I know. Now, let's get you packed up so we can cuddle."

They let each other go and start folding up Dan's clothes again, placing them in his bag as neatly as possible. Following that are a few trinkets that Dan got in Divum, along with some other items. When they're finished, they climb into Dan's bed and cuddle with one another for as long as possible.

On the day that Dan leaves, the castle buzzes with activity. Tenebrisian soldiers move in and out of the building, suiting up horses and packing up carriages. Dan hands his bag to one of the servants, who bows and takes it to a carriage, and squeezes Phil's hand.

"I have something for you," he says, leading the Divian king away. They move up to his bedroom, which looks pretty much the same as when Dan first arrived, and Dan sits Phil down in a chair.

"What is this?" Phil asks, watching as Dan moves to the other side of his bed and bends down.

"I wanted to get you a going away gift. Just, something to remember me by," Dan says. "And, because it's spring, all of the plants have leaves again."

When he straightens up, he's holding a small, bright green plant in his arms. When Phil stands and moves closer, he realizes that the stems, from the bottom right through the leaf, are black.

"I used a bit of my magic to make it like that," Dan explains, his gaze locking onto Phil's.

"When you asked me what my favourite thing is... this is why?" Phil asks, unable to stop the smile that grows on his face.

"Yeah. And, I mean, when you said that I was one of your favourite things, I thought I'd add a little bit of me in there, too."

Phil takes the plant from Dan's hands gently, setting the pot on the floor before pulling Dan into a kiss. The king of Tenebris kisses back, his arms wrapped around Phil's neck.

"Thank you," Phil whispers. "It means the world to me."

"You're welcome. Anything for my favourite person ever."

When they part, Phil takes Dan's hand and leads him down to the entrance of the castle. Adrian stands in the doorway, and when his brother approaches he turns to look at him.

"We're ready to go," he says. "Say your goodbyes and then let's go home."

Dan nods and looks to Phil, that broken expression on his face that makes Phil's heart hurt. Adrian heads outside, giving the two a bit of privacy.

"I guess this is goodbye," Dan says, a weak, teary smile on his face.

"This is not the last time we'll see each other."

Dan kisses Phil's lips and pulls him into a hug, burying his face in the king's neck. Phil holds him tight, tears burning in his eyes. When they finally let go, Phil wipes his eyes and meets the teary eyes of his partner.

"Bye, Dan," he whispers. "I love you."

"I love you too," Dan replies.

Phil kisses him again and again, the reality of the situation crashing down on him all at once. He kisses him and sobs, his fingers tightening on Dan's hips. Dan meets every kiss, and when they finally part he brushes Phil's tears from his cheeks.

It's the hardest goodbye Dan has ever faced. When him and Phil finally part, he walks through the castle doors and mounts his horse. The caravan embarks, and Dan looks back only to see Phil standing in the entrance to his castle, waving with one hand and wiping tears from his eyes with the other. Dan waves back, his throat choked with tears.

The moment the caravan leaves the kingdom of Divum, Dan sobs.

For four days, Dan travels home and catches up with his brother. During the day he maintains his royal façade, carrying himself like any king would. It's during the night that he holds a pillow close to his chest and cries, trying to forget that Phil is far away.

The moment Dan walks into the castle back in Tenebris, he's practically tackled by his mother. She holds him close and weeps while his father stands close by, a small smile on his face.

"Daniel, I thought you were dead," his mother cries.

"I'm alright," Dan replies, hugging her back.

She lets go and he hugs his father, who gives up on maintaining a royal façade and just lets himself cry as he holds his oldest son close. Dan feels himself getting misty-eyed, and he's so emotionally drained from leaving Phil that he ends up crying for what feels like the hundredth time since Adrian arrived. He hugs PJ as well, and it's the best hug he's gotten so far.

And, when all the excitement of the king returning is done, Dan returns to his room. It feels almost foreign after being away for so long, and it feels even weirder when he realizes that it's a room completely untouched by Phil.

Exhausted in every way possible, Dan tosses his bag onto his floor and changes into his pyjamas before crawling into bed. It's nearly impossible for him to fall asleep, but after hours of tossing and turning and lying awake, he eventually falls asleep.