The King's Collie

Part V, Chapter 1: Of Jewelry and Good Fortune

PART V
The tragedy of Valentia.
—————

Felix used to think he had everything. He thought he had everything in the world a good lion royal could have. He had gold, silver, platinum... jewelry, velvet, silk, any purple thing he pleased... all the illustrious luxuries of the modern age. The power of a nation, the sheer might of the army at his command, and the alliance of many more.

He held his sweet collie lover in his lap, and gave him a good few soft pets, knowing he had nothing before him.

Cameron was only vaguely different, now, in the three or so months that had passed since the Venetian resort. In behavior and manner he was certainly the same. He looked much the same, too, if not for a few stylistic differences: His hair was a little longer, and sported a new earring, which he'd gotten a good month ago now. The piercing had healed up nicely with enough care, and he wore it comfortably and proudly. Every poet worth his weight had an earring, even if Cameron's measures were mostly in notes, not words.

"How could I say I love you further?" Felix asked. He had asked this question nearly daily now, with the dog coming up with a different answer every day.

"I love you as the earth revolves around the sun," the canine began. "Though the world would be enveloped in chaos if we were any closer, we cannot live without each other. What would the years and days bear if I were to float without meaning?" he left off, motioning towards himself with the last few words.

Felix cooed, softly smooching the collie's snout. "Don't let Iago hear you talk of celestial bodies. He still thinks the Earth is flat, after all."

"Heheh," the collie chuckled, then looked like he had something more to say, but hesitated.

"What is it?" Felix softly asked, seeing this.

"And floating away is the moon," Cameron hushed, finishing his comparison. "The seas are fruitless, and the months are meaningless, and the night skies are black and bleak..."

"I love her, you know, just as truly as you," Felix nodded.

"I don't know why we have to hide this from her," the dog sighed, looking up. "It could explain a lot. Especially about how you could never—"

"I know," the lion sighed, caressing Cameron's cheek as he softly shushed. "I just... don't think she'd react well to me doing this when I accused her of doing this with you."

"I do remember that," Cameron sighed. "I'm glad I didn't end up leaving."

"I don't know what any of us would have ended up doing if you had, dear," Felix reminisced. "And I don't know what we'd do if you were to leave us now, Cameron."

"Why would I?" the dog chuckled, leaning further into the king's mane, stroking his cheek. "It's paradise on earth."

—

A secret can be hidden, of course, but a few close calls sure do come along. Secrets of love might seem like the easiest to keep, but it's such a surprising task to keep any affairs hidden. Surely, somebody along the line has to catch onto some sort of change, even if they don't know the reason why.

Lætitia noticed first, one hot, rainy midsummer day, when her and Cameron practiced out on a balcony. There was an excellent view of the town below, for it was the very same balcony the king and queen themselves often observed the town with.

"Cameron," she chirped, after one such song ended, "I've always meant to ask about something I've noticed lately."

"And what would that be?" the canine replied, looking back.

"Wherefore did that earring come about?" the sparrow asked. "It's wonderfully pretty, by all means, and I do wish I had ears like you to wear something like it," she joked. "But why do you wear it?"

"Simply the mark of a poet," the collie quickly answered, "nothing more."

"True, but I never thought a poet of you. What of that gold necklace?" Lætita followed up.

"Ah, that... I-I just thought it would look nice," Cameron awkwardly chuckled.

"You're not wearing it for anyone else, no?" the bird suspiciously asked, albeit with a smile.

"I wear it for myself," the collie smiled and nodded assuredly.

And with that, the subject was dropped, as they decided on refining another song.

—

Marco, Lætitia, Felix, Cameron, and Ophelia sat at their respective spots at dinner. It was more crowded than it happened to be a couple of years ago, but not at all by very much. The table was wide, and the food still had plenty of room to sit.

There was a massive sense of family, now. This was the king and queen's company, their best friends and, unbeknownst amongst but two of them, lovers. Indeed, Cameron recently stole Marco's spot and sat next to Felix. This was to no minding of the wolf's, for the spot resultantly free let him sit next to his sweetest sparrow. Ophelia, meanwhile, never questioned the collie's apparent affinity for silver and gold.

All was merry. These were golden times, bringing forth mirth and peace that a man would fight for. They were full of song, life, color, and everything in such quality along those lines. This summer would be one that would be looked back upon, one that would make someone wonder where those good times happened to go. Of course, with this good fortune, came the eventual ignorance of the fact that they were indeed quite valuable. It seems as if times are only 'good' in retrospect, as we pass through them not minding them at all. They feasted in sole content, not paying any mind to the fact that they were now used to: that this was a royal hall, with the best food, and the highest-honored of friends.

That would apply, of course, to everyone excepting Cameron and Felix themselves. They knew exactly how good times were, and how good they'd continue to be as long as they kept this act up.

Cameron looked around, and smiled, standing and making a sudden but fitting toast: "To the lush Valentian summer. The good fortune of ourselves and the King's subjects! And to us, and the love we share," he said. He managed to pass of that 'love' part as a general companionship in that context to the others, but Felix knew exactly what that meant.

The goblets were raised, and they all drank to these good terms.

—

It was soon afterwards, during that night's regular visit of love that Felix once again found himself unable to resist covering his canine lover in kisses, who blushed and whined in response.

"You spoke so well there, Cameron," the king chuckled in between these kisses.

"What was that, love?" the dog giggled.

"'Love,' you said! Come here," the lion huffed, and pulled the dog in for a deep kiss. "I said you spoke well, hon, back at the dinner table," he then clarified afterwards, holding the canine male close. "I very much appreciated what you said."

"I meant every word. Every moment I'm your lover is the greatest of my life," Cameron sweetly said.

"Same to you," Felix sighed. "And we should make the most of each and every moment we might enjoy each other's presence like this. Whether it be your singing during the day, or... or this, during the night," he described only as needed.

"Let this never end," the collie replied.

"They usually only say such things during weddings, the likes of which we'll never be able to have," the big cat sighed.

"That is true," Cameron whined. "This isn't holy."

"'Holy', my royal arse. I'll make it my own job to assure that by only death we part," Felix chuckled.

The dog only laughed at this, and barked: "An easy task."

"You may kiss the bride," Felix quipped, then once again gave the most passionate and firm kiss he could muster, while Cameron buried his hands into the lion's mane as he received this declaration of love, delivered sensually as well as verbally.