Iridescent, a Resplendent FanFiction (Multi-Shot)

Epilogue

Erart's Perspective

Erart glanced down at his phone screen, his blue eyes desperately searching for a message from Harold. There were none. He was over forty-five minutes late. Harold was never late in the two years they'd been dating - well, courting was the correct word for it. He may have had a poor habit of sleeping until the last possible second and rushing out the door, but he'd never been this late before.

Erart was worried. Harold had called him the day before asking if Erart would like to go to the pier after practice, and Erart had readily agreed. He had been working on the ballet of Hamlet for almost a week now and was eagerly looking for a break. He needed an afternoon away from his flat and away from the stage. But Erart hadn't expected Harold to want to go out. For the last month or so, he'd been shut up at home, waiting for his father to pass. An aggressive form of lung cancer had crippled King Howard in only three months. Doctors hadn't given him much more time to live. Harold wasn't exactly heartbroken over it - he knew it was coming and his relationship with his father was rocky at best - but he wasn't exactly happy either. What child wanted their parents to do? Harold had already lost his mother at a young age. Now his father by the time he was twenty-three? It was heartwrenching in Erart's opinion.

After his father's passing, Harold would have to be prepared to assume the throne. He'd spent the last three months learning the ins and outs of being a ruler. He had to learn more in-depth politics than he had ever before. That was an actual clusterfuck.

But now Harold was late to their date, and as Erart had mentioned before, Harold was never late. He was worried that maybe things with Harold's father had taken a turn for the worst. Maybe he was sitting at his father's bedside. Maybe his father had already passed, and Harold was in the middle of mourning. Erart had no idea because he had yet to receive any sort of indication from Harold. Erart hoped everything was okay at home... With Harold so worried about being away when his father passed, he hadn't left the house much. This was their first date in a while, and Erart wanted it to go over well.

Just as Erart was beginning to lose hope that Harold was coming, he saw him jogging through the crosswalk toward Erart who stood at the gates to the pier.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" he said in a rush as he approached Erart. "I got stuck in another meeting, and I'm sorry, Erart."

Erart smiled at Harold. He understood that his life was a mess right now. "Don't worry about it. I understand."

Erart kissed Harold lightly before turning to the gates of the pier.

"What did you want to do?" he asked, glancing over at Harold who was walking beside him now. The pier itself was more than just a dock going over the water. It was more of an amusement park of sorts, a tourist attraction. It had food vendors, small shops, and even a large Ferris wheel that Harold and Erart had the tendency to go on just to escape the public's eye for a few minutes.

"Dunno. I figured we could walk around, get some food, hit the Ferris wheel," Harold replied. "I could use a bite to eat myself right now. I'm not sure about you."

Erart nodded. He could use some food. They grabbed baskets of fish and chips from one of their favorite vendors, but despite being the one to make the suggestion, Harold hardly touched his basket. After getting about a third of the way through his own, he sighed gently. Harold had just not been himself lately.

"Harold, what's bothering you? Did something happen with your dad?" he asked gently, rubbing Harold's hand which rested on the table.

"Hmm?" Harold asked, his eyes focused on his hands. "Oh... Well, no, but it's not getting any better. And honestly, I'm not sure if I'm ready. It's not the 18th century anymore when you were given the throne and expected to lead the country at 14. People don't blindly follow anymore. What if I'm not good enough?"