Two Weeks (COMPLETED)

Chapter 19

There had always been a slight creak to Roman's door. It'd just never bothered him or made him worry before. Now, the noise was loud and made a grating sound in the dead stillness of the corridor. Roman hissed quietly, waiting for any indication that someone else might've woken up. There was none. Roman grabbed his satchel and crept out of his room, wincing at the click of the lock as he closed the door.

Roman could hear the sound of his breathing rather than his footsteps. He tried to keep as quiet as he could, practically holding his breath as he tip-toed past his brother's room. It was so quiet when it was dark. Unnaturally so. The silence had an ominous feeling about it. It sounded pressured and slightly artificial. Even the wind that would usually be whistling through the towers above him was silent. There was no sound. Even the clocks had stopped ticking. Roman jumped when the clock beside him chimed. It was nearly midnight.

Virgil ran through the gardens, bumping into trees and tripping over hedges. He landed face-first in a pile of dead leaves and growled, picking himself up. He was late. He was late, late, late. Virgil supposed that they had a clock tower, they had everything else in this castle, because he'd heard twelve low chimes. Now he was running through the gardens, trying to avoid being seen by guards and trying not to trip over his own feet. He half-tripped and went reeling into a bush, somehow staying on his feet, and crashed into someone. He heard a laugh.

"Well that's one way to let me know you're here." Roman said, laughing quietly as he held out a hand to Virgil. Virgil stood up, ignoring the help Roman was offering him. Roman laughed a little more as Virgil wiped dirt off his face.

"Oh be quiet Princey." Virgil hissed indignantly. "This isn't a game."

Roman rolled his eyes slightly but fell silent, pulling Virgil towards a weeping willow.

"Where are you taking me?!" Virgil hissed. Roman didn't answer and simply pushed Virgil forwards slightly. Virgil stumbled in-between the branches of the willow that just touched the ground but managed to regain his balance.

"We can stay here until the guards get off duty." Roman whispered.

"And when's that?"

Roman opened his mouth to answer but quickly closed it as he heard footsteps from outside the tree. He clapped a hand over his mouth and signalled for Virgil to be quiet. There were two sets of footsteps and Roman prayed that they patrolling guards would just go away. No such luck.

They stopped just beyond the willow's branches talking about what they had seen on patrol and whether there was anything amiss. Virgil quickly became very aware of his own breathing and heartbeat. His heart was pounding in his ears and he was sure that he was breathing too loud. He started panicking slightly and his breathing became uneven and louder. Roman looked over at him, worried that he was either going to pass out or that the guards would hear him.

Virgil closed his eyes, trying desperately to regulate his breathing. He felt a hand slip into his and squeezed it for comfort. Just the feeling of something from the outside world, something that wasn't in his mind along with all the voices of doubt, kept him grounded as he tried counting in his head. Breathe in for one, two, three, four. Hold for one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Breathe out for one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. And again. And again. His breathing calmed down but he didn't open his eyes. He was worried that there would be something out there to make him panic again.

"It's alright, Virgil." A voice said after a short time. "They're gone."

Virgil opened his eyes slightly and found that Roman was right. There was no one there anymore. Roman stood up and grabbed his satchel, holding a hand out to Virgil. Virgil took it and pulled himself up. He smiled slightly, grabbing his own bag.

"Are you sure about this, Roman? Are you sure that this is what you want?" He asked, doubt crossing his face slightly. Roman bit his lip and Virgil worried that he had changed his mind. Instead, Roman kissed Virgil's cheeks, making Virgil's face blush pink. Roman took Virgil's hand and squeezed it slightly.

"You are what I want. And this is a future with you."

Roman smiled as Virgil scoffed slightly at the cheesy line before pulling Virgil away from the willow tree. Away from the castle. For good.