They couldn't be more different. Ridley is a knight in shining white armor, so perfect in every way that it makes people hardly able to stand him. Prince Vandel on the other hand (aka the evil demon prince of darkness) is the sworn enemy of the king...
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Author's Note: Thanks for being so patient with the new chapter, guys! Sharing this gorgeous art this week from @enigmatic_lizard ! I absolutely love it! As always, you can send me fan art via my Instagram @captaincleanfreak if anyone has anything they want to send before the last two chapters come out!
Vandel
My eyes fluttered open. As my vision slowly came back into focus, I realized with a start that I was in my own bed.
I moved to sit up and was instantly met with a horrible jolt of pain shooting through me. Fuck...it was like every inch of my body ached.
I could hear the soft sound of breathing and turned my head, finding Ridley fast asleep in a chair beside me. My heart stirred with a rush of fondness at the sight. His hair still hadn't returned to normal, white curls falling into his eyes in gentle waves, obscuring them.
"My lord, you're awake," a voice suddenly called from the doorway. I looked to see Tuttle standing there, holding a tea tray.
I rubbed one eye, my voice rough with sleep when I finally spoke. "How long was I out for? The last thing I remember was Ridley hauling me up onto that bone horse thing."
Tuttle swallowed hard and I noticed the gleam of tears in his eyes. "You didn't wake up for three days," he began, his voice trembling ever so slightly. "I was so afraid you might never...oh, thank the Gods you're alright."
My mouth dropped open. "Holy shit. Three days? What the fuck?!?"
Tuttle glanced fondly to the sleeping Ridley. "He hasn't left your side since bringing you here. I thought I'd fetch him some tea since he's hardly eaten or slept since arriving...but it appears exhaustion finally got the best of him."
As if aware we'd been talking about him, Ridley suddenly stirred, his eyes fluttering open. To my surprise, his eyes weren't blue anymore but a pale, ivory white.
The moment our eyes met, Ridley practically sprung from the chair.
"How do you feel?" he asked quickly, his tone's slight waver alerting me to the fact that he was on the verge of tears.
I offered him a weak smile.
"A little sore, but nothing a little self care won't fix. And by self care, I obviously mean treating myself to at least several new, extremely expensive outfits."
Ridley returned my smile. Slowly, I reached out, gently brushing a few white curls from his face.
"So," I said softly, "decided to try something new with your hair, I see."
Ridley's hand moved to his hair as well, awkwardly running his fingers through it. "I think 'decided' might be a bit of a stretch. I kept hoping it would go back to normal, but I'm starting to think it may never change considering now I'm..."
