A Kingdom of Hidden Betrayals || Dreamnotfound

1

"Will you marry me?"

Clay's POV

It had been two months since George had proposed and Clay said yes. Things were going great... more than great if anything.

They hadn't planned a wedding yet. The whole kingdom was still shocked at their announcement. Wilbur had been furious.

Wilbur still hadn't warmed up to the idea of two kings and the Royal Council was hesitant to allow it. They eventually gave in through George's many convincing meetings. Clay was only allowed to join the meetings when they agreed.

And when he joined the meetings, George made sure they agreed on every decision before announcing it. Clay was thankful for that. He didn't have much ruling experience, but he had been a commander and a guard so if any of the soldiers and guards needed something or had a problem, they always talked to Clay.

Clay wasn't king. He was engaged to George. He didn't exactly know what that made him. George said Clay would get coronated and become king as well. Because he wasn't king, he couldn't make any final decisions, but George always made sure they agreed. Clay appreciated it, but he knew that George could make a decision and Clay could do nothing to stop it.

Clay was okay with that. He would be king with George eventually, there was no rush.

He was happy with George. The citizens of Emberfall were still celebrating George's coronation and his proposal. Almost all of the people were supportive, however, there were many who scoffed at Clay in the streets and insulted him.

Clay went into town occasionally for a walk or to socialize. He often snuck out so he wouldn't be pestered by guards. Most people would recognize him and offer their congratulations. But there were others who refused to serve him their food or sell him their merchandise.

Clay took it calmly. He didn't insult them or order them to be put in jail. He didn't even tell George. Clay was fine with it, the people would have to get used to him eventually.

In the two months since the big day, there had been no sign of Nihachu.

Her army was still stationed at L'manberg, they hadn't been ordered to attack. Emberfall soldiers combed through the forests and towns, searching for Nihachu, but she was nowhere to be found.

It was like she disappeared.

Clay still woke up drenched in sweat from his nightmares. He was plagued with them in the first month after his torture, but they were gradually fading from his mind.

George would always be there to soothe Clay and help him through the night. He would rub circles on Clay's back as he threw up in the toilet or comb through his hair as he struggled to fall asleep. George was always there for him.

He made Clay happy.

"What's got you smiling?" George asked from across the table at breakfast.

Clay snapped out of his thoughts and gave George a sly grin, "Just thinking about you."

George blushed and grinned. "Good thoughts I hope."

"All good."

Clay flashed him a smile and resumed his eating. They were having lunch in the dining hall before a meeting in half an hour. Patches was curled up in his lap, purring softly as she slept.

Clay stroked her back, remarking, "I think Patches likes being treated like a queen."

"Truly, it's the only way for her to be treated."

Clay chuckled at George's comment. Patches wasn't always by his side. She frequently roamed the hallways seeking attention and everyone gave it to her. How could they not?

She had put on a few pounds from all the scraps of food that she had been given. Clay didn't know who was feeding her so much, but he had a guess.

And just then, almost appearing from Clay's thoughts, the two princes walked into the dining hall. They exclaimed in surprise when they saw Clay.

"Patches!" Toby shouted, ignoring Clay and George.

The twins raced up to him and picked her up from Clay's lap. Clay smiled as they giggled. Tommy was putting on a tough face, but Clay could see right through it.

Tommy stroked Patches from Toby's arms. "Can we take her for the rest of the day?"

"Go ahead," Clay said with a laugh.

The two princes grinned and walked out of the room, Patched purring in their arms. They didn't bother to say goodbye or even hello.

Clay turned back to George with raised eyebrows. "I think they like her more than me."

George laughed. "They probably do."

Clay dramatically pouted and continued eating. His thoughts drifted to their meeting coming up.

Wilbur and the Royal Council called another meeting about Nihachu and their non-existent progress.

Clay sighed. He wasn't bothered as much by the mention of her name. He had mostly gotten over his torture incident. He had fully healed just over a month after the experience.

Clay still trained even though he didn't need to. He trained just because it made him feel safe. It also connected him with the soldiers.

If anything, Clay wanted to speak to Nihachu and ask her why she did what she did. He understood her want to prove a point, but he wanted to know why she took it to such an extreme. He didn't want to forgive her, he just wanted to know why.

The thought ate at him daily.

George hated Nihachu for what she did to Clay. He outwardly spoke out in the meetings demanding that she be captured. He didn't know that Clay was pretty much over it. Clay figured he should probably tell George that. He wondered how George would react.

Clay could tell George was happy, but every time Nihachu was mentioned, his face twisted into something that Clay didn't like. He saw such hatred in George's eyes. It scared Clay.

He didn't like when George was angry.

They hadn't had a major fight yet. They always made sure to talk to each other about what was on their minds and compromised when something was divided two ways.

Clay was worried for the day when they had their first fight as a ruling couple. He didn't want that day to come, but it would eventually.

Clay wondered if they had taken things too fast.

Clay and George had only known each other for almost 5 months now. He was concerned that they rushed things.

Yeah, George did propose to him and Clay would've said yes either way, but...

Did all the adrenaline of the coronation push George into proposing without thinking first?

Clay knew that George loved him and he loved George. It was just a matter of time before it was brought up.

Clay's thoughts were interrupted when a guard rushed into the dining hall and ran to George and Clay.

The guard panted breathlessly, "You guys need to go to the throne room immediately."

Clay furrowed his eyebrows and George gestured for the guard to continue.

"It-it's Nihachu," the guard took a deep breath for air, "we've got her... She's here."

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a/n - and we're back into it! The plot is thickening already lmao

Big plans ahead ;)

Love you all! <3