To Know The Dark ; frozen fanfic

chapter ii

The sun had not yet set when Emil started his descent from his room to the chapel. Wringing his gloved hands, he'd tried practicing with a makeshift orb and sceptre beforehand, but to no avail. Frost had laid claim over them before Emil could pull it back. He grimaced, gripping his hands behind his back as he marched through the large halls. His back was ramrod straight and he hoped that the puffiness of his eyes had gone down enough to make him not look like he had just been crying. He let out a hefty exhale, steadying his breath and rubbing his temple to ease the stress headache he was gaining. He needed to focus. Arendelle needed a strong king, like his father. Not a boy. With a shake of his head, Emil attempted to get back into monarch mode, adjusting his cufflinks as he glanced outside.

He was not, however, prepared to see the man in the inner gardens.

They were closed off, private gardens meant only for the boys. It was divided into sections - for Alexander's favorite flowers and for Emil's. Although, ever since Emil had been locked away, Alexander's portion had started overgrowing Emil's. The white haired royal didn't care for it much, but his heart swelled at the sight before him.

(Y/n), sprawled across the spiky tufts of purple heather that were distinctly Emil's, looking like an angel who'd just fallen to Earth.

A strangled gasp escaped Emil, the soon to be king blinking rapidly in an effort to make sure he wasn't seeing things. (Y/n) continued to rest in the shade that covered the wilting heather as if nothing was wrong in the world. He had to get him. Emil kicked himself into gear, going from his authoritative walk into a harried jog before he started to sprint down the hall. He rushed as fast as he could go, thankful for once that there was only a handful of staff and they were all preoccupied in the chapel and throne room. He had to hurry if he wanted to talk to (Y/n) before the coronation ceremony started - as the sun would start to set in the evening.

The hallway to the inner gardens had never looked so dreadfully long yet so hopeful. Emil's mind was running circles in his skull with all he wished to say to (Y/n), how much he wished to apologize for. He hadn't been fair to the other - (Y/n) was as innocent as a lamb and hardly knew any better. It was Emil's fault, it was always Emil's fault. He was losing his breath, not only from the constant sprint he held but also anxiety. He had no clue how (Y/n) would greet him - he simply hoped it wouldn't be with rejection.

His hand grazed the ornately carved door handle that led to the inner gardens. He wanted to push himself through, to see the strange youth on the other side. And yet, he couldn't. He was too scared to. A myriad of what if's threatened to put him in a catatonic state of panic, black splotches starting to cover Emil's vision. He felt dizzy and his hands were clammy and his heart was beating so, so fast and  -

The gentle yet firm grip of a butler landed on Emil's shoulder. It was the head butler, Frederick. Emil had never seen that man in his life, but with the touch came the ability to ground himself. Emil was thankful for that.

"Ahem ... Your Highness. The chapel is this way." Oh. The coronation. Emil nodded dazedly, letting Frederick lead him away from the door. With forlorn, pale blue eyes, the heir gazed back at the closed double doors as they taunted him cruelly. He grimaced. His only hope was that (Y/n) would stay put.

~

Alexander hopped from cobblestone to cobblestone, showing Hans around just as much as he was showing himself around. The foreign redhead laughed along behind him, mimicking his movements. He'd already shown Hans the places he knew about, which wasn't a lot, but it had killed enough time. The coronation ceremony would start soon and Alexander had to hurry to the chapel already. Turning to look at Hans in his gorgeous eyes, Alexander stopped in front of the castle's front gates.