The Raven

Bonus Chapter #3

Two years later...

King Willard Dumont coughs laboriously, his sudden and consuming illness wreaking havoc upon his entire body as the force rumbles violently through him. With his loved ones gathered around his bed in the physician's chamber, he finds himself to be wholly unable to feel afraid of the looming demise that is undoubtedly about to claim him. Instead, the king cannot help but feel utterly contented, unquestionably satisfied with the way his life has turned out. While he understands he had made some particularly grave mistakes in the past, there is something entirely reassuring and absolutely heartwarming about the few years he got to spend on good terms with his only son.

Because of this, the king has no regrets; he can die a happy man.

His Majesty had rectified his shortcomings, at least somewhat, beginning with commanding the wretched Delilah Delvaux to revive Caleb two years ago when the waging war had unexpectedly taken his life. When Caleb had so valiantly, so unhesitatingly used himself as a shield to save Henry. Upon Caleb's resurrection, the king had openly displayed his acceptance of Henry's sexuality, welcoming Caleb into the family with open arms. After the grand wedding, King Willard had done everything within his power to ensure that the boys' partnership would not only be tolerated but widely accepted by the citizens of their kingdom.

He had begun the process by abolishing the archaic tradition of arranged marriages among the royals, as well as the requirement of being wed at the tender age of eighteen.

King Willard had spent the last two years watching Caleb and Henry become more and more beguiled with each other, and he could not ask for anything more. Currently, even on his deathbed, he feels ultimately blessed to have witnessed his son's explicit happiness and profound love; it is genuinely the only thing he has ever wanted.

As he gazes around at the faces of the people gathered near him, His Majesty cannot help but feel choked up with emotion. The tears clouding Prince Henry's eyes send a pang through the dying king's chest; the last time he had seen his son cry was at Caleb's bedside the day they had nearly lost him permanently. King Willard forces a strained smile onto his lips, attempting to offer his only child a sense of consolation, if only a minuscule one. "Henry," he croaks out, the rasp in his voice making the sound almost entirely unrecognizable to his own ears. "I am so... proud of you," the king wheezes before being plagued with another vicious coughing fit.

The combination of his father's words and his apparent impending death has Henry gagging on a response. However, he knows verbal acknowledgment is unnecessary at this time. Instead, the prince simply reaches for his father's hand, wrapping his fingers around the chilly ones limply splayed on the white blanket covering the sickly man. If his father must go now, the least Henry can do now is show his unending support and love while offering the remotest comfort.

Caleb gently wipes the blood from the king's lips with a handkerchief, sniffling quietly to repress his own torrent of tears. He had never imagined he could one day feel so close to Henry's father after learning about the events of his past and the role the king played in the suffering both Henry and Caleb had been subjected to. Apparently, things do not always end the way you expect them to.

The two princes, alongside the sobbing queen, stay at King Willard's bedside as his condition rapidly deteriorates. It is not long before the king's breathing becomes increasingly labored, and each subsequent cough expels more of the crimson liquid until finally, His Majesty is at ultimate and everlasting peace.

As the entirety of the kingdom grieves the loss of their ruler, Prince Henry has a most difficult time adjusting to the new reality; a world without his father is not one he had expected to live within at such a young age. Especially not after they had finally begun to mend their broken relationship. In addition to the loss of his father, King Willard's unexpected passing also prompts Henry's early ascension to the throne. The prince finds himself feeling utterly unprepared for the new responsibility, having believed he still had another year to ready himself for the massive undertaking. As arrangements are begun for both the funeral and coronation, Prince Henry feels wholly conflicted, a barrage of unidentifiable and practically uncontainable emotions parading through him simultaneously.

Luckily, his beloved Caleb remains by his side, his mere presence soothing Henry beyond his greatest expectations.

The busy and emotionally taxing day is upon them before Henry has the chance to thoroughly prepare himself. The morning is spent honoring the lost king, while the afternoon is rejoicing in the crowning of two new ones. However, even with the insane amount of positive energy surrounding his coronation, Henry is unable to find any joy in his present situation. He had always hoped that the transferring of his father's title would be done in said man's presence. He had hoped the occasion itself would be some sort of unequivocal bonding experience between the two Dumont men, a father-son encounter that could only strengthen their shared connection.

Unfortunately, that precious possibility has been suddenly and irrevocably stolen from him.

Caleb embraces his misty-eyed husband, comfortingly rubbing his back as he whispers into his ear, hoping to somehow ease the torment so wholly consuming him. "You know, 'King Caleb' has a nice ring to it; I could definitely get used to being referred to as such," he says jokingly, his teasing tone drawing a light chuckle from his otherwise downtrodden husband. The sheer pleasantness of the quiet sound has the raven's heart warming intensely in his chest.

King Henry hums, burying his face in his ruby-eyed boy's long hair and breathing in the scent of him. "I suppose it does sound fairly... titillating," he murmurs playfully, pulling Caleb's body closer to his own. "What shall I do with you, My King?"

Caleb pauses briefly, an arousing shiver tickling his spine at Henry's words. A breathy sigh escapes him before he replies, "I could think of a few things. However, I believe our presence is required within the celebration in the courtyard; your mother requested I retrieve you."

A moment of silence passes, and then several more until the two newly-crowned kings eventually separate themselves from each other. "Well," Henry breathes, his eyes falling closed as he attempts to calm himself one final time before making his public reappearance. "Duty calls, then."

Hand in hand, Kings Caleb and Henry exit the privacy of the chamber, as ready as they will ever be to assume their new positions as rulers of their country.