Chasing The Cure

Chapter 8: News Travels Fast

Kenric did not mean to intentionally lie to Archie or keep the truth from him. He trusted him wholeheartedly, and he knew how understanding the other man was. Kenric knew that Archie would not be angry, maybe upset, but he definitely would not blame Kenric for anything.

At the same time, Kenric also knew that Archie could be insecure at times. He had already brought up marriage and asked Kenric whether he would be happier if he were to tie the knot with a woman and have a family. A family that Archie could never give him. No matter how many times Kenric reassured him that the only one he wanted was Archie... the stable boy still wondered whether there were better alternatives for the prince.

Kenric knew he would have to tell Archie soon. Before the neighboring royals showed up. It would be much worse if he were to get to know about the proposal from someone else, and Kenric wanted to avoid that. It was tough, though. The last thing he wanted was for Archie to be sad. He knew the man was starting to prepare for the archery tournament too, and he did not wish to distract him.

So Kenric decided he would keep the news from the stable boy at least until he had no choice but to tell him. Only the two brothers knew of the marriage proposal, not even the other council members, so it would be safe to keep the secret. Kenric hated that he had to hide something from Archie, but these were desperate times.

All Kenric could do was tell himself that he was not outright lying to his lover. He was just abstaining from disclosing a piece of information for the time being. That was it. That was not a crime, was it? It was not like he would hide it forever, he would surely tell him before the princess's arrival.

The hustle and bustle in the castle made it harder and harder for Archie and Kenric to be able to find time alone. No corner was empty, no hallway where there were no prying eyes. The stables, too, were busy with the other stablehands working day and night alongside Archie.

Over the next few days, they could only sneak away once when they went down to the river at night. They swam in the cold water and then laid down on the grass until the sun came up. Even though they wanted more, this was enough to re-energize both of them.

"Come on, Archie!" Sir Christian yelled. "Do not think too much and just shoot!"

"With all due respect, are you out of your goddamn mind?" Archie huffed, a look of disbelief on his face as he stared at the knight who had clearly gone insane.

"I am merely raising the stakes, just a little," Sir Christian chuckled, balancing the apple on top of his head as he stood against a tree. "Are you going to shoot or not?"

"Are you kidding me? What if I miss? Just a few inches down and you could...you could lose an eye! Or worse, you could die!" Archie exclaimed.

The stable boy was happily practicing on his own, shooting some targets that he had set up in order to prepare for the tournament. That was until Sir Christian found him and explained how he had an idea for something much more exciting.

At first, Archie was intrigued. But then the crazy knight picked up an apple that had fallen from a tree, kept it on his head, and was now asking Archie to shoot it. Archie could not help but wonder whether Sir Christian had way too much faith in the stable boy, or if he simply had a death wish.

"I am not going to die," Sir Christian said as he rolled his eyes. When Archie said nothing, the knight continued, this time his voice was gentle and sincere. "Trust me, just the way I trust you. Close your eyes and breathe, then aim and shoot. You will not miss, Archie. Have faith in yourself and your weapon."

Archie frowned as he stared at the knight, there was something about what he said, both his words and his tone that filled Archie with a sense of confidence that he had never felt before. Not even when Kenric was trying to convince him to participate in the tournament.