Chasing The Cure

Chapter 17: Brothers And Sons

The other stable hands forced Archie to take the rest of the day off. They claimed that he deserved it after he had won the archery tournament and that covering his work for once was the least that they could do. Archie tried to protest, but he was internally glad, as he really wanted to spend some time with Frederic.

Frederic and Archie took a walk around the castle as they caught up with one another. Archie apologized for not writing to the youngest prince, which made him give the stable boy a stern look as he ordered him not to forget this time around. Archie spent time with Fred's son, William, and Prince James as well.

Archie liked kids; he was good with them too, which made him a little excited about training the two boys that had approached him. He did not know the first thing about teaching, but he figured out what the worst thing he could do was.

Kenric found Archie in the library, reading to William and James as the infant sat on the stable boy's lap. His heart grew warm instantly at the sight, and he wished that there was a way to capture the moment. If Kenric knew how to paint, then he would spend a lifetime drawing his lover's portraits.

Kenric stood by the door, watching as Archie finished the chapter. He had grown more fluent in reading than he used to be, and it filled Kenric with pride. Archie had so many skills; the only thing he needed was a little bit more confidence in himself. Kenric vowed that he would do his best to make Archie see himself the way that Kenric saw him.

A beautiful, talented, and good-hearted man.

Once both the kids began to get drowsy, Frederic decided that it was time to put them to bed. He held William in his arms as James followed behind him after wishing Archie a goodnight. Frederic smiled at Kenric as he saw him in the doorway before leaving.

Archie did not notice as Kenric walked towards him; he was too busy already going through the next chapter of the book. He finally looked up, his expression surprised, as Kenric sat next to him.

"Once the ball is over, I am going to spend the night with you, and you will read to me," Kenric said.

"Is that an order, Your Highness?" Archie asked, his tone indicating that he was merely teasing the other man.

"It is a humble request; I wish to fall asleep to the sound of your voice with my head on your lap and your fingers in my hair," Kenric spoke, sighing deeply.

"I think I can manage that," Archie mumbled, his cheeks growing a light shade of pink.

"I wish for nothing more than to be with you right now, my love, but we need to speak with Godric," Kenric stated, making Archie nod with his lips pressed in a thin line.

"Then that is what we shall do."

The two men headed to Godric's study. The King was insanely busy the last few days, but Kenric knew he was going to be in his room to look over some documents before supper. It was the perfect time to speak with him without getting interrupted, and Kenric did not want to waste the opportunity.

He knocked, announcing his presence, before Godric told him to enter. He looked a tad surprised to see Archie with him, who was coming to the King's study for the first time in fifteen years. The last time was when the late king was still alive, and he and Kenric sneaked into the room just to look around. Thankfully, they had not been caught. Otherwise, the consequences would have been dire.

Possibly lethal.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Godric looked at the both of them, his soft smile turning into a frown as he saw the seriousness on their faces. "Let me rephrase. What is wrong?"

"It is possible that Prince Edward knows about Archie and I, which indicates that there could be a spy in our midst," Kenric answered, dropping the bomb all at once. Godric looked taken aback, clearly not having expected that.