Kings [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Thirty-Five - Finally Home

Dan pushes open the door to Rose's café, glancing around as he unclips his light, summer cloak from around his throat. A small group of people sits in the corner of the café, talking to one another over drinks and filling the room with gentle noise. Dan takes his usual place by one of the windows and smiles when he sees Rose emerge from the back room.

"Daniel!" she exclaims, a huge smile on her face. "Welcome home! It's been so long!"

"I know," Dan replies with a grin. "It is good to be back."

"Would you like the usual?"

"Yes, please."

Rose hobbles to the kitchen and returns a few moments later with a hot cup of tea. She settles in the seat across from him as he takes a tentative sip.

"Rose, I finally found my special someone," he says, setting the cup down.

"Oh, that's wonderful, dear!" she replies. "Who is he?"

Dan flushes and averts his gaze, picking at the glaze on his mug. "Uh, he's... how did you know it's a he?"

Rose smiles. "I'm not stupid."

Dan flushes an even deeper shade of red and busies himself with another sip of tea before speaking again. "Yes, so, um, anyway, his name is Philip. He's actually the king of Divum, the same one that kidnapped me, and there's a very long story that goes along with that. And because I love him too much and can't stay away, I'm going to live in Divum with him."

Rose's smile never falters. When Dan falls silent and looks down at his tea, she reaches over and pats his cheek gently. "That's wonderful to hear, Daniel. I'm proud of you for doing what will make you happiest."

"Thank you, Rose." Dan sips his drink and smiles, his cheeks a soft shade of pink. "I already sent him a letter. I'll be heading out in a few days with PJ."

"You will come back to visit, won't you?" Rose asks, the quirk in her eyebrows letting him know that he doesn't really have a choice.

"Of course," Dan replies.

They talk for what feels like hours before Dan finally excuses himself, letting Rose know that he needs to get back to the castle and pack. He places several gold coins on her table, bids her farewell, and walks back to the castle in the fading light of evening.

~

"I have a letter for you, your majesty. It's from Tenebris," Chris says, reading the name on the front of the page. "Specifically, King Daniel of Tene—"

Phil interrupts him by snatching the letter from his hands, his heart thudding in his chest as he peels up the wax seal and unfolds the letter with trembling fingers. His eyes scan the page twice over before he looks back to Chris.

"Dan's coming back," he squeaks, his smiler brighter than it has been in weeks. "He's coming back! Back here! Back home!"

"That's great," Chris replies, blinking a few times as his gaze follows the now pacing king.

"He's not bringing many people... we should make sure a room is ready for PJ and I should make sure my room is clean and the castle should be prepared and—"

"Your majesty." Chris places his hands on Phil's shoulders, effectively shutting him up. "All will be well. I will make sure the servants know about their arrival."

Phil takes a deep breath and nods his head. Chris smiles faintly and exits the room, leaving the king alone with his thoughts.

Phil spends all the time until Dan's arrival wandering aimlessly around the castle. He gets some work done, but his thoughts are so consumed by Dan that he finds himself consistently distracted from the task at hand. He gets more and more fidgety as the day of his arrival grows closer, and when it finally does Phil makes sure he's on the front step of the castle so he can throw his arms around Dan the moment he sees him.

When the small convoy of Tenebrisians arrive with Dan at the head, Phil's heart jumps into his throat. Dan's brown curls are almost golden in the sunlight, his eyes like amber. He's regal and just as beautiful as the last time Phil saw him, and when Dan sees Phil, he slides off his horse and runs into his embrace, his face tucking naturally into the crook of Phil's neck. Phil inhales a lungful of the king's scent, his heart full for the first time in over a month.

"I love you," Phil whispers, his fingers gripping at Dan's cloak. "Oh my God I love you."

"Phil," Dan squeaks. "Phil, I love you."

Chris guides PJ, along with the rest of the convoy, inside, leaving the two kings outside. As soon as they're alone, Phil presses kiss after kiss to Dan's lips, thumbs tracing Dan's jawline.

"I'm not leaving again," Dan whispers between heartfelt kisses. "I'm not leaving you."

"Good," Phil replies. "I never want to be away from you again."

The king of Divum kisses Dan once more before taking his hand and leading him into the castle. Dan squeezes his fingers, muscles relaxing minutely as he looks around the familiar space. Finally, he's home.

They reach Phil's room and Dan stops in the doorway, his jaw falling slack. In every corner and on every surface, there's a houseplant. The one that Dan gave him as a gift sits on the side table, vibrant as ever, and Dan slowly looks over at his boyfriend.

"Why do you have so many plants in your room?" he asks, eyebrows raised and an incredulous smile tugging at his lips.

Phil flushes and rubs the back of his neck. "I may have... uh... started impulsively buying them after you gave me that gift."

Dan snorts and buries his face in his hands. "I cannot believe... Phil..."

Phil presses a kiss to his cheek. "Just imagine you're in a safe, comfy jungle."

"That does not help."

"Come on, you must be tired after such a long journey," Phil says, taking his hands and leading him to the bed. Dan rolls his eyes, but doesn't fight it as the king of Divum guides him to the mattress and starts taking off his cloak. "I have a big bed that's much cozier with two people in it."

Dan blushes and runs his fingers through Phil's hair. "Good thing there's two of us now, huh?"

Phil grins and pulls him into a kiss, long and deep and passionate. Dan kisses back, humming contentedly.

"I'm never leaving again," Dan whispers.

"Thank God," Phil replies. 

And in that moment, they realized that everything would be alright. 

The End