𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄// 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐨 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐔

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐// 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐫

It had been the fire that had drawn him in.

Jalgan had been in love with the prince for years, had been smitten the moment he had seen his portrait. Rumors of the prince's fiery personality had enamored him. Time had only deepened his love, and at last, he now had what he wanted. A marriage to Prince William Solace.

The anger in the prince's eyes hadn't fazed him in the slightest. If anything, it excited Jalgan. The fire in the prince was dangerous, yet... inviting.

Will wanted to play hard-to-get. And Jalgan was more than happy to play the game.

☀️☀️☀️

It had been a week since Will had met Jalgan. A week of pure agony.

Will was starting to unravel. When he had returned from being kidnapped, he had been barely able to eat, but had at least attended the royal dinners for the sake of his family. But now he blew off every social event that wasn't strictly politics; the thought of having to spend more time than necessary near him...

He could barely swallow a bite of food anyway. His fear was nearly crushing him, a constant state of fight-or-flight that kept him awake far into the night. The weight he had gained since his kidnapping was now gone, his face paling again. He knew he should eat, should sleep, but the fear refused to leave.

As was tradition of royal engagement, Will and Jalgan would spend several hours a day together under the supervision of a chaperone. Will had been tempted to blow Jalgan off, but the lethal gleam in his gold eyes made him realize that probably wasn't an option.

Either Perseus or Annabeth Jackson would be the assigned chaperone, with Nico as Will's bodyguard. It would always be lunch or a walk through the gardens. These times were painful-- mostly biting remarks punctuated by tense silence. Will dreaded every time his chaperone would appear at his door.

Shaking off his thoughts, Will stared at his plate, refusing to meet Jalgan's eyes from across the table. Annabeth stood guard at the doorway, while Nico stood behind Jalgan; both monitored Will's betrothed as though he would attack at any moment.

"You look wonderful today," Jalgan said. Will could feel those eyes piercing him, assessing his every move, waiting for his reaction. Will only gave the slightest nod, then lifted his gaze to look at Nico over Jalgan's shoulder. Nico tilted his head, then, very deliberately, tapped on his armor three times. Are you okay?

Nico and Will had developed a code of sorts, to communicate while Jalgan was around. Will rehearsed the code now: one tap for yes, two for no, three for are you okay, and four for I am here.

Will replied with one tap on his plate, shifting his silverware in his grip. A thought flared to life in his mind. "Jalgan, I have a question."

"Yes, dear?"

Nico stiffened at the term of endearment, but Will didn't let his anger show as he asked, "If you wanted my hand for so long and so badly, why did you send assassins to kill me?"

Jalgan raised a dark brow. "Pardon?"

Want to play dumb, you bastard? "The night of Queen Levesque's coronation, assassins from your... group came to try to kill me."

Will wasn't expecting to see shock come over Jalgan's face, then anger. "Kill you?"

"Yes." Will forced his voice to stay level.

Jalgan scoffed. "Those people were there to kidnap you, not kill you." He waved his hand. "That whole ordeal with you and the Shade Queen is of no importance. That was an old plan of mine."