Chapter 173: Final Separation
Chapter 173:
Final Separation
Standing in front of the fruit market stood two middle-aged women, baskets filled with produce on the crook of their arms as they spoke briskly in muddled tones under the sound of the bustling market around them, their faces full of curiosity and interest, occasionally grabbing pieces of fruit to inspect. The sellers touted their wares, yelling to the eager customers around them, waving new products with vigor.
"After the royal family collapsed, I never expected the kingdom to thrive like this again. " The first woman said, her voice nearly above a whisper.
"Me too. The provisions the council distributed were more than helpful. I was afraid the kingdom would fall apart when they first took over!" The second nodded eagerly in agreement, raising her hand with two gold coins in it. "Five apples for two coins!" She shot in a loud voice towards the stand owner, placing the coins in his calloused hand with a smile.
"But what surprises me most is that they kept Prince Clarence on the council! He is far more capable than his father ever was!" The first woman responded, reaching into her basket to arrange her own fruit, satisfied with her haul of fresh produce. Those around the pair of women could only silently listen in agreement.
So many things had changed, many for the better as of late, allowing those in the kingdom to live better lives. The prosecution of elves was abruptly halted, and elves slowly began to return to their home kingdom, bringing with them their mana and unique skills. Though public opinion was slow to change, the protections for the elves were enough to ensure a safe return.
Under the passing moon and sun, a year had swiftly flown past, leaving those in the Yursear Kingdom with a strange period of peace and adjustment. Political tides swiftly changed with the implementation of the Yursear council, a group of five leaders brought in from around the kingdom, full of accomplished figures desiring for effective changes to the kingdom's ecosystem. Eva and Camille were two of them, working closely with public figures like Theresa to ensure public approval and effectiveness.
Clarence, however, refused to take a long-lasting role in the council, citing his desire to return to his lover's side as soon as possible. Though there were five sitting members, Clarence was a temporary sixth member, the only royal allowed any position near power after the failed coup. The queen, still alive with her children, was not allowed to return to her royal duties. Within the royal paperwork, she was listed as deceased due to the rebellion caused by Malcolm. Her children, however, were listed as missing, allowing Clarence to keep his relationship with his siblings, so long as they stayed out of power within the kingdom.
More than anything, he wanted to take Julian and Eloise to the Faelfier Kingdom, to know a life of joy and happiness unblemished by war and violence as he had sorely lacked. The two children were nearly teenagers now, but they were old enough to be around Silas's younger siblings ages at least, Clarence felt. Unfortunately, Clarence had forgotten Silas's siblings, the twins, were nearly his own age now too. In this world, it felt as though no one could age in this period of war. Many had died before they could reach old age. Now, it felt as if everyone's lives began again.
Early one morning, shortly after the passage of a particularly arduous winter and chilly start of spring, Clarence continued to pack his travel bag, filling it with as few items as possible after a particularly long council meeting, dark circles still pronounced under his eyes in the early morning light. After spending most of the night awake, having trouble falling asleep, he found some solace packing his satchel, his thoughts elsewhere.
Though out the last year, as times grew difficult, he would write and send Silas letters, many detailing his day, or asking how Silas's life was back in the Faelfier Kingdom. The letters, read by more than just the two of them, were very direct, if not dry, but any private thoughts and love expressions were detailed at the end of each letter in a simple line. I love you. If he had more space on the page, Clarence felt as if he could write it endlessly, at least a hundred times, but his days were busy, and time was limited. So, as a way to wait for Silas, he began to paint, accumulating a small batch of drawings and other pieces as a way to cope with missing his lover.
It's just a short bit longer now. Just a week or two, just as summer's set to start. I can leave here and go back to Silas. I can go back… where my home should be. The tall young man, having surpassed twenty-two long years, stood by his satchel with a smile. His navy blue hair lengthened around his ears, and his features matured. His previous attitude, full of self-importance and unyieldingness, had long since changed.
His eyes now carried a burning calm, hiding his desires deeply in his heart as he learned as much as he could ingest of court politics and political ally-ship in his short time as a council member. As much as he had learned, he found himself desiring a quiet life, one unburdened by those who relied on him politically. The draw of possessing the throne was enough to satiate him in the past, but not anymore. He found there was more to live for that just political power. Instead, he desired a long, happy life, now that he understood what made life worth living.
As Clarence finished packing his bag, adjusting the straps on the outside, the door to his room was pushed open. Uninterested in looking over his shoulder to see who it was, Clarence shot out a quick response, fatigue evident in his tone. "Whatever it is that you need, it can wait for this afternoon."
"I'd listen first before you start making assumptions." Eva stated in the quiet room, standing over to the side of the room, just outside of the prince's view.
Clarence, hearing Eva's voice, continued to pack, uninterested. "Is there something you need me for? It's still quiet early."
"I thought you'd be more enthusiastic about leaving. I must've been wrong, then."
Pausing, Clarence turned his head, still kneeling next to his satchel with a bewildered look on his face. "I'm sorry?" He asked, pondering if he was hallucinating.
"You're free, Clarence. Go to Silas." Eva began, standing with her arms crossed. Her expression was two degrees warmer than usual, softening her usual demeanor. "You are welcome back in this kingdom. Just ensure your family stays out of the public eye." Eva responded directly, a rare smile on her face.
The young man on the ground paused his movements, falling stiff. "You, you must be joking?"
"I'm quiet serious, Clarence." The woman opposite him shook her head, her tone full of seriousness. "A horse was prepared in advance for your journey. Send us a letter when you arrive. We might still need you later."
Clarence could not contain his joy as he abruptly stood up, nearly wrapping his arms around Eva like an excited child before he stopped himself, only a short distance between them now. "My God... I can't thank you enough, Eva!" It seemed the year had done them some good after all, allowing them to put aside some of their differences at least.
"If I need you for anything, I'll send a letter through Devon. Until then, take care of yourself." There was a pause in her words, as if pondering his use before she lightly shook her head, wishing him well on his journey.
"Can I hug you?" He asked, tears nearly flowing from his eyes.
Nearly expecting her to say no, Eva lowered her arms, moving them to the side in a welcoming motion. "Just this once."
Clarence, more than a foot taller than Eva, swallowed her in a hug, her head resting at his chest as he wrapped his arms around her small frame, laughing joyfully like a little maniac. "You know, you still haven't made up for all the dumb things you've done." Eva patted his shoulder twice with her gloved hands, feeling very much like an adoring aunt at that moment. "At the very least, make sure you don't do any other stupid things."
Pulling away, Clarence wiped his eyes, attempting to catch any stray tears threatening to fall. "I won't… Thank you, Eva."
"Go on, now. You're going to be traveling long enough as it is." She said, directing Clarence towards the door as she stepped back, still smiling lightly. Watching Clarence collect the last of his things at lightning speed, Eva stood to the side, keeping herself out of the chaos. It was not until he stuffed the last of his daily necessities in his bag before he slowed down, nearly breathless as he lifted his satchel onto his back.
Eva left the room ahead of Clarence, prepared for a long day of explanations as she walked down the hall, listening to the sound of echoing footsteps in the empty palace halls. She attempted to hold back a laugh as she heard a loud skidding sound around the back stairwell, just down the hall from where she had stopped.
The future is bright for this kingdom. Eva thought, resuming her slow pace as she made her way to the side hall, prepared to meet Meredith for breakfast, explaining what she had just done before the man could try to stop him.
…
Meanwhile, in the Faelfier Kingdom, the object of Clarence's love had adjusted well upon his return to his home kingdom. Joined now by Maeir, Cirdan, and Aurelia, he quickly adjusted to the peaceful atmosphere in the area outside of the Faelfierian capital. After Adora's return, Silas found himself in a peaceful lull, something he had long since desired after the many attempts on his life. As the political situation in the Yursear Kingdom stabilized, the standard of living increased as a result in all the kingdoms.
"Anile, come over here! It's time for you to go home now." A clear voice called to a child outside, standing with another other elven adult as they spoke of the unruly child. The little girl, running up the way with her arms at her sides, seemed unwilling to leave, but they listened to the voice as told obediently.
Silas's hair had grown long again in the year parted from Clarence. His soft blonde hair fell behind his head in a loose braid, reaching between his shoulder blades in a neat fashion. Though he had surpassed thirty years old, the few shallow lines in his face were charming, and his deepened eyes were full of warmth, making all of the neighborhood children chase him around dotingly. After all, he was their favorite teacher.
Holding her daughter's hand, Anile's mother shot Silas a careful look before she said with a considerate smile, "You know, Silas, my sister-in-law had asked me about you." Anile's mother began, unopposed to being direct, "If you're interested, I'd be happy to set up a meeting between you two."
"Ah." Holding back a laugh, Silas gently shook his head, his expression warm at the thought of Clarence's imminent return. "I'm very flattered, but I already have a lover."
The woman paused, her lips twisted into a regretful frown as she shook her head, "It's a shame. Your lover is a lucky person, Silas."
He really is lucky. Silas thought, waving goodbye to the pair as he turned back into the well-sized room near the military training grounds. Inside was the small school created by the villagers for refugees pouring into the kingdom. Having left his soldier life behind, Adora recommended him for the herbalist teacher. Fortunately Adora's father worked closely with Silas during his transition, ensuring him steady work on the side at the city clinic when he was not teaching classes in the capital, just as Silas's father had done in his youth. He quickly fell in love with his quiet life in the Faelfier capital with his family. Though, the longer he was separated from Clarence, the more he found himself missing him.
Truth be told, their separation made them both desperate to be reunited. Many barriers that had impeded their relationship before were swiftly removed, and now Silas was unsure how to face the other man. Each week he would wait by the barracks with Adora, receiving word from Eva and her group to forward on to the proper channels. Each week, Silas would receive a drawing and a letter, carefully written by Clarence. Adora, watching Silas's face light up as he received the items, felt the urge to roll her eyes fade as her tolerance grew for the displays of affection between the two men.
Though apart, the written words of love depicted scenes of intimacy and care, but nothing obscene, except for Clarnece's repeated use of 'I love you'. Neither one had been in a relationship with a man, save for Clarence's few moments of flirtatious banter with Alywin. As thick skinned as Silas thought he was, the few instructional manuals he managed to find nearly made him too embarrassed to bare reading anymore. It had been a long time since he was intimate with anyone, let alone a man.
One of these days, I'll have to talk to Holland. The only person he knew that was romantically interested in men (and most likely women too) was Holland. During the past year, Holland and Silas had formed an unlikely friendship, allowing for some more private topics to be shared between them without being awkward. Fortunately, Holland was stationed at the barracks, allowing Silas a short window of opportunity to talk to him, without intervention by others. With Holland's missions moving between kingdoms, Beau was placed with Neema, Saoirse, and Vaan, much to the girls' displeasure. His presence, however, was found to be invaluable, though unwanted.
Lost in thought, Silas stood in place before he noticed two familiar figures running at him from down the main road. "Cirdan, Aurelia!" Outside the school, having already finished sending off the last of the children for the day, the twins ran up to him excitedly. Their tall figures swallowed up Silas like two bear cubs, having grown nearly as tall as their brother in the last ten years.
Aurelia spoke first, her voice excited as she said, "Maeir's going to make her special vegetable porridge tonight. She asked us to get the ingredients. Wanna go to the market tonight?" Cirdan nodded along enthusiastically, still hugging his brother.
"Sure, I'll go with you guys." Silas responded, his gaze falling towards the bustling main road, watching the various figures running about in the dimming sunset. "But, I'll be leaving after dinner tonight. Holland and I are meeting to talk about some things later."
Patting the twins' heads, Silas moved his arms out of their reach. Cirdan and Aurelia straightened up, smiling at their brother as they gestured towards the city market. "Come on! We have to go before it gets too late!"
The familiar trio was quick to leave once the school had been locked up by Silas. Slinging his satchel over her his shoulder, Silas let out a light sigh, staring up at the blue sky as he walked forward, the twins surrounding him like excited cats.
…
That night, well after a few strong drinks of heavy liquor, Silas and Holland found themselves engrossed in deep conversation, discussing things weighing on their hearts. Many nights, they had spent time talking like this, speaking about a variety of topics and things that they had see on their travels. However, something was nagging the deepest part of his heart, and instead of addressing the topic that had been bothering him most, the young man deflected to an equally troubling question, directing it towards Holland. "Holland, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what's on your mind?" Holland responded, perked with interest.
The barracks were empty, but their voices carried in the empty room, unthreatened by eavesdroppers as they sat at either side of the short table, drinking themselves silly. For the first time, the two met to discuss private matters directly with a little help from alcohol, drinking more than either intended on a work night.
Silas stared towards Holland, asking frankly, "Why did you vouch for Beau? Why did you keep him alive?"
"I haven't told anyone this, so I hope you can keep this between us, Silas." Holland held onto his glass with both hands, his face red, the alcohol slowly taking effect. The pause was intense, keeping Silas nearly on his toes as he waited for Holland to finish his sentence, expecting an answer nearly too normal for the infamous Charon. "The reason I kept Beau alive all this time… is because I like him."
Nearly gasping aloud, Silas retorted, "You kept him alive… for a reason like that?"
The other man smiled into his glass, "Of course. I want to keep him by my side, just like you to that dumb little prince." He motioned with his other hand, nearly sarcastic in tone, but Silas knew the man was dead serious at that time.
Silas was fighting the urge to make a strange face, his brows knitted awkwardly as he stared at Holland, confused. "You kept him alive… for a reason like that?" I guess I can't complain, seeing as Clarence and I had tried to kill each other long before starting our relationship.
"I thought you'd call me selfish, seeing as I kept such a guy alive." Holland barked with laughter, resting his cheek on his arm as he leaned on the table, his face flushed. "But, that might just be the liquor talking." His words trailed off, but he did not seem to carry guilt for his thoughts. "I didn't realize why at first, but I keep wanting to kiss him, to sleep with him-"
"Ah, that's not it… I'm just surprised you like him, that's all." Silas shook his head, his face flushed as he responded with a slight stutter, cutting off Holland before his words could become more crass, "I used to feel the same way about Clarence and me too. That was when I realized I had to do what made me happy." He grabbed his glass, swishing around the dark colored liquid with slow movements. "After Emmeline died, I never thought I could love someone again. But, with things as they are now, I think everything has fallen into place… exactly as it should."
"I appreciate that, Silas. It wasn't easy coming to this decision." Holland let out a laugh, relief lining his lips like a soft smile. Neither of them had to ponder Beau's sexual orientation, given the rumors surrounding his affairs with either sex. But, the real question was, would he accept a confession from his arch nemesis? "I'd like to think I'm an attractive guy, so it'll be hard for Beau to refuse, I'd like to think."
Oddly enough, I feel they would work well together. Though they lacked the air of an established relationship, the two of them worked strangely well together in a way that would not work for others. Casual in nature.
"For the record, Vaan did want to kill him that day, the day you were rescued. Neema and Saoirse wanted to keep him alive, to bring him to justice. But, this is the decision I've made, and even if I'm hated for it, I'll stick to it." Holland flashed his usual biting smile, a trace of confidence in his words. "When the time's right, I'll talk to Eva first. She might kill me before the ink's dry though on our little truce."
The pair laughed together, reminding Silas of Eva's attitude towards him before he was able to prove himself to her. Now, it was Holland's turn to do the same for Beau.
"There was something I wanted to talk to you about, Holland." Holding his glass in one hand, feeling the chill of the melting ice moistening his hand, Silas found his courage and finally asked, "It's about…" He paused, pondering his words as if thinking carefully of what to say next. "Being intimate, I mean. With a man."
Holland paused, nearly sipping at his drink before he stared at Silas's reddened face, laughing further with a biting bark at his words, "Aha, so you came to ask me, eh?" He smiled, patting Silas on the shoulder with a slap of the hand, "Well, lucky for you I have experience there." Silas sighed into his hand, covering his face with his free hand as Holland continued talking, unfazed.
The conversation continued, the space quiet except for their voices and Holland's exaggerated hand motions. Seeing Silas's expression fall, Holland restrained his hands and spoke seriously. There were many things Silas was not aware of, but fortunately Holland was quick to explain and kept his jokes short and to the point.
"Anyway, don't overthink it. Just do what your body tells you. You somehow managed to marry your wife, didn't you?" Holland teased, tapping the side of his glass.
"I appreciate you talking to me, thanks, Holland." Silas responded, ignoring Holland's teasing as he added, "It may seem ridiculous, but after all that Clarence and I have been through…" He paused, humming quietly to himself before he finished, "I want everything to be perfect now, even if it is impossible."
Holland pushed back a stray braid of hair falling in his face, his words in a drunk mumble. He smiled again, letting out a light laugh. "I feel kind of special, talking about love and all that. Maybe I should become a love counselor or something?"
Silas laughed, responding quickly, "That's enough alcohol for you, Holland. Why don't we go back now?"
Waving his hand, Holland held a half drank glass as he shot back, "Ah, I'll leave after I finish this glass. Adora'll get pissed if I don't clean up before leaving." He downed the last of the alcohol and stood up, not at all stumbling, "You go ahead. I've got a bed here anyway."
The pair parted ways after Silas cleaned their glasses, leaving Holland to store away the last bottle of liquor in his room as he left. Though a little drunk, Silas was steady on his feet, only a little lightheaded as his warm, reddened face met the cool night air.
He sucked in a deep breath, staring at the stars as he thought to himself. I miss him.
Unknown to Silas, Clarence's hurried departure left only a short while longer before they would be reunited.
…
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Hello, all! It's been a very long time, but I'm happy to have this chapter finally out! There were so many kinks and problems getting this done that I just gave up for a while. Holland was so, so hard to read for this chapter, and finally it struck me what he was feeling for Beau (I'm a little slow to it). More details of their relationship will come with the extras. Silas, too, reads to me as nervous about a lot of things, especially intimacy. But, things will fall into place for him, as they have for everyone else. The politics/ fighting stuff are my personal favorites, but I'm a little sad that I can't really focus too much on them (we're well past that now).
Thank you all again for your continued patience. I've been planning my "next" project, which will be called "Ardent Pursuit", and it may be posted on a side account instead of my main as I feel it will carry more mature themes than YMtK. It's a "transmigrated into a broken book plot line" MC guide and "severely obsessive/ I'll destroy the world for him" esper ML. I plan to start working on character info as I fly to Japan if my old-ass kindle doesn't die on me >y<
Much love, all. I'll be traveling soon, so if I'm hard to contact for the next few weeks, I will get to it when I can. Thank you for your continued support and love for YMtK ;u;
Edit: Beau haters, don't come at me. This is ALL Holland and his feelings