Chapter Text
“So what you’re telling me-”
“He isn’t very happy about this.”
“Of course he isn’t, you’re the Mad King.”
“-is that James Haywood-”
“Actually, I go by Ryan now.”
“Shut the fuck up Haywood.”
“-is my so-called ‘true love’?”
Michael cringes at the words, but he nods. Ray slumps back into the throne, running a hand through his hair and staring at the ground. He shakes his head, still in denial, and Ryan rubs a hand on his back. Ray slaps him away and glares, showing Ryan his teeth as if it’ll deter him. Surprisingly, it does, and Ryan steps away, hand coming up to cover an old wound on his shoulder. Ray groans and slides out of the chair, sitting on the floor in front of the throne like a child.
“Gods, out of all the people in this country, it had to be him?”
“Oh, please, it’s not that bad, we worked out fine the first time.”
“I don’t give a shit about how true the love is, you still fucking lied and even all these years later I’m not going to forgive you.”
“Ray, it was an honest mistake, if you would ever shut up long enough for me to just explain-”
Michael forces his way in between them. They hadn’t even realized they were standing chest-to-chest, ready to come to blows. The blood was dried on Ryan’s chin, but it showed how brutal Ray could be. Michael didn’t want anymore bloodshed. Well, not if Ray was going to cause it. He wanted to punch Ryan himself. No, not the point right now.
“What the fuck are you two talking about?”
Ray whips away, clenching his fists and moving in quick pace.
“You can ask him. I’m going to get some food, since apparently I haven’t eaten in five fucking years because some pretentious prick wanted to have a grand entrance.”
The two kings watch Ray leave, a little stunned at his words. There was a deep venom in it that only one recognized. Michael sighed, making a gesture at Ryan. The two selected one knight each and went into the conference room. One chair on either side of the table, fairly close quarters, wasn’t either of their styles, but Ray had insisted on it when they were making adjustments to the castle. Michael and Ryan both made the move for the same chair, but Michael was quicker and sat first. The shock of discovering who Ray’s true love was must have really gotten to Ryan, for he just blinked and sat in the other chair instead of contesting it.
“So, what the fuck.” Michael starts. His vulgar language makes Ryan pay attention. He breathes in through his nose, then sighs.
“Maybe you didn’t know him then, but back when Ray was still a page he came to my kingdom. We… we met in the market and he made a joke about my clothes after I bumped into him and I thought he was trying to make fun of me. But he was just really having some honest fun. He laughed, told me I was uptight, and I asked him the name of his knight. Later on I found the inn they were staying in and while Ray lived in the kingdom I…” Ryan is showing a sort of weakness he never had before, hand rubbing through and messing up his immaculate hair. “We ended up involved. Deeply involved. We probably never would have broken apart if I wasn’t such an asshole.”
Michael finds an odd bit of sympathy for Ryan, but he doesn’t understand. How could Ryan be Ray’s true love, but they broke up? Michael is about to ask, but Ryan is still talking. Shit, he missed some.
“-day he was leaving. He didn’t tell me until his horse was packed that he was returning here. I couldn’t believe it, and I told him he’d have to stay with me. I’d- I’d call the royal guards and he wouldn’t have any choice. I said it because I was young and emotional. He stared at me for a long time before he finally realized something. And then I realized, like an idiot, I had never said it. He screamed at me, ‘You’re the prince!?’ and I couldn’t lie and say no so I said yes and he bit me.” Ryan pulls down his clothing to show the bite wound. It was obviously deep, if the ugly tissue is anything to go by. “Of course I hated him after, because he made me nearly lose my arm, but I realized he could have done a lot worse. He had his sword on him- he was damn good with it then too- and he could have killed me. Or at least, wounded me differently. But instead he bit me. Why would he bite me, King Jones? We haven’t talked since then. I wouldn’t know.”
It’s an odd story, to say the least, but understandable. Michael can understand why Ray would be pissed off to find out Ryan was his true love. He was his summer fling, not his true love. Michael remembers that summer. Ray came back fuming and it had ended up with Michael kissing him. The details are fuzzy, but by winter they were steady with each other. Michael hadn’t ever been a rebound, and they both knew it.
So why…?