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Damen’s eyes drifted to the flickering flames, above which the man he now knew as “Laurie” was holding the blade of the dagger Damen had provided. He felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of his neck at the sight of the slowly brightening metal. Laurie wasn’t looking at him, so Damen didn’t feel too embarrassed when he exhaled a soft, trembling breath as he thought of what was to come.
In truth, Damen had already suffered relatively important injuries during training and had undergone the treatments of the physicians at the palace. Though never before had he had an arrow stuck in his shoulder and had the wound treated by a man he barely knew, dressed like a hunter, and with a scalding dagger instead of a needle. Until now.
There was a first for everything though, right? Damen tried to comfort himself with that thought as he waited.
“I think it’s hot enough,” Laurie said then, lifting the dagger and turning it this way to see that both of its sides were white-hot.
“Is it?” Damen asked, a tense smile pulling at his lips, his insides churning. In the darkness, with the fire and moon as their only sources of light, the sight looked straight out of one of the scary stories the servants had told Damen when he was little.
Laurie turned to stare at him and gave him a pointed look. “Are you perhaps frightened ?”
Damen’s nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath, his chest expanding with it and stretching the wounded flesh of his shoulder. Biting back a wince, he said, “Not at all.”
Laurie rolled his eyes and snickered at that. “Whatever you say.” He turned his gaze to the flames once more, put the blade over them again and said, “You’re going to hold this for me while I pull the arrow out. Hold it tightly so it hurts less and you don’t drop it. Then you’re going to give it to me and let me finish the work. Understood?”
Damen swallowed through the lump in his throat. “Understood.”
“You have to give me the dagger when I ask for it… Damen.”
“I will.”
“Alright, then we begin. Hold this for me, please,” Laurie said, and held the blazing weapon in front of Damen, who took it in hand and gripped it tightly.
Laurie moved to stand in front of Damen’s injured shoulder, leaning over him with a hand on his bicep and with the fingers of the other curled around the wooden shaft of the arrow, millimeters away from Damen’s swollen skin.
“You didn’t tell me why you were wandering around here alone,” Laurie said.
“Well, I was--” Damen started, and Laurie yanked.
Damen was blind. Blind and deaf and he couldn’t feel anything other than his throbbing shoulder. His head was going to split open, or had already imploded. He didn’t know, couldn’t know. There was fog inside his mind and cotton in his ears.
“Damen! Give me the dagger,” a voice said through the buzz. Damen found out he could still see, and turned his eyes upwards to stare at the man in front of him. “The dagger!” The man repeated, with his palm outstretched towards Damen.
The dagger. As feeling came back to Damen’s fingers, he realized he was holding a dagger in his hand. The one the man--Laurie--had given to him just moments before. Damen knew he needed it for something important. He shook his head to clear his thoughts a little and put the hilt in Laurie’s hand.
“It’s going to be useless if I try to distract you now, so just breathe in deeply,” Laurie said as he approached the scalding metal to Damen’s torn flesh.
Damen’s eyes widened as he finally managed to remember what Laurie was about to do. His voice was hoarse when he groaned, “Wait--” But it was too late.
-----
Everything was numb.
Damen slowly came back to his senses. It took him a moment to remember where he was, and why he was there. When he did, all the pain came rushing back to hit him like a tidal wave. He groaned, and just then realized he was leaning back against a rock--the one he had been sitting on while his injury was savagely treated by a stranger. Laurie.
He blinked hard a few times to refocus his vision, then looked around until he found the other man sitting not too far away from him, the flickering fire illuminating his delicate features.
Laurie was looking carefully at him, as if to see if there was anything abnormal in the way he behaved, studying him. And maybe he was also staring a little at Damen, who was naked from the waist up now that he realized it, the top of his chiton wrapped around his throbbing shoulder and leaving him mostly uncovered. Damen put his valid arm across his chest to try and preserve some of his modesty in front of this person he barely knew. Laurie cleared his throat.
“How long was I out?” Damen asked.
“Not too long. The moon hasn’t moved much,” Laurie answered, looking up.
Damen followed his gaze upwards, and found the moon peeking from between the intertwined branches of the tall trees around them. Laurie was right; it hadn’t been that long. The night had grown cooler though, and Damen was now down to half of his actual clothing. He tried making himself smaller to keep himself as warm as he could, but failed to suppress a shiver.
After a moment of silence, Laurie said, “You’re really, how to say…”
Damen shut his eyes and tipped his head back. “Don’t say it.”
“...weak,” Laurie continued, paying no mind to Damen. “And loud. You shouted so hard--”
“Listen,” Damen said, opening his eyes and staring at Laurie by his side. “It’s not my fault I wasn’t trained to endure high pain like some wild beast.”
“Well, you do look like a bear from afar,” Laurie countered, one pale eyebrow raised.
Damen blinked. “Is that why you shot me with an arrow?!”
“I was defending myself against a giant animal in the dark,” Laurie said, raising both hands in the air, as if that was enough to excuse the whole matter.
Damen didn’t know how to respond to that, wasn’t sure he even wanted to, so he just tightened his good arm around himself to try to fight the cold that was creeping its way into his bones. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Laurie rummage inside his bag, and a moment later there was something warm and soft being laid atop his slightly trembling shoulders.
“I only have this to offer,” Laurie said. It sounded like sorry.
Damen looked at him, his lips slightly parted in surprise. “I--Thank you.” He leaned forward to let the blanket fall between his back and the hard rock, then settled more comfortably, pulling the soft fabric around himself as best he could. Beside him, Laurie had his knees drawn to his chest, arms wound tightly around his folded legs and shoulders hunched forward. Words came before thought: “Come here.”
“Huh?” Laurie lifted his head to look at him, a confused expression on his face.
Wordlessly, Damen lifted one end of the blanket and jerked his head, silently repeating his previous words. “It’s going to get cold,” he said.
“It’s alright. I’m used to it.”
Damen sighed. “You don’t have to be all high and mighty.”
“Says the one who was like ‘oh, no problem’ and then called for his mother while in pain,” Laurie said, a tiny smile pulling up the corners of his lips.
“Okay, you know what? I’m going to keep the blanket for myself. Goodnight.” Damen turned away from Laurie to hide the blush that had suddenly bloodmed across his cheeks, and felt his breath hitch when the movement stressed his injured shoulder.
Laurie was quick to react. “Fine! I’m a little cold, make some space for me…”
Damen huffed out a slightly annoyed breath, but held up the end of the blanket nonetheless. Instead of just sitting next to him though, Laurie draped Damen’s arm as well as the blanket around his shoulders and leant against him.
“Comfortable?” Damen asked, rhetorically. (Sarcasm was the way to go if he wanted to ignore how nice it felt to be close like that to someone else, even if that someone was a little bit of an asshole.)
“Yes.” Honest.
Damen tried his darnest to not let himself soften at the gentle tone of his voice, did his best to keep pouting with his face still turned the other way, but ended up giving in and letting himself settle against Laurie’s side as well.
“So,” Laurie said after a moment of peaceful silence. “You never got to finish explaining why you were lurking around in the dark all alone.”
“First of all, I was not lurking around, I was exploring the surroundings. Second of all, I didn’t realize how far I’d gone until I found myself with an arrow stuck in my shoulder.” He looked down at Laurie by his side, eyebrow raised, but Laurie was staring at the fire. Then he continued: “I’m actually on my way to Arles with a group, I just felt like taking a walk.”
“Oh,” Laurie murmured. He fell silent for a moment longer, and Damen didn’t feel the need to elaborate further. Royal matters couldn’t be discussed freely with strangers anyway. Then, “Won’t your companions be concerned if they find out you’ve disappeared?”
Damen thought about Nikandros possibly having a fit, or having a heart attack. Or both. Probably simultaneously. He thought of his brother’s disapproving stare, as if he didn’t do the same or even worse on occasions of far more importance. Then he thought about Laurie’s presence next to him, of his weight against his side, of the warmth of the fire in front of them and that of the blanket over their shoulders. He thought of how this kind of company was actually nice, even through their differences.
“No,” he replied. “I don’t think so.”
Laurie laughed softly, his frame shaking gently against Damen’s. “If you say so,” he said.
“Now that I think about it,” Damen said, frowning. “Why were you out in the middle of the night?”
“Boar-hunting.”
“That... explains the bow and arrows. But how do you see anything at night?”
“I see less and try listening more. It’s something my brother and I have been doing for years.”
Damen nodded. “That seems fair but it lead to me being skewered. Maybe it’s not the best method.”
“I know, but I was having fun,” Laurie replied.
“Oh, you were having fun. Glad to hear you enjoy making, uh… what’s the Veretian word… brochettes out of people. Nice.”
This time, Laurie laughed out loud, tipping his head back and closing his eyes tightly. Whatever had been said before left Damen’s mind altogether, and he could only focus on the gentle sound of Laurie’s laugh and the beautiful sight of his open expression. Alright, the man was very handsome, Damen had to stop denying that for the sole reason that he was a little difficult to deal with.
When Laurie was done laughing, he wiped a star tear from the corner of his eyes and sighed. When he turned to look at Damen, Damen was smiling.
“What?” Laurie asked.
Damen shook his head. “Nothing.”
They drifted into silence after that, the only sounds they could hear being those of the crackling fire and of the night owls hidden somewhere in the forest. It was warm, calm, and comfortable, and soon Damen’s eyelids started growing heavy as he stared at the fire. Laurie’s head had come to rest on his shoulder at some point, so Damen pressed his cheek over soft blond locks and closed his eyes.
“Hey, Laurie.”
“Mm?” Softly, as if from within a dream.
“You can keep the dagger.”
Laurie jerked against him, swaying their bodies, but Damen was too tired to react.
“What?”
“The dagger,” he repeated. “It’s for you. I’m giving it to you.”
“Is this seri--Are you sure?”
What was so wrong about giving Laurie the dagger? Why was he reacting this way for something so small? Damen wanted to ask that and more, but only managed a “Yes.”
There was silence for another moment, and then Laurie murmured, “Thank you. I’m very grateful.” His body seemed to melt against Damen’s after he said that.
“It’s my pleasure,” Damen replied with a small smile, half-asleep and unsure if he was still being coherent. He fell into a deep slumber just seconds later, the shape of the flickering fire imprinted on his eyelids and Laurie’s warmth pressed against his side, the pain of his shoulder only a faraway and dull throb.
-----
When Damen awoke, Laurie was asleep with his head on Damen’s lap. with bleary eyes still heavy with sleep, He looked down at the man and for a moment couldn’t believe that he wasn’t in a dream. The beautiful, peaceful sight of Laurie sleeping made Damen look away, a hand coming up to cover his face so he could hide the pink that had bloomed across his cheeks--even though they were alone in the middle of the woods. The man was truly, truly beautiful.
Before he could make an irrational decision and cause Nikandros an actual heart attack, Damen removed himself from Laurie’s space, taking care to gently put the man’s head down on a folded and plumped side of the thick blanket. He noticed, as he arranged the blanket over his curled up body, that Laurie slept with his mouth slightly open. Adorable . Damen closed his eyes and drew in a deep, steadying breath.
He looked around for his dagger and found it next to the ashen remains of their fire, sheathed and its blade clean. Then, he looked for little rocks around their campsite and spelled out “FOR YOU” next to Laurie’s bag, and placed the dagger on the ground by the message. What Laurie did for him deserved a lot more, but this was all Damen had to offer in that moment and he doubted he would ever encounter him again. At least a little something was better than nothing.
The sun was rising quickly, and Damen knew he must go soon. Still, he took a moment to watch Laurie in his sleep, to admire him. He wanted to stare at his magnificent, soft features forever, but when Laurie stirred in his sleep and let out a soft sound, Damen finally turned around and started to leave. He couldn’t stay longer, otherwise he knew he might never go back.
Laurie, with his kind heart and annoying remarks, was all Damen thought about on his way back to his group’s campsite. Laurie, with his concern mixed with pettiness, was all Damen thought about as Nikandros and Kastor sat him down and lectured him. Laurie, with his beautiful golden hair and barbarian hands, was all Damen thought about as they took the road once more in the direction of Arles.
-----
“He what ?!” exclaimed Auguste.
Laurent sighed and rolled his eyes, but was ultimately unable to keep himself from smiling when he repeated: “He gave me a dagger.”
Auguste looked at him with eyes as wide as plates, his jaw dropped. For a moment, Laurent thought he would ask him to repeat again , but instead murmured: “You know what that means, right?” He straightened up as he spoke, and drew in a deep breath once he’d finished.
“Of course I know,” said Laurent and averted his gaze, feeling warmth flood his cheeks. “And although it’s unexpected, I’m ready.”
Tipping his head to the side, Auguste smiled. It was a fond, happy thing, and it made Laurent’s heart swell. “I’m happy for you, little brother.” He looped his arms around Laurent’s neck and drew him close, pressing his cheek to his hair. “But who is this nameless man?” Auguste asked, pulling his face away from Laurent to look him in the eye, frowning.
“You will see.”
Auguste’s frown deepened, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he said: “I suppose he knows what formalities he will have to go through to officialize this.”
“He will know soon enough…” Laurent smirked.
“Laurent. What?!”
-----
It had been over fifteen years since Damen had last come to visit Arles. Now, at twenty-five, as he truly began preparing for his future kingly duties, he was bound to come a lot more regularly. He didn’t mind the long trip since he could enjoy the views and good camaraderie on the way to and from. And although that wasn’t exactly his speciality, as long as he could help his aging Father as much as he could with diplomatic matters, he would be happy.
And maybe, just maybe, if he came often he would end up meeting Laurie on the road again.
Damen shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. It wasn’t really the time to be thinking about would-bes and what-ifs. To keep his mind from wandering into uncharted waters, he focused on his surroundings. And maybe it was a trick of his imagination, but it seemed to him that the atmosphere hadn’t been so lively last time he had been in this city with his Father and the Akielon caravan. Perhaps, there was a festival in town? He supposed he would ask once he met with the king and princes.
The odd feeling, however, was only heightened as they marched further into the city and came upon the the plaza that led to the entrance of the palace. Damen thought the Veretian color was blue, but there was white everywhere . White flowers, white fabric decorations, even the people were dressed in white or sported a white accessory. And everything looked tidy and elegant, as if the city had been preparing for this for quite a while--their journey had indeed lasted more than a few days, but the Veretians needn't prepare all this just to greet the Akielon Prince, did they? At least Damen didn’t feel so out of place with his white chiton, and his covered wound meant he was at least somewhat presentable.
“What does all of this mean?” asked Damen when Nikandros appeared on his horse next to him.
“I…” Nikandros began, clearly looking for an answer himself. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re just happy to see you again. It’s been a while, after all.”
“Maybe so…”
They left the horses with the squires at the bottom of the stairs, and Damen led the way up towards the three figures standing on top. “ Welcome, Prince Damianos! ” the voices of the gathered crowd said from behind, and Damen turned once to wave, unsure if it was the right thing to do.
Arrived to the top of the stairs, Damen found King Aleron and saluted him, bowing slightly at the waist. Next to him was the eldest prince, Auguste, who Damen greeted with a nod that was returned to him. And by his side was--
Damen froze. “...Laurie?”
The man that stood in front of him had the same shoulder-length golden hair, the same clear blue eyes, the same delicate pale skin as the one he had met in the forest. It was the same Laurie he had met just a few days before, the same who had shot an arrow at him and then pulled it out of his shoulder, the same he had fallen asleep next to and woken up to find sleeping on his lap. The only thing that was different were his clothes. While Laurie had been wearing a sober attire in the forest, he was now dressed in a most regal deep blue outfit embellished with golden laces. Typical Veretian, and absolutely stunning.
“Hello, Damen,” said Laurie-- Prince Laurent --with a smile and a nod of his head.
“Ah, nickname basis. How lovely,” said King Aleron, clapping his hands together. “It explains why you went ahead and proposed to Laurent before coming to me first. We still gathered the people for the celebration though...”
Damen blinked, forcing himself to stop staring at Laurent in awe and confusion so he could turn to look at the King. “I-- what ?”
“The dagger,” said Laurent. “When you gave it to me, you sealed the promise to marry me. It’s a Veretian tradition. Did you… did you not know?”
“Laurent?” asked both the King and the eldest Prince. Laurent ignored them, his eyes only on Damen.
“I have to admit I--haven’t exactly done my homework in regards to Veretian culture…” Damen said with a small smile, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
“But then--is this not…” Laurent started, his voice merely a breath. In that moment, his features changed to something Damen didn’t like. It didn’t look good on Laurent’s face, and Damen wanted more than anything to bring the light back to his expression.
“No!” Damen said, raising both hands in the air. He immediately realized how wrong his exclamation could be taken and shook his head, taking a step forward, “I mean, yes! I do! I do want to marry you, Laurent. I just--Gods, how shameful--I never paid attention to my Veretian culture tutor...”
Laurent let out a soft laugh. His bottom lip trembled as he spoke again: “Well, now’s the time to start learning, if you want.”
“Yes. Will you accept me, though?” Damen said, taking another step towards Laurent and looking down at him with seriousness. He took Laurent’s hand in his and rubbed circles over the skin where Laurent’s thumb and index finger met. “Even though I still have so much to learn?”
“Of course I will,” Laurent replied in a small, shaky breath. His eyes were alight and his smile was true. “I can teach you, and you can teach me about yourself as well. We can learn together.”
Damen exhaled a relieved breath. Suddenly he had to remind himself he wasn’t dreaming. The warmth of Laurent’s hand in his, the brightness of his blue eyes, the gentle curve of his pink lips--it was all true, it was all real. Damen realized that what he had fantasized about on the way to Arles was becoming a reality, although a little different than how he had pictured it.
It was, nonetheless, a dream come true.
“Then I will court you--” he whispered, and leant to press a gentle kiss on the back of Laurent’s hand. “--with all the grace and courtesy that you deserve.”
