Archive of Our Own ^beta

“It’ll be fine.” A grin flashed across Norman’s face. Every part of him exuded the confidence Ray was certain he should not have in this situation. “Emma’s done stuff like this before.”

“But you haven’t,” Ray pressed. It wasn’t Emma’s skills that he was doubting.

“So? That’s not a big deal,” Norman rolled his eyes. “I have you, after all.”

Those were the words that did Ray in. They were what landed him on a quest that he’d been against the idea of in the first place. They were what sealed his fate and guarantied everything that was to come.

“So we’re doing this,” Ray sighed out. He was doomed.

It started the day before, although Ray knew that both Norman and Emma would argue that it had been a long time coming. In their defense, what sparked their protest had been decided years ago. They’d been aware of the plans their parents set for them since they were first introduced back when all of them were children and Ray’s only job was to keep the lonely only son of the king company.

Ray’s mother worked in the castle back then, and he just happened to be the same age as the young prince who had no other friends to entertain him. That was how he and Norman became inseparable. Not long after, the king and princess from the neighboring kingdom visited them and Norman and Ray met their new best friend: Emma.

Back then they were too young to understand the dry spell that stretched through the farmlands of Norman’s kingdom. The resources they needed from the neighboring country, was something that could easily be paid for. The aid of farmers who would have to leave their homes for long periods of time to work for a different government was harder to negotiate.

Eventually Emma and Norman’s fathers reached an agreement that it would be better for both peoples if they began preparing for the kingdoms joined as one, something that could only happen through marrying their future leaders.

Now that they were no longer children and told that their marriage was to take place in a few months time, just before Norman’s twentieth birthday, the plan that had been in the works for so long was much less simple. Ray didn’t get it, he’d voiced this to Norman multiple times. The two of them worked well together, they got along better than any married couple Ray had ever witnessed, and above all they cared for each other so deeply that when one of them was hurting it was impossible for the other to smile.

“I love Emma,” Norman had tried to explain. “I really do. But we’re not in love. I don’t want to marry her if we don’t have that.”

“Is being in love really that important?” Ray had asked back.

“Yes,” Norman’s eyes glazed over in a wistful, but not entirely happy expression. “It is.”

“How do you know?” Ray asked him.

“Because,” Norman smiled sadly. “I am in love.”

“So you want to marry that person then?” Ray figured.

“No,” Norman shook his head. “That person doesn’t love me back. But it doesn’t matter. When I do get married, and when Emma gets married, I think each of us should be able to have that with the person we choose.”

Ray was certain that part of what Norman told him was a lie. Norman didn’t want to marry Emma, not because he wasn’t in love with her but because she wasn’t in love with him. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life loving her in a way she couldn’t return.

Ray thought it was selfish, but that might just be because he had been in love with Norman since he was eleven and knew that nothing would ever come of his own feelings.

When he was old enough to actually work, Ray was appointed as Norman’s personal servant. That ended up being another excused for him to provide Norman with social interaction with someone his own age. Still, as he got older the list of chores he needed to do each day grew longer—from making sure Norman’s laundry was done and meals were properly prepared, to accompanying him on journeys and around the castle.

It wasn’t a bad life. It wasn’t one he’d trade for anything—even if it made his chest hurt to listen to Norman talk about love when his prince had no idea how much Ray cared for him. Well, that wasn’t completely true. They had a close bond, they had since they were children. But Norman would never know that Ray wanted to hold him, and kiss him, and look into his eyes for the rest of his life.

Instead Ray swallowed his emotions and watched as Norman and Emma called together the royal counsels to demand that they not be married. They, as anticipated, were met with resistance, most of which came from the nobles than from either king.

The two of them proposed a deal—they would go on a quest to find a lost sorcerer and make him cast a spell to make the difficult lands as able to farm as they had been when Norman was a child. That way, all of Emma’s kingdoms’s farmers could return to her lands and no longer have to work for the other country. If they could do this, they would be allowed to rule their kingdoms on their own without uniting them through marriage.

The counsel was mostly set against it, Ray was pretty sure they only agreed because King James—Norman’s father—had subtly suggested that if anything would make the young royals fall in love a quest alone certainly would. King Yuugo had a tendency to let Emma do whatever she wanted as long as she made a good enough case for herself, and had agreed without any extra convincing.

Ray hadn’t realized that he was expected to go with the two of them on the quest.

“Anna isn’t coming,” Ray reminded Norman.

“Why would we bring Emma’s handmaid on a dangerous quest?” Norman asked.

“Why would you bring your manservant?” Ray asked back.

“Because you can handle it,” Norman scoffed. “And you’re supposed to do what I say, remember?”

That was a card Norman rarely played and never seriously. It was reserved for the annoying tasks that Ray would give him a hard time about. Ray hadn’t expected him to use it now.

“That’s a low move, your majesty,” Ray replied.

“Do you really not want to come?” Norman asked him.

Yes. Ray did not want to go. He didn’t want Norman or Emma to go either. If Ray had his way, the three of them would spend the afternoon planning the perfect ways to make every part of the wedding ceremony tick off one of Norman’s relatives.

But Norman and Emma were going no matter what, and Ray wasn’t about to let the two people he cared about most in the world get into trouble without him.

“I’ll pack my things,” Ray relented. “But don’t you dare complain to me when you have to sleep on the ground.”

“I’m not a child,” Norman rolled his eyes. “I know what I’m getting myself into.”

That was about as incorrect as Ray initially thought. The three of them left early that morning. Emma had gone on quests before. King Yuugo’s idea of preparing his heir to take the throne involved a little bit more danger and a little bit less politics than Norman’s father. Emma had been training with the knights since she was old enough to swing a wooden sword—although that was less at her father’s command and more at her own insistence.

Ray wasn’t worried about Emma. He was worried about the prince who was always quick to catch an illness and could credit all of his won duels to strategy.

“Where’s my horse?” Ray asked when he met the two of them in front of the palace, carrying the food and water they’d need for the journey in a bag strapped to his back.

“We’re traveling light,” Emma took the bag from his shoulders. “So I’ll carry the supplies with me, and Norman and you can share his horse.”

“You’re joking,” Ray narrowed his eyes.

“We’re also supposed to be undercover,” Norman added. “Normal peasants wouldn’t have three horses.”

Emma swung her leg over the saddle as if mounting a horse was as easy as walking. Norman got onto his with almost as much grace, this was one of the skills he’d mastered at a young age. Ray on the other hand, had never felt comfortable riding.

“Normal peasants wouldn’t call themselves peasants,” he muttered more to himself than to Norman or Emma.

“Shut up and get on the horse, Ray.”

Norman held out his hand. Ray let out a loud sigh before taking it and letting Norman pull him onto the horse. He hated how his heartbeat quicken as his chest touched Norman’s back. This was too close. He wasn’t sure how he was going to survive an entire journey of being this close.

“Um, Ray,” Norman’s voice broke through Ray’s thoughts. “You might want to hold on.”

“To what?” Ray asked.

Emma giggled.

“Oh,” Ray closed his eyes. He really hated this. He wrapped his arms around Norman’s waist. “Let’s go track down a sorcerer.”

The tracking part wasn’t as hard as the legends made it out to be. Everyone knew where the sorcerer was said to had disappeared. The mountain overlooked both kingdoms, but existed in the space just outside—the no man’s land that no one dared to go near. The sorcerer, if he even existed and had survived for this long, was in a cave at the top of the mountain. Finding him wasn’t a problem. Getting there would be.

“I’m cold,” Norman admitted that night. They were in the middle of the forest. Each of the blankets they’d brought to sleep on were as close to the fire as they could safely be. Emma was already asleep. Ray had the first watch.

“Close you eyes,” he told the prince. “You have next watch, you might as well get some rest.”

“I can’t,” Norman said.

“Because the ground is too hard?” Ray raised an eyebrow.

“Shut up,” Norman rolled his eyes. “Because I can hear the entire forest, and everything that might want to hurt us, and how am I supposed to sleep like this?”

“Without talking,” Ray remarked.

“Right,” Norman sighed. He shifted slightly. “Thank you coming with us.”

“It was an order,” Ray tried to keep his voice dry.

“It wasn’t.” Norman was looking at him with those wide eyes that he used to give them back when they were kids—back when they still had so much hope and faith in the world they lived in, back before they knew that the difference between so many people living and dying would someday rest on Norman’s shoulders.

“I wasn’t going to let you two get yourselves killed alone,” Ray said.

“I know you think it’s silly,” Norman smiled slightly now.

“I know it’s important to you,” Ray told him. “So I’ll help you.”

“When you fall in love, you’ll understand,” Norman sighed out. “You’ll know what it feels like to want to be with someone so badly it makes you think your world just might fall apart, only for them to put it back together again by just smiling at you.”

Ray brought his eyes to the fire. Part of him wanted to scream. He did know what that felt like. He felt it every time that Norman looked at him. He felt it every day of his life and knew that nothing could ever come of it.

“I thought you weren’t doing this to be with that someone,” Ray said.

“I’m not,” Norman said. “I’m doing it so when Emma finds that person she can have them. Maybe I’ll fall in love again in the future. I don’t know. I just want the choice, you know?”

“Yeah,” Ray nodded. “I do.”

The fire crackled. It was taking all of Ray’s strength not to give into exhaustion. He was tired, from the journey and from talking to the only person he’d ever love about having choices. If Ray had a choice, he would have never fallen for Norman.

“I think you should tell her,” Ray uttered.

“What?”

“The person you love,” Ray clarified. “I think you should tell her you love her when this is all over.”

“I don’t know,” Norman sighed. “I might.”

“If it were you, wouldn’t you want to hear it?” Ray asked him.

“I don’t know,” Norman said again.

He fell asleep not long after that. Ray didn’t wake him up when it was time to switch the watch. He could do without the sleep for a night. He’d let Norman and Emma rest.

“You should have woken me up,” Norman chided him as they set out the next morning.

“You tiring yourself out doesn’t do anyone any good,” Emma added.

“I’m fine,” Ray promised. “Besides, it’s not like sitting on a horse calls for much stamina.”

“You’re getting last watch from now on,” Norman informed him.

“If that makes you feel better,” Ray let out a laugh. “I can survive for a day without sleep. Unlike you, your highness, I don’t require beauty rest.”

The arrogance was something that Ray came to regret when he found himself nodding off with his head resting on the back of Norman’s shoulder. He did everything he could to keep his eyes open, but eventually the rhythm of the horse’s steps became almost soothing and he couldn’t help drifting into the sleep he’d denied himself.

When he opened his eyes again, it wasn’t morning anymore.

“Did I—”

“Fall asleep?” Norman finished.

Ray was never going to live this down.

“No more taking our watches, alright?” Norman made no effort to keep his amusement from his voice.

“Fine,” Ray agreed.

He tried to sit up better, realizing he must have spent the last several hours leaning his whole weight on Norman’s back. He really was never going to live this down. He rolled his shoulders back, knowing that he was going to have an annoying crick in them for the rest of the journey from staying still for so long. He was about to stretch his arms, just for a few seconds so he didn’t fall off of the horse. However, his attempt to move his hands from around Norman’s waist was met with resistance.

“Norman,” Ray started. “Did you tie me up?”

He felt his face reddening, he couldn’t even tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. Emma was laughing.

“Just your wrists,” Norman stated.

“That doesn’t—”

“I thought you were going to fall,” Norman explained. “You can’t hold on when you’re asleep.”

“Wake me up next time,” Ray said through his teeth.

“Don’t make yourself so tired that you fall asleep on my horse next time,” Norman countered.

“You guys are so loud,” Emma commented. “The whole forest can probably hear you.”

“Sorry,” Norman lowered his voice. “We’ll be less obnoxious."

“Just untie me!” Ray hissed.

“I thought I was the one who gave the orders,” Norman teased.

“You have no idea how much I’m regretting going along with this,” Ray informed him.

“Oh, I think I do,” Norman chuckled.

It took two days to reach the mountain. Norman adjusted to the travel a bit better than Ray thought he would. There was a town a few miles away from their destination that they were able to stop at from fresh food and water. The villagers were too far from the kingdoms capitol to recognize the prince and princess. Near the town was farmland—farmland that the people of both kingdoms had fought for years to cultivate.

“It’ll all be easier soon,” Norman said.

“The hard part is still ahead,” Emma cautioned.

“Climbing the mountain?” Ray asked.

“No,” Emma shook her head. “Getting the sorcerer to listen to us.”

A grave expression took over her face for a moment. It was quickly replaced with a bright and optimistic smile.

“But I’m sure we can do it.”

Ray was less certain, but he hadn’t come this far to second guess either of them. He’d learned at a young age that only fools questioned Emma, and he trusted Norman far more than he’d ever let him know.

It took a full day to reach the top of the mountain. When they found the mouth of the cave, they tied the reigns of the horses to a nearby tree. They knew better than to try to make them go into the dark.

Emma lit a torch and handed it to Ray. It was better that both her and Norman had their hands free incase of an attack.

“Weapons out,” Norman instructed as they walked into the cave. “Be prepared for a fight.”

“But the goal is to avoid one,” Emma added.

“Right.” Ray felt the most out of his element here.

He knew basic self defense—as the servant to the prince that was imperative—but that was nothing compared to the fighting skills that his friends had been trained in. Emma was a master with a sword, and while Norman didn’t had the physical strength that she did his technique could be deadly. Ray could throw a punch and parry decently.

“Is it getting colder in here or is that just me?” Norman’s voice filled the silence.

“You want my coat, you highness?” Ray teased.

“You’re not funny,” Norman informed him.

“It is colder,” Emma spoke up. “There’s something in the air here. I don’t like it.”

“Yeah,” Norman exhaled.

Ray held the torch in front of him as they walked. It didn’t do much, barely illuminating the space in front of them. They were going in blind.

“Do you hear that?” Emma asked.

“What?” Ray started but she held out her hand to silence him.

Then he did hear what she was talking about. It was a rumbling. The ground under them was rumbling.

“I don’t think—”

And then the ground under them wasn’t there anymore. They were falling through what had been the floor of the cave moments ago. Ray didn’t have the chance to panic, he didn’t have the chance to wonder if this was how he would meet his death—his body trapped in the middle of this mountain.

Then they stopped. Or, maybe it was better to say then they met with a new ground. Ray groaned, every part of his body hurt, but he didn’t think that anything was broken.

“Is everyone alright?” He asked. He swallowed he pain and pulled himself to his feet.

“I think so,” Emma stood as well.

“Yeah,” Norman was looking up.

“What just—”

Ray didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence, because the next thing he knew Norman’s was flying towards him, knocking the both of them back onto the ground.

“What the hell?” Ray started. Then he saw a rock bigger than his head land where he’d been standing moments ago.

“Are you alright?” Norman was looking at him.

It was only now that Ray realized that in his hurry to get him out of the way of the falling debris, Norman had landed on top of him. Now his hands were planted on the ground on either side of Ray’s head, his legs practically straddling him.

Ray felt his brain sputter to a halt. He wasn’t sure he could even breathe properly with Norman hovering over him like this.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

“Anytime,” Norman smiled before standing up. He offered his hand to Ray.

“What just happened?” Emma asked.

“No idea,” Norman said.

Ray took in the space they’d fallen into. The fall had killed the torch, but it was oddly less dark down here. He didn’t understand why, since there didn’t seem to be any space to let in the light.

He scanned the cave walls with his eyes before finally falling on what seemed to resemble a doorway.

“Guys,” he pointed. “I think what we’re looking for is here.”

He led the way.

“What is this place?” Norman exhaled. The doorway didn’t lead to another barren part of the cave. Instead they found themselves in a lavish room. The walls were trimmed with velvet curtains, there were shelves full of books with titles in a language that Ray had never seen before.

“This is where the sorcerer lives,” Emma answered.

“Where is he?” Ray asked.

There was no sign of anyway to get in or out aside from they path they’d taken, but the man they were looking for was nowhere to be found.

I am everywhere.

The voice sounded like it was coming from Ray’s own mind. It didn’t reverberate around the room. It was like something had gotten into his head.

Norman drew his sword.

“Show yourself,” he demanded.

That earned a laugh from the voice inside their heads.

“We want to make a deal with you,” Emma told the voice. She put her hand on Norman’s, making him lower the weapon. “We want to forge a promise.”

I know what it is you want.

“Good,” Norman said. “So you’ll do it?”

Yes.

Ray saw hope flicker across Norman’s face for just a moment. It made his heart hurt.

For a price.

“What do you want?” Emma asked.

A sacrifice.

Ray met Emma’s eyes. She looked scared. It didn’t last long.

“No,” she said. “All three of us are leaving today with the promise that you’ll fix our land.”

Norman’s land. The land that was dying. The land that had never been Emma’s responsibility. It was kinda funny how perfect the two of them were for each other, even when the only reason they were here was to prevent spending their lives joined together.

I do not want your life.

“Good,” Norman’s sword was raised again. “Because you’re not getting it.”

“What do you mean by sacrifice?” Ray spoke now.

Look at the apple on the table.

Ray turned to see a bright red apple sitting on the table in the middle of the room. It seemed to shine in the impossible light. It look almost eerie.

“What about it?” Norman asked.

One of you must bite it in order for you to get your wish.

“What happens when we bite it?” Emma asked.

The apple is cursed. Whoever tastes it will fall under an endless sleep that can only be broken by true love’s kiss. Bite the apple and your land will be as fertile as it was in the king’s youth.

“No,” Ray said out loud. There had to be another way. Emma didn’t love anyone, not like that, and Norman loved Emma. If either of them bit it, they wouldn’t wake up.

“And if we don’t have a true love?” Norman asked.

The voice didn’t answer.

“I think he’s done talking,” Emma whispered. “This is the only deal we’re getting.”

“It’s out of the question,” Ray said. “Right?”

He looked at his friends.

“I’ll do it,” Norman said.

“No,” Emma spoke before Ray could. “It’s too dangerous.”

“So what then?” He asked her. “We just go back and admit defeat? That’s not fair.”

“You could die,” Emma argued. “You could actually die, Norman!”

Because he loved someone who didn’t love him back. No kiss would wake him up. True love wasn’t one-sided.

“I’ll be asleep,” Norman said. “Someone will wake me up.”

Emma couldn’t, and Emma was the one he loved. He would be stuck in that sleep forever. They would return with alive lands and a frozen prince.

“Do you honestly believe that?” Emma asked him. “Norman, can someone wake you up?”

He hesitated. They all knew the answer.

“No,” he whispered. “They don’t feel the same.”

“Then let’s find another way,” Emma grasped Norman’s hands. “We’ll talk to my father. He’ll understand, he’ll listen.”

Ray walked to the table. Neither of them seemed to notice him moving.

“He was never the one pushing for this,” Norman reminded her. “It’s the other nobles.”

Ray picked up the apple. It was heavier than it looked. He wondered if that had to do with the magic.

“I know,” Emma whispered. “Maybe it won’t be so bad. We could make it work, right? We’re best friends, it’s not like they’ll make us—”

“It’s alright,” Ray cut her off. He watched both pairs of eyes look to him. “He never said it had to be one of you, right?”

“Ray,” Norman took a step forward, but Ray quickly raised the apple closer to his lips.

“Don’t come any closer,” he told the only person he would ever love.

“You don’t have to do this,” Emma looked afraid. He wished he wasn’t the one causing it.

“I know.” Ray looked at Norman one last time. “It’s better this way.”

He wouldn’t wake up, but he knew that Norman was never going to leave this cave without getting what he wanted. This wasn’t about the kingdoms, it wasn’t about Emma, it wasn’t about being in love. Norman wasn’t going to walk back into that throne room and let the nobles of his kingdom control him. To him, if it was a choice between giving in and fighting, he’d let fighting put him in that sleep.

To Ray, if it was a choice between himself and Norman, then there really wasn’t a choice at all.

“Ray, please—”

He bit the apple.

Norman ran forward. He caught Ray in his arms before his body could hit the ground. The apple fell from his hand. His eyes closed, but he kept breathing. He was asleep. He was trapped in a cursed sleep and it was Norman’s fault.

The mountain started rumbling again.

“We have to go,” Emma said. “I think it’s going to cave in.”

Norman scooped his servant up in his arms. Ray loved to make fun of how he was weaker than Emma, but that didn’t mean Norman hadn’t trained for years to gain the strength his sickly childhood refused to let come naturally.

“Get the apple,” he said to Emma. “There are doctors in the village. They might find another cure.”

“Right,” Emma nodded.

They ran from the enchanted room. As they did, a staircase seemed to melt from the wall, leading back up to the cave they’d fallen from. Emma lead the way. Norman followed closely behind her, holding Ray’s still body to his chest.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

The mountain was still shaking when they reached their horses. The journey downwards was faster than the hike up. Norman held Ray in front of him as they descended down the mountain. He felt the slightly slower heartbeat when he wrapped an arm around Ray’s chest to ensure he wouldn’t fall off the horse.

It should have been him, not Ray.

They checked into an inn once they reached the nearest town. They had the innkeeper send for a physician as well as anyone knowledgeable in magic. Norman laid Ray on their room’s bed. Emma sat next to their sleeping friend.

“I should have been watching him,” she whispered. “I should have known he’d do this.”

“He wouldn’t have if he hadn’t thought I was going to,” Norman knew. “This is because of me.”

Ray got hurt because of him.

“Hey,” Emma reached forward. She squeezed Norman’s shoulder. “We’ll save him. I promise.”

Norman was afraid that wasn’t something she could keep.

The doctor and the magic expert arrived not long after. It didn’t take much time for each of them to study the apple and the sleeping boy. They both reached the same, grim conclusion. Only one thing could wake Ray up, and it wasn’t magic. Unless his true loved kissed him, he would stay like this forever.

“Norman.” Emma had waited until they were alone again to look at him with those tentative eyes. “Do you think—”

“No,” Norman knew what she was about to suggest.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I’m positive.”

“Alright,” she closed her eyes. “I need some air. I’m gonna go for a walk. I’ll see if I can send word that we’ll be returning soon to the capital.”

Norman just nodded. He listened to the door close behind her. He was able to keep his tears in until then.

“I’m sorry,” his whispered to Ray’s unconscious body. He gently reached forward to cup Ray’s face in his palm. He seemed so calm. Norman wondered if a cursed sleep came with dreams. If it did, he hoped they were pleasant.

He never should have tried to change what was already set in stone. Emma and him were supposed to get married. He wanted to fight that and he’d convinced her to as well. Deep down, he knew she wouldn’t have if she hadn’t thought that winning would mean that he would get to be with the one that he loved.

Even though it was impossible. It had always been impossible. Ray didn’t love him back.

“Please come back to me,” Norman begged. “I’ll do anything, I promise.”

Ray didn’t love him. For so long, Norman had been terrified that he didn’t even like him. It had taken a lot to put those anxieties at bay.

When Norman was young, he’d told his father he wanted a friend. He wanted someone his own age to play with. The next day Miss Isabella’s son was brought to the castle. Isabella was getting paid for her son to entertain Norman, to make him feel like he had a friend. That wasn’t what real friendship was.

They’d got in a bad fight once back then. For a week Ray disappeared. Norman, being a child and foolish, had thought it was because Ray hadn’t wanted to be his friend anymore. He’d cried to his father about it—about how it was his fault and he wanted to apologize to Ray.

The next day Ray was back like nothing ever happened. It took months for Norman to realize that Ray hadn’t left because he wanted to, it was because he wasn’t supposed to argue with him. He was supposed to let Norman have his way, and he’d failed at doing his job.

Norman didn’t tell anyone when they disagreed after that. For a little bit, he didn’t even tell Ray if he was upset about something he said, because he’d rather just deal with it then lose his only friend again. Eventually Ray caught on.

“You don’t like this, do you?” He’d asked. They were in the middle of a game that Norman was very bad at and Ray was very good at.

“No,” Norman had admitted sheepishly.

“Then I don’t want to play anymore,” Ray declared.

“You’re just saying that because you’re supposed to,” Norman blurted before he could stop himself.

“No,” Ray crossed his arms. “I’m saying it because I don’t want to play if I’m the only one having fun. You have to tell me when you’re not having fun.”

“Because it’s your job?” Norman asked.

“No,” Ray shook his head. “Because I don’t like the face you make when your upset. It makes me sad.”

Norman had nearly cried when Ray told him that. Slowly, he began to trust that Ray actually wanted to be his friend, that he wasn’t just sticking around him because he had to. When Emma visited, it was easy to pretend that there weren’t obligations holding the three of them together. They felt like real friends.

It was five years ago, when Norman was almost fifteen and starting to have thoughts that he hadn’t had to deal with before, that he realized he wanted to be more than friends with Ray. He realized he had feelings for him.

Emma was the only one he trusted enough to tell. He was scared that if he let anyone else know, the nobles would make his father send Ray away. That would break Norman, and it would hurt Ray too. Ray said he liked his job, and Norman believed him. Working for him gave Ray enough money for his mother to retire and by a big house with the man she planned to marry. Not long after that it turned into a home for all of the children in their town without families. Ray supported all of it, their food, their clothes, their toys and entertainment. Norman wouldn’t take that from him.

So he wouldn’t tell Ray that he loved him. He’d save those feelings for his dreams each night and hope that someday he could move on.

Now Ray was trapped in a curse because he put Norman ahead of himself. Norman thought he knew what helpless felt like, but until now he’d really had no idea.

Norman knew what Emma wanted him to do. She was still stuck on the idea that maybe Ray did feel the same way and was also hiding those emotions. Norman had never believed that, because he was sure that part of Ray, the secret part that he never showed to anyone, had to hate him a little bit.

Because Norman dictated everything that could and would happen in Ray’s life. Norman was in charge of him, he bossed him around, he made it so Ray was stuck in the same place he’d always been. Norman stopped Ray from living his own life—the same way the nobles stopped Norman from living his. Norman hated them, therefore, even if he didn’t want to, Ray had to hate him too.

That was why he’d never thought Ray would bite that apple for him.

It’s better this way.

Ray had looked at him when he said that. Then he sealed his fate. Something too close to false hope sparked in Norman’s chest. He’d never let himself believe that it was at all possible for Ray to feel the same. He’d been so certain that it wasn’t.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe it wasn’t out of loyalty or friendship that Ray bit that apple. Maybe he loved him too.

Norman looked at the peaceful expression on Ray’s face. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t give for Ray to open his eyes again.

He could start with his pride.

Slowly, Norman leaned over the love of his life, and pressed their lips together. It was soft. It wasn’t the kind of kiss he’d dreamed of, it couldn’t be that. It was just a moment, just a second, of his lips touching Ray’s. Then he pulled back.

Ray didn’t move. Norman felt a sinking in his chest. What did he expect? He knew Ray couldn’t love him. He was just going to have to find some other way to wake him up.

“Norman?” Ray’s groggy voice sent a jolt through him. Norman stared in disbelief as Ray opened his eyes. “Did it not work?”

Norman collapsed onto the bed, embracing a still very stunned Ray. He felt the tears he hadn’t stopped shedding collect on the shoulder of Ray’s shirt, but right now they weren’t out of sorrow or fear. He was happy—he was happy and he was so incredibly relieved.

“You idiot,” Norman whispered.

“Can I know why I’m being insulted?” Ray’s voice was too fatigued for the humor to sound right. “Or why you’re hugging me?”

Norman didn’t answer. He let himself take one last moment in Ray’s arms, knowing that he was going to be alright.

“Norman—”

“I’m sorry,” Norman told the first friend he’d ever had between shaky breaths. “I’m so sorry.”

“Calm down,” Ray sounded worried now. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

“I know,” Norman said. He closed his eyes. He did his best to memorize this feeling, because he never wanted to ever get this close to losing Ray again.

“Did it not work?” Ray asked again. “The apple, it was supposed to put me to sleep.”

Norman pulled back from the embrace. The apple had done it’s job. Even the town’s magic expert had said it was the genuine article. They’d been told that there was only one thing—one impossible thing—that could wake Ray up.

“Hey,” Ray raised an eyebrow. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Norman’s kiss had brought Ray back. It had done what Norman had been so certain it wouldn’t. He knew how he felt about Ray, he’d been certain of it for a long time, but he had never dared to actually consider that he was wrong about how Ray felt towards him.

“Norman—”

“I kissed you.”

Norman told Ray the truth. If the apple was real, if his kissed worked, then did that mean he wasn’t alone? Did that mean Ray felt the same?

“What?” Ray was gaping at him. That was about the reaction he expected.

“Ray,” Norman started. “The apple worked. We thought we lost you. I carried you back to the horses, and we went to the closest town. The town’s doctor said—”

“Slow down,” Ray breathed out. “Please.”

“I’m sorry,” Norman said again. “What I’m trying to say is you’re awake because I kissed you.”

“No,” Ray shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense, it’s supposed to be true love. Unrequited isn’t supposed to work.”

“Unrequited,” Norman uttered.

Had Ray known about his feelings the whole time and just pretended he didn’t? Norman thought he was good at hiding his emotions. Ray knew how to read him, but he’d done everything he could to make sure he didn’t come to that conclusion. It must have not been enough. Norman must have made Ray so uncomfortable for the past few years, and Ray had just gone along with it because he had to.

“I’m sorry,” Ray was staring at him. Norman’s mask had fallen the moment Ray bit that apple, he wasn’t hiding anything. Ray was getting a full view of his horror and embarrassment. “I tried not to.”

“What?” Norman blinked at him.

“I tried not to fall in love with you,” Ray blurted. “I know it’s impossible, alright? I’m not stupid enough to think I could ever be with you.”

“You love me,” Norman breathed out.

So he was wrong again. It wasn’t that Ray had seen through Norman, just as it seemed Norman hadn’t been able to see through Ray. The love that Ray thought was one-sided wasn’t Norman’s, it was his own.

The apple had done it’s job and so had that kiss.

“Yes,” Ray didn’t meet his eyes. “I understand if that changes things between us.”

The look of defeat on Ray’s face made Norman’s chest ache. He wanted to tell him everything, he wanted to spill his side of the past five years, he wanted to make a thousand promises so many people would try to stop him from keeping.

Instead Norman leaned forward and kissed Ray for a second time. Ray didn’t react. Norman stopped himself from deepening the kiss. This was closer to the kind of kisses he’d dreamed about. He’d spent too much time as a seventeen-year-old wondering what it would feel like to steal a kiss from Ray before he left his room each night. He’d wanted a lot back then, a lot that he had since taught himself he’d never have. He felt a little lost trying to get it now.

“The apple worked,” Norman said when he parted their lips. “What you feel isn’t unrequited.”

“No,” Ray’s hands guided Norman’s shoulders backwards, putting some space between them. His eyes held panic. “You can’t.”

“But I do,” Norman promised.

“You love Emma,” Ray said.

Norman heard his own voice let out a sharp and startled laugh.

“Ray, why would I be on this quest if I was in love with Emma?” He asked. “Wouldn’t I want to marry her if I loved her?”

“Not if she doesn’t love you back,” Ray said. “And not if it wasn’t your choice.”

“You thought I was going through all of this insanity—that I was willing to put myself in a coma—just so someone else couldn’t make me marry someone who I want to marry anyway?” Norman asked.

“When you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous,” Ray muttered.

“I love you,” Norman told him. “I have since I was fifteen, and I think I will for the rest of my life.”

“But I’m nothing” Ray pressed. “I’m not important.”

“Since we first met you have been the center of my world,” Norman admitted. “I’ve cared for you since we were little. I’ve loved you even when I was convinced you hated me.”

“What?” Ray’s expression changed.

“You took that apple for me,” Norman let himself smile. “Don’t say you’re nothing. You’ve never been nothing, especially to me.”

“When did you think I hated you?” Ray asked softly. He was sitting up fully now, tentatively leaning into Norman’s space. His eyes searched his face for something Norman wasn’t sure he wanted him to see.

“It doesn’t matter,” Norman tried to push away.

“It does to me,” Ray grasped his hand. He squeezed it. “Norman, what made you think that?”

“How could you not hate me?” Norman asked back. He closed his eyes. His voice was trembling, he must look so weak right now. “The only reason you were my friend was because it was your job. I never let you get a better one because I was so terrified of you walking out of my life for good. I kept you tied down in one place and never asked you what you wanted.”

“I wanted to stay by your side,” Ray’s voice was firm. “I’ll always want that.”

“You’re not just saying that because I’m me?” Norman asked softly.

“You mean because you’re the prince?” Ray scoffed. “That authority wore off a long time ago. I’m not still here because you made me. I’m here because you gave me the chance to stay with the only friends I’ve ever had while still supporting my family. Norman, I could never hate you.”

Norman embraced Ray again. Ray’s arms circled around him. Norman felt Ray’s heart beating against his. Before he could completely register what was going on, their lips met again. It started soft, both of them not sure what they were doing. It didn’t take long for Norman’s brain to catch up to exactly what was happening. He leaned in closer, guiding Ray’s jaw with his thumb. He kissed Ray the way he’d wanted to for years.

This was the kind of kiss he’d longed for.

It was about then that the door bursted open.

“Norman, I think we should—” Emma froze in the doorway. “Ray. You’re awake.”

“I am,” Ray’s face was turning bright red. “Hi.”

The next thing either of them knew, Emma was across the room and hugging them both. Norman knew that she owed him an ‘I told you so.’ He hoped she’d wait until they were alone for that.

Once they were certain that the brief cursed sleep wasn’t going to have any effects on Ray’s stamina, they began their preparations to go back to the capital. Norman’s chest felt lighter than it had in years. He couldn’t bring himself to leave Ray’s side, taking every opportunity he could to link their hands or lean his head on Ray’s shoulder. They got a few odd looks from the villagers they had to interact with, but it wasn’t like any of them knew who they were.

“We’ll spend the night at the inn,” Emma decided. “I think we all could use the rest before we head back.”

They charted their new course through one of the central farm towns, that way they could see first hand that the sorcerer had withheld his end of their deal. Norman wasn’t worried. For the first time in ages, the future didn’t scare him. For the first time he didn’t feel at all uneasy.

That changed when he found himself standing in the room they’d initially checked into that night.

“Emma rented another room,” Norman stated.

“Yeah, I know,” Ray gave him a confused expression. “I was there.”

“I mean, there’s only one other room,” Norman said. “With one other bed.”

“You want me to sleep on the floor?” Ray asked.

“No,” Norman took a step towards him. He hooked his fingers in the belt loops of Ray’s pants and pulled him closer. “No, I do not.”

“Well, if that’s an order,” Ray smirked. “Then I guess I have to listen, right?”

“Probably,” Norman murmured before Ray kissed him.

Norman’s hands traveled under Ray’s shirt. Between heated kisses, they made their way to the bed.

That night, Norman decided it didn’t matter what the next day brought to them. He was confident that with Ray by his side, he could handle anything. The three of them had done what no one in the royal counsel hat thought they’d be able to. He was ready to go home and tell every one of the nobles that they no longer had a say in the choices he made.

They left early the next morning. Emma made a point of asking the both of them if they slept well before making a face at Ray. They were going to have to work on her subtly. Norman didn’t mind the teasing though. He didn’t mind her knowing what had happened the night before either. He wanted to shout to everyone they came across that he was in love and the boy currently trying not to fall off their horse was the only thing he ever wanted from this world.

It took two days to reach the farm town they set out for. From there they were only a day’s journey back to the palace. It meant one night sleeping in the woods, but Norman was sure that would be less annoying when he could use Ray as a pillow.

“Everything’s so green,” Emma marveled. “And it’s only been a few days.”

She wasn’t exaggerating. The fields that used to take so much work to get plants to grow in were thriving. Everything was how it once had been. The sorcerer had kept up his end of the bargain, the kingdoms would stay divided and Emma’s people could return to the towns they’d lived in before.

They decided to travel along the merchant road until it lead to the forest. The road was mostly empty. Along the way, Norman admired the view of the now thriving farms. Everything had worked out far better than he’d dare to hope.

They were near where they planned to split from the path when they came across a wagon pulled to the side of the road. There was a girl with large glassed and a boy with blonde hair sitting next to it. As they got closer, Norman noticed one of the wheels was broken.

“Is everything alright over here?” Ray asked the blond haired boy.

“Oh, sorry, are we in your way?” He asked, despite half of the road being clear.

“No,” Ray said. Norman followed his line of sight to the busted wheel. “That looks pretty bad.”

“It’s fine,” the girl spoke up.

Norman could read the suspicion in her voice. It was warranted. These people were stranded on the side of the road, they were sitting targets for bandits or merchants ready to become robbers.

“I don’t think that can be fixed,” he commented. “Not without a professional.”

“My fiancé is coming from the village with a new wheel,” the girl informed them. “He should be here soon.”

Norman didn’t trust soon, especially when these two didn’t look like they had any weapons of form of protection should anyone try to take advantage of them. He exchanged a look with Emma.

“We work for the crown,” Emma told the girl. She lifted her cape to show the crest on her sword. “If it’s alright, we’ll stay with you until your fiancé returns.”

“Just incase,” Norman added. “The sun will be setting in a few hours. It’s better you have protection.”

“You really don’t have to,” the boy said. “You probably have better things to do.”

“It’s fine,” Ray wasted no time sliding off the horse and landing on the road. “Right, boss?”

He turned his head so only Norman could catch his wink.

“Better safe than sorry,” Norman said. “It would weigh on our conscience to leave you alone.”

“Thank you,” the girl said. “We have water, if you’re thirsty.”

“Thank sounds great,” Emma grinned at her.

They learned that the girl’s name was Gilda, and the boy was Hayato. They lived I the village that the three had just left. They were traveling back from a trading trip. All of the money they’d made was currently in the back of the wagon.

“So you can imagine how stressed we were when the wheel gave out,” Hayato told the group of them. Well, most of his attention seemed to be fixed on Ray, which was a little bit annoying but Norman made the choice not to say anything. If it got too out of hand he decided he’d put his arm around him.

“Don should be back soon,” Gilda added. “You’re not the first to pass by, but you were the only ones who stopped.”

Hayato began telling them his and Gilda’s life stories. Apparently he’d lived in that town his whole life, Gilda on the other hand was from Emma’s kingdom.

“We moved here when I was little,” she explained. “My parents were hired to farm. It was good money even if it meant uprooting our lives.”

“The fields are doing better now,” Emma pointed out.

“Like magic,” Hayato chimed in.

“Will you go back?” She asked. “If you’re not needed to farm the land anymore.”

“It shouldn’t really matter, right?” Gilda shrugged. “In a few weeks, it’ll all be the same country. No one has leave.”

“That’s a good thing,” Hayato added. “Since Don can’t leave his farm. That’s why everyone’s so excited about the kingdom’s uniting. If all of the other country’s citizens had to remigrate, half of the families I know would be split up.”

Norman saw Emma tense.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Well, we can’t stay here without the working permits or gaining citizenship,” Gilda told her. “I’d have to go back to my family’s land, and my fiancé couldn’t exactly come with if he didn’t renounce his citizenship here.”

“Soon there won’t be any borders,” Hayato expressed. “It’ll make trading easier too.”

“That’s an exaggeration,” Gilda rolled her eyes. “Way too many merchants have set their goals on profiting from expanding to other towns. If you ask me, it’s way too much of a gamble.”

“Yeah, but they’ll find buyers,” Hayato argued. “Most of them have wanted to do this for a long time, they just could never afford the journey.”

“Is this just your town?” Ray asked. “The people who need the kingdom to unite. Is it just you guys?”

“No,” Gilda shook her head.

“It’s probably everyone who it’s rich,” Hayato voiced. “Or at least living near the capitol.”

“It’s the same on the other side, according to my brother, Nat,” Gilda added.

Norman felt like he was going to be sick. He didn’t understand how this had never been brought to his attention before. Had the court believed so fully that he and Emma wouldn’t be able to bring the fields back to life that they hadn’t seen the point of showing them who would be effected by them not marrying?
Gilda’s fiancé arrived a few minutes later. After ensuring that the new wheel would get them to their town without another hold up, they said goodbye and continued on their way. Norman’s chest didn’t feel as light as it had before.

The three of them didn’t talk until they decided they should stop and set up camp for the night. Norman waited until Emma was gathering firewood to approach Ray. He was busy making sure the horses were settled for the night.

“Hey,” Norman said.

“Hi,” Ray didn’t meet his eyes.

“Can you look at me?” Norman asked.

“I don’t know,” Ray murmured. “If I look at you it means I have to accept what you’re going to have to say to me, right?”

“What do you think I’m going to say?” Norman asked him.

“That this is over,” Ray met his eyes now. “That we had fun, but if you don’t marry Emma a lot of people are going to get hurt.”

“I didn’t know any of this,” Norman promised. “If I did I wouldn’t have gone on this quest.”

“I know,” Ray smiled. It looked pained. “When we get back, I’ll tell me mother I’m going to move in with her. I can get a job in her town.”

“Why?” Norman asked. “You don’t have to leave.”

“I do if you’re going to get over me,” Ray said. “You and Emma could make each other happy, but that’s not going to happen if I’m around to remind you that you wanted something else.”

“So that’s it?” Norman’s voice came out harsher than he meant it to. “Just like that, you’re going to walk away? Like it’s easy.”

“This isn’t easy,” Ray’s hand found Norman’s shoulder. He squeezed it lightly. Norman could see tears in his eyes. “I don’t know if I can handle leaving, but I do know that I can’t stay by your side and know that you feel the same but we still can’t be together. It’ll kill me.”

Norman pulled Ray into his arms. He wished he didn’t have to let go.

“I’ve loved you since I was eleven, Norman,” Ray told him. “I messed up on one of the chores I was supposed to do, but you made it look like it was your fault, and said you would always stick up for me. It wasn’t even a big deal, but I remember looking at you and knowing that no matter what happened you were always going to have my heart.”

Norman kissed Ray for what he was terrified would be the last time.

When Emma came back she volunteered to take the firs watch. Norman waited until he was certain that Ray was asleep before telling her everything in a hushed voice. She had been his confidant for a long time. Maybe that was part of the reason Ray and everyone else seemed to think they could fall for each other if they were given time. Norman disagreed.

“Are you gonna give up?” Emma asked him.

“Do I have another choice?” He asked back.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “But I don’t want you to lose him, and I don’t want him to walk out of my life either.”

“You think there’s a way out?” He asked her.

“I think we’re smart,” Emma told him. “And we got this far.”

She was right. They’d convinced the nobles to let them go on a quest for their right to marry who they wanted, they’d succeed in brining life back to Norman’s lands, and Norman had woken the love of his life from a cursed sleep. This couldn’t be the end.

“I think I have an idea,” he told her.

“Yeah?” She raised an eyebrow.

“But I need you to make sure he doesn’t try to stop me,” he looked at Ray now.

“I can do that,” she nodded.

“Alright,” he smiled at her. “Here’s the plan.”

He went to sleep half an hour later. The weight in his chest was gone. He was ready for the challenge the morning would bring, because he knew he was confident that he could overcome what was thrown at him. He was a prince after all, that had to count for something.

Ray didn’t talk much the next morning. Norman tried not to push a conversation out of him. He hoped that soon the sad look would be out of his eyes. He wasn’t sure he could handle seeing it for much longer.

The castle was prepared for their arrival. Norman didn’t waste anytime announcing that he and Emma would like to talk to the courts of both kingdoms. There really wasn’t any point in delaying this.

“I know you have to go,” he said to Ray. “But do you think you be here for just this? I think it’ll calm me down to have you with me one last time.”

“I can do that,” Ray nodded.

“Thank you,” Norman grasped his hand for a brief moment. This time he did let himself hope it wouldn’t be the last.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Ray told him.

“I hope so.”

Norman and Emma waited until the throne room was filled with the nobles of both kingdoms before addressing why they’d called them here. By now, word had reached the castle of how the fields were thriving once again. Everyone in that room knew that the quest they’d all thought would fail hadn’t.

“This past week has taught me a lot,” Norman told the gathered group. He looked at his father, at Emma’s father sitting next to him. He looked at the faces of the people who would never had the responsibility of leading a kingdom on their shoulders. He looked at Emma. “It’s taught both of us a lot.”

“We were foolish,” Emma said. “When we thought that the only reason to uniting the kingdoms was the land.”

“There are other factors,” Norman nodded. “And we’ve decided that it’ll be best for everyone if we continue what was set in motion.”

“You want to go through with it?” Norman’s father asked.

“We want to unite the kingdoms,” Emma answered.

“But we’re not getting married,” Norman said.

Murmuring rippled through the room. That was about the reaction Norman thought he’d earn.

“We’ve decided that we will unite the kingdoms and rule as king and queen, but in order to do that we don’t have to get married to each other,” Norman announced. “When the time comes, we’ll elect and heir and raise him with the partners that we choose.”

“What your suggesting has never been done before,” Norman’s uncle voiced.

“That doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” Emma said.

“Or that it shouldn’t,” Norman added. “We think that we’ll both make better rulers if we can choose the person we want to have by our side.”

“You can’t just bend the laws at your whim,” another noble spoke up. “You’re not children anymore.”

“You’re right,” Norman looked away from the group of people he’d known he wouldn’t be able to convince with just words. His eyes met Ray’s. “We’re the future of this kingdom. I’m going to be your king, and I’m done letting you people control me. Either I’m going to marry the person I love, or there will be no one on that throne.”

“Norman,” his father started. “What are you suggesting?”

Norman glanced at Emma. She nodded. He reached into his pocket at retrieved the apple from the center of the mountain. He raised it to his lips.

He found Ray’s eyes one more time, and he took a bite.

“No,” Ray heard his voice echo through the room he’d never been permitted to speak in before. It didn’t matter. No one was looking at him, all eyes were on the prince who had just collapsed.

Emma took the apple from Norman’s hands and held it out for the rest of the room to see.

“I think all of you know what this is. It’s from the cave of the sorcerer. Whoever eats it can only be woken by true love’s kiss.” She turned to the two kings. “You’ve already heard Norman’s demands. Either he’s permitted to marry his true love on the day initially set for our wedding, or he won’t wake up.”

“He’s holding the kingdom hostage,” Norman’s uncle scoffed.

“No,” Emma shook her head. “He’s holding himself hostage.”

Ray was shaking. He knew he shouldn’t be this shocked. Norman had never given up on anything before. If he really loved Ray, there was no way he would have let go this easily.

“Alright,” King James said. “You win.”

“What?” One of the nobles demanded.

“Our hands are tied,” King Yuugo shrugged. “And they make a compelling argument.”

“If there’s someone who can wake the prince, they will me rewarded with his hand in marriage,” King James announced.

Ray felt Emma’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t bring his gaze away from Norman. He must have had this planned the whole morning. He must have known that he couldn’t get what he wanted without fighting. It was reckless, but Norman had been ready to bite that apple back when he hadn’t thought he could be woken up. What he’d done wasn’t an more dangerous than what he’d unknowingly pushed Ray to do in that cave.

Only now two whole kingdoms were watching them.

Norman was taken to his quarters. Emma stayed by his side. Ray was instructed not to leave the room either, as if he would even if they ordered him to. The king had made his announcement to the nobles. The public was currently being informed as well. That meant that the next day there would probably be a line of people convinced that by some miracle they could break the cursed sleep and except the reward offered. Ray’s hands balled into fists at the idea of any of them so much as touching Norman.

“Well?” Emma turned to him once the three of them were finally alone again.

“Don’t give me that look,” Ray said.

“You love him, don’t you?” She asked.

“Of course I love him,” Ray answered.

“Then go ahead,” she waited.

“I can’t.”

Ray loved Norman. He really did. He’d meant everything he’d said the night before and the day that Norman had first kissed him. That didn’t mean he was ready for what Norman needed him to do.

Ray was scared. He worked in the castle. He was a servant. He was so far below Norman’s station it was laughable. Norman wanted him by his side. He wanted Ray to marry him. Was that something Ray could really do? Would Norman still want him as time passed and he realized the fate he’d sealed for the both of them?

Norman loved Ray. That kiss wouldn’t have worked if he didn’t. He wouldn’t have seem so terrified in the moments when Ray had first woken up if he didn’t. Ray didn’t question that Norman loved him.

He did question why. Did Norman fall in love with him because he couldn’t have him? Did he want Ray, because he knew that no one would ever let them be together? Was his affection born out of defiance?

“Ray,” Emma’s voice broke through his thoughts.

“I think I need a moment,” he told her. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t,” Emma stood. “Take your time. He said not to rush you.”

“He planned it all out, didn’t he?” Ray let out a soft laugh.

“Do you wish he hadn’t?” Emma asked back. “Would you rather leave?”

No. Ray wanted to stay. Ray wanted to marry Norman. He wanted to be the one to stand at his side, to kiss him, to finally be recognize as more than the kid paid to be his friend.

“I need a moment,” he said out loud.

“Okay,” Emma nodded.

She closed the door behind her.

Ray looked at the sleeping face of the boy who changed his life so many times. He wondered if he’d looked this peaceful after he’d eaten that apple. It must have hurt Norman to see him like this and not know how easy it would be to wake him. That was the different between the situation he’d put Norman in and the one he was in the middle of now. Ray knew he could wake Norman. He knew that everything was going to be alright eventually.

Norman must have been so scared.

The door opened. Ray quickly stood from the chair at Norman’s bedside. He bowed his head to the man who walked inside. It wasn’t one of the other servants here to bring something to the sleeping prince, or Emma wandering back in to check on him, or Norman’s father wondering if his son was being attended to.

“Your majesty,” Ray said to King Yuugo, Emma’s father. “If you’re looking for the princess she just left.”

“I know,” King Yuugo said. “I passed her in the halls. Will you stop stooping like that and sit down?”

“Sorry,” Ray said sheepishly, doing as the king asked.

Emma’s father had always been different than Norman’s. It didn’t feel right to say he was softer, since he’d always had a callous and blunt side. Still, unlike King James, Yuugo addressed Ray by name and even talked to him the same way he would Emma and Norman. He seemed to want to give his daughter both the life or royalty and a real childhood—something that Ray was pretty sure would have been easier if he actually knew how to talk to children.

“I’m guessing you didn’t know about that little stand off,” Yuugo stated.

“I didn’t, sir,” Ray answered.

“Yeah, figures,” Yuugo chuckled. “It’s far more dramatic this way.”

They both looked at Norman. It really was dramatic, but Ray supposed they should have expected any less from the prince.

“I’m glad they thought up a way around things,” Yuugo voiced. “I hoped they would.”

“You saw this coming?” Ray asked.

“Only a little bit,” Yuugo shrugged. “When they decided to go on that quest, I figured they weren’t going to budge on the marriage thing.”

“And you’re alright with that?” Ray asked.

“Emma’s smarter than most of us hope to be,” Yuugo said. “And the world is a different place than it was when I was her age.”

“You mean when you got married?” Ray asked. “To Emma’s mother.”

The queen who’d passed in childbirth. Her and Yuugo hadn’t been much older than Emma was now. Ray didn’t understand how Yuugo had carried on after that lose.

“I loved Dina,” Yuugo smiled. “It wasn’t the kind of love that our prince over here is waiting for, but she was my rock for a long time.”

“So you didn’t want more?” Ray asked. “Like Norman does.”

“Of course I did,” Yuugo laughed. “We both did, but we had responsibilities. It was frustrating at times, but she had the mentality that we could be frustrated together. I hadn’t thought that she was going to leave me with a kingdom and a baby I had no clue how to be a father to.”

There was a look in his eyes Ray rarely saw from the dry king who preferred not to show too much of his own emotions and vulnerability, even around his daughter.

“Love’s weird,” Yuugo said to Ray. “It’s not something you ask for, but, no matter what those idiots say, Norman’s right. It’s something we all need. For me, I didn’t get in until my adviser promised me that he wasn’t going to let me raise that little girl alone.”

Ray had no idea how to respond to that.

“Lucas and I are pretty good about being secretive about it,” Yuugo added. “To this day, I think only Emma knows. Well, Emma and you now. You better be able to keep a secret.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Ray asked.

“Because that boy lying their isn’t as subtle as he thinks he is,” Yuugo stated. “And it took too long for me to take Lucas’s hand. Don’t be as stupid as I am.”

The king left the room after saying those words. Ray just sat there, trying to process the information he’d just been told, and wondering if Yuugo really did have a point. Norman wasn’t like Yuugo’s adviser, and Ray wasn’t a king. He was still nothing, even if Norman was so convinced otherwise.

Ray was a servant. He was the boy that had never had a choice in being Norman’s friend, but had seen the whole world in Norman’s eyes even back when they were kids. He’d fallen in love with Norman in despite of himself. He’d looked at himself in those lovestruck moments and felt so pathetic pining over someone leagues above him.

But Norman said he never cared about that.

When they were little, Norman used to not tell him when he was upset with him. Ray was always pretty sure it was because of what happened after that big fight they’d had. He didn’t even remember what it was about, he just remembered fuming with anger in his mother’s room that night. The following morning when he got ready to go spend the day with this prince, his mother informed him that he wouldn’t be seeing Norman anymore.

Ray still remembered how crushed he’d been. He’d felt betrayed. He’d felt forgotten. It was that moment that he fully understood that he and Norman lived in different worlds.

It took Norman sweeping every one of his missteps under the rug—the little pouting faces he’d made when he wasn’t having fun but didn’t want Ray to know, the lengths he’d go through to avoid them never fighting again—for Ray to realize that he was more than just entertainment to Norman.

He was still more than that now. He was still the person Norman wanted to put first, even if Ray tried not to let him. Maybe it was time for both of them to trust the other’s feelings. They did have magic on their side, after all.

Ray leaned over Norman’s bed. He took one last look at the boy he’d loved for so long, who he’d still die for if he had to. He sealed their lips together.

“How long was I out?” Norman mumbled. His head felt a bit foggy, the world slowly came into focus. In the center of it all, Ray was smirking at him.

“Three days,” Ray stated.

“Liar.”

That earned a laugh. It was light—like in that moment every bit of stress had left Ray.

“Barely an hour,” Ray said. Norman felt a smile form on his lips. “How do you feel?”

“Amazing,” Norman said honestly. Ray had woken him up. That had to mean that their plan worked. Emma wouldn’t have let Ray kiss him if she wasn’t certain the kings would bend to their demands.

“So,” Ray looked at his hands. “About that deal you made.”

“Yeah?” Norman raised an eyebrow.

“Does it still stand?” Ray asked.

Norman sat fully up in his bed. He took Ray’s hands in his own. He waited until Ray met his eyes.

“Ray,” he started.

“Yes?” Ray hummed.

“I have loved you for the past five years,” he said.

“I’ve loved you for longer,” Ray interjected.

“It’s not a contest,” Norman told him.

“If it was, I’d win,” Ray stated.

“Ray,” Norman couldn’t keep his laughter from his voice.

“Yes, your highness?” Ray asked cheekily.

“Will you marry me?” Norman asked.

Ray nearly knocked him backward onto the bed as he flung himself into Norman’s arms. Their lips found each other. Norman let himself smile into the kiss.

“Is that a yes?” He murmured.

“It is,” Ray chuckled. “I don’t care what anyone thinks. I don’t care if people say it’s wrong. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you happy.”

“You already do that,” Norman said. “Now it’s my turn.”

“Just promise me one thing?” Ray asked.

“What?”

“Get rid of that apple,” Ray instructed. “It’s caused enough trouble.”

“Fine,” Norman laughed.

Although he disagreed. The apple might have given him the worst scare of his life. It might have pushed him to do something he never thought he’d be brave enough to only a week ago. Yet, it was because of the apple that Norman now had his true love in his arms and the promise that they could be happy together.

“I think my first quest went pretty well,” he remarked.

“That’s only because I did most of the work,” Ray snarked.

“Well, you’re my hero,” Norman teased before pulling Ray into another kiss.

He was certain he’d give at least one of the nobles a heart attack when it was announced that his servant had broken the cursed sleep. Norman didn’t mind that one bit. He was ready for his happily ever after, even if that only meant facing a new list of challenges.

He could handle it. He’d have Emma as his queen, and Ray as his husband. There wasn’t much the three of them couldn’t do, even if it meant working around the rules. Norman had learned how to do that back when he and Ray were little and he’d decided he wasn’t going to let anyone take Ray away from him.

Back then, he just hadn’t realized that their love would someday be strong enough to break a curse—twice.