Chapter Text
Dan looks across the garden at his childhood friend, Phil Lester. The sun creates a halo around his head, making him even more beautiful than he already was. He still has the same shaggy haircut with his mousy brown hair. Only his hair isn’t his hair anymore, and neither is his head. Dan backs up against the garden wall as his friend morphs before him. Scales bursting through his skin, his pale complexion turning to a sickly green. His blue-green eyes are no longer friendly. He opens his mouth but it no longer belongs to his head. It belongs to a heartless creature. The dragon turns its eyes towards Dan and roars before turning its great lumbering head towards the castle. It spits flames at the walls and suddenly Dan is six again, his whole world consumed in flames. He is powerless, unable to magic a solution. Everything swirls around him in shades of red and orange before it all goes black.
Dan wakes up in a sweat, tears streaming down his face, a twinge in his leg reminding him of the day he has scant memory of. All he remembers is waking up after hearing his family’s screams. He had barely gotten halfway to the door before a beam from the ceiling fell, pinning his leg to the ground. He helplessly cried out until one of the maids finally found him. He doesn’t want to remember that day. The day he became an orphan, the day the kingdom started to deteriorate, but most glaringly the day his best friend betrayed him.
He shakes off the memory and gets out of bed. He walks across the cold flagstones to the window. It’s a view of the garden, giving Dan unwanted flashbacks to his most recent nightmare. He’s dreamt of the fire many times, but this was the first in a while to feature Phil. He pushes it again to the back of his mind and instead looks to the window where a flutter of feathers appears, waiting to be let in. Dan smiles as he unlocks the window for Hickory. The sparrow alights on Dan’s extended finger, chirping happily.
“Shush, Hickory,” Dan reprimands fondly, “you’ll wake the other guards.” The bird nuzzles Dan’s cheek and he smiles, dimple in full view. There’s a rustle of sheets and he turns around to see a pair of hazel eyes staring back at him. He blushes as he meets the gaze of Damien, the head mage-knight of Dan’s squadron. Damien sits up and smiles at Dan. Dan’s face grows increasingly redder as he realises that Damien’s broad, sculpted chest is in full view. Dan’s fit, but nowhere near as fit as Damien.
Dan used to have a thing for Damien and, honestly, he still does. The only difference is that Damien is now Dan’s boyfriend. Dan smiles even more remembering the fact that this perfect being staring back at him is all his. Damien begins to walk over as Dan pulls the pouch of seeds from where he keeps them handy in his chest pocket. Hickory warbles happily as she sees her breakfast. Dan giggles as the impatient bird pecks at his hand before he has a chance to open the bag.
"Good morning," Damien drawls in a deep voice still tinged with sleep. Hickory stops gorging herself at Damien's words and gives him a disdainful look. Or a look as disdainful as a bird can be. "I don't think your bid likes me." Damien chuckles. Dan gives a single breathy laugh.
"She's always been wary about new people and it's very possible she still hasn't forgiven you for calling her an 'it'."
"That must be it." Damien slides an arm around Dan's waist and Dan's ever-present blush deepens. He's still not used to these gestures of affection considering he'd only gotten his first boyfriend a month ago. He still hasn't been kissed, something he hopes to change soon.
"Can we go out into the village today? For my birthday?" Dan smiles sweetly at Damien.
"Your birthday? Um, well, I don't think today." Dan's smile drops and he looks down.
"Oh."
"I mean, I think Head Mage Percival is having some sort of meeting. Tomorrow's our free day so maybe then?" Dan ignores the last comment and persists.
"If it's just a meeting, can't we just go out before or after?" Dan implores. Damien looks to his left as if his next excuse will physically manifold in that spot.
"Uh, head guards are required to be there most of the day." Damien's saved from trying to explain himself as a roll of parchment glides through the still open window. Hickory nabs it out of the air and presents it proudly to Dan. He scruffs her chin and takes the note.
"Mage-knight Damien, your presence is requested immediately, appoint a temporary squadron head for today,'" Dan reads.
"I guess you can morning drills and afternoon rounds. I'll see you tomorrow then, yeah?" Dans shrugs, giving Damien the parchment before turning his back. He hears Damien's footsteps shuffle around for a bit before leaving the barracks.
~
Damien walks into Head Mage Percival's quarters.
"Master Percival, sir. You requested my presence?" Damien asks. Master Percival turns to face the eager knight. He nods and gestures Damien to come closer. Master Percival mutters something under his breath and the doors quiver before swinging shut.
"Advanced secrecy spell. There will be no listening ears at these walls."
"So this is about Dan then?"
"Yes, Daniel could become a problem if you don't do your job."
"He's a lovesick puppy, he doesn't suspect anything. I've been doing my job properly," Damien rebukes. He feels a tingle as his lips are pressed shut by Master Percival’s magic.
“Keep your ego intact belligerent child. What I’m about to say might change things.” He releases Damien’s mouth.
“Sir?”
“You know of the prophecy?”
“Every child’s parents told them about it as a bedtime tale.” Master Percival grows angry once again and seals Damien’s lips.
“Insolent child! It’s more than some silly story, it is happening right now. It’s been put under your nose and you can’t even sniff it out.” He pauses to retrieve a weathered box from the compartment within the fireplace. He magics a key and unlocks the aged padlock. He slowly unfurls a scroll from inside.
“Some prophecies are glaringly fake, but we are tasked with guarding the true ones. The most important prophecy seems to already be upon us. ‘Two spirits become one, the brightest of lights end the darkest of times. The two greatest mages shall reign with goodness and prosperity over evil.’
“There hasn’t been a worse time in the kingdom, now is the time to secure my power. This is where Daniel plays into it. You know he was born not just as a prince, but as a powerful mage as well. The prophecy could only have meant him… and another mage possibly even more powerful than Daniel.” Damien raises his hand tentatively. Master Percival releases the spell and Damien takes a deep breath.
“You mean the rouge mage terrorising the village?” Master Percival pauses a bit, knowing exactly who the “rouge” mage is. That mage was not the second person in the prophesy, Master Percival took care of the second mage from the prophesy. For the sake of his plan, Master Percival replies,
“Yes.” He thinks for a moment before going on. “The same mage that went rouge twelve years ago and started that castle fire, Philip Lester.”