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The king woke with his bed empty, but such a thing was far from uncommon. Sarmenti having always had trouble sleeping, even a boy. But what was uncommon was the sound of a lute being played, Baldwin not even needing to look over to see that it's his lover. The moonlight casts a soft glow around him, illuminating the pale streaks of white in the fool's hair. He was sitting on the edge of the balcony, legs wrapped around the posts to make sure he didn't fall off. His mind was clearly somewhere else, lost in the depths of his thoughts, fingers idly plucking out a familiar tune.
"What are you thinking about?" Baldwin asked his lover, sitting up somewhat.
The jester glanced to the side at the question, as if to make a mental note that his beloved had awakened. Even with much of his sight gone, the king knows his dear fool is smiling.
"Oh many things," He mused quietly, "how things might be many years from now."
The notes grew silent for a moment.
"Do you think that someday, in the far future, people like us won't have to hide our love away?" there is a rare melancholy in Sarmenti's voice, casting his eyes up to the star-filled sky. "Where one can love without restraint, and without worry?"
Sarmenti let out a soft chuckle, going back to playing his lute, allowing himself to focus more on the notes, but to the leper, his fool's laugh was music enough.
"One can hope."
The king can hear the smile in his lover's voice, a warmness filling up his soul as the jester replied gently in turn, "One can hope."