Work Text:
Two children were running through rows and rows of carefully manicured trees, separated from the others. The one in the lead was a girl, happily laughing every few steps while she waited for her friend to catch up.
"Oh, come on, Milo!" She grabbed his hand and helped him up a small pile of rocks that she had ascended without any trouble. The boy stumbled, but eventually caught up.
"I don't think we should be here."
"It's fiiine! We won't get in trouble." Said Kida, the young princess.
"Maybe you won't." Muttered Milo under his breath. Even with the threat of strict punishment from his father, he never passed up a chance to spend time with Princess Kida. Their chances to see each other were few and far between, so the two friends had to take advantage of it when they could.
"Aah, the stars are out!" Kida marveled at the tiny pricks in the sky. "They look like pretty freckles." she giggled, then sat in a hollow in her rock.
"Stars aren't freckles, you know." Milo reminded her. Even at the young age of five, he was very adept with astronomy. "They're actually made of various burning gases-"
"You talk a lot." Kida said bluntly, though there was no malice in her words, just curiosity. "How'd you get so smart?"
Milo hesitated before answering, unsure himself. "I don't know. I guess I just am." He took a spot right next to the princess and stared up at the sky. "Look, that's my favorite constellation. It's supposed to look like a lynx."
Kida turned her head, looking at the group of stars from all angles, confused. "It looks like a blob."
"I know, isn't it weird?"
"PRINCESS KIDAGAKASH? LORD MILO?" Both children whipped around at the sound of a voice coming from the forest. Milo's face fell, but Kida didn't seem bothered. They were both pulled away to their respective homes and reprimanded, told that they couldn't just run off.
That was the last time they saw each other for twenty years.
[[Twenty years later]]
"'The Royal Court of Atlantis invites Lord Milo James Thatch to a formal dance in honor of Princess Kidagakash's engagement'." Milo read the invitation out loud, panic mounting. "I can't do that!" He started pacing his study, thinking out loud to himself. "If I go... oh... I can't."
But it's Kida. Surely, she remembers me. It'll be fine.
So that was how Milo ended up standing in the ballroom's corner, a slim flute of champagne in his hand. He had a clear view of the entire room, where, at the front Kida was standing stiffly next to her new fiance, a false smile pasted onto her face. Despite obviously being uncomfortable, she was even more beautiful than people said.
The empire of Atlantis was watched over by various gods, and every few generations, one of these gods decided they wanted to switch things up with a new, human wife. That was how Kida had ended up tied to this contract. The man next to her was no man at all, but the deity of frost and snow, who was as cold and unfeeling as the title suggested.
The princess scanned the room, and a man near the back caught her eye. His nose was stuck inside a thick book, and he seemed unaware of everything around him. Could it be...
"Excuse me, my lord." She bowed her head to the god, and awkwardly tried to descend the stairs in the thick, fluttering hoopskirt she was so unaccustomed to. As Kida made her way through the crowds, she heard an endless stream of greetings and congratulations, and she didn't let her smile slip, even a little. This was important for Atlantis. If she didn't marry the god, her kingdom would be tormented with sleet and ice for twelve years, at least that was what he threatened. It was her duty.
When Kida finally reached the back, close to where the familiar looking man was standing, she was able to confirm it. This was Milo.
"Milo! I'm so glad you came!" She rushed closer to him, startling him a bit.
"Ah! Your Highness! It's-ah-good to see you again." Milo stammered. He tucked his book away and held out his hand for a handshake. Instead, the princess crushed him in a hug.
"You too! You won't believe what's happened." Kida rolled her eyes. "It's been tough."
"I bet. Must be hard having to plan everything, like you did." Milo shrugged and fingered a sleeve on his velvet suit jacket. He'd been working up the nerve to talk to Kida again, and she came barreling towards him, ruining the perfectly good plan he had. Although, the more he thought about it, the more he didn't mind. Kida was always more headstrong, and she was the main reason why he wasn't a total shut-in as a child. But when he glanced up at his old friend, he noticed something that had never been there before.
It was a sadness. Kida's stark white hair fell in her eyes, but she made no move to push it back.
"Kida, Kida, are you okay?" Milo examined her, looking for injuries, but she cut him off.
"No, no, don't do that. I'm fine." The music of the first dance started to ring through the hall, and Kida knew that she would be expected to dance with her fiance. "I've got to go, but I want to talk to you again. Meet me in the garden later tonight?" Kida rushed away before Milo could answer. He stood still for a few seconds, slightly shocked, before another young lady asked if he would dance with her. Milo put on his warmest smile.
"Of course."
Milo danced all night, keeping an eye on Kida. The more he saw, the more miserable she seemed, and he couldn't help but compare it to the Kida he knew as a child, who was always running ahead, curious to see what she was missing.
He missed seeing her happy like that.
As the night went on, the lights slowly dimmed until the room was enveloped in a hazy golden atmosphere. Milo hadn't seen Kida for a few dances, but didn't think much of it. He remembered her comment about the garden, and slipped away, hoping she would be there. He wandered through the orchards, lit by moonlight, until he found a familiar rocky hill. Even after so long, he remembered the way exactly. Sitting in a small crevice, staring at the sky, was an all too familiar figure.
"The stars are out." Milo said, barely above a whisper. "They look like freckles." He stepped up the hill, which, in an adult's body, was barely even a bump in the road, and sat down next to Kida. For the first time that night, her smile looked genuine.
"Stars aren't freckles, you know." She said, flipping the script from their last conversation before they were separated. "They're made from burning gas."
Milo chuckled and leaned back on his elbows. "Shh... you talk a lot. Although, tonight, I wouldn't mind hearing a little more from you. What's wrong?"
Kida sighed, never taking her gaze from the stars above. "The god of frost is a cruel person. I'm afraid of what he'll do to Atlantis if I refuse to marry him."
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to help you, Kida."
"You can be my friend again. After I'm married, I'll have to leave Atlantis, but until then... please, will you be by my side?"
"I would be honored." Milo said. "If only... no, never mind." He wouldn't allow himself to go there. She was already engaged. Milo coughed on something, a bit of food lodged in his throat, and stood up, suddenly feeling wistful and sad. "I've missed you," He said.
"Me too. I'm just glad I get to see you again."
"Once you're gone, we'll still be able to visit, right?" Milo said, panic suddenly hitting him. "We'll still be able to see each other?"
It was a long pause before Kida answered. "I don't know. Oh, Milo, I don't want to leave. I don't want to get married."
"But you're afraid for Atlantis if you don't."
"Exactly."
"I, for one, am impressed. You're being so selfless." Milo coughed again, this time more violently. What is this?
"Milo, are you okay?" Kida asked, suddenly concerned for him.
"Fine, fine, I might've just eaten something that didn't agree with me." Milo heard rustling coming from the trees behind him, another person. "Oh, they're probably looking for you."
Kida nodded. "Probably. Are you going home now?"
"Yes, but not permanently. I'll visit again before your wedding."
"I'll hold you to that."
"I know you will. Goodbye, Kida." They hugged once more, before Kida rushed off calling,
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Milo stood still for a few more seconds, before sneaking his way off to the front of the palace, where his coach was waiting for him. The coach barely made it ten yards before he launched into another harsh fit of coughing. He felt like he would throw up, but instead of food, what came out was a single water lily.
A water lily?
Milo was horrified. He instantly recognized this disease as the rare Hanahaki's disease. But how was that possible? That could only happen when-
Oh no.
It's Kida. Of course, it's Kida. He felt stupid for not realizing it earlier. All it took was one night to stir up his feelings. He felt like he was about to choke, but he knew logically, that it took a few days for it to get that bad.
"Ok Milo, think about this." He said, trying to convince himself out of it. "You've only seen her once in twenty years! You can't fall in love in only one night! Besides, she's already enga-" He hacked out another lily. "...ged." This wasn't going well. Milo knew there was only one way to get rid of Hanahaki, but he wouldn't let himself admit it.
For eight days, Milo hid his Hanahaki's. He spent a lot of time shut in his room, the collection of lilies slowly growing. He told everyone that he just had a cold, but eventually the servants and people of the manor grew suspicious. There was a knock on his door one night, and Milo instantly recognized his grandfather's voice when he spoke.
"Milo? I've brought a doctor with me. Please, allow her to examine you, because we're all worried."
Milo tried to speak, but all that came out was a mangled groan. His breaths were shallow, quick and forced.
"Lord Milo? Please open the door." He heard a female voice say, most likely the doctor.
Well, there was no avoiding it. He shuffled over and used the rest of his remaining strength to push the door open.
"Good god, lad! You look terrible!" His grandfather exclaimed. Milo nodded, swallowed down a stray petal, and tried to speak once again. This time it worked.
"I don't need to be examined. It's Hanahaki's."
Both the doctor and his grandfather looked shocked.
"How long have you had it?" The doctor asked.
"Eight days." Milo had to lean against the doorframe to keep from falling over.
"And you never told anyone?! Milo, you know there's only one cure. Why did you wait so long?"
"I didn't want to... erase her from... my life."
Milo collapsed.
In the palace, Kida waited. She waited for Milo to visit her, like he promised. She waited for a letter, or even just a sign, but none came. So, it was time to take things into her own hands.
Her husband-to-be didn't like it when she left, but she made an excuse and didn't give him the time to deny her. Milo's manor was quick a ways away, so she figured she only had a few hours before people would start to get suspicious.
She knocked on the heavy wooden door, and it was quickly answered by a young maid. Her eyebrows raised when she saw Kida. "Your Highness, I'm afraid you've come at a very bad time. Lord Milo is quite sick."
"Oh no." Kida went pale. "Please, let me see him."
The maid looked conflicted. "I- I... I can take you to Lord Thaddeus."
Kida nodded. If that was all she could get, she would take it. She could convince Milo's grandfather to let her see Milo.
The maid led her to the manor's top story, where Thaddeus was in a heated conversation with a short, dark haired woman.
"Um, excuse me?" Kida said quietly. They both turned towards her, and Thaddeus instantly looked relieved.
"Oh, princess, thank you, I'm so glad you're here. Tell me right now, please, how do you feel about Milo?"
Kida was taken aback by the question, but answered honestly. "I would do anything for him. He means the world to me. Is he okay? Is he going to die?"
Thaddeus shook his head. "No, hopefully not. Your highness, have you ever heard of Hanahaki's disease?"
"No. What's wrong with Milo?"
"It's what happens when someone falls in love... and they come to believe that the object of their affections will never feel the same. Princess Kida, we have reason to believe that the object of Milo's affection is... well, you. The only cure is to erase all the memories of that person, and thus, erase the love, but if you feel the same way, then the disease will cure itself. It's a complicated specimen, really, but so interesting. If we can-"
"Where is he?"
"Oh, just in that room, there." Thaddeus pointed to a closed door, which Kida promptly busted through. Inside, Milo lay, asleep, surrounded by vases filled with water lilies. Kida barely noticed the flowers, as she instantly zeroed in on Milo. She rushed to his side and shook his shoulders, trying to wake him up, but it was futile.
"Milo, please." She didn't notice the tears rolling down her cheeks, just Milo's fragile body as she crushed him in a hug. He still didn't respond. "Milo... don't go. I love you, I always have." She released him, and he fell back onto the bed, still.
A few agonizing minutes passed. Kida's blue eyes widened, but nothing happened.
Finally, finally, Milo stirred. He sat up, but Kida tackled him into a kiss, and buried her face in his chest. Milo was confused, still disoriented from just waking up, not sure if he was dreaming or not. "I love you, Milo." Kida said again, testing how the words sounded. She liked it. "I've missed you more than anything since we weren't allowed to see each other, and please, please, get better." She was crying again, but this time, the tears were from happiness. Milo was safe, he was ok.
Milo was shocked. The only thing he could say was, "clearly, I missed a lot while I was out." He was surprised by how easy it was to form the words, his lungs clear for the first time in eight days.
His grandfather smiled and nodded. "That you did, my boy. You're cured."
Kida let go of Milo and rested against the wall behind her. They were all happy, but Milo suddenly remembered something.
"Kida... what about the god of frost?"
Kida went silent. In all the excitement, she'd completely forgotten about him.
"I have to get back home as fast as possible."
When she returned, he was waiting for her, enraged, and already completely aware of the situation.
Atlantis was hit by a snowstorm that left it vulnerable for years.