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In all the years he had been alive, he had never expected to have this kind of life. The war with Sombron had made it difficult to predict what could happen in the future. But once they had defeated him, they were able to return to their normal lives. At least as normal as their lives could have been after a war. After war, they needed to rebuild the war torn land, so that was what they had done.
Alear thought that he could settle down during that time and spend time with his chosen one. But the world had other plans and too Alcryst away from him. He soon found himself setting out on a trip to find him. During his venture, Alear learned about a side of himself he hadn't thought existed. He had discovered that his dragon side would flare up when he was feeling strong emotions. Coupled with his desperation to find Alcryst alive, his dragon instincts screamed for him to do anything to achieve that goal.
With some help, he had been able to rescue Alcryst and could finally feel at ease. However, he could not let himself relax so easily. He was still afraid something could go wrong. With some reassurances, he was finally able to calm down. After some time of rest, Alear had finally gotten his wish and was able to marry Alcryst.
"AWOOOO!" Pandreo howls. "This marriage is official!"
Alear smiles as he pulls away from Alcryst and turns to his friend. "Thank you for doing this Pandreo."
"I should be thanking you!" Pandreo says. "This was an honor!"
"I am glad you are happy, Pandreo." Alcryst smiles.
"And I'm glad you're happy, Prince Alcryst!" Pandreo pats him on the back. "Now why don't you two go have fun?"
"P-Pandreo!" Alcryst stammers.
Alear laughs and pulls Alcryst away. "Come on, let's go outside. I think Pandreo is going to start a party now."
"Uh... shouldn't we be here for that?" Alcryst asks.
Alear glances over to where Pandreo had gone. The priest was saying something to his sister and Fogado. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked like they had agreed to have a party. He turns back to Alcryst with a smile. "I am sure it will be fine. They won't destroy anything here."
"Are you sure?" Alcryst frowns. "We just got married... and everyone would expect us to be here."
"You have a point..." Alear pouts. "But I want to spend time with you alone. With no interruptions."
Alcryst reaches up and pats Alear on the head. "It's okay. We have plenty of time for that. Right now, we should make sure all our guests are happy. I can't promise that I will spend plenty of time with you with no interruptions since I can't control what other people do, but I will try to make sure it happens. Does that sound good to you?"
Alear huffs and wraps his arms around Alcryst. "Fine... I will accept this for now."
"Thank you Alear." Alcryst smiles.
Alear sighs and buries his face against Alcryst's shoulder. He had known that something like this would happen, but he did not think it would take so long. It wasn't like he was upset. He was happy to see all of his friends! But he also wanted to have some time alone with Alcryst. He didn't get to have that chance when he had returned after rescuing Alcryst from Fell Dragon followers.
Framme and Clanne had been hovering over them the whole time during Alcryst's recovery eventhough Alear had tasked them with planning the wedding. He knew that they meant well, but he wanted space. He wanted to have time with just Alcryst that was uninterrupted. Was it so selfish for him to ask that.
"Alear? Are you alright?" He feels hands touching his face and he looks into Alcryst's concerned eyes.
Alear smiles. "I am alright. I was just thinking about you."
"I.... what?!" Alcryst squeaks, letting go and stepping back. His face rapidly turned red.
Alear laughs quietly as he steps forward and pulls Alcryst close in one quick motion. "Adorable. You are still so easy to fluster."
"Alear!" Alcryst whines, covering his face with his hands.
Alear nuzzles against Alcryst's neck. "I love you, Alcryst."
"I... I love you too, Alear." Alcryst whispers.
Alear was about to say something more, but he hears footsteps approaching. He would have turned around and glared at whoever it was if Alcryst hadn't patted him on the head.
"Divine One." Diamant says as he approaches with Citrinne close behind.
"Hello Diamant." Alear smiles.
"I am happy for you, Divine One." Diamant says, his eyes flicker to Alcryst. "And of course, Alcryst as well. I am truly happy for the both of you. Thank you for staying by Alcryst's side, Divine One. I am glad to see that you value him and wish for him to be happy."
"Diamant..." Alcryst sighs.
"Quiet now." Citrinne says. "Let your brother finish talking."
"If only our father can see you today. He would be proud. You have grown up." Diamant sniffles. "It feels like it has hardly been a day since you were born. I cannot believe you have grown this much! And now you are married!"
"Diamant?! Are you crying?!" Alcryst cries.
"I cannot believe this is happening!" Citrinne sobs. "I am happy for you Alcryst!"
"Not you too, Citrinne!" Alcryst sighs.
"Please take care of him, Divine One." Diamant says, placing a hand on Alear's shoulder as he wipes away his tears with the other.
"You two don't have to worry. I will make sure to take great care of him." Alear smiles and pulls Diamant and Citrinne into a hug. He did not expect the two of them to hug him back, rather tightly at that.
"Ah..." Alcryst sighs. "I knew this was going to happen..."
"There is nothing wrong with that. They care about you, Alcryst. You might as well join. I don't think they are going to stop." Alear laughs, reaching a hand out to Alcryst.
Alcryst sighs with a distant look in his eyes. He barely reacts as Alear pulls him closer. This felt too good to be true.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It had taken a few minutes before Amber, Jade, and Lapis had come and pried Diamant and Citrinne away. The Brodians had quickly excused themselves and went to rejoin the party. The party had lasted a few hours before everyone had gone home, but not before helping to clean up the mess that would have been left behind. Of course, some of the nobles had decided to complain to Alear about how unprofessional the whole thing had been. But he quickly dismissed those complaints.
Now, Alear was sure that he would finally have some time alone with Alcryst.
He thought wrong.
"Rafal." Alear says in a calm tone.
"Yes Divine One?" Rafal says between bites of his sweets.
"Why are you here?" Alear asks.
"I am sharing some of my sweets with Prince Alcryst." Rafal answers.
"Alcryst doesn't like sweets." Alear says.
"I am aware. I am letting him try different ones to see if he can find one that he will like." Rafal argues.
"Some of them are okay." Alcryst says quietly.
"Which ones?" Rafal asks.
Alear sighs a he watches the two talk. He couldn't tell if Alcryst had only said that to be nice or if those words were genuine. However, he was not going to question it. Since the two had become friends, he should be fine with letting them spend time together. He should be happy for them, but he found himself getting mildly irritated.
While he was glad Rafal was on friendly terms with Alcryst, he would have liked it if he had gotten notice of Rafal's visits. These visits were infrequent and unpredictable, so he never knew when they were going to happen.
He looks up when he feels a tap on his shoulder. "Oh. Alcryst. I thought you were talking to Rafal."
"I was..." Alcryst hums and sits besides him, "But he left. He's going back to traveling now, so he will be gone for awhile."
Alear sighs and wraps his arms around Alcryst, burying his face against the prince's stomach. He hears Alcryst squeak in surprise. "Good. Hopefully people stop interrupting us now."
Alcryst runs his fingers through Alear's hair. "Their company isn't so bad..."
"But I want to be alone with you." Alear whines.
"You know how hard that can be..." Alcryst sighs. "You're the Divine Dragon Monarch now. There will be plenty of people who will come to you for help. Nobles, civilians, knights... All kinds of people. They look up to you, Alear."
"But none of them are you." Alear pouts, staring up at Alcryst's face. "You're the only one I want."
Alcryst looks away, red quickly crossing his face. "Don't say such things so casually..."
Alear sits up and holds Alcryst's face in his hands, gently turning Alcryst to face him. "But I mean every word I say."
"Alear..." Alcryst whines.
Alear smiles and leans in close, gently placing a kiss on Alcryst's lips. As usual, Alcryst lets out a quiet squeak. Alear did not mind. He found Alcryst's shy tendencies to be cute and endearing. No matter how much time had passed, Alcryst was still a little shy under that new air of confidence he carried himself with.
"I love you, Alcryst." Alear says.
"I love you too, Alear." Alcryst says, laying his head on Alear's shoulder. If this was a dream, he didn't want to wake up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sleepless night had become uncommon for him, at least that was what Alcryst thought. He had thought they had ended when the war against Sombron had ended, but things could not be so easy. He knew things could never be so easy. He had enjoyed his talks with Princess Céline during their nightly meetings. After the war had ended, the two still talked. But it was not about the nightmares, for those had not happened for a long time. All they did was talk about their lives.
That was how it should have been.
But it wasn't.
But he wished that it had been.
Alcryst had gone to bed early while Alear stayed to speak with a noble that had arrived at Lythos Castle. Alear had reassured him that he would be there shortly, so Alcryst had waited. While he waited, he began to nod off.
He had closed his eyes for only a few seconds. When he opened them next, he was in that basement again. When he tried to move, he found his movements halted by heavy chains.
'No no no no!'
His breath catches and fear floods through his veins. Alcryst yanks at the chains as panic washes over him.
Why? Why was this happening? He was sure that he had been at Lythos Castle! Had he imagined that? He didn't want that all to be a lie. He wasn't sure if he could handle having to face more disappointment. Alcryst had lost track of how many times he had woken from a wonderful dream only to find himself still trapped in the basement.
'This isn't real. It can't be real. Alear and Diamant came with Rafal, Nel, and Veyle! They took me back home.'
"Oh! You're finally awake." A woman's voice reaches his ears. His head snaps in the direction of the voice and Reseda steps out of the shadows with her tome in hand. She kneels besides him and holding his chin in her hand. "I thought you would never wake up."
"No... this isn't real." Alcryst whimpers, trying to back away.
"Did you already break? Oh you poor thing." Reseda lets go of him and holds her hand above her tome.
"Please stop!" Alcryst squeezes his eyes shut and silently prays for help to arrive.
"Are you scared already?" Reseda laughs. "Begging won't save you now."
Alcryst sees the tome glow as its magic begins to swell, and he tries to back away. But the chains keep him from going to far. "Please wait!"
"Wait?" Reseda sighs, tilting her head to the side. "There is no point. You aren't giving us the answers we need. We want to know more about the Divine Dragon you love so much. If you would just tell us, we wouldn't have to hurt you. Will you answer our questions?"
Alcryst's eyes flicker to a spot above Reseda's shoulder as Aegean comes into view.
"Well?" Reseda asks. "Will you answer?"
Answer and betray Alear? He couldn't. Alcryst shakes his head.
"Isn't that too bad..." Aegean sighs. "Are you going to have some more fun with him, Reseda?"
"Of course." Reseda smiles. Magic surges from her tome and a scream rips itself from Alcryst's throat.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Alear sighs as he listens to the noble go on and on. The noble was more persistent than he had expected. But he had been glad he allowed Alcryst to leave earlier, that way the Brodian Prince wouldn't have had to listen to the noble talk down on him. It took Alear everything in his power not to attack the man at that moment.
"Divine One." Clanne interrupts. "It is late. You should head to bed."
The noble scowls. "We are still talking!"
"Sorry!" Framme says, hauling the man up by the arm. "But the Divine One needs to sleep!"
"But!" The man protests as Framme begins dragging him off.
Clanne leans in close to Alear's ear. "Divine One, your claws are showing."
Alear looks down at his hands and sees that his hand had turned into claws. "Ah... thank you, Clanne."
"You should go catch up to Prince Alcryst. I'm sure he is waiting for you now." Clanne nods. He pauses as the noble yells something at Framme. "I'll help Framme throw this man out..."
Alear smiles and pats Clanne on the head with his now normal hand. "Thank you, Clanne. I am glad I can rely on you."
Clanne smiles before he runs after his sister.
Once the stewards are out of sight, Alear gets up from his seat and walks out of the room. Heading down the hall, he walks to his room. He pauses outside of the room and knocks on the door, waiting for an answer.
No response.
"Alcryst?" Alear knocks again.
No response.
Slowly, he pushes the door open. The room was relatively quiet, and he spots Alcryst laying on the bed. Alear sighs and steps inside. "He must have fallen asleep while he was waiting for me... I shouldn't disturb him."
As he gets closer to the bed, he hears a quiet whimper and he tenses. He speeds up his pace and drops by Alcryst's side. Anxiety and worry shoots through him as he takes in the sight before him. Alcryst's brows are furrowed with palpable fear, and his breaths come in quick succession. Alear does not know why this is happening, but he wants to do something.
He should know what this was, but panic was making it hard for him to think. He wears another whimper, and Alear squeezes his eyes shut. He needed to do something, so why did he freeze up? It clicks and he realizes Alcryst was having a nightmare. The Divine Dragon does not know what triggered it, but he pushes that question aside in favor of trying to help Alcryst first. He could get answers later. Right now, Alcryst was more important.
Alear reaches a hand out and shakes Alcryst by the shoulders. "Alcryst." He calls out. "Alcryst! Wake up!"
Alcryst does not stir, so he tries again. He shakes him just a little harder. Alcryst's eyes snap open and he backs away, almost falling off the side of the bed if Alear hadn't grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
Alcryst's eyes dart around, unfocused. "I..."
"Sssh! It's okay." Alear runs his hand through Alcryst's hair. "It is okay. You're safe."
Alcryst throws his arms around Alear and sobs into his shoulder. "I'm sorry! I am so sorry!"
"It is okay." Alear whispers, gently rubbing circles on Alcryst's back. "You have nothing to apologize for. It is okay."
Alcryst mutters some more apologies and continues to cry. Alear continues to whisper quiet words of reassurance. Alcryst trembles against him, and he wishes he could have done something to take away all the fear Alcryst was feeling now.
But he isn't able to. All he can do is wait until Alcryst calms down.
And wait is what he does. Alear does not know how long he sat there, but he did not care. He had all the time in the world. When he feels the trembling stop, he meets Alcryst's eyes. "Are you alright now, Alcryst?" he asks quietly.
Alcryst breaks eye contact and nods.
"Good." Alear presses a kiss to the prince's forehead. "I am glad to hear that. Can you tell me what happened?"
"I... I am not sure..." Alcryst mutters. "I don't want to bother you too much. You need to sleep... I shouldn't bother you..."
"Alcryst..." Alear sighs, placing his hand on Alcryst's cheek. "It will not be a bother. You're my husband, the most important person to me. Anything that is bothering you will never be a problem for me. So please. I will listen to anything you have to say."
Alcryst falls silent, staring down at his hands. Alear does not push him to speak, opting to gently run his fingers through that silky hair he loved so much. He wanted answers, but he needed to patient. He couldn't force Alcryst to say anything, lest he wanted his partner to have another breakdown. But that distant look in Alcryst's eyes made him worry, it was like he wasn't entirely there.
What happened to make him like this?
How long had this been happening?
Alear wanted to ask, but he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to ask, not when it looked like Alcryst would break.
"I'm scared." Alcryst says, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Alear grabs Alcryst's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, silently urging him to continue.
"I'm scared that all of this is just a dream... When I had been captured..." Alcryst closes his eyes and trails off.
"What happened?" Alear quietly asks.
Alcryst opens his eyes and their eyes meet. "When I was being held captive, they... they hurt me. It wasn't just physical pain. They used some other spells too..."
Alear sucks in a breath. He knew what Alcryst was saying, but he still asks. "What kind of spell?"
Alcryst does not answer. Instead, he stares despondently at the wall across from him. It was like he was no longer there, and that he had gone somewhere far away.
But it made Alear realize that things had not been fine. He should have known that things were not okay. There hadn't been enough time for Alcryst to truly recover from what had happened. He didn't have enough time to process everything that had happened. When he had found out Alcryst had been taken, he felt nothing but an overwhelming fury to hurt the ones that dared to take something so important to him. Even though Alear had gotten Alcryst back, he could barely keep himself from mauling anyone that dared to say something to hurt Alcryst. Anyone who dared to look at Alcryst strangely. All the Divine Dragon felt was the urge to protect the Brodian prince and shield him from the harsh reality of the rest of the world.
After the Brodian noble had come to him about a proposal, he had rashly chosen to propose to Alcryst when he had told Veyle that he would wait until he was ready. Alear had done the opposite of what he had said he would do. He let his temper get the best of him, and he had jumped into it too soon.
He should have given Alcryst more time, but he was afraid of losing him. He knew that Alcryst was still alive, but he was still afraid of losing him. The noble had been a reminder that there could be a chance that there could be someone else Alcryst could marry. That idea upset him, so he had moved forward too quickly.
It hadn't been what Alcryst needed.
But Alear would try now to give him anything he needed.
"Alcryst." Alear pulls the prince close. "Please tell me everything. I want to help you."
Alcryst tenses for a moment before he leans his head against Alear's shoulder and sighs. "I know... I am sorry you have to do this..."
"Don't apologize for anything." Alear says. "It is okay. I don't want to push you to talk, but I don't want you to hold it all in either."
"Thank you, Alear." Alcryst closes his eyes. "I... I appreciate it."
Alear hums and holds him close, giving him a kiss on the forehead. Neither of them talk for a long while, and Alear does not mind. He was just glad that Alcryst was calmer now. He hoped that he had done something right.
"The spell they used was one I didn't recognize." Alcryst says suddenly. "It didn't hurt physically. It hadn't hurt in the beginning. At first, all it had done was make me dream. They were nice dreams, almost too good to be real. But that was why it hurt so much."
"What were the dreams like?" Alear is almost afraid to ask.
"It was like this." Alcryst says, looking him in the eyes. "They were happy dreams. I dreamt that I was home. That all our friends were there. That everything was alright. I dreamt that we had gotten married just like this, but then I woke up. I woke up in that dark dungeon and realized that it had all been fake. So when I actually got to marry you, I was scared. I was scared that I was still dreaming and that I would wake up to that dark dungeon again. I am scared that none of this is real. And I..."
Alear holds him closer, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "It's okay. Everything will be okay. This is real."
Hearing all of that made Alear's blood boil. If he had known about this, he would have made those people hurt worse. He would have made sure they suffered more. He would have made sure they hurt just like they had hurt Alcryst.
But he couldn't do that now.
"I'm sorry..." Alcryst mutters.
"It's okay. You don't have to apologize." Alear whispers, gently stroking Alcryst's hair. "None of this is your fault."
"But I..." Alcryst sniffles.
"It's not your fault." Alear repeats. He looks into Alcryst's eyes and smiles. "It's okay for you to cry. Cry all you need to."
He doesn't know if it was what he said or if Alcryst had grown tired, but the prince buries his face against Alear's shoulder again and sobs freely. Rather than worrying, Alear lets out a sigh of relief as he continues to rub Alcryst's back in reassurance.
It had taken time to get to where they were now, and it would take longer before things got better. But there was no rush for that.
They had all the time in the world.