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"The prince still hasn't been found! Fan out and capture him!"
A boy with long, blond hair stood on his bedroom balcony. He watched as his kingdom, the one he grew up in and loved, burned to the ground in ashes. He knew it wouldn't be long before the fire spread to the castle, killing him if he didn't escape. Even so, it was unlikely that the fire would free him before the guards of the kingdom of Rena found him. He'd heard his mother's screams, the clash of swords as his step-father inevitably tried to fight back against the intruders. He knew his fate was as sealed as theirs.
"My Royal Highness."
The young prince turned around to face the voice. His eyes narrowed as he responded, "I recall telling you to leave this palace, this kingdom, and to never return."
"You did. You forget, however, it's my job to protect you. Not the other way around."
He glared at the man behind him, then softened his expression as he whispered, "Why did you come back, Alhaitham?"
Alhaitham walked forward to the prince, joining him on the balcony. He extended his hand to hold his cheek and replied, "We made a promise. I'm not going to leave you, Kaveh."
"Kaveh, I have a surprise for you. Can you come with me to the throne room, please?"
Kaveh placed down his pencil at his desk and turned to face his mother. "What is it?"
"It's a gift for your fourteenth birthday. Please come downstairs."
Kaveh got up from his chair and followed his mother out of his bedroom, down into the throne room. A boy who looked younger than him stood there, holding a small bag. His face was turned downwards until he heard their footsteps. Short, silvery hair framed his face. He was slightly shorter than Kaveh was, and also more tan.
"Kaveh, this is Alhaitham. He's going to be living with us for some time. There aren't many other kids in the castle, so I'm hoping you two can become friends. Would you mind showing him to his room? It's the one next to yours."
"Yes, mother." He beamed, excitedly taking Alhaitham's hand and guiding him back up the stairs.
They stopped in front of one of the spare rooms, the one Queen Faranak had designated to be Alhaitham's.
"You can put your bag in there. If you want, I can give you a tour of the castle!" Kaveh's eyes shimmered and glowed with the candlelight. They were the colour of precious garnet stones, ones that would sell for a very high price. Absolutely breathtaking.
Alhaitham nodded at Kaveh and opened the door to the room. It was bigger than his grandmother's house was, with a large bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a balcony. Save for any decorations, it was a carbon copy of Kaveh's room. Curtains fluttered in the light breeze, and cicadas buzzed outside. He placed his bag down near the door and looked back to Kaveh.
"We have a garden outside, would you like to come and see it?" Kaveh asked, concerned that Alhaitham wasn't saying much. Even the servants spoke more than this.
He nodded again, prompting the young prince to grab his hand again and run back down the stairs. He navigated the castle as if he knew it like the back of his hand. Alhaitham trailed behind, hand still tightly gripped. Kaveh had soft, small hands, but he could feel calluses and some slight muscle. It made him wonder if the prince could also use a sword.
They burst through one last door and into a large garden. Flowers grew everywhere, every colour and variety imaginable. Kaveh led him to a small circle of orange and yellow flowers and knelt beside them. Alhaitham followed his example, kneeling down to get a better look.
"I don't know what these are, but they're my favourite. They remind me of fire."
Alhaitham studied the flowers, the name coming to him from a book his grandmother had shown him. He glanced up at Kaveh, then murmured, "They're marigolds. They like sun."
Kaveh whipped his head around to face the boy. "You can talk?!"
"Of course I can."
"Why haven't you until now?"
"I didn't want to."
Kaveh huffed, looking back at the flowers. He reached out to feel the petals, finger gently tracing them. "Marigolds. Hey, Alhaitham, I have a question. How old are you?"
He stared at Kaveh for a moment, then replied, "I'm twelve. Why?"
"You're two years younger than me?!" Kaveh was shocked, eyes wide and lips parted.
"Yeah. I'm here to be your bodyguard. Her Majesty, Queen Faranak, thought it would be better if it was someone closer to your age."
Kaveh sighed, stroking the marigold again. "Of course she did. She's been concerned about me ever since Dad died. I can take care of myself though; I could probably even beat you in a fight."
"No, you couldn't."
"Oh yeah? Watch me!" Kaveh jumped up to his feet, extending a hand to help up his new friend. "I'm gonna beat you so badly, you're gonna be scared of me for weeks!"
"Okay." Alhaitham took Kaveh's hand and pulled himself up, then followed as he was dragged to the sparring area. Wood swords were strewn about, some more damaged than others. Kaveh picked up one that looked bigger and heavier than he was, needing two hands to even keep it off the ground. Alhaitham chose a smaller sword, one thin and light, but with enough weight to swing comfortably.
"Are you ready?" Kaveh asked as he spun his sword, warming up his arms.
"Attack me whenever. I'll let you swing first."
Kaveh smirked and charged forward, moving with impressive speed despite the weight handicap. Alhaitham blocked his first swing easily. Despite his running speed, his sword speed was slow, as if he still needed to build up enough muscle to properly wield it.
Alhaitham swung for Kaveh's shoulder, only to be deflected by his opponent's weapon. The two moved as if they were in a dance of their very own, wood smacking wood loudly as each hit attempted was blocked.
Kaveh swung one last time at Alhaitham with as much speed and force as he could muster. The younger boy dodged it and went in to attack the spot Kaveh had left defenseless with his final swing. His sword connected with Kaveh's stomach, ensuring he had won the match.
"Oh, come on! I really thought I had it," Kaveh groaned. He dropped his sword, defeated. "That was a great fight, though. I apologise for doubting your capabilities."
"Why are you apologising to me? You're royal," Alhaitham replied, dropping his own sword.
"That's not an excuse. We're both human. That's what mom and dad always said, anyways. So, even if I have royal blood and you don't, we should still be treated fairly. That's why the kingdom frequently has days where my mom will visit. She tries to make sure everything is equal and fair. So if anybody tries to use the royal excuse to make you feel bad about yourself, let me know, because I'll beat their royal ass for you."
Alhaitham stared at Kaveh as he put back the swords they sparred with. "The people appreciate her for trying, but the truth is, the kingdom isn't all that great. Everyone just cleans up their act for a day or two during her visits."
Kaveh froze, his voice quiet and low as he mumbled, "I know." He turned back to Alhaitham, rushing up and taking his friend's hands. "That's why, when I'm king, we're going to work together. You and me. We'll make this kingdom into what my mom wants it to be. And we won't part ways until we do. Promise."
Alhaitham felt his face flush at Kaveh's proximity to him. "You're too close. But if that's what you want to do, I'll help you, My Royal Highness. I'll protect you while you fix this kingdom. I promise."
Kaveh paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Alhaitham, first of all, don't use that shitty title on me. I'm just Kaveh. Second of all, it's Your Royal Highness."
"No. It's my responsibility to protect you, so you're mine. My Royal Highness." Alhaitham squeezed Kaveh's hands in determination to keep the nickname.
"Fine, but don't say that around other people. It's improper," Kaveh replied, turning his head away.
From that point on, the prince and his bodyguard were always seen together. They ate together, they sparred together, and Kaveh even convinced his tutors to allow Alhaitham to join his lessons. Wherever Kaveh went, Alhaitham followed. One day, when Queen Faranak had entered her son's room to check on him after neither of them had been seen all day. Kaveh laid on his bed while Alhaitham read, the prince's head laying in his bodyguard's lap.
The problem began when Kaveh met Princess Nilou, of the kingdom of Rena. They met when she was sixteen and Kaveh was eighteen, and they were arranged to be married when she turned eighteen. She would dance while he played violin, or they would dance together when Alhaitham played piano. Her movements were as fluid as water, and she was an excellent teacher. At royal balls, people would whisper and murmur of their close relationship, seeing how happily they talked to each other. She had beautiful bright red hair. She was kind, gentle, graceful, delicate...everything Alhaitham wasn't. He watched as she and Kaveh would wander around the gardens, laughing together and chatting as if they had been friends for ages. Subsequently, he and Kaveh began growing apart. They didn't talk as much as before, and they weren't always seen together. Sometimes Alhaitham would be spotted in the castle library alone, or Kaveh would show up to dinner with the excuse that Alhaitham wasn't hungry.
It was on Alhaitham's eighteenth birthday when the truth finally came spilling out. He'd spent the entire day reading while also keeping an eye on Kaveh. If you were to ask him, it was the perfect day. He was getting ready to go to sleep when Kaveh knocked on his door. Alhaitham threw on a shirt before shouting, "Come in."
Kaveh entered with a small smile, holding something behind his back. "Happy birthday. Did you have a good day?"
"I did. What do you have?"
"I have gifts!" Kaveh pulled out a small box and a cupcake, then handed them to Alhaitham. "Sit down, I want you to open the box first."
Alhaitham sat down on his bed. Kaveh plopped down next to him as he untied the ribbon and opened up the box. Inside was a silver ring with small green stones embedded into it. A leather cord was tied around it, so it could be used as a necklace.
"Do you like it? I have a matching one," Kaveh said, showing him the ring necklace he had been hiding. It was gold and had red stones rather than green ones.
"Matching necklaces is something I thought you'd do with your girlfriend, not me," Alhaitham replied as he laid the necklace over his head.
"Ah, Nilou...she's the one who made you the cupcake, actually." Kaveh paused for a moment, idly twisting the ring necklace he wore. "Haitham, do you mind if I tell you a secret? You really can't tell anyone though. This is something I can only trust to tell you. Not my mom, not my step-father, not even Nilou."
Alhaitham looked up into those dark red eyes. They glittered pleadingly, almost begging Alhaitham to say yes.
"Go ahead. My lips are sealed."
Kaveh sighed in relief, smiling down at the ground. "Thank you. The truth is...I don't like Nilou in that way. I don't want to get married to her."
Alhaitham raised his eyebrows. "I thought you loved her. She seems perfect, too; she's pretty, she's smart, she has a lot of talents. Did something happen?"
"No, it's not that. It's silly, actually. There's only one reason I'm not in love with her."
Alhaitham nodded at Kaveh reassuringly. The prince looked back at his knight and took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
"The reason why I don't love Nilou is because she isn't you."
Kaveh opened his eyes again, looking at Alhaitham hopefully. Four years of building up enough courage to tell him, over three years of lying to Nilou about his feelings, everything leading up to this moment. He leaned in closer to his friend, faces inches apart.
Alhaitham closed the gap between them, placing his lips against Kaveh's. He wrapped an arm around the prince's waist, using his free hand to reach up and hold his head. He felt Kaveh's arms wrap around him in response, hands pressed against his back.
Kaveh drew back first, breathless. His breath was shaky as he asked, "How long?"
Alhaitham was truthful in his response, "Since you showed me the marigolds."
He felt dizzy as he processed what his friend had just said. From almost the moment they met to now, Alhaitham had always loved him. He dove in for another kiss, immortalising the feeling in his memory.
It was Kaveh's birthday when he asked Nilou to come with him to the garden. She was as beautiful as ever as she sat on the edge of the fountain, looking up at Kaveh.
Kaveh felt a pit forming in his stomach as he began, "Nilou, I have to tell you something really important, alright?"
Nilou suddenly stood up, hands curled into fists at her side. "I want to break off our engagement, please don't be mad."
Kaveh was stunned, taking a small step back before bursting out in laughter. Nilou seemed confused as her body untensed, her hands flattening at her sides. She chuckled softly as Kaveh slowly quieted himself.
"Sorry about that, Nilou. The truth is, that's why I asked you out here as well. I don't want to get married to you," he confessed. He looked over to where Alhaitham was standing and beckoned him over. "I'm in love with someone else."
Nilou's face lit up, and she rushed forward to hug them. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for the both of you! Don't even worry about telling your parents, Kaveh. I can tell my dad and them that I broke it off. I can take the backlash."
Kaveh hugged her back with one hand. "No. This is something we need to do together. Our final act as a couple."
She pulled back, smiling. "Alright. They should be having tea in your dining hall right about now, correct? Lead the way."
The trio entered the castle together, Kaveh and Alhaitham guiding the princess of Rena through the halls. They stopped just outside the dining hall, each gathering their courage, before knocking on the door gently.
"Come in," called Kaveh's mother's voice. They entered the room in a line, with Kaveh first, Nilou second, and Alhaitham bringing up the rear.
"Hey, guys. What do you need?" Kaveh's step-father asked. Queen Faranak remarried two years after the death of the previous king, Kaveh's father. He never tried to replace the prince's father, a small fact that made Kaveh respect him that much more.
"We need to tell you all something," Nilou began. She and Kaveh glanced at each other for reassurance, then confessed at the same time, "We want to break off our engagement."
The room was silent for a moment. Queen Faranak and her husband seemed shocked, but were otherwise unreadable. As for Nilou's father, he seemed outraged.
"What do you mean you want to break off your engagement? Nilou, it was your mother's dying wish that you would take control of the throne as soon as you turned eighteen. And to do that, you need a husband."
"No, I don't! I read over our laws countless times. I studied them every night after our engagement was announced, trying to see if I could back out of it in any way! It took me way too long to admit it to Kaveh, but he understood! We aren't in love, father!" Nilou retorted, more upset than Kaveh had ever seen her in her life.
"That's enough! You two are going to be married and that's final. Faranak, back me up."
The queen stood up, gazing down at Nilou's father. "No. My son will not marry somebody who doesn't want to marry him." She paused for a moment, then continued, "And even if we're both royalty, my title is Queen Faranak. Now, we can continue our lives and accept the fact our children aren't in love, or you can get out of my kingdom."
"You're going to regret this," the king growled as he stood up. He stormed over to where Nilou was standing with Kaveh and roughly grabbed her arm, pulling her along with him. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Kaveh one last time before being yanked out of his sight.
"Kaveh, I have a question for you."
Kaveh stood up straighter as his mom addressed him, nervous as to what she might ask. "Yeah?"
She smiled at him and asked, "Is there any reason you let Princess Nilou break off her engagement to you?"
"She doesn't love me," he replied. He looked over at Alhaitham and continued, "And I'm in love with someone else."
"I see. Kaveh, I hope you know that whoever you decide to marry, you have my full blessing." Faranak smiled, then began assisting the servants in cleaning up the dishes.
"You have my blessing as well, kid." Kaveh's step-father gave him a small smile and a thumbs-up. Really, that was all he needed to know that they'd accepted their son for being himself.
He was the first to see the lights in the distance. It was a clear night. Despite the autumn chill, Kaveh was out on his balcony, enjoying the view of the stars. Off in the distance, he noticed small lights slowly getting larger. And more numerous. He felt his stomach twist as he realised by the time he told anyone of the oncoming danger, it would already be far too late. He rushed over to his bed, where Alhaitham was reading a book.
"Kaveh? What's wrong?" Alhaitham put his book down and stood up to comfort his boyfriend, who was on the verge of a panic attack.
"Alhaitham, listen to me. Don't go against me in any way, alright? This is my last command to you as your prince. Leave this palace, Alhaitham. Leave the kingdom of Floreali and never come back. Ever. You need to go right now."
"Kaveh, what-"
"NOW!" He shouted, tears beginning to fall from his eyes. His arms fell to his sides as Alhaitham let go of him. He watched as his boyfriend, the guy who had protected him for over six years, left his bedroom. He heard the alarm bells begin to ring, warning the kingdom of oncoming intruders.
Kaveh stood up after five minutes of the bells ringing, wiping the tears from his eyes. He just had to hope the castle would burn down before they could get to him.
Alhaitham leaned in to kiss Kaveh, ignoring the shouting of the guards outside. He'd gone to warn Queen Faranak after Kaveh told him to run, but he ended up being too late. His plan was to protect her and hold off the intruders at the frontlines, but just before the castle had been breached, the queen had ordered him to find Kaveh and be with him instead.
"I love you, Kaveh. I could never leave you to die alone."
Kaveh pulled himself into a tight embrace with Alhaitham, tears spilling into his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"I'm here. You aren't going to get rid of me."
"I found him!" A voice called out from the hallway. Soldiers swarmed into Kaveh's bedroom, surrounding the couple. Alhaitham pushed Kaveh behind him protectively, glaring as Nilou's father entered the room.
"What did you do to my parents?"
"They're alive. They're going to watch the wedding, and then they'll be executed."
Kaveh sighed, grateful that his parents hadn't been killed yet. "So, your plan is to kidnap me and force me to marry your daughter? What about what she wants?"
"She doesn't know what she wants. She's a child. Once you two are married, you'll be under constant surveillance to make sure you don't try anything. You get one last question before we take you in."
He swallowed, then asked very quietly, "What'll happen to Alhaitham?"
"Your guard? He'll be given the same treatment as your parents. Now, you two have a minute to say goodbye. This castle's burning fast."
Alhaitham turned around to face Kaveh. They shared a soft, loving kiss as the kingdom burned. Unbeknownst to the king and his soldiers, the couple was slowly moving closer and closer to the balcony railing.
"Time's up, kids."
"Right. Time's up. Let's go." Kaveh suddenly spun and jumped up onto the railing, pulling Alhaitham up once he made it. The force of Alhaitham climbing up was enough to push Kaveh backwards, the prince and his knight hurtling towards the ground in one small, final victory.
"The kingdom on fire reminds me of the marigolds."
"It does, doesn't it?"