Work Text:
James was working on a concoction, something that Sherrinford had asked him about if it were possible. It was just a simple potion, one to aid in hearing thoughts of others. He wasn’t sure if it was practical in use, but he certainly wanted to give it a try. He knew all the things that should go into it. The problem was creating it and seeing it through to work.
But there was a sudden knock on his tower door, rough and quick. Not Sherrinford’s knock.
“Yes?”
Sebastian, the head of the Holmes Royal Knights, pushed the door open and eyed him. A flat expression as he put a hand over his chest and gave a small nod. “Your Majesty needs to see you at once, James.”
“Yes, I’ll be down for dinner at the usual time.” Sebastian was one of few people he could be informal with. They’d both been raised together just outside of the castle and have been friendly for decades. It’s why he waved a hand at him as if to say he was busy and to leave him be.
“It’s urgent,” Sebastian pressed. “They need your expertise.”
James looked up to see Sebatian’s expression shift serious, brow dipping into a scowl. And James didn’t like that look. It meant trouble. James swallowed, putting down his mortar and pestle he’d been holding on his workstation and asked carefully, “What is it about? Did they tell you?”
He watched his friend shift, almost uncomfortably. He shook his head and James knew he was hiding something. He was going to press for him to tell him, but just as he moved to brush past Sebastian, he heard the other say, “There’s rumor Prince Sherrinford is missing.”
Freezing midstep, James put his foot down and blinked down at the floor in awe. He turned his head to look at Sebastian and saw the empathy on his face, as if he felt bad for him. But he also saw that his friend wasn’t lying. James’ heart dropped and he swallowed a forming lump in his throat as he whispered, “Thank you. I’m… I’ll go speak to them right away.”
—
He tried to control his emotions as he hurried down to the throne room, only pivoting his destination when a guard said they were in the King’s library. James all but burst into the room, throwing the double doors open and sucking in a shaky breath as all eyes settled on him.
The entirety of the royal family was there in various states - The Queen had a kerchief with tear streaked cheeks. The King was looking over a map. Prince Mycroft was scribbling something furiously on parchment with his quill. Prince Sherlock was staring out a large window behind his father. And Princess Eurus was sitting on a footstool, looking incredibly downcast as she held a book in her hands.
Two guards were also in the room, holding helmets and standing at attention. They did not look at him.
“Sir,” James heard Sebastian behind him say. “Shall I close the doors?”
“Please,” King Holmes said. “But stay. I’d like your input and knowledge as well, Moran.”
James felt a tremor growing in his right hand and grasped it with his left, trying to control himself. “What’s happened?”
“Our little brother has wandered off. We fear he’s been taken,” Sherlock said.
Mycroft stopped his writing and asked, “Can you track him? Perhaps with a spell?”
“Well, of course but…what were the circumstances? Where did he disappear? Was there foul play?”
Queen Holmes choked a sob and covered her face with her kerchief. Eurus rose and moved to sit with her mother, patting her leg softly to calm her.
“He set out with some of the newer knights in a hunting party. For sport. But they said they lost track of him and found a piece of his armor,” King Holmes explained.
Well, at least it didn’t sound as if someone hurt him, but it didn’t rule out the obvious dangers. If anything, it gave James slight relief that Sherrinford was simply off somewhere in the woods. Maybe lost. But there were still dangers out there - rogues, thieves, griffins, goblins, bears… Suddenly his mild peace was gone and James approached the table with the map.
“Show me. Where was he last?”
He heard Sebastian approach from his clinking armor and the man pointed to a spot on the map - the woods to the west of the castle. Outside of the areas that were populated. Most stayed out of the woods unless they were in a group, fearing various possible dangers.
“Do you have anything of his? In this room here?”
King Holmes frowned curiously and shook his head.
“Very well.” He could manage without it. He knew Sherrinford’s aura, his essence, his scent. He didn’t need it. He held a hand over the area on the map, letting his eyes fall shut, and reaching out. He had to find him, he couldn’t be far…
Something salty rose in his throat and he swore he could hear a breeze in his ear. James broke out of his trance like state and blinked a few times, even shaking his head once to get his mind clear. He looked at his hand over the map and it had drifted, towards the coast and the ocean. How had he wandered so far?
“The coast. Why would he be at the coast?” he breathed, words half whispered as he wracked his mind for an answer. Had someone perhaps taken him? Were they about to take him on a ship? “Your Majesty, you need to get the knights here at once,” he said, pointing to the illustration of the coast on the map. “Permission to accompany them?”
“Of course. You may need to track him again. Sherlock, you go as well. Incase negotiations are needed. Sebastian, take the horses. Keep them safe and bring everyone home.”
James turned and almost ran into Sebastian as he stormed from the room. The other man stopped him in the hall and pressed a gloved hand to his shoulder. “Don’t lose your wits, Jimmy,” he said, using the old childhood nickname.
He’d simply shrugged him off and said, “I’ll see that he’s brought home safely at any means and you may take the glory. I just want him safe.”
—
No one noticed that James enchanted his horse before they set off, just a simple little spell to be sure the creature wouldn’t tire or slow. He wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to reach Sherrinford before anything bad could possibly happen. A Prince of the Holmes family wandering the coast felt like a bold red flag for trouble and mischief to anyone who would notice.
They reached the coast, James and Sebastian’s horses leading the small pack. Sherlock and the others were just behind them. He pulled on the horses’ reins, clicking his tongue and petting the creature. He jumped down, throwing the reins to Sebastian and running down towards the sand.
He heard Sebastian call his name behind him, telling him to wait and not be foolish.
But James didn’t care.
He only paused long enough to reach out, bringing his hands in front of him to twist and mumble an incantation. The same location spell as before, but stronger now that he was in place. He let his senses run, meshing into Sherrinford’s and felt shadows, smelled something woody and salty, creaking and footsteps touched his ears…
When he opened his eyes and snapped out of his trance, he saw a large vessel in the water. A ship. The sails were being raised and he glanced back over his shoulder to see Sebastian and the other knights hurrying down onto the sand. “The boat, Seb!”
It was the first time he’d ever felt so grateful that his magic was tied to nature, that his affinity would allow for him to reach out to the water and pull it. His emotions likely aided too, seeing as how when he reached out and pulled a hand, the boat rushed forward with the water. His other hand he held steady out in a fist to hold the vessel as he pushed his other hand, willing the water to recede back.
That ship wasn’t going anywhere now. And whoever was on board would pay dearly for whatever they’d done to the prince.
James let the knights rush the vessel as he huffed a breath and fell to his hands and knees in the sand. Exuding and using that amount of magic was a rush. He just needed a second to breathe.
He lifted his head, hearing shouting from the boat and saw someone being thrown over. But they weren’t wearing armor. Not one of their people. A fight had clearly broken out.
Once he caught his breath, James pushed himself up and hurried up the side of the ship, climbing up a rope. He heard something crack in the moment and smelled smoke immediately, ducking as he rushed across the deck.
Several people were fighting around him and James tried to slip by them. He was suddenly disappointed he left his knife back in the tower so recklessly and had to resort to magic to fight, something he hadn’t done in a long time. He pushed a hand towards one man that rushed at him as he set destination towards s door on the opposite end of the deck, as soon as a finger touched his chest sending the man flying backwards.
Another who tried to stop him in his rush slashed their sword at his arm, James barely dodged it and felt the blade slice through his two layers of tunic and skin. He hissed and twisted his hand quickly, causing the steel of the man’s sword to crudely bend and James pushed the hand back to cause the man to stab himself.
He slipped past the impaled man and hurried through the door, finding a small room and a stairs that went into the lower cargo hold. James all but jumped down the stairs and saw not only Sherrinford bound and gagged, but three others as well. James didn’t recognize them, but he assumed they were innocent as well.
James knelt down to pull the gag from around Sherrinford’s head. He felt himself deflate at the other breathing and mostly safe. “Are you alright?”
“They’re slavers. I didn’t know there were still people like them,” he explained, shifting around to let James have access to untie the ropes binding his wrists.
James worked quickly but then nodded Sherrinford towards his fellow captives. The two worked to free them as well, one a young girl that made James frown deeply. He hoped Sebastian and the knights killed every last one of those on his boat.
As James led them up the stairs, a heap of smoke was billowing towards the door. He held up an arm and winced, he’d assumed a fire broke out and it had likely spread. “Hold on,” James told them. “Can we get out that window?”
Sherrinford rushed to the window and tried it, jerking it open but the thing was so small. Barely enough for a head. Seeing this, James removed one of his tunics and draped it over his head like a hood. He drew closer to the door and squinted through the piling smoke, throwing open the door the rest of the way and holding up his hands. He leaned forward, drew all the breath from his body, and pushed his hands.
The smoke crept backwards, almost as if James was physically pushing it back. He did this enough for them to slip through the door and hopefully make it off the boat, taking a few steps forward himself. The three victims ran out of the room but Sherrinford hesitated at James’ side.
“James, c’mon,” he said. He could vaguely see the other wanting to wave him through the door. James didn’t have any air in his lungs to speak though and instead just shook his head. He opened his eyes enough to silently plead for Sherrinford to go.
Sherrinford hesitated. “Not without you,” he said firmly.
It made James’s brow furrow in frustration and he pushed harder, feeling his lungs burning now from the lack of air. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up. He needed the other off this boat, out and safe on the sand with the knights. He couldn't live with himself otherwise.
He managed to mouth ‘please’ at Sherrinford before he felt his magic slipping, the world even slipping away. He was seconds from passing out. He felt his legs tremble and noticed Sherrinford grab his tunic from his head and hold it over his face before wrapping an arm around Jim and pushing them into the smoke.
—
James must have blacked out before he drew a breath. He didn’t remember getting off the boat, didn’t remember much of anything before trying to get Sherrinford to go without him.
But he was blinking awake to see the mane of his horse. James had arms around him and reins in the attached hands as they trotted along. He had a brief stint of panic for whose arms they were but he heard a familiar voice behind him.
“There you are.”
It brought relief to hear his voice, to know he was safe. James relaxed slightly in the saddle and realized how solid Sherrinford felt against his back. He was grateful the other couldn’t see his face and the flush that rose from the thought.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I walked through hell,” James admitted.
“You scared me. You… I don’t even know what you were doing fully but you passed out or something. And I got you off the ship before the thing burned.”
“Is everyone safe?”
“Everyone who matters,” Sherrinford stated darkly. “And we’re going to see that the other three get back to their families. Two of them aren’t from here. They might not speak English.”
“I’d like to help.”
“You’ve done enough. You’re going back to the castle to rest. We’re going to have a doctor look you over.”
James groaned. “Oh, no doctors. I can heal myself if you just fetch me my onion root.”
He heard Sherrinford laugh, felt him laugh behind him and had to bite back a sigh as he mentally cursed himself. Why did he have to fall in love with someone he clearly couldn’t have? These little interactions were always so wonderful but never enough…
“As you wish,” Sherrinford said. “Now rest. Lean against me until we arrive. I won’t let you fall.”
He was sure he heard his voice fall with his last words and James honestly would have fallen off the horse if not for Sherrinford’s arms keeping him upright. He swallowed, a nervous little gulp before hesitantly leaning back lightly against the younger man. “Thank you, Sherrinford.”
—
Thankfully, Sherrinford listened to James’ choice to not see a doctor and he helped him up to the tower. He even got him into his bed and brought him food. He was sure he heard Sebastian visit while he was resting and telling Sherrinford that someone else could deliver the food, but Sherrinford seemed set on doing it.
Once he’d rested for a day, Sherrinford told James to tell him what to do as he stood at his workstation. He had the onion root and proudly said he’d make his herbal healing concoction. After all, James had taught him how to do it and it was simple - he just sought guidance and reassurance.
Verbally from bed, he sat up and supervised, watching Sherrinford take precious care to make the potion before handing it over to James. He’d jokingly said that if Sherrinford did it wrong, he hoped to not feel worse but laughed and promised that wouldn’t happen. Worst case of wrong making with this simple mixture would just mean that James drank some untreated onion juice - which really, had its own benefits.
James showed off a little to prove he was feeling better by holding out his hand and causing the prepared vial of mixture to smoothly leave Sherrinford’s hand and float over to him.
“Thank you for this. You did a good job. I feel proud to have taught you.” He offered a genuine smile, lowering his head slightly before downing the liquid with a small grimace. It didn’t taste great but it never did. In a few hours time, he would have his strength back. Until then though, he was still stuck in bed.
Sherrinford pulled a stool over to sit beside James’ bed and stared bright eyed. “You were a wonderful teacher. I love this magic stuff. I’m…envious, really.”
“You’re envious after you saw what happens when I’m spent of it? Oh, Sherr…”
“No, really,” Sherrinford went on to say. “You’re amazing. You’ve always been so amazing. You’re brilliant. Knowledgeable. And patient and kind and–”
“Stop, my ego is going to hurt next,” James joked, rolling his head against his pillow.
“And you saved my life.” Sherrinford added his words firmly, resting his hand on James’ as he watched him carefully. He stammered over words, as if he was meaning to say something that he just couldn’t get out.
So James took his chance to show a little vulnerability, maybe let him see how much he really cared about him. He only hoped it wouldn’t scare him away. “I’d do anything for you, Sherrinford. Prince or not, I’d go to the ends of this earth to make sure you were safe. You’re…important to me.”
Silence loomed between them briefly and James shut his eyes, wondering if he’s said too much. Or if Sherrinford was going to just assume that he was talking more on his duties to the royal family and court than to his feelings.
“Do… D-Do you love me?”
“What?” James’ eyes bolted open and he stared wide eyed at Sherrinford. He looked nervous, just as nervous as James but felt maybe more. He was waiting for an answer, clearly and James opened his mouth. “I…”
“Forget I asked,” Sherrinford quietly said, shaking his head.
James pushed himself up in the bed, sitting up as he shook his head. “No, don’t…” He slipped his hand from under Sherrinford’s and swallowed his nerves to say, “I do. But I’m not stupid. I know this could never be a thing. You’re a prince. I’m only a court mage. And a man, at that. Your parents…” His stomach twisted, anxious. “Please don’t…tell them I said this.”
Sherrinford just blinked a few times at him. James was going to ask if he wanted him to go, maybe to leave the court and find work elsewhere. To never see him again, which would break his heart but if it was what Sherrinford wanted? He’d do it. He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d do anything for him.
“I don’t care what they think,” Sherrinford finally said. His brow was knotted and he had a faint smile on his lips. “I’m not planning to marry. I won’t do what my brothers will. I want to be a knight. I want to take over for Sebastian one day. And I want you.”
The breath that left James was a shudder, shaken to his core that he’d just said that to him. About him. He couldn’t pick his jaw up from the floor either. He licked his lips and gathered his thoughts briefly before asking, “Sherrinford could you get up just for a moment please and stand over there.” He pointed to his workstation across the space in his tower. It earned a confused look but Sherrinford obliged with a raise of his brow.
James sucked in a breath and ran his hand sideways over his bed, outwards to where the stool was where there was no bed. It expanded the space, turning the small single person bed into a larger one for two.
“That’s amazing,” Sherrinford exclaimed, a bright expression as he hurried back over.
“Lay with me. Just…lay with me. That’s all.” He had no energy with that little use of magic and was probably going to need to stay in bed a bit longer, but if Sherrinford would stay with him? It would be all worth it.
Sherrinford sat his sword aside and pulled his boots off before crawling in next to James, cuddling up against him. He watched this and felt warmth in his heart, kissing the top of Sherrinford’s head. He heard the other’s hushed voice as he settled saying, “I love you too.”