Chapter Text
The Naming Ceremony was a special occasion. Usually, only nobility was invited to the palace, but as the current head of the house, since his father died and his mother was to pass away soon and as the current Summer protector, he decided to open the doors of the palace to everyone. Prince and Protector Scott of house Rivendell just needed a day to prepare for his future coronation.
It was very rare a blood-relative would be chosen as the next ruler, but Scott's bloodline was a special case. Ever since queen Cassandra attempted to run away from her duties, her bloodline was tied to the throne. They would either become the next Summer ruler or the protector for the new Summer king. Some said it was lucky. Others saw it as a divine punishment. In Scott's opinion, it was just cruel.
Currently, Scott has been enjoying dancing with Jimmy. It had been hours since the ball started, but it felt like mere minutes, with Jim by his side. Sometimes, Scott wondered if it's healthy, indulging Jimmy, when he knew they would never be able to start a relationship. Not if he wanted to end up like his mother. He felt safe, held in those muscly arms. He wished he could have this every day.
But now was the time for the main event. The music went quiet, the dancers had slowed down and some candles were extinguished to allow the crystal throne to do its thing. And slowly, it came back to life. First, the sweet smell of flowers swept through the ballroom, then a warm wave, calmed down by a soft wind, followed by tiny crystals forming on the throne.
Scott looked at Jimmy, who just stared in awe and smiled. "Told you it's nothing special." he joked, the smile freezing, as he realized what's next.
"Are you okay?" Jimmy whispered back and Scott only squeezed his hand in reassurance.
"Why wouldn't I? I've been trained for this my whole life." He smiled again, only to reassure his friend. "You don't have to worry about me. Well, unless I visit some more lakes."
The dirty blonde chuckled. "Gosh you gave us the scare. Martyn was struggling to keep you up. For a prince, you're a very bad swimmer."
"Well, good thing I had a knight in shining armour to save me." The prince laughed, but froze, when Jimmy whispered a quiet:
"I'll always save you Scott."
He turned away, cheeks blazing. It felt too personal. Too real, for what his fate will be. But he won't do that to Jimmy, he can't. That's why he'll choose Joel as his protector when the time comes. They had both been raised with similar expectations after all.
The room exploded with various colours, but mainly gold and blue. It was like a firework show, but less celebratory. For some, it was the signal that life will continue and that would be enough. For others, it was a sign of another sacrifice being chosen to die for the world. Because the throne is not human. It can't understand mortal emotions. It's just pure force of magic that needs a sacrifice to survive. To fuel it. To some, it was their god choosing their rightful ruler.
The air shivered and the crowd gasped in awe, as the first letters appeared.
T
S
R
The prince frowned at the next T that appeared. It looked... almost broken. As if it was sharing the burden of its future king,
SCOTT SMAJOR.
And then a letter A appeared in the air and Scott frowned. It was too close to the R to be able to put JO in the middle. And with that realization, Scott pondered that maybe he is not the future Summer king. Perhaps... he could return Jimmy's feelings after the ball. Or even acknowledge that their glances were flirty, that their secret meetings were dates, rather than trade meetings.
Perhaps, he could have a future and family. And wouldn't that be something?
The throne hadn't shown anything else, but it was clear that the full name of the new summer will be announced soon. Scott smiled, ready to abdicate as soon as that happened. Happier, he tugged Jimmy for another dance.
---
It was exactly 3 days after the ball, when he learned the name of the future king. He was thinking about funeral preparations for his mother, when the sound of an opening door interrupted him. He looked up, and gave a nod in greeting "Hello Joel."
"Hello Scott," he nodded back.
"You look tired."
"I am, thank you for noticing," he joked. "It took some time to find you."
Scott raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh? Why were you looking for me?, I thought we were done."
"We were." Joel sighed, looking even more tired and somber. He wasn't a go-happy type of person, but usually there was some kind of energy, an intensity that drove him. None of it showed through now, replaced with dark bags under his eyes.
"But the Throne chose a new Summer."
Scott nodded. "Yes, that was the point, no?" He couldn't help but frown. His mother was dying, that much was clear, but how much will this accelerate her passing? And what will he have left of her? Only pictures and letters of her left for him to construct an image of a person he knew for so long.
He went towards the door, towards Joel, "Well, let's get on with it. I need to prepare the documents before I can step down."
Joel's face twisted in a pained grimace, stopping Scott from leaving.
"Joel?"
"Scott, I'm sorry."
"It's fine, I expected-"
"No. This… It's worse."
"Worse? But I thought the throne didn't choose me."
"It didn't, but… the Throne chose someone else."
Scott raised an eyebrow "And who would that be?"
Joel pursued his lips, "It's Jimmy."
Scott's arms fell to his sides, eyes growing wide, "No."
"Jimmy Solidarity is the next Summer king."
He grabbed Joel's shoulders. "Joel, you better not be fucking with me."
"Not this time. Never about something like this."
Scott felt like throwing up. He had- He hoped they could- Why? The young prince forgot there were two roles to fill in the monarch - protector bond. That his bloodline is cursed with the burden of serving the throne each generation, be it on the throne or serving it. So really, it shouldn't have been so world shattering, when the letters spelled out JIMMY SOLIDARITY instead.
---
Their roles reversed and Jimmy became the king to Scott's protector.
Scott knew what his duty was, what was expected of him as the former prince, but it was not easy, living up to everyone's standard. He walked through the halls silently, mentally preparing himself to face the court. His antler crown was firmly on his head and he took a deep breath, to steady his nerves. He was Lord Scott Smajor of house Rivendell, the protector of the Summer king and he needed to announce the change in seasons.
"The Summer regime has ended, prepare yourself for Autumn. May the Spring wake up soon and may the Summer rest in peace." He bowed to the court, ignoring the wide eyes from the new protectors and their charges, as he excused himself from the ball.
After all, it would be improper for a protector to grieve in public.