Archive of Our Own

Soft footsteps padded behind his wall.

Cellbit could hear them, and he sat up in bed, glancing towards Felps, hoping the man was asleep. It wasn’t often that Roier came to visit him, so it must have been important. He wasn’t really supposed to be in here. He did have his own chambers but sometimes he didn’t like to sleep alone in the same room, but he didn't want to bother Roier tonight as it seemed something had been going on.

Quietly getting out of bed, he placed his feet against the cold floor, finding his footing in the near darkness. Felps was supposed to room with a man named Fit but the man was almost never in here, so it worked out. The soft glow of Felps tattoos in the darkness helped him find the hidden doorway in the room, slipping into the tunnels of the castle.

“Roier.” He whispered, holding onto the wall as he glanced around, trying to see any evidence of the man.

Someone with a candle turned a corner and headed towards him. Seeing that it was Roier, he went forward. He’d not seen the man for a few days now, although he’d started to hear the mans name whispered around lately. Roier got to him and half hugged him, burying his face in his shoulder, keeping the candle away from both of them. So it was important. Hopefully whatever people had been whispering about wasn't something bad.

“What happened?” He whispered, hugging him back and blowing out the candle so Roier could fully hug him, which he did the moment Cellbit did that.

“I… I just needed to see you.” Roier whispered.

“Why?” Cellbit asked again, trying to get an answer out of the man, and running a hand through his hair.

Roier shook his head, “No. I’ll explain later. I just… I just needed to hug you right now.”

“Okay.” He said, letting Roier cling to him, the warmth seeping into his bones. It was cold in some of the chambers.

They stood there for a few minutes and only then did Roier let him go. He wasn’t sure what the man had been going through or what had happened in the last few days but he’d be there for him no matter what. No matter what happened.

“Here, let’s go to my chambers.” Roier whispered, sliding down his hand to hold Cellbits.

He nodded and reached out, finding Roiers candle and whispering a few words, watching the flame flicker on again, illuminating the new tear tracks on Roiers face. He had a feeling that no matter what news he’d be getting, it wasn’t going to be good. Roier wiped his eyes and led him away. Cellbit dutifully followed, wanting to know what had caused his lover to be so upset. He hoped it was something small. It was going to be something bad though, Cellbit wasn’t an idiot.

The cold went away when they emerged in Roiers room. The fire was still stoked which told him that Roier hadn’t slept at all yet and it was pretty late at night. The windows were closed and curtained. Roier blew out the candle again, and placed it where he’d taken it from before sitting on his bed. The bed was messy, so clearly he’d tried to sleep but something kept him up.

Cellbit sat next to him, looking at him as Roier stared at the floor before leaning over and opening a drawer, taking a folded up piece of paper from inside. It was handed over to Cellbit as if prompting him to read it. He wasn't going to like what was on this paper.

It was ornately decorated with text on it, an invitation.

You are cordially invited to the Union of The Kingdom of The Federation and The Kingdom of Quesadilla Island through the marriage of Princess Jaiden Animations and Prince Roier De-

“What the hell?” Cellbit whispered to himself, starting to read the details.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t have a choice.” Roier whispered to him.

“What?” Cellbit looked at Roier who was still staring at the floor. “No, I’m not mad at you, guapito. I’m just… shocked.”

“Yeah.” Roier let out a bitter laugh. “I am too, but it’s for the good of the nation. I wish I could tell them but…”

Roier sighed and moved so that he could lay down on his bed with his head on his pillow. Cellbit moved with him and laid down to look in Roiers eyes. Roier seemed almost guilty by this thing that he couldn’t control. Cellbit honestly thought that they’d be together in secret for a lot longer than this. This… might be it though. He didn't like that idea. It clawed at his heart and pierced it straight through.

“I thought they’d come to a better conclusion than this but this… this is the best they could do. The Federation, they have resources we can’t fight. It’s the only agreement that they’d accept. At least an alliance like this is something we can do.” Roier said bitterly. “I heard their other ideas and they were all horrible. None of the rest of them end well for us.”

“Are we…?” Cellbit trailed off as Roier scooted forward and wrapped his arm around his waist to keep him close.

“No. We won’t be able to see each other as often but I’m not going away. At least until I become king, and then it’s a whole thing. I’ll have to leave more often than I already do.” Roier sighed.

“You could abstain.” He suggested.

“They’d never let me. The court won’t let Leo because she’s adopted. The only reason they let my fathers get married is because I already existed as an heir.” Roier reminded him. “It’s whatever. I don’t want to think about it. I just want to be with you right now.”

Cellbit nodded, and pulled the man closer, managing to pull the covers over them. Roier rested his head on Cellbits chest, getting himself as close as he could without accidentally hurting the man. He wrapped his arms around Roiers waist and Roier held onto him, sighing deeply and cuddling up again before he finally stopped moving for the night.

He yawned and closed his eyes, letting himself drift off into dreamless sleep, and if Phil woke him up in the morning, ever the savior to get him out of there when he wasn't supposed to be, no one would mention it.

Cellbit watched silently as the castle was prepared for a wedding. Roier got busy and Cellbit never saw him during the day. He'd sneak off and see him almost every night though, holding the man and comforting him. From what he saw, Foolish and Vegetta were sympathetic but he was pretty sure that he was one of the few people who knew how Roier truly felt. The man pretended to everyone else that he was fine. Maybe Mariana knew but he'd said nothing to anyone. When Felps gave him a concerning look, he ignored it.

The wedding was in a week now, and Cellbit laid next to Roier, softly kissing his worries away. Each feather light kiss on Roiers face made the mans face turn pinker than it had before and brought a smile to his face. He'd missed him so much, even if it had only been a day or so since the last time they'd truly seen each other. He laughed to himself when Roier started giggling.

He pulled back and looked at Roier, the man smiling warmly at him. He found himself smiling as well, content at least right now, but he could see the smile fading as Roier remembered what was going to be happening soon. This had to come to an end. After Roier was married, there probably wasn’t going to be any more secret meetings. At least not very often. They might stop all together, yet he knew he'd never stop loving him.

“I saw her.” Roier whispered.

“Yeah?” Cellbit whispered back.

“She’s pretty, I’ll give her that. Just not my type.” Roier murmured.

“I couldn’t guess.” Cellbit snorted.

Roier laughed back and sighed, moving so that his lips were next to Cellbits, kissing him softly before pulling away and resting his forehead against his own.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” Roier admitted.

“We could leave.” He suggested.

He didn’t have to open his eyes to know that Roier was considering it before he responded, “I can’t leave that pressure on Leo.”

Cellbit hummed. He wished that the court was fine with Leo as an heir. “If you do abstain, they have no choice but to make Leo the heir you know. She wants to be Queen.”

“I know she does, but it wouldn’t be easy. I’d have to be dead or missing forever. They’d try to find me to be the heir for forever before the court lets her take the throne.” Roier sighed.

“We can worry about that later. If you ever want to leave though, I will gladly follow you wherever you want to go.” Cellbit murmured, leaning forward, feeling Roier smile against his lips.

“I’m sure you will, gatinho.” Roier whispered.

The night before the wedding came. Cellbit had seen both the brides dress and Roiers suit. The brides dress was a very ornate and traditional white, and Roiers suit was a very deep purple, bordering on black, but he could see the purple within, and the gold accents. The colors of the Royal Family. He hated how nice they looked. He hated how he was invited. He hated how he was one of the groomsmen because he was one of Roiers friends to everyone else.

He was in Roiers bedroom, and they were staring at each other. It was the part of this that was the most heart-wrenching or maybe watching his lover get married to someone else tomorrow would be the worst. He didn't want to do this, but they'd come to the conclusion this was the only way that they could move forward. Maybe they'd change their minds tomorrow but right now, this was the option that they had.

“I’ll always be here for you.” Cellbit murmured.

“I know. I love you.” Roier choked out. They were both on the verge of crying and Cellbit was trying to ignore the way his breath hitched and his eyes stung.

“I love you too, but Roier,” His voice broke, "I think we should stop courting.” Cellbit whispered, squeezing his eyes shut, not wanting to see his reaction.

“Okay.” Roier whispered, shaking in his hands. An official break up was better for both of them. They knew that this was going to happen eventually. It hurt though. God, it fucking hurt.

Letting go of Roier, he opened his eyes, water filling his vision. Roier was trying to stay strong, he could see it, but he saw that the man was holding back sobs. He left though, slipping behind the tapestry and into the tunnels of the castle. His chest heaved at the idea of leaving Roier alone like that, sobbing and in such an emotional state but it was for the best. They had to. If he comforted the man, they'd end up right back at the start.

Finding his way through the tunnels with misty eyes and a half lit candle was difficult but he found his way to Felps quarters, slipping in. Felps hadn’t known what he was going to do tonight. He wished that things were different. He hadn’t been expecting for Pac and Mike to be in here as well. They didn't know. He couldn’t tell them.

Felps got up and asked him what happened and he broke. Felps sat him down on the bed as he cried, and He was pretty sure that Felps had figured out what had happened. Pac and Mike, as much as he trusted them, they couldn’t keep their mouths shut sometimes and so he’d never told them about Roier. It was one thing to be messing around with a fellow knight or co-worker within the castle but the Prince was a very different thing. That kind of thing could get him killed which was why only three people even knew about them.

“Did you-” Felps began to ask, getting interrupted by Cellbit nodding his head. “Oh god. I thought you guys would just keep hiding it. Jesus, Cellbit.”

“What?” Pac asked, “What happened?”

“I forgot he didn’t tell you.” Felps muttered.

Felps moved and hugged Cellbit while he sobbed. It hurt a lot more than almost anything else he’d experienced. He hadn’t known that heartbreak could hurt this much. He wanted to do something about it but he knew that this was for the greater good. This was for the good of the nation. It had to be the end. It just had to be.

“He…” Felps hesitated.

“He’s dating a knight, isn’t he?” Mike asked. It was common for Knights to date amongst each other despite their celibacy pacts. It led to some getting ousted when found out but most managed to keep it a secret.

“That would explain it.” Pac murmured.

“No.” He managed to get out in between sobs. “Roier. It’s Roier, and- and he’s getting married. We had to leave each other.”

There was silence filling the space now, the only sound his sobs. He wished that he could go somewhere else, anywhere else, but for now he cried over a lost lover with his friends.

The next morning was busy. Cellbit got dressed. He and Roier avoided eye contact when they were in the same room for the preparations. It was quiet though. Mostly because a majority of the groomsmen knew that Roier didn’t want to do this by now. They didn’t know that Cellbit was the reason why, and him being there was a constant reminder.

They headed out and the procession started. Roier stood at the altar, and Cellbit stood to the left of Mariana, his best man. There was a part of him that wished that he was Roiers best man but he knew that they both would’ve started crying. Pac and Mike were in the audience as the scientists of the castle, looking at him in almost pity. He wished that this wasn’t happening. There was nothing they could do about it though. Roier had a duty to his country and Cellbit was a fool to think he could change that.

The ceremony went normally, it was long. It was the first time he was seeing the bride, and she did look nice. The dress was wonderful and she looked like she was faking excitement just as much as Roier was. At least there was that. At least neither of them wanted it. At least they both hated this. They were nearing the end when all hell broke loose.

“Do you, Roier De Luque, take Jaiden Animations to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health for all the days of your life?” The priest asked.

There was hesitation, silence that caused the audience to shift in their seats waiting. Just those two words. Those two words that everyone was waiting for. Jaiden had already said that she did.

“No.” Roier dropped Jaidens hands and backed up, causing a murmur to rush through the place. “I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m sorry. I just- I can’t.”

With that Roier rushed off, running out the nearest exit. There was confusion for a moment as Cucurucho stood up, and Foolish and Vegetta were very clearly trying to keep the man calm. Mariana rushed off after Roier and Cellbit followed him. He didn’t want to make anyone else think anything after this but it would at least make sense for him to go after him since he was his groomsman.

“Roier.” Mariana yelled out as they got out of the main area where the wedding had been held.

“Where did he go?” Someone behind him asked.

Mariana whirled around to look at him and spoke, “The Tunnels. He’s going back to his room but blocking the doorway.”

That seemed like the most logical solution and so Mariana found the nearest entrance and the two of them slipped into the tunnels of the castle. Mariana cursed and Cellbit instinctively held his hand up and whispered an incantation to himself.

Fire burst into life, dancing on his palm, Mariana yelping and backing away from him. Right. He wasn’t supposed to do that. That was illegal and Mariana could and would turn him in.

“How long have you been- Doesn't matter.” Mariana, ever the prepared man, pulled out a wooden stick that might've been for a later part of the ceremony and Cellbit lit it on fire so that he could lead the way to Roiers chambers.

They ran the rest of the way, bursting into the area and finding the man pushing his dresser in front of the door. It was already a heavy door to begin with but this was nearly everything in the room. The curtains were shut as they always were but there was the distinct sound of something hitting wood. Other people wanted to get in. They wanted to talk to Roier. To ask him why he did that. To get him back out there.

Roier turned towards them, a scrape of a sword unsheathing following the quick turnaround, almost insanely quick. His hair was windswept and eyes blown wide, although they relaxed when they met Cellbit. Although only a little. He seemed tense when he caught sight of Mariana.

“Roier, what are you doing?” Mariana asked, holding up his hands cautiously.

“I can't marry her, Mariana.” Roier cried out. It was loud enough that the people outside noticed that the Prince was talking to someone and they should try and listen in, so they stopped knocking on the door.

“Why? I know you don't like these types of things. I know it seems horrible but it's not like you aren't going to get to know her.” Mariana said. “You'll fall in love, eventually I promise.”

“Mariana, you know I won't.” Roier said.

“The fact that you like men as well won't stop-

“Exclusively.” Roier whispered, the point of the sword dropping. “Exclusively men and the whole fucking point of all of this is to get an heir.”

Roier tossed his sword on the carpet and began to pace around, clearly unsure of what to do with his time right now. He tended to pace when he had to think. They had to do something quickly to satiate the masses. Mariana gave him a look and Cellbit stepped forward, finding his way into Roiers walking path, the man stopping in front of him and staring at him, almost like an idea was forming in his head. One that could solve things.

“Let's leave. Tonight.” Roier said suddenly.

Cellbit blinked for a moment as Roier kept talking, “As long as I stay here they'll make me try to marry her and they can't marry off Leo she's too young, so they'll have to find another solution. We should leave. Right now. Cellbit, don't look at me like that, you promised me if I changed my mind, you'd leave with me.”

“You what? You were planning on leaving before this?” Mariana asked.

“Okay.” Cellbit breathed out, making Roier form the first smile he had all day.

“We- we have to go to my room first though. It's one thing if I disappear with you, but they'll look through my room and if they find my books, they'll think I enchanted you and kill me if they ever find us.” Cellbit said, taking a small step towards Roier.

“Hold on. Roier, you're the crown prince. You can't just leave.” Mariana said, stepping towards both of them. “Cellbit, why are you encouraging this?”

Roier looked at Mariana before back at him, and then back at Mariana, who huffed.

“Right, I forgot about that. Look, Roier if you’re going to leave, send me a letter. Send me a letter telling me you’re okay.” Mariana said.

“I will, I promise.” Roier said, hugging his friend really quickly as people began to knock on the mans door again.

“I’ll stay here, act like I’m talking to you, and- and then I’ll say you ran off in the tunnels and stole my pouch.” Mariana untied his coin pouch, shoving it in Roiers hand. “That Cellbit went after you and I lost you both in the maze.”

“Thank you. We’ll write. Cellbit can send the letters.” Roier promised as Mariana glanced at him.

“You’re going to get the both of you killed if you’re not careful.” Mariana reminded him.

“There’s more magic users in this castle than you think there are.” Cellbit replied, as Roier took his hand and began to drag him towards the tapestry.

“Goodbye, Mariana. We’ll be okay, I promise. Thank you so much.” Roier said, pulling back the tapestry.

“Goodbye, my lord.” Mariana said, clearly having not expected for his best friend to leave today. One he'd been protecting for god knows how long.

“Bye.” Cellbit said to Mariana, slipping into the tunnels.

They left the man to create their cover and ran through the tunnels, Cellbit took the lead, having walked this path much more often than Roier. He burst into his chambers and pushed the dresser in front of the door. It wasn’t likely that anyone was going to be here yet, but he needed to get his things. Grabbing his shoulder bag, he shoved a knife, his spellbook and a couple other herbs that could be incriminating should they find it. The rest were stored elsewhere that no one could get to.

He did, however, grab a cloak for both him and Roier. Roier’s looked too fancy, and Roier grabbed a couple of his extra sets of clothes in another shoulder bag. Roier reached under his bed and pulled out a crossbow, pulling it on his back. He gave the man a look who shrugged and pulled the bolts out from under his bed as well. He wasn’t sure when the man had stored them there, but he didn’t care right now. Grabbing his own stash of coins that he saved for emergencies, he turned towards Roier.

“Do we have everything we could possibly need?” Cellbit asked.

“Money, weapons, clothes.” Roier muttered. “No evidence of magic. We still need transportation.”

“We need to get out of the castle first.” Cellbit said.

“Right, then we can go. I know where.” Roier said, going out of the room and Cellbit followed.

The tunnel was much different than the ones Cellbit was used to. This one had cobwebs and the smell of dust and must. He wished that it was different but it wasn’t and right when Roier opened the hatch to the outside of the castle, a glimmer reminded him that Roier was still wearing his crown. Reaching forward, he snatched the crown off the mans dead, a weight that Roier was familiar with and shoved it in his bag.

Roier glanced back at him and kept his cloak closed, flicking up the hood and going out into the pale sun. It was a cold morning and so at least people wouldn’t be surprised if they were being secretive. They ran, the castle walls fell far behind as they weaved through the streets, heading towards the edges of town. He remembered seeing a place where you could rent horses and he was sure if he gave enough gold they could just buy one or two. Well, the owner might give him a deal.

When he got to the right street, he grabbed Roiers hand and tugged it in the right direction and then let go. The streets were mostly empty, a loud echo from the town center as people celebrated. They didn’t know what was happening yet. They didn't know what just happened.

Getting to the building at the very edge of town, Cellbit opened the door and was met face to face with Bad. He wasn’t surprised that the man wasn’t celebrating, as it wasn’t his thing, but he didn’t expect the smile he was greeted with.

“You can take both horses, Cellbit.” Bad spoke before he even said anything. This man was too good at his job.

“Do you know him?” Roier asked him.

“We do know each other, my lord.” Bad said. “Just know they’ll show back up here when you find what you’re looking for, or if… you can't go on, but I don't expect that to happen.”

“I know that. Thank you. I’lll.. I’ll do something for you.” Cellbit breathed out, rushing out into the stables through another door, with Roier following.

“You don’t have to and you know it.” Bad called out after him.

Cellbit looked around the stables, knowing they were all fine choices but there was a better option than some. He rounded one of the stable doors and started undoing the reins of Shadow. Almost all of Bads horse were pitch black. An effect of the magic they were embedded with. It was hard to tell which ones were the best ones but they would probably be okay either way. They just had to work. They would. Demonic magic was not something to take lightly.

Roier grabbed the reins of another horse and they led the horses out of the stables. Roier asked him no questions, instead climbing atop the horse and Cellbit did the same with the other horse. Roier saddled up next to him and asked quietly which direction they should go. Cellbit just said forward and they urged the horses forward, getting them up to a good speed to go through the forest. They needed to get as far as they could. They couldn’t know which direction that they’d gone and there were no witnesses except Bad. That was ideal honestly.

The horses didn’t tire or need food or water which was going to shock Roier when he found out but there wasn’t time for that right now. They just needed to get as far as possible as quickly as possible. Then they could worry about where they wanted to settle down.

The sun began to set and they were faced with a decision; go a bit off the road and camp or continue further and hope that there was an inn that they could stay in.

In the end, just as Cellbit was going to stop them, a small town popped into view and they stopped the horses. They stabled them and gave a couple coins to the stableboy in secret. Roier waited outside while Cellbit went inside and got them a room. They couldn’t risk anyone recognizing Roier for any reason because that would mean the information would get back to the castle at some point and that wouldn’t bode well for them. They had to get out of the country.

He got Roier up to the room and then headed downstairs and got dinner for them both. Bringing them up to the room, he sat down on the bed and handed a plate of food to Roier. They’d gotten a room with two single beds but he had a feeling that they’d end up laying in the same bed. The dinner was good and then he took the plates back down and came back up to the room. Roier had started changing into the other set of clothes they had, getting out of that extremely obvious purple and gold suit he had on.

He laid down on one of the beds and stared at the ceiling. He should probably get out of the rest of the suit but taking the jacket off was enough. Roier, now in different clothes, laid down next to him, so he scooted over to accommodate Roier laying next to him. Roier laid his arm over Celbits waist and he turned over and looked at the mans face. Roier’s face was right next to his own. They were both somewhere they’d never been before facing a future they didn’t know.

“Holy shit.” Cellbit whispered causing Roier to start giggling. It was exhilarating.

“Holy shit.” Roier agreed.

“We just did that.” Cellbit giggled.

“We did.” Roier looked truly relaxed for the first time in weeks. He'd missed his lover looking so carefree and happy.

Roier placed his hand on Cellbit's cheek and half-sat up, leaning in to kiss him. He kissed back, smiling against his lips, grasping onto the man's face and bringing him closer. This was wonderful.

The next few days passed without incident. They rode horses and were nearing the country's border. It wasn't exactly policed but in order to get out without anyone noticing who they were, it was going to be difficult. They'd have to go some other way. Hopefully it would be easier than he thought.

Cellbit guided them along the river, away from the main path, having dropped down from the horse to guide it. He'd felt uneasy most of the day. Like something was wrong but there wasn't anything he could do about it until something actually happened. He guessed that he'd just have to wait for a while, but as they walked along the border and looked for a good place in the river to cross, he heard it.

Branches snapped and Roier turned around, slinging his crossbow into position with frightening speed. Cellbits hand drifted towards his belt, hand clasping the knife hilt there.

Someone burst out of the bushes and his heart sank. Soldiers. Royal soldiers in specific. How the hell had they managed to catch up so quickly? There was no way they could've done that on their own.

He knew that Roier had wanted to avoid a scuffle with them because he knew these people. He'd grown up with them and he didn't want them to find the two of them because they might have to fight them. Slowly he pulled his knife out of his sheath before Roier signaled for him to stop because one of the soldiers was pulling off his helmet. Roier had put down his crossbow as they were met with the face of Mariana.

A wave of relief washed through him. At least it was someone who would let them go.

“I figured you'd go this way.” Mariana said while the other knight looked at him almost in confusion.

“Are we not supposed to take them back?” The Other Knight asked, a voice that Cellbit vaguely recognized.

“We are supposed to do that, preferably without getting shot.” Mariana said, glancing at the crossbow now hanging limply at Roiers side. He knew that Mariana probably wasn't going to take them back.

The Man acted as if Roier would ever shoot him even if he betrayed him.

“But first.” Mariana turned to the other knight. “You're getting sworn to absolute secrecy for what I'm about to do.”

“What?”

“You're going to say nothing, Erwin, swear it.” So that's who it was. He'd seen the man a few times.

“Why?”

“Swear upon the sword that upholds us that you will say nothing about what I am going to do. I know you can lie.” Mariana said.

Erwin hesitated for a moment, looking between them and Mariana.

“I swear on the sword that upholds us that I will say nothing to anyone about what you're about to do.” Erwin said.

“Good.” Mariana said, going towards Roier before unsheathing his sword and handing it to the man. “Hold this, please.”

Roier took it and they watched as Mariana waded into the river, slowly crossing and managing to make his way across. Cellbit got the point pretty quickly.

“We can cross here.” He said to Roier. “We’ll have-”

Cellbit was interrupted by a crackling sound and the two horses they'd had disappeared in a flash of lightning and reappeared on the other side of the river with a sharp flash. Right, the magic horses. Shit. Mariana yelped and backed away from the horses and then there was a sword at Cellbits throat quicker than he could process. Roier almost immediately pulled up his crossbow again while Mariana yelled at Erwin to stop.

He backed up, away from Roier while Erwin advanced, making him step back.

“That was magic.” Erwin said. “Are you enchanting Roier?”

Glancing at Roier, he could see the panic in his eyes. This was the exact thing that they were trying to avoid. Shit. How did he get out of this?

“No, I’m not-”

He was interrupted by a sudden shift in the sword forward, and he stumbled back to avoid the blade, tripping and crashing to the ground. His chest heaved as he stared up at the two blinking brown eyes above him. The sound of the river rushing emanated as Mariana made his way back across the river.

“He’s not enchanting me.” Roier said, “Back away from him.”

“My lord, even if he’s not, he can use magic and that is punishable. Not as heavily now, but it is the law.” Erwin spoke.

“What does it matter?” Roier cried out. “I am leaving of my own volition. This was my idea. He’s accompanying me.”

“Did you know that he had magic?” Erwin asked, turning to Roier, but keeping the sword pointed towards him.

“Yes, I knew.” Roier said.

“Then he has to be enchanting you.” Erwin said, the sword pressing into his throat.

The blade hurt and he wished he could speak or move without dying. The only thing running through his brain was using magic to get out of this. He couldn't get both Roier and Him across the river. Speaking a transportation spell took so much more energy that drawing something out and channeling through it.

“He’s not-”

“My lord, We can kill him and you can go back to the castle, and-”

“Erwin, if you hurt him, it will be 3 against 1.” Mariana said as he took his sword back from Roier, dripping water from the river.

Silence. Erwin looked at Mariana, and Cellbit slowly moved his hand down so at the very least he could draw something in the dirt if needed. He wished that it could be different but there was a very big chance that it ended right here, right now. Roier would go back despite Mariana helping him leave, and Cellbit would be dead. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to leave Roier.

The sword was pulled back only slightly and it was enough that Cellbit could rack his brain for anything to say that would help him. Whispering, he felt himself disappear and then reappear a few feet away. He didn’t like to use that. It used way too much energy, especially on himself with only words, but he didn’t have another choice right now. Exhaustion pulled at his eyes, and he dragged himself further away.

“Mariana, your loyalty is to the country. Is this not all for the good of the country?” Erwin asked the man, ignoring that Cellbit had gone somewhere else.

“My loyalty is to the Prince. I am sworn to protect him and his priorities. I am also his best friend, and this is in his best interest.” Mariana spoke, relaying the information he could give without definitely getting Cellbit killed.

Roier rushed towards him, pulling him up off the ground, despite the groan from him. Roier took off his bag and tied it onto his own, so that they could keep it dry when crossing the river. Erwin and Mariana kept talking behind them, borderline arguing about their duty.

“We need to go now.” Roier whispered.

“I’ll tell.” Erwin shouted. “There’s evidence. I’ll tell them that the archivist has enchanted the Prince and that you are defending him. Letting him leave.”

Roier continued moving their stuff, and guided Cellbit towards the river. The horses on the other side were pawing the ground in anticipation. They knew that it was time to go. That they needed to get out of here. They had to leave or things were going to go south very badly.

“You’ll lose your rank. Maybe even be executed for treason.”

There were more footsteps. Roier started helping him through the river and They began to wade through it. Panic kept thrumming through his heart. This couldn’t be happening. How had they caught up to them? There shouldn't have been a way for them to catch up to them.

“Stop them.” Erwin shouted. “He’s enchanted the Prince.”

“He’s done nothing.” Roier cried back as they tried their best to get to the other side.

“You’re blind.” Erwin shouted back.

“Stop.” Mariana yelled over him. “I am your commanding officer and you are going to listen to me.”

Erwin began to speak, but there was the sound of something metal clashing with metal before a thump on the ground. Maybe Mariana knocked the man out.

“Cellbit has done nothing. Those horses are not his, he did not know they were magic.” Mariana spoke. Roier managed to get them to the other side of the river at a blinding speed and Cellbit stumbled forward. “The only reason we are here is to collect the Prince, and- and I cannot help you with that.”

Roier had to help Cellbit onto his horse as they prepared to continue on as quickly as possible, making sure that Cellbit was capable of holding himself on until they got somewhere moderately safer. He held onto the saddle, trying not to fall off. Roier got on his own and grabbed the reins for Cellbits, so he wouldn't have to guide his horse and accidentally get separated from him.

“He’s not enchanted. This was his idea. I- I have known about this.” Mariana admitted, as Roier began to urge the horses away.

The horses spurred forward, rushing off into the forest and Roier held onto his horses reins and kept him close. Yet there was something pulling at his gut, a feeling that something was about to go insanely wrong and then pain pierced through his shoulder.

Crying out, he tried his best to get the horse to stop without falling off, but it didn't work very well. Then, Roier stopped both horses, and Cellbit gracefully rolled onto the ground and shoved the arrow that was apparently in his shoulder, further in by accident. The man hopped off the horse and rushed towards him, taking in the injury. The pain wasn't one he wanted to deal with. They had to get out of here. They had to escape.

Distantly, Cellbit heard the crackling of the horses and he prayed that didn't mean their journey was over. The horses couldn't leave. He tried to keep his breathing steady but it wasn't working and he needed to get out of there. They had to go.

Roiers hands hovered around the arrow. They both knew what to do in this situation but it had been so long. It was hard to concentrate when there was an arrow sticking out of his shoulder and he was extremely exhausted. Distantly, he could hear voices.

“Roier, you have to go.” He whispered. He was going to pass out.

“No, no, no. I’m not leaving you.” Roier sobbed out, glancing behind him. “Where- shit. Cellbit, hold on.”

Cellbit squeezed his eyes shut as Roier applied pressure around the wound, trying to keep it from bleeding anymore than it had. Roier dug around in his bag, looking for medical supplies that they didn't have.

“Do you have anything that can help? We can outrun them. We can hide.” Roier said, sounding hysterical.

Roier found something and pulled out the arrow, causing Cellbit to cry out in pain again, as the man pressed something into the wound, tightly pulling the skin. He wasn’t sure when Roeir had managed to get to his skin through his shirt. Maybe it had been ripped. The pain in his shoulder kept doubling. He could manage. It wouldn’t kill him. They just needed to get out of here.

“Cellbit, we have to go. Please. I can’t leave you.” Roier sobbed, still trying to manage the shoulder wound. “Please say something.”

There was the sound of soldiers again and he knew it was too late. They were going back. He’d probably be thrown in prison and Roier would go back to the plot to Marry Jaiden. There was only one way for this to end.

“I can fix this.” Cellbit whispered.

“They’ll kill you.” Roiers tears hit his face.

Roiers hands moved from his shoulder, cradling his face and touching his forehead to his own. Cellbit opened his eyes to see the sobbing man above him, shoulders shaking.

“I love you.” He whispered. There might not be another better chance to tell the love of his life that.

“You can’t die. I love you so much.” Roier cried in a whisper, trying to kiss him like that would work.

“My lord, please release the sorcerer.” A soldier said.

“Give him a trial.” Roier said, whipping his head towards the soldiers as Cellbit closed his eyes. “Give him a trial please. Don’t just kill him.”

“Roier, it’s going to be okay.” He managed to whisper.

Staying awake was becoming too difficult and Cellbit let himself drift off, knowing that when he woke up, he’d be back on the way to hell.

The ride back to the castle was long. They had to put Roier in the walled cart with Cellbit because apparently he wouldn’t stop trying to escape and break the lock to take Cellbit with him. They couldn’t reach the lock unfortunately which would’ve been convenient as Cellbit regained his strength. It would take too much energy that he didn’t have to use magic to break them out and so they were stuck in here.

At least they didn’t care to stop Roier from cuddling up next to him while they were in the cart. Well, it wasn’t like they could see the two of them. Mariana was the furthest away from the cart, and looked like he was two choices away from being in the cart with them. So they were taking careful chances with the man.

“I’ll fight for you.” Roier whispered. “I know they won’t kill you, but I’ll get you better conditions.”

“They might. I technically committed treason, Roier.” He whispered back.

“We’ll leave again. Go a different way. We can get out. We can escape.” Roier promised.

He didn’t have the heart to tell Roier that they only had one shot. There would be too many people watching them to ever escape now. He wished that it had gone differently. He wasn’t sure how that had happened. Horrid twist of fate though. If he could get his hands on a piece of chalk or something to draw on the wooden boards with, then he could get them out of here. It would take way too much energy and he’d collapse once he was done or he might die, but they’d be out. He almost wished he was a stronger magic user.

“If I had chalk, we could leave.” He murmured.

“Could we?” Roier asked.

“Yeah.” Cellbit said. “I’d pass out but we could get out.”

They knew that Cellbit had magic now and so there was no hiding it and nobody would be able to tell where they were going. There was a very slim chance that they’d be let out though.

“I don’t want to go back.” Roier admitted to him. “They won’t let us see each other. I know they won’t.”

“We’ll find ways. Maybe they’ll let you visit me.” Cellbit said to him.

Roier sighed and laid his head on Cellbits shoulder.

“Yeah.”

Cellbit did not get to see Roier meet his parents again. He was dragged away from Roier as they expected, the two of them getting a chaste kiss before the doors of the cart had been opened. It might be the last one they’d have for a long time.

He was dragged down to the dungeons of the castle, passing people who had known him for years or months now. Phil saw him and they met eyes, and the man sucked in a breath but tried not to let it be known that he knew what had happened. Magic was something hidden throughout the castle and now that one of them had been found, an entire system might be discovered. If he let that happen then they'd all be gone damn the law.

The stairs were difficult, he hadn’t been down here before but a metal barred door creaked open and he was thrown in. Crashing into the harsh stone floor, he groaned. He’d been in handcuffs for a while now and never had a chance to catch himself. Someone walked in with him and his hands were grabbed, and the handcuffs unlocked, whilst another set was attached, this one basically chaining him to the wall.

“You’ll be dealt with later. If we get our way, then you won’t get a trial.” The soldier muttered as he slammed the iron barred door behind him, locking it.

Cellbit dragged himself up and studied the place he found himself in. He found that there was some hay down here and the place felt dry. Normally jails were leaky or damp but it felt dry and cold here. The gray rocks that made up the walls were extremely rough and annoying to deal with. He wanted Roier.

Laying on the hay, he sat there for a while and there was some amount of time that passed before there was commotion outside. Not like bad, but rather people talking. Two knights were in front of the cell door with Foolish in between them. Clearly, the king had wanted to come talk to him about his son. He stared at Foolish and Foolish stared back. He'd always gotten along better with Foolish compared to Vegetta.

“Leave us.” Foolish said.

“My liege-”

“Do it. I’ll be fine. I just want to talk to him.” Foolish spoke.

The knights obeyed and disappeared from view, and only once they were gone did Foolish start speaking, “Where were you guys planning on going?”

“Anywhere. Not here.” Cellbit replied. Why didn't the man ask his son?

“Why did he leave with you and not Mariana? If he truly was planning on leaving as long as he has, why did he go with you of all people?” Foolish asked, leaning against the iron bars and peering at him curiously. There was an answer to that which Cellbit was not sure he could safely answer.

Cellbit sat up and looked at the man fully, “We’re very good friends.”

They were so much more than that.

“How good of friends?” Foolish asked, catching on somehow to that vague hint he'd given.

“Closer than Mariana.” Cellbit replied and Foolish nodded.

“You’re both very stubborn people.” Foolish sighed. “We didn’t have much other choice in the treaty, and the Federation is threatening war if this marriage doesn’t go through. I hope you understand. I thought Roier did.”

“That’s not my problem.” Cellbit said to which Foolish frowned. “I have no loyalty to this country. I am not from here. Many people aren’t.”

“You can’t say things like that. I can protect you from magic accusations but not treason and Roier would lose his mind if you died.” Foolish spoke.

“So the only way for Roier to do anything you guys want him to do is to keep me alive.” Cellbit was good at interpretation. They'd talked about this in the cart. Cellbit had to get Roier to promise him that if Cellbit did die, he wouldn't kill himself. He had a feeling that he was going to ignore him though on that off chance.

“He won’t listen to us any other way.” Foolish agreed.

“He’ll kill himself if I die. I hope you know that.” Cellbit said, softly.

Foolish stiffened, standing up straight, “What do you mean by that?”

“I will as well. If he dies, I’ll kill myself.” Cellbit said, “Although that's much less likely.”

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind.” Foolish said, deeming that the end of the conversation and leaving.

The rest of the day was boring. There was nothing for Cellbit to do but lay there and he knew that they weren’t going to let him out. At some point they gave him dinner. An unknown soup with unidentifiable ingredients, and a side of bread. It was the most food he’d had in a few days now so he’d eat it. He thought about his fate, what to say during his trial and tried to keep up his spirits by thinking about Roier. He was just about to fall asleep when he heard the jingle of keys.

Looking up, in the low torch light, he was almost sure that the figure unlocking the door was Roier. Then the door opened, and he realized that it was Roier, slipping into the cell in secret. The man sat next to him and glanced at the chains before sighing.

“I don’t know where they keep the keys for that. I’m sorry gatinho.” Roier murmured. “I just wanted to see you for a little bit.”

Somehow the last hours worth of worries melted away as Roier laid next to him, and he did his best to cuddle back. He could move his hands but the chains were heavy and annoying. Roier laid on his chest and wrapped his own arms around him, making sure to hold him close. It had only been a day but he'd missed this so much. This might be the last time they were able to do this.

“My parents agreed to give you a trial. Some of them aren’t happy about that decision and the people aren’t happy with them or me really. Technically you, because you’re apparently the one who enchanted me and made me fall in love with you.” Roier murmured, pressing a kiss to his jawbone.

Cellbit snorted, “Can’t believe them. I can barely do teleportation spells let alone keep someone enchanted for weeks on end.”

“People will believe stupid things sometimes.” Roier said, lifting his head up to kiss him properly for a moment.

It was nice, Cellbit kissed back and pulled away after a few moments and Roier rested his head again. He’d missed Roier. It was different than before because before he knew that He’d see Roier again but now they had to act like each moment they had together would be their last. He hated it. He wished that they had all the time in the world. He wished they'd been able to truly get away.

“How did you get here?” He asked. He’d assumed that they’d blocked off any ways for Roier to get out of the castle or into the dungeons.

“I have my ways. There’s other ways to get here if I don’t go through my bedroom entrance.” Roier answered. ”I can’t stay long but I’ll be here tomorrow night, I promise, mi amor.”

“I love you so much, guapito.” Cellbit said, reaching to hold Roiers Face as he leaned up to look at him.

“I love you too.” Roier murmured, resting his head against Cellbits.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just being with each other, sometimes lightly kissing each other. It was nice this way but Cellbits arms were growing heavy.

“I think I've been here too long. I have to go make sure they haven’t noticed I’m gone. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Roier murmured against his lips.

“I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Cellbit whispered before Roier kissed him again, pulling him as close as he could possibly be. Almost as if he was trying to get them to mold into the same person.

Roier pulled away and got up, disappearing into the shadows of night.

Cellbit stayed in the jail unable to leave for a few nights. Roier visited for a bit every single night and it became the highlight of his day. He told him about what was happening in the outside world. About how the people wanted peace. About how he knew that insisting that Cellbit get a trial before he married Jaiden was selfish. About how the people were determined to get peace in any way they could. About how the people wanted Cellbit gone. About how he had to talk to Jaiden and she seemed nice but Roier couldn’t fathom marrying her.

They gave each other promises to see each other every night and whispers about how they would get through this. He wished Roier could stay the entire night but he knew that it wasn't possible.

Pac and Mike visited him once, getting the story from him and promising that they’d get him out of here. Felps visited twice and said the same thing as Cellbit, and promised that the moment they got him out, they’d all leave together. He couldn’t fathom leaving Roier though.

“Get up.” A Knight said as he opened the door.

He was pretty sure that it was almost time for his daily ration of food and water, but he might’ve been wrong. The trial shouldn't have been today.

“Is it trial time?” Cellbit asked just in case.

“Sure.” The man spoke, as someone else joined him with handcuffs and a sack. A hint of unease settled in Cellbits stomach.

Still, he did what he was told and turned around so that they could take the chains off and replace them with ones that held his hands behind his back. They tied a cloth over his mouth in case he tried to do any magic before putting the sack over his head. There was something wrong.

“Just in case you need to see something to put a spell on it.” The knight said.

This almost seemed like proper procedure except for the fact that Cellbit had seen people be put on trial for witchcraft before. They had a gag and bound hands, nothing else. It was weird, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Maybe they thought he was much stronger than others because he supposedly had enchanted Roier. Then something changed.

Cellbit knew the feel of the tunnels in the castle very well, and he was being guided through one right now. He could feel it. The sense of unease in his stomach nearly doubled and he had a feeling that something that wasn’t supposed to happen was happening. There was something going on that wasn't going to end well for him. He needed to get out of here.

The sack wasn’t to keep him from doing magic, it was to keep him from seeing where he was being taken, and the gag was to keep him from reacting to that information once he figured it out.

He started to struggle against his bonds and then all of a sudden there was cold metal at his throat. It was quicker than he expected, and he knew that the Knights could use all of their blades quite well.

“If you struggle or go against us, we will kill you.” The knight warned.

Cellbit stopped moving. He had a feeling that either option was going to end in him dying. God, why had he not been able to learn how to do spells without speaking them. He couldn’t even whisper right now. They started moving him again, and Cellbit noted that at some point, as he was guided out of the castle, he could feel the warm sun beating down on him again. It was nice to feel warm again. The only warmth he’d been getting for days now was from Roiers visits.

The closer they got to somewhere, the louder the sound of people got. A pit fell in his stomach. He truly was about to die. He prayed silently that it wouldn’t be a pyre. He’d take anything over being burned alive. Except maybe drowning. So, last night truly had been their last night together. Cellbit was not going to see Roier again before he died. At least he'd gotten to tell Roier that he would've married him if the chance came about.

The cobble he was stepping on changed to wood as he was guided up steps to some sort of platform. So not a pyre at least. There were people cheering and Cellbit could feel his hope go away. Well, the little he had left.

The sack on his head was ripped off and he winced as his eyes adjusted to seeing the sunlight for the first time in days, with a massive cheer sounding out from the people. He had a feeling that none of the royal family knew about this. They wouldn't have let this happen. Roier probably would've killed the knights himself.

There was noose hanging down from the wooden arch.

Hanging.

Hopefully, it was weighted right so Cellbit would die instantly rather than asphyxiate. Otherwise that sounded like a painful way to go.

“Hello to all peoples.” A knight shouted from beside him and the crowd grew quiet. “Today we have the very cause of turmoil in our country. The Sorcerer Cellbit. The king’s policies changes make it so he would not be killed for using magic. For ruining our peace. Yet today, He dies for his crimes.”

Cheers from the crowd again.

“He will go to hell for what he's done. Any last words?” A knight looked at him. He looked at them, trying to get them to realize how he would even be able to do that. This was going a lot quicker than he expected. Maybe they expected him to pull out some crazy shit to keep himself from dying. “Yeah, you don’t get any.”

The knights escorted him to a small box, guiding him to stand on top of it before placing the noose around his neck. This was happening fairly quickly. His heart sped up as it realized what truly was about to happen. It was tightened and the Knight stepped away, preparing to kick the box and drop the floor. There was no way out of this. He was going to die.

Cellbit breathed out slowly and closed his eyes. There was nothing he could do about it. They’d taken every chance he had to use magic to get out of this away from him. As they prepared to do it, he thought of Roier. He was the only thing that could keep him calm in the moment.

There was part of him that hoped that Roier would get out of this but he had a feeling that there was no other option for him. He’d been serious when he told Foolish that Roier might kill himself if Cellbit died, but he hoped the man kept living, just for him if not his country.

A last memory of Roier flooded in his brain. A warm smile and a pretty laugh.

The crowd felt silent in bated breath.

Cellbit fell.

Roier didn’t know what happened.

One moment he was in a meeting with his parents about the stupid wedding and the next someone was telling his parents something and he was being ushered out of the room and the castle was being put on lockdown. No one was telling him anything and he wasn’t allowed to leave the room he was put in.

Mariana was with him and another Knight named Fit. No one told them or had told him why this was happening. It was close to sundown when they finally whispered what was happening to Mariana so he could tell Roier. Fit was there for damage control apparently and Mariana for emotional support. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t like what he was about to be told.

Mariana sat Roier down on the couch in the room and stood in front of him. Fit stood next to him.

“Roier, you can’t freak out.” Mariana said. “But, a few of the knights got together and they took Cellbit out into the city and they- they hung him. Roier- I’m so sorry.”

Roier stared ahead at them. There was no way that this was happening. They couldn’t have gotten to Cellbit. There was no way that they could’ve done that without people realizing. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way. There was literally no way. He would've known. He would've been able to feel like something was wrong.

“No.” He whispered. “No, no, no. He can’t be dead.”

“Roier-”

He stood up, interrupting Mariana beginning to talk, heading towards the door, which immediately got both knights in the room to go to the door so he wouldn’t let himself out. He wanted to go out there so desperately. He had to see Cellbit.

“No, let me out. He can’t be dead.” Roier whispered, feeling tears begin to prick at his eyes as the dots connected. “He- he can’t. Mariana- I swear to god, let me through.”

“No, Roier, I can’t let you out.” Mariana said.

Mariana took his hands gently when he tried to force his way past, holding him as he slowly fell down to the ground, tears forming. He could feel his shoulders start to shake as he squeezed his eyes shut. Mariana held him as he fully collapsed and started sobbing.

He cried for god knows how long, sobbing in his friends arms over someone he never should’ve loved, yet had anyways. He wished it would’ve been okay to love him. He would’ve married him. They would’ve grown old together. Adopted Children if they were up for it. Roier loved that man more than he'd ever loved anything before.

Yet, Cellbit was gone. He’d never be with him again.

Eventually, he was done crying. He couldn’t handle it anymore and was frankly exhausted. Mariana helped him stand up and they escorted him to his chambers, letting him go collapse in bed. He was exhausted but not tired. He wanted to go to bed, and wake up to this nightmare not being real. He wanted to wake up to Cellbit laying next to him, in a ransom inn, curling up next to him for warmth because the man was chronically cold.

Yet, he did fall asleep and woke up at some random time in the night with the moon shining high in the sky and no hint of the sun coming up. The sheets below him were cool and he shivered ever so slightly.

He got up and padded over to his door, opening it and looking at the guard at his door, speaking to him, “Was it a dream? Cellbit?”

“No, my lord. He is dead. I am sorry.” A familiar yet unfamiliar voice spoke. “I can tell you that the rogue knights have been dealt with by now.”

He nodded his head, “Okay.”

Roier closed the door again and sat down on his bed, staring at the glowing embers of the fire in his room. Cellbit really was dead. He was gone and he was never going to see him again. He could go see if they ever took the body down. Wander around the streets. Find him and just see him again. That might be traumatizing though. He shouldn’t do that.

He wasn’t sure he could live without Cellbit though. He’d come to that conclusion last night. There was really one last way to ensure he wouldn’t have to marry Jaiden. She seemed very nice but this wasn’t something he could stand. He was sure of it. Cellbit had made him promise he wouldn't do anything drastic if they did kill him though.

Taking a deep breath, Roier got up again, padding across the room.

Reaching into his dresser, he pulled out the things he’d gotten from Cellbit before they’d parted when they got home. He was mostly looking for the knife that Cellbit always kept with him. He found the knife and held it, gingerly taking it out of its sheath, looking at the gleaming metal. The moonlight filtering made it seem colder than it truly was, reflecting pale light. Cellbit kept this thing so well maintained that he could almost see himself.

Roier could kill himself right here.

It was a coward’s way out. He’d never truly understood someone’s desperation before this. It seemed like the only solution.

Sheathing the knife, he shoved it in his pocket and pulled on a cloak over his night clothes. He would see Cellbit again, he decided. At least for a moment. Taking the tapestry off the wall, he slipped into the tunnels of the castle. Many of them were guarded now, albeit from in the tunnels themselves since Roier kept using them for something he wasn’t supposed to do. If he cut through parts of the castle to other sections of tunnels though, he could get to many places that weren’t guarded. Like a separate exit that led to the city. It wasn’t ideal but it would get him out of the castle and maybe they’d be okay with this considering Roier brought a way to protect himself.

The tunnels were cold, and so was the castle but he found himself rushing through them, almost desperate to get to the city and find the man on the off chance that they left his body hanging up. He knew that sometimes the bodies stayed because the Knights didn’t want to clean or the townspeople wouldn’t let them take the body away. He was honestly surprised they hadn’t burned Cellbit. Bursting out into the town, it was desolate and quiet. The moon shone down and Roier began to track down his lover by means of the light.

He had a feeling that the man, if he was anywhere still, would be in the city center. It was big enough and far away enough from the castle that they could congregate and not get in trouble. Even then, he knew the more wanted executions took place there no matter what. They took the witches there.

Finding his way to the city center, he stopped in his tracks at an entrance as he stared into the distance.

Despite everything, there he was. The moon shone upon him, the wind gently swaying him to the beat of a tune Roier couldn’t hear. He went forward and the walk seemed to take ages, his footsteps echoing on the cobble. The dim light guided him up the stairs and he stood in front of the man, pulling him around to undo the hand bindings that bit into his skin before reaching out and holding his hand. It was cold. The man was always cold but this was a bitter cold.

There was a small smile on Cellbits face, and his eyes were closed. Almost like he’d accepted his fate. At least that meant he didn’t struggle. He’d missed him so much.

“Hello, my love.” He whispered, bringing the man's hand up to his mouth to kiss it.

His chest was starting to shake, but he pushed back the tears and remembered why he was here. The choice he had to make. Pulling up a box in a split second decision, he unsheathed Cellbits' knife, slicing the rope above the man.

Roier did catch his lover, pulling him onto the wood, and kneeling down next to him. He rested his head on Cellbits chest and cried for a bit, only for a few minutes with silent sobs, his chest heaving. He opened his eyes and looked down at Cellbits lifeless face, seeing the tilted neck. He at least did not suffer before he died.

Laying down next to the man, Roier softly moved Cellbits face toward him, still holding the knife in his hand. He'd made his choice. Gently, he took the knife and pressed it to his own throat. There seemed to almost be a cold hand pressed against his face. A weight that was familiar to him.

“I'll be with you soon, mi amor.” Roier whispered, choking out the words, reaching forward to give him one last kiss, even if he couldn't kiss back. It was weird kissing someone as cold as Cellbit was.

Roier closed his eyes and dug into his throat before pulling it across in a slashing motion. Pain blossomed in his throat and he could feel hot blood going everywhere and the last conscious action he made was to reach out and hold Cellbits face before wrapping his arm around him.

The Morning is quiet. The man watches from afar as two ghosts dance and laugh in the city center, engrossed only in each other. By the time the sun rises, they will be gone, on their way to the underworld. He will guide them, just as he had before.

No one has found the Prince's body yet but there is a woman coming near soon.

He had seen it ending this way from the moment Cellbit was hung. He had watched as Cellbit followed his lover around and eventually joined him, leaving a bloody sight. The Prince's hands were caked in blood, of which he accidentally had smeared on the hanged man in his attempt to hug him before death. Dying with his arms wrapped around a man he should not have loved. Despite the terrible fate they'd both met, both died with smiles on their faces, with visions of their lover in the forefront of their minds.

He should go get the two ghosts and guide them down but for now he leaves them be, letting them dance while a woman screams for a Prince she, nor anyone else but a dead man, understands.