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Roland stood at the bow of the ship watching as Hydropolis came into view. It had grown a lot since he had stopped by while on his quest to stop Doloran from summoning the Horned One. By all accounts the kingdom should have been completely submerged by the volcanic eruption. When that day came and went it was discovered that Nera’s love for her kingdom shielded it from total destruction. While the kingdom had not gone unscathed it had expanded outwards and into the ocean.
It was Leander who had summoned for Roland to come by as he finally had a break from his royal duties. “I do wonder what Leander wanted to show me. He did make it sound pretty important when that letter arrived.” Roland said to himself. It was a common occurrence for Roland to think about everything even if it wasn’t super important. Before long the ship pulled into the docks which remained mostly unchanged besides the stalls leading towards the main part of the city.
“It has been a while, Roland. I thought you wouldn’t return considering how you were treated back then.” One of the guards said bowing with a hand on his heart. It was true that the visit had been difficult due to all the strange rules and the fact that they were the most recent visitors since Hydropolis went into almost complete isolation. Roland didn’t hold it against the guards or Queen Nerea as he had come to understand why it had to be that way.
Meanwhile in the throne room Queen Nerea pulled Leander aside to speak with him. “Do you remember what I told you before you joined Evermore?” Queen Nerea asked her voice calm and slow.
Leander hadn’t forgotten the new promise she wanted him to make. “Follow my heart and forget about the one we made as kids. How could I forget that?” Leander responded nearly slipping back into his advisor role he took on when he served his queen. Looking up he could see Nerea staring at him like she was expecting something more, something he had missed.
“Do you understand what it means now? I’ve seen the way you look towards Evermore as if you were waiting for someone to arrive. I hope you’ve slowed down and looked inside since we parted ways.” Queen Nerea asked. She had a good idea of what Leander was planning and was waiting for confirmation.
Leander quickly turned away, covering his mouth as he felt his face heating up. He had forgotten about her ability to watch over the entire kingdom from within the castle. “Then you should already know what it is that I plan to do. He makes me feel more at ease and can be more open around. I’ve been so focused on my duties to understand what it all meant.” Leander said eventually turning back to see Queen Nerea smiling. Seems like he finally figured it out. It was then that he remembered his request to meet Roland on the roof of the large building looking over the docks. If he was lucky, he could make it just in time to see the sun set below the horizon. Without a word Leander took off, ignoring the guards calling out to him.
Now on the roof Roland looked around for Leander finding nothing to suggest he was nearby. “Good chance he is speaking with Queen Nerea. With how busy we’ve been the two of them haven’t seen each other.” Roland said to himself. As he wandered around, he noticed that it was the very place he first met Leander after the performance to get close to Queen Nerea. Seeing nothing else to do Roland walked to the railing to look across the sea as the sun began to set.
“You sure can’t beat the view up here. This used to be one of my favorite places before we enacted all the strange laws.” Leander said joining Roland at the railing. Glancing at Roland Leander caught the smile forming on his face. It was the first time he had seen Roland actually smile instead of doing it for the kingdom’s sake.
“Did you ask me out here just to watch the sunset? You just said you wanted to show me something.” Roland asked unable to take his eyes off of the sunset bathing the sky in shades or orange and pink. Leander said nothing as he tried to find the right words to say. If he couldn’t figure it out it could end in disaster.
Taking a deep breath Leander gently grabbed Roland’s hands. “Since we met, I’ve found myself more at ease. Just seeing you everyday makes things feel lighter and I…” Leander said glancing towards the castle tower, “want to stay with you. Roland, I have loved you for a while now and never understood it until recently. I hope you feel the same way.” Leander turned away as he thought about all that could happen. He didn’t want to consider the idea that Roland wouldn’t appreciate the gesture or drive them apart.
Roland’s soft laughs caught his attention as he slowly returned his gaze. His face was red, illuminated by the remainder of the sun’s glow. “I guess we both took a while to figure it out. I haven’t felt like this since that day. It sure explains the strange looks we kept getting from everyone. No matter what the future holds I want to go through it with you by my side.” Roland said. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest as his worries melted away.
Before Roland realized it Leander had moved in closer until their heads almost touch. “Can I…?” Leander asked. He wasn’t able to finish the question as Roland kissed him. After some amount of time Roland pulled away. “How did you know what I was going to ask?” Leander asked still trying to process what had just happened.
“It’s not the first time I’ve experienced this, figured it out when you leaned in close to me. I guess it makes it official, not looking forward to heading back to Evermore. At this rate someone is going to take a picture of us and spread it all over Leafbook.” Roland said. As if on cue his viewer dinged. Looking at the picture posted he noticed that it was from a position that only Queen Nerea could have watched from. All at once citizens from the various kingdoms responded, most having seen it coming already.
“Of course she did, guess everyone was waiting for it. I don’t know how we failed to see it ourselves.” Leander said to himself.
“You do realize we are both workaholics, right? We have been so focused on our royal duties to even think about something like this.” Roland responded as he slipped his viewer in his pocket. It marked the beginning of a new life and a chance to heal from the past.