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Eddie Munson has been Prince Steve Harrington’s personal knight for as long as he could remember. He’d grown up within the palace walls, spending all of his time either on training or by spending time with the prince in order to build the trust between them.
Eddie’s family had been loyal to the crown for generations, but Eddie’s father had broken that trust when he’d been caught working with an illegal potions trade. His uncle, Sir Wayne, had then taken over both raising Eddie and defending the king- working to repair the damage done to the Munson name.
Eddie, as he’d grown, had become close with his charge. They’d had lessons together, played together, had basically spent no time- other than what they spent sleeping and Eddie spent training- apart. Eddie loved Steve, he always had and knew he always would.
So why did it feel like a knife to the chest to hear that Steve, his beloved friend Stevie, was going to be married to the woman he’d been intended to for their whole lives?
He knew this day was coming. He knew Steve had always wanted a relationship- had whined and complained that his parents wouldn’t let him court anyone because he’d been engaged since he was two years old to a princess of a kingdom so far away that they’d never actually met her.
“It’s to keep them as allies, father says,” Steve confided in Eddie one day when they were only ten. “I asked about it last night and he said they’d probably get mad at us if we didn’t have me marrying one of them.”
Eddie could never understand why a kingdom’s relationship with another kingdom should rely on the marriage of children, but he just nodded solemnly.
It wasn’t until now though, with Steve turning 18 and Eddie somewhat freshly 19 that Eddie realized his mistake. The carriages were arriving and Steve was to meet his bride and Eddie was in love with him.
As the princess stepped out of her carriage, Steve taking her gloved hand into his own so gently that Eddie’s heart ached for it, Eddie had to push down his hatred. She didn’t deserve it. Neither of them did. He would not be like his father. He would not betray Steve- even in that way.
So, Eddie tightened his grip on his own wrist behind his back, no doubt leaving bruises and fingernail imprints behind, as he stood there in his suit made just for this occasion feeling utterly stupid.
He watched Steve kiss the back of the princess’s hand. She tilted her head back and laughed. Everyone around them was smiling. Eddie could feel his eyes burning and slipped away, back into the castle, loosening his tie as his eyes welled up.
~~~⚔️👑⚔️~~~
The day of Steve’s wedding both crept up on Eddie and hit him like a carriage. He felt like they’d had so little time in the past week- what with Steve having to get to know his new bride and all.
You’re just being selfish, stop it. Steve would be happy for you if your positions were switched, Eddie admonished himself. You will stand here, and you will pretend to be happy, and you will make sure he doesn’t notice.
Someone came up beside Eddie, resting a wide hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Wayne, standing at attention with his head facing toward the aisle.
“You okay Eds?” he asked, not even moving his eyes, but softening them whether he meant to or not.
“Yeah. Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Eddie responded, smiling tightly and mimicking his uncle’s stance.
Wayne made a noise that sounded very close to doubt but then the doors were opening at the end of the hall.
All of the breath left Eddie’s lungs as Steve stepped out. His suit jacket was dark maroon, like blood spilled over the white shirt beneath. Even from the back of the crowd, Eddie could make out the intricate black patterns over the jacket. The matching pants fit Steve perfectly and the half cape hanging from his right shoulder sparkled.
What really stood out though was the crown. Steve’s hair had always been important to him, but the way it seemed to fluff up and curl around the golden metal stole Eddie’s breath. Someone had put some sort of sparkle around Steve’s eyes to match the crown and Eddie could feel his heart breaking as Steve turned his head slightly, a long moment of eye contact passing between them as he walked down the aisle.
Eddie could feel a lump in his throat as Steve got further and further away from him. He could almost feel the string between them stretching taunt to the point that another inch might make it snap.
He couldn’t leave this time though. This was Steve’s wedding. He has to be happy for him. This has been Steve’s dream since they were little and Steve looks so beautiful that Eddie can almost distract himself from the fact that it isn’t him Steve’s dressed up for. His Stevie is always gorgeous, but here he’s stunning.
The doors open again once Steve’s settled at the altar. His bride, the princess with blue eyes, walks down the aisle toward Steve and, if he didn’t know it was probably just his imagination because of how much he didn’t want this to happen, Eddie would almost say she looked nauseous as she began her own walk down the aisle.
As the princess passed where Eddie was still standing, she made brief eye contact with him and he would almost say she’d frowned slightly. But that couldn’t be right. There was no way anyone could be anything other than ecstatic to marry Steve.
~~~⚔️👑⚔️~~~
Eddie can’t remember much of the rest of the wedding or of the party afterwards- just that he’d spent most of the party wishing that he wasn’t a knight so that he could drown his sadness in the absurd amount of alcohol present. It seemed like the princess (Eddie really needs to learn her name at this point) had the same idea though, Eddie noted as Steve helped her from the room sometime around midnight. Fitting.
Eddie looked to Wayne, who nodded for him to follow them. Eddie cringed at the idea of catching sight of or hearing Steve and the princess consummating their marriage, but bit his lip as he moved to trail in the direction he’d seen them leave.
“I wanted her to look at me,” Eddie heard a voice, a woman’s voice, say. He stopped, just around the corner from where he guessed Steve and his bride were. She sounded absolutely wasted.
“Who?” came Steve’s voice.
“But she wouldn’t even look at me when I was getting ready. She stared at your pictures with this sad look on her face all the time when your parents sent them, you know. I didn’t understand cause your hair’s ridiculous and you looked rude and you didn’t even know she existed. I’d scream into my pillows over it every time I caught her.”
There was a long pause. Eddie held his breath, back against the wall where one step to the side would put him in their view.
“But… Chrissy’s a girl,” Steve sounded confused. “You said she’s been your lady-in-waiting your whole life.”
“Steve…” Eddie can hear the tears in the princess’s voice.
“Yeah?” A beat. “Oh.”
“Oh.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah...holy shit,” another beat. “Steve? You okay?” She sounded nervous. Incredibly nervous. Eddie’s heart ached for a whole new reason. This time for the princess he hadn’t even bothered to learn the name of.
“Yeah… Just thinking,” came Steve’s reply. Eddie could hear his smile.
“Okay.”
“I mean yeah. Chrissy. She’s cute and all but… I mean, she’s not who I’d go for.”
The princess gasped and there was a twacking sound.
“You’d better not, but still! She’s perfect!”
“No she’s not! She doesn’t play an instrument or write or anything like that!”
“You just think she’s not perfect cause she’s not exactly like your knight!” the princess laughs out.
Eddie felt like his world was tipping sideways.
The other side of the corner was dead silent for a moment.
“Steve?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, I just- Never realized.”
They’re quiet again. Eddie debates revealing himself and pretending he hadn’t heard them.
“You know it’s okay, right? I mean, I’m in love with Chrissy and you’re in love with Eddie. It’s kinda perfect, when you think about it.”
“Yeah, perfect,” Steve’s voice was absent. “I don’t even know if he feels the same- I didn’t even know I felt this way until I already got myself married- Robin, what am I gonna do-”
Eddie couldn’t help it- he stumbled out from around the corner, dashing over to the two figures huddled on the ground under one of the windows, crashing into Steve’s body and sending them both to the ground.
Holding himself up over the other man as Steve blinked up at him, Eddie could feel how red his own face was as he watched color seep into Steve’s cheeks. Eddie couldn’t restrain his smile as he whispered, “Of course I love you Stevie. How could I not? You’re perfect, sweetheart. Perfect for me in every way. I’ve always loved you.”
They completely disregarded the princess- Robin’s- weak huffing protests to not signing up to deal with male pda, as Steve cupped the back of Eddie’s neck. He was still lying beneath him from where Eddie was sprawled on top, but he pulled Eddie’s head down to his own, smiling wide with his eyes twinkling before they closed and their lips met.
The kiss wasn’t fireworks. It was warm and soft and Eddie could feel his heart- his whole being- melting into Steve’s.
“Oh,” he thought. “This is right.”