Work Text:
The flowers seemed to glisten in the starlight. The perfectly trimmed hedges that created a miraculously private meeting spot in the depths of the royal garden basked in the soft light of the full moon.
Till knew this place like the back of his hand. Not just because it was his duty to know the ins and outs of the palace.
But because every single one of his most cherished memories were created in this very spot.
He'd missed it.
Tonight was his first night back at the Palace in the last fifteen days.
Fifteen days.
It was the longest they had ever been apart since the day they met.
After hearing the news about… Ivan's engagement, he ran off without much of a second thought.
It hurt hearing the news that Ivan would be getting married, but it was a day that both of them knew would come eventually. Ivan was the second prince. His role would be connecting nations, rather than taking place as King. That role was given to his older sister.
If she were any closer to taking the throne, Ivan wouldn't be forced into this marriage. Sua knew well of Ivan and Till's relationship, and she would have found some way to make him useful while keeping him in the Kingdom and unwed.
But, unfortunately, the King was healthier than most men his age.
Till despised the fact Ivan was being shipped off to another country, but both of them tried to find peace in the fact that Till would be going with him. He had been Ivan's knight since they were both teens, and it wasn't like it was out of the ordinary for royalty to bring their closest attendants with them when they got married.
The marriage was political anyway. Both he and the princess were going to have their own lovers outside of this relationship that would be formed entirely in balls and public outings.
Albeit unsatisfactory, they would be fine.
However, Till had been informed mere hours after the announcement, that out of all of Ivan's servants who would be following him, he was not permitted to leave.
At first, Till didn't understand why. It wasn't like Till was some high-ranking knight who was important to the kingdom at all. He'd been assigned to guard Prince Ivan after scoring in the top three of his class when he graduated from the Royal Knight Academy. But he'd never left the Prince's side since, which kept him from securing any kind of promotion.
Not that he minded one bit.
But soon, it all made sense. The King wasn't stupid, and neither of them were very good at being subtle. Without the countless instances of them getting caught doing things less than appropriate for a knight and a prince to be doing, the way Till looked at Ivan was enough to expose the relationship they had.
The King wasn't allowing Till to follow because he didn't want Till to be near his son any longer. Whether it be he didn't want his son's same-sex affair to cause tension in another country, or be it personal grudge. Most likely, a sick mix of both.
Till knew it was shameful, he didn't even tell Ivan he was leaving.
The man he'd been responsible for protecting day in and day out for the last eight years, he didn't bother informing of his departure. The guilt of that decision nearly ate him alive each day after he took his horse and set off, but he felt like waiting for an opportune time would be wasting what little he didn't have.
Till didn't run away for the sake of it.
No, he left to prepare his final bid.
One, that if it didn't work out, might get him killed.
But it was one he was willing to place that bet on.
Till heard the Prince before he saw him. The sound of footsteps running through the grass, quiet panting.
"Till!" Ivan called out as he turned the corner, and Till's eyebrows furrowed in dissatisfaction as he laid eyes on the other.
He was in nothing more than his nightwear with nothing more than a shawl that was much too thin for the night air wrapped around his shoulders.
"Where are your shoes?" Till questioned, rushing over to where Ivan stood and kneeling down by his feet.
"I didn't think about grabbing any. I rushed out as soon as I heard you were here," Ivan disregarded.
Till huffed, sliding his fingers underneath the knots of the laces to his boots and pulling them apart to loosen them enough to pull off, "You could get sick dressed like this."
"That's not what's important right now," Ivan countered.
Till just shook his head, while he reached down and gently grabbed Ivan's ankle, and even through his protesting, Ivan let him lift his legs one by one to slide his boots onto his bare feet.
"Now you're going to be the one to get sick from being barefoot."
Till sighed, "I will be fine. My immune system is much better than yours."
"Where have you been?" Ivan demanded as Till rose to his feet.
Till couldn't help himself as he reached forward and tucked some of Ivan's stray hairs behind his ear. The scowl on his lover's face was harsh, the deep look of hurt in his eyes not one Till had ever seen before. But even in his anger, he leaned into Till's touch.
He was… too lovely. A Prince that Till knew he didn't deserve, a love that should have never been his to begin with.
But how was he supposed to be expected to let it go? A love he'd known for eight years, a love that sprouted and only grew like an invasive vine through a garden the moment they laid eyes on each other.
"I was visiting a cottage," Till answered easily.
Ivan's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion and disbelief, "A cottage?"
"It's not the best looking place. It's about twenty miles past the border, and five miles from the nearest village," Till explained.
"Only one bedroom, and the kitchen is pretty small. But there's a nice attic that has a pretty spacious window seat that looks out over a large window. I'm sure with some dusting, it'd make a cozy reading nook," Till continued, stepping closer to Ivan and placing a hand on his waist, "The garden needs a lot of work, lots of weeds to pull, but the soil is fertile. I'm sure vegetables would sprout wonderfully."
"Till-" Ivan attempted to cut him off in his confusion.
"The villagers are all very kind. You know, the cook at the tavern gave me a free meal just because he was excited to see a new face. I asked around, and no one even knew how old the princess was. Newspapers don't travel much farther than the major cities," Till pushed through.
"Till."
Ivan's tone, this time, wasn't as kind. It was the tone he used with nobles that were crossing the line. The tone he used when he needed to keep someone in check. The tone that he very, very rarely used with Till.
Till's mouth clamped shut, his eyes falling to the ground. Still, he clung to Ivan's nightclothes, balling the fabric that hung off his waist in his fist.
"You disappear without a word for over two weeks, and the first thing you have to say to me is about some…some cottage?" Ivan scoffed, holding his shawl tighter around his shoulders.
"I'm sorry," Till murmured out the apology.
"Do you have any idea how it felt when they told me you disappeared?" Ivan inquired, his voice no more than a whisper.
Till looked back up, bringing a hand to cup Ivan's cheek. Ivan's lips pursed together, and he closed his eyes as Till ran his thumb over his cheekbone.
"I'm sorry, I am. But I was in a hurry. You're to leave in a week. I couldn't risk being late," Till hurried to explain.
Ivan blinked his eyes open, "What are you talking about?"
Till forced a smile, soaking in the feeling of Ivan's cheek in his hand. He let go of Ivan's nightclothes, instead interlocking his fingers with Ivan's. He paused, just rubbing his thumb on the back of Ivan's hand before bringing it to his mouth, pressing gentle kisses on his knuckles.
"Run away with me."
The moment the words left his mouth, Till knew there was no going back. But once Ivan got on that carriage, there wasn't any going back from that either, was there?
Ivan's eyes widened, and for a second, it looked like he was going to pull away. His jaw clenched, and he swallowed hard, "They'll kill you."
"Only if they catch us," Till countered.
"They'll never stop looking for me," Ivan kept on.
Till shook his head, "That's true. But they won't think to look for you outside this country. In fact, they can't. Not without sparking political tensions. Asking for permission to send a search party in another country is the equivalent of accusing them of the abduction."
Till's hand returned to Ivan's waist, sneaking around to hold his lower back, "It'll take us five days to get there if we keep up a steady pace. Two horses, two men, minimal luggage. We'll make sure to avoid anywhere with people. I know you've never camped before, but I'll do my very best to make you comfortable."
Ivan shook his head, "You're not hearing me. They will kill you if we get caught."
Till leaned forward, resting his forehead in the crook of Ivan's neck. He took a deep breath, letting the smell of fresh roses and lavender comfort him.
"I would much rather die while attempting to secure a life with you, than live out the rest of mine without you," Till confessed, squeezing Ivan tighter with the arm wrapped around him.
There was a beat of silence, and then another. Minutes passed, and the only other sounds that could be heard in the safety of their garden nook was the sound of their breathing and the night breeze passing by.
That was until Till felt a pair of arms wrap around him, and Ivan's nose bury itself in his hair.
"Okay," Ivan whispered, "Let's run away together."
[art by @AnakitoArt on twt, depicting these two lovebirds years later at their cottage.]