Chapter Text
The meadow was blooming with pink blossoms as Till balanced the stack of books in his arms.
Till felt his breath catch, his cheeks flushing at the beauty of it all.
Yes, that was right.
It was Adoption Day.
He felt himself race against the wind, the breeze weaving itself through the strands as he bared his joy to the world and laughed.
“Good job, boy, you’re getting better.”
Hyunwoo said, Ivan’s neck in his chokehold as he ruffled the boy’s raven hair affectionately.
“Thanks, Hyung.”
Ivan said, grinning, drenched in sweat, his hair hanging in strands in front of his dark eyes, his sharp canine snagging on his lower lip.
He caught Till’s gaze, and immediately jogged over to him, bowing.
“My Prince. You’re…not supposed to be in the training grounds.”
Ivan said, spinning Till around and rushing him out of the unruly knights domain.
“I can do whatever I please.”
Till said, his ears burning from the sight of Ivan leaning over him.
Ivan was his knight, delegated to him by Urak ever since he plucked Ivan off the streets.
“That, you can, My Prince.”
He said, chuckling to himself. Ivan was a year older than Till, and he had grown into his teen body, lean and strong, all long legs and sharp lines.
Ivan’s voice had changed too, it being a deep, amused rumble in his chest.
Till had seen the other teenage princes, and they looked nothing like Ivan, all lanky and awkward, adjusting to their new bodies and voices, often looking like fools.
Ivan was different, of course. But that was to be expected. It was his Ivan, after all.
Till always thought it was awfully strange that Ivan’s Adoption Day was on Valentines.
Not that he minded.
He watched as Ivan leaned on the wall opposite to him, adjusting his sleeves.
“Ivan.”
The alley Ivan pulled them into was awfully small, and they were closer than they would’ve normally been.
“Yes—“
“Take it.”
Till cut him off, brandishing a sheathed sword at him, hiding his face behind his other hand.
“What? But this is a Lacroix! I couldn’t—“
He protested weakly, his gaze pulling to the intricate, carved sheath, before he steeled himself and looking the other way.
“Just take it, you idiot. I have no use for it anymore.”
“I..no—“
“That’s an order.”
Ivan couldn’t disobey Till. Normally, if anyone else talked to the fiery prince like this, they would surely be punished. Ivan knew this, even if Till could never punish him.
He wordlessly took it, unsheathing it and inspecting it, effectively drooling.
Little did he know, Till had it made specifically for Ivan. He had spent months collecting every quirk and every notch in Ivan’s technique and build.
It would have been useless in the hands of another.
Till was young, after all, and he couldn’t see the harm of sewing his heart on his sleeve.
It was the Spring Festival once more, and the kingdom was in full swing, celebrating the overthrowing of the tyrant king Urak and the rise of the benevolent and kind Queen Io.
The Castle Games were a series of athletic events the knights in training took part in with gusto in hopes of charming a few royals here and there, and most just for the fun of it.
Traditionally, only boys over the age of 16 were permitted to participate, so Till, being a year short, was stuck on the royal balcony, looking down at the gathered people.
But Ivan was an exception. Urak wanted such a pretty and talented boy such as Ivan to be on display for everyone to see, and he had been competing for the last three years already.
Till would have forbidden him if he didn’t seem like he was enjoying it. But to his dismay, Ivan did.
This year, it would be his first games after he had come of age, and Ivan sure looked the part, dressed in his best formal wear.
First up was sword fighting. Ivan stepped into the ring in all his glory, brandishing the Lacroix Till had given him proudly.
Ivan won the bouts in his age group, of course.
Next up was horse riding. This was Ivan’s pride and joy. He always won, so he had to be placed in the older boys’ category.
Till watched as he soothed his mare before the race, muttering reassurances in her ear as he chatted with the older boys, grinning.
Till loved seeing Ivan like this, giddy and citrusy with pride.
Ivan was winning, the crowd screaming as he slowly but surely overtook Hyunwoo at the top spot, looking back and grinning.
Hyunwoo wasn’t an easy boy to beat, older and tougher than Ivan, he quickly reclaimed his spot, his stallion kicking the coarse sand into Ivan’s eyes, and Ivan’s hands on the reins slackened as his eyes closed. Till could sense what was happening, leaning out of the balcony, biting his lip with worry.
Ivan couldn’t see a thing. His eyes leaked tears, and he kept them closed. Till could see his jaw clenching, before he leaned back and did the unthinkable.
He let go of the reins.
He trusted his mare to get him to the finish line, safe and sound and in first place.
He threw his head back and laughed, his throat bobbing as his mare overtook Hyunwoo, and by the time Ivan had won the race, Till was teetering out of the balcony, knee on the banister, his eyes widening with adoration as he cheered, wind weaving through his hair, cloak fluttering in the wind, and his heart bursting from his chest.
Till had come out of the palace for a walk, Ivan trailing behind him at a respectful distance, assessing their surroundings, even though they came on the same route every other day. He was dressed in the knights’ uniform, which was just a better looking version of a gambeson, his elbow resting on the hilt of his sword. Till himself was dressed in the simplest attire he had, which was a plain silk shirt, and black trousers. The silk shirt was still threaded with gold, and Till was hesitant to wear it, but he had no choice. The vendors had grown accustomed to his presence, and they waved as he walked by, and Till waved back, ruffling the hair of the kids running by.
He stopped at the same stall he always did, where the sweet woman sold pencils specially crafted and carved by hand, and they were the only ones that ever really worked for him.
“Hello, Mrs. Kastoros.”
“Oh, Your Highness! Have you run out already? You’re sure on a roll nowadays. You’re buying more than I can make.”
She said, her eyes crescent moons as she smiled.
Till noticed the absence of her stomach bump, and a happy, babbling baby behind her.
“Wait, Mrs. Kastoros..”
Till had never seen a baby before. It was like a new entity, with chubby cheeks and rounded limbs and tiny hands.
“Oh, this is my daughter. She’s a cute girl, isn’t she?”
She said, picking the baby up and nuzzling her head.
“May I hold her?”
Till asked, hesitant, Ivan a lot closer than before, looking over his shoulder.
“Of course!”
Mrs. Kastoros said, carefully placing the baby in Till’s arms as he cradled her.
Till felt a tug in his chest as he held the babbling child close, as she tugged at his hair.
“That’s your prince, Chaniel. He’s going to be a good, kind king one day, and he’ll take such good care of you.”
The woman hummed to the baby, and Till felt his heart expand in his chest.
He realised he wanted a child, after all.
Till’s boots hit the ground hard as he sprinted, grinning as he escaped from the tutors.
Till hated math.
“Woah, there, My Prince.”
Ivan halted Till in his tracks, gripping his forearms so he wouldn’t fall.
“Are you running from class?”
He asked, raising a thick brow.
“Well, of course I am. Now help me escape. Come on.”
Till said, exasperated, tugging at Ivan’s hand, before Ivan turned him around and started pulling him towards the classrooms.
“Sorry, My Prince. Queen’s orders.”
“Wait, no! I’m not going back there.”
Till said, grounding his heels into the ground so Ivan couldn’t pull him any farther.
Ivan looked back at him and sighed, amused, as if Till was a naughty cat.
Till hated how Ivan treated him like a child, even though Ivan was only a year older.
Till was fifteen, that was practically an adult!
“Yes, you are.”
Ivan said, picking Till up and putting him over his shoulder as if he was nothing more than a sack of potatoes.
Till’s face flushed. Was Ivan always this strong? He could feel Ivan’s bicep flex against his thigh as he walked over to the classrooms. Was it that Till wasn’t heavy? He could feel his face heat up even more. Till could smell Ivan’s hair. Did he wash it today? It smelled good.
Till was so taken aback he didn’t even protest, and before he knew it, he was dropped off on the tutor’s doorstep.
He set Till down, dusting his hands, grinning, his hair falling to one side as he grinned.
“Please, My Prince, won’t you just study? The Queen will have my head otherwise.”
Ivan hadn’t even broken a sweat. It was like he did nothing at all.
Till couldn’t say anything, and he just walked inside the building, blushing like a schoolgirl.
When he came back, Ivan was waiting for him, seated on the porch.
Ivan smiled at him then, and Till was smitten.