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The kingdom is bustling with joy. Bands are playing joyful songs in the plaza, citizens are crowding the streets with laughter, children are running around with smiles, and merchants are cashing in on the joy.
Everything came together to form a picture of vibrant jubilation, but these scenes are not common, and a specific event sparked the kingdom's joy.
The princess of a neighboring kingdom is being married to Ellis Rowan, this kingdom's crowned prince.
It was believed that this marriage would mark a change in the kingdom's constant struggle for power and wealth.
Once the two of them unite, then everything will change.
The kingdom will thrive, the princess will be guaranteed to be a queen, but the prince is weeping from it all.
The prince's chambers were a mess.
His bed sheets were laid across the floor, clothing tossed out of the wardrobe, and the mirror was broken with shards spread across the floor in front of it.
After his outburst, the prince is now looking out his window. He gets a clear picture of the happiness that has formed because of his future marriage. He clenches his teeth and grips the frame tightly. He knows that he should be happy too, but he can't feel that emotion.
He tries to think of the positives that are present, but his mind can only think about the negatives. He does his best to push those negative thoughts to the side, but the sight of his chambers shows that he can't.
Ellis was aware that there was no one to blame for his feelings. The marriage was a mutual agreement, and he wanted to follow through with it, but all he could think about was the life that would be taken from him if he did follow through.
The life that will be ripped away from him features his loyal knight from childhood.
The prince's eyes start to brim with tears at the mere thought of his knight. He places his right hand on his chest as it starts to heave.
For the longest time, Ellis didn't want to admit his feelings towards his knight.
A man loving another man is seen as despicable in the kingdom, but Ellis couldn't help it.
Ellis knows when his feelings started to grow, and it started when the two of you became teenagers. He recognized that his feelings weren't just admiration but love. He saw his knight as an equal. And more importantly, as a lover who would stand by his side til death.
Even with his passion, Ellis curses his love because it has turned to pain. A pain that he fears that he will take with him to his grave.
Ellis squeezes his eyes shut and closes the window with the purple curtains. He turns his back to the curtain covered window and opens his eyes to the dim room. A single flickering flame from a wax candle gives limited light to the room, but it is enough to let the prince see the glass shards in front of him. He steps over the shattered glass and walks over to his future.
His suit is hanging off a four panel folding screen. The prince clutches his hands into tight fists at the sight of the suit.
He grabs one of the soft sleeves of the suit. His fingertips trail along the fabric of the sleeve and then slowly glide to the tie. It was deep purple, not the vibrant red that he wanted. He remembers that he made the request to the tailor for a red tie, but his decision was null.
Ellis turns away from the suit and retreats back to his bed. He sinks into the mattress and waits.
Ellis closes his eyes and waits for a heaviness to settle onto his eyelids, so he can forget about everything.
Unfortunately, his waiting brings someone else.
Ellis hears a knock, and he immediately recognizes who is on the other side of the door. It was you, his loyal knight. Ellis' heart sinks from the realization.
"May I come in? You haven't left your chambers at all today," your voice reaches Ellis, and he clutches the bed sheets underneath him in frustration. He hated how worried you sounded, as if you already knew something was wrong.
Ellis didn't answer.
You stand in front of the elegant door, and you shift your weight between your feet. You were waiting for a response or for Ellis to open the door. But neither scenario occurred, and your worry was starting to build.
You give a quick knock and wait once more.
Still no answer.
You didn't want to open the door without his approval, but you couldn't wait any longer.
You decide to talk to him one more time before you open the door, "Ellis, I'm going to open the door."
Ellis presses himself deeper into the mattress, and he places his hand close to his chest and feels how fast his heart is racing.
You let out a sigh and grab the knob tightly. You twist the knob and the door clicks open. You push the door open and enter, and the sight of the room makes you stop from going any further.
Shattered glass litters the floor like a pattern, papers are torn and spread across the floor, and a few items that were once placed on the dresser are now knocked to the ground.
It was a sight that you thought you would never see.
You hastily look around the room for any sight of Ellis.
You close the door behind you, so no one can view the destruction. You let the light from the lone candle guide you as you try to find Ellis.
The sound of heavy breathing coming from the bed caught your attention, and you turn your head to the bed. You approach the bed, and you notice how the blanket shifts further away.
"Ellis," you call out to him, and he stops his movements. He stays still, but his breathing continues to stay heavy.
"What happened?"
You get no response.
"Ellis, please tell me what's wr-"
"Please... go away," you were cut off by a meek voice.
You stood still and looked at Ellis' vulnerable form. Your eyes softened because you had a feeling that his cries came from the fact that he didn't want to get married to one of the neighboring princesses. A day had not passed by since the announcement without him complaining about it. As the date got closer to the ceremony, he quieted down and started to isolate himself more frequently.
It was clear that he finally broke.
"Ellis..."
"I dismiss you!"
"Ellis, I'm not on duty yet."
The blanket starts to shift, and you are able to see Ellis' hazel eyes peek at you before covering himself again.
Ellis' heart was torn at the sight of you. You were unmasked and sitting in your casual clothing, clearly showing that you were off duty. He had to rip his eyes away from you because he knew that his mind would run wild with the recent thoughts he had about you.
"Ellis, I know she is not the one you wish to marry, but you must commit to her," you start to get closer to Ellis.
Before you can tug the blanket off of his body, he calls out to you.
"You're right... I will commit myself to her, but I have something that I must confess that has been weighing heavy on my heart before I can fully welcome her into it," Ellis' body slowly starts to rise and the blanket slips off and pools around his lap.
You are now able to see Ellis' disheveled form. You are instantly able to tell that he had been crying for hours. His eyes are irritated into a hash red, and there's a trail of dried tears on both sides of his cheeks. His hair was tangled. His robe was starting to slip off his shoulders.
You had never seen him this way before.
"Oh, Ellis," you whisper, "Tell me all that you have to say. I'll listen."
Ellis looks down, "Do you really wish to listen?"
"I'll listen. Please tell me what has caused you to create this chaos," You move closer to the bed, but you stop once you notice that he shifts away from you.
"Love."
"Love?"
The two of you grow quiet, but for different reasons. You are confused by his response, and he is wondering if he should continue.
You are the one who decides to break the silence and question his response, "Love? Your love in regards to the princess?"
"No... not quite," Ellis sighs and slowly looks over towards you, "If I tell you, can you give me your opinion? This is something that I have thought about for years, and I would finally like to hear what you think about it."
"Of course, go on," you usher him. Before he could respond, you wondered what he was going to say. You were under the assumption that he was going to speak about his thoughts on the marriage, and his anger was going to resurface.
You would have never guessed his real response.
"I'm in love with someone else."
"Another woman?"
Ellis hesitates for a moment and then shakes his head, "No, not a woman, but a man."
"A man?"
Ellis closes his eyes, "Yes, I'm in love with my knight."
"Your knight...me?"
"Yes, you."
The small amount of composure that Ellis had ends up crumbling, and he buries his face into the palm of his hands and sobs start to spill out.
"I'm a fool! I'm a damn fool! I'm in love with you!" His voice is muffled by his hands, but you can hear him clearly.
The sound of your silence caused Ellis to believe that you were disguised by his confession.
The weight of the mattress shifted as someone got on top of it. "Ellis, how long have you felt this way?" you ask him as you try to get close to him, and he lets you do so.
Ellis pulled his hands away from his face, and looked towards you, "Ever since I was thirteen, but that was when I first recognized that I didn't love you as my knight but as a lover. I think I loved you longer than that," Ellis solemnly explains as tears start to form once more.
"I see. This is why you kept complaining about the marriage."
"Yes. I was mad that they were forcing me into this marriage. I always dreamt of finding my one true love through my own accord. Unfortunately, that can never happen."
"Ellis, it's okay to feel what you feel."
"How can it be okay? It can never be okay! I'll never be able to express my love to you! Don't try to comfort me! The reality we live in will never allow your sweet words to be true!" Ellis cries out.
You look down at the ground and nod, "You're right."
Ellis thought that you were going to leave after he pushed you away, but you ended up pulling him close.
"But what knight would I be if I left you like this?"
Ellis' chin is placed on your shoulder, and his arms wrap around your torso. He was surrounded by your warmth. He finally felt safe from the world. A world that would ridicule him for his feelings. But his knight warded off that world.
The two of you stay in that embrace, but you speak to Ellis and voice your opinion.
"Ellis, I am unsure about my own feelings. I feel love towards you, but I'm not sure it's the same love that you feel..." Ellis grips your clothing and sobs into your shoulder.
"I und-understand..."
"But Ellis, I'll still stand by your side. Please, don't believe that I will turn my back on you after this. I could never leave you."
Ellis fumbles with his words, but they string together to make one phrase that is repeated multiple times and is heard each time that it is uttered.
"I love you."
⊹₊♚₊⊹
The day comes.
Nobility are seated on the pews, the lower-class are trying their best to catch a view from the outside, the pastor is ready to guide, the groom is sweating, and then the bride appears.
The wedding is starting.
The future queen loops her arm with her father's, and they slowly start to walk down the lengthy aisle that has a red carpet rolled out just for her. Ellis is standing at the end of that carpet. His eyes have only met her once. He shifts his eyes from one side of the room to the other. He tries to keep his composer because everyone is watching, except one.
Ellis was trying to find you among the sea of nobility and knights, but he couldn't see you.
Before the wedding started, he asked for your whereabouts, but no one knew where you were. Ellis wanted to see you one last time before his fate was sealed.
Ellis was oblivious to the fact that his future bride was standing before him. His heart ached at the sight of her.
Ellis stood tall but stopped for a moment to see if you were anywhere. He tilted his head down once he realized that you were nowhere.
The doors to the cathedral are shut by two knights right before the pastor starts to speak. You close one of the large doors and stand next to it. You watch from across the building as the groom and bride look at each other.
The bride's eyes start to shimmer with tears of joy.
The groom holds back his tears of sorrow.
And the knight cries tears of regret underneath the heavy helmet.