Requiem for a King [MxM]

Burn

Quintus mounted a jet black mare, his eyes set on the south. On the Cathedral. For days he'd been casually strolling by, casually walking around the building and casually watching the comings and goings of the Priests. They weren't going to be in Avaly much longer and neither would he. But he wouldn't leave without a proper sendoff, a lovely fire to backdrop his departure.

He nodded to the stablehand and double-checked the sack of supplies he'd thrown over the back of the horse. Part of him wished Gav had come with him. They could've had one last adventure together before parting ways—him to wander, Gavrael to be king.

"Quintus wait."

Speak of the nether. He turned and saw Gavrael leaning against the wall and panting. "Changed your mind?"

"Maybe I can take a little time for myself." He accepted the reins of a blonde steed offered by the stable boy with a nod. "And it's a beautiful night to go for a ride."

Quintus nodded his approval. He wouldn't say it out loud, but it warmed his heart that Gavrael would be joining him for this nightly escapade. He couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye than some nightly mischief.

Though he wished it were a different kind of mischief—a funner, hotter kind. He'd had to use every bit of restraint he could muster back then in the office. Especially after seeing how Gavrael's eyes smoldered when appraising him in the jacket. He couldn't get any closer than he already was, couldn't give more of himself than he already had, because then he'd never leave.

Gavrael cleared his throat. "My divorce is final, as of today."

"Oh? How does it feel?" Quintus asked, working his horse into a canter.

"I thought it would feel great to sever my ties with Elaine, but." He sighed. "It feels awful. What am I going to say to Jaliah when she asks about her mother? I'm sorry, sweetheart, your mother plotted with the High Priest to kill me so I had to execute her?"

Quintus shrugged. "It's a start. Did you love her?"

"Of course I did. I loved her and I trusted her and it's killing me that she'd even..." He shook his head and Quintus could see the tear welling up in his eyes. "I just feel so foolish."

"Well, that's the funny thing about love, I suppose. Sometimes it blinds us so completely that we can't see what's right in front of our faces."

Gavrael frowned. "You sound as though you're speaking from experience."

"It's been a long time since I've dipped my toes in those treacherous waters." A long, long time, he added in his head. "And if fate favours me, it will be a longer time still." And he was praying hard that fate would favour him.

"Well, I hope fate favours you even more, and the next time you dip your toes in, the waters are calm and sweet." Gavrael topped off his words with a smile.

Damn it. Why did he have to be so nice? When he'd imagined the king of the Forbidden city, he'd pictured a tyrant sitting behind a table laden with more food than he could eat, barking orders. Not this kind and sensitive and... Quintus stopped his thoughts before they crossed into dangerous territory.

"We should quiet down now," he said. "We're almost there."

Gavrael looked around at the grove of trees to their left and the wooden farm buildings to their right. "Almost where?"

"The Cathedral."

"The Cathedral!" he whisper-shouted. "Quintus I can't. If we get caught, I could be implicated. You understand how bad this looks for me?"

Quintus snorted. "Relax. After you revealed what the High Priest did to you, there are more people here who would rejoice to see this place burn to the ground, and very few who'll miss it. Plus, no one will know we were ever here."