A Gift Unto the King

Arrival

Epona huffed as Lucas tugged the brush through her long mane, paying special attention to the few tangles that had gathered at the ends. Her head bobbed, and she swung her neck around, urging him to give her chin a few scratches, before allowing him to continue brushing. Every now and then, a knot would give Lucas a bit of trouble, and the mare would shake her mane free as she grew annoyed with the persistent detangling. Lucas sweetly reassured her that he was nearly done—despite having quite a bit of grooming left to do, but she didn't know that—and she reluctantly permitted him to finish.

"Well, well, well," a voice approached, "I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see you again."

Lucas glanced up with a start, before shaking his head.

"Very funny, Remus." Lucas replied as the dark-haired man entered the stables.

"A few more days and I might've sent off for a headstone." Remus grinned, crossing his arms over his chest, watching Lucas brush the dirt and dust out of Epona's silky, black coat.

Lucas shot a piercing glare over the mare's back, as Remus leaned against the stall wall opposite him, his expression decidedly smug. When Lucas's gaze didn't soften, he cocked his head, the breadth of his grin beginning to diminish.

"What, you're not still mad at me, are you?" Remus raised a brow. "It all worked out in the end."

"Luckily for you." Lucas bitterly returned his gaze to the horse. "What if it hadn't? I could have been exiled."

"But you weren't."

"I could've been." Lucas's tone lightened as he twisted the point.

"Then I would've gone with you." Remus nonchalantly shrugged.

"And be a deserter?" Lucas's eyes met Remus's, unanticipated surprise heavily lining them. Mostly regarding the speed at which that answer had fallen from his friend's lips, as if he didn't have to think about it at all—or conversely, that he had thought about it, at great length, and had thoroughly committed himself to that possibility.

"There are far worse things to be." Remus gave a lighthearted smile, the sunlight twinkling at the corner of his eye.

Lucas playfully shook his head, as he swept the brush over Epona's buttock, a puff of dust sashaying off of the stiff bristles. A hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth as his façade cracked. He couldn't be angry with Remus, even if he wanted to be. A bit like hating a baby duck, or a newborn kitten, he just didn't have it in him. Especially now that he knew that Remus would willingly brand himself as a criminal for him. It was probably one of the sweetest gestures he'd ever been offered by a person he wasn't sharing a bed with—albeit an incredibly stupid one. Even still, it warmed his heart.

Remus gave the stable a cautious glance over. The stalls appeared empty, save for the horses nibbling on their hay, and the courtyard beyond the doors seemed reasonably barren. He silently strained, listening for any stray voices, or shuffling boots, but heard none. Once thoroughly satisfied that they were alone, he leaned forward slightly to speak.

"So, how's my godchild doing?" Remus kept his voice low, out of fear that he'd missed a prying ear.

"Fidgety." Lucas smiled, as Remus let out a small snicker. "They're fine."

"And what about you?" Remus continued.

"Eh, I'd be better if I wasn't stuck at home all the time." Lucas joked, rubbing his palm over Epona's soft nose, her lips longingly flapping for a carrot, which he, unfortunately, did not have. "Get's bloody stifling sometimes, staring at the same ceiling and walls everyday. Hell, I even tried knitting." He heartily chuckled.