"What the fuck are you doing here?" Kenric spoke sharply as he stared at Prince Edward, who was looking back at him with his signature conceited grin. He was sitting on Archie's bed, his stance relaxed and comfortable as if it were his own room. Archie stood a few feet away, and one glance at him was enough to tell Kenric that the blond was not welcome.
"I was paying Archie a visit, what else?" Edward answered. "He has been looking quite sad nowadays, has he not? I wanted to make sure he was alright."
"I do not see how Archie's well-being is any of your concern," Kenric retorted. "I suggest you leave if you know what is best for you."
"All right, all right, no need for empty threats that we all know you cannot follow up on," Edward chuckled. "I shall let you both be, I am certain you have a lot to catch up on."
The blond stood up from the cot as he walked towards Kenric, who was holding the door open for him as he glared at his neighbor. Edward still had a smug smile on his face, he tilted his head to look at Archie one last time as he stopped next to Kenric.
"Hm, I understand what you see in him. For a commoner he is quite exquisite," Edward whispered. "If I were you then I would keep him close or else someone just might steal him away."
Kenric did not know whether the crown prince was serious or simply teasing him, but he had enough of his bullshit. Nobody threatened Archie and got away with it, not even a future king.
Kenric grabbed the collar of Edward's coat to pull him closer as he stared at him with eyes full of hatred. Kenric wrapped his hand around his neck, making the man wince in pain. For the first time, the blond prince looked scared. Ever since his arrival at the castle, he was only now seeing the man who had stories of his savageness and ruthlessness spread across all the nations. The man who had slain countless enemies, who showed no mercy, and was a person nobody wanted to be on the bad side of.
"I will say this only once," Kenric began, his voice low and dangerous. "I do not care for politics. I am not the king, I will not shake hands with you and exchange pleasantries. I will not be nice to you. And I will not let these comments slide. Do you really think that you can terrorize someone that I care about?
"Hear this, you little shit, and carve my words in your brain. If I see you going after what is mine then I will unleash hell on you. I do not make empty threats, I make promises. I will find you, and I will break every single bone in your body. You will be begging me to kill you before I drive my sword through your heart. I will start a war without a single regret and I do not know if you have heard, but I have never been defeated."
Kenric finally let go of Edward's neck, making the man stumble back as he rubbed his hand around the red skin. He coughed as he tried to catch his breath, before looking up at the warrior prince with equal contempt. His arrogant exterior was gone, and he simply looked enraged.
"Nobody wants a war," Edward said. Even though he was surely feeling insulted and angry, he was starting to understand that Kenric was not a man he could mess around with and not face any consequences. "But there are dangers worse than that out there. Your doom is around the corner, Prince Kenric."
"Who will bring me down? Your father? You?" Kenric spat. "You can try. I have beaten your army before and I will do it again. And this time? I shall slaughter you along with them."
"We will see about that," Edward let out a dry laugh as he glanced at Archie. "If you ever get tired of his domineering personality then you know where to find me. I will show you some gentle loving that will blow—"
"You bastard!" Kenric yelled, once again grabbing hold of Edward's neck as he choked him harder, instantly making his face go pale. "Unless you want to explain to your sister why you have a black eye and a broken leg— leave! And stay the fuck away from Archie."
Kenric pushed the blond away, he would have fallen down had his back not hit the wall. He was gasping for oxygen as he blinked rapidly. His wheezing turned to laughter as he looked between the two men. His amusement was infuriating Kenric even more.
Fortunately, he did not say anything again as he left Archie's room. Kenric waited until he was gone before locking the door. He took a deep breath in, feeling nervous as he gathered the courage to face his lover. Archie had remained quiet during his little spat with the other man, and this was probably the first time that Archie must have seen Kenric be so callous with somebody.
Would he deem Kenric barbaric? Would he call him a monster? Kenric did not have the slightest idea of how the stable boy would react to this side of him, and it terrified him to think that Archie may not approve of it. That he may think of him as less.
Kenric finally turned around to look at Archie, who was staring back at him. His eyes were glossy as a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"Archie, I..." Kenric gulped. "I apologize that you had to see all of this. I will make sure that Edward does not bother you again and—"
"Fuck him!" Archie exclaimed, cutting Kenric off and leaving him stunned. Archie rarely ever raised his volume or cursed, and he was doing both with a shaky voice and trembling lips. "Fuck him. I do not give a shit about Edward or whatever the hell he wants. You— I care about you and I have not seen you in..."
Archie's voice broke as Kenric's expression softened. He closed the gap between them as he rushed to his beloved and wrapped his arms around him. He held him as tightly as he could while simultaneously kissing the top of his head over and over again.
"I thought I was losing you," Archie whispered. The sadness in his voice broke Kenric's heart all over again.
"You will never lose me," Kenric replied. "So much has been going on and I...I should have come to you sooner. I apologize, my love."
"Everyone kept talking about what a wonderful couple you and that princess make. How...how your wedding will be magnificent and your children will be beautiful. I had to listen to them talk about how you...how the man I love looks smitten with another woman," Archie paused, trying hard to not break down. "I tried to see you. To catch a glimpse but you never... What else was I supposed to think, Kenric?"
Kenric was speechless. Sure, he had a tough time not being able to see or meet Archie the last few days, but he had no idea about what Archie was going through. He never even stopped to think about the gravity of the situation and how it must have been affecting the stable boy. The guilt was hitting Kenric hard, and he knew that an apology was not going to be enough.
He should have known better. He should have made more of an effort. He should not have let his lover suffer through all this alone.
"Princess Eleanor is a good woman, I will not deny that. But I can not and will not marry her, or be with anyone other than you. You are it for me, Archie. And I cannot even begin to describe how much it is killing me to know that I made you feel like you were not. To make you feel like you were losing me," Kenric sighed. "Please believe me when I say that I was dying to see you. But with the guards and the guests...the risk..."
"Of course," Archie muttered as he pulled away, wiping his face with his palm as he nodded solemnly. "It was too risky. You did the smart thing. It is fine. It is—"
"No, it is not. Let me speak, my love, please. I should have found a way. I promised you that nothing could keep us apart and that you come before everyone and everything else but my actions have not been aligning with what I have been saying. I will do better, I swear that I will," Kenric stated.
"I trust you," Archie mumbled, still not meeting Kenric's eyes. Kenric wanted to reassure him more, but he knew words would only feel empty. Besides, there was something else that Kenric was itching to ask about.
"Edward...what was he doing here? Did he harm you?" Kenric questioned.
"He did not hurt me," Archie answered. "He ran into me the other day in the forest when I was practicing and I don't know, he has been around since then. Saying things..."
"What kind of things?" Kenric asked, and Archie gulped. Kenric was not going to be happy to hear this, but he was not going to lie to the prince.
"Flirtatious things," Archie said softly, glancing at Kenric to see his reaction. Kenric's demeanor changed in an instant, going from gentle to tense.
Archie told Kenric in more detail about his first encounter with the blond prince, and then about the later ones. He mentioned how Sir Christian had intervened on a few occasions, which made Kenric relax just a tad bit. At least Archie had the knight looking out for him, for that the dark-haired man was glad.
Kenric, in return, shared with Archie about his run-in with the siblings and Edward's comment to him. They both were sitting on Archie's bed, a few inches between them. The tension was thick, and neither of them could figure out how Prince Edward could have known about their relationship. There was only one potential answer.
There was a spy in the castle.
If the person knew about Archie and Kenric, then what else could they possibly know? What other hidden secrets were exposed?
"Why has he not made a move, then?" Archie asked.
"Because he does not have any proof," Kenric answered. "He could tell people that we are in love, but who would believe him?"
"Maybe," Archie muttered. "Is it possible that he is also like...us? The things he said—"
"It is possible, but he could be saying all that just to rile us up as well," Kenric sighed. "We need to tell Godric everything. He would know what to do."
"We?" Archie blinked.
"Yes, we." Kenric nodded. Godric needed to know all the details from both sides, so Archie had to be there. Having a spy amidst them was not a small issue, but rather a matter of the entire kingdom's safety.
"Okay," Archie mumbled. "When?"
"After your archery tournament," Kenric said. "I will keep an eye out on that golden-headed rascal till then."
"Uh-huh."
"And Archie..." Kenric paused. "I know you have been restraining yourself as he is a crown prince, but I do not give a shit about his blood or his status. If he tries...if he tries anything with you and I am not there then do not shy away from retaliating."
"Retaliating?"
"Be it with words or weapons. If he tries to hurt you, then hurt him back," Kenric stated with all seriousness.
"But he is the future King of—"
"I just told you, my sweet one, I do not care who he is. Future King or not, if he uses his power to step over you, then he is nothing but a scoundrel. You need not be scared to fight back," Kenric said.
"That could lead to war, Kenric," Archie replied, stunned that the prince would even suggest such a thing.
"A war is nothing. I would burn the entire world for you, Archie."