"So, is Liam who you were talking about when you rejected me?" Tim asked curiously as all of us ate.
Oh...
That's a bit... awkward.
"Life's a bit strange. No, he's not the same person. But I moved on from that person and in moving on I realized I loved Liam. I was in denial for a bit, but I'm glad I was honest with him."
Liam seemed pretty happy with what i said, "he's a real sweetheart. Though, I'm surprised he fooled anyone, because he is amazingly obvious with his affections."
"Not every quite picked up on it. Except my father, my brothers, my sister, my cousin..."
"How long did your father know?" Elliot asked curiously.
Liam nodded, "they just knew way before I knew, so I'm curious too."
"After I met Elliot actually. Well, a bit after. I told my dad and cried a bit. Awkward timing because that's when Prince Damon and The emperor showed up, so both my father and I simply pretended the conversation didn't happen."
"So they've known for over three years?" Damon muttered
"Of course. My father has always been my biggest supporter. When I told him, he smiled and hugged me. He told me he'd always support me and wanted me to be happy. All of them were supportive. It took a huge weight off my shoulders. I felt more myself."
Liam seemed extremely happy hearing that. "Your family is closer than most."
"So, why didn't you tell anyone else until much later?" Tim asked.
"I'm not stupid. I knew prince Damon and Finn didn't agree with it. Not because they're against it, they're just ignorant. I don't know if any of that's changed. But at the time, I wasn't trying to die. Now that I've been blessed, it's not as much of a threat."
"What about me?" Liam asked.
"If I told you, I would tell everyone. Doesn't feel right excluding anyone. You just figured it out first."
Finn sighed, "it's still weird to think about to me, but after seeing literal gods basically jump to your defense, I don't care about it anymore."
"Divine intervention stopped you from being an outright asshole," Liam said, statement of fact.
Damon remained quiet, not really saying anything as we all ate.
When we all headed to our rooms for the night, Damon stopped me.
"I need to talk to you."
I looked over at Liam, and he nodded, smiling. "Goodnight, don't stay up too late."
When he was out of site, we walked outside. Guards were somewhat nearby. Not within earshot or anything, but nearby.
"I know I've messed up," he started, sighing. "Liam was right calling me out. You a-" he flinched, biting backs. "-were my best friend. No matter what, i should've been kinder to you."
"Your highness-"
"Do you hate me now?"
"What? I've never hated you."
He moved to nearby railing, resting his arms on it. "You had every opportunity to hurt me, call me out, but you never did. You accepted everything and Liam was the one to fight me about it. Why?"
"I know you're a good person. You'll be a great ruler someday."
"You're always like that. So forgiving, king, selfless..." he turned to me, "I'm sorry. For everything."
Oh. "Your highness-"
"Liam was right, I regret pushing you away. He's the closest to you. And the way you look at him... you used to look at me that way. I know that now."
What was this leading up to?
"I- I hope you're happy. Liam is a great guy who really cares about you. And if you love him like you did me, you'll be happy."
"Y-"
"I'm sorry. It's late to say but I am. Good night." He walked back inside with something still left unsaid. I could feel it.
What it was, I was unsure.
I headed to the room I'd be staying in, but got stopped by Liam, who was waiting at my door. As smiles.
Wordlessly, I opened the door, and let him in.
When the door closed, he happily pecked my lips. "So what did you two talk about?"
I shrugged, "he apologized. Said you were right, he regrets what he did, then wished the two of us the best."
Liam quirked a brow, "yet you seem distraught?"
"He wanted to say something else, I'm sure of it, but I'm not sure what."
I think Liam must've known. A look flashed across his face. He doesn't have to tell me-
"He must've realized he loves you."
"What?"
Liam sighed, "he liked you too. It took him awhile to realize it though. I'm sure if you asked him, he'd tell you, and if you wanted to date him, he'd say yess this time."
"Unfortunately for him, even if that is the case, I don't plan on being with him. I love you."
Liam's face flushed bright red, the color spreading to his shoulders and ears. Cute.
"But you love him too!" He sputtered.
"He's my first love in this world, sure. Yes, I'll always love him. But I want to be with you. Not with him."
Liam hugged me tightly, arms wrapped by my shoulder blades. "I won't be easy to get rid of you know."
"I know. And I wouldn't have it any other way."
His arms slipped down, and he let them fall by his side. "I suppose I should head back..."
I made a move, reaching out and scooping him up, "stay awhile, I like having you with me."
"A-alright."
Somehow, that ended up with us on the balcony of my room. We looked at the stars extremely close. It was so pretty. Just stunning.
In my past life, light pollution made it impossible to see the beautiful view beyond the sky. Here... with no modern technology... I was able to truly enjoy the view.
The stars.... and Liam.
His golden eyes were always pretty. The way everything reflected in them was stunning. I could see the stars in them. His hair was a mess, ruffled a bit too much throughout the day. And him in casual clothes was always a sight. Loose fitting pants and a slightly too big v-neck looking top that displayed a good portion of his chest.
He was a masterpiece.
"You really have a bad habit of staring," he joked as he glanced over at me.
"Can't I admire how absolutely stunning you look?"
"Feel free to." He then let out a yawn. "I really should get to bed, so I'll see you in the morning."
"See you in the morning, goodnight." And we shared a tired kiss as he walked away.
Maybe Damon loved me. But Liam... he loved me more.
And I loved Liam.
"Young love. Always so adorable."
Xiv.
From how Liam described him, it had to be him.
I turned to the god and saw him sitting on the balcony. He wore loose fitting robes and had long, braided black hair, skin dark with splotches of white. His eyes were almost black.
"Didn't expect to meet you," I admitted honestly.
"No one ever does. I came to bless you."
I had assumed."
The god chuckled, "we are frequenters of your existence." He grabbed my hand, kissing my fingertips. "Tragedy will never befall you. You may be hurt by others tragedies, but you will live long. Please, use your life wisely."
And the god vanished.
As always.