The Gifts We Share [A Medieval AU]

Chapter Fifty-Two - The Most Painful Goodbyes

For the next few days, the entire kingdom of Rubellus is in disarray. Celebrations are held, shops are reopened, the castle is cleaned up and prepared for Mark, etcetera. Seán is presented the honour of crowning the prince as King of Rubellus, and he has to do everything in his power to keep from bursting into tears. The people are overjoyed to have the rightful king back in his place, but Seán can't help the feeling of distress that seems to constantly reside in his heart. What comes next?

The king of Viride finally manages to pull Mark away from the hectic activities of the castle and leads him to the garden, their hands clenched firmly together between them. Seán manages to keep his emotions at bay, but just barely. He distracts himself with Mark's eyes, or his own thoughts of how handsome he looks in the true Rubellus crown.

"What do we do now, Mark?" Seán asks softly, looking up into the big brown eyes he's grown to love so much. "Now that you're a king?"

Mark shrugs a bit, chewing his bottom lip. "I... I don't know. I have a lot of stuff left in Viride that I need sent here, and I'd like if my family could be reburied here in Rubellus... But those are easily dealt with." He smiles weakly. "You're talking about us, though. What do we do with ourselves."

"Yes," Seán whispers, his heart shattering into a million pieces. "What do we do with ourselves?"

"I don't... I don't know how to be a king yet. I need you to guide me," Mark says, his tone edging on a plea.

"You know I can't stay here. I have to get back to Viride and rule my own kingdom."

"I know..." Mark's hand tightens around Seán's as his eyes glisten with tears. "Is goodbye the only answer?"

The king of Viride shakes his head, tears pricking at his own eyes. "I don't want it to be."

Mark nods slightly, wiping at his face and taking a deep, shaky breath. Seán leads him to a nearby bench and settles down, pressing against the king of Rubellus' side and resting his head on his shoulder. They watch the garden in silence, their hearts silently breaking in perfect harmony.

"I love you," Seán whispers, turning his head slightly in order to kiss Mark's shoulder. "I'll never stop loving you. Even if we're far apart."

"I l-love you too." Mark's voice breaks and Seán nearly starts bawling. "What will I do without you?"

For the last few days Seán spends in Rubellus, he never leaves Mark's side. They try to focus on the happy things, but their separation lingers like a dark cloud in a bright blue sky. Sometimes, the two kings can laugh and joke like nothing's wrong, and other days they both feel like they're drowning in their own despair. The worst day, however, is the day that Seán leaves.

The early morning sun shines bright against the clear blue sky, not a cloud to be seen. The wind rustles the trees and grass, filling the air with a soft whisper. Knights, servants, and horses stand just outside the walls of the city, talking with one another or, in the case of the horses, stamping their hooves against the lush green grass. In his hand, Seán clutches the reins of an unfamiliar horse due to the fact that he gifted Grá to Mark, as a little reminder of Viride. Belle, his mother's horse, will be sent to Rubellus with the rest of Mark's belongings. However, these things are trivial to Seán. His entire focus is on the king that walks towards him.

Without a second though, Seán runs towards Mark and throws himself into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder. Mark wraps his arms around the king of Viride, not even bothering to hide his own tears.

"Mark, I don't want to leave you," Seán cries.

Mark nods, hiding his face in the king's shoulder. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Mark places a hand on the back of his head, running his fingers through Seán's soft green hair.  Will he ever get to feel this again?  "I'll send you messages with my magic. I'll remind you every day of how much I love you."

Seán nearly smiles. "That sounds wonderful."

They finally break their embrace, and Mark presses one last tearful goodbye kiss to Seán's lips. The king of Viride kisses back desperately before hesitantly breaking it and moving to his horse. He mounts his steed, the pain in his heart worse than death, and waves to Mark.  The king of Rubellus waves back, unashamed of the sobs that threaten to suffocate him.

The Viride caravan heads off, and Seán watches Mark until he disappears over the horizon.