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"Before the new moon rises, death will come for the young king and his friends. And some will not survive the fall of the Wolf!" The room was quiet, the dead Lion trooper having just dropped back down to the ground. In the centre of the room, Hector sat on the floor. He had to stop the message, he had to get that thing away from Drew. The only thing he could think to do was knock over the ritual candle. A prophecy of doom was nothing to take lightly, especially if came from the mouth of the dead. Hector panted, still fully processing the message, "Death will come for the young king." That couldn't be right. "Some will not survive the fall of the Wolf!" It just couldn't be. The thought made Hector sick, his nerves firing at every end. He had to get Drew somewhere safe. He had to tell the council! In his head he chided Drew. While getting Gretchen back was important, he couldn't afford to risk his life. The people needed him, Hector needed him. Drew's place was here in Highcliff. How could he not see that?
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Hector was writing in his notebook when a scream caught his attention. As he looked out the window, a lion trooper fell from the sky. He dragged the body inside and placed it under his rug, a few moments later, Whitley and Drew came knocking. Hector's face paled as the situation was explained to him. Gretchen being kidnapped by Prince Lucas was a tragedy for multiple reasons. It meant that Lucas was still active, as well as Vankaskan. It also meant that Gretchen was in terrible danger, Lucas wasn't above hurting someone to get what he wanted. And to top it all off, Drew is now out of a bride. "Hector," his attention immediately snapped to Drew, "There's only one way we can find out." He flinched at this. "You don't know what you're asking."
"I'm so sorry."
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Drew couldn't do anything but stare at the heap on the floor before him. Whitley stood at his side, trying to gain her composure. She knew as well as he did that they had a mission to fulfill. They were heading south, and nothing was going to stop them. Drew knew what he had to do, it was his fault. Gretchen was his priority. So why was he still so caught up on Hector? His eyes followed the grout of the stone tiles until he met Hector's eyes on the other side of the room. "Drew," Hector's voice came out barely above a whisper. There was a silent plea in his gaze. Drew had to look away. "You can't stop me," he finally said, opening the door to leave. "Drew, Please!" Hector raised his voice, shifting his position to face the two. Whitley headed out the door first, Drew getting ready to follow after her. "Stay! Please just stay!" His hand hovered on the doorknob as he froze. He had to leave, he had to save her. But Drew knew it didn't matter how dire the circumstances were, he couldn't deny Hector. Whitley stood on the steps, her eyes flicking between the two boys. "I'll give you a minute," she said, turning to Drew. "I'll be out here waiting once you're done," she gave him a pat on the shoulder and took to leaning against the wall. Drew smiled at her before closing the door.
Drew turned to face Hector, he had gotten up but he hadn't left his spot in the middle of the room. A long moment of silence stretched between the two, the tension thick. Eventually, it became too much, Drew groaned with frustration. "Why are you being like this!" He covered his face with his hands. "Drew, why can't you just think for a moment!" Hector spread his arms, clearly annoyed by Drew's lack of impulse control. "You have a whole army to send out! You even have allies to use if you really want! You can't send yourself out to go rescue Gretchen, it's not safe." He took a deep breath in. Normally, Hector found Drew's impulsive nature to be refreshing. Hector was always willing to go on a spontaneous walk, or to have an abrupt study session with Drew far past the usual hours of the night. It was a nice way to change up the day, an opportunity to not think so hard. Unfortunately, this was something that had to be thought about. Drew and Whitley couldn't just steal some horses from the stables and run off.
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"If they're heading South, they're taking Talstaff Road. If we hurry, we can catch them."
"Wait!" Whitley grabbed Drew's hand as he headed for the door. "Nobody can leave the city on my father's orders." She thought for a moment about what to do. "Leave it to me. I just need to fetch Chancer from the stables." Hector quickly ran up, slamming his body against the door. His voice was panicked and shaky, "I can't let you do this, Drew." Drew sent him a quizzical look, "What are you talking about?"
"Have you listened to a single word your mother said? Your place is here in Highcliff. Send your army after Prince Lucas and Gretchen, but you cannot go!" Hector stood firm, moving closer to Drew with every word. "Hector," Drew placed a hand on his shoulder, making Hector's heart jump. "I love you, but you can't stop me."
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Drew huffed, "It'll be okay! I have Whitley with me and I can control the Wolf a lot better now! I can handle myself just fine!"
"And what about your people? Are they meant to just let their king run off, leaving their city without any direction? They just got you back Drew! They need a leader!"
"I can't be that!" Drew snapped. The room was silent again, Hector too taken aback to respond. Finally, he walked up to Drew, not daring to touch him yet. "What do you mean?" Drew sighed, "I'm not cut out to be a king, Hector."
"I'm too irresponsible, I struggle with my studies, I don't want to get married, I'm too impatient to think important decisions through, and to finish it off, I can't even keep my friends safe. I'm only going to make things worse." He sat on the steps leading down to the main floor in the tower, his hands in his lap. Hector followed suit, "Drew, it takes time to become a king. You were raised so separate from this world. No one can expect you to adjust overnight." Hector nudged his shoulder against Drew's, trying to give him a reassuring smile. "They are though!" He retorts, "Amelie, Bergan, even you!" He gave Hector a look at that last bit. Hector bit his lip, "Me? What am I doing?" He asked, cocking his head in an attempt to get Drew to make eye contact. "Just the whole marriage thing! I don't get why you and Amelie are so caught up on me finding a queen!" Hector looked away, ashamed. Honestly, the reason he wanted Drew to find a queen was selfish. It was because he was tired of feeling like this.
When Drew and Hector first met, it was off to a rocky start. Drew wasn't happy, being in jail will do that to a person. So when a stranger visited him, talking about getting a hair sample to determine his were-type, his mood was declined further. Looking back on it, Hector doesn't blame Drew for slamming his body against the cell door and stealing his book. Then, they all plummeted into the river due to Drew cutting the ropes on the lift. So Hector wasn't really a huge fan of him either. However, he was quickly won over. Drew's bold personality and kind heart had Hector hooked. It wasn't long until Hector started noticing himself acting differently around Drew. Sometimes he caught himself looking at him too long from across the room. Other times, he would see things around him and Drew would immediately come to mind. At night he would often find himself thinking about Drew. His soft, shaggy hair. His eyes that looked like a storm was brewing. His hands, roughened from years of farm work and sword practice. On the rare occasion, he would indulge in these fantasies. He would imagine Drew holding him close while he runs his fingers through Hector's long, dark hair. He would imagine Drew saying he loved him, and kissing his head. He felt pathetic in all honesty. Hector knew it wouldn't happen, couldn't happen. So he tried to dismiss his feelings, but no matter what he did, they always came back. He figured that if Drew had someone else to love, someone normal, then Hector could move on.
"Oh," Hector said at last, looking down at his lap. "I'm sorry, Drew," Hector adjusted his position to face him. "I just-" he opened his mouth, then closed it again, trying to pick his words carefully. "I know that this is a lot to take in. And I'm sorry I haven't been helping you like I should. You're doing so much, and even if you don't think you're doing a good job, you are. I see you improve everyday. Please know that I don't want you to feel like you're not doing enough. You're doing great, Drew." Hector put his hand on Drew's shoulder, moving in a little closer. Drew faced him now, taking in Hector's features. The candlelight glowed behind him, blurring the edges of his figure. Drew scanned his eyes over every part of Hector, the exposed neck peaking out of Hector's shirt collar, his black eyes that seemed to shine with the reflection of the flames. A couple strands had fallen loose from his bun, framing his face in the most perfect way. Drew looked at the freckles on his cheeks, connecting them in his mind, making his own constellations. Hector had five moles on his face, he counted every single one. There was one right above his right eyebrow, another directly parallel. He had two on his left cheek, like a snake bite, a lone one sat on his right. He would imagine kissing every single one, he could vividly hear the giggle it would elicit from the boy. Finally, he looked at Hector's lips, a place he often found his eyes wondering to. He wondered what they would feel like against his own.
Drew met Hector's eyes, realizing he had been staring for far too long. "I just don't understand why you would care so much. Why does it matter who I marry?" He asked, leaning in closer to Hector. Hector's breath hitched at this, he quickly moved back. "I just think it's important for a king to have a queen. You're going to need one eventually, why not start the process now?" He looked to the side, avoiding any sort of contact he could possibly make with Drew. His heart was beating far too fast. Drew scoffed and looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious?" He stood up, leaving Hector on the floor. "You just gave me this whole speech about how I shouldn't feel like I'm being rushed into kinghood and then you go back on it? Why should I care that Kings are supposed to have Queens when I haven't even mastered the basics of ruling on my own!" He heads to the middle of the room, looking for a larger space to pace in. Hector picked himself up, keeping his hands close to his chest, "Drew..."
"No! This is ridiculous! I'm not going to sit around here listening to your pity lies when I need to go save Gretchen!"
"They're not lies," Hector stands in Drew's way, blocking his path to the door, "They just aren't the full truth!" Hector tried to explain further, but the words died in his throat. "What's the difference!" Drew retorted, "If you actually meant what you said, then you would be able to tell me the truth about this too!"
"It's not that simple!" Hector's fighting a losing battle, he knows that, but he refuses to let Drew go. He can't let him get hurt. "I'm leaving, Hector," Drew pushed past Hector, making his way to the door. Before he's able to reach the handle, a hand spins him around. He goes to protest but the words are never said. He stands there, eyes wide, with his mouth pressed against Hector's lips.
It felt like the world had stopped, like time meant nothing. Hector's hands were firmly placed on Drew's waist like if he let go then he would disappear. Drew found his own hands reaching to grab Hector, one placed on his shoulder, the other on the back of his neck. Hector's lips were scarred, years of his nervous habit of lip biting doing damage to them. Drew's weren't exactly soft either, his time spent running through the wind having chapped them slightly. It was a course feeling of friction that both of them quickly got addicted to. They pulled apart for a mere moment before joining together again. Their kisses grew more and more frantic, months of their built up tension colliding at once. Drew's hands flew up to take out Hector's bun, rough hands running through his soft hair. Hector pushed Drew up against the door, holding on as tight as he could. Worried that Drew might slip away at any moment. Eventually they parted, needing to breath. Hector placed his head on Drew's shoulder, still holding onto his waist. "Please Drew, stay." It came out as a barely audible whisper, Hector's hot breath on Drew's neck made him shiver.
"Hector..."
Drew lifted Hector's chin in his hand, looking him in the eyes. There was such a desperate sadness on his face. Drew wished he could make it go away, he wished that a few kisses could solve everything. But he had already made up his mind, he had to go. "I'm sorry," he said, leaning their foreheads together, "But Gretchen's my friend, I have to save her." Hector sighed, pulling apart slightly from Drew. "I know, just, please come back safe." He hated how it sounded like he was begging. "I will, I promise."
The two let go of each other, though neither were quite ready to say goodbye. "I'll bring her back," Drew said. "You better," Hector replied. Suddenly, Drew surged forward, pressing one last brief kiss to Hector's lips. "I love you," Drew said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, because really, it was. it was nothing like the previous time he had said 'I love you' that night. This time, it fully acknowledged the scope of that love, a love considered to be beyond the regular bounds for people like them. "I love you too," Hector sighed. They stared at each other for a moment longer before Drew opened the door, leaving Hector alone.
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"So," Whitley began when Drew shut the door behind him, "How did it go? are you too still friends?" Drew grinned, his face growing red, "Something like that." Whitley smiled, "I guess maybe you guys aren't that hopeless after all." She punched his arm before heading down the street. "What do you mean? Whitley? Whitley!"