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Axel pushed the heavy oak doors open, exiting the hall he had been sitting in for the bigger part of the day as swiftly as he could. A cool summer breeze greeted him as he stepped into the outdoor hallway, and he could see the last rays of sunshine peaking over the hills to the West. He took a deep breath; at least those audiences were only once in a month.
As usual, he would not take part in the royal dinner following this ordeal – his father and his advisors would be in foul moods and would continue talking politics the whole evening – but was heading to his chambers instead. However, he was going to pay someone a visit first before retiring.
He knocked at the door, only waiting a brief moment before he received a faint reply.
“Please come in!”
When he entered, he saw the usual setting he was greeted with almost every evening. A young woman with a very fair complexion and long blond hair seated at an enormous marble desk, pencil in hand and a stack of paper in front of her, while other pieces of paper already drawn upon were laid out across the remainder of the desk.
“Good evening, Namine,” Axel greeted her with a smile and a small bow.
The young woman smiled and put her pencil away while Axel was making his way over to the desk, “Good evening, Axel.”
“Did you have a good day?” Axel inquired.
“I cannot complain. I’m sure it was far more enjoyable than yours.”
“It would not be a difficult feat to achieve that,” Axel groaned, sitting down on the corner of the desk. Namine giggled in sympathy.
“What did you draw today?” Axel asked.
“Oh, this and that.”
Axel looked at the drawings curiously. “What is this?” he asked her, pointing at a picture with a lake on it, “I have never seen a drawing like this before.” He was surprised when she didn’t answer right away.
“This is the Crater Lake,” Namine finally replied. “It is right next to our – the castle we came from,” she added quietly. “Roxas and I used to spend our afternoons there in the summer.”
Sadness and anger rose in Axel. He would never forgive his father for having torn the two from their home and family and for locking them up in a completely foreign castle from one day to the next – all because he wanted to weaken the other Kingdom even more by taking away two potential heirs to the throne after he had already brutally won the war between them and the other kingdom lay in ruins. Of course, the official reasoning of this act was to strengthen the bond between the two nations by marriage and secure long-lasting peace.
“I am so sorry, Namine.”
“This is not your fault,” Namine said vehemently, “And I know that you are not your father.” From the very beginning, Namine had never held any grudge towards Axel, contrary to her brother, Roxas.
“I want you to be able to visit your home and your family,” Axel said. “Your parents and Ventus will come to the wedding. I am sure my father and mother can be convinced to have them visit on a regular basis after that to show that our two nations are really connected. And you and Roxas should be able to visit them in return.”
Namine remained quiet, but when he looked at her, he saw a glimmer of hope shimmering in her eyes.
“And I will be king one day. When that day comes, you do not have to worry about not seeing your home anymore.” He will make sure that both Roxas and Namine could live a life as unrestricted as possible. He wanted both of them to be happy.
Namine finally looked up at him, smiling, “Thank you, Axel.”
His mind went back to when the two arrived at the castle. He had dreaded the day, not knowing who he would be faced with and forced to marry. The public had held its breath, as well, fearing another conflict between the two nations would erupt if the match proved to be a disaster.
As it had turned out, Namine was beautiful, kind, and had a sharp wit, even though she chose not to show it too openly. He couldn’t have wished for a better bride-to-be. Formal occasions had been mastered with elegance and a genuine fondness towards each other, and the couple had become very popular in a very short amount of time. It would have been perfect if Axel was not… Axel. While Namine had been adjusting extremely well to her new role, Roxas had proven to be more of an issue. He had been fierce and protective over his sister to a fault, and it had taken him a long time to realize that not all inhabitants in this kingdom were evil.
To Axel, it seemed as though ages had passed since then. The wedding ceremony was to take place in a fortnight, after a long time of preparation and with the whole kingdom in high spirits for the past months. To add to matters, during the last formal dinner, Roxas surprised everyone – including Axel – with the proclamation that he wished to train as the future King’s royal guard.
“Lady Namine?”
Axel got off from the desk and turned to the door, straightening himself in the process. It was one of the court maidens.
“Yes?” Namine answered politely.
“The Queen seeks to talk to you, concerning your dress for the wedding.”
“Oh, of course, I will be with you in a moment.”
Axel stepped towards Namine, “I will take my leave then.” He took one of Namine’s hands, bowed down and kissed the back of it lightly. “Have a good night, milady.”
“Good-night, milord,” Namine replied with a smile, “Forward greetings to Roxas from me.”
Axel returned the smile, “I will.”
Axel desperately wanted to get out of his robe. It was stifling him. He was expected to wear a specific set of clothes on special occasions which was comprised of several layers of clothing. On those days, he needed assistance to dress and undress, which was usually taken over by Xion, a young servant who had been allocated to him as his personal aid.
When he finally entered his chambers, he heard rummaging coming from the bed chamber. And sure enough, Xion swiftly emerged a moment later.
“Good evening, Axel,” Xion greeted him with a small bow.
“Good evening, Xion,” Axel replied and made his way to the seating area he had set up to receive guests.
“How did the audience go?” Xion asked.
He groaned and let himself fall back onto the chaise lounge with a huff, draping his arm over his eyes, “It took far too long, and the inquiries were ridiculous and simply not possible to solve most of the time,” Axel told her exasperatedly.
“That sounds quite strenuous,” Xion said, and even without seeing her, he heard amusement in her voice.
He sat up furiously, “You do not understand. It was agony!” he tried to bring his point across, “I am very willing to support those who need our assistance, yet by now I am sure that those who attend these functions just want to put us in an uncomfortable position or want to see how we react to their silly requests,” Axel huffed, slumping back again. “Can you remove my robe? I am suffocating.” Xion stepped behind the chaise lounge and unbuckled the strap that held the outermost coat together.
“If you are so dismayed about the audiences, maybe there is a way for you to change this procedure in the future, when you are in command,” Xion suggested.
“Believe me, I will alter this ordeal!” Axel swore. He sat up and felt the robe slide from his frame. It was an immense relief already.
“Better?”
“A lot,” Axel replied contently.
“Then I suggest you have dinner first. I will need to leave you for a while. I received an important chore on short notice that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible,” Xion stated, and Axel had the impression that she was somehow tense.
“Is it a chore given out by my mother?” Axel asked. Xion hesitated, then nodded minutely.
“If she is putting any pressure on you, please tell me. You are my servant. Not hers.”
“No. No, it is fine,” Xion assured him, albeit a bit too quickly. Axel frowned, but let it go for now. As she prepared to leave, she noticed that Axel was glancing at the door. “What is it?”
“Usually Roxas is here by this time,” Axel replied thoughtfully, “Maybe I should go over and see how he is faring.”
“I am afraid Roxas is not in his chambers,” Xion informed him, “He is still busy.”
“Oh,” Axel uttered, trying not to show his disappointment too much. Roxas had to still be in sword training, then. He was far too diligent for his own good.
“Cheer up, Axel, I am sure he will be here soon,” Xion said with an encouraging smile. She was right. He might still come by later.
“I have to take my leave. I will return to you soon,” Xion said and went to leave.
“Thank you, Xion,” Axel said. “But please hurry, if you can. I want to get out of these clothes as soon as possible.” Xion bowed with a smile he could not quite place and closed the door.
“Do I have to be concerned?” he heard a familiar voice which was most definitely not Xion, and Axel’s heart stopped. Axel turned around.
“Roxas.”
There he was. Leaning on the doorway to the bed chamber, grinning at Axel.
Axel stared at him with his mouth open.
“I have volunteered to take over Xion’s duty for tonight,” Roxas said, still grinning. “Xion was so kind as to instruct me with the chores.”
Axel’s mind reeled. “…How did you get in here?” he asked, still dumbfounded.
“I came in when the guards changed. No one saw me enter. So they think I am in my chambers and resting.”
That in itself was ingenious. But - “The last shift change was two hours ago,” Axel remarked.
Roxas averted his gaze but was still smiling, “Yes, it was.”
So, while Axel was still sitting in the audience halls, Roxas was smuggled into his chambers, obviously with the help of Xion – that little and wonderful plotter talking about a special chore – and for the past two hours, he had been waiting for Axel to return to his chambers. He felt something warm and fluttery building in his chest. Then it struck him.
“Does this mean,” Axel began carefully, “You will be staying until the next change of guards?”
“I will,” Roxas said, looking up at Axel again to gauge his reaction.
Axel felt very giddy. Roxas was staying the bigger part of the night and they would not be disturbed during that time. He was so elated that he could not form any words to convey how happy he was. But he could show his feelings in actions. He swiftly approached a surprised Roxas, took his face in both hands and leaned down for a kiss.
He could feel Roxas smiling against him and laying both hands gently against his chest. When they broke apart, Roxas took his hand and pulled him towards the bed chamber.
“Come with me. Your dinner is prepared.”
When they entered the bed chamber, Axel’s gaze fell onto the table that was used for meals he would eat in private, mostly breakfast or light afternoon meals. Roxas stepped next to the table, proudly presenting an array of cold foods and nibs. He might have been a bit overzealous, as it was far more than Xion usually would put together.
While Roxas was busy preparing the decanter for the wine, Axel quietly stepped behind Roxas and embraced him, startling Roxas slightly. But soon, Roxas’ hands were holding onto Axel’s forearms and he was beaming up at him, “Are you happy?”
Axel leaned down and pressed his lips onto Roxas’ forehead, “I am. Very.”
Roxas hummed contently and leaned back into Axel, his fingers slowly drawing lines on Axel’s forearms. They stayed like this for a while until Roxas turned around and gently pushed Axel towards the table and chair.
“Make yourself comfortable then and have some dinner.”
“I was perfectly comfortable just now,” Axel complained with a whine.
Roxas huffed a quiet laugh, fetched the decanter, and poured some wine as Axel sat down. Axel took the cup, swirled it a little and breathed in. Hypocras, spiced up with ginger and lemon. It was his favourite drink. Xion only served this on special occasions. It was the perfect choice. Tonight was a special occasion, indeed.
“Xion has instructed you well, it seems,” Axel stated with a lopsided grin.
Roxas laughed, setting the decanter back to its former place. “Xion was a tremendous help,” he replied, “But she was also very happy to assist me in my endeavour. I am very grateful.”
“Me too. Maybe we can do something in return to show our gratitude.”
“Yes, that would be wonderful.”
Roxas was still bustling about behind him, and Axel was about to ask what he was doing when he felt two hands on his shoulders pressing down and starting to knead. He groaned weakly as Roxas was working out the tension in his muscles.
“You are tense,” Roxas remarked quietly.
“Well, this is what public audiences do to you,” he looked up at Roxas, “Have you eaten?”
“A little,” Roxas replied after a significant pause. So he most likely had not eaten, but Roxas seemed to be adamant to pamper Axel tonight and put his needs second.
“Be my company then,” Axel prompted. When Roxas hesitated, Axel added, “Xion sits down to eat with me, too. I prefer this to someone standing next to me while I eat on my own.” Axel looked up at Roxas, ”And I cannot concentrate on eating when you have your hands on me like that.” Roxas chuckled bashfully at that, halting his administrations instantly, which had Axel regret his statement in return.
“Alright, I will go and sit down,” Roxas conceded as he drew up a second chair and sat, taking a plate and helping himself to some food.
“Go and have some wine too,” Axel urged, pushing a second cup towards him.
When Axel began to eat, he realized how hungry he actually was and was even more grateful about the expanded selection of food Roxas had conjured up for him. They were chatting animatedly while eating, occasionally feeding each other nibs and finding each other’s hands whenever possible. Roxas talked about his day and his training. Axel was glad Roxas now had something to work towards that he was proud of, even more so after everything had been taken away from him. And of course, Roxas being his personal guard meant that they were able to see each other more often.
When the plates were empty, Axel leaned back, content and full. His mind buzzed slightly from the wine and a different hunger set in. He moved his chair closer to Roxas’, ducked down and pressed a kiss onto Roxas’ cheek.
“Thank you for preparing this dinner.”
“I am glad you enjoyed it,” Roxas replied, looking flushed but smiling.
“What are the remaining chores you still need to do for Xion?” Axel asked slyly, wrapping one arm around Roxas’ waist, kneading his side slightly.
Roxas laughed, “Relieve you from your clothes, as you so desperately wanted to before.” He turned more to Axel, kissing his jawline in the process.
“Concerning the removal of clothes, I prefer you to Xion any day,” Axel purred, pressing a kiss onto Roxas’ neck and moving his hand to Roxas’ belly.
One of Roxas’ hands went up and angled Axel’s face to meet in a kiss that was deepened soon after. Hands started to roam more freely. When they broke apart again, both were breathing heavily.
“Come to bed,” Roxas whispered in his ear, and it took everything in Axel not to throw him onto the silken sheets and ravish him right away. Roxas had stood up and pulled Axel along with him, attempting to rid Axel of some of his clothes in the process.
“You had to choose the day I am wearing the most layers of clothing,” Axel quipped in merriment.
“I will manage,” Roxas replied with a grin, “Your jerkin might lose some buttons, though.”
“Clothes can be mended,” Axel countered and fell backwards onto his bed, dragging Roxas with him.
Xion entered Axel’s chambers a few minutes before the next change of guards was due. As she stepped into the bed chamber, she saw Axel and Roxas curled up together in bed naked, sleeping peacefully. They looked happy. She was glad this plan seemed to have worked out well.
“Roxas,” Xion called, but there was no reaction whatsoever. They both seem to be out cold. She stepped closer and shook Roxas slightly.
“Roxas, wake up, the guards will change soon.” Axel stirred at the commotion, but Roxas only grumbled slightly, remaining asleep.
“Roxas!”
Xion sighed. Time was running out. She needed to do something.
Roxas woke up to the world when something cold and very wet splashed into his face and he sat up spluttering. Before he could locate the source of that very unwelcome disturbance, some sort of cloth was thrown into his face. When he pulled it off, he realized that it was his undergarment.
“You need to get up, Roxas. Now. The night shift is over soon,” Xion urged, empty cup in hand and glaring down at him in exasperation. He was looking at her blearily, trying to understand what she meant, but when it came to him, he immediately set into motion and put his underpants on.
“Don’t worry about the remaining clothes, I will bring them to you,” Xion said in a hurried tone.
Before he could get out of the bed, he was held back by two strong arms and a kiss was pressed onto his neck. “I will come visit you later,” Axel rumbled in his ear and Roxas felt a tingling down his spine. He turned his head for a brief farewell kiss and a mumbled “I will see you soon,” then got up and headed to the door.
Xion had to supress her laughter as she saw him waddling groggily but still astonishingly swiftly through the chamber. When he reached the doorway, he looked around and threw Axel a bright smile before he vanished through the door. Xion sighed and turned to Axel. He looked towards the door with a dreamy expression. Honest to the gods, what should she do with those two?
“Thank you, Xion. For everything,” she heard Axel say, tearing Xion out of her thoughts. The tension in her melted away.
“I did not mind that much,” Xion replied at last with a small huff, but he could see the hint of a smile. “I am going to collect Roxas’ clothes. I would suggest you to have a bath in the meantime,” Xion commented.
Axel sniggered at the well-meant jab. “I will do so in a moment,” he replied, laying back down with his hands behind his head.
He would have never thought that he might look forward to the next audience day.