Later that very night, in the deepest of midnight, a heavy silence settled over the imperial residence. It was pitch black outside, and despite the exhaustion of the day's trials, Cassian was still finding it hard to sleep.
Beside him, Sora had finally fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep. The half-elf's arms were still loosely draped over Cassian's waist, his breathing steady, accompanied by a soft, barely audible snore. Cassian lay still for a moment, listening to the quiet rhythm, before he gently pulled himself out of that warm embrace. He leaned over, pressing a soft peck against Sora's cheek, before entirely climbing out of the bed.
His head felt heavy from thinking a lot. The numbers, the metrics of the upcoming trials, and the unresolved emotional variables were cluttering his processing power. To make matters worse, the dark mana in his veins was humming restlessly, reacting to his internal agitation. Needing a moment of absolute quiet, he stepped out onto the cold stone balcony. He huffed out loud, leaning his hands against the railing as the chilling midnight breeze hit his skin, cooling his mind painfully.
Just then, a loud, metallic clattering and a subtle, shimmering light caught his sight from far down below in the western training court. Someone was down there, swinging steel in the dark.
"What crazy bastard would train at this time?" Cassian muttered, shaking his head.
He looked away, turning his eyes up to the crescent moon, trying to gather his thoughts once again. But his gaze kept failing him; his eyes couldn't stop glancing back down toward the training court.
'My hands are twitching,' he realized, his fingers curling instinctively. The urge to calculate physical trajectories, to move, to stop *thinking* was overwhelming.
"Urgh! I must be completely crazy as well."
Cassian huffed, turning on his heel. He retreated back inside the bedroom, quietly shutting the heavy glass doors behind him so the draft wouldn't disturb the sleeping elf.
*****
Meanwhile, at the western private court, Lucien was relentlessly swaying his sword side to side, executing a brutal, exhausting training routine.
The oppressive darkness of the night couldn't bother his trained eyesight, and the bitter cold of the midnight wind didn't get in his way of sweating. In some way, the Knight Commander was letting loose of his tension for the first time in a very long while. His heavy, pristine silver armor was completely gone, left on the equipment racks. He wore only his dark training tunic, which was unbuttoned at the collar, hugging his broad torso tightly because it was thoroughly drenched in sweat.
He was deeply lost in his own thoughts as he cut through the air with furious, heavy strokes, acting as if he were cutting away his own sins. It felt as if he was a man completely haunted by the sins he had committed lately.
He couldn't stop thinking about how much he had changed during the time he spent alongside Cassian. He thought about how easily he had betrayed his holy vows, how he had lied straight to the faces of the high priests, and even become an active accomplice to heresy—all for the sake of the prince.
The very same prince who constantly disregarded his presence.
*Step. Step.*
Cassian stood by the heavy stone pillars at the edge of the court, silently watching the paladin's frantic movements.
"Eyo!" Cassian called out, his deadpan voice cutting through the whistling of the blade. "Looking for a formidable sparring partner?"
Lucien froze mid-swing for a brief second. His chest heaved as he lowered the practice sword, turning around to face Cassian. A slight, bitter smirk formed on his face as he looked towards Cassian's lean figure. Annoyingly handsome beneath the moonlight.
"Your Highness." Lucien rumbled, his voice rough as he rested his sword on his shoulder.
"Did you have difficulty sleeping?"
His smirk widened.
"Or was there perhaps trouble in paradise?" Lucien's smirk broadened, his eyes glinting in the dark.
Cassian immediately groaned.
"Of course this bastard heard everything."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Cassian scoffed, walking over to the equipment racks and casually picked a standard iron sword from the stands, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Perhaps you should worry about yourself, Sir swordmaster," Cassian countered, testing the weight of the blade. "You have your own mountain of problems to scale, don't you?"
"And whose fault is that?" Lucien asked, his tone dropping into a dangerous, low register.
"Mine, I suppose," Cassian replied flatly chuckling softly as he leisurely took his combat stance across from Lucien, pointing the tip of his sword directly at the knight's chest. Lucien didn't hesitate; he raised his own blade, taking his stance as well.
And for once, instead of keeping his usual cold distance or pushing his knight away, Cassian was willing to lure him closer as a friend for the night. Perhaps it was because of the sheer fatigue, or perhaps it was due to how close they had genuinely become within the year they had suffocatingly spent together.
"I won't yield the first move," Lucien warned, his knuckles tightening on the hilt. "Here I come!"
"Come at me, Sir Arden," Cassian replied and Lucien lunged forward. Their swords clashed with a loud, ringing echo. They began exchanging rapid, rhythmic bouts, with their blades locking and sliding against one another as they seamlessly held a conversation in between the strikes.
"Wow, I didn't realize your beard had grown this much!" Cassian noted, deflecting a heavy downward strike. "Sir Arden, are you seriously neglecting your own well-being for my sake? As your commander, I'm telling you that you shouldn't do that!"
"Will you please shut up and fight properly?!" Lucien growled, driving his weight forward to push Cassian back.
"Oh come on Sir Arden, you know I can't help but talk too much when I'm with you," Cassian chuckled, spinning gracefully to the side to avoid the thrust. "We are that close. And as your friend, I strongly advise you to get rid of that facial hair. If you want to grow something, then just grow out your hair. You would look absolutely great with long hair, and that natural silver color of yours is to die for. You'll be even more popular with the ladies at the banquets."
Lucien seemed to actually consider the absurd statement for a split second, his tracking slowing down. Then, huffing in annoyance, he rushed at him with a sudden burst of speed, his sword blurring.
"Whoa, so fast!" Cassian laughed, barely getting his blade up in time to parry.
The rhythmic *clack-clack-clack* of metal filled the empty courtyard.
"Anyway, why are you truly still awake this late, Sir Arden?" Cassian asked. His voice shifted, turning lower and smoother than usual, though his sword remained chillingly vigorous and swift against Lucien's heavy, calculated strikes. "Is something the matter?"
Lucien looked up, their blades locking close to their faces. His ice-blue eyes were slightly unfocused, but they were burning with an intense, raw emotion that Cassian had never seen in him before.
"I am thinking about my sins, My Prince," Lucien whispered harshly, his breath hot. "I am thinking about how easily I threw away the Church... just to keep your secrets safe."
Suddenly, a massive burst of holy strength exploded from Lucien's core, traveling up his arms. The sheer physical force caused Cassian to stumble backward across the stone floor. He narrowly managed to bring his sword up to block the follow-up strike, the metal vibration stinging his palms.
"Argh! So you are completely mad at me after all, Sir Arden, huh?!" Cassian panted, stabilizing his footing.
"Of course I am angry at you!" Lucien roared.
"Wow. Why is everyone mad at me tonight?" Cassian complained, shaking his hands out. "Instead of trying to literally kill me during a friendly spar, just try talking it out like a normal human being!"
"Do you think I haven't tried that?!" Lucien stepped forward, his eyes blazing. "Who was the one who disregarded everything I said? Who was the one who told me we would talk properly only *after* the tournament ends?!"
"Oh..." Cassian blinked, his analytical brain instantly retrieving the memories from their past conversations. "Well... that was me."
Cassian chuckled sheepishly, spinning the practice sword around before lowering it to his side, as if halting the match. "But we can talk right now. This is also a perfect chance, don't you think? No priests, no students. It is just the two of us."
Lucien suddenly stopped his advance. He stood perfectly still, staring down at the prince with a completely unreadable expression. Cassian shrugged, looking entirely dumbfounded by the sudden silence.
"Surrendering the time to talk for more bouts?" Cassian snorted, shrugging his shoulders shamelessly. "Well, I certainly don't mind if you do."
But seemingly, Lucien had entirely different plans.
*CLATTER!*
Lucien threw his practice sword down to the ground. Before Cassian could process the action, the knight lunged forward, closing the distance in a fraction of a second. He leaned closer, using his massive, broad frame to completely hover over Cassian, trapping him against the stone pillar behind him.
The clear lines between a prince and his protector instantly blurred. Lucien found himself completely unable to hold back his repressed feelings any longer. The suffocating, toxic jealousy he had buried for weeks regarding Sora and the barbarian prince Thoris finally boiled over. He bit down on his lower lip, letting out his deeply repressed anger loose.
"You are right," Lucien whispered, his voice vibrating with danger. "There is no better time other than now for me to put you in your place, Cassian Valemont."
"What—"
"Shut your vile mouth. I am the one talking right now!"
"Hiek!" Cassian dramatically held his hand over his chest, popping his eyes out in mock terror. "Why are you so angry?!"
"I have every right to be angry!" Lucien's voice roared subtly, stepping directly into Cassian's personal space until their chests were almost touching. "Because you effortlessly made me ruin my entire life and my soul for you, Cassian. I abandoned my church, my vows, my entire life just to keep you safe and secure. Do you even realize that? Or, just as usual, do you simply not care about what happens to me after all of those sacrifices? How do you think I feel when I sacrifice my whole being for someone who consistently disregards my very presence from their life?"
Cassian's playful demeanor instantly vanished. He looked up into the knight's furious face, his own voice turning cold and clear.
"Lucien, I never asked you to do all of that for me," Cassian said flatly. "You did it all by yourself."
For a terrible, silent moment, Lucien's fierce expression completely broke. The anger drained from his face, replaced by a hollow, devastating disappointment.
"I see..." Lucien said, his voice entirely hollow. He stared at Cassian, then slowly nodded his head as he stepped back from him, reaching down to pick up his discarded sword to return it to the racks, preparing to leave the court.
"So you never cared from the very beginning. Whether I saved you or whether I killed you, it didn't matter, because you knew in the end things would still go the exact way that you wanted. To you, people are just pawns that you can use at any time. You manipulate them just to get whatever it is that you want, without ever considering how much they actually care about you."
Lucien turned his back to him. "Cassian, I think I have said this before to you but I will say it again. You are truly a vile pers—"
"BEFORE CUTTING ME OFF AND GETTING ANGRY, WILL YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME, YOU STUBBORN BASTARD?!"
Lucien froze in his tracks. He stopped, slowly turning his head to look over his shoulder at the prince.
"Geez," Cassian sighed heavily, rubbing the bridges of his nose. "Someone could literally die because of a stupid misunderstanding, you know?"
'Especially to a crazy paladin like you.'
Giving up on all royal decorum, Cassian threw himself down, sitting flat on the cold ground of the training court. He crossed his legs and looked up at the towering knight. "Before you cut me off again, sit down and let me finish what I was actually trying to say."
Lucien stared at him for a moment, let out a long sigh, and walked over. He sat down flat on the stone across from Cassian. A heavy, quiet silence hovered between them for a brief moment as the midnight breeze blew through the courtyard.
"What I meant by that–," Cassian began, his voice softening into something genuine, "—was that I never demanded those sacrifices from you. You chose to do them all yourself, even though you knew very well from my personality that I would never be able to properly repay your kindness and your sincerity. But I have never once disregarded your sacrifices, Lucien."
Cassian looked him directly in the eyes. "For a matter of fact, I am truly, deeply grateful for everything that you have done for me. I'm sorry for not thanking you sooner, and for ending up making you feel disregarded and used like a common pawn. But to be completely honest with you... you and I never started on the right foot because... I am truly scared of you."
Lucien blinked, utterly stunned.
"In fact, I still am," Cassian admitted, shrugging weakly. "You're a high-tier holy knight, and I posses dark mana. Perhaps that is why I find it so hard to approach you at times without thinking that you might behead me. But anyway I was already thinking about how I should come and thank you without making things weird between us."
Internally, Cassian's mind was racing.
'Geez, he won't know that I'm technically lying about meaning to say thank you right?... And besides why is a massive guy like him suddenly throwing an tantrum huh?, But anyway... he's right. It must have been incredibly hard for a man of his morals to turn his back against the church he has served all his life. I should thank him properly before I actually send him off.'
"So... thank you so much for your kindness and the sacrifices you have made for me Sir Arden," Cassian said clearly, holding his gaze. "Thank you for everything that you have done for me all this time, and for protecting Sora and my child as well, especially today. And if you don't mind, I would truly like to repay you for your kindness."
Lucien scoffed softly, the tense lines of his shoulders finally relaxing as he calmed down. "And how exactly do you plan to repay me?"
"That will entirely depend on you, Sir Lucien," Cassian smiled, leaning forward on his knees. "How would you like for me to repay you? I don't really know what you might like on a personal level. You are quite a hard person to read, so... just ask me for anything."
"Anything?" Lucien asked, his ice-blue eyes locking onto the prince's face.
"Yes, anything."
"You won't turn back on your word if I ask you for anything, Your Highness?"
"Of course not!" Cassian declared proudly, puffing out his chest. "I am a man of my word! My promises are absolute."
"Then... excuse me, my lord."
"For what? Sir Arden, what are you—"
Before Cassian could finish his sentence, Lucien reached out his massive hand, gripping the fabric of Cassian's shirt, and violently pulled him forward like he has been waiting for this very moment. He slammed his lips against Cassian's, cutting off his words instantly with a sudden, desperate, and fierce kiss.
Cassian gasped against the knight's mouth, his eyes popping out in absolute shock.
For a stunning, breathless moment, his analytical brain completely short-circuited. He didn't know how to respond, but strangely enough, he didn't pull away from Lucien's tight grasp either. His reaction time suddenly felt completely slowed down. And just then a sudden, dark impulse from the depth of his core made him respond, his hands moving up to grip Lucien's shoulders.
But as the kiss deepened, Cassian aggressively pushed the knight back away from him, breaking the contact. Moving quickly, Cassian climbed directly on top of Lucien, pinning his shoulders to the stone floor to regain control of the situation.
For a breathless, agonizing second, the tension in the air skyrocketed into something entirely primitive. But as Cassian shifted his weight, pressing flush against the knight's lap, his eyes suddenly widened. He froze. Through the thin fabric of their trousers, he felt a rigid, undeniable swell growing underneath him—the unmistakable, hard evidence of Lucien's intense, physical lust for him.
"No. That won't happen, Sir Arden," Cassian muttered, his voice shaking slightly as he immediately climbed off Lucien, stepping back several feet.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to stabilize his racing pulse. "I told you that I keep my promises no matter what it is. You got your repayment, you got what you wanted, so I highly hope it ends right here."
Lucien slowly sat up from the floor, completely unfazed. He looked up at the flustered prince, a dangerous, dark amusement swirling in his eyes.
"But Your highness-...I never actually got to make my official request about what I truly wanted as my repayment."
"What are you talking about?!" Cassian snapped, his face flushing. "Didn't you just—"
"The kiss was just a spontaneous gesture, Your Highness, it was to indulge my curiosity." Lucien countered smoothly, standing up to his full height. He bit his lower lip, eyeing Cassian with a thoroughly smug expression. "I never explicitly asked for that as my reward, did I?"
Cassian stared at him, his mind completely blank.
'This paladin... this cunning, dirty paladin!'
"Are you entirely certain that you are truly a Holy Knight?" Cassian hissed jeering at him.
"Why, Your Highness? Are you truly surprised that I can actually think and calculate just like you?" Lucien smirked, taking a step closer. "During all this time I have spent by your side... I have actually learned quite a lot of things from you."
Cassian glared at him, his silver-crimson eyes looking truly pissed off.
"But as for how you could properly repay me," Lucien continued, his tone smooth, "I will definitely let you know when I have thought of something appropriate."
"You are thoroughly enjoying this, are you not, Sir Arden?"
"I truly am," Lucien admitted without a shred of shame. "And the kiss just now... I enjoyed that immensely as well."
"It was only a basic physical kiss, there was nothing to enjoy about that," Cassian snapped, turning his head away.
"Is that so?" Lucien smiled as he stepped closer.
"Then shall we try it again to verify the if it was truly primitive?"
"You are slowly making me question your basic morals as a paladin, Sir Arden," Cassian warned, taking a step back. "Or were there ever any morals to begin with in that head of yours?"
"I have already committed ultimate sins for your sake, My Prince," Lucien said, his voice dropping into a rough whisper. "And now that I commit a tiny sin for my own sake... you question my morals?"
Cassian let out a long sigh, realizing he was entirely outmatched in this verbal arena. He quickly dusted off his pants, turning away from the knight.
"Kissing a man is not a tactical problem for me," Cassian muttered, his voice tight. "I have done it plenty of times in my past experiences, I even have a man for a mate for that matter. But kissing you specifically... truly scared me. My heart is still racing as we speak, and that fact makes me seriously question the safety of keeping you by my side, Sir Arden."
Lucien's smile vanished, his eyes narrowing. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"If you want to continue being my personal guard," Cassian said, his voice turning entirely formal and cold, "then discard every single one of these immoral feelings you might hold toward me. Or else, you and I simply won't get along anymore."
Cassian didn't wait for a response as he turned to walk away.
'Lucien, you are far too dangerous. I am definitely getting rid of you the first chance I get,' he thought to himself.
Turning on his heel, Cassian scurried away, practically running across the courtyard and headed back inside his residence. He bolted straight back to the safety of the master bedroom, closing the doors behind him without looking back a single time.
"Moron..."
*****
But back in the dark, empty training ground, Lucien didn't move. He slowly lay back down against the cold cobblestones, his breathing heavy as he stared up at the vast, starry sky above his head.
A slow, dangerous, and thoroughly satisfied smirk broke across his face. He had finally, completely crossed the line. He knew that things between him and his cold prince would never be the same again—and yet, that pleased him more than anything.
Lucien reached up, casually running his fingers through his short silver hair, remembering the prince's words.
"So..." Lucien whispered into the dark night. "Should I actually grow my hair out?"
*****