Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They made camp there for the night, on the ground that Jared and his people had used to hide many times over the years. Morgan was under a triple guard that rotated every two hours, just in case there were any members of the Guard not willing to follow Sheppard's lead. It had been Jensen's suggestion, and he had been glad when Jared had jumped on it.

Jared's people were thrilled, of course. They clustered around him despite the Guard's presence, congratulating him and promising their fealty. It was overwhelming enough that Jensen slipped away to the side to let them have a moment with him. He knew all too well from his own experience that royalty did not often get to hold informal conversations with their people—much less when that royalty had been kept from the throne for nearly two decades. Jared was going to have a lot to deal with soon enough.

He told Misha as much when he came over to check on Jensen. "I'm not sure anyone here understands what just happened," Misha said. "I'm not sure we'll be able to persuade everyone outside this glen, either."

Jensen gave him a sharp look. "What do you mean?"

"Morgan didn't take the throne on his own," Misha replied. "There were others who went along with him. They'll still be in the castle when we get there. Having the King's Guard on our side is powerful, but it doesn't mean Jared's going to be crowned as soon as he arrives in the capital."

"Then what can we do?" Jensen asked. "I don't suppose we're going to get Morgan to sign a confession or anything."

Misha tapped his nose. "Leave it to me. Between your prophecy and Jared's, I can convince the priests I know to support him. There will be other people who recognize Jared on sight the way you and Sheppard both did, people who survived the coup and Morgan's machinations since then. I don't think it's impossible, but I don't want you to think we'll be strolling into the city and the throne room unopposed."

"Never thought we would," Jensen replied. "A man like Morgan doesn't stay in power without people of questionable character supporting him." Misha nodded, and Jensen went on, "But there has to be more of the King's Guard than this, right?"

"What's going on?" Jared asked, suddenly appearing in front of them.

Misha lowered his voice. "I think as long as Sheppard's on our side and people believe you're the rightful king, it will be fine. Which reminds me: I need to be on my way to get that process started." He sketched an elaborate bow and slipped away.

"What did he mean?" Jared asked.

"He thinks if he gets the priests on our side first, people will be more likely to believe that you're, well, you." Jensen tilted his head to the side. "We should really sit down and start talking strategy."

"Maybe in the morning." Jared's jaw split open on a huge yawn. "We still have to set up the camp." He looked pensively at Jensen. "I suppose you'll have to sleep in my tent."

"Where else would your husband be?" Jensen asked.

Jared suddenly looked more serious. "You don't have to be. My husband. I mean, I know Misha performed a legitimate ceremony, but we could claim it wasn't really. Legitimate, I mean."

Jensen drew his head back. Clearly, Chad had been wrong about Jared's affections. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No! Not at all. Just—if you thought it was only a symbolic gesture, that—that would be fine. I would understand. We don't even know each other, and even in my wildest dreams I never thought something like this would happen, and—"

Stepping forward, Jensen grabbed Jared's hands, the same way they had during the ceremony. "They might have been simple vows, but I said them nonetheless. If you wish to keep me, I would be honored to be your husband."

"I—yes, I would." Jared squeezed his hands, a surprisingly shy smile spreading across his face. "I would like that."

Jensen had to lean up on his toes to do it, but he dropped a kiss on Jared's mouth that had the smile growing wider. When he was standing on his two feet again, he said, "I know this is going to take a lot of adjustment for both of us. I'm here to help you if you need it."

Jared stepped closer and murmured, "I would certainly like some help adjusting with you, if only we weren't surrounded by so many people."

Jensen felt his cheeks flush. "Once we're in the city," he said. "We need to make sure the conditions of the prophecy are met, after all."

"Absolutely," Jared nodded, trying to look as solemn and serious as he could. When Jensen rolled his eyes, Jared grinned at him. "There's room for a second pallet in my tent, anyway, once we get it set up. You needn't worry about your virtue."

"Believe me, I'm not worried," Jensen replied with a raised eyebrow that sent a pleasant shiver down Jared's spine.

Jared cleared his throat. "I appreciate the offer, though. I suspect there's a lot I can learn from you about being a good ruler."

"You've been doing great on your own," Jensen said. "Look at how you've taken care of these people for so long."

Jared's expression darkened. "Turns out there was never much of a threat to them anyway."

"It doesn't matter," Jensen insisted. "You kept them safe, kept them behind you. And really, there's just a few more people to worry about in the seven kingdoms. You can do it."

Jared regarded him for a moment. "You really think so?"

"I do." Jensen shrugged one shoulder. "And if not, I'll just take over."

Jared's eyes went wide, and he slapped Jensen on the shoulder. "You've got to be—"

Jensen shut him up with a kiss. As he'd hoped, Jared's arms went around him, and for just a moment, they were able to forget about the work ahead of them.

When they broke apart, Jared startled as Jensen lightly tapped him on the nose. "I know one thing that will convince people. Your magic."

Jared shook his head, feeling that familiar dread of trying and failing to use the magic that he was supposedly born to do. "I don't have any. At least, I don't have any idea how to use it. Jensen, I tried to stop the knife from reaching you, and I barely slowed it down!"

"You just need a few lessons," Jensen assured him. "I can show you some basic things that will look very impressive."

"I don't want to trick people," Jared protested.

"It's not like that," Jensen replied. "Here, like this." He stepped back and held his hands out in front of him, palms up. In a moment, the air was shimmering over his palms, and then a second later, there was fire flickering upward from both.

"Whoa." Jared instinctively took a step back. Then he realized he didn't feel any heat. "What is that?"

"Just an illusion," Jensen said. "Magic doesn't allow us to create something out of nothing, but it does allow us to temporarily fake it. Here, stick your hand in. You won't feel a thing."

Jared eyed him dubiously. He could hear the crackle of the flames, for goodness sake.

Rolling his eyes, Jensen tilted his palms forward. The fire followed, almost immediately licking at Jared's chest.

He yelped in surprise, but fighting every instinct, he stood his ground. He didn't feel anything, maybe a faint tingle where the magic flames were brushing his chest. Curiously, he brought up a finger and waved it through the fire. Nothing.

Jensen grinned and closed his hands into fists. Instantly, the fire went out. "Good. You'll get even more used to it as you practice."

"I felt something, though," Jared said. "Not like actual fire, but…something."

Jensen's cheeks looked faintly flushed. "That was me. I mean, the fire was a manifestation of me, or at least my energy, and so that's what you felt touching you."

"I see." Jared raised his eyebrows. "So you can use magic to touch people from a distance?"

He was pleased to see Jensen's cheeks growing even darker. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

"What manner of speaking?" He moved close enough to brush his fingertips across Jensen's chest, trying to replicate the sensation of the fire's touch. When Jensen shivered, he knew he'd gotten it right.

He started to say something else when he heard a voice calling him. "Yo, Prince Jared!"

Jared briefly closed his eyes. "Yeah, Chad?"

When he opened them again, Chad was striding towards him, eyeing Jensen suspiciously. "Were you trying to set my boy on fire?" he asked.

"I was showing him some magic," Jensen replied with more courtesy than Jared expected him to manage.

"Why?" Chad asked.

"Because he's going to teach me." Jared turned towards Chad, unable to keep back his grin. "It turns out I have magic after all. All this time, and I didn't even know it."

"How do you know for sure?" Chad demanded. "When did you do magic?"

Jared shook his head. "I tried with the knife Morgan threw, and I don't know if it helped. But the cuffs we put on Jensen: they did something to me."

"What did you do to him?" Chad demanded, turning on Jensen.

"Nothing you didn't do to me first," Jensen responded calmly.

"Chad, it wasn't him. I mean, yes, it was his idea, but it was a good idea."

Chad frowned. "You've tried for years to do magic, Jay. Why does it work now?"

"It's not something you can just do," Jensen explained. "It's like fighting. Anyone can pick up a sword or a knife, but if you don't know how to use it, you won't do very well in a fight."

"Pretty convenient for you, huh?" Chad asked Jensen.

Jensen took a step towards Chad and lowered his voice. Jared had to strain his ears to hear, but he thought Jensen said, "I'm not going to hurt him."

Chad looked back at him for a moment before rolling his eyes and stomping off.

"I don't understand his problem," Jared said, watching him go. "He should be thrilled. He's been telling me for years that I should try to take the throne back, and I've always told him it was a dumb idea. I don't get why it bothers him now. Why you bother him now, when there's finally a real chance."

"It's because I'm taking you away from him," Jensen said.

Jared frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean all of this." Jensen swept an arm around. "The King's Guard is answering to you now. We're about to ride to Verdania City and hopefully install you as the High King. You have a husband now. It's an incredible amount of change in a very short period of time, and it's going to affect everyone you know."

Jared frowned. Somehow in all his fantasies of taking back the throne and making Morgan pay for his crimes, he'd never thought about what his own life would be like. Sure, his fantasies had been about having a secure roof over his head and no worries about feeding himself or his people, but he'd never really thought of how separate he'd be from his people. Could his friends still spend time with him once he took on the obligations of being a king?

That was a worry for tomorrow. Right now, he was taking one thing at a time. "I should go after Chad."

"It can wait till tomorrow," Jensen replied.

"No, it can't. Jensen, he's been my friend since I was a child. He's stuck with me this whole time. I can't have him think that I'm getting rid of him." With that, Jared walked off after his friend.

He caught up with Chad halfway up the hill overlooking the site of their brief battle. "Chad, wait!" he called.

Chad threw back over his shoulder, "Catch up!" But he slowed down until Jared was next to him before pointing up to the top of the hill. "No one's bothered to look if there are reinforcements hiding in the hills, have they?"

"Even if there are, the Guard is on our side now." Jared put out a hand to stop Chad from climbing farther. "It's okay, Chad. We're safe."

Chad turned around to look out over the mass of red-clad Guardsmen roaming the grassy area below, intermingled with their own people in their rougher clothing in the colors of the woods. "You sure about that?"

"Morgan could have killed us all right there," Jared said. "If not for Jensen, he probably would have." He spread his arms wide. "Chad, your plan worked out even better than you could have imagined. We didn't just get money from Morgan. We got the crown."

"You got the crown," Chad muttered.

Jared tilted his head to the side. "Is that your problem?"

He heard the hurt in his own voice, and Chad must have, too, for he looked up with a frown. "God, no, Jay. You deserve it, man. I've told you for years that you should go for it, and now you have. That's fantastic."

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you," Jared said. When Chad rolled his eyes, he went on, "No, I mean it. Not just today, but all this time. You've always believed in me, Chad. I need you to keep doing that."

"Don't you have someone else to believe in you now?"

"Doesn't mean I don't need you." Jared took a hold of Chad's shoulders, waiting until his oldest friend looked him in the eye. "I have no idea what I'm doing, you know. I need people around me I can trust. I need people who will tell me I'm being stupid when I need it."

"Sign me up," Chad replied with the hint of a smirk.

Jared grinned and squeezed his shoulders before letting go. "So we're good?"

Chad lightly slugged him on the shoulder. "You're good. I'm awesome."

Jared rolled his eyes fondly. "Of course you are."

Jensen waited as long as he could for Jared to come to the tent, but eventually his eyes grew too heavy, and he drifted off to sleep.

He dreamed about the soldiers outside, about them changing their minds and dragging him off with Morgan while Jared and all of his people were executed in the grassy field. He awoke with a shout, clapping his hand over his mouth when he saw Jared asleep beside him on the other pallet.

Jared looked younger in sleep, lips slightly parted and hair falling over his forehead. Anyone who saw him like this would find it hard to see him as the High King, Jensen thought.

Their pallets were side-by-side, almost touching, which made it easy for Jensen to reach over and brush Jared's hair from his face. Jared made a soft snorting noise, and Jensen held his breath. Jared didn't wake up, and Jensen lowered his hand and kept watching him.

He was married to this man. It hadn't really hit Jensen before in the rush of events, but now it did. And he'd not only asked on the spur of the moment, and gone through with the ceremony just as quickly, but he'd reaffirmed it when Jared had asked last night. He was in this now, for better or for worse, no matter what might happen. He was committed to someone he barely knew.

To be sure, he had started his journey many days ago expecting to be married to the High King, so in some ways, nothing had changed. Still, those ways were very few in number. Jensen had expected to essentially be a prisoner of his husband, or at least a possession rather than a partner. With Jared, everything was different. Jensen trusted him, which was a bizarre thing to feel for someone who had kidnapped him at the point of a blade only a few days earlier. At first, it had been an "enemy of my enemy" kind of thing. After only a few days, though it had evolved to something else.

It was strange to think that they were going to have a long time to explore what that "something else" was.

Jensen watched Jared's chest rise and fall, the breath moving in and out of his parted lips, and then he closed his eyes. He could hear the sounds of the wind rustling the grass outside, but he concentrated on the soft noises of Jared's breathing.

Before he knew it, Jared was lightly shaking him awake. "Hey, Jensen."

He blinked his eyes open and sat up. Jared was kneeling beside him, holding out a chunk of flatbread. "Breakfast?"

Jensen took it and started to nibble at it. "Don't suppose the King's Guard travels with kava?"

Jared smiled. "Afraid not. Is that something you require in the mornings?"

"Usually, yeah." Jensen yawned and stretched. "But I can manage."

"Good." Jared hesitated for a second, then leaned closer and gave Jensen a too-quick kiss. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Jensen raised an eyebrow. "A few more of those would help with the waking up, too."

Dimples formed in Jared's cheeks before he bent closer and kissed Jensen again, more slowly and thoroughly. Jensen's hands came up to cup Jared's face and keep him in place.

It wasn't until Jared twisted away, making a face, that Jensen realized he was still holding the flatbread in one hand. He laughed and combed his other hand through Jared's hair in apology. "I should mention, I'm not the best at getting up quickly in the mornings."

"Hopefully soon, we'll be able to indulge that." Jared touched a finger to the tip of Jensen's nose before rocking back onto his heels and standing up, at least as much as he could under the tent. "But for now, we've got to get going."

"What's the plan for today?" Jensen asked. "Ride to Verdania City as fast as we can?"

"Misha said he's got something to tell us," Jared replied. "About the priests. I guess it all depends on that."

"He's already back from talking to them?" Jensen stuffed the last of the bread in his mouth and stood up, brushing the crumbs from his hands.

"Arrived at dawn," Jared replied. "I was out checking on the guards on Morgan, and he came riding up with one of the priests he knew. Said he wanted to talk to both of us at once."

"You should have woken me up," Jensen chided him.

Jared's cheeks turned pink. "You looked like you needed to sleep."

"No more than you, I'm sure," Jensen replied.

"Well, at any rate. Shall we?" Jared held open the tent flap and nodded towards the bright day outside.

Jensen yawned and stumbled through the opening, steadied by Jared's hand on his back. He looked around the camp, surprised at how different it looked from when he'd turned in the night before. Jared's tent had been pitched in the center, and it was only now that Jensen realized there was a ring of six tents around it, with a King's Guardsman between each. Beyond those tents, Jared's people were gathered on one side and the Guardsmen on the other, both seemingly ignoring the others' existence.

In the middle stood Misha and a petite woman with long red hair, both of whom looked up as Jared and Jensen approached. She was garbed in a cream-colored gown with a simple rope belt, her hair cascading over her shoulders.

"Princes." Misha gave them a small bow.

"Misha," Jared returned.

Jensen gave Misha a nod in reply, realizing suddenly that this was a formal situation.

"May I present to you Mother Ruth Connell of the Windside Hall," Misha said with an outswept arm.

She nodded slightly at them both. "Prince Jared. Prince Jensen."

Jensen absently nodded back. "Wait, 'Mother'?"

She frowned. "Well, you can't very well call me 'Father,' now can you?"

Jensen drew his head back. "You're a priest?"

"Jensen!" Jared started beside him.

Ruth was holding up a hand. "You're from Miramar, yes?"

He nodded stiffly.

She regarded him for a moment longer, and then her eyes widened. "Well now. I always hoped I would meet the person behind this particular prophecy. I just didn't think they'd be so stupid."

"What?" Jared demanded, turning on her as quickly as he'd chastised Jensen just a moment ago.

"Perhaps that's the wrong choice of words." Ruth waved a hand in the air. "Perhaps 'sheltered' is more polite?"

"In most of the seven kingdoms, priests are female as well as male," Misha said. "I thought you would have known that."

"Oh." Jensen bit his lip. "I—I must admit, I've always tried to pay as little attention as possible to the priesthood. Given what they've prophesied about me, I've tried to avoid them as much as I can." He turned to Ruth and gave her a short bow. "My apologies, my lady. I did not mean to impugn you or your calling."

"Given what's been prophesied about you, I suppose I can understand that," she replied. "At least, given who it would have been applied to." She looked off to the edge of the camp, where Morgan was seated on the ground, being closely watched by Chad and a Guardsman. Then she looked back at Jensen with a quick smile. "Anyway. What matters is that you're here now, and apparently able to learn quickly from your mistakes."

Jensen ducked his head, and Jared gave a chuckle.

"However, there's a slight problem," Ruth went on. She turned to Jared. "With you."

Jared drew himself up taller. "What kind of problem?"

She sighed. "I understand that the Guard has accepted you as the rightful ruler. Based on the head Guardsman recognizing you as the boy he used to know."

"That's right." Jared's voice grew sharper. "And my own word, of course."

"Of course." She nodded. "You must believe that we wish this to be true. The problem is finding a way to verify it."

"I thought you stayed out of politics," Jensen cut in. "That's what Misha told me."

Ruth gave a pained smile. "This is not a matter of politics, my boy. We keep a close eye on the land, being connected to it through our prophecy. We know that the land and its people have been suffering. We know that there are two people who are destined to redeem it." She gestured at the two of them. "We want those people to be the two of you. If we were to declare that to be so, our word would be trusted. But we cannot simply say it to be true."

"Should I describe for you what it was like?" Jared demanded, taking a step forward. "To watch Morgan slaughter my family in front of me? To spend years hiding from him only to find out that he knew all along who and where I was?" He flung out an arm in the direction Ruth had been looking. "Ask him! He knows who I am."

Jensen put a hand on his other arm. "It's not that simple, Jared. She needs proof. They all do. A way to know for sure that you are who you say you are."

Jared turned to face him, brow furrowed. "Like what?"

For answer, Jensen held out his hand. A small flame danced in his palm before flickering out.

Jared's eyes went wide. "Jensen, you know I—" He looked at Ruth and then went silent.

Jensen squeezed his arm. "What would you need?" he asked Ruth. "A demonstration here and now, or one in front of your entire hall? Or in the city?"

"The city is what, a few days' ride away?" She pursed her lips. "I think that would be best. The Council of Priests would be the ones to observe and make their determination."

"Oh, that's great," Jared muttered under his breath.

Jensen gave his arm another squeeze, this time in warning. "Will you be there?" he asked her.

"Oh, dearie, I'm not one of the Council," Ruth explained. She leaned forward, eyes twinkling. "They don't think that would be any more proper than you thought of me being a priest in the first place."

"That doesn't seem right," Jared said.

"A lot of things don't seem right," Ruth replied. She looked back and forth between Jared and Jensen. "But I think we're well on our way to fixing many of those."

She nodded to them both and swept away, Misha walking alongside her.

Once she was out of earshot, Jared bent closer and hissed, "I can't do magic, Jensen! You know that! What are we going to do?"

"It takes a few days to get there, right?" Jensen asked. When Jared nodded, he went on, "So I'll teach you."

Jared raised an eyebrow. "In two days."

"You have the latent ability," Jensen pointed out. "We just need to bring it to light."

"How long did it take you to learn?" Jared demanded.

"That's different," Jensen said. "I was a child."

"I might as well be one," Jared returned. "I couldn't even use it to save your life! How am I supposed to figure it out in time to satisfy the Council?"

"Because there's no alternative," Jensen replied. "We can't base your claim to the throne on your word and my recognition of your facial features. And it's not like Morgan is going to testify on your behalf."

"There's Sheppard," Jared muttered as if he already knew the word of one man wouldn’t be enough.

"You can do this, Jared." He took both of Jared's hands in his, holding on when Jared tried to pull away. "I know you can."

"That's one of us," Jared replied. With an unreadable look at Jensen, he pulled his hands free and walked away.

For the next hour or so, Jared buried himself in logistical details. He talked to Kim and Briana, who vowed to work with Sheppard to keep Morgan and any of his Guard who might still support him under control. He talked to Sheppard's second-in-command, a woman named Alaina who had been one of the first to aim her arrow away from Jared. She and Sheppard hand-picked six of the Guard to ride alongside Jared and Jensen to Verdania City on the available horses while the rest of the group followed on foot.

Jared selected some of his own people for accompaniment: Misha, Genevieve, Jim, and Chad. Or at least, he wanted to select Chad, but he couldn't find him.

"He was guarding Morgan this morning," Genevieve said. "I think he went up the hill when he heard you guys were leaving already."

Jared ran a hand through his hair. "I need him to come along."

She shrugged. "Then you'd better go get him."

With a sigh, Jared trudged up the hill. After a few minutes of climbing, he spotted a figure seated at the very top, and he angled his walk in that direction. When he reached the top, he dropped down next to Chad, looking out over the view. It was flat all the way to the river, twinkling on the horizon.

"Gonna be weird to cross that river on a bridge," Jared said. "We're so used to avoiding the roads."

"Lot of things are gonna be weird, Jay." Chad plucked a handful of grass from the ground. "'Course, you've always been weird, so that's okay."

Jared punched his friend in the shoulder, mostly because he felt he was expected to. "You're coming, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be right behind you guys," Chad said. "Someone's gotta keep Morgan in line."

"Someone's got to keep me in line," Jared said. When Chad turned towards him, eyebrows raised, he went on, "They need to see me do magic. The Council of the Priests. Jensen thinks he can teach me in time, but I don't know."

"Can't be that hard, right?" Chad asked. "You're a smart guy."

"I can't do it by myself," Jared said, looking at him meaningfully.

"Dude, if I could help you learn magic, I'd've done it already."

"Chad, it's like I told you last night: I need people around me I can trust. I need to know you're there with me, not following a few days behind."

Chad shrugged. "You need someone to be in charge of everyone who's following behind."

"And I have people who can do that. I know you could, too, but this is more important." He put a hand on Chad's shoulder. "For me, all right?"

Chad squinted at him for a moment. Then he gave a sharp nod. "Okay, when do we go?"

They were ready to go within the hour. It was still before noon, and Jared was hopeful they would only need to spend one night on the road. Then again, maybe it would be better to spend two nights and arrive in Verdania City in the morning, ready to face whatever was going to come. He knew it would be difficult, returning to his childhood home after so many years away. Not to mention the meeting with the Council of Priests, which was looming as the final hurdle to reclaiming the crown that should have always been his. And that was if Jensen was able to teach him how to do something he'd been trying most of his life to figure out.

To his surprise, Jensen had claimed the large bay war horse that Morgan had been riding, though he didn't put on the armor. Mounted on the bay, Jensen towered above the group, even the other Guards. Jared had picked out his own steed, a trusty-looking grey, and he was putting a saddle on him when Jensen called out his name.

He looked up to see Jensen shaking his head. "Up here," he said, gesturing to the space behind him on the saddle. "It'll be easier for our lessons."

Jared frowned. "Can he carry both of us?"

"You didn't worry about that so much the other day," Jensen said with raised eyebrows.

Jared huffed; Jensen was right, even when it seemed like ages ago that he'd approached Jensen with much less friendly intentions. Climbing up behind Jensen, nestling close to him in the saddle and putting his arms around him to grab the pommel like he had when taking Jensen captive, made it even stranger.

Remembering that he was married to Jensen and didn't have to keep his thoughts from straying down questionable paths had him shifting his position for a moment.

"Hold on," Jensen warned. He flicked the reins, and they were moving forward, the small pack of Guards and Jared's people around them.

They spread out along the road: Genevieve and Alaina in the front, other riders interspersed behind them, and only Chad and a Guardsman named Cohen behind Jared and Jensen. They rode in silence for a while, Jared waiting for Jensen to start teaching him something.

Finally, after they'd crossed the bridge he had seen in the distance with Chad, Jared asked, "When do we start?"

"Just concentrate on the rhythm of the horse," Jensen said. "Feel how it moves beneath you, feel how its power propels us forward."

"I've ridden a horse before, Jensen," Jared snapped.

"I know," Jensen said, soothing and calm like he was talking to the animal and not to Jared. "Just pay attention. The hoofbeats on the ground, the way his muscles move, the way the wind feels. Focus on those things."

Jared shut his eyes and tried to concentrate. The steady rhythm of the horse was soothing, and he could picture the bunching of his muscles as they cantered along. He could feel Jensen's back pressed up against his chest, both of them moving together with the same rhythm as the horse, bodies moving in unison as they—

His eyes opened on a gasp, and he clutched at the pommel. Leaning that much closer brought his nose up against the side of Jensen's neck, and when he breathed in, there was an already familiar scent he'd noticed after sharing sleeping quarters. Keeping his voice low, he murmured, "I'm kind of having a problem with that."

Jensen's intake of breath sharp. His voice remained calm as he replied, "What kind of problem?"

"I'm becoming distracted," Jared went on. He curved his body more closely around Jensen's back, though he tried to keep his increasingly-uncomfortable crotch away from Jensen's rear.

"Ah." Jensen shifted back in the saddle, making all of Jared's efforts for naught. His voice was a little rougher as he said, "I can work with that."

Jared cleared his throat. "I'm not sure I can."

Jensen's low chuckle rumbled through him so that even his back vibrated against Jared's chest. "The point is, magic is part of you. It has to come from your energy. That's why copper is used to restrain magic-doers, because it blocks that energy. If you're not familiar with how it works, it might make sense to focus on another living thing and how it's using its energy. Then you can learn to recognize it in yourself."

"Oh." Jared thought about that for a moment. "So I should focus on how your muscles are moving or on the noises you make?"

"Yes. Er." Jensen cleared his throat. "Maybe also on my breathing." He took one of Jared's hands and placed it over his chest. "Or my heartbeat."

Jared closed his eyes again, chin still hooked over Jensen's shoulder. He flattened his palm against Jensen's chest, fingers brushing the hollow of his throat. He thought he felt a shiver run over Jensen, but he wasn't entirely sure. Instead, he concentrated on the steady thump beneath his palm and the lighter pulse beneath his fingertips, the rise and fall of Jensen's chest, and the warmth of his body in front of Jared's.

It should have been arousing, and Jared was sure that if he let himself think about it, it would be. But he tried to pay attention to what Jensen had said, focusing on the energy and life in Jensen rather than his physical presence. He felt Jensen relax back against him. Then, for a moment he felt something strange enough that he lifted his head with a gasp, withdrawing his arms from where they'd been wrapped around Jensen.

"Still distracted?" Jensen asked.

"No, not really." Jared put his hands on Jensen's waist to steady himself as they rode. "Just—it was really weird. It felt for a moment like I wasn't holding you, I was holding this thing—I don't know how to describe it."

"That's perfect, Jared." Jensen's voice was warm, and he turned his head to flash a grin at him. "Being able to tune everything else out and concentrate on the energy of a life force is the first thing you need to be able to do."

"It was just for a second, though."

"That's okay. It's a start." Jensen reached back and squeezed Jared's hand at his side. "We'll get you there. Now, see if you can find that place with me again. Once you can, try it with the horse."

It took the rest of the morning, but by the time they stopped for their midday meal, Jared was able to sense the form and shape of the animal carrying them: not as a horse so much as a power or force. He could feel Jensen that way, too; sometimes, both Jensen and the horse at once.

"It feels really weird," he tried to explain to Chad. "Like I'm seeing a different kind of creature than what's really there."

Chad eyed him dubiously. "How is this supposed to help you do magic?"

Jared finished chewing his dried meat before replying, "Jensen says it's the first step. Then I have to figure out how to feel myself that same way."

"Feel yourself." Chad was looking at him with such a deliberately straight face that Jared couldn't help but crack up.

Jensen was talking to Misha on the far side of their little group, but he looked up when Jared's laughter boomed out over the road. Jared caught him watching with a small smile on his face, and he grinned back before looking away.

They started riding again after only a short break. The bay seemed to have no trouble with the two of them on its back. That surprised Jared; then again, one man in full armor was probably almost as heavy as the two of them in cloaks and breeches.

"Okay, what's the next step?" he badgered Jensen once they were underway.

"You have to be able to sense your own energy," Jensen explained. "That's what you draw on when you're doing magic, so you need to be very aware of how much you have, how readily available it is, and what it will cost you to use it."

"Can you—can you use it up?" Jared asked. "I mean, hurt yourself doing magic?"

"You can use enough of your energy that you fall unconscious," Jensen said. "It's what your body will do to protect itself so that you don't completely use up your life force."

"That's good, I guess," Jared replied.

"My father had me do it once, just so I could see what it would take." Jensen shot a quick, reassuring smile over his shoulder. "I accomplished a lot before I lost it. The odds that you would need to use that much power for anything are extremely low. Perhaps when the seven kingdoms were at war with each other and the royals had to use battle magic, but not anymore."

"Okay, that is good."

"Just keep in mind, it can be tricky. You had to work past some distractions to sense another being. Trying to look into yourself—there are even more thoughts and feelings and inner voices you'll have to ignore. My mother explained once that we're used to thinking of ourselves as much more complex beings, not as animals. Stripping that away and understanding yourself as only a living being and nothing more can take a lot of practice."

"I've got what, a day and two nights to figure it out?" Jared scoffed, hoping it sounded confident. "Piece of cake." He took a deep breath and made sure he had a good grip of Jensen's waist. "Here we go."

He started with Jensen again, making sure he understood what he was searching for. It took a while for him to get back in that zone, moving past the sensations of Jensen's body pressed up against his. It briefly crossed his mind to wonder how one could do magic during sex if he'd have to detach himself from his senses like this. He pushed it aside to ask Jensen later.

Soon, he was feeling Jensen and their horse again, and he smiled to himself. Reaching out a little farther, he sensed Chad's horse behind them, and then Chad. There wasn't anything qualitatively different about the energies he could feel coming from Chad or Jensen, or even from the men and the horses. At the same time, he could feel himself sitting in the middle of these beings, yet he was still Jared.

Jared shook his head and tried again. Eyes closed, he concentrated on his own heartbeat, his own breathing. But his thoughts were soon racing, circling around the group of riders and what might be waiting for them in Verdania City. Subconsciously, he went back to Morgan and the people bringing him along, farther back to the fateful choice he'd made to go along with Chad's plan and strike against the High King. It was up to him now: he had to be able to prove he was the rightful king, and if he couldn't do that—

He opened his eyes and dropped his forehead onto Jensen's shoulder. "I can't."

"Of course you can." Jensen reached back and ruffled his hair. "It just takes some time."

"We don't have time, Jensen. This isn't magic yet. It's not something the Council can see. I need more time than I've got."

"Then we'll slow down," Jensen said. "We can spend two nights out and arrive mid-morning. That's probably better than getting there at the end of a long day, anyway."

"That's not a whole lot of time to figure out something I've never done before."

Jensen's voice was suddenly sterner. "You have it in you, Jared. I've seen it. But you have to be able to do this first. Now try again. Please."

With a sigh, Jared lifted his head and closed his eyes once more, trying to reach for something he had no idea if he could do.

They rode in silence for quite a while after that. Jensen thought the countryside around them was beautiful: gentle, green hills with sparse trees and every valley with a tiny brook winding through it. The road led across most of the little streams, and the horses barely made a splash. Once in a while, there were planks laid down for a rough bridge, reminding Jensen that this wasn't the King's Road they were on with its stone bridges. Nor was it as wide as the path he'd taken only a few days ago; he had to put up an arm from time to time to keep a tree limb from catching him or Jared in the face. There were also far fewer travelers here, since they'd only passed a handful of people on foot and one rider coming from the opposite direction.

Behind him, Jared was mostly quiet. Once in a while, Jensen heard a grunt or a sigh, both of which told him that Jared hadn't managed to center himself yet. Jensen bit back his own sigh every time that happened. He'd been so pleased when Jared had taken the first step so quickly, assuming the rest would follow and Jared would be lighting their campfire by himself that night.

Instead, Jensen was starting to wnoder if there would be a way for him to fake Jared's magic in front of the Council.

Late in the afternoon, Misha rode up to meet them. "How's he doing?" he asked in a low voice.

Jensen looked over his shoulder. Jared's eyes were closed, and he didn't give any indication that he had heard Misha. "Working on it," Jensen muttered. "How far along are we?"

"There's a good campsite in the next valley," Misha suggested. "It's a little early for the night, but there's a Hall of Priests that allows travelers to stay in their woods, and I can update them on who Jared is and what's going on. Ruth will have already send a bird on to Verdania City with the news so that the Council will be prepared for our arrival, but letting as many people as possible know the truth is paramount."

I just hope we're prepared, too, Jensen thought. Out loud he said, "Then we should stop here. Jared and I were talking about arriving the morning after next anyway."

"All right," Misha replied. "I'll ride on ahead and let them know."

They had crested the hill and were riding down towards a cluster of stone buildings when Jared gave a big jerk behind Jensen, hands briefly digging into his sides. "Sorry," he said, patting Jensen's sides. "I thought I had it there."

"It might be easier when we're not moving. Misha says there's a Hall up ahead that should be able to find room for us." Jensen patted Jared's hand on his side. "I don't think they'll mind if you're too tired to talk to them."

"I need to keep trying," Jared said. "I need to figure this out."

"Once we've eaten and can rest," Jensen said. "You're probably tired from the long day of riding."

The Hall of the Priests was a humble collection of stone buildings with thatched roofs. Jensen was used to seeing more elaborate quarters for the priests, but then he really only knew the ones who were based at the palace. He and Misha managed to convince them that Jared needed time to rest after their ordeal of the previous day. In no time, they were sitting beneath a tall, broadleaf tree towards the back of the property, munching on skewers of freshly-cooked meat and handfuls of berries that were sweet enough to make Jensen's teeth ache.

"I love these things." Jared wolfed down another mouthful. Jensen dropped his remaining handful into Jared's outstretched palm, and Jared grinned at him. "Thanks," he said before swallowing them down.

"If you ate them one at a time, they'd last longer," Jensen said.

Jared shook his head. "If I eat them one at a time, I might not get to eat them all."

Jensen was taken aback. "I forget sometimes how different our lives have been."

Raising an eyebrow, Jared asked, "My failure at magic hadn't already made that clear?"

"You're still learning," Jensen pointed out. "Don't call it failure yet."

Jared rolled his eyes, licking the last bit of berry juice off his fingers before brushing them together. "Then I better get back to it, right?"

"I'll help you," Jensen said. He held out a hand, and Jared took it. "I want you to do what you've been doing—tuning in to my energy. Then, I'm going to center myself, and I want you to see how different it feels."

Jared nodded, suddenly looking serious. He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath.

Jensen concentrated on the sounds around them: the rustle of leaves overhead as the evening breeze blew, the trickling stream behind them, the murmur of voices from the Hall. He could slip into his centering mode as easily as could be, but for now, he would just wait and listen.

He could tell when Jared had achieved his first step, because his hand went lax in Jensen's. Smiling, Jensen closed his eyes and drew himself inward to that space where everything was light and energy.

He could sense Jared beside him, and not just because his energy was different than that of any other living thing; it was because they were seated so close together. Jensen waited calmly, keeping his mind clear.

He had no idea how long it took until the shape of Jared's energy began to change. Or maybe "shape" was the wrong word—maybe it was the color or the intensity or some other word. He'd never had to describe it to anyone before Jared: his parents and siblings knew what he meant, and no one else would understand how doing magic felt.

Whatever it was, when Jensen opened his eyes, he saw Jared grinning back at him. "I did it!" he exclaimed.

Before Jensen could move, Jared was tugging him closer and planting a kiss on his lips.

He didn't object, exactly, but it was a sudden rush of sensation after the quiet calm he'd just been experiencing. So he didn't really respond, and when Jared pulled away after a moment, there was a frown on his face. "I'm sorry," Jared immediately apologized. "Was that not okay?"

Jensen blinked. "No, it's fine, I just—wasn't expecting it." He smiled at Jared. "Got reason to celebrate, huh?"

Jared nodded, the smile returning to his face. "Just for a bit, but now I know what I'm reaching for, if that makes sense."

"It makes perfect sense. It's so hard for me to describe because I've been doing it for so long. I'm glad you've got it, Jared." He leaned closer and returned the kiss like he should have a moment ago.

Jared made a low noise in the back of his throat, and then his free hand was cupping Jensen's cheek. Jensen let go of their joined hands to run all of his fingers through Jared's hair, enjoying the feel of it even as their mouths continued to press against each other.

When they broke apart, they were both a little flushed. "Wow," Jared blinked. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to concentrate on anything else after that."

"You need to." Jensen stroked his thumbs along Jared's cheekbones before letting go. "Tuning out physical sensations and sensing only yourself is vital."

Jared pouted. "Can't we kiss a little more first?"

"Tomorrow," Jensen said. "If you're good."

"Oh, I'll be good," Jared purred, throwing in a wink for good measure that made Jensen smile.

They practiced again until Jared was satisfied that he had really made it to the second step. "Now what?"

"Now, we sleep." Jensen held up a hand before Jared could protest. "You've worked really hard today. You need to rest in order to be able to do magic. And that's what we're going to do tomorrow."

"Okay." Jared looked disappointed, even as he agreed. "I mean, I got this far in one day, so I should be able to pick up even more tomorrow, right?"

"Well, you won't be casting memory-scenes like I did for you, but I think you can get the basics down, yeah." He clapped Jared on the shoulder. "After some rest."

Jared slept as soundly as he could ever remember doing. It wasn't just the exhaustion of the past couple of days. His life had fundamentally changed, and even if there was a lot of work ahead of him yet, he felt safe in a way he hadn't since he was a child. Morgan had fallen, he had Jensen on his side, and in a couple of days, he would be able to get the priests in his camp as well. Then hopefully the rest of the population would follow.

If everything went well.

They were a few hours down the road before Jared was able to settle himself back into the proper mindset. "Centering," Jensen had called it, and it was harder to do on the back of a moving horse than in the quiet clearing the night before. Still, by the time Jensen was satisfied that Jared could do it, it was already midday, and Jared was growing impatient.

"Can you show me how to create fire?" Jared asked. "Like you did?"

"It wasn't real fire, Jared. It was an illusion. But yeah, I think that would be a good place to start." Jensen shifted in his seat so he was looking over his shoulder at Jared. "Now, you have to be patient."

Jared nodded quickly.

"What you're going to do is take some of that energy you sense in yourself and try to push it outward," Jensen instructed. "Like this." He held out his hand, palm up. "Think about the heat and light of a flame, about what it would look like in your palm." A moment later, there was a flickering ball of fire in Jensen's hand. "It doesn't require a lot of energy since it's only the illusion of a fire. So don't push too hard."

"Okay, got it." Jared wiped his sweaty palms on his breeches. "This isn't going to scare the horse, is it?"

"Not unless you actually manage to conjure fire," Jensen said dryly. "And that's a lot harder to do."

"Okay, good." Jared took a deep breath. "Here goes."

Once Jared found his way back to that centered place, he focused on pushing outwards, like Jensen had said. He could feel the edges of his body, where his energy stopped, and he tried to nudge a little beyond that. It was hard to hold his mental image of himself and also picture what fire would look like, how it would feel. He was briefly distracted by the thought of how dumb he looked holding his hand out with his eyes closed as they cantered along down the road.

He hadn't figured it out by the time they stopped for lunch, and he hadn't figured it out by mid-afternoon, either. Jensen had suggested trying to create the illusion of water instead of fire, and that hadn't been any more successful. By the time they stopped for the day in a clearing just off the main road, Jared was ready to give up.

He stomped off as soon as they'd dismounted, knowing that he was leaving everyone else to set up camp, but somehow not caring. If he couldn't do this basic thing by tomorrow, something a royal teenager could do, they would all be lost.

After a few minutes, Jensen came to find him where he was sitting with his back to a rock beside a small stream. Jared braced himself for more tips or suggestions or encouragement. Instead, Jensen pushed his shoulder. "Move forward."

Jared inched himself forward on the grass, hunching his shoulders.

Jensen swung a leg over the rock and sat behind Jared, nestling up against him. "Here," he said, putting an arm across Jared's shoulders and pulling him back. "Relax."

"I can't relax, Jensen. I have to figure this out, like now."

"You've got time." Jensen's other hand started to move through Jared's hair, over and over.

As ready as Jared had been to argue why he couldn't keep trying if nothing was going to work, he had to restrain himself from the opposite. He couldn't just lie here in Jensen's arms, either; he had to do something.

But he was exhausted, and Jensen's hand in his hair felt so good. "Just a nap," he muttered. "Then I'll try again."

"That's right, Jay," Jensen murmured in his ear. "Just relax."

In no time at all, Jared was in that half-asleep, half-awake state where everything was distant and blurry. He felt Jensen's chest rising and falling behind him, and it was already habit to slip into that other state where he sensed them both as energy. He could feel that he had less energy than earlier in the day, so there probably wasn't much sense in trying the fire illusion again. Maybe Jensen was right, and he just needed to rest.

Jared's hands had fallen at his sides, palms up, while he sat back as though Jensen were a large chair. He started to wonder what it would actually feel like to do magic—would he feel the energy leaving his body? Would he sense the power he was exerting? Would he actually feel the heat of the fire, even if it was only an illusion? How would he get used to seeing fire in his hands and not have the instinctual reaction of pulling away?

In his half-awake state, Jared could almost feel the heat on his palms. It was kind of uncomfortably warm, and he was impressed with how vivid his imagination was. Maybe that was what he needed to concentrate on in order to—

"Jared!"

Jensen's voice startled him awake, and when Jared looked down, he saw singed grass beneath his hands. His palms were bright red. "Ow," he said weakly.

"C'mon, get up!" Jensen was tugging beneath his arms, and it was only then that Jared realized the grass wasn't completely done burning. He stumbled to his feet and a few paces away, looking down at his hands.

Jensen stomping at the grass, and soon the fire was out. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I—I think so." Jared looked up. "Did I just set myself on fire?"

"You might have." Jensen took Jared's hands in his, turning them over. "Does it hurt?"

"A little." Jared was relieved to see that his palms didn't appear as red as they had at first. He hadn't even realized he was hurting himself.

"What did you do?"

"I just—pictured the fire. Imagined how hot it would be, and then I really felt it." Jared blinked. He had actually done it. He had done magic, apparently without really trying. Or maybe he'd been trying the wrong way all day, and what he really needed was to trick himself into it. He tried to remember the paths his thoughts had taken, if he'd been centered before imagining the fire or if the sensations had come first. He needed to ask Jensen about that, if maybe he'd been doing the order of things wrong; maybe the way a child was taught wasn't the same way an adult should be taught, and maybe—

"Can you do it again?"

Jared's eyebrows shot up, and butterflies suddenly fluttered in his stomach. "You want me to do that again?"

"Not for real. Not with the actual heat. Just the light. Do you think you can do that?"

Jared was wide awake now, his palms were tingling, and there was excitement building in his gut that maybe, just maybe, he could actually do magic. None of those things were conducive to repeating the experience. But Jensen was gazing at him with so much hope, fingers wrapped around Jared's, that he knew he had to give it a shot.

A few minutes later, Chad's voice boomed out. "What is going on here?"

"Just a minute," Jensen threw over his shoulder. His hands were up at the level of his head, fingers spread wide, before he started to slowly lowering them. "Check on Jared?"

"What'd you do to him?" Chad growled, but Jensen was too busy to respond.

"Why is it raining?" Misha asked. "Or really, how is it raining?"

Jared's voice was small and miserable. "I set a tree on fire."

Jensen made sure the mini-raincloud he'd created was putting out said fire, and then he turned around. "It's okay, Jared," he said, putting his hands on Jared's shoulders. "It'll be fine. It's not going to spread. Now, are you okay?"

Jared's palms were redder than before, but the skin wasn't torn or abraded, and there didn't seem to be any blisters forming. "I think so."

"Go put your hands in the stream," Jensen suggested. "The cold water will help."

Jared crouched down and stuck his hands in a small pool at the side of the stream. He winced at first, but then he seemed to relax.

"What happened?" Chad demanded.

"It was supposed to be the illusion of fire," Jared said over his shoulder. "Like you saw Jensen doing the other day. Only I have no idea what I'm doing, so I guess I made an actual fire. And I freaked out and kind of threw it away from me, and it caught the tree, and, yeah. Jensen had to make a little rainstorm to put it out."

"You set yourself on fire?"

Jared nodded sheepishly.

"That's awesome!"

"What?" Jensen asked.

"I told you, you could do it," Chad said triumphantly. "That's magic, Jay."

"I…" Jared blinked. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Alaina spoke up from beside Misha. "I don't suppose the Council of Priests is going to be too pleased if you set their chambers on fire."

Jensen glared at her. "Jared just needs to learn to control it. After that, he'll pass with flying colors."

She looked dubious, but she stayed quiet.

"Well, we have some dinner prepared for you when you're ready," Misha informed them. "And I can find bandages, if you need them."

Jensen watched everyone else file off, Chad giving a thumbs-up on the way. Then he sat down on a large rock next to where Jared was crouched at the edge of the stream. "Are you okay?"

"It hurts a little, but I've had worse." Jared looked up at him from beneath his bangs. "Do you really think I can control this? Or create the illusion and not the real thing? I mean, I wasn't even trying to make actual fire. I have no idea what I'm doing."

"We'll figure it out." Jensen rubbed his shoulder. "You've come so far already, Jared. I can't see why you won't be ready by the time the Council meets."

Jared sighed sat back against the rock, shaking the water off his hands. He looked off to the side. "Sorry," he offered to the tree.

Jensen hid a smile. "It'll probably grow back," he said. "Only some of the branches were aflame."

Jared frowned. "I thought you said magic couldn't change the nature of things. Didn't we just do that? We both made something that wasn't there a moment ago."

"Not really. Fire isn't a thing, it's a kind of energy. And there's always water in the air, except in the driest of deserts. You just have to know how to pull it out. You're not changing the nature of the air or the energy, you're just shaping it."

"I don't know." Jared pointed at the smoldering tree. "That tree seems to have had its nature changed pretty substantially."

"Ah." Jensen grinned. "Now you're starting to understand how magic can be so powerful."

"Not really."

"Think of it like this. You might not be able to change the nature of something directly, but you can make use of something else that can do it for you."

Jared was quiet for a moment. Finally he asked, "So I can't set a tree on fire by myself, but I can create fire and let the fire burn the tree?"

"And I can't eliminate the fire, because it's your doing, but I can create the raincloud that does it for me."

"Huh." Jared slowly nodded. "That makes more sense."

"There are more direct ways to use energy, of course. That punch I sent at you as a test, the one you blocked by instinct."

"We're not going to start doing that, are we?" Jared looked alarmed.

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea." Jensen put his arm around Jared's shoulders, pleased when Jared rested his head against Jensen's knee. "We'll stick with the fire. Really, we should backtrack to the illusion of fire. And maybe we should work on pulling water from the air, too, just in case."

"Probably a good idea," Jared murmured, closing his eyes.

Jensen carded his fingers through Jared's hair again, and Jared relaxed against his leg.

When Misha came to check on them a moment later, Jensen put his finger to his lips. Jared was asleep.

The next morning, they saddled up in silence. Jared was as nervous as he'd been in years, even more so than when he'd headed off with Chad and Misha and the crew to kidnap Jensen. Even though he'd made Jensen practice with him last night until he could legitimately produce fake fire, not the real thing, he was still afraid that he wouldn't be able to do it in front of the Council.

Jared kept those fears to himself. He was riding home today, as he'd dreamed of doing for so many years. Not sneaking in during the night like he'd imagined, but entering as himself, as who he was supposed to be. The King's Guard was with him, Jensen was at his side, and soon everyone else would join them.

"You are not riding that horse together."

Jared frowned at Alaina. "What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're claiming to be the High King. My lord. The High King doesn't share a horse."

"She's right, Jared," Jensen pointed out. "I'll double up with someone else."

"No way." Jared shook his head. "If you're worried about appearances, my husband will ride his own horse as well."

Alaina crossed her arms over her chest. "The King's Guard needs to be able to move quickly in case of an attack. We can't do that if we're two to a horse."

Chad piped up, "I'll share with Genevieve."

"No, you won't," said Genevieve and Jared at the same time.

Jim shook his head. "Mine's got about all it can handle carrying me."

They all turned to Misha, and he sighed. "I knew there would be a price for claiming the second largest mount."

Shortly after they emerged onto the road, Chad and Misha having worked out how to share the saddle, they came to a crossroads and turned left. Soon, they weren't going for a minute without seeing another person, either on foot or on horseback. Jared had been hoping to practice his fire some more, but there was no way he was taking the risk in front of strangers' eyes. Their fellow travelers quickly moved aside when they took in the red cloaks of the Guard, looking with curiosity at Jared, Jensen, and the others in their midst.

"They probably think we're being hauled to the dungeons or something," Jared murmured to Jensen after they passed a small group of women that had stared more intently than the rest.

"Misha did say they'd sent word on ahead of time, didn't he?" Jensen replied.

Jared drew his head back. "You don't think—they don't know who we are, do they?"

Jensen shrugged. "Might make things easier if they did."

They rounded a bend in the road with the city walls suddenly visible at the end of a long straightaway. The broad gate was open in the wall, the drawbridge lowered across the moat. The road was lined along one side with vendors and peddlers from where they were all the way up to the gate, and people and carts were blocking the road for nearly the whole distance.

Jared suddenly remembered Market Day as a child—running around the stalls under the watchful eye of a Guardsman, using the copper pennies his father had given him to buy fruit or candy even if the merchants tried to give it to him for free. It had been one of the best parts of the week, smelling the cooking meat and seeing the shiny rows of fruits and vegetables, taking in the swirl of people and the excitement of the day.

Right now, Jared just wanted to turn tail and leave.

He suddenly realized that he was even less prepared for this kind of thing than he was for the Council of Priests. He'd tried to stay hidden for years, for the sake of himself and his friends. Now, he had to be as open about who he was as possible, had to make people believe he was who he said he was. And it wasn't going to stop. Once he was High King, he'd be even less able to come out to the Market unnoticed than he had as a child.

They brought their horses to a halt. Jared rubbed a soothing hand over his horse's neck, though it was standing rock-steady in the road.

"Can we go around?" Jensen asked.

Misha shook his head. "I think this is it," he said, looking meaningfully at Jared. "Are you ready?"

Jared gave him a weak smile. "No, but I don't have much choice, do I?"

"The Council knows that you're coming," Misha said. "It's probably best not to keep them waiting."

He looked over at Jensen, who was regarding him with the same quiet confidence he had ever since he found out who Jared really was. It had thrown him at first: how this man he'd just met, who he'd kidnapped, for God's sake, could believe in him more than he himself did. Now, Jared realized how much he'd come to rely on that, and how much he would need it in both the immediate and long-term future.

He cleared his throat. "Captain Huffman, would you do the honor of leading us forward?"

She sat taller in her saddle, the red plume on her helmet swaying in the breeze. "Your Majesties, if you would follow me?"

She set off at a walking pace, Jared falling into line behind her. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jensen move in behind him, and he felt better knowing that Jensen had his back.

Then he realized that a hush had fallen over the crowd. Every eye at the market was on them.

Jared looked straight ahead between his horse's ears. The murmuring started from the people he was passing, and then voices grew louder up and down the line of the market stalls. He couldn’t make out individual words, just a general sense of curiosity and apprehension.

As they neared the gate, Alaina raised a hand to the two Guardsmen on either side of the bridge. "Hail," she said.

"Hail," one of them replied. He looked behind her, at Jared and then at the rest of the group. "The Council has told us to expect you."

"Good," she nodded. "There will be a second group following tomorrow or the day after. Has the Council told you what to do when they arrive?"

The Guardsman's gaze flickered to Jared and then back to Alaina. "We've been told that depends on the results of this afternoon's meeting."

Jared swallowed hard. He wasn't even going to get time to practice.

"Well, see to it," she replied. Then she nudged her horse forward, and Jared followed.

He forced himself to keep looking straight ahead, even though he wanted to crane his neck in every direction and see what his city looked like after all this time. There were people in the streets who moved quickly out of Alaina's way, heads down and quiet. But there were others who watched them go, and soon it was as if the murmuring from the Market had passed through the gate along with them.

They wound their way through the narrow streets down a path that Jared could have taken blindfolded. The spires of the central Hall were visible and growing ever nearer, and soon, once they cleared the winter market grounds—yes, there it was. There was the palace, its towers grimier and not shining in the sunlight like Jared remembered, but still tall and magnificent and home.

The voices beside them in the street grew louder. It wasn't until they rounded the final corner, the palace steps at the end of the street, that Jared first heard it.

"Hail the High King!"

He whipped his head around, startled. He couldn't tell who had said it: it was a man's deep voice, but no one seemed to be meeting his eye.

Then a woman, off on his other side. "The High King!"

"King Padalecki!" came from behind her.

Jared's heart thumped faster, his palms growing sweaty. His gut was churning with nerves, but he knew this was his moment. He pulled his horse to a halt before holding up his hands and saying in a loud voice, "I am not the High King."

The crowd went silent. Behind him, there was a muttered, "Jay!" that could have been Jensen or Chad, he wasn't sure.

Jared slowly turned the horse in a circle, taking in the people around them. They looked tired and wary, but also hopeful. He pitched his voice as loudly as he could and went on, "I am Jared Padalecki, yes. I am the son of Gerald and Sharon. I was born here and grew up here as your prince. But I am not the High King." He paused and added, "At least, not yet."

Excited murmuring began before being cut off by a sharp voice. "That's right, he's not."

Jensen looked up, shocked.

On the steps of the palace stood a man with short-cropped blond hair in a long red robe, trimmed with gilded designs. He carried a long staff with a golden knob at the top, and he was eyeing them with distaste.

Jensen instantly felt the hackles rise at the back of his neck. This wasn't going to be as easy as he had hoped.

Jared walked his horse forward to the base of the steps with Alaina on one side of him. Jensen hurried to catch up on the other side. "No, I'm not," Jared agreed. "And who might you be?"

"Mark Pellegrino. The High King's chief advisor. The true High King."

"Well then, you're in luck, because he's right here," Jensen said, jerking a thumb to the side. "Pellegrino, let me introduce you to Jared Padalecki."

"I know who he claims to be," Pellegrino replied, his voice pitched loud enough to be heard by the gathering crowd. "And I know who you are as well. Prince Jensen of Miramar, running away from your duties and obligations in a well-planned but fake kidnapping."

Jensen quietly seethed. If he protested the "fake" part, then he'd have to admit that Jared had, in fact, kidnapped him, which was a strange thing for a claimant to the throne to do. But if he let it go—

"Prince Jensen is my husband," Jared said, voice louder than before. "And I am the last of the Padaleckis. I am here to assert my right to the throne."

"Where is the High King?" Pellegrino asked.

"Morgan will be here in a few days," Jared said. "Ready to stand trial for the coup he perpetrated twenty years ago."

"I'm sure the trial will uncover all of those who worked with him at the time," Jensen added, watching with pleasure as Pellegrino flinched.

From the top of the steps, two more people were coming down towards them. They wore the same long cream robes with rope belts that Ruth had, and Jensen felt his shoulders relax a little. Not that the priests didn't potentially pose a huge problem for them, given that Jared had to satisfy them that he could do magic. However, he didn't think they weren't likely to be as hostile as Pellegrino was. He'd been starting to center himself in case he needed to protect Jared, but now he paused.

They stayed quiet as the two priests approached, one man and one woman. When they were on the step above Pellegrino, they both turned to Jared. "You are the claimant for the throne?" the woman asked. She had long blond hair, a kindly face, and despite her formal words, her tone was warm.

"I am Jared Padalecki." Jared sat up straighter in his saddle. "And I can prove it."

"With some magic tricks that are meant to make us think there's something special about you?" Pellegrino sneered. "We don't all believe in the old legends anymore. If you think you can fool the Council into believing your story, you can—"

It was an easy matter for Jensen to flick a hand in Pellegrino's direction, twisting and thickening the air as it entered his mouth. The chief advisor fell silent mid-word. His mouth continued to move, yet no sound came out. Jensen watched impassively, and he thought he heard a snort coming from Jared.

"Did you just do that?" It was the male priest, and it wasn't until Jensen heard the wonder in his voice that he took a close look at him and realized how young he was.

Jared held up his hands.

"I confess," Jensen said. He twisted his hand in the other direction, and Pellegrino was suddenly coughing, both hands to his throat. "Sorry for the sore throat you'll likely have tomorrow," he added in as insincere of a voice as he could manage.

"Did you see him assault me?" Pellegrino demanded of the priests.

The woman lifted her voice over his complaints. "I am Samantha. This is Colin. We know you must be tired from your journey, but we also know you are likely eager to dispense with the formalities of your claim. Based on the news we've received from various Halls, we are prepared to accept you as Jared Padalecki. Should you, of course, be able to perform the magic that only royals can do." She nodded at Jensen. "As we have already seen."

"Of course." Jared's chin lifted, his voice steady. "We were told there would be a meeting this afternoon?"

"Yes, but the Council would first like you see you in private." She briefly looked at Jensen and then back at Jared. "To confirm that your abilities are your own."

"I understand," Jared said. The line of his neck moved as he swallowed. "Right now?"

"No time like the present," she said with a smile.

"Right." Jared glanced at Jensen, and even though he was trying to hide it, the growing panic was apparent in his eyes.

Jensen turned to Samantha. "As Jared's husband and a fellow royal, I'd like to be there with him."

Pellegrino cut in. "You can't—"

Jensen talked over him. "Do you have copper?"

"Jensen, no!" Jared hissed.

"It's okay." Jensen held out a hand in his direction. "I'm willing to do it."

Samantha was nodding slowly. "That would be acceptable."

"Good. Then let's go."

They dismounted and walked up the steps, Alaina staying behind to keep Pellegrino from following them. Jensen wanted to offer Jared some encouraging words, but he also didn't want to be overhead. It was vital that no one here know how difficult this was going to be for Jared. If he wanted to win his claim to the throne, Jared had to project as much confidence as possible.

But Jensen wasn't going to let him go through it alone.

They reached the top of the stairs and crossed through a doorway into a grand entrance hall. Beside him, Jared drew in a sharp breath. "You all right?" Jensen asked quietly.

Out of the corner of his mouth, Jared said, "It looks terrible, doesn't it?"

The grandeur of the hall was apparent in the tall columns gilded at their tops, the heavy tapestries on the walls, and the finely-patterned marble flooring. But it all looked…dirty. Neglected. Jensen compared it to the gleaming hall of his own home and found it definitely coming up short.

"They say it's part of the same malady afflicting the land." It was Colin, who'd dropped back to walk next to Jensen. "That the palace itself is tarnished until the prophecy is fulfilled."

"You sure it's not just Morgan failing to take care of things?" Jensen asked.

Colin shrugged. "I don't know. They tell me it's been getting worse as long as he's been High King. No matter how much the staff try to clean it."

Jensen considered him for a moment. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Old enough," Colin retorted, obviously used to answering that question.

"Sorry. I'm learning that the seven kingdoms don't all do things the same way," Jensen apologized. "I always think of priests as old men."

"Not here." Colin shook his head.

"What Colin is failing to tell you," Samantha cut in, "is that he is the youngest priest ever to sit on the Council. After making a prophecy that you should well be familiar with." She looked pointedly at Jared as they left the entrance hall and crossed a hallway before climbing a wide flight of stairs.

Jared's eyebrows shot up. "Me? The one people say is about me?"

"The one that you said was so new," Jensen reminded him. He was tactful enough not to mention the rest of what Jared had said, that it was so new as to be useless.

"Age doesn't matter when it comes to prophecy," Samantha said. "Strength does, and Colin's prophecy was scored as one of the strongest in centuries." She smiled at Jared. "It would be wonderful to have it come true so quickly."

"I'll do my best, ma'am." Jared nodded at her and then at Colin. "Sir."

Colin's cheeks were pink. "My lord."

"This is the other reason we've been preparing for you, Jared," Samantha said. "Colin knew you'd be coming soon."

And with that, she led them into a huge chamber, the largest room that Jensen had ever seen.

Ten priests were seated around a semi-circular wooden table, two empty seats on one side. There was a single, plain wooden chair in the middle of the semi-circle, and rows of empty benches waiting for an audience. The walls around them and dome above them were the same light wood as the table, and with the sun shining through the large windows, it was a very bright space.

"Prince Jensen, if you'll have a seat in the front." Samantha gestured to one of the benches. "I'll be right back, Julian," she said more loudly.

The tall, sallow man sitting at the center of the semi-circle of priests nodded.

Jensen sat down, nerves starting to thrum in his gut. Jared was standing beside him, hands down at his sides, starting to fidget. Jensen wanted to take his hand, but he was aware of the priests eyeing them. He didn't want to give the impression that this was anything but easy for Jared.

Still, he turned his head to the side and whispered, "There's a lot of wood in here."

Jared lowered his head and murmured, "Then I'd better make sure it's a fake fire." The corner of his mouth turned up before he looked away, his expression becoming serious again.

Samantha was soon back with a copper collar. "It's all I could find on short notice," she said apologetically.

"It's all right." Jensen held out a hand.

"Jensen, you don't have to—" Jared started.

"I do if I want to be here," Jensen replied firmly. He hoped Jared heard the unspoken message—that he was going to be here for Jared, no matter what it took.

Jared's grateful smile told Jensen that he knew.

"Let us begin." It was Julian, and if Jensen hadn't already guessed that he was the chief priest, the gold chain around his neck confirmed it. He gestured to the solitary chair. "Please, be seated."

Samantha and Colin filled in the empty seats in the half-circle, and Jared gracefully sat in the plain chair at the center. Jensen took a deep breath before putting the collar around his neck and clicking it shut.

The bright sunlight dimmed, and the rustle of movement from the priests all but disappeared. Jensen drew another breath and lifted his head, fighting against the fog he could feel around him. He wasn't surprised to see Jared looking at him from over his shoulder at him, concerned. Jensen gave him the strongest smile he could manage, and Jared turned back around.

"The Council of Priests has gathered here because there has been a claim to the High Throne," the chief priest began, and Jared turned back around. "A claim that the throne was stolen from the Padalecki family by the one who now occupies it."

Jared's hand tightened on the arm of the chair, but that was the only response Jensen could see. Then again, he could barely see Jared's profile from this angle, so he'd be unlikely to catch any subtle change in his expression.

"If that claim is true, there will need to be an accounting for what he has done." There was a dangerous undercurrent to Julian's voice, and then it smoothed out as he went on. "In the meantime, there is one certain way to confirm that you are who you say you are. Do you agree?"

Jared gave a single nod. "Only those of royal blood are able to perform magic."

"Indeed." He looked briefly at Jensen and the collar he wore. "Is that something you are able to do?"

"Shall I show you?" Jared asked.

"Tell us, how did you learn your magic?" The voice was that of an older woman with long brown hair.

"Excuse me?" Jared turned to face her.

Jensen could no longer see any of Jared's face from that angle. All he had to go by was his tone of voice: still strong. It kept Jensen from jumping up from his seat and demanding of this priest what kind of a question that was. That, and the fear that he would draw too much attention to himself. If the Council knew that Jared had never performed magic in his life before the previous day, this hearing might be over before it started.

"I've been on the Council for a long time," she replied. "I remember the Padaleckis. Their custom was not to train their children until they were nearly teenagers."

"What's your point, Mother Ferris?" Samantha called out across the half-circle.

Ferris gave her an overly polite smile. "The point, Mother Smith, is that even if this man is who he claims to be, he won't be able to do magic. His parents wouldn't have taught him before they died, and no one in history has ever managed to learn it on their own."

"I can do it," Jared said tightly. He looked at Julian. "Let me try."

"Please." Julian made an elegant gesture with one hand. "In a manner of your choosing."

"Okay." Jared made as if to wipe his palms on his breeches and then stopped himself. With a quick glance at the assembled Council, he closed his eyes, putting his hands palms-up on his thighs.

Even with Jensen's diminished senses, he could tell the room had gone absolutely silent. Colin seemed to be holding his breath, and Jensen almost smiled. He was so young, he had probably never seen someone perform magic before Jensen had stopped Pellegrino from talking outside. The Padaleckis would have been gone before he was born. Even then, if their family was anything like Jensen's, it wasn't as if they performed magic on a daily basis. It was just something there, latent in their blood, a way of tying them to the land and ensuring the survival of both.

While Jensen was musing about Colin, Jared still hadn't moved.

Jensen reminded himself to be patient. It took a long time for Jared to center himself with as little experience as he had. He glanced around at the priests, ready to point this out to them if need be, but they were all regarding Jared with patient or impassive expressions.

So they waited.

Colin was the first to shift in his seat. Jensen didn't think Jared had even tried to use his magic yet, and he was worried that a distraction would make it even harder, so he glared at Colin. Samantha caught his eye, and she put a hand over Colin's wrist. He went quiet, shooting Jensen an embarrassed look.

In the center of the room, Jared drew in a deep breath. He held out one hand, and Jensen thought he saw a flicker of light. Leaning forward on the bench, Jensen watched excitedly.

But it was only a flicker, and soon Jared lowered his hand and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry," he said. "This…is difficult for me."

"Were you planning on having your husband do it for you?" Ferris nodded at Jensen. "Should we check and make sure that's really copper?"

Jensen opened his mouth to speak, or possibly shout, but Samantha slammed her hand down on the table. The sudden noise made Jensen and a good half of the priests jump in their seats. "That is uncalled for. I know you're high in Morgan's favor, but don't you impugn the integrity of our process."

"She's right," Julian tilted his head to the side. "Both of them. Jared, how did you learn magic?"

Jared straightened in his seat. "Jensen taught me."

More than one set of eyebrows went up around the room, and Jensen felt those nerves in his gut again. He had not wanted this to come out lest it cause the kind of doubt he could see on people's faces right now.

Julian cleared his throat. "You've known him for a while?"

"No," Jared admitted.

"You've known him less than a fortnight." Ferris leaned back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest. "It takes years to learn magic. There's no way you did it in a few days."

Jared set his jaw. "If you'll let me try again—"

"He's the one," Colin cut in. "He's the one in my prophecy. I know he is."

Ferris's smile that time was downright supercilious. "I know you're eager to have that prophecy come true, Colin. But there's plenty of time. Most of us will be outlived by our prophecies." She turned to Julian. "I propose that we stop wasting time and move to a more conventional setting. Bring in witnesses for both sides and see if there is any merit to his story."

"Any merit?" Jared was leaning forward in his chair, his voice low. "Are you saying I didn't see my family murdered in front of me?"

She gave him the same insincere smile as Colin. "I'm saying there are different versions of what happened on the same night at the same time, and they can't possibly coexist. In the absence of magical proof, we should follow regular judicial procedures to determine the truth."

"You want the truth?" Jared rose to his feet and pointed at the ground beneath his feet. "Two floors down, in my mother's chambers. My brother and I were hiding there after the fighting broke out. Morgan's men broke down the door and started to kill her servants. She took up a sword to defend us, knowing that the Guard and their Captain had betrayed us all."

"That's not what happened," Ferris scoffed. "It was a betrayal by the Guard, but Morgan was no part of it."

"He was the one who slaughtered Jared's mother." Jensen couldn't stay silent any longer. "Then his brother, right in front of him. And an eight-year-old child hid beneath his mother's body while Morgan claimed to have saved the throne instead of stolen it."

"How would you know?" Ferris asked. "Were you there?"

"No, but it's what happened." Jared was standing tall, hands at his sides, palms forward. "It's probably easier if I show you."

Jensen recognized his own words, and he took in a sharp breath. Jared, what are you doing? There's no way you can—

To his astonishment, ghostly-white figures were forming in the space between Jared and the semi-circle of seated priests. Samantha gasped, hand coming to her mouth, and Colin's eyes were wide. Even Julian looked astonished.

They all watched as a tall woman in royal court dress attempted to shield two small boys behind her while she fought off a Guardsman with a short sword. A second Guardsman darted behind her, and a second later, one of the boys fell to the ground. The woman whirled around, and even though they couldn’t hear a sound, it was obvious she was screaming.

The first Guardsman took advantage of her distraction and plunged his sword through her back.

She collapsed to the ground, and the smaller boy fell with her. The images were growing dim, but they could see the boy hiding his face behind her back, curling into a small ball before going absolutely still.

There were soft gasps around the room, and Jensen felt a lump in his throat. It had been horrifying enough to hear Jared describe what happened to him. To see it right in front of them tore him apart.

He looked at Jared just in time to see him wobble on his feet before falling back into the chair.

"Jared!" Jensen sprang to his feet, protocol be damned. He bent over Jared and was alarmed to see a trickle of blood coming out of his nose. "Damn it, Jared, what were you thinking?"

The priests were murmuring behind him, but Jensen was concentrating on Jared, cupping his face in his hands. "Jared, can you hear me?"

He only received a low moan in response.

"Can someone get this damn collar off me?" Jensen flung over his shoulder.

To his surprise, it was Julian who came around and released the clasp, the roar of sensation flooding back. "Take care of him," he said.

Jensen was already putting two fingers over Jared's heart, closing his eyes and trying to center himself despite his desperate worry. It took longer than normal, but he was able to pull forth the strength he needed and send it into Jared. He fell to his knees with the drain of energy, but when he opened his eyes, Jared was looking back at him. "Hey," Jared said softly.

"Hey." Jensen flattened his palm over Jared's heart. "You with us?"

"Yeah, I think so." Jared took a steadying breath. "You?"

"I'm not the one who did the most amazing thing I've ever seen," Jensen replied. "Without even knowing how to do it."

Jared's smile was soft. "You showed me how. Or at least, that it could be done. I was listening to her." He pointed at Ferris, who was quietly glowering as her eyes darted around the room as though she was looking for an escape. "And I realized wasn't it just about me. About my claim to the throne, I mean. It was about my family, too, and getting justice for them. If I couldn't speak for them, then no one could. Suddenly I could see it in my head, just the way happened."

Jensen rubbed Jared's chest. "And like with the fire, once you could imagine it, you could do it."

"I suppose so." Jared looked over at Ferris and spoke more loudly. "So thank you, I guess."

There was a snort from behind them, and Jensen looked to see Samantha's eyes dancing. "We're glad you're okay, Jared."

Colin cleared his throat. "Don't you mean King Jared?"

"Not just yet." Julian was looking down on the two of them with something like a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. "But the rest will be formalities. There will be some significant changes coming to this city, and indeed, all of the seven kingdoms." He leaned a little closer and said in a conspiratorial tone, "And I’m looking forward to it."

Jensen grinned at Jared. "You did it," he said.

"I guess I did." Jared's smile was slow before it spread across his face until it seemed brighter than the sunlight through the windows. "Thanks to you."

Unable to resist the impulse, Jensen leaned up and kissed him. Jared stiffened as if in shock, but he soon returned it, and Jensen smiled against his mouth.

Yes, there were a lot of things he was now looking forward to.

"Thank you, but we'll be fine." Jared firmly shut the door and turned around, leaning up against it with a long sigh. He was half-surprised the Guards had agreed to stay outside his bedchamber, even if he wasn't officially the High King yet. On the bright side, it was Alaina who'd been appointed as his personal Guardsman, at least until Sheppard arrived, and she seemed willing to give him the privacy he requested. At the same time, Jared just wanted to be left alone after the beyond-exhausting day he'd had.

Well, maybe not entirely alone. Jensen was sitting in one of the two plush chairs next to the fireplace, looking at him with a little smile that was warming Jared's heart.

Jared shook his head. "I can't believe it's over. I mean, it's just starting, really, but…I'm here. I'm home. I never thought I'd be here again."

"And you're the High King." Jensen shrugged. "Or you will be, soon enough."

Jared pushed away from the door and walked over until he was standing behind the second chair with his hands on the high back. "This has all happened so fast. Not just today, but all of it. It's a lot to take in."

Jensen stood up and joined him, putting a hand on Jared's. "I know. Only a fortnight ago, I was on my way here, being forced to marry a man I despised. I knew I was going to hate it here: this city, this palace. Now, well…" He slipped his fingers through Jared's. "Now I can't wait to have you show me around."

"Me too." Jared squeezed his hand. "I mean, in my copious spare time after I learn about my kingdom plus the other six, and how to even be a king, and maybe how to actually do magic instead of a couple of tricks, and—"

He was cut off by Jensen's mouth on his.

After a surprised grunt, Jared reciprocated, leaning into the kiss. It was already warm and familiar, kissing Jensen. Among the many surprises the last week had brought, that one should hardly top the list. And yet it did.

When Jensen drew back, he pointed a stern finger at Jared. "Those were not remotely tricks. That was real, legitimate magic. You blew me away with that memory-scene. You're only getting started, Jay."

"I just want to spend months learning how to do it. All of it. Now that I have a sense of what to do, finally." He grinned at Jensen. "Thanks to you."

"I told you that you could do it." Jensen was smiling at him so warmly, Jared didn't even need the fire burning in the hearth.

"I know you did." He stepped close enough to put an arm around Jensen's waist. "I don't know why you believe in me so strongly, but I'm so grateful that you do. I couldn't have made it through the Council meeting without knowing you were right there behind me."

Jensen was shaking his head. "It wasn't me who had to believe you could do it. It was you."

"Well, that wouldn't have happened without you, either. So, thank you." Jared pulled Jensen closer, wrapping his other arm around him in a quick embrace.

At least, it was meant to be quick. Once he lowered his head and got a whiff of Jensen's warm scent, though, he suddenly didn't want to move. Jensen's arms came around him in response, hesitantly at first and then more securely. Jared closed his eyes and breathed him in.

After a moment, Jensen spoke. His voice was nearly in Jared's ear, and its low timbre made Jared shiver. "Are you sniffing me?"

Jared quickly shook his head, his hair rustling against Jensen's. "No?"

"Mmm-hmm." Jensen's hands splayed across Jared's back, holding him firmly in place. "You know, we never did get to do something very important."

Jared was finding it increasingly hard to think with Jensen pressed up against him, but he managed to blurt out, "What?"

"Consummate our marriage."

Jared's "What?" that time was more of a squeak.

Jensen's low chuckle in his ear was doing even more things to his self-control. "I mean, I'm not an expert on these things, but we probably should in order to ensure that my prophecy comes true. To confirm that we really are married." He drew back enough to look at Jared directly, his long-lashed green eyes staring up at him like a challenge. "Don't you think?"

"I—yeah, that's a good idea, but there're people right outside the door. Guards."

"Because you insisted in being in a guest room instead of the king's chambers," Jensen retorted. "You can still change your mind, you know."

Jared shook his head. "It would be weird enough sleeping in my parents' bedroom, much less having…you know."

Jensen only raised his eyebrows.

Jared let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, here's the thing. When you live your life in hiding, it's kind of hard to, well, meet people."

Jensen's eyebrows went higher. "You mean you’ve never…?"

"No! I mean, yes, I have. Just not…not that many times."

"So magic isn't the only thing I have to teach you?" Jensen gave him a sly grin.

"I didn't say that, I just—" Jared huffed. "Just don't expect too much, okay?"

Jensen's expression softened. "We don't have to do anything, Jared. You probably want to rest, anyway."

"Oh, I'm gonna want to rest when we're done," Jared retorted. He gave Jensen the wickedest grin he could manage. "And so are you."

He had a moment to see surprise flash across Jensen's face before he started kissing him, hard and fast.

Jensen met him kiss for kiss, nipping at Jared's lips and getting his hands in Jared's hair. Jared's arms were tight around him, pressing them together from head to toe. When Jensen shifted against him, he could feel the hardening press of Jensen's groin against his, and a low noise broke from Jared's throat.

Jensen paused and then rocked against him more deliberately, mouth going still on Jared's as if to see what he was going to do.

Jared sighed into his mouth and started to do the same, rolling his hips against Jensen's. Jensen gave a low grunt and set up a counterpoint, and soon they were rubbing against each other as they continued to kiss more and more frantically.

Jared could feel the arousal building up inside of him, far faster than he would have expected. He hadn't been exaggerating a moment ago: living in hiding meant opportunities for this kind of companionship were few and far between. He didn't dare get involved with someone from his camp in case it didn't work out, and he couldn't exactly spend time with anyone in a village lest they wonder where he was from or why he was always moving. So, it had been a long time since he'd been able to release this kind of tension, and he was suddenly afraid that it was all happening too fast.

"Jensen," he panted between kisses. "Jensen, this is…I'm not sure I can…"

"Don't hold back." Jensen slid a hand down his back and then over his rear, holding Jared even more closely against him. "We got all the time we need, Jared. It's just you and me, okay?" He tilted his face up and kissed Jared again, tongue plunging into his mouth all warm and wet.

Jared was sure he'd never been so hard in his life, and when Jensen grabbed a handful of his ass and squeezed, his hips bucked forward as he gasped. He was rubbing even more frantically now, clutching at Jensen's shirt, trying to twist his tongue around Jensen's. Jensen grunted encouragement, rocking back and forth in a steady rhythm that Jared instinctively matched.

He felt his climax approaching like a runaway horse, inexorable and ever-faster. Jensen was all around him, one hand up the back of his tunic on his bare back, the other still urging him on. Jared shoved up Jensen's shirt and finally got his hands on warm skin, sighing with the pleasure of it and yet only able to think about what it was going to be like to have all of Jensen spread out for him.

And then Jared pitched over the edge with a low cry.

His hips stuttered against Jensen's as white light washed over him from behind his closed eyelids. He buried his face in Jensen's neck, licking and nipping at the sweaty skin there, feeling a second, smaller wave of pleasure wash over him as he held on to Jensen.

Jensen muttered, "Oh, goddess," and then his hand tightened on Jared's ass as he bucked forward, hard. His guttural grunt was right in Jared's ear, and Jared thought he'd never heard anything so hot in his life.

They clung to each other for a while, hands still on each other's skin, no longer clutching, but caressing. Jared breathed in deeply, the sharp tang of sex mingling with Jensen's warm scent at the nape of his neck. If he could bottle that up, he'd go around smelling it all day long if he could.

"Talk about being distracted," Jensen murmured with a pat of his ass.

Jared drew back and blinked. "Did I say that out loud?"

Jensen grinned. "You did."

"Damn." He rested his forehead against Jensen's. "Might be time for bed." Something occurred to him, and he brightened. "I get to sleep in an actual bed!"

"Mm-hmm. Sleep." Jensen's tone indicated that he wasn't thinking about sleeping any time soon. As did the slow thrust he gave against Jared.

Tired and satisfied as Jared was, his cock still gave a twitch at the sensation. "Maybe we should clean up first?"

"I had the house staff fill a basin with warm water," Jensen said. "While you were talking with your biggest admirer."

Jared flushed. "He's a good kid. I mean, he's on the Council, for the gods' sake, but he's just a kid."

"A kid who's going to see the biggest prophecy of his generation come true." Jensen caressed his neck. "Because you are going to make these seven kingdoms the finest they've ever been."

"Only because I married you." Jared dropped a kiss on the tip of Jensen's nose.

Jensen mock glared at him. "That's all I'm good for?"

Jared shifted his hips against Jensen's, delighting in the way it made Jensen's eyes darken. "I don't know, I think you're good for some other things, too."

It turned out Jared didn't get to make much use of the big, soft bed to sleep that night. He already knew that Jensen was a patient teacher. He learned that Jensen could get quite impatient when Jared was teasing him, though, especially when it involved Jared's mouth or hands on him, bringing him to the edge before holding him back.

Jared was a fast learner at all sorts of things.

The next day, every time Jared had to fight back a yawn in a meeting or ask someone to bring him another cup of kava, it was totally worth it. It was also worth it for the times he had to shift in his chair to alleviate some unfamiliar soreness, deliberately not catching Jensen's eye so that he didn't blush a royal red.

Besides, he had the rest of his life to sleep next to Jensen. Not to mention the rest of their lives to make the seven kingdoms the best they'd ever been.

And Jared didn't need any prophecies to tell him that.