Chapter Text
The Kingdom of Melini was a sight to behold. Though over a millennium old and long stripped of its gilded walls, it still shone with the beauty of a land in bloom—hard to believe it had been dismissed as a mere myth only eight years ago. This mysterious realm, risen straight from the ocean, drew the gaze of onlookers from every corner of the world. Today, it stands as one of the most diverse places in recorded history—proof that many races can live together in harmony once the weight of old wars and grudges has been lost to time. And it was all thanks to the new King’s open and cosmopolitan vision.
New Lord – who got the name Laios, the Devourer of All Things Horrible – was young and strong-willed, he was driven by the image of what a perfect country should look like. In his mind, a perfect country should never know of a war, fear or starvation, so sheer enthusiasm of his own and his people was everything they needed to have what they have today, before actual money could be brought up.
Being a good person doesn't necessarily mean one can be a good politician too. Even though Laios was intelligent and put together under pressure, none of those qualities mattered in the big game of policy without being good at understanding bigger pictures and intentions of other people. The Lord was loved by his citizens, but he could never make it on his own without loyal advisors by his side, especially his good friend Kabru.
Laios leaned back in his chair, glancing at the window where the fading sunlight poured through the glass. “A whole year, huh?” he said quietly.
Kabru chuckled, setting down the papers he’d been reviewing. “Time always passes faster when you’re in constant action, but it feels quicker than usual for me too.”
"I don't think I'll ever be able to get used to this. Those constant meetings-”
“You will,” Kabru interrupted with a calm smile, crossing his arms. “A year isn’t that much. You’ll get a better hold on it, it’s just a matter of time.” He gave Laios a playful grin. “Hey, cheer up. Tomorrow is your day. Everything’s ready for the festival—all you have to do is give your simple yet inspirational speech, Laios-style.” He winked.
"Do you think I can sneak out tomorrow?"
Kabru blinked. "Tomorrow? But you have to give a speech and you have a few meetings tomorrow, a dinner too-"
Laios let out a half-groan. "Do I have to? Didn't you say it's going to be my day?" But once he saw a deadpanned expression on his friend's face he apologised, “Alright, I get it, I'm sorry. In that case I want to ask something else."
"I'm listening."
"Can you get me some old clothes? I don't think some craftsman will understand me right if I ask him to give me his."
"Pardon me?"
Laios chuckled softly, standing up and pacing a few steps toward the window. "I will attend all planned events tomorrow, don't worry, but I still plan on sneaking out at night. Just not in my usual attire."
"Please don't think I'm complaining, I'm grateful for everything that happened to me and for people by my side, but sometimes I just miss the way things used to be simple. I miss being able to have a drink at the tavern with friends, I miss walking on streets of the city without people giving me a second glance... Those things, you know?"
Noticing how Kabru’s expression softened, Laios added, "I want to feel like a part of the crowd for a day and attend a festival like any other person would."
Kabru sighed but nodded, pushing himself up from the desk. “I don’t think I have any right to stop you. You’re the King, after all.” He smirked faintly. “And the part about old clothes can be arranged too.”
“It means a lot to me, friend. Thank you.”
---
April 17, 515.
One year ago today, Laios Touden declared himself King of Melini and held a grand feast in celebration. That feast was destined to be remembered by generations to come—a reminder of the strange and storied history of this land.
But it wasn't the only attraction for tourists. Merchants from all over the world decided to take advantage of Melini's fame and, with the permission of the Royal Palace, opened a large market. Several plays were staged about the events of the previous year, but they seemed to be staged by a third party who had only heard about these stories through gossip, due to the exaggeration of events and reactions. And after all, people flocked to Melini because they were curious to see a part of the lives of townspeople who had lived for over a thousand years. Wouldn't you want to see the clothes that craftsmen made because of the absurd amount of free time? Would you refuse wine or ale from a man who had been doing this job for 600 years? That's what I thought.
Laios was counting minutes down until it finally gets dark and he'll be able to put on those visibly lived through clothes that Kabru got him. He refused to elaborate where he found them, for some reason.
Making his way toward the central streets, he pulled up his hood, hoping to stay as unnoticed as possible. Despite the late hour, the town was still bright from every corner—celebration never seemed to stop. Here and there, he caught bits of conversation from passing groups, people joking that they’d eaten so much they could hardly move. Children in handmade monster costumes ran across rooftops, while adults leaned out of their windows to shout at them for making so much noise.
After a long walk among the cheerful, well-fed townsfolk—and a short play with a stray dog—Laios felt unexpectedly content. He thought he’d seen enough and was ready to head back to the Palace. But then he noticed a large crowd gathering at the central square near the fountain. Before he could even think twice, his feet were already carrying him toward the noise and light.
With every step, the reason for the gathering became clearer. From the middle of the circle came the sound of a lyre, its melody quick and bright, matched by the rhythm of hands clapping all around. What kind of music could draw such a crowd? Gently, he began to weave his way through the sea of people, murmuring quiet apologies to those who grumbled as he passed, until at last he could see what was happening at the heart of it all.
What Lajos saw gave him a strange feeling of deja vu – in the center of the circle, a dozen little white foxes were dancing in a round dance, holding hands. Clearly, they weren't real, not in the way a quiet soft bell rang every time one put their paw on the stone clad floor, or the way a glittering dust fell down from their every movement. He saw it all before and let his eyes stay on a whimsical dance a moment longer before he could look up to their source of sound, even though he subconsciously understood who he's going to see there.
As if in slow motion, he averted his eyes higher, looking at the knees where lute was resting, then at the fingers that pulled a melody out of strings, and when he finally gathered his courage, he looked at the musician's face.
It was you.
There was no mistake, it was really you! Playful and kind smile addressed to kids dancing nearby, movements of your hands, your voicе… The cheering crowd suddenly became a weak background noise in comparison to the loudness of his racing heart.
The thing is, he fantasized about meeting you again so many times, replaying things you two could talk about over and over, to the point where he was no longer sure what was your real personality and what was just an idealised picture he carefully crafted from his childhood memories. He dreamt of this moment, but now when he actually had an opportunity to talk to you again, he felt somewhat scared.
What would he say? What would you say back? Would you get annoyed at someone's attempt to talk to you about something so miniscule? You probably talked to every person in the world at this point, what would make an 11 year old child any special? Or maybe, just maybe, you'd be glad to see him again? Would you smile and tell him that you also wondered about him just as much as he did about you? Ugh, this is so silly. How could he expect you to remember him at all after all those years?
He stood there pathetically, the only unmoving person in a dancing and clapping crowd, watching you nodding and occasionally shouting a ringing "thank you!" every time someone left a gift for you by the fountain. There was money, mead, flowers and someone left a steak for you on the plate.
It's been at least 30 minutes before people start to get tired and walk away eventually, until you were left alone with 10 people, including him. You finished your performance gracefully, bowing slightly and expressing your gratitude, saying that it's been ages since you had the pleasure to play in front of such a lovely and fun audience. When the last few people headed back home, you started picking up money from the floor unhurriedly and putting it in your purse.
Laios' fingers twitched – it was his time to take action. Tripping over your own feet, when walked over you in long hurried strides, he sat down next to you to help you: “Allow me to help.”
You looked up at him surprised before smiling politely. That smile, that very familiar smile. “That's very sweet of you, thank you.”
He nodded again, praying that you won't notice the slight shakiness in his hands. When you both finished, he helped you to get back up and awkwardly stood in place afterwards.
Laios quickly took his hood off once he realised it was still on, and looked at you waiting for your reaction. To his sheer disappointment, you looked as calm and unbothered as ever.
You understood that this young man was expecting something of you, but struggled with saying something out loud. Was it possible that he was another of your admirers? Who knows. But you decided to take a conversation in your hands.
You picked up two bottles of mead from the ground and offered one to him. “Locals are incredibly generous people, but I'm afraid they overestimated my drinking abilities. I wouldn't mind sharing a few bottles with you.”
When he slowly took a bottle from your hands, you took a seat on the fountain's water basin and gestured for him to sit down beside you. And so he did.
“Are you enjoying the festival? you enquired with a smile.
When he understood you were talking to him, he sheepishly looked up at you and replayed your question that he didn't register from the first time. “Yes, yes. I do. It's much grander than I could ever imagine.” Which is true.
“Why do you look so upset then? Isn't it why are you here? To wind out?” you uncorked a mead bottle with a loud pop and took first few gulps.
He remained silent, looking dumbly at the bottle in his own hands. Oh come on, buddy, what is that heartbroken expression for?
“Say,” Laios started. “Do you… not remember me at all?”
“Oh, um…” now you get it. “I don't think I do? Mind reminding me where we met each other?”
Laios' face quickly heated up in embarrassment, he looked down. Imagine giving so much thought to a person that didn't even remember you. Scenarios that he replayed with you in his head over and over were so dumbly naive. Stupid Laios. Stupid stupid stupid stupid.
“No, no, it doesn't matter,” she wanted to stand up and you grabbed his wrist quickly. He stopped, before slowly turning to face you again, looking at you uncertainly.
“That wouldn't do. If we met before, I'd like to drink with you for our reunion,” you reassured him. “Please, just remind me where we met.”
He sat down again, exhaling slowly as he tried to gather his thoughts into something coherent. His fingers fidgeted with the edge of his sleeve before he finally spoke.< /p>
“I don’t blame you or anything,” he began softly. “It was more than fifteen years ago. There’s a village to the southwest of the Northern Continent—you stayed there for a month or two…” He hesitated, searching your face for any flicker of recognition. “I, uh… I followed you pretty much everywhere back then. You probably didn’t notice, but I was always nearby.”
A faint, wistful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and his voice grew quieter. “Then my sister showed her gift for magic, and you had to leave the village right away.”
He looked down for a moment, then met your eyes again, his tone barely more than a whisper. “My name’s Laios… if that helps with anything at all.”
He watched realisation spreading slowly across your face, easing up that tiny concentrated frown on your eyebrows. It was the first time in a whole evening he looked at you from a close distance without the need to look away every two seconds. You really didn't change at all, huh? Not a single wrinkle or any other evidence of ageing. Maybe you did your hair slightly differently, but other than that, you were yourself just like he remembered. It was grounding somehow, a nice thing to think about. Somewhere out there in the world was an elf bard that never stopped travelling and stayed true to their principles. It gave Laios a sense of stability.
You, on the other hand, had completely opposite feelings. Instead of seeing a lonely scrawny child in front of you clinging to your attention, you saw a tall, well-built and handsome young man.
You felt tiny. No.. you felt helpless in front of an unstoppable march of time. You often heard from other faces that elves had a terrible sense of time, but you never realised how bad it actually was until now. 15 years he said? That's what 15 years do to a tallman?
“Little one..?” Did you have any right to call him that now? You used this nickname when the top of his head was barely reaching the same level as your chest did.
Your hand slid from his wrist up to his shoulder, when you looked at his face with a concentration and confusion he never saw before. Yes, yes, it was him, certainly. The colour of his hair turned a little duller, eyes that used to look wide-open and alerted now look softer and somewhat sleepy. Few acne scars on his cheekbones, barely noticeable stubble. The softness of his cheeks was still there, though. Laios was still himself, just…. a little older.
When you called him by that nickname again, a relieved smile spread on his face. You did remember him after all!
He wanted to tell you how glad that made him feel, that he had so much to tell you, but his train of thoughts was interrupted when you leaned closer and wrapped your arms around him, resting your head against his shoulder.
“Laios… Of course I remember you.”
Everything around you faded into the background immediately. The warmth of your body against his was a sharp contrast to the cool bottle of mead that you were still holding in your hand against his back. Your hot breath tickled his neck and made his skin crawl. His face was warm again, but for a completely different reason now. Slowly, he encircled his own arms around your frame, pulling you closer. Comfortable silence covered both of you.
When you finally found the strength to pull away after a few minutes, a soft laugh escaped you. You covered your mouth, suddenly shy as your eyes met his again. “You just grew up so much…” you said with a shaky smile. “Do you not realize how weird and old that makes me feel?”
You laughed again, but your voice wavered slightly, and the way your eyes glistened didn’t go unnoticed. Laios had never imagined you could get emotional over something like this. You blinked quickly, brushing away the tears before they could fall, your smile bright and full of disbelief. The soft, breathless giggles kept spilling out of you—half joy, half wonder that this moment was even real.
“I never imagined I'd get to see you again. And in Melini too, of all places! What are you doing here? Are you here for a festival or did you settle here?” you took his hands in yours, eagerly waiting for his answer.
Oh, you didn't know, did you? Silly, silly bard.
“Well yeah,” he felt the urge to scratch the back of his neck, but he'd be damned if he let go of your hand when you looked at him like that. “I worked here as a dungeon crawler before the curse over Melini was broken, so that's how i got here…”
“Really? What do you do for a living now?”
“I, uh…How do I put this? I work in the… Royal Palace.." Now, he didn't lie, did he?
You gave him once over, taking in his worn-out apparel. “What are you doing anyways? Are you a soldier or…?”
“Uh...” he said awkwardly. He hated to lie, but he could just go ‘yeah, I'm actually the lord of this land!’ Somehow you misunderstood his hesitance as him being ashamed of what he's doing.
You gave him a look that was a mix of slight concern and disapproval. You even considered sharing money you just earned for him to buy something new and tidy to wear. But it probably couldn't be that bad, from the way he looked, he was well-fed and had a proper amount of sleep. At least he wasn't exploited.
You sighed. “To be honest, I just arrived here, and everything I have heard about the local Lord so far says that he's a raging narcissist. ‘Long live the King’ from every corner, a whole festival for him, there even were plays about him. Not that I got to see any of them, though. He can afford a fat banquet on the streets, but he can't afford to pay his subordinates enough to wear decent clothes.”
Anyone who knew context better than you did would die out of laughter, Laios' awkward face, like he was trying to hold in a cough, didn't help at all. You managed to misunderstand that as well.
You looked away momentarily. “Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel like you're lacking in something. I just have weird feelings about the Lord. I heard he was a guy out of nowhere, so you always expect people like that to be more considerate of the class they used to belong to.”
“You don't have to worry about anything, I promise. I'm not lacking, I live… in abundance even,” he tried to phrase it out carefully. “This is probably the happiest point I've ever had in my life. I eat well, I always rest properly, I'm surrounded by wonderful people I love… It's just an unfortunate choice of outfit, really.”
“Promise?” He nodded.
You sighed and wrapped your arms around Laios' neck again, giving him a tight hug, but you were just as quick to pull away. “I'm so sorry if I'm acting weird right now, I still can't believe this is real. I'm just so glad to see you again…”
This is too good to be true, Laios thought. You really were just as happy to see him as he was to see you.
“Me too! I have so much to tell you, I don’t even know where to start…”
“Then start from the beginning! From your very birth, I don’t care!” You couldn’t even remember the last time you’d felt so genuinely delighted just talking to someone.
And he felt the same. The conversation had no plan or structure, yet that only made it livelier. You didn’t stay in one place for long, either—after grabbing an extra bottle of mead each, he led you on a spontaneous little tour of the city. Eventually, the two of you wandered to the outskirts, where the fields were already blooming with wild April flowers.
This year, spring had come early—almost as if the world itself was celebrating with you.
You learned about pretty much everything that happened to him ever since you last saw him: leaving the village, getting into school and then into the army, joining the caravan and eventually arriving at the Island. He managed to name each one of his friends, tell you how they met, how amazing they are, and even told you a funny story about each of them. It doesn't sound like a lot to talk to, but you two spend hours just chatting.
You found yourself laying spread on your cloak under the clear and starry sky that stretched out above you, another thing that got Laios question his sanity, deja vu was wild. Alcohol and late hours got into your head, conversation became quieter, as if you were scared to ruin the night's ambience. The air carried a soft fragrance of apricot blooms and fresh grass.
“To be honest, you're partially the reason why I joined the caravan,” his speech was slightly slurred now.
“How so? I thought it was about you not fitting in there.”
“Yeah, that too, just as much as my wish to provide for Falin. But, you know.. The thought of the traveling bard that gifted me a fairytale, still being out there, gave me a little more courage.”
“What? You intended to find me?” You teased him.
Laios stayed silent for a second. “No, I mean… yes? I don't know,” he sighed. “I think I was hoping for it.”
Then quieter he added: “I think you were my very first friend, beside Falin. You can't really blame me for wanting to see you again.”
The silly smile slowly faded from your face, replaced by something softer—tinged with melancholy. You didn’t really know what to say, and maybe there wasn’t anything that needed saying. Instead, you shifted closer on the cloak until your shoulder brushed his, your temple resting gently against him. The silence between you felt warm, full, and enough on its own.
Your eyes were heavy and he was so warm, you felt like you could fall asleep any moment. Seeing you dozing off slowly, with a small gruff Laios propped himself on his elbow and shook your shoulder slightly.
“No, you shouldn't.. It's still not warm enough to sleep like that on a bare earth.”
You whined, but sat up anyway. “Yeah, you're probably right…” Then, he helped you to stand up, reaching down for you, when he already got up.
By the time you made it back to the central square by the fountain, it was already an early dawn.
“Well, I guess that's where we part for now. I booked a room in the inn just around the corner,” your voice was now raspy with drowsiness.
“Yeah, of course.” But then the thought of something else, and spoke right as you were ready to walk away: “Say.. Will I see you again?”
You turned back to face him and smiled tiredly. “Of course, I planned to stay here until the end of the festival.”
“Oh, that's… sweet, yeah.” He nodded awkwardly, thinking if he should say the coming line out loud. “You know, you can visit me at the Palace at any moment.”
“Visit the Palace to see you? Just like that? Will anyone let me in at all?”
“Yes, I'll talk to guards about that. I think we won't have any problems talking if it's later in the evening.”
Your smile widened, “Alright then. But what do I say to guards then? ‘Hey, I'd like to see Laios?’”
“I think I'll be pretty easy to find.”
“It's a deal then, I'll visit you the very first moment I'll be able to.”
You gently guided his face toward yours and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. Your lips lingered there for a heartbeat longer than you meant to, before you leaned back with a grin—wide and foolish and entirely unrestrained. Then you turned and began to walk away, though it quickly turned into a light jog as laughter bubbled out of you, bright and childish, echoing in the cool night air.
Laios stood where he was, waving after you with a dazed smile that refused to fade.
—
When he finally stirred again, it was… morning? Afternoon? He wasn’t sure—and honestly, it didn’t matter. He was in his chambers, tangled comfortably in his sheets, the curtains still drawn. The bed had never felt this soft before.
Slowly, the fog in his mind began to clear, and the memories of the previous night drifted back, one by one. The music in the crowd. The moment he saw you. The endless, heartfelt conversation. The two of you lying side by side beneath the stars, and then you kissing hi–
“Your majesty?” The soft knock at his door made him flinch, it was Kabru. Laios sat up quickly, blush crept up his cheeks.
“Yes, come in.”
Making just as little noise as possible, Kabru walked inside the room. He looked at Laios, who was still in bed and seemed to have little to no intentions to get up. The Advisor made his way to the window and pushed the curtains aside, letting warm daylight into the room.
“It's my third time checking on you today. You never slept in this late before. I take it you had a good time last night?”
What? Why was his tone kind of stern..?
“Uh, yes?” Laios rubbed his eyes and yawned. “What’s up? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?”
“Well, just in case you’ve forgotten,” Kabru began, his tone edged with mild irritation, “the rookie guards didn’t want to let you in because they thought you were some drunk, half-crazed beggar.” He crossed his arms, fixing Laios with a pointed look. “A servant had to wake me in the middle of the night because, apparently, King Laios decided to return to the palace through the main gate—dressed like a man who’d sold his last decent shirt for a bottle of ale.”
Laios had his face buried in his hands halfway through Kabru's complaint. He wasn't that drunk after all, how could he do something so dumb?
“I just hope not many people saw you in that state. That could cause problems.”
His attire backfired at him horrendously.