[BL] Rules Of Desire: His Majesty's Secret-Chapter 47 - 45: Ride into the Unknown

Lysaro didn’t hesitate. If death’s riding our backs, I might as well taste something sweet first, he muttered, taking a deep swig and letting out a sharp breath. Burns... but it’s good.

Hale, who sat closer to Kaelith, glanced over curiously. "Your Highness," he said, "do you want some? Might help you sleep."

Kaelith shook his head without looking up. "No. I need a clear mind tonight."

Hale didn’t press. He merely nodded and leaned back, his eyes flickering across the dancing firelight.

After a while, the laughter quieted, the fire dimmed, and one by one, the group laid down to sleep. The sound of quiet breathing filled the clearing, the forest whispering softly around them.

But then... a sound.

Soft, steady and deliberate.

A single step echoed against the earth, not heavy, not hurried, but chillingly distinct.

It came from somewhere beyond the trees.

The fire crackled gently.

No one stirred.

The footsteps came again closer this time.

Then stopped.

The night held its breath.

Hale lay beside Kaelith, the fire’s warmth slowly fading into the night air. The sounds of the forest had grown distant, replaced by the soft rhythm of breathing from the others. All seemed calm until it came again.

A step.

It echoed across the clearing, no figure in sight, but the ground responded as though something heavy, something unseen, pressed down upon it.

The sound repeated, slow, and deliberate. Hale stirred slightly. His eyes fluttered open, but his body refused to move. He tried to shift, to speak, to turn toward Kaelith, but it was like a weight pinned him down.

Then, faintly, laughter.

Not warm. Not joyful. Cold and echoing, like wind through hollow bones.

Hale’s breathing quickened. In his mind, a vivid image struck him Kaelith standing before him, and then suddenly, a blade tearing through Kaelith’s throat. Blood. Silence. Darkness.

"No." Hale’s voice burst from his throat as he shot up from the ground. "Kaelith!"

His scream shattered the quiet night.

Everyone jolted awake, hands going instinctively to their weapons.

And then... they saw it.

A shadow, tall and formless, hovered just at the edge of the firelight watching.

It didn’t speak. It didn’t move. And yet its presence was suffocating.

Then, like mist in the wind, it faded into the trees gone.

What the hell was that? Lysaro barked, eyes wide, sword halfway out of its sheath.

Hale immediately turned to Kaelith, grabbing his arm in panic. Are you alright? Did it touch you?

Kaelith, though startled, gave a subtle shake of his head and placed a calm hand over Hale’s, not in affection but as a signal.

Eyes were watching.

Elion narrowed his gaze. "Wait a minute... What did you just call him?"

Hale froze.

Elion took a step forward, arms crossed. "Did I hear that right? You shouted ’Kaelith.’ No title, no formality. Just... Kaelith."

Realizing his mistake, Hale quickly stood and bowed deeply. Forgive me, Your Highness. It slipped out, I didn’t mean any disrespect.

Kaelith waved it off gently, trying to ease the tension. It’s alright, he said. Didn’t you call me by name sometimes also, Elion?

Elion raised a brow. I’m your friend. That’s different.

Then he turned, eyes locking sharply onto Hale. But you’re a servant. You’d do well to remember that difference. Place yourself where you belong.

Hale’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing more. He lowered his head again.

The fire crackled quietly between them as silence fell once more, uneasy and tense.

Kaelith looked toward the woods, heart pounding behind a composed expression.

Elion turned away with a huff, walking back to where he had laid his bedroll. He dropped down with a grunt, pulling his cloak over his shoulder in frustration. But before the silence could settle again, Lysaro’s voice cut through the quiet, low, and firm.

"You’re being unfair to him."

Elion didn’t look back. "Who?"

Lysaro shot him a look. "You know who I’m talking about."

Elion sighed, resting one arm under his head. I’m not being unfair. I just want him to remember who he is. He’s a servant, not a friend. Not a warrior. Not anything else.

The words weren’t shouted, but Hale heard them. Every syllable. His back stiffened slightly, where he sat beside Kaelith. The heat of the earlier panic still lingered in his chest, but this was something else entirely shame, hurt, and silence.

Without a word, Hale adjusted his position, slowly shifting away from Kaelith. He moved to the far side of the small clearing, pulling his own cloak around him. Kaelith reached out subtly as if to stop him, but Hale didn’t look back. He lay down on his side, his back turned to them all.

No one asked what he had dreamed about.

No one mentioned the shadow that had loomed at the edge of the camp.

It was like it never happened.

Kaelith watched him quietly, his heart tight in his chest. He knew what Elion’s words had done. He could see it in the way Hale pulled away emotionally and physically. But he couldn’t say anything. Not with all eyes still watching him as crown prince.

Even showing too much concern could be seen as weakness or, worse, favouritism.

So Kaelith sat there in silence, glancing every so often at Hale’s back. He wanted to go to him. He wanted to say something to reassure him. But instead, he sat still, his expression unreadable in the firelight.

Across the clearing, Hale kept his back turned. His eyes were open, staring into the darkness. Sleep wouldn’t come to him again that night, not after what he saw in the dream, and certainly not after what he heard.

And though Kaelith sat just a few feet away, the space between them felt like an ocean.

The early morning air was crisp, with a pale mist still clinging to the forest floor. Birds chirped in the distance, and the camp stirred slowly as the others began packing up for the next leg of the journey.

Kaelith stood near the edge of the clearing, stretching his arms slightly. He turned his head toward Hale, who was quietly checking the saddle straps on one of the horses.

"Hale," Kaelith called softly. Come walk with me for a moment. My body feels stiff.

Hale hesitated only for a second before nodding. "Yes, Your Highness."

As Kaelith began walking, Hale followed behind, not beside him, not too close. His posture was respectful, distant, his eyes fixed on the ground ahead rather than the prince beside him.

Elion noticed the two slipping away and took a step forward, clearly about to say something. But Lysaro stepped in front of him, placing a hand on his chest.

"Stop it, Elion," Lysaro said firmly, without raising his voice.

Elion scowled but didn’t argue. He stepped back with a huff and watched them disappear between the trees.

Kaelith and Hale walked in silence at first, moving deeper into the woods where the light was softer and the air quieter. Only when Kaelith was sure no one could see or hear them, he turned slightly, opening his mouth to speak.

But before a single word escaped his lips, Hale moved.

Without hesitation, Hale stepped forward and kissed him.

It wasn’t rushed it was raw and full of emotion. The frustration, the pain, the longing it all poured into that kiss. Their lips moved with desperate understanding, and speaking a language, neither of them could say aloud before others. Minutes passed before Kaelith gently pulled away, his forehead resting against Hale’s.

"I’m sorry," Kaelith murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. I know it’s tiring... to always be hiding. I hated the way Elion spoke to you. I should’ve done more.

Hale let out a soft breath and lifted a hand to touch Kaelith’s cheek, his thumb brushing gently across his skin. His eyes held warmth, not anger.

"Are you scared I might change my mind about you?" Hale asked gently.

Kaelith didn’t answer right away. He simply looked at him, the morning light catching the gold strands of his hair, softening his usual guarded features.

I just... I felt bad, Kaelith said quietly. Like I failed you in that moment. You didn’t deserve that.

Hale gave a small, reassuring smile. There’s nothing Elion or anyone can say to make me give up on you, he said. Not now. Not ever.

Kaelith closed his eyes for a brief moment, grounding himself in those words. When he opened them again, there was a renewed calm in his gaze.

He reached for Hale’s hand, gave it a brief squeeze, and then let go. Let’s go back... before someone comes looking.

Hale nodded, and though they walked apart once more, the space between them didn’t feel so distant anymore.

Kaelith returned to the camp with Hale quietly following behind. The others were already mounted and waiting, their gear packed, and the fire smothered. The tension from the night before still lingered faintly in the air, but no one spoke of it.

Kaelith stepped forward, his voice steady and clear.

We move now, he announced. If we ride without stopping for rest, we’ll reach Khasidar before tomorrow midday.

Everyone straightened at his words.

Elion mounted his horse with a lazy swing of his leg. No rest, huh? Remind me again why we didn’t just bring flying beasts?

Lysaro gave him a look. Because unlike your mouth, flying beasts aren’t easy to tame. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Elion rolled his eyes but said nothing more.

Kaelith mounted his horse and, with a firm tug of the reins, led the way back onto the road. Hale followed closely behind, his eyes steady, silent as ever. The rest of the group fell into formation, Elion and Lysaro up front once more, and the knights guarding the flanks.

The hooves struck the dirt in rhythmic thunder as they pressed on, riding into the deepening forest trail that would lead them to Khasidar... and hopefully, the answers they sought.

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