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Diamant cannot remember the last time he trembled in front of someone.
As the heir to the Brodian throne, showing such weakness in front of anyone was unthinkable. To show that vulnerability was to show his unsuitability for ruling. Even if terror had been struck directly into his heart, he had to remain firm. Sweaty palms, rapid heart rate, and jelly legs all had to be tucked away, to be considered at a later date. Nobody could see them — especially not an Elusian.
Diamant has trained himself in this principle since the day he first lifted a sword, and since that day, he has defeated an intense amount of fears. Spiders, his father’s anger, public speaking, talking to girls… All of them he has conquered with relative success. He makes his father proud, he makes his people proud, and so long as he can keep that one little thing under wraps, it doesn’t matter what else he can do. If he can just pretend to keep it together, then maybe things won’t be so bad. He’ll be able to make it as king of Brodia. Ushering in a new era of peace, he won’t have to worry about his tiny, insignificant fear ever again.
He wants to believe this, but the moment he divulged this fear to Princess Ivy, he knew there would be no turning back from it.
It was a strange relationship, the one that the two of them had. Not to say that Diamant didn’t like it — gods, no, he loved it — but it was so different than anything he’d had with anyone else before. At his age, there had been talks of marriage and several suitresses, but nothing concrete. There were a few girls his father favoured, ones from good families with strong warrior’s spirits to match pretty faces, but Diamant himself had never found himself inclined. He liked them, of course, but he cared for them as he would care for a friend. At the time he had hoped he would at least be lucky to wed one of them as a friend — the greatest hope some royals could get as apart of an arranged marriage — but that was before he met Ivy. Was it cheesy to say that he didn’t know what such affection felt like, until he got to know her?
Something about her made his heart beat faster. At first he thought it might have been adrenaline. After all, she was the heir to the throne of an enemy kingdom. Only months ago, if the two of them were to have met on the battlefield, she would not have hesitated to take him out. Now, however, they are allies, linked by a bond to the Divine Dragon herself. How strange it was to think, this girl who was at least somewhat responsible for… a great deal of his and his brother’s pain, could come to make him feel as he had never felt before. When they would meet in the Somniel, he thought for sure that it was their history that made him nervous.
As time went on, however, he could not stop himself from lingering upon her. The soft curve of her plum-coloured lips as she smiles, the beautiful lilt of her shy laugh, her determined, graceful gestures as she casts spell after spell… There is so much about her to admire, and Diamant finds himself finding new things every day — and even then, that is only considering the things that pertain to her looks. Were he to talk about her intelligence, her candor, or her kindness, he fears he would be talking all day.
Perhaps these feelings are the reason why he admits it for the first time. He just can’t get Princess Ivy of Elusia out of his head. She’s the last person anyone in Brodia would have wanted him to tell, and he’s sure that Citrinne will have a fit when she finds out, but it felt right. She had become so important to him, and had been honest enough to trust him with her fear, so it only felt right to confess to her.
He just didn’t realize that it would leave him trembling once more.
“You weren’t lying,” she murmurs, her bare hand sliding down his wrist. Her touch is warm, and pleasant — but he can still feel the magic buzzing beneath her fingertips. A more childish part of him longs to yank his arm away, afraid that she will unleash it upon him.
Fire magic.
They discussed this beforehand, when he’d confessed his little secret. She was the one who had offered to help him. While his gemstone for protection might have worked for her, most would agree that ghosts were a much less present threat than fire magic right now. Considering Sombron and the Four Hounds were still at large, with the day of reckoning slowly closing in once more, Diamant needed to overcome this. They couldn’t risk him getting hurt on the battlefield because of fear.
“I don’t know what I would do if you were hurt because of something like that,” Ivy had told him before they started. It was said with the utmost sincerity, and Diamant had to fight not to let his cheeks turn cherry-red. The only other person who ever spoke of him with such worry was Alcryst, and Alcryst… he adored his baby brother, but the boy worried about everything. Hearing his concern was normal, though Diamant did always take the time to try and soothe him.
Hearing it from someone as reserved as Ivy, however… that was rare. It made his heart flutter, like she felt for him the same way he felt for her.
“N-No, although I wish I was,” Diamant mutters, almost afraid to meet her eyes, “Fire magic… really… I’d prefer any other kind.”
“Not unreasonable.” She half-shrugs. “Of the many types, it is among the most destructive.”
Diamant winces as Ivy’s hand moves further down his arm, her fingers just tracing his palm gently. “And the most painful, too.”
To this, Ivy actually giggles slightly. “Prince Diamant, I understand your apprehension, but I assure you that no magic has left me yet.”
His cheeks burn at her announcement. He knows that, but it’s like he can’t help himself. The mere prospect of it being anywhere near him makes his stomach tie itself into a knot over and over again. “My apologies… I hadn’t…”
Ivy laughs again, her fingertips tracing gentle patterns into his palm. It’s nice. Tender. Few people ever touch him so freely, and no one this gently.
“At ease, Prince Diamant. I would never hurt you,” she purrs, so close to his ear that it almost makes him shiver. Does she know how impossibly coy and playful she’s being? “Just do your best to trust me.”
He swallows thickly. “I’ll try.”
With little more than a nod, Ivy continues tracing circles on his hand for a few more moments, until finally she lifts it up, turning so her palm is hovering just above his own.
“Are you ready, Prince Diamant?”
Her voice is low, but calm. Even. It’s the only thing that inspires confidence. Every other part of him longs to run away, but as his mouth turns dry, he reminds himself of the woman right next to him. He focuses on the sound of her soft breaths right next to his ear, and pictures her face in all its beauty. Violet eyes focused, brow furrowed ever so slightly… or is there perhaps the hint of a smile playing at her lips? It would be so like her. She had the complete and utmost respect for him, but would never let him live down the moments he seemed so shy. She finds it cute, he thinks. She’s just about said as much.
“I… I think so,” he murmurs, watching her hands intently, “Whenever you’re ready.”
Ivy’s voice is like caramel beside his ear.
“Are you certain you want to do this?” She pauses. “I won’t force you.”
He licks his lips and tries to swallow around the lump in his throat. “Yes. Yes, I want…” he pauses. “I trust you.”
Ivy lets out a low hum, and Diamant can do nothing but stare down at her hands as she lifts them slightly, her fingertips just hovering above his palm. His whole body tenses. This is the moment. She will put a flame between them, and he will have to survive it. A childish part of him longs to yelp and yank his hand away, to tell her that he was wrong and that he never should have done this, or maybe that he just isn’t ready, but there’s no sense in backing down now. Not when she’s so close, not when he trusts her as much as he does. All he can do is swallow hard, drawing in a deep breath, and wait for it.
His eyelids flutter shut, and for a moment, he feels nothing.
And then, the warmth of an unknown heat.
“Open your eyes,” Ivy purrs, leaning into him, and just the sound of her melodic voice makes him feel brave enough to face what he’s feeling. He peels his eyes open with a high degree of difficulty, feeling a bit like a newborn babe, and when his eyes finally meet the most unbelievable sight, he can feel nothing but a rush of adrenaline and affection.
A flame flickers between his and Ivy’s hands, just barely licking his palm as it flows from the tips of her fingers. Much to his surprise, it does not hurt. Not even a sting or a blister. He supposes he shouldn’t be too surprised, given that Ivy is not actually touching him with the flame, but somehow he expected it to be… more alarming, as far as sensations go. The sight of the flames dancing so gently near his skin makes his heart’s thundering soothe ever so slightly. Even so, his hands don’t quite steady.
“Wow,” he breathes, barely able to get the words out as he watches the flame move, “This is…”
Shaky, shocked breaths spill in and out of him. The whole scene, the fact that he is able to do this… it’s electrifying. He never thought he would have the courage to do something like this. He expected to be tortured by his fear for the rest of his life. And now, because of this… because of her… Diamant cannot fight the smile that sneaks across his face.
“It can be beautiful, when you have the courage to confront it.” Ivy’s fingers wiggle like she is sprinkling magic across his flesh, and the flame responds in kind. Diamant loves it. He loves watching her long, slender fingers move, each change so calculated it is like a performance. What he loves even more is that he can feel not just the warmth of her flame, but the warmth of her body next to his body, feeling her weight pressed up against his own. Were he not so transfixed by the flame, he likely would have blushed. “When I was a young girl, it used to frighten me just the same. A girl of the snow would not do well with something that could melt her, I used to think. Same case for a man of steel, I would imagine.”
Diamant chuckles awkwardly. He doesn’t want to consider himself a man of the blade, not like the other Brodians do. Their past is one of great violence, much of it committed against Ivy and her country, so for her to… He really hopes she doesn’t think of him in such an unfortunate light. Or maybe she means something different by that comment.
“And how did you overcome it?”
Ivy is quiet for a moment, and her fingers cease their movements. He briefly fears that the flame will die, with him having offended her, and that the two of them will have found another reason to disconnect. They’ve found a million already. It doesn’t change how they feel about each other. Surely this couldn’t be the one, could it?
He is about to open his mouth to apologize, maybe assure her that he didn’t mean anything by it, when she pulls her body away from his. The loss of her heat against him makes his heart drop, but when she shifts only so she can meet his eyes, he finds rouge beginning to rise in his cheeks.
Her gaze is so sincere, maybe even loving. It keeps flicking up and down, as if afraid to look at him, but he can tell from the way that they’re shining that she has something she is desperate to say. He’s desperate to hear it.
“I faced my fear. I learned to admire it for what it was, and discovered that… it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” she murmurs, rose dusting the tips of her ears and her cheeks, “I lost sight of it as nothing but destruction, and grew to appreciate its strength, its passion, and its heat. It was so different from what I was used to, but that did not make it evil. It was…”
She pauses.
“It was the intention that mattered.”
Diamant swallows thickly. He’s never considered himself to be the most flirtatious, but right now, he… He was a flame to her, once. Something she feared. Yet when they truly met, found themselves in the same company of the Divine Dragon herself… She discovered his intention was something that was altogether different than expected, and that he was not going to be the force of misery that she grew to know.
It can be beautiful, when you have the courage to confront it.
Her words echo in his mind, his eyes stuck on hers. Part of him longs to reach out, to say something, but the words are dying in his throat. Emotion bubbles in the depths of his chest, and though he wishes there were something gentlemanly or smooth that he could say, nothing is coming. Instead, he can only break their hands apart, reaching over to brush her face with his finger tips. One movement of her hair, and she somehow turns even pinker.
“If your fear is your secret,” Ivy whispers, so sincerely that it almost makes him shiver, “Then this is mine.”
“It’s a wonderful secret,” he murmurs, “And it’s one that I share.”