Lav felt like he was on the edge of a precipice, a mere breath from tumbling off the edge and into an abyss the likes of which had never been seen before. His hands were trembling, shaking the paper in his grasp until suddenly, something grabbed onto them, holding him still.

Lav jumped slightly, his eyelights fluttering back into existence as he looked up and into his brother's eyes. They were full of regret, and of pity, and of an overwhelming sadness that Lav felt echoed the feelings in his own soul all too well. He felt an unfamiliar rush of anger flow through him, jealousy and rage sparking up inside him and making him want to smash his brother's face in for keeping this from him, for...for not being the one who had to have their heart broken...

And with that, his negative feelings towards his brother were gone. Out of all the people in this kingdom, or any other, Rogue was the one who understood his pain the most, the only one who could look at him right now and even begin to imagine what he might be going through.

~~~

Cerulean hummed as he looked over the bathroom again. He set his sponge aside and straightened, stretching and hearing his spine pop in several places. He shuddered; that sound had always bothered him a bit.

He thought he was finished? He knew Lav wouldn't care if he'd missed a spot or two, but even he had to take a certain amount of pride in his work. He stared down into the tub, looking carefully for anything he may have missed, then shrugged when he didn't find anything. Good enough?

He emptied out the washtub, storing his supplies in the closet before entering the bedroom, looking around for something to do. He'd already finished his chores for the day, and Lav had not yet returned from his classes, leaving him devoid of distractions. He sighed, resisting the urge to throw himself onto the freshly made bed and groan. It didn't matter how many nights he'd spent in it, it wouldn't do for someone to walk in and wonder why he looked so comfortable here.

Almost in answer to the thought, there was a knock on the door before it was flung open with a bang. Cer jumped, spinning around as a voice echoed into the room, sounding very similar to his own.

"Aw, shit! Sorry, Cer! Didn't mean to bang the door like that!"

Cer snickered at his friend, stepping forward and inspecting the wall for any dents that had been left behind. "So you're banging the doors, now, huh? The royal family may object to that, if I'm not mistaken."

Carmine stepped around him and into the room, studying the wall alongside him before breathing a sigh of relief. "I don't think there are many members of the royal family that object to much of anything on that front, as I'm sure you well know."

Cer snickered before he muffled himself with the back of one hand. "Carmine, you can't say these things. You're going to get beheaded."

"I sincerely doubt it, the things I've done for this family." Carmine closed the door, being more careful this time to close it quietly.

Cer gave him a doubtful look. "...like what?"

Carmine shot him a wink, and he snorted again, following the other further into the room and watching his face closely to see exactly what part of his chores he was about to try to fuck up "accidentally".

"I swear to the King that if you mess up that bed, I'm going to Rogue's chambers and wrinkling all of his shirts.

"And I swear if you do anything to make me have to do a moment more ironing today, I will mess up every bed in the castle and blame it on you." Carmine grinned wickedly, then said, "Though it would probably be blamed on your prince."

Cer gave a loud snort, and gathered up some folded towels that sat on a chair near the end of the bed. "How do you feel about accompanying me to the linens room? I need to return these."

Carmine straightened up as tall as he could, putting on his most serious face and offering his arm in a gentlemanly sort of way. "Why, I would be honored. Wouldst thou allow me to escort you?"

Cer snorted. "Fuck off. Let's go."

Carmine laughed as they walked out into the hall, slamming the door shut behind them accidentally.

~~~

Lav took the pen that was given him, signing without his usual flourish and refusing to meet the eyes of anyone else in the room, especially his betrothed. He hadn't even considered, not for a moment, of refusing. He didn't have any lasting rebellious thought, no tear-stained threat of his father disowning him hanging above his head to keep him in line.

He was an adult. Despite his rumor-making and his skipped classes, he was the 26-year-old son of the king. He knew as well as any member of the royal circle that their kingdom needed this. They needed this desperately.

It was no one's fault but his own that he had chosen to become a Queen.

~~~

"Hey, why aren't you with Rogue, by the way?"

Cer was carefully placing the towels back on the shelves, distracted by the task of doing everything he possibly could not to piss of the laundry maids. They were, in all honesty, scarier than the royal guard.

Carmine handed him the next towel, then shrugged. "That big party from Fell arrived today, and the King required his presence."

"Shouldn't Lav have been made to go, then, too?"

"He probably is there. I know Star was looking for him earlier, but he'd left his classes early, evidently."

Cer snorted. That sounded like Lav, though the fact that he'd shown up at all was something he found hard to believe, despite the lecture he'd received that morning. "He came to his rooms, asking to change into a skirt he was already wearing." He turned back to collect the next towel, only to see Carmine waggling his eyebrows at him, a giant grin across his face. "Shut up, pervert, that was not what happened."

Carmine handed him the last towel with a chuckle, leaning back against the wall and continuing to give him a look. Cer studiously ignored it, stacking the towel and turning to face his friend, frown fixed on his face as he took in the other's appearance. "What?"

"Did you know that commoners having intimate connections with royalty is pretty frowned upon?"

Cer glared at the smiling asshole in front of him, folding his arms and raising a brow. "Did you know that you're a hypocrite? And that you should shut up before someone hears you?"

Carmine opened his mouth, probably to make a stupid pun, but before he could say anything, a voice said, "Hears you what?"

Cer jumped violently, spinning around to see Periwinkle and Byzantium, the laundry maids, walking into the storage area they were currently occupying. Byzantium was currently lugging around a huge laundry basket, sweating slightly under the weight and trying to pretend he wasn't as Periwinkle bounced between the shelves, taking things out of the basket and arranging them carefully. They were both looking at the two of them curiously, Periwinkle's head tipped to one side. He heard Carmine swear under his breath, and, privately, he agreed.

"Before someone hears him talking about how adorable you are, Peri." Cer said, shooting the other a small wink and ignoring the annoyed look Carmine was giving him.

Periwinkle clasped his hands under his chin, his eyes transforming into stars as he gasped. "Really?!"

At the same time, Byzantium rolled his eyes. "Bullshit," he muttered, pointedly ignoring the look Periwinkle shot him and adjusting his grip on the basket. "Can we finish shelving?"

~~~

"Princess."

Lav bowed, keeping his eyes cast down and doing his best to avoid meeting the eyes of his betrothed. He didn't want to see him. He didn't want to look up and see the red and imagine a flash of blue in their place.

"Prince. Welcome to our kingdom. I hope to be able to know you more in the days to come."

The words felt like sandpaper, dragged out of his mouth, stinging his unconjured tongue as they scraped by. Lav straightened, still not able to meet the other's eyes, still not able to truly admit to himself that this was to be his...his husband.

"And I you. I trust we will have much time to become acquainted."

He hoped he wasn't causing offense. He knew of the eyes on him in this moment, on them. Every member of the court, every monster from the visiting kingdom, every single one of them were watching, looking for any and all bits of gossip, of rumors, and, in the case of the kingdom of Fell, any excuse to withdraw their Prince from the deal.

Lav straightened his shoulders. He could not be the cause of his kingdom's downfall. He forced himself to look up and meet the other's eyes, the smile he made himself form seeming strained, though he hoped it wasn't obvious.

"I am looking forward to every moment of it."

Jade was looking at a point somewhere over his head, but as Lav's gaze rose, his dropped, seeming to have come to the same conclusion he had. Their eyes met, and Lav felt something pass between them, something pitying at the same time that it was angry. Something understanding.

And as empty as his own soul felt in that moment, it seemed to be almost childish emotion compared to the pure nothingness that this prince held in his own eyes.

"Not as much as I, princess, I am sure."

~~~

"Oh, and did you hear the news yet?" Periwinkle gossiped happily, shelving the last of the bedsheets they had brought and turning to look at where Carmine and Cer were now sitting, chins in hand and doing their best to look interested. Byzantium wasn't even trying to hide his smirk at their fate anymore. As used to his partner's gossiping as he was, he had long since learned to tune him out.

After a moment of silence, Cer realized they'd been expected to respond and looked up just long enough to intone, "Nope. What's the news?"

"You've heard of the Fell royal family, right? Of course you have, they're from the country right next to ours, but apparently that visiting group has Prince Jade !"

Carmine and Cer nodded in unison, both already perfectly aware.

"Oh, but of course you know that, you're the manservants to the prince and princess. You must have the best information of any servant in the castle, with the way those two talk! Oh, Cer, you must be drowning under all the excitement!"

Cer raised a brow. He was certainly drowning under something ... "Excitement for what?"

"Well, from the princess, of course! He must be ecstatic! Prince Jade is so handsome !" A longing sort of look crossed the other's face, and Carmine let out a small snort of amusement at the offended look that cropped up on Byzantium's face.

Cer swallowed a smile, then looked up in confusion at Periwinkle, who was holding out his hands for the basket from Byzantium. "Princess Lavender has never been one for idle flirtation, despite what the rumors say. Why would he be excited?"

Periwinkle snorted, setting the basket aside and putting his hands on his hips. He gave Cer a look that they all knew he saved for the real troublemakers of the castle, which Cer felt mildly offended by. Carmine was right there, the very picture of a troublemaker, and he was getting The Look?

"Oh, come now, Cer. Don't play like you didn't know. The betrothal, of course!"