(Sorry but this song is beautiful bye

Maybe I'm doing songfics right where the lyric "you" would refer to the reader bc the reader is you uhh anyways)

I can't believe that I hated

All the times that you waited

Maven's fist clenches when you knock on his bedroom door. He knows it's you who knocks. The light thumping of your fist compared to his mother's elegant pounds drives him crazy. 

He opens the door to your gentle smile, and it almost weakens him. Your hold your hands together in front of you before kindly dipping your head to your new King. 

"I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you, Maven." Your eyes scan his face to see how distasteful he looks at your interruption. "That is all," you find yourself bowing again.

His heart turns at your light tone. 

But he wishes you'd just give up.

Leave like all the other non-chosen girls from the Queenstrial. Wish you would stop being nice. With you'd stop trying to befriend a monster like him. 

"Thank you," he says. His blue eyes glitter as they make eye contact with you. He can almost sense his mother's disapproval. 

You need to come home, baby

Now, Maven sits alone with his fire bracelet between his fingers. He stares out the window to the foggy air above. His wife sits in her room, only contemplating what he imagines is his death. 

A slow breath escapes his lips as he sits up straight, wishing you'd come knocking on his door once more. He knows you can't wake him from this nightmare when he's the one that put himself to sleep. And as he places his warm fingers on the icy windows, he wishes your cold touch would return into his life once again.

Now I see that it was just love

You would always comfort him when he needed it. Your frozen hands would wrap around his torso and hug him tightly. He would reject the hugs, scared that you would get used to his warmth and his gentleness. He knew it wouldn't last. He knew one day you'd give up like everybody else. He knew one day you'd brush off how much you loved him. Just like he did when he loved you back.

Now the house is empty

Every day he sits alone in his study, waiting for your soft knocks. They almost sounded like pleads in his ears, becoming more apparent the more they disappeared. He tries to brush this feeling of melancholy lingering in his heart. He has hope, he has sanity. He knows he has Mare. It seems like she's all he has now. No mother, no brother, no (Y/N) to tell him everything will be fine. Now, only him and his heart remain. Though sometimes that leaves too. 

You say you never want to see me

He remembers when he discussed marrying the Princess of the Lakelands with the King. All the houses of alliance sat on his behalf, but all he wanted was you to be by his side. He glanced at the chair you would have occupied before Mare took it for herself.

You weren't there when he truly needed you. The day his mother died he thought you would come knocking to soothe him. But you didn't. He forgets where you had gone off too. All he wanted was to rewind time and tell you how much he thought about you.

I thought this is what I wanted 

But now I see that I was wrong

"Isn't that what you wanted? (Y/N) away?" Mare Barrow peeps in, sitting across from him in his study. His head tilts, believing what she said to be true.

"I suppose so," his words linger on his tongue as he leans back in his chair. She almost smirks at his displacement at your side. 

"Then you should be happy they aren't here to see you like this." 

Maven's eyes flicker to hers, lighting like a flame as he leans close to her. She quakes from under his stone composure. 

"I have to agree with you," he forces out without a crack in his posture. Mare almost lets out a breathe, surprised he didn't yell or stand up. She watches him as he continues reading through papers and work. It almost seemed like nothing was wrong. But she knows Maven more than anybody. She can nearly read through his lies.

I was the one who started the fights 

You were the one who was always right

"(Y/N), just give up, you don't want to be here, trust me." He sighed through tightly clenched teeth. Your eyes widened, your shoulders tensing. You could feel your heartbeat racing at his words as you leaned in closer to him.

"I just want to be by your side. I know you don't want this. I want to help you!" You fought the urge to grab his hand. So, you just stayed still. Almost like a statue as you waited for his next words.

"If you want to help... then leave." He choked out. He couldn't believe his own words. Images of your happy smiles and laugh flash through his mind as he saw how quickly your face had dropped. You just leaned back, bowing to your King. 

"Yes, your majesty." 

It was the worst thing you could have said to him. How politely you excused yourself from his presence made him realize what he just said. You weren't his friend anymore. You weren't the person that was equal to him. He was the King, and you were just another Silver. 

Now I need to show you you're a part of me

He sits in his study, alone. His head spins with ideas and feelings he didn't know how to express. He has a pen in one hand that lingers over the parchment placed on his desk. 

"Dearest, (Y/N) Gliacon,"

What else is there to write? He can't believe how all of his lessons on words and expression suddenly left him. He even vaguely considered asking his wife for help. 

He makes a plan in his head. Where to start? How does he make sure you don't burn the letter from the first sentence? What's something you want to hear?

"I am grown enough to tell you I lied."

"Surely," he mumbles to himself. 

He continued the letter by explaining exactly what he thought. He didn't want to have any more secrets. He didn't want to be the troubled king anymore. He wanted you to realize he's finally grown to be Maven Calore, King of Norta. 

He hesitates on the part he leads up to talk about his feelings. What is there to write? The truth? A metaphor.

I'll make this what it used to be

"Oh, I absolutely love poetry, Mavey!" You exclaimed. Maven handed the book over to you, letting you look through the old pages. His grandma had gifted him the literature that he had read thousands of times. He thought of keeping it, but your excited face made his heart twist and turn.

"You can keep it if you want."

You blinked, a smirk growing on your face.

"If you chose me for the Queenstrial, all your stuff will be mine. So you can keep it for now," you pause for only a second, "We'll get to talk about it all the time! Oh, Mavey, just imagine how fun it's going to be!"

Maven leans in, cocking his head, "Are you bribing me?"

"How else am I going to get you to pick me?"

Without you, I'm just half complete

He basks in the memory as his pen begins to write again. Metaphor it is. Maybe you'll realize he still remembers the days before Mare Barrow struck down in his life. 

Maven almost groans when he writes the last line, "Without you, I'm just half complete."

There's no erasing with pen. And there's no taking back his feelings. 

He never thought of himself as a cliche man. But he knows he'll do anything to get you back. 

I won't be half outside the door 

For you, I'll make this home complete

"You invited the Gliacon queen to our doors?" His wife, Iris, lets out. He puts on a smirk and bows his head sarcastically.

"I believe getting the Regent State in our hands will be preferred for an escape route. As you should know, the Greatwoods area is scarcely used."

Iris lifts her head, looking up at her husband with a suspicious squint. 

"I assume so, will I be required to greet our guest?"

Maven's blood runs cold. He remains stiff, trying not to give in his concern to the intelligent bride.

"No, I suppose not." He lets out in a purr.

Iris nods, looking off in thought. He can't help but stare at her for an extra second, trying to figure out if she realized his intention. Paranoid, he concluded as he turned away from her, he's just paranoid.

Half, half-hearted 

I'll finish what we started, started

He didn't realize how impatient he was before his moment. Every day he waits, feeling empty as he doesn't receive a reply. Did you truly rip up the letter like he thought you would? No, you were a kind-hearted person that showed mercy. You wouldn't do that. You would forgive him. At least, he hopes.

Mare crosses her legs as she sits down across from her kidnapper. Maven looks at her, a pile of news and mail in front of him. He gnaws done on his plate of bacon as he opens a letter, reading the boring info on the war. Mare sighs, looking around the study. It looks the same as always. Boring. Matching the colors of his house. But as she squints, she sees a tapestry that shares a light blue tone along with his Calore colors. She tilts her head. 

She opens her mouth to comment but decides not to, instead, focusing her attention on the letters. Scanning names, scanning subjects for any information she can get. 

"You're communicating with House Gliacon?"

Maven's head pops up faster than he wanted. Mare is taken aback by the action, trying not to stumble on her words as he begins furiously looking through the letters. 

She sits back in her chair, "You've spoken to (Y/N)?"

Maven scowls, ignoring her comment as he picks out your letter. He opens it with his teeth, taking out the paper delicately. Just the thought that you put the time and effort into talking to him made his fingers tremble. 

Mare scans his face, seeing how his face twists when he reads your handwriting. He just to remain stone, but the small grin that comes over his face becomes noticeable when it grows into a smile. 

"Maven..." His name falls from her lips gently. His eyes meet hers. She is surprised by how brightly his eyes seemed to shine. She doesn't think she's ever seen them that bright.

"I have a confirmed meeting with (Y/N) Gliacon."

"About?"

"I'm afraid that information won't be revealed to you, lightning girl."

I won't leave you half-hearted, hearted

Maven cleans his study, the past week brushing over like nothing as he finds himself worrying about the smallest of things. Will you see the messy desk and regret coming? Will you get intimidated by the red, silver, and black?

He glances at the tapestry he had his cousin make him. Back when he trusted his cousins. The pale blue with the red and black was all he dreamed about before Mare Barrow forced her way into the ring that was supposed to be yours. 

The material feels old and worn in his touch, brittle yet unused. Unused. The word tugs at his heart. 

From the silence your absence makes

He could feel his heart drop when he heard the familiar gentle knocking coming from his studys' doors. The world didn't seem to exist at that moment. It was almost like he was floating in the air, unable to come down. And when he opened it, revealing your sorrowful gaze, everything in the universe felt right.

"Hello, Maven." Your small smile made him breathless. You delicately found your placement in the room in the chair Mare used to sit in. For some reason, that made Maven happy.

"(Y/N)." He sighed out. He loved the sound of your name and free he felt saying it like this. 

It was quiet for a while. Neither of you knew what to say. You just took in each other's presence because of the little under a year you've spent apart. 

You look down at your lap, trying to stop your fingers from shaking. You wish the table wasn't between you two, you wish you were allowed to climb on his lap and hold him close to you. But you are the Queen of the Gliacon house in the presence of the King of Norta. 

If you can forgive my mistakes 

Just take me back

"You understand I can not stay, correct?" You whisper, leaning forward in your seat. His blue eyes glaze over as he blinks himself back into the King position. Intertwining his fingers, he rests his arms on the top of his desk with an understanding look.

"I assumed so."

"I asked." Your words fall short as you look down, cheeks burning a pale white. Maven smiles, looking at how soft you look compared to the brutal room around you. Your wrists rest at the end of the table as you look for your next words. You continue, "But there are so many things that have happened, Mavey. So many responsibilities."

He can't help but laugh as he takes one of your hands in his. His touch is warm, conflicting your ice-cold hands. You can almost feel your different body temperatures rejecting each other as your palm begins to tingle. 

"I understand responsibility."

"Of course you do, yes, sorry." 

It won't be half, half-hearted

It became quiet again as Maven's thumb brushes against your skin. His blue eyes are soft and glorious, gentle as he never stops making eye contact with you. His face is so surreal, something you never thought you'd ever see again. The rough corners of his cheeks and jaw seemed to twitch as his eyes fall to your lips. You smile, looking down with a small grin. 

"I met your wife on my walk up here."

"I don't love her."

"I assumed by her tone when she said 'guest'."

Maven's cheeks blushed a light color of white as he tilts his head down, trying to win your gaze back. 

"I ended the war by marrying her."

You open your mouth to say something but stumble on your words, choosing a more pacifist alternative.

"And I'm proud of you, Maven."

"Is that how you feel?" 

You shrug, meeting his eyes again. You lean forward with a small grin. "I mean, I was going to say how useful it would have been to marry me instead," you add with a laugh, "My land, that is what you want right? You didn't have to ask. You can just stroll in and I won't say a thing. And you... know that." 

With the hand he held, you gripped onto his wrist and pulled him close. His eyes widen as you put your face up to his, noses almost touching.

You tilt your head, "So, why did you invite me here, Maven Calore. Did you just want an excuse to get me all the way out here? And what, perhaps?"

Maven could feel your hot breath on his lips, teasing him. This wasn't the (Y/N) Gliacon he remembered. Not the tiny princess will a short story and time to waste. This was the Queen of the Regent State, whose life he practically missed. Who got to discover a lifetime because of him.

Maven smiles, pressing his lips against yours. The taste is sweet, something you've always dreamed of. It's the best thing you could have asked for.