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I want auroras and sad prose
I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet
'Cause I haven't moved in years
And I want you right here

The Ruler. They were still young and new to the throne. But still there had been this virus haunting their rule. It was killing every plant, slowly, without reason or rhyme. The Ruler would watch as person by person started to protest their rule, and how they weren't doing anything.

They were trying desperately to save their kingdom. The only living thing left in their own castle was a large orange tree. It had been in the secret garden at the back of the castle for 100 years. It's where The Ruler went when everything became too much. It's also where The Soldier would follow them to. 

They were staring at the almost grey grass at their feet. Like they did every evening. Their people were getting more restless. More reckless with their protesting and anger. The Ruler couldn't blame them.

"It is not your fault, Your Majesty." The Soldier would say.

"Do not lie to me, My Knight." The Ruler would say back.

They did that every evening.

A red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground
With no one around to tweet it

One evening they were standing where they always did, after a good harvest of oranges. Ones they would give the citizens in replacement for the horrible harvest, when The Soldier noticed something. 

"Your Majesty?" The Soldier asked turning their head towards The Ruler, but not their eyes. "Am I seeing things, or is that a rose?"

The Ruler tilted their head at The Soldier before following their eyes to the unmistakable image of a rose in front of them. "My Knight! I think you're right!"

The Soldier walked over to where it was growing, a confused look on their face. "I think this grass is starting to grow around it..."

"Have our wishes been granted." The Ruler said wasting no time and walking over to The Soldier.

"I think they have." The Soldier said with a smile looking up at The Ruler, who had tears of joy in their eyes.

"I told you it wasn't your fault, Your Majesty." The Soldier said with a teasing look.

"Shut up, My Knight." The Ruler said back.

The first time their evening routine had changed, for the better.

While I bathe in cliffside pools
With my calamitous love and insurmountable grief

"Your Majesty!" The Soldier yelled through the halls at The Ruler walking fast in front of them.

"What do you need, My Knight?" The Ruler yelled back, not stopping.

"Well, one, for you to stop running from me." The Soldier yelled, finally getting The Ruler to stop and look at them. They stood still for a moment, catching their breath. "I know that didn't go as planned."

"What? Telling the people that they just had to wait and plants would start growing again without any proof because we were all too scared to pluck the rose in case it all died again?" The Ruler asked surprisingly calm. "It went as I expected."

The Soldier had a breathless smile. "You always impress me, Your Majesty."

"I live to impress." The Ruler said with their own smile. "Now come. We have work to do."

"Whatever you need."

Take me to the lakes where all the poets went to die
I don't belong, and my beloved, neither do you

It had been three months since that fateful day when a rose had grown against all odds. They obviously tested the soil and were able to find a chemical that could help speed up the process. So the heavy critics were quiet for now.

That didn't mean they were all silent. They were now insulting The Ruler on some other crisis that at least wasn't killing ten people a day. 

"They are never satisfied, those ungrateful-" The Soldier said while they paced in front of The Ruler

"My Knight, they will always find something to hate. For now.. let us take in the view." The Ruler said, eyes focused on the large orange tree. One of the only things that made them hopeful. 

"Okay, Okay. My Calm Ruler." The Soldier said standing next to them, their eyes only focused on The Ruler. 

"I will."

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This may have come from my new obsession with the Soldier, Poet, King test. I'm a King, so I had to do a love thing with one of the others.