The wedding was only five days away. Only five days—and Till dreaded it.

He was the prince of the kingdom, it was bound to happen, and he was all too aware of it. He was set up to marry some princess. The palace bustled with decorations, fitted fabrics, high-quality flowers, marble flooring polished by workers until their shine was impressive. None of it got his excitement up.

The prince had heard about the princess from the other kingdom he was set up to marry—her name was Mizi, and while sure, she was beautiful, he could tell how she recoiled in disgust every time their impending marriage was brought up.

Not to mention, he had his sights locked on another. His knight, Ivan.

Ivan had been his personal knight since as long as he could remember. Always there, always playful, like he saw Till as someone other than an intimidating prince. And a part of Till appreciated that.

He never meant to get as close as he did, but Ivan managed to weasel his way in. Their relationship blossomed in a way that surprised even Till. Each bruise around his neck, everytime he had a slight limp—all because of Ivan. And weirdly? He was fine with it.

☆-

It was past midnight, the room close to pitch black, moonlight just barely illuminating a small portion through the curtains on the window. Till laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He didn't want the arranged marriage, it didn't matter how pretty the girl he was being forced with was.

An exhale left his lips as he sat up, sheets pooling around his waist. He needed fresh air. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet touching the cold flooring. He turned to face the door of the balcony which was connected to his room as he stood up. While sure, he wasn't supposed to go on it at most times—some stupid complaint from Urak about "safety," he didn't care much. If at all.

He stepped into the night, cool air kissing his skin in a way which almost felt comforting. Almost. The garden stretched far below him, quiet and undisturbed in the moonlight, much unlike himself. He leaned down on the railing, staring up at the night sky, distracted by his thoughts. A bit too distracted to notice the door open behind him.

"Hey, y'know you're not meant to be out here." A deep voice came out from behind him, the tone more teasing than seriously upset. Till didn't even need to look to know it belonged to Ivan.

Ivan walked next to Till, his perfect posture a contrast to Till's hunched over form. An arm stretched out, wrapping around Till's shoulders as a means to support him and his all too obvious uneasiness.

"Is something wrong?" Ivan asked, yet he felt he knew the answer. Of course something was wrong. Ivan knew just as well as Till did.