Work Text:
Ever since Dire Crowley called all of the third years over to discuss their plans for the future, Leona knew a call from home would soon follow.
Although both his parents and his brother made it very clear to him that they wanted Leona to build his own future and leave the kingdom to Farena, he knew those words were just another nice way to say he should forget about any ideas of becoming a king but also to not stray too far from their control.
In other words, whatever Leona chose to do had to be approved by his brother first unless he ran away and gave up his prince title which he was not willing to do just yet.After all, as a prince there wasn’t much he could do for his country but there were many things his country could do for him.
Once he made up his mind of how to take advantage of that situation, he only had to keep finding excuses to escape his annoying brother’s requests to visit the palace to be subjected to his critics and questioning.
That’s why he was willing to accept any plans or invitations that helped him escape that situation. Even if that required him to attend a farewell party at Diasomnia’s dorm.
Given his position as housewarden it was no surprise another vice housewarden whom he had never exchanged any meaningful or, for any purpose nice, words at all had him in mind for his celebration.
Although Ruggie couldn’t believe his ears when Leona told him to confirm his assistance, the shock quickly washed off once he learned the reasons behind it.
Given he was only assisting out of convenience and had no interest in celebrating the man of the hour at all, Leona made his entrance through the Diasomnia’s lounge doors fashionably late and avoided greeting or talking to more people than necessary.
Once inside, the smells of many expensive and refined dishes along with a choir of whining and sobbing flooded his senses making him click his tongue in annoyance first thing in the evening. The place reeked of the same parties his brother forced him to attend back at the palace.
Almost every Diasomnia student had the worst look of grief Leona had anyone make ever since his mother’s funeral that made him wonder just how great of a vice housewarden Lilia was.
Past the crowd of mourning students, the rest of the guests were either too busy trying to strike up new connections that would favor them during their internship acceptance process or filling their mouths with food and gossip.
In all honesty, Leona couldn’t blame anyone for acting so excited about it. It was not every day a party of this dimension was held in Night Raven and also this could probably be their only chance to get past Diasomnia’s doors.
But none of that interested him. For all he cared, that building was no different from the rest of the school except for the spiky furniture and the tall ceilings.
It didn’t take long before the first group of people took notice of his presence and gossip started to spread around him like he wasn’t there at all but Leona simply spared them a few menacing glances. At times like these he was glad he was the only Savanaclaw student there or else who knows what kind of brawl would break out. Of course he wouldn’t be the one to encourage them but he wouldn’t be the one to stop them either. His only concern was dealing with the aftermath and Crowley’s lectures.
He was hardly in the mood for that these days and he wouldn’t let his one hour visit to that pity party ruin the rest of his week.
“My, if it isn't Kingscholar.”
Someone called out his name from behind making Leona snap out of his own bubble of annoyance only to wish he'd stayed there.
“What do you want, Draconia?”
“I was just admiring your bravery for stepping inside my dorm.”
“Ha, do you take me for a coward?”
“Mmm, I just think you are not the type to become the center of attention for free.”
“Who knows, maybe I do like annoying your clan of herbivores every now and then.” Leona teased.
“Tonight's a very special night for a person I treasure most dearly so I'd appreciate it if you could refrain from disturbing our guests.” Malleus spoke, keeping the frown in his face subtle.
“Seems to me your guests are the ones disturbing me.”
Malleus took a moment to contemplate the situation around them, scanning through many faces of laughing students that were ready to see spilled blood.
“I have long since forgotten about what happened during the Spelldrive tournament, I see no point in brooding over the past, but if that doesn’t satisfy you then I kindly beg you leave it for some other time.” Malleus deliberated.
“Hah. What’s with you being so docile all of a sudden?”
There was no malice in Leona’s words, just a hint of his usual sarcasm. Still, the frown in Malleus’ face deepened, making the crowd around them grow equally excited and worried that they might really break into a duel at any moment.
Any other day, Malleus would’ve dismissed their curious looks as nothing but rude and kept going on with his conversation without holding back. That evening, however, was meant to be a special one for Lilia and he would hate to be the one who took the spotlight away from him or, even worse, ruined it.
“Can I trust your word you’re not here to cause any scenes then?” Malleus simply replied.
“Sure. I wasn’t planning on staying long either.” Leona shrugged. “The food here is too green and sweet for my palate.”
“I see. I would suggest you partake on the drinks, then. Some of them have a little alcohol in them but I’m certain they’ll be to your liking.” Malleus offered, although Leona interpreted his words as nothing but a formality.
“Tch, do you always speak like that? Sounds to me like a drink would suit you better than me right now.” The beastman complained. “As I said, if you’re worried about me slicing heads today then don’t be but please don’t go talking to me like I’m some delicate-ego aristocratic toy.”
Although Malleus had never intended to make his fellow housewarden upset, it seemed his actions had the entire opposite effect on him than it did on most people of their circle. Back at home, he’d stick to smiling politely and offering some idle chat to important guests in order to keep them satisfied. But Leona was just too hard for him to read.
“There you are Malleus.”
Suddenly, Lilia’s voice interrupted their conversation before Malleus could offer an apology.
“Oh my, I wasn’t expecting that you of all people would accept my invitation. I’m glad you still made it, Kingscholar.” Lilia greeted as soon as he noticed his presence.
“Good evening Vanrouge. I’m humbled by your invitation this evening. Please accept my companion’s apology in my stead as I thought it would be less problematic if I showed up here alone.” Leona replied courteously.
Although Malleus had been standing next to them since the beginning of their conversation, the moment Leona spoke he looked as though he had no idea what was happening between them. Suddenly, the beastman who spoke back at him so casually was talking like he was on a mined land in front of Lilia.
“Ah, tell Bucchi to not mind it at all. It is a shame he had to miss this banquet but I’m certain it was in your best interest to keep it low.” Lilia smirked.
“I wasn’t certain what your motives behind the invitation were but I’m surprised this is actually a real party and not your way of getting revenge.”
“Of course it is! I would never go about a duel in such a roundabout way. Besides, that’s all water under the bridge now, I’m leaving soon after all. There’s no need to hang onto the bitter memories when I made so many other good ones. Perhaps that’s a philosophy you’d do well to remember.”
“Sure. I’ll see how far I can go living my life in such a happy-go-lucky way.” Leona lied,
“In any case my dorm would be more than content to take Diasomnia on a duel of any kind before your departure at any time. Take it as my farewell gift.” He smugged.
“Heh. Very well, I’ll kindly accept it but don’t get too excited about it happening. Now, if you’d please excuse me I’d like to talk to Malleus for a second but I doubt you’d have any problems with that.” Lilia said.
“None at all.”
After their awkward exchange of pleasantries, Malleus and Lilia finally walked far away from him. He had no idea how long they’d stayed there talking but he was certain it had been more than he was willing to spend next to Malleus in his lifetime.
Now that he’d gotten his greetings out of the way he didn’t see any point in staying there any further. Sure, he could actually get to taste one of the drinks Malleus had talked so highly about but he had no interest in bland flavors and he certainly would need more than a little alcohol to keep his sanity after that week.
Unfortunately life had other plans for him and before he could even turn around towards the exit, student after student rolled up just to strike some friendly conversation with him before unsuccessfully asking to give in a good word at their chosen internship place. He even was unlucky enough to run into Vil and had his ear chewed off for not brushing his hair and whatnot.
More than an hour had already passed before he finally stepped outside into the fresh air wishing he had at least gotten a little drunk from all the drinks he had to distract himself while those irritating fools talked to him.
Leona sighed deeply, letting the cold air of Diasomnia wash off his irritation as he walked towards their mirror room. Nights at Savanaclaw were just as cold as that sun deprived place but the eerie ambiance made it feel like snow could start piling up any time now.
With that thought in his mind, Leona was shocked when he saw little dots of white floating in the air. At first he couldn’t believe it had actually started snowing but upon looking at it closely he realized he was right since those little dots were just fireflies.
It had been a while since he last saw those little insects. Although they were too common back in his hometown, he had only had the pleasure to look at them and even try to chase them for fun as a child.
He stared at them curiously, waiting for the right time to extend his hand and allow one of them to sit over his knuckle. It wasn’t until a familiar smell reached his nose that Leona realized there were thousands of them coming from not too far, all of them lingering in one particular spot.
Right in the center of the swarm of fireflies, Malleus stood in a daze, as though he had not yet noticed the lion’s curious gaze over him.
It was an unusual sight, and it even made Leona think he looked just as frail and simple as any other human. Who would have thought that even someone like Malleus could be capable of such peace.
Interrupting his moment of solitude was not in his plans. In fact, he would’ve rather make his exit as quiet and quick as possible.
But Malleus happened to be standing right in the middle of the road and not running into him was futile and although he had hoped the fae would remain in his deep trance while he walked past by him in silence, the other did in fact acknowledge his presence.
“Are you leaving already?” Malleus spoke.
Leona sighed again.
“That’s the plan.”
“Isn’t it a little too early?”
“In fact It’s a little too late for my taste. I should have left hours ago.”
“Do you have a curfew?”
“For these kinds of parties, yes. I can only stay until my patience bar hits the orange zone and right now it’s on the red.”
For once Malleus didn’t frown at his sarcasm, offering a subtle smile at the side of his lips instead.
“It’s clear to me that you’re not too fond of socializing. Who would’ve thought a prince could be so introverted.”
“My limits have nothing to do with my status. I simply don’t enjoy being surrounded by fake people who speak fake words.” Leona stated, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Is that what you think of parties or is that what you think of everyone?”
“Whatever, I’m just tired of them and I don’t know why I should explain that to you.”
Crickets singing, music coming from the distance, and leaves moving in the wind. The silence between them was filled with the sounds of the night.
Underneath the moonlight Malleus looked paler than porcelain and Leona’s eyes shined brighter than gemstones but neither of them had any reasons to say it.
“If you have the time to nag me about leaving then why don’t you go back to the party?” Leona asked, unsure of why he kept talking to him at all.
Malleus sighed.
“Indeed, I am expected to go back…but even though I was personally invited to this party I don’t feel content being there. It’s hard to celebrate the departure of a friend.” He spoke.
“So instead of spending time with him you just run away and hide here like a child?” Leona mocked.
Once again a frown appeared in Malleus’s face, this time to show the distaste he felt at being compared to a child when Leona was in fact many years younger than him.
“I am no child.” He replied.
“Then why are you sulking all by yourself here?” Leona defied.
“I…don’t want to worry Lilia. I intended to keep my emotions to myself and be supportive of his decision but it proved to be a much more arduous job than I thought.”
“Isn’t he your friend, though? Why do you need to keep your emotions to yourself?”
“Why?” Malleus asked, dumbfounded.
“Yes. What makes you think you should hide that from him?” Leona replied.
Malleus felt silent, taking some time to think of a fitting answer that could explain the pain in his chest and the water in his throat.
“Because no matter what I say or do it’s never enough to stop people from leaving.” He finally said.
The answer came as a shock to Leona’s ears, causing his brows to rise and his eyes to widen in surprise.
It was hard to ignore an answer he felt so close to.
A reality he had been mourning his entire life.
“Kingscholar? Is anything the matter?” Malleus called.
It took him a moment to come back to his senses but he eventually cleared his throat and looked back at him.
“It 's fine. I just didn’t expect you to say something so…uncomplicated.”
“Are you implying my feelings are shallow?”
“Make of it what you want, I don't care.”
“And you say I’m complicated.” Malleus huffed.
“Hey, I’m not complicated.”
“Yes you are. I can provide ample evidence to prove it.”
“Like what?” Leona asked.
“Back when Lilia came to find me your behavior changed so drastically I could barely keep up with your conversation. You started acting like a real prince all of a sudden and I couldn’t tell whether you were serious or just making fun of Lilia.”
“That’s called acting for you. I had to act in a way that befitted the royalty since I received a letter formally addressed to me, what’s so complicated about that?”
“All of it. It makes you very unpredictable and it’s very annoying.”
“Hah, like you’re one to talk. Acting all formal in front of those students but behaving so childish behind closed doors. Does your vice housewarden even know you’re here?”
“That’s none of your business.” Malleus replied. “I must admit you stand a point with what you just said, but unlike you I’m a very accessible person who doesn’t need to deny his emotions in front of others.”
“If that were true then nobody would cower in fear when they see you.” Leona barked, his patience finally running out.”What gives you the right to talk about me like you know me?”
“You were the one who started insulting me when I was just trying to act hospitable. Maybe this is the reason why someone like you can’t be allowed to run a kingdom.”
The wind suddenly raised and the swarm of fireflies had long dissipated. Although invisible to any outsiders, both of their skins already burned with the pressure of hot sand and lightning begging to come out of their recipients.
When suddenly Malleus backed away.
“I don’t know why you always get the best of me so easily.”
“Same here.” Leona huffed, still keeping an eye on his sworn rival.
“I never intended for this evening to end like this. I would hate to start a fight today of all days.”
Leona didn’t reply.
“In fact I simply wanted to apologize for my commentary earlier today. I shouldn’t have assumed you were the one looking for trouble when you so kindly took the time to assist per Lilia’s request.” Malleus explained, a subtle melancholy dragging his words.
“It’s not what you think. I had my reasons too so it was nothing great.”
“No, you still made my friend happy.” Malleus replied.
The more Malleus spoke about his relationship with Lilia, the less he understood. Why was this person so preoccupied with him to the level of thanking the person that hated him the most for simply showing up to a party? Just how much was Malleus willing to do for a friend and how much had that friend done for him in the first place?
Perhaps because he couldn’t think of any personal experiences that made him relate to the fae, Leona knew he could never reach an answer on his own. Maybe there was a friend like that in his childhood. Maybe it ran away. Maybe Leona turned it to sand.
Although Malleus kept fighting every day while Leona had long since given up, they both had strived for the same thing at some point which was to get back all the people their power had taken away from them.
But in reality, neither of them knew each other so well to know how many other similarities they shared or why they both decided to stand outside in the cold while everyone else was laughing to their heart's content.
So maybe it was all just a coincidence.
“Lilia was the only friend I ever had. Even when my parents were away, he always stood by my side and tried to show me the world beyond the castle.” Malleus spoke softly. “I had great powers ever since I was a child, thus many people avoided me in fear I might hurt them. But Lilia never hesitated to reprimand me for doing something wrong or praising me when I did something good and thanks to him I was able to come all the way here.”
Malleus looked up at the sky before continuing with his story.
“Ever since I learned of his departure I realized that the loneliness I thought I had grown so accustomed to is actually frightening when there’s no one there waiting for you to come back. It turns out my mighty powers can’t revert that.”
The fae wasn’t sure whether the beastman had decided to stay to listen or not but he kept talking until he felt the weight lift off his chest. Maybe just that was enough, he thought. Feeling someone’s eyes on him that could help him remember his own existence beyond the vast amount of power running through his veins.
To his surprise, Leona was still there when he looked down again. The beastman wasn’t looking at him though, but just by taking at the way his ears raised Malleus knew he’d been listening.
“Back in my country we have this saying of ‘the circle of life’ which we highly respect and live by.” Leona explained. “We are born because we must die and we must die so we can bring new life into this world…but even though most people think that saying refers only to being alive I think it can be applied to all the aspects of life itself; Just like friendship start, they end so a new one can be born and so on.”
Suddenly, the lion’s green eyes clashed with the fae’s own green ones.
“Changes are uncertain so I think we are not scared of being alone but instead of living in a never ending loneliness” He finished.
To Malleus, life had remained pretty much always the same, and the few changes in his life had always been somehow tied to Lilia’s presence in his life such as Silver, Sebek and Night Raven College, thus it was reasonable that he felt so scared of letting go of his only source of stable changes.
But Leona had made him see things differently.
His life wouldn’t end because Lilia didn’t abandon him all those years ago.
Of course it still hurt to let go of someone he was so fond of and he kept feeling a deep pain in his chest every time he tried to imagine an everyday life without his presence. But it wouldn’t be fair to throw away all of those years of hard work so easily just because he refused to let go of the past.
It was his turn to be by his side and he had to make sure Lilia didn’t leave with any regrets about their friendship.
After hearing those words, Malleus still saw life as undeniably frail and finite but he also learned it wasn’t just about him. Everyone’s path was full of the things others had left behind.
And Lilia was leaving his better half with him.
“Thank you Kingscholar.” Malleus finally said.
Leona seemed to be deep in his own thoughts as well and simply nodded in agreement before a deep weight settled over his right shoulder.
It was a short moment but Malleus had placed his forehead over his shoulder and held both of his arms with each hand gently so as to not give him any cause for alarm.
It took Leona many seconds to let his body soften to his touch but he eventually gave into it, allowing the scent of Malleus’s pinecone-scented hair numb all of his senses as the fae spoke to him one last time with a smile.
“I hope your path becomes worth walking.”