Silence fell over the group as everyone stared at Palette's ring; it was a bronze piece, sporting finely etched ivy circling the band with a polished finish. Getting a matching pair had cost him a small fortune, but they had been well worth the price.

Noticing the particular finger the ring was on, Dream's eye lights shined as he enthused, "You got married?! When? To who? Are there kids?"

Palette quickly retracted their hand from their sibling's grip, raising them in a fluster, "No! I mean yes! I mean-"

A hand grasped his, a matching ring on their finger catching the sun's rays. Palette's gaze traveled from the ring up to his husband's face; seeing that calm and confident smile of solidarity quelled the nervous tension inside him. Combined with his sister's excitement and his mom's enthusiastic questions, it gave him hope that Goth's family would be just as welcoming.

Weaving his fingers within theirs, Palette grinned as he proudly announced, "Six years ago, Goth and I got married once we were settled in a small village." He gave their hand a gentle squeeze as he added on, "There's no kids; we both decided it was better to wait until things... were safer..."

Palette fell silent, then glanced sideways at Goth; there was a quiet revelation in their expression as well. The hint of color in their cheeks as they broke eye contact prompted his own face to heat up.... if they returned to the castle, the dangers that had prevented them from starting a family before would be significantly minimized.

"Does that mean I should be expecting a grandkid in the near future?"

The former king's question did nothing to help the situation as Goth's face exploded into a vibrant blush; they tucked their skull into Palette's chest to avoid the inquisitive looks, earning laughter from the group. He wrapped them in a hug, relieved that everyone seemed to be taking the news well as Lux blurted out, "You proposed to the prince?!"

Palette readily latched onto the diversion, "Actually, he proposed to me; the same day we left, in fact. Oh..." Realizing something, he sheepishly turned to Elise, "I hope you don't mind; things were kind of hectic at the time, so I wasn't able to do any of the normal courting stuff."

There was amusement in Elise's voice as she spoke, "Not in the slightest; he is his own person, after all." Relief seeped into him as she continued, "I surmised you both would eventually end up together when Sir Ryner relayed to me that my brother had accepted my blessing, and I am overjoyed to know he found happiness with you."

Xander hummed, "So that's what the message meant; Lady Elise just laughed when the captain relayed the message and wouldn't tell us anything." It was news to Palette as well; Goth had only said it was a silly joke between siblings when he asked about it, so he never questioned it further.

At least now, it seemed there wasn't any risk of dissent; of Goth being forced by their family to pick a side. Palette was confident his husband would choose him if their family refused to accept him, but leaving again so soon after a reunion would have caused so much pain and anguish... the relief that his fears had been unfounded and they could all be happy together was immeasurable.

"Hey, you've been keeping up your training, yeah?" Xander prodded into his musings with an air of expectation.

"Of course," Palette nodded. He and Goth had sparred together many times over the years; it allowed them to keep each other safe when they had nothing else.

"Then let's have a match, just like old times," the knight jiggled the pommel of their sword, glancing upward while suggesting, "though you might want to take that off first."

"Huh?" It took him a second to remember he was still wearing the flower crown Goth gave him, "Oh, yeah, that's a good idea." Removing the object from his skull, he placed it upon his husband's bare skull, "Keep this safe for me."

"Do your best and be careful," Goth requested, cupping his cheek to offer a kiss on the opposite side for good luck.

Grasping their hand before it could move away, he swept into a grandiose bow, planted a kiss upon their knuckles, and looked up with a smile, "For you, always." He beamed when the gesture earned a surprised exhale, followed by elated laughter from his spouse.

As he rejoined his friend, he could hear Elise giggling to her brother, "I see you are still proficient in making daisy chains; would you mind showing me once more while they are having their fun? I would also like to hear of your adventures these past seven years."

"I'd also be interested in hearing what you've been up to," Reaper said, lowering himself to sit in the flowers; everyone chose their spots in the small circle as his sister began excitedly asking Goth questions as children do.

Refocusing his attention on Xander, his friend stared at him in bemusement, "Lord help me if I ever find a woman that makes me act the way you do."

"It's the best feeling in the world, trust me," he retorted before refocusing his attention on the upcoming spar, "So... how are we doing this? I only have a metal sword on me."

"Same...," Xander grunted, taking on a pensive expression, "we'll just stop short of finishing our blows and call out a successful attack; that sound good to you?"

"I can do that," Palette answered simply; it was similar to how Goth and he would train with each other, so this didn't sound much different.

The knight nodded, drawing his sword and grinning eagerly, "Okay, now show me what you've got!"

Palette dodged into the first strike, sidestepping at the last second to slash down, only to have his attack parried as he avoided the counterstrike; it looked like he wasn't the only one who had improved, and it brought back fond memories of the days they would face off in the cloister square, trading blow for blow while goading each other on. The only difference was the cheerful chatter coming from his husband and their families.

Goth told them of their beginnings in the little village on the outskirts of the neighboring Kingdom of Tonara, helping out at the inn as a server for room and board while Palette worked odd jobs around the town until they could afford to build a house of their own; he had surprised his companion with rings he had commissioned shortly after, and they were lucky enough that there was a clergyman passing through who agreed to bless the union and make it official.

About three years into their new life, the local wise woman took an interest in Palette's healing abilities and offered to take him under her wing to teach him more about magic and medicine.  

What Goth didn't know was that he had initially accepted because he thought he could eventually heal their wrist completely if he got good enough; it didn't take long for him to find out through her teachings that the old injury couldn't be healed further than it already was without rebreaking the bones, among other issues. Unwilling to even entertain the thought of hurting his husband, he gave up on the idea, but her knowledge of herbal remedies and non-magic medical care was more than enough reason to keep applying himself.

His mom, who had originally taught Palette how to use his healing magic, puffed up in pride. Elise then asked if they had experienced any trouble during their journey; Goth glossed over the topic by stating that they faced some hardships in the beginning, but had managed to overcome everything together... it was probably for the best their families didn't know.

In addition to Palette's struggles in trusting his fighting abilities, he spent far too long overextending himself before his husband was able to get it through his skull that he could rely on them too. The breaking point was when he injured himself trying to fight a group of bandits on his own; Goth's distraught, tear-streaked face as he was shouted at for his reckless behavior once he woke up had burned itself into his memory and was the starting point for them becoming a true team.

In his defense, it was hard not to want to overcompensate when Goth was dealing with their own issues; in the first months, his husband would constantly tense beside him at night when an animal in the distance made an unfamiliar noise, or feigned courage whenever he had to leave for a job. Those issues had worked themselves out in time, but his spouse still hid their nervousness around strangers and was occasionally jarred from their sleep by a nightm-!

A sword whizzed past his face as his opponent taunted, "Still daydreaming, Pal? Better keep your head in the game."

Palette took a step back, resetting his stance as he deflected Xander's follow-up blow and summoned a dulled bone from the ground under their foot; the construct did its job, sending the knight reeling off balance enough for him to unleash a finishing thrust to the base of their throat. He stopped short as agreed, relieved that his plan had gone off without any problems. The man stared up the sword blade at him dumbfounded from their kneeling position as he quipped, "I'd say that's my win."

Rabble began to rise up from the younger spectators over his use of magic, drawing the attention of Goth and their respective families. Before anyone else could respond, Xander regained their feet and shouted, "Shut it! I knew he could use magic, so it's my own fault I didn't account for it! An enemy isn't going to care about what's 'fair' if they're attacking our people, and a good knight needs to be prepared for anything." Satisfied that the group had been subdued, they turned to Palette, "The guard's been missing out on that kind of versatility, and Her Highness would be glad to have someone as strong as you back in our ranks."

As much as he wanted to, Palette shook his skull with a sigh, "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I can do the knight's vows justice anymore." He glanced over to his husband, "Everything I am already belongs to Goth; he's been my priority for the past seven years, so it wouldn't be right to swear loyalty to anyone else." 

His little sister squealed as a faint lavender hue dusted his husband's face; despite their fluster, their soft smile was filled with love and warmth that only served to affirm his stance.

"Then you may simply rejoin as my dear brother's personal guard," Elise announced in a matter-of-fact tone that caught Palette by surprise; noticing the mirrored confusion on Goth's face, the queen explained, "Following my mother's exile, Sir Ryner and I saw fit to enact a system where every member of the royal family is assigned their own dedicated knight; said knight is afforded the same privileges as the rest of the guard while being allowed to act independently in service of their liege should they feel the need." 

She smiled at her brother, a hint of playfulness in her voice, "As you are part of our family, you would naturally be allowed a knight of your own choosing upon your return... and I suspect there is no other you would trust more with that role." 

Goth gave a shy nod, "You're correct, and I wouldn't be opposed to him regaining his lost title."

"Naturally," She confirmed, turning her gaze to Palette, "I trust this arrangement would be agreeable to you as well? If you have other conditions, I would be glad to hear them."

Getting an affirmative glance from Goth, Palette stated, "If the position means I get to stay by Goth's side and don't have to choose loyalties, then I don't have any complaints."

"Great!" Xander cheered, slapping Palette on the back, "Howsabout we have another match to celebrate; best two out of three, yeah?"

"You're on," Palette laughed, raising his sword for another round. As their weapons clashed, excitement welled up in his chest at the thought of joining the royal guard once more; only this time, he would be serving faithfully by Goth's side.

***

Word Count: 2,077