Chapter Text
The messenger bowed low before Geoff, who was seated at his drawing room desk next to Griffon, both of them pouring over the documents scattered on its surface.
"Pardon the intrusion, Your Majesties. We've just received a new missive." He displayed the scroll in his hand, sealed with black wax.
Geoff rubbed at his face, entirely too exhausted for it being three in the afternoon. "Don't worry about it. Set it down with the others."
The messenger stepped forward, then hesitated. "...It's from the Mad King, my Lord."
Both of the monarchs' heads shot up and Geoff hands involuntarily crunched around the piece of parchment in his hands.
"Hand it over," Geoff ordered brusquely, his usually genial treatment of his servants forgotten. The messenger quickly passed the scroll to his King, and, when Geoff waved a hand distractedly at him, scampered out of the room.
Griffon clasped her hands together tightly, fingernails biting into skin as Geoff broke the seal. His eyes darted over the words and his face grew haggard. He finished and ground the heels of his hands against his eyes, letting out a shaky sigh.
"Geoff, what does it say? Give me the damn-" she reached across and snatched the missive from him.
"He wants to negotiate the terms of our surrender," Geoff whispered from behind his fingers. "And if we refuse, he'll march on the castle."
"What, he wants to take more from us?" she replied savagely, eyes scouring the parchment. "Get me an axe, I'll give him plenty."
The ghost of a smile flitted across Geoff's face, but it vanished all too quickly. "Don't tempt me. But you know the etiquette of war. We lost. We're going to have to cede some of our lands and holdings to him. We're lucky that he's decided to talk peace - he could crush us if he wanted to." He pinched the bridge of his nose at his wife's still-furious expression. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we can't afford not to do this. Our armies are in fucking pieces, Griffon. We can't let the people suffer more than they already have."
She tossed the scroll onto the table and put her hand on his arm. "There has to be something we can do about this. We can't just roll over for him."
But Geoff shook his head, briefly scrunching his eyes closed. "You know there isn't."
A particularly unladylike growl coiled itself in Griffon's throat. "He going to be so damn smug the entire time, I just know it. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep myself from trying to strangle him."
Geoff glanced briefly at the parchment again and looked over at her hesitantly. "Not just that... I don't know if you saw, but he's scheduled the first meeting to be on Gavin's Found Day." They had never been able to figure out the Prince Regent's actual birthdate, since he had been too young to remember it when he'd been adopted. Instead, they'd celebrated the day when Geoff had chanced upon the small boy while on a hunting trip. Like both the King and Queen's birthdays, it was a public event and day off, so it wasn't too surprising that Ryan had managed to figure it out. "It can't be a coincidence. Griffon, he's... he's going to bring up Gavin."
Griffon's face went pale, a shadow of grief settling around her eyes. "He wouldn't," she said doubtfully.
"Of course he would. He hates me - I did kill his father, remember. And it turns out that he actually saw me do it, which just makes things worse."
"Oh god, Geoff..."
"You have to listen to me," he said seriously, gripping her hands with his own. "He'll make up all sorts of things to try and get a rise out of us. He'll probably say that Gavin's not dead, that he's been torturing him this whole time while we've done nothing. For our own sakes, we'll have to ignore it as best we can."
"There's no chance of it being true?" Griffon asked, selfish hope blooming in her heart.
But Geoff shook his head. "I was there. I told you, Gavin's gone."
She let out a shuddering sigh. "I know it's horrible of me to almost want that, but I just wish that he was alive. What I wouldn't give..." She trailed off, her eyes misting with tears.
Geoff swallowed around the lump in his throat and squeezed her hands. "Me too."
~* * *~
"Really? You'll let me go?"
Ryan smiled down at Gavin, smoothing the younger man's spiky mess of hair as Gavin rested his head on Ryan's bare chest. Gavin had thought the best time to bring up the question would be after sex, but he was still a little astounded that Ryan had agreed to let him join the treaty delegation to the Ramsey kingdom.
"Of course." Ryan told him. "I said I would if you proved that you felt you belonged here." He reached down suddenly and squeezed Gavin ass, earning him a small, surprised squeak. "I would say that you've done that by now, wouldn't you?"
Gavin absently trailed a finger through the thin patch of hairs on Ryan's chest, his body slotted against the older man's like it had been designed to fit there. He was filled with a warm glow that had nothing to do with the crackling fireplace ensconced in the far wall, or the heat radiating from the contact of skin on skin. "Yeah," Gavin said quietly. "I think I have."
~* * *~
Gavin nervously adjusted the collar of his shirt, wishing that it wasn't so open and doing such a poor job of covering the love bites on his collarbones and neck. The months had passed quickly, and autumn had arrived in a flurry of colour, the forests stained in brilliant reds and oranges as the trees prepared to lose their leaves. Now that they were actually here, standing outside the doors to the Great Hall in the Ramsey castle, Gavin was filled with doubt. Would Geoff even want to see him again? Would Griffon? Surely she knew what he'd done by now. Why on earth had he asked Ryan to let him come along to the treaty negotiations?
Ryan noticed the younger man's fidgeting, and leaned over his shoulder, voice low. "I hope you're not ashamed of me, Gavin."
"N-no, I'm just- I-"
Ryan chuckled. "You're nervous to see them. I can understand that. Still, let's not keep them waiting. Shall we?"
~* * *~
"Your Majesties, are you sure this is a good idea? It seems this would only serve to cloud your judgement and make you more likely to speak in haste or anger."
With a displeased twist of his mouth, Geoff shook his head at the servant. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't think either of us feel capable of dealing with the Mad King while we're sober." Griffon nodded in agreement, and they each scooped up a goblet from the tray that the servant was holding out. Both of them downed their drinks in one go, setting the chalices back onto the tray and immediately grabbing for the next full cup. This one they sipped at a little more demurely, but it wasn't long before they were both reaching for a third.
The doors to the room opened, and another servant bowed low to the King and Queen. "Announcing the arrival of His Majesty, the King Ryan Haywood, and... escort." He added the last part uncertainly, casting a glance at the Ramsey monarchs.
For her part, Griffon dropped her goblet, wine splashing up the skirt of her dress and the goblet itself clanking loudly on the floor. "GAVIN!" she all but screeched, charging across the room in a most unqueenly fashion and sweeping the young man into her arms, clutching him tightly. "Oh, god, I thought you were dead!"
Gavin started in her grip. "What?" he asked, surprised, the words muffled against her shoulder.
She pulled back so she could look at him, noting with a frown that he was wearing Haywood clan colours, and that there were a number of suspiciously shaped bruises peeking out from underneath his collar. Over her shoulder, Ryan and Geoff's gazes met. Ryan smiled, amused at the mixture of shock and apprehension on the other man's face.
"Geoff told me you were dead." She cast a confused look at her husband, who refused to meet her gaze. Gavin's face filled with sadness and pain.
"If that's what he thought was the best thing to tell you, then I can't blame him," he said softly. Her frown grew deeper, and she glanced again at the bruises on his neck.
"You look well. Except for those."
Her dawning suspicions were confirmed as Gavin blushed and muttered something undecipherable, breaking eye contact. Her grip on Gavin's shoulders tightened unconsciously, her fingernails digging in. Gavin cowered as she glared icily at Ryan, who switched his amused smile onto her.
"What have you done," she hissed, voice low and dangerous as she protectively and instinctively pushed Gavin behind her. Gavin didn't know how Ryan was able to stand up against the fury practically rolling off Griffon in waves, but the Mad King just continued to grin.
"Me? I've just opened Gavin's eyes to what he really wanted."
A brittle laugh slipped through Griffon's teeth. "You say that like you gave him a choice."
"Odd you should say that, seeing as I did. He's a grown man, after all, and he can make his own decisions. I offered to let him return here for good, but he chose to stay at the Black Keep."
"Gavin?" she asked, the barest trace of uncertainty in her voice as she continued to stare fiercely at the Mad King.
"...It's true. But-"
"But now isn't the time for personal dramas, surely?" Ryan clasped his hands together. "I believe we have a few more pressing matters to attend to."
"Of course. We'll discuss things in the council room," Geoff replied stiffly, taking Griffon by the arm and forcing her back a few steps. It took considerable effort to shift her. Gavin fell in step with Ryan, suddenly feeling small next to Ryan's broad shoulders and swirling cloak.
"This is going to be fun," Ryan murmured, too low for anyone but Gavin to hear him.