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Marry Me {DemonHuntress12}

Though it appeared that Prince and he, Dorian, were as different from each as chalk was from cheese, he was still determined to make this work. He would not be one of those kings who loathed their partner simply because they viewed the other as an obstacle in the way of their free wandering.

“I’m glad to hear that. In truth, I have been contemplating giving my own father a piece of my mind ever since he announced this. I didn’t understand how it could be that two Kings, grown men, could not bring themselves to communicate as adults to prevent a war without this alliance.” He expressed, wondering where these thoughts had come from but he couldn’t deny the truth.

“Please allow me to come with you…” He suggested, brushing some of the dirt from the ground off his clothes and straightening up. “I would like to show him the place that I really hope he may like.”
 
Jakob was surprised that the Prince was confiding in him this much but he wouldn't say anything. It was nice in way to hear that this Prince and his own had such similar thoughts and concerns. It gave him hope that they could be happy in this match. Hopefully, they would look past their differences and learn to love those.

"May I ask what this place is? Or would you rather just show our Prince?" Jakob asked, walking to the palace and starting to where he believed Avery had last been. He walked through the halls confidently, having made his own inquiries earlier and learnt some of the layout already. He continued walking until he turned a corner and saw Avery looking out of a window, the sunshine pouring in on his face as he observed the world outside, so different from his own home.

Jakob cleared his throat and Avery looked around in surprise, only to smile brightly when he saw his attendant. He started over to him, pausing for only a brief moment when he saw Prince Dorian. "Jakob, Prince Dorian" Avery said, bowing in greeting.
 
Dorian felt a little awkward about talking so openly about his concerns with Prince Avery’s right-hand-man instead of the man himself but, looking back on it, he wasn’t sure that he would have had the courage to do it. He knew that he would have to overcome this… But he needed to know where to begin.

“It is… If you can keep a secret, it’s the palace library. I thought that it would be a good place to go if Prince Avery feels as if he needs somewhere to retreat to… In case everything around him becomes too much for him. When I need a break, I go outside but that will probably not work in the same way for him.” He explained, ducking his head and rubbing at the back of his neck. But he was hoping that this would appeal to the introverted Prince.

He followed after Jakob and gave the other prince a welcoming smile when they found him. “Prince Avery, I have somewhere to show you that I believe you may appreciate.”
 
Jakob was impressed with Prince Dorian's thinking. That was indeed somewhere that Avery would enjoy, a place he could go when he felt overwhelmed and needed something to distract himself. "I believe he would appreciate that" Jakob admitted, knowing it would overjoy his Prince to think that Prince Dorian had thought so kindly.

Avery tilted his head to the side in confusion, wondering exactly why the two were together and what Prince Dorian might want to show him. He smiled though, returning the welcoming one he was given. "Of course, please lead the way" He said.

Jakob bowed to the two. "I will take my leave. Please find me if either of you need anything" He said before leaving the Princes alone.
 
Dorian smiled to himself when he saw the look on Jakob’s face. He seemed to approve of the idea and Dorian was reassured that he hadn’t made a huge mistake in suggesting this. When they arrived before Prince Avery, Dorian straightened his back and tried to put on a brave face. It seemed to be working, even if he didn’t wholly believe it.

“If you’ll kindly follow after me, I’ll show you.” He offered, his heart thumping hard before extending his hand to Avery to take. “If you feel if you are becoming stressed or overwrought, you’re welcome to come here.” He explained.

He led the way down a series of hallways until they were standing before a pair of doors, which he pushed in. “Welcome to the library.”
 
Avery took the offered hand, still a little apprehensive but his curiosity made him more willing to follow along. His curiosity was only increased when Dorian explained what the place was for. Where would the Prince think of that he could go when he was stressed?

He followed him down the corridors and stared, looking around with wide hazel eyes as the library was revealed to him. It was huge, much bigger than the one at home. His father thought that reading for pleasure was unnecessary and so only had a small collection of practical books. They all fit in a study. This was...

"Amazing" Avery murmured, letting Dorian's hand drop as he walked further into the room and took it all in. There were so many books! He'd read all of the ones at home...it would take him a while to get through all of these. He turned around to Dorian with a sweet smile. "Thank you for showing me"
 
Dorian’s confidence inflated massively as soon as Avery’s smaller hand touched his own, gaining a noticeable skip in his step as they went down the halls together. The library was a place that he hadn’t visited too often but he knew enough about it.

Stepping inside behind the other, Dorian folded his arms behind his back and looked a little bashfully at Avery, checking to see his reaction. Swallowing nervously, he smiled like a puppy who had just done a trick and was hoping for a treat as a reward for all of their hard work. Just a positive word was enough for him

“If you would like, I can ensure that you have someone to bring you refreshments or anything that you need whilst you’re here. I wouldn’t want Jakob to do everything when my staff can pick up some of the slack.” He hoped that this came off as a charitable act for the both men.
 
Avery was truly grateful to be shown this place so soon. Part of him believed that he would just be cooped up in his room for a while until he got comfortable enough to try and integrate himself or explore new hobbies. Now though, he didn't have to. Dorian was correct, this would be somewhere he came whenever he was feeling wrung out, stressed, or perhaps even just when he felt lonely.

"That's very kind of you" Avery murmured, moving back so he was standing in front of Dorian. "I do worry that sometimes my demands can be too much for him. Any help that can be given is appreciated"

He looked around again, an excited light in his eyes that hadn't been there since he'd had the news about his marriage. "I'm truly allowed to read these?" He asked, barely believing it. Surely, he was about to be told that he wasn't and that he was getting excited over nothing.
 
Dorian could have skipped on the spot, elated that Avery was happy, had accepted his gift of the library. For the first time, he realised that this was the longest time that he had seen him smile. In the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but wonder, and perhaps hope, that he and Avery could have some nice moments in here… Where… where had something like that come from?

He would never admit it, but he had snuck a few sneak peaks at the romance novels his sister’s had often gushed over. Perhaps some of what he had read had latched itself onto his brain.

“Of course… Any thing that you want to read, it’s all for you.” He gestured around the place, wondering what title, what book Avery would choose to read first… Maybe he could ask Avery to read to him some time. “Wh-Which one do you want to read first?”
 
Avery was floored. He couldn't believe that he was truly going to be able to read what he wanted from this collection. He was so excited! A part of him wanted to reach out to the other Prince and hug him in thanks for what he had offered, but he didn't think that would go down well so he held back.

He considered the question, going to one of the shelves and reading a few of the spines. "I don't know, there are so many I have never seen before" He murmured, eventually picking one out that had an interesting title and reading the back. An adventure story. A party of rogues venturing off into the unknown. It promised action and some romance. Avery could be satisfied with that. It was all things he had never really been able to read before.

"Perhaps this one...I will want to get through them all eventually so I guess I have to start somewhere" He said with a laugh,
 
Dorian looked around the place, wondering what Prince Avery might enjoy reading first. If he were to make a suggestion, of the few books that he had read in here, it would be one of the adventure books that took the protagonists to foreign islands. Maybe one of the books about fantasy worlds…

“I don’t know if you would like them but uhm… I… Uh… I might be able to suggest something that you might like?” His mouth shut with a click of teeth as Prince Avery walked over to the shelves and plucked a volume from it. “Maybe… Maybe we could read together? There’s some in here that I like.” He suggested, feeling awkward, almost like a stranger in this room that he had seen and been in more times than he could count.

“I think that is the first in a series… if we don’t have them all, I can ask my mother to… Or we could get them ourselves.”
 
Avery looked over to Dorian when he mentioned suggesting something and then that they could read together. "I'd enjoy that" He agreed, happy to spend some time with his betrothed doing something he enjoyed. "Please, suggest whatever you think is good. I want to know what your favourites are"

He put the book back, going over to Prince Dorian. He could read that later on. For now, he wanted to know what the other Prince might suggest. "Ourselves? How would we do that?" He asked, a little confused. It probably spoke volumes about his freedom that he didn't know that he could get something for himself like that.
 
Dorian had to resist the urge to squeak in joy at the idea of getting to read alongside Prince Avery but he had another idea forming in his mind that had a wide grin spreading across his lips that threatened to split his face in half. “Pl-Pleaase give me a moment.” Without hesitation, Dorian sprinted to the other side of the room, grabbing the books he knew to be there.

He held the books close to his chest and, the smile significantly smaller now that the excitement that he had been feeling was starting to fade away. “We can go shopping tomorrow when we go riding.” He explained. He hadn’t gone to the bookshop that he knew to be in town very often but he was pretty sure that there must be something that might interest Prince Avery.
 
That was such a wide smile...Avery was surprised that something like this could get such a smile but he was glad for it. Prince Dorian hurried off and came back with a few books and Avery stepped closer to him to look at the titles he had picked up.

"Ah, okay" Avery said, not wanting to say that he hadn't been before. His father or servants got him new things or they were given as gifts. If he wanted anything he would just say and it would appear. He had never been in a shop to actually buy something himself. It would be an experience. "Are these the one's you like?" He was the closest he had been to Prince Dorian, looking at the books with obvious curiosity and excitement.
 
Dorian couldn’t stop the brilliant blush that graced his face when Avery looked at him. He must been looking the ultimate fool with that big, excited grin plastered all over his face and all of his manic jumping around! What he had been thinking!

“Ye-Yeah, these… i… Uh… I read them a long time ago but sometimes, I’d come back and reread them because I remember them so well.” He explained, holding out the books so Avery could get a good look at the titles.
 
Avery took them, examining the titles. He hadn't read any of them but he was sure that he would enjoy them. Well, if Prince Dorian enjoyed it Avery would try to. He wanted them to get along and if they could even get a book in common, then that would be a start.

"I want to read them now" Avery said, looking around for somewhere to sit. "Would you like to join me now? I don't want to interrupt if you were doing anything" He went to sit down on a rather comfy couch and opened the first title.
 
Dorian gave Prince Avery another beaming smile, readjusted his grip on the books in his arms and tipped them a little so that he could get a look at the titles. “I would love it if we could read it together. I’m sure mother must be hoping desperately that we will be getting along so this is perfect.”

He carried them over to the nearest table and set them down, gesturing towards the chairs that sat on either side of it. “I’d love to read it with you…” Maybe he was a little over-eager but to him, any progress was good in his eyes.
 
Avery gave his own bright smile, pleased that they had found some sort of common ground. He had been so worried..."Most likely. Although, I too wish for us to get along" Avery admitted, sitting down at the table that Prince Dorian put the books down onto.

"Which should I start with?" He asked, looking at the books and reading the spines and backs of a couple. They all seemed interesting and he would take Prince Dorian's lead.
 
Dorian couldn’t help but feel as if he was missing something, that there was something that he had left out in all of his rush to impress Prince Avery. “I… if it helps, I like you. I really do… I know neither of us got a choice but… I’ve come to like you.”

Snapping himself back to sense, he ran two fingers over the spines, trying to find the first book. Removing it from the pile, he offered to it Prince Avery. “This one, it’s the first.”
 
Avery blinked, staring to Prince Dorian when he spoke up. "I...I like you too" He eventually said once he had processed what he said. He ducked his head, hiding his slight blush. This Prince had been nothing but kind to him. He couldn't help but to like him. Perhaps they could be good friends if nothing else.

Taking the offered book, Avery opened it to the first page. "Thank you" He murmured with a soft sigh. "You've been very kind to me since my arrival. I was very skeptical about this whole thing but I hope we can be friends"
 
Dorian bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, wishing that he could beat his head against the nearest wall until it finally instilled some sense into him. Maybe he could ask his sisters or even his mother to do it. Then again… she was might be a little enthusiastic about it. That was scary to think about.

“That… I would like that.” He said meekly, picking up another book from the pile and beginning to read as he sank back into his seat, enjoying the story as it unfolded before his eyes.
 
Avery wondered if he had said something wrong. Prince Dorian seemed a lot more deflated than he had a few moments before but he tried to ignore that. Why would it be him? Although, maybe it was?

To distract himself from his nagging thoughts, he started reading the book that Prince Dorian had recommended, getting immersed in the story and letting the world melt away around him,
 
Dorian buried his face in the pages, hoping that the blazing heat that was spreading across his face wasn’t a blush but instead, was some of contagious disease. Maybe it would kill him… That sounded like a mercy! It would stop him from being a complete idiot!

After a few hours of reading in relative silence, he heard a knock at the door. “C-Come in!” He called, pulling his head away from the pages and realising, with a wince, just how long they had been sitting here. A servant poked their head in and looked surprised to find them there. “Your mother sent me to tell you that dinner is ready your highness… your highnesses.”
 
The time passed quickly and in lovely, companionable silence. Avery appreciated Prince Dorian's attempt to spend time with him and was honestly enjoying his company. They didn't need to talk to get some sort of companionship between them.

He jumped when he heard the door knock and he sat up straight, the book snapping shut as he panicked for a brief moment. It went away almost as soon as he saw the servant and sighed, looking at the book and making sure it was fine. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin anything. The servant gave her message and Avery smiled at her, standing up and stretching a little. They had been sitting for a long time. "Shall we go then?" He asked Prince Dorian. "I'm afraid you'll have to guide me. I have no idea where I'm going"
 
Dorian set his book down and sprung up onto his feet, regretting it almost immediately as his legs had fallen asleep upon being sat down for so long. Holding onto the arm of the chair, he tried to rub the feeling back into his legs.

“Th-Thank you… We’ll be there in a moment…” He winced, flexing his toes in his shoes as the feeling slowly came on. Except the next problem came when the feeling turned into pins and needles, leaving him whimpering from the pain. “Y-Yes… L-Let’s go.” He said, gesturing for Prince Avery to follow him out into the hallway. “I’ll show you the way.” Gritting his teeth, he led the way into the corridor and started walking towards the dining room. As they approached, he could smell the dinner that was being served. “I hope you have a big appetite.”
 
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