#but i was too tired to post so immediately went to sleep after finalising everything with coma

[avaetin]

Ten of Spades

Commissioned from coma.does

Meaning in Cartomancy and Tarot: "Sadness mixed with tears and disappointment."

It isn’t just a bad card. It’s poisonous like jealousy. It will in a great measure counteract the good effects of the cards near you. You might be overcome by the feeling that nothing is right and the only thing you wish is to be to left alone. Ten of Spades is also a warning: take care not to get addicted to your sorrows.

Cards of Fate: Masterlist

[nekoabiwrites]

Of Princes and Potions - Chapter 11

AU: Royal/Fantasy Pairing: Pining Logince Words: 1687 Warnings: Past Death Mention. Anything else, let me know!

Summary: Roman needs to figure out some stuff and only one person can help.

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Roman was restless. For a while now, he’d been pacing back and forth in his room. He’d attempted to get to sleep, but his mind just would not stop running and had him tossing and turning the entire time. Roman didn’t know what to do about it. He had so much to do the next day, with the dress rehearsal of all the planned entrances, the finer details being finalised and all sorts of people to contact and check in on. He desperately needed to be well rested, so this was turning into a huge problem.

It was as if there was a large rock in his stomach that had steadily been growing larger and larger as the day progressed. Each time he thought back to the letters, Roman had to swallow hard to avoid letting it show how much the messages were affecting him. Every time he passed by a servant and they curtseyed or bowed with a greeting of “your highness”, the lump grew heavier and heavier. Roman didn’t want to admit it, but he hated that he was known as just a title to some people.

Of course, not everyone was going to be allowed to use his given name but even just “Prince Sanders” would have been better than something so impersonal. He’d carried the weight all day and only now, in the isolation of his own room, was Roman truly able to feel it. He wanted to fix it. Roman desperately wanted the feeling to go away. He wanted to know he was able to make his own choices, to know he wasn’t just bound to his title and the expectations to choose the one noble or visiting royalty who offered the largest compensation. There was only one person he could talk to.

Minutes passed as Roman continued his pacing. Finally, a knock sounded on his door and it opened slightly. “Your highness? Did you call for me?”

Roman flinched slightly, “Yes, I did, Oliver. Do you know where my father is right now?” He spoke through gritted teeth.

Oliver stood tall, unmoving, almost emotionless, “Yes, sire. He is in his room with the young Prince.”

“Right. I am going to visit him.” Roman stalked out of the room. Oliver opened the door further to allow him to pass easier, which allowed the crown prince to stop beside him. Roman made direct eye contact with his personal servant, his gaze soft and vulnerable for the first time in years with the man, “Please do try and use my name, Oliver.”

A brief flicker of surprise crossed Oliver’s face, but he ultimately smiled gently and nodded, “I will do my best… Roman.” Suddenly, arms wrapped around the servant and the prince was hugging him tightly, whispering a soft thank you before he wandered off down the hallway.

Roman made his way towards his father’s bedroom, his heart now noticeably lighter. The rock in his stomach was lifted slightly too, making him feel much more like his usual self. He knocked gently on his father’s door after reaching it and wasn’t made to wait long as he was called in.

“Oh, hello Roman. Is everything alright?” Patton looked towards the door, clearly not expecting to see his eldest at this time of night.

“Ro-ro! Come and have story time with us!” Thomas reached out towards his brother, a wide grin on his face, “You do stories so well!”

Roman couldn’t help the genuine smile that crossed his face at his family. It was utterly precious to see his younger brother sat in the lap of his father in the window seat, both of them backlit by the soft moonlight that was coming through the tall window. Marshmallow was also close by, curled up in his bed just to the side. It seemed like just a normal family image to Roman, the only indication of their high status was the rest of the room and the view outside, which held a portion of the rest of the castle.

He closed the door softly and walked further into the room, standing before his father. “I was… having a hard time falling asleep and I realised I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Patton’s face turned grim quickly. He pulled his legs in, creating a small space at the end of the window seat. “Take a seat. I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something too…”

Roman hesitated. He didn’t want to intrude on the time his father and his brother were spending together, but he knew this wouldn’t go anywhere if he didn’t follow an order. So, Roman sat himself in the space. It was small, and he did feel a little squished up to the rest of his family, but it was undeniably comfortable.

The king immediately began to speak. “I’ve wanted to tell you both a story for a while, but I never knew the right time to do it. Maybe now is the best time...” Patton picked up Thomas from his lap and moved to hang his legs off of the edge, giving Roman more room. Thomas was placed back down, but the young boy turned in his grip to look up at his father.

“Now, both of you will come a point in your lives where people will begin to expect you to have a partner and it will be almost like a fight for your attention from all sides, and from so many different people.” Patton’s voice was tired, “But the story I’m going to tell you is a true story of a prince who defied what people expected of him and lived the way he wanted.” He then began the story.

Years ago, a young prince was having to juggle a lot of responsibilities. Both of his parents were dealing with the fallout from a recent disagreement with a neighbouring kingdom, which left only him as the member of the royal family who was free to handle a fair amount of the other issues. He was still only a young child, but so much was already placed upon his shoulders. During this time, there were only a few hours a day where the young prince was able to get away and relax.

He had a couple friends who lived within the castle who he could play with. One was a boy around his age who he’d managed to save from an awful fate, the other was a young girl who was the child of a high-ranking teacher within the castle walls. All three of them were as close as can be, though something would happen in the coming years that would throw their friendship into a slight moment of turmoil.

The young prince’s parents fell ill soon after his 16th birthday and both did not survive for long. Their deaths were hard on the prince. Not only did he have to process their deaths and the fact they weren’t around anymore, but he was immediately placed with the title of king. The young prince had lost everything, and his world was falling down around him, only a few people left in the world could help him. Unfortunately, one of them refused to enter the castle, so the young man was left with just one person who could reach him.

Over time, the young king got used to his role and managed to get through the death of his parents, though the thought still hurt whenever it came up. He also found himself falling in love with the one who’d cared for him over the years and – despite the countless offers from nobles within his own kingdom and royals from neighbouring ones – they ended up beginning a relationship that led to marriage.

The kingdom prospered as the king was finally happy. He rebuilt the land’s trust in the royal family, had a beautiful child that all adored, reconnected with old friends and overall made everyone as happy as could be. A decade of prosperity and happiness was in front of the king. But, it was not to last forever, as tragedy struck once more. The love of his life, after birthing yet another wonderful child into the world, caught a deadly disease and passed within weeks of the child’s birth.

The king mourned harshly but found that he was able to power through thanks to the people he had surrounded himself with. No one turned his love against him, telling him he was wrong for falling for someone of lesser status to him or that this was the world’s way of punishing him for doing such a thing – which had been a tall tale told to many a prince that the king had crossed paths with in his younger years. They supported his choice to run his kingdom alone as no one could replace the mother of his children and the love of his life.

“So, you see, boys. It doesn’t matter what they say, or what they write in letters. You need to listen to your hearts, rather than tradition.” Patton finished, smiling softly at his two children who’d been watching him weave his tale.

Thomas was staring at him intensely, seemingly trying not to cry, “What happened to the king, Papa?”

Patton looked down at the young boy still seated in his lap, “The king went on to live a wonderful life, filled with so much joy as he raised his two children.” The king’s arms wrapped around Thomas after the young boy threw himself towards him, hugging him tightly.

Meanwhile, Roman was now staring at his hands as they were clasped together tightly in his own lap. He was deep in thought, mulling over what Patton had just said. Roman had no idea what his father had gone through at such a young age, he couldn’t imagine the pure pain of losing both of his parents even after losing just one. But he understood what his father was trying to tell him. A gentle smile pulled at his lips as he turned to look at Patton. Without a word, he shuffled closer and joined the hug.

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