#but is forced to continue to put distance between them 😔

[a-stars-art-blog]

A little detail I appreciate here is Barok, in his letter, specifically saying he’d like to take Albert sightseeing. The thing he explicitly told Albert he could not do.

Like, he remembered how much Albert wanted to look around after not being in London for 10 years. So when “everything was settled”, That’s what he invited Albert to do :]]]

[aikokoko33]

𝑻𝑾𝑶 𝑻𝑯𝑹𝑶𝑵𝑬𝑺 𝑶𝑵𝑬 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻

୨୧┇doomed gays 😔

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓸𝓷𝓮

The air in the palace was thick with tension, heavier than the looming storm clouds gathering on the horizon. Telemachus stood near the great doors of the hall, his jaw set, his hands clenched at his sides.

His decision had been made—he would leave Ithaca on a diplomatic mission, one that could finally bring him closer to his father.Vairya stood a few feet away, his expression unreadable, though his sharp blue eyes burned with frustration.

His fingers twitched at his sides as if he wanted to reach for Telemachus, but he held himself back. “You’re not going alone,”

Vairya finally said, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him.Telemachus turned, his expression dark. “Yes, I am.”

Vairya took a step forward. “No, you’re not.”

The prince exhaled sharply through his nose, his patience thin. “And why the hell would you come with me, Vairya?” His voice was low, edged with hurt. “You lied to me. You used me. You stole from my father, from my family. And now you want to follow me on a journey to find him?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Vairya stiffened at the accusation, his chest tightening, but he refused to back down. “I didn’t use you.”

Telemachus scoffed, the sound bitter. “Didn’t you?”

Vairya’s control snapped. “You really think that, don’t you?” His voice rose, the weight of weeks—years—of guilt and frustration spilling over.

He took another step forward, closing the distance between them, forcing Telemachus to meet his gaze. “You think I got close to you just for those scrolls? That all of this was just some game to me?"

Telemachus didn’t respond, but his silence was answer enough.

Vairya inhaled sharply, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” His voice cracked slightly, raw with emotion. “How much it killed me to do what I did? I was supposed to befriend you, yes—I was supposed to gain your trust for my family. But I never—I never—planned on falling in love with you.”

Telemachus’s breath hitched, but he kept his face impassive, his emotions locked behind a careful mask.

“I hated myself for it,” Vairya continued, voice quieter now, but no less intense. “Every time I touched you, every time I kissed you, there was a voice in the back of my head telling me that I didn’t deserve you. And I still did it anyway. Because I wanted you. Because I love you.”

Telemachus finally met his gaze, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. “Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was a coward,” Vairya admitted, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. “Because I was scared. I thought I could keep you and my family both, but I was wrong. And if I could go back and do it all differently, I would.”

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Telemachus’s face was unreadable, his thoughts a mystery.

Vairya’s heart pounded in his chest, waiting, hoping—begging—for some kind of response.

But when Telemachus finally spoke, his voice was distant, detached. “I still have to go.”

Vairya felt his stomach drop.

Telemachus turned back toward the door, his shoulders tense. “I need to do this. For Ithaca. For my father. And maybe…” He hesitated, just for a moment. “Maybe for myself.”

Vairya swallowed hard. “Then let me come with you.”

“No.” Telemachus’s voice was firm, final. “I need to do this alone.”

Vairya’s heart clenched. He wanted to fight back, to argue, to force himself into Telemachus’s journey the way he had forced himself into his heart. But he saw it in Telemachus’s face—that wall he had put up, that quiet yet unwavering determination.

And so, for the first time in his life, Vairya let him go.

He watched in silence as Telemachus walked through the great doors, his figure disappearing into the storm.

୨୧┇tag list: @kefi0502 @ariridley @simpformoonkight @starzundercover