#iii. ᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ ; ( ᴋɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʟʟꜱ

[hiisflame]

for — @xackrmnn​.

the smell of rot and mud hung in his nose. the rush of horses, the hiss and clang of arrows and swords, all of it was foreign, all of it vivid as he could feel warmth seeping from his chest, bubble up into his throat. this couldn’t be real, and yet, he knew — it was. not his memories, but those of a distant ancestor, a holder of the founder when peace, even the false peace they lived under now, was never an option. the screams deafened out the heartbeat in his ears, and, all at once — 

the dim light of his quarters rushed into view, hands pressed against his pounding heart through loose, gossamer thin fabric. the screams of countless soldiers had instead come from his own throat, a raw and strangled cry for help and reality — it still burned as he breathed. all was silent, save for the beating of rain on the window, the light of the moon snaking into the room. tears stained his cheeks, rivulets born of the most vicious of nightmares, ones that were steeped in truth. no salve or drought would cure this curse, and the only prayer that left his lips was a whisper of a name, the only soul he wanted, needed.

though, through all of the cacophony of horrific memories, his connection, his flame, was not one to be without his light. just as he stood from the bed on trembling legs, the door opened to the flickering light of a torch and an oh so familiar shadow.

“Kenny.” Uri’s prayers always went unanswered, save for these.

[hiisflame]

dreamed up with — @xackrmnn​.

“Amen.”

Uri stood at the alter, speaking quietly with parishioners as they passed by on their way out of the chapel. he tried to take solace in the fact that the service was over, tried to sink in the cool toned light flowing in from stained glass windows. it had been resoundingly foggy when he had arrived to prepare the sermon, and it had done well to stifle the moon’s rays. as such, the entire church held even more silence in its walls than on a normal day.

it would feel calming if it wasn’t suffocating.

“I need to find a few scrolls of scripture for the next service, Rod. I’ll be back to the estate after retrieving them... I think I may read them here tonight.” as his brother filed out with his wife, and he finally heard the heavy front doors shut, a languid sigh passed by his lips. he had been struck before his worshipers had taken their seats with the topic of his speech and how deeply it intertwined with his memories. it had drawn tears to his eyes during the service, and even still, his lungs ached, his body felt tense.

without thinking too much, he thumbed at his bottom lip before he looked up into the window above him. wasn’t Kenny supposed to be back tonight? perhaps they could go for a walk near the lake — even his presence alone would be enough.

[hiisflame]

continued from here with — @xackrmnn​.

with how ethereal the king looked, he wouldn’t be surprised if someone a bit more whimsically inclined than Kenny would blame him for the snow, some kind of magic spell this little spirit could cast. the weather was not a kingdom he could reign over. the accusation of lying made him smile, feigning a scandalised gasp. “Me, a liar? Why, I never.” Uri giggled, taking a sip of his tea before toeing away from the window, being careful not to trip over the straps hanging from its waist — which, consequently, hung just about mid-thigh on him.

T H U M P !

“Ken — “ Uri stiffened as the pillow thwacked against his face, his hand deftly moving the tea cup out of the way without spilling a drip — speedy reflexes Kenny was quite aware of. as soon as the soft fabric began to fall to the ground, laughter erupted on his voice and his face, blue eyes crinkled at their corners. “Kenny, I can melt the snow. The titan’s pretty hot to the touch, remember? I burned you the last time. I’m still sorry about that, you know.” with a bit of effort due to the weight of the coat, he crawled onto the bed, curling up beside the older man with his knees pulled up to his chest, once again completely swallowed up by the coat — it was so warm against his bare skin underneath. “Oh, the festival... yes, there’s a sermon, have had it memorised for about 10 years now, far before I ever had to give it myself. My mother and I would make cookies. Rod always thought it was too girly. I was never really fond of the festival itself — I take you weren’t either?”

[hiisflame]

"I'M GONNA FUCKIN' KILL HIM!" he yelled through the hall, held back by Uri. If it wasn't for this man, Kenny would have stormed forward just now, grabbed Rod by the throat and slammed his head against a wall until the angels greeted him.

in character asks | always accepting. @xackrmnn.

holding onto Kenny was, at least to Uri, only comparable to watching Frieda cling to his titan’s finger in an attempt to pull it along with her back home. needless to say, he’d dug the heels of his shoes quite hard into the ornate carpet at first to stop Kenny from traveling any further down the hall. now, his hands did the work, pale palms pressed against the slick black material of the taller man’s coat. he could feel the heaves of the his chest and pounding heartbeat underneath his fingertips. leaning out from behind Kenny’s frame, he watched as his brother stepped forward.

“Rod, don’t move.” the king murmured firmly, hissing out a sigh through clenched teeth when his order wasn’t obeyed. “ROD, don’t make me do this.” he called, a violet glow coming into his eyes, and finally, his warning was heeded, without the necessity for Uri to make good on his threat of omnipotence. slowly, his hands slid off of Kenny’s body, stepping in front of his protector. all that betrayed the situation to any onlooker were the searing anger of the Ackermann, the clenched fists of the brother, and the fresh red mark on the king’s cheek. “He’s not worth it, Kenny. He’s drunk, which makes it even less worth it.” he uttered over his shoulder, looking up at the man as the glow in his eyes faded back down to crystal blue.

‘m sorry I hit you, but ‘m NOT sorry for telling you to keep him OUT of the estate !!!

a hand instinctively came back and up to press on Kenny’s chest as soon as he heard his brother’s voice echo in the hall. “Not worth it.” he spoke again clearly, tensing slightly as he was able to feel how much rage sat just beneath his fingers.

[hiisflame]

for — @xackrmnn​​

tall firs caught the moonlight. sneaking away was easier nowadays. helped through windows and secret plans made under the light of a single candle, Uri had delighted in running for the woods, as hard as it was to keep up with the man shepherding him through these escapes when they were on foot. pointed glares were still levied at them within the halls, and he had no intention of sticking around to be carved up by them. he was not the protector in this pair by name, certainly, but he took some of it upon his shoulders to find distance from his family and few subjects. he’d asked for prayers only once, he paid no mind to clasped hands with curses behind them.

delicate fingers reached outwards and upwards, catching thick pleats of snow. with a featherlite chuckle, he watched them melt into cold water upon his skin. he waited patiently for snow every year ( he had only so many winters left - 10? 7? he didn’t dwell on it. ). shivering under his robes, he walked aimlessly in the thick floes of white, drawing unplanned and looping lines. just as he reached the edge of the corona of torchlight, he smiled to himself as he saw it move forward from behind. Kenny never was one to let him out of sight.

“I’m not cold, if you were wondering,” the king whispered, his always adjacently ethereal voice swallowed up by the silence of the blanketed snow. “I promise.”