Sometimes the most courageous act

a human can do

is to let somebody

love them.

-Michaelxavier

"Really August, it won't be that bad and I'm sure the Queen will be swift with it, you just have to hold still endure it." Gavin watched closely to see if the Prince would have any reaction to his words.

His face never changed.

Gavin sighed as they rounded the corner and entered the Queens Hallway.

The majestic redwood doors stood there like they had for every Queen.

August continued his walk until he was stopped by a hand.

Looking down he saw that Gavin had reached out to prevent him from entering.

Gavin gulped back whatever courage he had and braced it for this moment. He would need it.

"It's never too late to find your soul mate August," he said.

Something seemed to flash in Prince August's eyes. The most of a reaction Gavin had seen from him in a while.

"Do you remember the story of the meeting of mates?"

August's body stilled.

Gavin could tell that he was uncomfortable with the sudden change in topic, but he knew that this would be the only time he would be able to get the Prince away from his obsessive training.

He knew that the meeting of mates story was the Prince's favorite. It told Gavin a lot of things about the Prince. How when he was little, he would keep requesting to hear the story, and Gavin watched as the little Prince awwweed and laughed.

It told Gavin that he was a romantic at heart. That he was a true gentleman and had an old soul about him. Of course, he would have such a personality- he spent two unnecessary years looking for a life mate after all.

Gavin took a deep breath and said, "When they meet it's not as two, but their souls connect and form together. So strong is this bond, so deep is it made, that the tears cannot but help flow, because the other half of one's soul has been saved."

August made no move and stared with blank eyes at Gavin.

"Thus it is known, to all those who search- the one you love, the soul you need- is just a teardrop away from your heart."

August took a deep shuddering breath and said, "Stop."

Gavin's mouth closed. He couldn't have opened it even if he tried. The power that radiated off the Prince was too much to make his inner wolf even think of going against such a powerful aura.

August looked down at Gavin and said, "Thank you," before opening the doors and walking inside.

Gavin gave a deep breath. He had done the right thing. He knew it.

Inside he heard the Queen briskly tell the Prince to stand while she measured him.

No other person would get near him.

While she did so, the Queen struck up a conversation with the Prince, a rare sight that Gavin normally did not see- The Queen normally was cold and kept to herself.

"I need to ask a favor of you," She said, looking up at August.

August looked back down at her but made no reply.

The Queen continued, "Your mother made a tradition of honoring a worker who has done an impressive amount of service for their King and Queen," she wiped a stray piece of hair that had fallen in her face.

"This year's ceremony, a young girl was chosen. She looks to be about 17 or 18, but I want her to have a good time tomorrow."

The Prince and Gavin looked at the Queen, Gavin being the only one to show his astonishment. The Queen never showed affection for anything. In some ways she was very similar to August, Gavin mused.

"Can you behave and dance with her tomorrow during the celebration?" The Queen looked up at August and quickly added, "please."

August looked at the Queen. She had never asked anything of him before and certainly, one dance with another of the thousands of faceless girls he had already seen would do no harm.

"Okay," August said nodding.

The whole room stilled into silence.

The Queen smiled and whispered, "Thank you," before turning around to the workers and yelling, "One word and you suddenly become idiots? Get back to work people we have lots to do still!"

With the fitting done, the Queen shooed away both Gavin and August, saying she had other things to do.

Gavin followed August to the training grounds and watched as the Prince pulled off his shirt, threw it on the bench where he last left it and proceeded where he left off at in his training.

Gavin leaned against a post and sighed.

It was almost as if he had never left.