Page 70 of Gilded Crown

“It’s just me,” Aurelius called, and his regal voice couldn’t be mistaken. “I’m taking a walk to speak with my guard.”

“M’lord, it’s dark.”

“Yes, I’m quite aware. We won’t go far, and we’ll be able to see the lights of camp.”

Nobody else bothered them. Other guards on horses had made a much larger ring to patrol the area, but the graveyard was empty.

Aurelius pulled out a little lantern and tapped it so they could walk between the rows and not step on someone’s grave. Some of the stones were old and no longer legible. Other graves had no stones, and the grass was straggly. An enormous tree stood sentry toward the back of the lot, and an old house sat beyond the fence.

They checked it out of curiosity. Everything was mostly gone except for some basic furniture. A narrow bed with four posts was tucked in the corner. It had a bare top frame for curtains and a canopy. A rickety table had been pushed against the wall along with a couple of chairs.

“Someone who took care of the graveyard must have lived here,” said Jari.

“It looks like it’s been empty for quite a while.”

Jari eyed the thick dust on the table. Maybe the last resident was in their own grave now. “What if we hid them here?”

Aurelius regarded the clean hearth as he lowered the small pack from his shoulder. “I don’t like that idea. If it was robbed, they might look there, hoping for a little chest of money or some antiques.”

“We could pry up some floorboards.”

“No, let's do it by the tree. You’ll remember where it is.”

And if Jari didn’t make it, but Aurelius did, he wouldn’t have trouble finding the spot either. Jari didn’t like to think of those options. They both had to make it through.

Aurelius picked a spot and set the pack down. “This looks good.”

“All three items are in there?”

“No, I misplaced the key. It must have slipped out at some point.”

“Haha. Wait, you are joking, right?”

“Yes, Jari.”

Jari held out the shovel. “Here. You can have a turn with digging.”

“No, thank you. Heavy work can be left to the ox.”

“I guess you’re too tired from lugging that post around.”

They weren’t disturbing anyone’s resting place, so it was fine to hide something there. He dug a decent hole, Aurelius lowered in the pack, and Jari covered it. He stomped on the dirt to pack it, leveled the spot, and spread around the rest of the loose dirt so it wouldn’t be noticeable. Afterward, he scattered some leaves over the spot, and Aurelius declared it looked natural.

“We can tuck the shovel inside,” he added. “That’s not an odd thing to have near a graveyard.”

“All right.”

Inside, Jari crouched by the foot of the bed and pushed the shovel underneath so it’d be by the wall. He doubted anyone would come in to steal a shovel, but why leave it visible, just in case? When he stood, he nearly jumped because Aurelius was right there with a blank expression.

“Are you trying to spook me?”

“No.” Aurelius set the lantern on the windowsill and leaned in close enough to rest his chin on Jari’s shoulder, although the rest of him wasn’t quite touching.

“Erm…” Was this a hug? Aurelius must have craved affection despite everything. Even if it was too hard to accept it in return, Jari imagined that going for years without it would be difficult. He itched to properly hug the Prince and breathe in his smell. Instead, he forced his arms to stay at his side.

If this was all Aurelius could take, so be it. He must have gotten that Jari wasn’t going to distance himself or think differently of him.

“If I wanted to do something to you, would you let me?” Aurelius asked in a small voice.

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