Chapter 8
The four of them step onto the the stage to give their speeches, confused whispers breaking out when they see Phil’s arm wrapped around Dan’s waist. Persephone steps up to the podium first, a smile on her face as she addresses the people of the kingdom.
“As you all may be wondering, we have requested you gather here today to explain a few things. You may also be wondering where my husband, your soon to be former king is. Before I tell you, I ask that you stay as calm as possible. There are guards everywhere and will not hesitate to take action if need be.” Persephone’s words cause more confusion, everyone preparing themselves for what Persephone is going to say next. She takes a deep breath and tries to keep her voice as steady as possible as she says “Hades is dead.” The response is immediate, people gasping and demanding answers. A few turn to violence and are quickly taken by guards to prevent any riots from breaking out.
“I understand your shock, confusion, and fear at this news. It brought out the same feelings in us,” Persephone says, gesturing to Dan, Phil, and Elpis. “A particularly strong prisoner escaped the prison and caught Hades off guard. The prisoner managed to grab Hades’ dagger and stabbed him in the heart, killing him instantly. As hard as this was for my family and I to go through, we understand we must go on, but none of us will be continuing the legacy of the wretched man Hades was behind closed doors. My family and I are now free of the iron grip he had us in when he was alive and we can now tell you, the citizens of this kingdom, the truth.” Persephone’s voice starts to waver, but she holds herself together enough to continue. “Hades kidnapped me and forced me to be his bride. I had no choice in the matter and neither did my mother, Demeter. Hades was cruel and unforgiving, often taking out his anger on me and our son, and by extension, Dan’s mate, Phil. Although I suffered for centuries with this man, it doesn’t compare to what he has done to my son and Phil. As it is not my story to tell, I’ll let Dan give you more insight on your former king.” Persephone steps away from the podium, looking out at all the shocked and outraged faces. She watches as Dan walks towards the podium, Phil by his side. She can both of their hands shake.
“My father was nothing but a terrible man. For the first 10,000 years of my life he would avoid anything that had to do with me, but he was not abusive or cruel to me. When I was 11,000 that all changed very quickly.” Dan takes a deep, shaky breath as he starts to relive his entire adolescent life, not sparing a single detail of the abuse he, his mother, and Phil went through. The entire kingdom is silent, shocked and horrified at the truth about their late king.
“Although, the treatment I received in the beginning was terrible, it doesn’t compare to what my family has gone through recently. My father forbid me from leaving the castle until I broke my bond with Phil and married a woman of my father’s choosing. That woman was Elpis. Elpis was sold to my father and forced to agree to marry me or she would have been killed on the spot. At first, our original plan was to pretend to have a fake wedding between Elpis and I, then reveal the truth and then Phil and I would marry, but those plans changed when my father captured Phil. For two weeks Phil was locked in a dungeon and beaten so badly that he almost died. My father had every intention of killing my mate because he didn’t want a gay son,” Dan listens to the shocked gasps and looks at the sympathetic faces in the crowd, getting the courage to move on with his story. Phil holds him tighter and Dan leans into him, comforted by his presence. “Towards the end of Phil’s imprisonment, my father would beat Phil so badly that I would feel it through our bond and wouldn’t be able to move for hours at a time from the intense pain. Hades used this as a form of punishment when I did not do exactly what he wanted and angered him, which was quite often despite any and everything I did. The only reason why Phil and I stand before you today was because of Hades death as both of us would have died when our bond would have broken by Phil’s death. As unfortunate as my father’s death may have been for some, it was like a giant weight had been lifted off of the shoulders of me and my family. Now that Hades can no longer control me, I would like to introduce you to the man that I have chosen to marry and take the throne with,” Dan says, a smile on his face as Phil starts to speak. He’s waited for this moment for so long.
“For the past 16,000 years I have been in a relationship with Dan. Every single one of those years was spent hiding away from the public in fear that Dan and I would face exile. Hades had made it painfully clear that Dan and I were to stay a secret and break up as soon as Dan was due to take the throne. Regardless of Hades’ demands, Dan and I persevered and stayed together even when it was close to impossible. Two weeks ago, shortly before my capture, I was faced with the ugly reality of what was to come with Dan taking the thrown. Dan, Elpis, and I came up with a plan that seemed foolproof, and it was, until I was captured by the castle guards and thrown into the dungeon. I do not remember much of what happened within those two weeks aside from the constant pain, hopelessness, and the occasional visit from Her Majesty the Queen, Persephone. Without her, I surely would have died from malnutrition and my wounds. She has helped to nurse me back to health since I’ve been free and I truly owe her my life.” Phil pauses for a moment to look at the crowd and smile slightly as he sees them all watching with rapt attention. “Now, I stand before you all, ready to take on the position of king alongside Prince Daniel,” he says confidently, smirking slightly when he sees the light blush on Dan’s cheeks when he calls him the prince. The crowd cheers, a metaphorical weight being lifted off Phil’s shoulders when he hears the citizens are excited for him to reign.
“Now, a word from your former queen to be, Elpis,” Dan says, stepping away from the podium with Phil, giving Elpis a smile as she takes her place on the podium. He takes a deep breath once he and Phil are standing next to his mother again, letting himself relax. Phil kisses the top of his head and Persephone grabs his free hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. The three of them watch as Elpis begins her speech with trembling hands clasped behind her back.
Elpis takes a deep breath and lets it out, both relieved and terrified to be finally doing this.
“As Prince Daniel has mentioned, I was sold to Hades by my father. I was in a similar predicament as the prince with my own father and mother. My mother was kind and accepting of me and the unchanging fact that I am gay while my father was not. This led to him resenting me to the point of putting up advertisements about him selling me. Unfortunately, the king and queen of the kingdom I lived in had no laws against this, especially when it was another king that wanted to buy me. In the time I have spent at this castle, I quickly grew terrified of the violent acts the king carried out against his own wife and son and his son’s mate. I have experienced horrors here I have only read in stories a child. Now that Hades has died, I am finally free to live my own life with the friends I have made. I ask of you all to open your minds and your hearts so we can put an end to these situations and save the lives of countless people. Thank you.” Elpis finishes her speech and is greeted by applause from everyone, a smile making its way onto her face. She steps away from the podium with a small bow and walks over to Dan and Phil, the two of them pulling her into a group hug.
“I’m so proud of you,” Dan says quietly, a small smile on his face. Elpis hugs him tightly and smiles widely.
“I’m proud of all of us. Now, let’s get out of here so Phil can go to his appointment with the tailor. Persephone has already dismissed everyone,” Elpis says, grabbing Dan and Phil’s hands. They walk together with Persephone behind them, the guards forming a physical barrier around them. The atmosphere seems lighter now that the truth has been revealed and Hades is no longer there to control the four of them. For once, everything feels right.
The rest of the day is spent putting finishing details on the wedding and coronation, as well as making sure the kingdom doesn’t decide to cause trouble now that the king is dead. Luckily, everything seems relatively calm and everything goes smoothly. They all go to bed that night, the kingdom buzzing with anticipation with what is to come.
The wedding is first, the four girls keeping Dan and Phil separate from each other as they get ready for the big day. Persephone and Elpis are with Dan and Phil is with his mothers, both being fussed over and pampered.
“You don’t have to go all out like this, guys,” Dan whines, Elpis making sure his hair is perfect while Persephone makes Dan’s bouquet and a flower crown to match it.
“Of course we do. You’re only getting married once, so we have to go all out,” Elpis says with a bright smile, wearing what would have been her wedding dress, but was styled differently last minute to better suit being the maid of honor. She looked incredible and Dan had joked that she would steal the spotlight from him and Phil.
“You deserve an extravagant wedding, Dan. You and Phil deserve it,” Persephone says warmly, standing up and walking over to Dan. She gently sets the finished flower crown on his head, smiling softly and kissing his forehead. “I’m so proud of you two and everything you’ve gotten through.” Dan hugs her tightly when she says that, Persephone hugging back just as tightly. They stay like that for a moment before pulling away from each other, Persephone grabbing the bouquet off the bed and handing it to Dan. “Now all we have to do is wait for the guards to tell us Phil is at the altar waiting for you,” Persephone says, a proud smile on her face.
Meanwhile, Phil is feeling a lot calmer than he thought he’d be as his mothers help make sure he’s ready. He finds he’s more excited than anything, smiling to himself in the mirror.
“I’m so happy for you, Phil,” Adoni says, smiling softly at Phil. Kassiopeia stands next to her, their arms wrapped around each other’s waists as they look at their son.
“This is one of the most important and happiest days of my life… I’m finally getting the chance to marry him,” Phil says, more to himself to his mothers at this point. He looks over himself once more, smoothing down his suit and taking a deep breath. “It’s time for us to get going,” he says, glancing up at the clock. Adoni and Kassiopeia link their arms with his and they set out to the massive room that has been dedicated to the wedding. Family and carefully selected guests fill the room, all standing and watching as Phil is led down the aisle to stand at the altar. His mothers smile at him as they go to their seats, Phil watching in anticipation as a guard leaves to get Dan. Elpis is the first to walk inside, taking her place as the maid of honor. She offers Phil a smile and looks out at the crowd, everyone’s heads turning when they hear the doors being opened again. Persephone smiling proudly as she walks Dan into the room.
Dan is terrified. He doesn’t know what to expect when he walks through the doors, but he doesn’t protest when Persephone gets him inside as quickly as she can. His eyes widen when he sees Phil, almost dropping his bouquet and forgetting to walk when Phil smiles at him like he’s the only person in the room. People stand and the pianist starts to play the music as Dan walks down the aisle, his grip on his mother’s arm tight as he tries to calm his nerves. Before he knows it, he’s standing in front of Phil and Persephone is standing beside them, clearing her throat and starting the ceremony. Dan can hardly pay attention as she speaks, too focused on the man in front of him. He snaps out of it when Phil speaks, his voice strong and sure when he says “I do,” and puts the ring on Dan’s finger. Dan almost sobs, but holds it in, a few tears falling against his will. Persephone turns to him, grinning as she speaks. He takes a deep breath and looks straight into Phil’s eyes as he says “I do,” and slips the ring onto Phil’s finger, never feeling more sure of himself than in this moment. Phil starts to cry with him after that, the two smiling so much their faces hurt.
“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom,” Persephone says, excitement obvious in her voice. Dan smiles widely as Phil pulls him close and presses their lips together. There’s cheers as they kiss, notably Elpis, Persephone, and Adoni and Kassiopeia. Phil is the first one to pull away, looking down at Dan and giggling out of pure joy.
“We’re married!” Dan exclaims, hugging Phil tightly. He pulls away when he hears Elpis yell out for him to toss his bouquet, turning his back to the crowd and counting to three before he throws the flowers behind him. He quickly turns around to see who caught, giggling as Elpis stares down at the flowers in her hands in shock. He hears her quietly whisper “I didn’t think I’d actually catch it.”
“Wonder who the mystery girl that’ll steal your heart will be,” Dan jokes, leaning into Phil’s side. Elpis blushes and grips the flowers a little tighter, her gaze flickering to a girl that’s in the crowd of now standing people. The tailor’s daughter, Dan thinks to himself, chuckling softly. “Go talk to her,” he says, laughing as she stutters over her words before just giving in and walking over to her.
“Let’s enjoy the reception a bit, yeah? We still have the wedding cake to cut after all,” Phil says, wrapping his arm around Dan’s waist and walking towards the banquet table. The cake is outrageously tall with ornate decorations all over it. Persephone gets everyone’s attention as Dan grabs the cake knife, Phil wrapping his hand around Dan’s and counting down from three before they slice into the cake, people cheering once again. They only cut one slice for each other to share since there’s a second cake to be eaten at their private ceremony after this. Everyone crowds around the table to get their share of the food and talk to the newlyweds. Dan is as polite as he can be when he’s so overwhelmed by happiness. He’s also bordering on the edge of exhausted as they had to wake up early to fit all of today’s events into one day. Luckily, the reception is short they leave the castle to go to the gardens.
Once they’re in the gardens, they’re met with the gorgeous sight of hundreds of blooming flowers and the vines have formed an archway for Dan and Phil to stand under.
“It’s so gorgeous…” Dan whispers, looking around in awe.
“It is, isn’t it?” asks a voice Dan hasn’t heard in centuries.
“Grandma?” Dan asks in disbelief, turning to see where the voice came from and seeing his grandmother standing in the center of the garden. He runs to her, hugging her tightly and almost knocking them both over. Demeter laughs as she hugs her grandson back, kissing his forehead.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t show up for your big day?” she asks, smiling down at Dan. Dan hugs her tighter in response before pulling away.
“I’m so glad you were able to come. It wouldn’t have been the same without you,” he says sincerely. He’s so glad she was able to come to such an important event in his life; she was one of the few people he had left that truly cared.
“Let's get this show on the road, boys. The vines are getting antsy,” Persephone says, Dan and Phil quickly obeying her orders and standing together under the arch. Dan pulls out the little paper he’s had in his pocket all day. They had saved their vows for this, wanting to keep them personal and not said aloud for everyone to hear. Persephone stands between them like she had before, smiling at at her son and new son-in-law.
“So, we’ve already gotten through the boring stuff during the official wedding, so let’s just skip to your vows. Dan, since your vows are quite lengthy, you go first,” Persephone says, smiling as Dan grabs Phil’s hand before he starts speaking.
“Phil, when we met we were just two kids that didn’t understand the reality of what my title of prince meant. We were young and carefree and so happy that we didn’t realize that everything was slowly falling apart around us. During the year that we lost Chris and Pj, we had our first falling out. We had been together for six-thousand years and were starting to understand the world wasn’t as kind as we thought it was. We fought over their deaths and my father’s attitude towards us and our relationship and we took out our pain on each other for over a decade. To be honest, I thought that would be the end of us. You left and I dated to try to cope and get over you, but ended up breaking off the latest fling I was having and isolated myself in my room. The moment you heard that I was single, you snuck out of your house and threw rocks at my window until I finally woke up to answer you. I told you to meet in the gardens and in response, you climbed a tree and crawled through my window. For the sake of your dignity, I’ll leave out the details about how you landed directly onto your head once you got through the window,” Dan says, chuckling as Phil rolls his eyes playfully. “I remember that night we talked about the future and what it held for us, and you told me for the first time that your ultimate goal in life was to marry me, and look at us now. We had to go through a lot of shit and we almost didn’t make it to this point, but now that we’re here, married and on our way to rule the entire kingdom together, I couldn’t ask for anything more. I am so much more than thankful that you’ve stood by my side through everything because there’s no one else in this world that I’d rather have standing in front of me than you. I love you, matia mou,” Dan says, smiling softly and gently squeezing Phil’s hand. Phil reflexively squeezes back, beaming despite the tears in his eyes.
“Phil?” Persephone asks, signalling it was Phil’s turn to speak. Phil could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.
“Dan, where do I start with this? You know I’m terrible with words and I’m even worse with saying important things, but I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this so hopefully it’s a little less of a mess than it could be,” Phil says with a slightly nervous chuckle, earning a reassuring smile from Dan. “These past 16,000 years have been nothing but incredible, even through the tough times. From our first few decades we were together when we were young and everything was fun and new, to the last few months when it seemed like everything was falling apart and neither of us were going to make. Despite what’s happened to us over the course of our relationship, I have never once regretted dating you, bonding with you, and now marrying you. You’re the best decision I have ever made and I love you more than any words to could ever hope to describe. I look forwards to our future together, mellītum.” Phil finishes his vows by pressing a kiss to the ring on Dan’s hand, making Dan grin so widely he was worried his face would get stuck.
“I know you’re technically married already, but I wanna say it again because I can,” Persephone says excitedly, everyone giggling at her happiness. “By the power vested in me,for the second time, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss the groom!” She says, clapping her hands as Dan grabs the collar of Phil’s suit and pulls him down for a kiss. Demeter and Elpis cheer as loud as they can, causing Dan and Phil to break the kiss with their laughter.
“We’re married! Again!” Phil says, giggling and pulling Dan close. Dan wraps his arms around Phil’s neck, smiling brightly.
“This is the best day of my life. I literally dreamed about our wedding when we were kids,” Dan laughs softly at the memory, remembering being a kid and writing his and Phil’s names in lovehearts on all of his school notebooks. He goes to say something else, but gets interrupted by his mother speaking.
“You two still have a cake to eat, remember?” Persephone says, gesturing to a cake that’s much simpler than the one at their official wedding, but Dan knows it’s bound to taste better since his mother made it. He grabs Phil’s hand and quickly walks over to the cake. Phil grabs the cake knife before Dan can get to it, chuckling at Dan’s whines of protest as Phil cuts into the cake.
“Be patient, Dan,” Phil says as he plates the piece of cake. He grabs a fork and turns to Dan, holding up a bite of cake for Dan to eat. He glances over at Elpis and smiles evilly as Dan eagerly tries to eat it, only to have the fork be pulled away and replaced with the whole slice of cake being smushed against his face. Dan gasps and Phil bursts into laughter. Elpis howls with laughter, causing Demeter and Elpis to look over at the two men. They join in the laughter when the plate is pulled away to reveal Dan’s cake covered face.
“What the actual fuck, Phil?” Dan cries out, wiping the frosting off of his face. He glares at Phil as he laughs, deciding to get revenge by grabbing a handful of the cake and smearing it all over Phil’s face. Phil shrieks and swats Dan’s hand away. Dan cackles at Phil’s shocked and betrayed expression.
“Not so funny when it’s you, is it?” Dan asks, grabbing one of the cloth napkins to wipe off his face. Phil just pouts and does the same, causing Dan to laugh more.
“You two are perfect for each other,” Demeter says from where she stands with Persephone and Elpis, a small, proud smile on her face. Dan smiles back, nodding. “We really are.”
“You’re also going to be late to your own coronation if you don’t go get cleaned up now,” Persephone says, laughing when Dan and Phil rush into the castle to get their hands and faces washed.
“I’m so glad they got to be together,” Demeter says, smiling softly. “They always were so happy together.”
“They deserve this. I’m so glad Hades wasn’t able to destroy them before they got the chance at happiness…” Persephone says, her husband’s death still a sore spot for her despite the fact he was almost nothing but cruel to her and her only son.
“I’m glad the fucker’s dead,” Demeter says deadpan, making Persephone gasp and smack her arm gently.
“Don’t be rude, mom. He may have been an asshole, but he was still my husband,” Persephone says, sighing softly. “But I am too. I don’t know how much longer I could have gone without killing him myself,” she mutters.
“Exactly. Now, let’s get going; the coronation is starting soon,” Demeter says, walking back into the castle with Persephone and Elpis.
Dan and Phil are already ready for the coronation, waiting by the throne room for the girls to show up. They’re both marveling at the fact they’re married and only moments away from ruling an entire kingdom together.
“You’re going to be such a wonderful king… This kingdom is lucky to have you,” Phil says, smiling down at Dan. Dan blushes and smiles up at Phil.
“They’re lucky to have you too; you’re going to be a wonderful king,” Dan says, hugging Phil tightly. “We’re going to do wonderfully.”
“I don’t doubt that we will,” Phil says, unable to stop smiling.
“Alright boys! Time for the most important day of your lives! Let’s get it over with so we can sleep,” Persephone saws, walking past the boys and opening the doors to the throne room. Everyone follows after her, taking their places as Persephone addresses the audience of fellow royalty that will be affected by this change in power and begins her farewell speech. She keeps it short and sweet, calling up Dan and Phil to crown them.
“I’m going to take the longest nap ever after this,” Persephone mumbles as she takes her crown off her head. She smiles at Dan and steps closer to him, reciting the traditional bullshit as she places the crown on his head. “I know you should technically be wearing your father’s crown, but I think mine suits you better,” she says quietly, smiling brightly as she moves onto Phil, she repeats the process, placing Hades’ crown on Phil’s head. She turns to the crowd, saying a final goodbye as their former queen and stepping to the side, watching Dan and Phil make their speeches. She has never been more proud of the both of them than in this moment.
Dan and Phil look out at the cheering crowd, matching smiles on their faces. They thank everyone before they leave with the girls, escorted to their rooms by guards.
“I can’t believe it happened… I’m a married man and the king,” Dan says, gently taking his crown off and staring at it in disbelief. Phil wraps his arms around Dan from behind, kissing the top of his head.
“You deserve it,” he says, smiling as Dan leans into him. “Now, these things are really heavy, so let’s get them put in their case, yeah?” Phil takes his crown off as well and walks over to the case Dan had made to keep their crowns safe. He sets his on the fancy pillow, followed by Dan, then locks the case.
“They look perfect sitting next to each other like that,” Dan says softly, smiling at Phil
“They really do,” Phil says in agreement, pulling Dan close and resting his forehead against Dan’s. “You ready to start the most hectic and exciting years of our lives together?” he asks. Dan smiles and looks into Phil’s eyes, nodding once.
“I can’t wait.”