For the last year, Elisaley's second prince Nicolas had sent letters and gifts every week as he traveled. That did not mean he arrived home empty-handed.

It was nearly time for the evening meal by the time Nicolas escaped his family's happy fussing (and the thousand questions from various ministers and advisors) for the depths of the castle library.

He'd sent letters and gifts for his family, papers and treaties and correspondence for the nation, and for the castle library and its librarian, he'd sent books.

Yet he still had a bundle in his arms as he stepped through the heavy double doors and into the familiar vast space.

"Ras," he called, as he had almost every day for the last two decades, from when he'd been old enough to run through the castle on his own to the day he'd left to travel. "Ras, are you here?"

Nicolas smiled as he waited for a response. Ras would be there; Ras had been there for centuries.

"I am here, and so are you, Nicolas."

Nicolas turned to see Ras standing at the end of a row of nearby shelves, familiar cloak hanging half over his face.

"You've returned," Ras continued.

"As I said I would in every letter I wrote," Nicolas said quickly. "You did receive them, right? And all the books I sent?"

"Yes."

"I've brought you a few more." Nicolas held out the bundle. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd expected of Ras. It had been a year, and Ras was-

Ras had the bundle in his hands a moment later, almost before Nicolas realized it had been taken. Luckily there was one of many small tables nearby and Nicolas caught up with Ras there, already unwrapping the bright cloth.

"They're mostly from the Nortan Isles," Nicolas explained. "It would have taken longer to ship them than just carry them with me."

He didn't bother explaining that, at least for one turbulent boat trip, he'd clung to them for dear life. That story could come later, once Ras had read each page and cataloged each book and found spots for each on the correct shelves.

Until that, Nicolas expected to be half-ignored.

"From Nortan, the cloth as well?" Ras questioned as he smoothed the edges of the cloth on the table before reaching for the first book.

"Yes, why?"

"I've also recorded and cataloged each letter received and the wrappings of each selection of books," Ras explained. He looked up at Nicolas and smiled, though Nicolas still couldn't see his eyes.

"Ras..."

Nicolas quietly reached to push back the hood of Ras's ever-present cloak. There. Much better.

"I've missed seeing you," Nicolas said softly and, as he spoke, he could have sworn Ras hesitated in reaching for the first book of the pile.

But the books came first. As Ras flipped through the first one, Nicolas just watched. Ras looked the same as he ever did. A year had done little more than let his deep brown hair get a bit shaggier, though not enough that it hid the two nubs of horns that were the only visual indication that Ras was not human.

Even though it was not exactly a secret that the Elisaley Royal Librarian was a dragon lurking in human-form, long sworn to the nation and its royal family, Ras did not like to flaunt what he was. Instead, he simply hoarded knowledge and words. He'd read every word of every book in the library and was constantly acquiring more.

There were eight books in the bundle and Ras was already looking over the third by the time Nicolas stopped staring at Ras's handsome, ageless face.

"A romance?" Ras questioned.

"Incredibly popular," Nicolas confirmed. "I had the luck of meeting the author and he made sure I had a copy properly dedicated."

Ras's eyes went wide and he flipped open the cover, past the fancy pages.

"To me!"

"To the one I love," Nicolas added. He'd been asked, and of course he'd been honest.

Every single book Nicolas had sent had been for Ras, but he'd not met the authors of any of those, nor had he dared write a single character inside any one of them. Instead his letters were all sent separate, filled with little word games and phrases and references that Ras had taught him over the years.

He'd not read every book in the royal library, but Nicolas had read enough, first out of wanting to learn, then out of wanting to be near Ras, and then finally while curled in Ras's bed while Ras also read.

"Have you read it?" Ras questioned. "Do you think it will be popular here?"

"Only the first chapter, and I have a second copy with my own things for the lending shelves." Nicolas laughed. He knew the unspoken question. "That copy belongs solely to you."

Ras had his quarters deep in the library, behind a cluttered study. There, he had his personal shelves containing books even Nicolas dared not touch.

"Nicolas..."

It was then that the impossible happened. Ras set down the book, carefully, on the bright Nortan cloth, and then did not reach for the next one on the pile. Instead, he reached for Nicolas and pulled him into a firm hug.

After a moment of surprise, Nicolas hugged him back and certainly didn't protest when Ras kissed him.

"Thank you," Ras said softly, once he'd let go. "We'll read it together?"

Nicolas nodded. He was about to offer that night as the proper time to begin, but Ras was already on to the next book of the pile which did not surprise Nicolas in the least.

Finally, once each book had been appraised and sorted into one of three different piles, Ras looked to Nicolas again.

"You sent me two-hundred and twenty-seven books, plus these eight," Ras said. "Along with fifty-seven letters for my personal collection and ephemera such as this cloth."

"Is that good or bad?" Nicolas questioned. Had he really sent that many? It sounded like a lot, but he had inquired about books every day he wasn't traveling and even some days he was.

"It is quite worthy of reward." Ras smiled. "All I can offer, however, is my protection and my company. If you can escape other obligations, perhaps after the evening meal...?"

Ah, it seemed to Nicolas that he and Ras were very much on the same page, which seemed rather apt.

"Yes," Nicolas said firmly. He knew the time and that he'd have to excuse himself for a short bit. But then he'd return-

This time, he kissed Ras, long and hard and like he'd wanted to every day for the last year.

He wondered how many chapters they'd manage.