Lovers drift | Dannyl x Tayend

After he died

AN - I know not many people will read this. I absolutely love Trudi Canavan, and since I love her work, I will not change it. I am only writing what I imagine COULD have happened after the events of the last book in the traitor spy trilogy. If you have not read any of Trudi Canavan's books, please read them! They are absolutely brilliant, the best books I've ever read!

Dannyl felt his heart break again as he woke up the next morning. Achati was dead. All the memories from the day before flooded back into his mind. Tayend had sat with him late into the night before retiring to his room. The Elyne had shot him a sad smile as he left. His former lover really did understand, much to Dannyl's surprise. 

Perhaps Tayend had fallen out of love with him. He was surprised to feel a pang in his chest at that. He hadn't been in love with Achati, and he was sure even the Sachakan knew that. He laughed a little at his thoughts, before sobering. Both of his lovers had been from outside his homeland in Kyralia. Why did he have to choose such politically questionable lovers? Not that it mattered. He was what the Elyne's called 'lads', which were widely accepted in Elyne, but not in Kyralia. But he was in Sachaka, the home of black magic (or higher magic, as the Sachakan's called it) and a country only recently relinquishing slavery the day before.

"Ambassador Dannyl?" It was Tayend. Dannyl felt his heart lighten a little at the Elyne's voice. 

"Ambassador Tayend," Dannyl said, getting out of his bed and drawing a little magic to open the door. 

"How are you?" Dannyl could see the look of sympathy in his former lover's eyes. He nodded. 

"I'll be okay, Tayend. Thank you, for everything," Dannyl said, shooting the man a forced smile. 

"Queen Savara has asked that we stay out of the way for a few days while she makes sure all of the ex slaves are free and safe, and that none of the Ashaki's are still alive," Tayend said. "I was thinking, if you were up for it, that you and I could start on Achati's library and see if we can find anything for your research."

Dannyl felt guilt at the pang of excitement that flooded through him. If Achati still lived, he wouldn't have a chance to read any of his books at all. He forced himself to smile, then nodded. 

"It will be just like old times, Tayend." 

Once Dannyl was dressed in his purple robes, he met with the Elyne in the library. He had already gotten one of the servants (no longer slaves, which Dannyl was glad for) to get the two glasses and a bottle of expensive wine. It was a Kyralian wine,  which Dannyl was glad to see. They had been drinking a lot of Sachakan wine, and Tayend often pulled out Elyne wine (Dannyl did like those, too, but Kyralian wine was what he had drank most at the Guild).

"Wine, Dannyl?" Tayend said, a smile playing on his lips that didn't quite meet his eyes. 

"Please, Tayend. We'll need it to focus today."

Dannyl's thoughts drifted to focus on the books of the library. He wanted to write a history of the lands, and about the wasteland that had formed in Sachaka during the war. Sonea had discovered that the reason it hadn't returned to it's healthy self was because the former traitors had put down magical gemstones to keep the land from regrowing, so that people wouldn't set up camp near sanctuary. Dannyl wondered if now the traitors didn't need to use the Sanctuary as a base, if he would be allowed to travel there. 

"Do you think, now that they don't need it, that the traitors- Sachakan's ," Dannyl corrected himself, "Would allow us to visit the former Sanctuary?" 

Tayend's eyes widened in intrest. Dannyl felt his heart lift again. He had always been the adventurous type, Dannyl moved. He remembered when they first met, and the Elyne had worked in the great library in his home land. He had become Dannyl's assistant, and had been terribly seasick and not allowed Dannyl to heal his sickness away. Now he understood why. It was because he was afraid of him finding out he was a lad and hating him. 

Well, it turned out in the end, that he was also a lad, and he and Tayend had been lovers for years. Their love had turned boring, as love often did, and they had drifted away once Dannyl had become Guild Ambassador in Sachaka. Funny how their relationship had started when he was an Ambassador in Elyne, and ended when he was here. He felt a twinge of sadness. 

"I'm not sure. I wouldn't ask them yet, however. Maybe wait a little while and find out their intentions. It might become a city, or town, that all Sachakan's can travel to. There may be no need to ask at all." Tayend said, pulling him from his thoughts. 

"You may be right, Tayend," Dannyl said.

"Of course I'm right, Dannyl. I'm an Elyne!" Dannyl rolled his eyes, and took a sip of his wine before sticking his head back into the records of an old Ashaki who had written the words over a century before.