The God's Game

Doing God's work.

"To go where? Sea bed?" Wolfram pulled the covers back over his head.

"I want to see the dawn." River tugged the blanket away, revealing a pouting Wolfram.

"We will go in the evening. Now go back to sleep."

River pulled the pillow from under his head, "That's a sunset!"

"Six of one, half a dozen of the other," Wolfram grunted,sleepily grabbing for another pillow. "Let me sleep."

It took River an entire hour to convince Wolfram to follow him to the deck to watch the dawn. At last, when he figured there was no going back to sleep until River got what he wanted, he got ready, whinning.

However, instead of running in to Aithan Alistair, who usually graces the deck before the sun does, they met his insufferable younger brother.

"Wherever might Lord Aithan be?" River inquired flatly, feigning nonchalance.

"He forgot his coat and went to get it back," Raven yawned.

Wolfram's grin froze on his face as he side-glared at his friend. River could literally see gears turning in his head, putting two and two together.

"Riv," He turned to face him and chuckled grimly. "May I have a word with you real quick?"

River glanced at the main cabin over Wolfram's shoulder and saw Aithan closing its door behind him. He strolled in their direction, and River's lips streched to a simper, akin to a cat that got the canary.

"No," he whispered.

"Good morning!" Aithan called in his pleasantly deep voice from across the deck.

Wolfram flinched and dropped his fan,alarmed to his bones. A deep hue of magenta crept up his neck and tinted the tips of his ears. Panicked, he fisted the fine fabric of his lilac robe.

Aithan's amber eyes glittered at the sight of them, and even his gait had an unusual pep to it. His lips curled into a sweet smile that could possibly overshadow the sun.

Sir! With that smile, you could probably negotiate world peace over a cup of tea!

Wolfram's glossy gray eyes darted around,searching for an escape from the impending disaster. He fidgeted with his dress, and his bottom lip quivered. In a fruitless attempt to vanish,he shrugged his shoulders and screwed his eyes shut. Unable to face the taller man, he decided to bolt in the opposite direction.

Doing God's work is a hard job, but someone has to do it. Forgive me, brother.

River,banking on his best friend's intuition, had already predicted this as a possible outcome. So he had been standing on the long train of his robes for a while now.

River only saw his flowing robes and sleeves flailing in the air, like a  whirlwind of color, as he tried to find his footing.

With a crash that probably startled the entire crew awake, Wolfram tripped and kissed the deck.

Prayers!

Raven exploded into a fit of wild laughter. He doubled over the railing and slid down, tears trailing down his face from how hard he was cackling.

Aithan Alistair flashed over to where Wolfram was sprawled across the floor and lowered himself to check on the younger man who was playing dead—or was actually dead—of embarrassment.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?" His voice was heavy with worry,thinly veiled as professionalism. The man had fallen like a lightning-struck tree,after all.

"Did you - you fucking see?" Raven snorted, slamming his palm on the floor. He rolled over, hugging sides, and continued to laugh like a madman.

Aithan shot a glare at his brother. He looped an arm over Wolfram's and helped him sit.

Other than a purple  bruise bolossoming on his forhead,Wolfram seemed unscathed. His face had reddened, and tears brimmed in his gray eyes. Like a child who ran and tripped, his lower lip jutted out in an adorable pout.

"Oh no!" River exclaimed, "He must have tripped on a loose floor board!"

Aithan dusted Wolfram's robes,glancing at the perfectly level deck floor. His brows knitted in profound confusion. How could he trip on air?

He gently pinched Wolfram's soured face and turned it towards him, brushing his fingertips over the bump on his forehead to examine the damage.

Wolfram sniffled,looking incredibly wronged. His brain seemed to be malfunctioning under Aithan's undivided attention because he stared into those amber eyes like a kicked wolf cub.

Watching them,River did a mental fist pump.

"I-I -" Wolfram stammered; his usually sharp tongue had gone slack.

Raven howled in the background, "He hit his head dumb."

"I think he needs a hot compress, Lord Aithan," River commented solemnly,resting a hand over his chest.

"Can't he heal hims-""

"It was quite a fall!" River interrupted the southern king. "What if he has a concussion?"

"You are right." Aithan picked up the fan from where Wolfram had dropped it and handed it to him."Let's go. I'll prepare it at once.

"I-I-" Wolfram let himself be hauled up to his feet by the latter,still unable to gather his wits. "I mean, I."

Maybe the image of Wolfram crashing down flashed in his mind again. Or maybe he found the way Wolfram was tripping over his own words amusing.

Whatever the reason was,Aithan broke into a wide smile.

And that did Wolfram in.

"I feel faint,"  he said, grasping Aithan's elbow. He swayed on his feet a little.

River watched their retreating backs as Raven continued to wheeze behind him. Aithan had a protective arm around Wolfram's shoulders to steady him,and he leaned his head on Aithan's side to find his balance.

Even though he felt a little guilty about sending his friend flying a few feet, River felt his plan had been a banging success. Warmth spread in his heart, and a smile crept to his face.

Wolfy looks so adorable when he is in love.

His smile widened as his eyes stung. They burned at the rims, and his vision blurred. A lump rose in his throat, and he gulped it down.

I wish I could be, too.

The author is back!

The author hopes you all did not miss me too much!

I don't think I did the scene justice, so maybe there will be minor editing in the future.

The author spent a week editing, so her writing had gone a bit rusty. Forgive me.

Comment and vote!

Einar Ashford