"Are you sure you want to do this, your highness?" The grave man asked the lone figure sitting in the high back chair. The king nodded solemnly as he stared broodingly into the fire. The advisor sighed heavily in disappointment. "You know that this could mean war, your majesty?"
"Yes, I am very aware of the repercussions of my actions, Lord Biron. I made an oath and I will not go back on it." He growled in frustration. It was their fault, stupidly coming here and trying to pawn their children off on him just because he was unwed. He swore that this cursed blood of his would end with him, and he was not going to change his mind just because they wanted him to wed a daughter.
"Then let us not keep them waiting, sire. You must refuse the princess and try to make amends for it." He urged the man who didn't seem keen on moving.
"Why should I make amends? I have never suggested that I wanted a wife, nor have I ever suggested an alliance with their family. We are already friends." The king growled in frustration. In fact, he made a point of not even sleeping with whores and touting that he would die a bachelor.
"It will be considered an insult, and you know it. To be offered a lovely young woman of impeccable bloodlines and the chance to join two very prestigious households... they will think you are mad." He finally grew impatient with his king and growled back. Finally, the king cracked a smile and boomed out his laughter.
"Aye, perhaps I am mad. That is just the problem. Two kings before me have lost their minds, Jeoffry. I'll not risk passing on this curse." It was the first time in ages the two had spoken of it. Lord Biron regretted momentarily bringing up such sorrowful memories.
"I know, sire. Come, let's try to let them down gently shall we?" He smiled at his king and the man huffed and got to his feet. He led the way down the hall and through the turning passages to the Great Hall, where he knew their guests were waiting. The whole family had come for the event from the looks of things.
"Welcome, honoured guests! Welcome to my home. Please come and sit with me at my table. What brings you so far from your home?" The king called jovially, clapping his friend and fellow monarch on the shoulder with familiarity and giving the queen a peck on the cheek in welcome. He waved them to comfortable chairs that had been hastily set up around the fire.
He was surprised as well to see that they had brought the whole family. There were at least three young men and two women with them, all younger than him by at least five years or so. The girls were somewhat shy, but not in a nervous way. Two of the boys were looking around them in a bit of awe, and whispering to each other. The third was staring at him unapologetically when he met his gaze. He tilted his head and smiled at the man.
That seemed to affect the prince, he blinked and raised a brow as he gave the king a curious once-over from head to toe. He could see the prince was calculating something in that brain of his as he made small talk with the parents. Suddenly he felt the conversation shift in a dangerous direction and switched his attention so he might not slip up and agree to anything.
"I see you are still alone, unmarried that is. Have you found no one to settle down with? Start a family? You will need an heir my friend..." The visiting king commented.
"No, I will not be having children. I will adopt a deserving child from my kingdom here to carry on my name instead." He stated firmly. The queen gave a very particular look to her husband and he sighed at the coming storm.
"Are you sure, Alaric? I have two lovely daughters, very well behaved and intelligent, who could join our two families as one. Why don't you marry one of them, hm?" The king tried coaxingly. The girls heard their cue and stepped forward to their father's sides. He was correct, they were lovely if not strikingly beautiful. Each having their father's warm brown hair and their mother's gentle blue eyes.
"Adam, you know I love you and consider you the best of friends. It pains me that I must refuse such a desirable offer. I would not hurt you or your family for the world... but I cannot." His heart grew tight at the disappointment shining in his friend's eyes. He felt cornered, but he knew he could not be swayed in this.
I don't understand. Our families are the best of friends, why would you...?" King Adam began only to be interrupted by one of his sons.
"Father, can't you take a hint? His majesty is gay." The young man declared as he came to stand by his mother. The silence in the room was deafening. It seemed as each person was processing the words just spoken at their own pace, the king in question just watched in silence. The two of them appraised each other, the king coming to a decision of sorts. He was not going to disagree.
He licked his lips and sat back in his seat to see what would come of the outburst. It gave him an out, and was not entirely incorrect. He had been with the other sex in his youth with little interest and no enthusiasm. He had been with his own sex more recently for relief and did not find it unappealing. If he had to say, it would be that either would do and men were preferable. He grinned to himself as his friend started to splutter a bit, an apology fortunately.
"Ah! I had not even considered that. I am so sorry my dear friend. You must feel very put on the spot with all this. Of course my daughters would not suit in that case." He glared at his wife as she started nodding her head and trying to whisper to him. "Hush woman. I'm getting to it..."
"Oh great..." The young prince rolled his eyes and tried to walk away. His mother had grabbed onto his wrist and would not let go.
"That being the case, would you consider one of my sons instead?" King Adam finally got out. The two young men who had been whispering looked over in shock. King Alaric stroked his chin thoughtfully, taking his time to appraise each of the boys carefully.
The smallest had put his hand over his mouth and looked at him rather terrified. Silly boy, he was far too young to even be considered. The one next to him had the crest for the heir apparent on his breast, so must be the eldest. Really what the king meant was would he marry the boy that was being held onto with a death grip by his mother. "Perhaps Prince Damien here?" the queen's soft voice intoned.
Their eyes met again, the boy's were wary this time as he was being considered as a potential candidate now. King Alaric searched them for... what he wasn't sure. Maybe it was what they didn't hold that intrigued him. There was no fear, no disgust, and no haughtiness swimming in their depths. Just some curiosity and maybe a pinch of humour. By getting the king out of his predicament, he had thrown himself into his own. At least he saw the humour in this whole situation.
"What say you, boy? Would you marry a king for your father?" He wanted to see what was going on in that young man's head. The boy looked away, to his father for a moment and then to the pleading look from his mother. He gulped.
"Nay. I'd not do it for my father nor my mother. If I marry a king, it will be because he is worthy and I wish to." He looked back at King Alaric and met his gaze fiercely. His chin had gone up a notch, almost challenging the king. Alaric put his chin in his hand and hid his grin. He had to admit, he rather liked the boy's spirit. He sat thoughtful for a moment.
The room waited in silence. Lord Biron almost looked hopeful as he watched the scene unfold. As the king stroked his chin and flicked his gaze up to the watchful eyes around him, he slowly came to a decision. He slapped his hands gently on the arms and got up from the seat. He approached the young prince with an even gait. The queen let go of him and his gaze flickered to her and then back up to the king who was now only a foot away.
He leaned away with nerves, the king saw his breath quicken as he struggled to hold his gaze up. His eyes were brown like his father's, but lighter like coffee with a touch of cream. His hair was pale blond like his mother's, in complete opposite of his lovely sisters. That did not mean that he was not passing handsome himself. His build was strong, short and stocky like his father's.
"Come and walk with me then, boy. Let's discuss what you consider worthy." A collective sigh seemed to be let out. The prince blinked and nodded. King Alaric motioned for him to join him and walked towards a long gallery that led to the royal gardens. It was silent as they left the room, but they knew that everyone would talk the moment they left.
"This is weird." He heard the boy mumble as the voices began buzzing the second they stepped into the corridor. The boy bit his lip and avoided looking at the large paintings that lined the walls. Until they came to a picture with a young King Alaric, that is, then he stopped to stare. "You look sad in this."
"I wasn't very happy at the time. Not only was my father just executed for killing my mother and eating parts of her, but I was forced to stand there for hours while my advisors asked me to make decisions for my new kingdom." He figured he would get the gruesome history out in the open instead of relying on the whispers that might have happened across the lands.
"So he really did go mad and..." The prince looked at him with a bit of shock. King Alaric nodded gravely.
"As did his father before him. There is a very good chance that I may suffer the same fate. Hopefully not as dramatic and frightening an end as my father. My grandfather just heard voices and walked off a parapet. I think you should know though, should you decide to do this..." He couldn't meet he boy's gaze and walked to the door that opened into the gardens. He threw it open and took a breath of fresh air.
It was slightly chilly out being well into the fall. The last of the blooms clung to the branches of rosebushes and the leaves in the trees had turned all shades of golden and red. A littering of leaves was being raked along the path by a faithful gardener. He smiled at irregular flower beds and pictured his mother sitting in her usual spot by the fountain making daisy chains.
"You are not your father. Just as I am not mine. I am willful and needy sometimes, I avoid my guards, I forget to do my chores, and I can't figure out how they tie this thing around my neck but I hate it." The prince told him frankly. The king laughed, the dark mood partially destroyed by the prince's candor.
"Indeed. I can be arrogant and very stubborn when I think I am not wrong. I don't like working in my office and my lords must chase me about my house to get any paperwork signed. I leave my window open and run a fire even though I know it is wasteful because I like the movement of air. I forget to take off my boots when I come in from outside and it is muddy." He turned with a grin to the smiling prince that had wandered out the door next to him.
"Shocking! Your servants must cringe when they see you coming." The prince joked.
"I hope not. I do try to make sure they are well taken care of." He replied."
Then you are not just a good king, but a good man." The prince said to him without a blink. It warmed his heart just to hear it, let alone be thought of that way.
"I try. I came to my throne at a very young age. Younger than even your brother is now. Your father could have taken advantage of the situation and taken my throne from me, but he did not. He was an important mentor at a time when this kingdom could have fallen to pieces. I consider him the dearest of friends." King Alaric explained.
"Is that why you would marry me? Because my father has asked it of you?" The prince asked.
"It is the only reason I would even consider it. I had sworn an oath that I would never marry and never bear children of my own. I would break half that oath for your father, but only if it is with you. As a man you will never be able to bear my children, nor will you ask me to break the other half of my vow. Besides that, I find you are intelligent, thoughtful, strong willed and perhaps a bit entertaining." The king said with a smirk. The prince scowled.
"You got all that out of our brief interactions? Goodness, I have not made out nearly as much of your character. Here, I will get some help." He wandered over to the poor gardener who was trying not to eavesdrop or be conspicuous. The old man seemed startled at the sudden attention from a young lad as was walking with his king.
"Leave the poor man alone, honestly..." The king chuckled at the boy's antics.
"You there, what is your name?" The prince asked with a smile. The man removed his hat and bowed to the two of them.
"Dick, your majesties." The prince bit his lip to hold in his laughter and turned to King Damian with a smirk.
"Well, Dick my good man, tell me something about your king that I do not already know. I wish to make out his character." He tilted his head as the king shook his head with a raised brow.
"Aye, if it be pleasing his majesty." He looked to his king for permission before proceeding.
"Ah, loyalty, well that tells me something right there." The prince called out to King Alaric. The man just nodded his head, resigned, to his vassal.
"His majesty sneaks sweet rolls to the serving boys at Yuletide." He whispered to the boy so the king couldn't hear him. The prince's eyes widen and sparkle with joy before he breaks out in peals of laughter. The old man blushes fiercely and glances to his king who is watching with interest now.
"I love it. So, tell me my good man, do you think your king is a worthy man? You see, my father wishes me to marry him. I must admit I am inclined to do so, but I only wish to do so if it will make us both happy."
"Tch, might be more likely ta ask if you be worthy my young lad." The old man leveled a stern look at the prince. "More important though be whether or not ya gets along in the bedchamber, if ya gets my meaning." He then put his hat back on and turned away from the blushing boy, going back up the walkway with his rake and taking his wheelbarrow of leaves around the gate.
"Indeed, the old man makes a good point young prince." The king came up behind him as he watched the old man leave them alone. The sound of Alaric's voice made the prince jump and shiver a little bit.
"Well you said you found me entertaining, but does that include pleasing to the eye or merely fun to be with?" The prince looks over his shoulder teasingly. King Alaric reaches forward to card his hand in the soft blond waves that drape his shoulder.
"Both." He responds with a sultry grin. The prince turns towards him, tilting his chin up in challenge and perhaps invitation. One that the king is more than happy to oblige. He leans down and brushes his lips across the prince's gently. His potential suitor sighs at the light touch. The king smiles at the smell of mint and cloves, both spicy and sweet.
"Prince Damien, may I kiss you?" The king asked almost touching his soft lips yet again.
"I thought that was what you were doing?" The prince breathes, trying not to break the moment.
"Oh no, that was just teasing. I mean I want to really kiss you." The king whispers back. The prince nods his head, brushing lips again and barely able to form a thought. "What was that?"
"Yes, your majesty. Please kiss me." He says with a gulp. The king's eyes smolders suddenly with passion and he claims the plump lips before him. A hand is raked into his hair and his head is thrown back forcefully as his tender skin is nibbled, nay devoured really. He gasps from the ferocity of the kiss and loses his breath as Alaric's tongue plunges inside.
His mouth is licked, his bottom lip nipped, his teeth tasted, his tongue coaxed into tangled battle and his hair thrown into disarray in seconds. His body is pressed up against the man's in front of him as he loses his balance and staggers into Alaric's arms with his head spinning. A hand goes to his waist to support him and slides down to grip a firm buttock with strong hands instead.
His front is pressed up against the king so the prince can feel the growing length in his trousers as it brushes up against his own. Attraction, it would seem, would not be a problem for them. Stopping now that they had started, that was the real problem. One they were not very eager to tackle, as evidenced by the king's actions when he lifted the prince into his arms.
Damien's arms went around the man's neck, his fingers burrowing into the dark mahogany locks that spilled over his collar. His legs went about the king's waist as Alaric carried him to a secluded corner of the garden where they might not be so easily spied. There he was pushed against the side of a very large tree and kissed almost senseless once again.
He pushed his hips forward so their torsos might grind together with pleasure. He carded the man's hair, nearly toppling the small gold circlet of his station in his eagerness. He felt warm, firm hands delving below his trousers to seek out the firm, rounded globes of his arse. He was fondled almost roughly and panted into his lover's mouth with passion. He felt the rub of fingers on his pucker and gasped at the thought of being taken right there in the open.
"Oh Goddess of the earth, that feels amazing." He groaned to Alaric ardently. His king chuckled and pressed kisses along his jaw and down his neck. He bit down albeit a little hard, in an effort to distract the boy from his finger roughly thrusting through the outer ring of his arse. Damien cried out loudly, tears welling in his eyes as his neck was lapped at and his hole massaged to soothe him.
"What say you now, my sweet boy? Am I worthy? Will you have me?" He growled against the soft skin, teething the flesh until it bruised beneath him.
"I believe you will be having me, my king." He purred back to him. It may have been playing with fire, but the burn was so good he couldn't resist. He arched as another finger was forcibly thrust inside him, hitting his head against the rough bark without noticing. He tried to breathe through the sting as his walls were massaged from the inside. He felt the fingers pulling and stretching the delicate skin as though he was preparing for entry.
Would the king take him then and there? His heart raced at the thought of it. His parents were just on the other side of those stone walls and great wooden door. Along with dozens of serving staff, guards, lords and ladies of the court. The riskiness of the whole scene was frightfully dangerous and had them both terribly hot at the thought of it. What if they got caught!?
"Goddess forgive me. Are you a virgin boy?" The king growled at him. He was almost ashamed to say it, but shook his head no. That seemed to be the right answer though, surprisingly enough. He was dropped down onto his back on the long grass and his shoes, stockings and trousers were wrestled from his legs. With only his own trousers pulled down to his knees, Alaric pulled his legs up over his shoulders and pressed in.
"Ah f*ck!" Damien cried out, blushing from the crude language that spilled from his lips and tearing up from the sheer size of the man above him. He may not be untried, but he may as well have been for the good it did him accepting such a big man. Playing with the footmen in his own castle was not nearly the same as being taken on the grass by a fully developed man. A hand flew to his mouth to silence any further outbursts.
Alaric realised quickly that the boy was tight still, and slowed his movements. He kissed away the tears on the prince's face. He murmured sweetly to him and waited for a smile and nod from the sexy young lad beneath him. Then he moved again inside him. He pumped himself shallowly and then pounded deep within the hot, tight pucker of his intended. They panted at the friction and Damien grabbed tight to his majesty's tunic as his stomach coiled in anticipation.
They kissed hard, Alaric slid in deep, and they lost themselves there in the back of the garden under a tree. When he pulled away, it was with some relief to see that the prince had narrowly missed coating both their tunics in his seed. Some had smeared on his shirt, but that could be hidden. The king gallantly used his handkerchief to clean his lover's body and helped him back into his fine clothes.
"You never did answer me, Prince Damien." The king murmured as they straightened their clothes. The prince grinned at him.
"Didn't I? I thought I did?" He teased him. King Alaric growled and grabbed him from behind.
"Nay, you did not. Now tell me. Will you or wont you marry me?" He nipped at the delicate earlobe of the sweet boy before him.
"Aye, my king. I will marry you."