Disclaimer: Do not own, did not happen, pure fiction and smut.
The Story:
They each lost thought and succumbed only to their natural instincts, their bodies speaking through movements.
His hands, first dormant, then slowly seeking, grip him tightly now, massaging flesh and stroking muscle. Again, there! Adam nearly sighs into Hunter's mouth as the lord's fingers thread through his dark curls with a slight tug that is reminiscent to his brother's handling. He clutches tighter at the man and presses his body ever closer.
With his eyes closed, Hunter draws in the scantily clad body closer, relishing in the smooth, warm skin. Sharp points and hard lines that could only be ribs are ignored. Because Hunter�s hands only want to know the areas that have more soft mass than others. Because Adam responds better to these parts. Tolerate
Over and over, Adam runs his fingers through the soft, downy blond hair. He ruffles Hunter�s hair quite thoroughly, but the lord enjoys this too much to suddenly stop. His current companion is no expert at kissing, Hunter soon realizes, but that only spurs him further. He remembers the first kiss he�s shared with Davey, that fresh, innocent way they met with mouths and tongues. The insecurity Davey showed, his nervousness, his need to be reassured. This reminded Hunter of exactly that, only. . .
Only, the timid and shy creature that had been his Davey, was now an eager and very willing participant. Where Hunter�s hands were, Adam�s hands copied and mirrored exactly. His mouth was a little too eager and several times his tongue fumbled, but his lust only grew and threatened to overtake Hunter�s own.
One minute Hunter was standing, the next he lay flat on his back. They never broke. He only knew they fell on the bed from the slight bounce they both made. But it was this change that made Hunter crack open his eyes. Davey was never this sluttish. Who was this rubbing his nearly bare crotch against Hunter? Whose hands were running wildly up and down his stomach, stopping only to rub insistently at each nipple in turn?
Low-lidded blazing blue eyes met his own, piercing down to his soul without realizing what they saw. Hunter recognized the glazed look of overflowing lust, but to see it in the eyes of the Holy man, Adam, was completely unnerving.
�Adam?� Hunter pulled back briefly. His head swivelled back and forth to avoid Adam as he followed with his hot, pursed lips. �Adam? What�s going on? What�s happened to you? Why are you doing this?�
�I see with eyes,� came the low mutter against Hunter�s neck. A wet, moist flick of a rough tongue, �I see now with hands. Hunter, you want this?� a hard grind of hips and two sets of moans,� Yes. You�ve wanted this for so long. Since you first saw me.� a nip on the collar bone and fingers digging into hips, �I offer this. I offer myself to you. I am no longer my god�s temple. I am no longer pure. I am nothing but a wretch of a man. Take me, I beg you.� Hunter isn�t sure but he thinks the wetness on his neck and shoulder are not only from Adam�s saliva, but tears also.
�Adam?� Hunter tries once more, �But, why�?� He breaks off as Adam�s still-strong hand plunges into his pants and gently strokes. The rest of his sentence turns into something of a whine and moan. Davey. Davey did that. Davey had the ability to turn Hunter into a puddle of goo with a few simple strokes of hand or tongue, on any location on his body.
And now his thoughts turn to his consort once more. Davey, soon to be gone, off to Lodd. Off to leave Hunter alone in a cold bed. No Davey to snuggle next to, no Davey to talk to late at night. No Davey to wake up next to, no raven locks to push out of his face with snorts and fits of coughing. No Davey in the kitchens. . . no Davey to sneak up on and grope from behind. . . no Davey and his radiant smile. . .
Hunter looked down and realized he�d been in thought for too long. Long enough, in fact, for Adam to splay open his trousers and begin nuzzling Hunter�s hip and the trail of blond hair leading down.
Adam. Here was the man Hunter sometimes envisioned at intimate moments. Not the fact that he was Jade�s prisoner, but simply his eyes. His cold blue eyes. Here Adam was now willing to become Hunter�s sex slave. He was giving himself up to Hunter.
It did not matter that Jade most definitely had this well before he did. It did not matter that Adam was emaciated and looking like death himself. That could be remedied soon enough. What mattered was that Adam was giving up his vows, his faith, his true virginity to Hunter. And Hunter was shocked to see that deep down, and despite whatever moral standings he swore upon, he could very definitely take it.
*****************************
�. . .An� the Fucker acts like. . . and he said. . . no, fucker dinnent say nuthin�. . . just sat there. . .� Jade whispered this last, too tired to go on.
Davey blinked. He looked from side to side with wide, brown eyes and wondered what he should do. What COULD he do? This was simply. . .
�Stupid.� He said out loud, shaking his head. And when his eyes turned back to Jade, they were cynical and slightly amused. �This is completely stupid. This, Davey, is what you get for trying to talk to a completely sloshed drunk.� He sighed and stood. He turned his back and went back to cleaning up after the dishes.
For half an hour, Jade spoke in hesitant, slow bursts of nonsense speech that did not connect with anything else. He told his tale, all right, but Davey had no idea what exactly the problem was, and who it involved. Jade seemed so distressed about what happened that he simply could not bring himself to say the man�s name aloud. And the frog. Something Jade ranted on about for hours. Said the frog made lots of sense.
Davey paused, then shook his head grinning. No, impossible. Frogs didn�t talk. Perhaps. . . yes, perhaps it was a man with a frog tattoo? Someone Jade knew intimately? Some one he called Fucker? Adrian?
Davey�s lips twisted in distaste. Those two. . . together, Jade and Adrian would make great. . . business. . . partners, but trying to picture them in bed was. . . not happening. No, Davey, no, don�t go there. Bad thoughts, bad thoughts.
�Fucking sinner.� Davey paused, ears perking. That. That was what Jade was saying, also. Sinner? Who was that? No none around here cared too much about religion, that was for sure.
Davey�s hands continued wiping the counter for several minutes before enough of the broken links could piece together inside his mind. The glue: Adam. Davey froze suddenly, heart beginning to pound. �Adam?� he whispered aloud.
Jade moaned, bent over in his lap, ready to use the bucket before him at any moment. �Yes,� he said painfully, �Adam. Adam the whore. Now he is Adam the tainted. The. . . sinner. . . of. . .of. . .� He stopped trying to speak and upturned his stomach.
Davey turned and stared at Jade�s back as he heaved. �Adam? What happened to Adam?� But he wasn�t going to get an answer any time soon. He thought back to the random things Jade had said. Most were simply too puzzling to remember, but there were odd phrases that stuck with Davey.
�I love �im.� �That. . . gorgeous. . .� �About MY mother! Showed �im. Showed tha� fucker.� �Do anything fer him, I would. Hic! An� he wants ter kill me!�
�Yes, I should have known,� Davey whispered, jaw clenching too tight, �I should have known. God, I should have known.� he threw his apron down on the counter and began to jog out of the room. He threw a deadly glare at a now upright Jade. �If you hurt him, you bastard, I�ll kill you.� Then Davey was gone out of the kitchen, hurrying to get to the North wing and to Adam.
Jade rolled his eyes. �Hell. E�erybody�s tryin� ta do that. Gotta find sumpthin� new, doll face. That gets old fast.� He slumped back in his chair and let his eyes slip closed.
********************************
Hunter pulled Adam back up again before he could set mouth to manhood. �Adam,� Hunter whispered, but could say no more once their eyes locked. �Adam.�
�Hunter.� Adam responded aloud, but it was his eyes that really answered. They said: You want this. I want this. Let us do this as soon is we can. Let�s not waste another minute.
And Hunter�s said: I want you. I need you. Always wanted this, always wanted you.
Adam gave a desperate cry and met Hunter�s lips again in a passionate kiss that reached to their souls and gripped their desires in iron-clad fists. Temptation was a bitch, but heaven to give in.
Hunter lowered his grip on Adam�s shoulders to his thighs. Gently but fiercely he pulled them open over to either side of his waist. With relish, he pulled the scrap of cloth out of the way and drank in the sight of the bare body on top of him. Adam�s red tipped and eager member stood at attention and waiting for any bit of Hunter�s attention. And he was more than willing to give it.
�Fuck me.� The words bit out like acid, like nothing so delicate and pure. �Fuck me, Hunter.� Now dead weight in the air between them. Hunter looked up in shock. This wasn�t what he had expected, was it? Fucking, not making love. Hunter immediately felt his resolve leak out of him, making his half-stiff member go limp with defeat.
He couldn�t do this. What was he thinking? What was he doing? And with ADAM! How could he? And. . . what about Davey?
The thought of his consort brought him to a new shock. Davey. . .
He�d thought of his lover several times throughout this interlude, but never REALLY thought. Davey. . .
*******
Davey ran up the stairs and down the hall, soft boots barely making a sound and breath coming in gulps. It was the only door open. It was the only door that Davey had not had the curiosity to peer into: Jade�s chambers.
He pulled up to the doorway and. . . froze. Well, not actually. His speedy haste caused him to stumble, but then he froze. His jaw dropped, then shut with a snap that was unheard by the two writhing on the bed.
One dark head, one blond. He stared hard, trying to understand what was going on. That was Adam, of course. And that was Hunter, yes, but what were they doing together? Was Hunter trying to give Adam air? Was he suffocating? If so, why was Adam laying on top?
Finally, the full impact of their taboo act sparked in Davey�s mind. He gasped silently and took a step back. No, no, he was not seeing this. This. . . this. . . was not happening. Noooo. . .
His breath hitched and his eyes watered. �Hunter. . .� he said weakly. Neither head turned in his direction. It was as if he didn�t existed. He watched as Hunter spread Adam�s thighs and moved aside the cloth over his erection.
�Fuck me,� the guttural, rasping voice of the once Holy Adam, �Fuck me, Hunter.�
He can�t believe he just heard that. He can�t believe this is happening.
Davey took another step back, then another. His hand covered his mouth to silence the strangled whimper that tried to escape his lips. He continued until he felt the stone threshold hit his shoulder. Frantically, Davey moved until he was hidden by the wall, head back and pressed to the stone. Tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes, drying quickly on the heat of his skin.
He heard moans now, whimpers. The sound of their sex filling the room and flowing out into the empty hall. Then, a new sound quickly cut all the others out. He realized then it must have been the wet smack of their lips pulling apart.
�Adam, no.� Hunter�s voice was urgent, serious. �We can�t.� Davey�s heart skipped a beat. What was this? He stopped and moved to lean his right shoulder to the wall, ear listening intently.
�What?� Adam�s dry whisper.
�I said,� and here, a muffled sound of cloth and the creak of the bed, �we can�t. I can�t.�
A long pause. Inside the room, Adam sat staring at Hunter in disbelief. Did he just push him off? �Why not?� Adam gave a half smile, eyes low lidded in amusement and sarcasm. �You want this, I want this. I�m no longer my god�s temple. I am no longer pure. I am. . . just. . . just a man. I can do whatever I please. And this, this pleases me.� He spoke softly and moved closer, practically jumping into Hunter�s arms.
But again, Hunter held him at bay. He grasped his wrists and pushed him gently but firmly away. �I said no.� Hunter growled. �I can�t. I won�t. I don�t know what brought this on, Adam, but I can�t.� Adam watched in quiet wonder as Hunter now smiled softly, his tone becoming peaceful. �It�s true, I do desire you. I probably will for a long time. But I love Davey. And Davey loves me. And right now, that�s just about the greatest thing in my life. Better than being a king, better than owning all my lands. Better than anything I could ever imagine. I�m sorry Adam, but I can�t love anyone but Davey.�
Adam glared. �I�m not asking for love, Hunter. I�m asking for�. . .�
�No,� Hunter shook his head, �I know what you�re asking for, Adam. But to me, it�s the same. When I do it, it�s like giving a part of my soul to someone. For the space of seconds at a time, two people are one. There�s no one I�d rather be one with than Davey. He�s the other part of my soul. I can�t. I�m sorry.� He released Adam�s hands and watched carefully, unsure of what would happen now that the lust-crazy holy man was free.
Adam watched Hunter, looking as if Hunter would suddenly laugh at his own words then they could go back to their earlier activities. But when Hunter did no such thing, Adam frowned. He looked away, staring vacantly into space.
�You,� he said at last, �y-you. . . won�t lay with me?� His voice was soft in disbelief.
�No.�
Adam turned blazing, violent eyes at Hunter, mouth twisted in hate. �Then what good are you? Get out. Out!� He stood on shaking feet and pulled Hunter to his own. �Get OUT!� Adam yelled fiercely and gave the lord a weak shove. Hunter staggered and looked back at Adam, shock revealed in his gaping mouth.
�Adam?� Hunter asked quietly, then quickly stepped back out of the prisoner�s reach as he tried swiping at him.
�OUT!� Face contorted in fury, hands gnarled like a beast, the possessed monster with cold blue eyes swore so loudly, so thickly Hunter was glad he couldn�t understand what Adam was saying. He quickly turned and started out the door, making sure to re-do his pants back up.
*************************
Davey heard Adam�s first shout and knew Hunter would come out and find him listening in. He didn�t want that. He didn�t want Hunter to know he had heard any of their exchange.
Quickly, he ran back down the hall and turned around. He counted to four, then began walking briskly toward the doorway. Halfway there and Hunter himself came out. Davey saw he took no notice of Davey�s reddened eyes, his hands had quickly wiped any sign of moisture when he ran, but was blushing badly. Most likely from not only his guilt, but his still raised passion that was only too evident through his pants. Davey saw this but made no point to comment.
�Davey�,� Hunter began, seeming about to explain. But Davey cut him off.
�Hunter!� He gave a sigh of relief, �There you are! Jade, he�s stinking drunk. He keeps calling for you. I didn�t know what to do.�
Hunter straightened. �Jade? Where?�
�The kitchen.� Davey said.
Hunter paused, glancing quickly behind him at the open door. �Er, Davey, Adam�s a little distraught. He might be a little confused. Jade�s had him locked up for a while and. . .� He looked carefully at Davey, who schooled his expression blank. Hunter sighed, taking hold of Davey�s shoulders gently. �Davey, if he tried to ask you for something. . . just remember, he�s been through quite a bit. He might not be rational yet. He needs a physicker, and food. Yes, food definitely. I. . . I�ll go see about Jade. I�ll send the physicker as soon as I can. We. . . we�ll talk later.�
With a quick peck to Davey�s cheek, he quickly strolled down the hall and out of sight. Davey inhaled deeply, then walked stiffly into the room.
Adam lay on a rumpled and torn blanket atop the bed. By the scraps of cloth barely floating down, and the strips of blanket clenched in his fists, it was clear Adam had recently just done the damage. His back was hunched, curving his entire body into a ball that shuddered briefly now and then as if in aftershocks of his rage.
�Adam.� Davey said quietly. He stopped a good distance away. He almost didn�t want to come any closer. Didn�t want to see the face of the man that had nearly tried to break his and Hunter�s lives apart.
Adam froze. He seemed to be thinking hard, face still hidden against himself. �Davey?� he asked faintly.
�Yes, Adam,� Davey said, bitterness dripping in his voice. �How goes it? Said your prayers lately?�
Adam pulled up slowly and looked at Davey. Their eyes met, cold blue to warm, smoldering brown. Whatever happened not ten minutes earlier, whatever Davey wanted to do to this man, was not so much as completely forgotten but simply pushed aside. Adam wore an expression Davey couldn�t ignore once he saw it.
�Adam?� Davey asked quietly. His brow creased in worry.
The expression was hopeless despair. It was the expression one had when they were finally broken.
Davey took a step forward in the silence. Adam hadn�t reacted to Davey�s voice or sympathetic expression, but began to scramble back on the bed when the other took another step closer.
�No!� Adam cried out hoarsely. �No! Go away! I don�t want you near. I don�t you coming close! Go away!�
But Davey shook his head. �I don�t think so.� he swallowed thickly. �I�m just as much a man as Hunter. Why can�t I satisfy you? Why can�t I give you what you want?� The question was innocent and devoid of malignance.
Adam blinked rapidly and stopped moving back. Davey took this as acceptance of his company and sat down at the edge of the bed, now only a little over arm�s reach away. He sat staring at Adam calmly, expecting an answer.
Adam swallowed, his long neck showing the movement clearly. �I. . .� he tried again, this time his voice almost sounding normal again, �I need. . . not you. Never you. Please, Davey, don�t stay here. Please go.�
Davey shook his head. �Not until I know what�s happened. Jade�s drunk, in my kitchen, rambling about how much he lo�. ..� Davey stopped. Better let Jade reveal that part. It wasn�t Davey�s secret to confess. �I mean, about strange things. About someone hurting him, so he hurt them back. And a frog. A talking frog, but I think he was just talking nonsense about that. Or. .. Was he?� Davey looked around curiously.
�N-no,� Adam shook his head slowly, never taking his eyes off the server, �no frog. He. . . he. . .� Adam looked down at his lap and began straightening the cloth back over his private. �Jade. . . he. . . well, he had me chained to that wall over there.� he pointed to the wall with the freshly hammered metal rings in the space between the large stones. �And. . . we got to talking. He talked mostly. And. . . then I said something to get him mad. Davey. . . god, I can�t tell you this!� He cried out in shame and covered his face with both large, bony hands.
Davey scooted over and gently put a hand to his forearm, squeezing reassuringly. �Yes, you can, Adam. I am your friend. I will understand. You can�t let something like this stay bottled up inside you. You need to let it out. Tell me, and I�ll see what I can do. If this is what I think it is, then there�s definitely something we can do. Don�t give up yet.� While he talked, Davey gently pulled Adam�s hands down until they held his own in his lap. Adam�s face was still etched in pain and couldn�t meet Davey�s eyes, but he spoke on.
�He was taking me.� Adam whispered the unclean act as if the devil himself might hear and take an interest, �Over by the wall. I was chained. He had me sitting on him. Davey. . . oh, lords, Davey! It should have felt like any other time. Like nothing but rape. . . something horrid. But. . . but this was. . . different. This time, something happened. I remember. . . he put his hand on my. . . my. . . and he kept. . .� He couldn�t speak. The memory of the act had struck him dumb. To demonstrate what he meant, Adam took one of Davey�s hands and rubbed it up and down Davey�s thigh.
Davey took the hint and stopped him, nodding. �Okay, I understand. And what happened? Did you. . . did your body. . . react?�
Face burning in shame and self loathing. �Yes,� he whispered hoarsely. Now he glanced up, meeting Davey�s eyes for brief seconds at a time. �Yes, I did. And it was. . . was just. . .� He shook his head and tried again. �I�ve felt that way before, once or twice. I was in solitary confinement for a year before I met Jade. When I felt like that, it felt like I was in touch with God. GOD, Davey. He chose me. He chose that time to reach out to me, to speak with me. It was then that I knew my life was laid bare before me. I was a man of the order. There was no other life for me. Jade. . . h-he made me. . . he made me experience that, just awhile ago. He made me close to God.�
A deep shudder ran through him and made his lips tremble so that when he spoke next, he sounded on the verge of tears. �D-Davey, he made me sin. He made me spill what I was not meant to, what was vowed to Him alone. I spilled seed. I am unclean. I am no longer pure. My very thought has turned wicked. I. . .� his eyes clenched shut and his jaw worked tightly, �I propositioned Hunter. H-he turned me down, of course, but I did it anyway. Davey I�m sorry.�
To Adam�s surprise, Davey nodded. �I know. I. . . I saw. I heard. Everything. And. . . I�m very angry, yes. But, I think I can handle it.� Davey didn�t look up. In fact, his eyes never left his lap, where they examined his nails, while he spoke. �I mean, I heard Hunter say no. And I know, well, I think I know why you did it. . .� He sighed and looked up, glaring at Adam. �But Hunter is not a substitute for Jade, Adam. No man is. The only one who can please you is the one who makes you feel that way. You l-l-l. . . well, you liked the way he made you closer to your god, right? Well I can tell you now, it won�t be the same with anyone else. You won�t feel that way again. You�ll just feel used.�
Adam pulled his hands back and shook his head. �No. I don�t want that with him. Not him. Never. I�ll kill him before he lays another hand on me.� The absolute conviction in his eyes was enough to tell Davey he wasn�t getting anywhere along this vein. So he simply nodded and stayed quiet, thinking of how to go on next.
Adam peered closely at Davey, puzzlement forming on his face. �D-Davey?�
�Yes?�
�Y-y-you. . . and Lord Hunter. . . you�re lovers.�
Davey smiled. �I thought that was apparent by now, Adam.�
�Yes, but. . .� Adam looked from side to side, up and down, anywhere but at Davey. Finally, he frowned at Davey�s hands. �H-how can you. . . how can you let him do those things to you? It. . . it hurts. It. . . it isn�t natural.�
Davey tilted his head in contemplation. �Hmm, no, I suppose it isn�t. There aren�t any ancient tales about men wedding men, are there? No tales about a king with make lovers. No romance songs where a man is desperately in love with his cook. His male cook, anyway. But. . . It�s Hunter. And I love him. I suppose I already knew I loved him before he bedded me. I loved him the very first time I. . . no, no I didn�t. Actually, the first time I ever met him, I was terrified shitless. Me just being a teenager then. Nineteen I was. Then, he would just happen by the kitchen, grabbing something to eat, something to drink, or maybe just to chat late at night when everyone else was asleep.
�And. . . yes, it does hurt at times. The first time. . . I felt like I was being split in two. I couldn�t sit properly the next day. But. . . After that, I got used to it. I got used to loving and being loved by a man. Why? Because of Hunter. Because I love him and want him to be happy. This makes him happy, so I do it. Adam, being pure has nothing to do with. . .�
�Yes it does!� Adam cried out, suddenly standing. �Purity has to do with EVERYTHING! Do you realize I can never go to heaven? I can never face my God knowing what I�ve done? What I�m willing to keep doing? My life is a waste, that�s what he said. Jade. He said my life was a waste. It is now. I can�t go to the clearing at the end of my life�s path. I�ll burn in hell surely.� he turned away, fists clenched at his sides.
Davey shot up, just as angry. �So, what, am ~I~ going to hell? Am ~I~ going to burn with all the rest? Because I�m not a man of your faith? Because I bend over, let a man do what he should to a woman, and love him for it?�
Adam looked back in horror. �No! No, that�s not what I meant! You�re not. . . that is. . . you can�t! You�re. . . innocent. You�re still. . .� but he stopped, shaking his head.
Davey smiled and nodded, sadly. �See? I lead a plain life, Adam. I don�t hurt anyone, I don�t cause anyone harm. I don�t steal, and outside of the bedroom, I hardly curse fowl words. And that�s only when Hunter likes. . . uhm,. . . well, anyway, I�m relatively a nice person, I think. And I don�t think I�m going to hell for falling in love with someone who�d give up everything in his life for me. I�m not going to hell for love, and neither are you.�
Adam frowned. �I�m not in love. I�m. . . Lord, I�m like a dog come to heat. It�s not love.�
Davey gave a faint smile. �Are you sure?�
*********************************
Hunter stepped into the kitchen and found Jade napping in the same position as we left him. He looked his brother over, noted the bucket nearly half-full, and found another chair to pull over. But not close. Already the stench from Jade�s puke was starting to set in.
�Jade,� Hunter said, then repeated the name until the man groaned awake.
�Wha-? Whazzit?� He peered about through slit eyes. He spotted Hunter and moaned. �Aww, fuck. What the hell d�ya want now? Am I not bee�haven? Gonna fuckin� lock me up fer gettin� drunk?� He was about to lean back and descend to sleep when his head shot back up. �Shit, I didn�t try anything with Davey, did I?�
Hunter smiled boyishly. �No.�
�Good,� Jade said, ��cause I woulda wanted to remember that.�
Hunter lost his grin and kicked Jade�s leg sharply. �Ow! What the hell Hunter?� Jade sat up again, glaring.
�Listen, you dumbass,� Hunter said, then sighed. �Look, I spoke with Adam. He�s. . . a little distraught. You want to tell me what�s going on? The last time I saw you drunk was years ago, when. . .�
�When I lost that stupid dog.� Jade muttered. �Shit, that was. . . what? When I was twelve? Damn. I haven�t gotten drunk in front of you since then? Shit.� He frowned, then shook his head sadly. After a moment, he smiled widely. �Hey, you remember that time when I got YOU drunk? Remember, when you woke up in the barn without any pants?�
Hunter grimaced. �God, that poor farmer. Still has no idea why there was a naked boy in his barn that early in the morning. Think he remembers me?� Hunter shifted nervously, blushing to his roots.
Jade sniggered. �Maybe. But no chance that girl would remember you. She can�t remember all the guys who pay for her services.�
Hunter�s jaw dropped open in shock. �Is that why I never saw her again? Because she was a whore? Jade, you bought me a whore for my sixteenth birthday?�
Jade chuckled until he groaned, putting his hands to his head. When he was capable, he grinned at Hunter. �I was just lookin� after my little brother, you know. Gotta make sure he grows up right.�
Hunter sneered. �Right. Like when you told me to eat the brown things the horse left on the ground, right about when I was five. Were you looking out for me then? Or how about when I was seven and you tried to sell me to the fur traders? How about then? Or when I was fourteen and you put razors and tiny pieces of glass inside my chunk of soap?�
By now, Jade was laughing so hard his face was bright pink and he was clutching his stomach. He breathlessly held up a hand, telling Hunter no more. �Ahhh, Lords! I forgot about all that! But, Hunt, it was completely all your fault.�
�MY fault?� Hunter bristled angrily.
�Yes!� Jade smiled. �If you hadn�t been such a little do-gooder, always doing what you�re told, always being the good son, I wouldn�t have done that, any of it. I even would have taken you with me on some of my many and glorious adventures.�
Hunter glared. �I begged you to! Remember when you went on that late night expedition through the berry fields? I asked, pleaded, to go too. It wouldn�t be dangerous, we both knew, but you argued that I was too young. I was ten. When I was thirteen, I was still too young. Same thing you said when I was fifteen, and then. . . you left for good. You left me behind, like you always did.� Silence grew between them and Hunter was the first to look away.
Jade cleared his throat. �Yeah, well, someone had to stay home for dear old dad. You were always better suited to be his heir. Besides, look where my little adventures took ME! I�m a wanted man everywhere I go. Everyone knows me, everyone knows everything about me. It�s what I wanted. I wanted to be famous, remember?�
�Of course I remember.� In Hunter�s mind, a little snippet of a memory began to unfold.
*****************
�Whatcha gonna do out there?� Young Hunter asked.
�I don�t know.� Jade answered, not much older than his little half-brother, �but whatever I do, I�ll tell you one thing: I�m gonna be famous. People are gonna know my name. Jade. They�ll say it with awe, with respect. They�ll know me, and they�ll love me.� He smiled and finished stuffing his bag and began tying a knot.
Hunter jumped off the bed and stood his ground. �Take me with you. I wanna get some respect, too.�
Jade chuckled darkly. �You don�t need it, baby brother. You�ll get that when you�re king.�
�But,� Hunter said sadly as he followed Jade to the window, �YOU�RE going to be king! Not me!�
Jade looked back, dark eyes made gloomier by the dark night outside. �No, Hunt, I�m not. You are. Dad�s not going to like what I�m about to do, but I gotta do it. I gotta live my life like I gotta. You stay here, be king, do what father says. You�ll get respect here, where it�s safe.� And after a paused, he turned and fled out the window.
*****************
Jade must have remembered that night too. He grunted and smiled sadly at Hunter. �Well, I�m famous, that�s for sure. Just don�t think people like me much.�
They grunted and smiled faintly, and sat in silence for a while longer.