Disclaimer: Fiction. Never happened.
The story:
Dinner was unusually quiet. A disturbing quiet. A lonely quiet. A disturbingly lonely qu-
�My Lord?�
Hunter blinked dazed eyes and looked up. The substitute cook, Gwen, stood at his side holding the ladle over the beef stew questioningly. Hunter straightened and nodded. He watched her pour two full scoops into his bowl. Davey would fill his bowl to the brim, also. Hunter stared deep into the contents of his bowl, envisioning his far off love in the depths of its meaty wholesomeness.
Adam arched a brow. This was the first time he�d been allowed to eat anywhere other than his cell or Jade�s room. And at the Lord�s table no less! It had been Lord Hunter to command Adam�s presence at the table, referring to him as the Royal Clergy. (This caused Adam to glance toward Dexter but the serving man refused to meet his eyes.)
So Adam sat to Hunter�s right while Jade sat across and two chairs down, glaring at Adam when he wasn�t glaring at his grieving brother. Jade only rarely attended dinner at the great hall, usually choosing to eat his dinner in the kitchen where he could openly leer at Davey as he worked. However, tonight he sat two seats down from Adam, five seats from Hunter and one seat from Armenia in the other direction.
Jade absently began shoveling stew into his mouth, alternating with drinks from his cup. His eyes never left the two. The jealousy was scrawled across his face for all to see but he said nothing and no one said anything to him. That was until Armenia glanced up.
She noted, firstly, her husband�s stillness. Usually, he ate with such gusto he needed several napkins to clean himself up. Also, by now he should have been calling for seconds, secretly reaching out to give his toy a scandalous squeeze before he could get away. She then looked to his side, noting the holy man wasn�t eating but rather pushing his food around his bowl and glancing nervously at Hunter.
Armenia looked at Jade. She couldn�t see his expression but could tell by the hunch of his shoulders and his violent stabs at a nearly empty bowl that he wasn�t a very happy sadist.
Adam stopped moving his spoon around and turned to Hunter. �My Lord? Lord Hunter?� When he got no response, he reached out and gently settled a hand on Hunter�s forearm. �My Lord?� He gave a gentle squeeze.
This seemed to shake him awake. Hunter inhaled deeply and looked from the hand on his arm to Adam himself. �Yes?�
Adam slowly took his hand away. He frowned thoughtfully and full of concern. �My Lord, you�re not eating.�
Hunter looked down at his full bowl as if for the first time and seemed startled. �Oh? Well. . . hmmm. That�s. . . odd. I suppose I haven�t much of an appetite.� He sighed and pushed his untouched spoon further away.
�Lord Hunter,� Adam paused, unsure if it was his place to speak further.
Hunter looked up, eyebrows raised. �Hmm? What�s that?�
Adam swallowed and glanced up. Davey was his friend. Davey would have wanted him to take care of Hunter while he was away. Wouldn�t do to have innocent, sweet Davey to come home early only to attend to his lover in a sickbed. So Adam screwed up his courage.
�My Lord,� Adam said sternly, deadly serious, �I think you should eat.�
Hunter stared at him for several moments. Slowly, he blinked twice, then nodded. �Okay.� He reached for the spoon and began eating slowly, thoughtfully.
Adam relaxed. That was a relief. He wasn�t sure if Hunter was going to�
And Adam�s thoughts froze when he glanced up. Two other people were now staring at him with two different expressions. Jade was still glowering, but now he stopped bothering to pretend to be eating. His eyes flickered from Adam�s hand to Hunter�s arm, then back up at their faces. Beyond him, Lady Armenia was watching all three with such an intense curiosity beyond her steepled hands that Adam became more frightened of her than Jade. There was no telling what sort of evil, cunning thoughts a woman was capable of conjuring, especially one like Armenia.
Armenia�s eyes narrowed as they refocused back on her husband. This was. . . bearable. The idiot was too lost in his own sorrow that he was nearly oblivious to his surroundings. Good. No, GREAT. Now, what to do about that little annoying pest beside him? Leaving Adam with Hunter was going to mean trouble. She needed to get the holy man. . . scratch that, the Royal Clergy, out of the picture. Her eyes flickered to the side. Her answer was now just pushing back his chair, intent on the two at the other end of the table.
Armenia reached out and grabbed Jade by the arm, yanking him down before he could fully stand. Angry, he threw her a glare to freeze hell and tried to wrestle free. �Knock it off, Jade, you�re making a scene.� Armenia hissed low.
�Me?� Jade demanded, hissing back. �I�M making a scene? What about those two? Touching each other and talking soft like lovers! They might as well throw the dishes aside and start fucking on the table!�
�Jade!� Armenia forgot her plans and colored.
�Hunter might was well spread his legs!� Jade continued, turning hateful, anguished eyes back to the other two. �Adam should go ahead and use the fucking tongs as--�
�That�s enough!� Armenia cut him off immediately. She had no wish to know just what obscene things Jade could do with tongs. Her mind hurt trying NOT to envision. �Honestly, Jade, I don�t see what you�re so upset about! Didn�t he try to kill you?�
Jade frowned, turning back to her. �How. . . how did you know that?�
Armenia paused, then waved off his question. �A Lady must know all within her domain and the guard that night is a terrible gossip. So? Why bother whether he�s Hunter�s new pin cushion or not?�
Her words did what she wanted them to. Jade�s hands gripped the table tightly, his knuckles turning white, and he inhaled sharply. �I knew it. I knew the bastard had him. It was the only way. The only way he�d set him free. Davey probably doesn�t even know. Probably thinks his lover is safe with his friend, thinking they�ll keep out of each other�s pants until he returns, the poor fool. Poor, beautiful fool.� The anger and resentment began to leak out of Jade until his last sentence ended in a whisper.
This would not do. Armenia needed Jade angry. She needed him so emotionally unbalanced he wouldn�t be able to think clearly. She thought a moment, then nearly smiled. �Yes, Adam IS beautiful.�
Jade�s eyes glazed as he looked at the man in question. �Yeah,� he said, voice far away, �yeah, beautiful.�
�Those dark rings of hair,� she continued, voice tempting and gentle at the same time, �so soft they slip through fingers. His eyes. . .�
�Yes, his eyes.� Jade agreed but didn�t go further.
�Yes, his eyes,� Armenia continued, eyeing Jade carefully, �eyes that are the bluest of winter ice. Blue that�s crystal clear like. . .�
�The ocean.� Jade finished softly and exhaled a quiet, desperate sigh.
Armenia waited, letting the fantasies unfurl within Jade�s sick and twisted mind. When she was sure she�d given him enough time, she leaned close, just inches from his ear, and whispered, �Too bad he�s busy fucking Hunter to fuck you.�
Jade�s eyes widened and his entire body stiffened. There it was! Direct confirmation! He�d been simply going on his over-active imagination, but there! That voice. . . who was it? Not his own, that was for sure. Didn�t they just say Adam was fucking Hunter? Yes, they did!
Jade couldn�t believe it. He�d been betrayed. His heart had been torn in two and trampled by a stampede of wild horses. All clear and logical thoughts vacated his mind and left him an empty, hollow shell. Hunter had betrayed him. Took his. . . his what? His prisoner? His plaything? No, Adam was more than that, Jade knew, deep in the heart he�d tried to hide for so many years from so many. . .
Jade shook himself. What the hell? Why was he getting so sappy all of a sudden? Adam was a sure bed-fuck that suddenly got away, that�s all there was to it. Hunter won, Jade lost. And Jade NEVER lost.
His fist encircled his spoon and clenched. He should have been more wary of who was watching him, of who was playing him like a fiddle. Armenia smiled with dark humor and gently lay a hand on his forearm.
�I know what you�re feeling.� She reached up and, with her fingertips on the other side of his jaw, turned his face to her and stared deep into his hate-filled eyes. �And I know what you want. You want him back. So. . . take him.�
Jade glared. �Like it�s that simple. Lady, I think you�re beginning to over-estimate your own capabilities.�
Armenia turned a dark, bewitching look at the end of the table. �My husband is so devastated, he wouldn�t glance twice if you and your. . . enslaved bed partner performed right under his nose.� She paused, considering. �That by all means is not an invitation to do so.�
But already, there was a glint to Jade�s eyes as they focused on Adam once again.
�Like stealing candy from a baby.� He muttered so low, not even Armenia heard. At the other end of the spectrum, and innocent to the heated argument that had just taken place not ten feet away, Adam looked up. He saw Jade�s expression and could help but feel a dark cloud of doom beginning to form once again over his blue sky of freedom.
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Plot? There was a plot? Amidst these tangled skeins unveils a pattern.
********************************
They were treating him like a victim of a new and highly contagious disease. That was fine. That was just perfect. However, it was when they DID remember he existed that made the trip a living hell.
Davey was, of course, delegated the cook whenever they stopped for dinner. Fritch and Smith would hunt when the countryside looked flourishing enough to support an abundance of wildlife, and yet still slightly untamed so that they knew it was unclaimed or neglected lands they trespassed through. Whatever they brought back, Davey gutted, cleaned and prepared with amazing skill, considering he had not brought his amazing kitchen arsenal and was reduced to a single small pan and whatever herbs or plants he found about in the fading light.
These stops were short, just before nightfall to save time while they traveled to Lodd. Nim insisted on it. Ironically, it was time the man needed. He held another man�s life in his bare hands, after all.
Not a man, the voice in his mind reminded him, not a REAL one. A real man beds women, marries, has children and earns honor with a respectable job like knight or blacksmith, or even farmer. But not kitchen wench. Nor does he allow another man to do. . . *things* to him.
And that�s when the other voice kicked in.
And who IS that other man that�s doing these *things* to little Davey, eh? Who is that dastardly fiend who preyed upon the young lad for years before pouncing and seducing him to the dark side? Hunter. Lord Hunter. The only other man Nim had ever come to respect and praise. Not Davey, whom he�d known since the lad�s birth, but Hunter, the young man he�d been charged to educate in stately manners and to guard against potential assassinations.
The young man that seemed to turn into a decent, honorable man. Until. . . the kitchen wench.
Nim sighed aloud as his mental dialogue continued to rage on inside his head. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and took another deep breath. The savory smell of meat and wild roots wafted up to his nose, awakening the rumble in his stomach. He opened his eyes in time to see Davey,
Little Davey
The Wanton Slut
Innocent
Jaded
add just a dash more sprinklings into the pan before giving the entire contents a good toss into the air. He deftly caught every single piece of food and shuffled the pan again, readying for another toss up. Nim looked just beyond the cook in time to see their other two traveling companions silently gesturing to each other and motioning to Davey. By the looks on their faces and their twitchy hands, Nim immediately knew what they were planning. It was so obvious he almost rolled his eyes at the predictability of the two idiots.
But Davey didn�t know. His back was turned to the two. He ignorantly put himself in danger.
Honestly, does that sound like the conniving whore Armenia made him out to be? If he�s too naive to watch his back around two mules� bungs. . .
Right on cue, just as Davey flipped the food for the third time, Fritch �accidentally� tripped forward and jostled Davey�s elbow, sending the food out of the pan and flying into the fire and dirt beyond.
Smith guffawed, doubling over as he saw Davey�s look of horror and chagrin. Fritch made fake regretting noises and proclaimed loud, sorrowful, and most definitely unmeaningful, apologies.
Nim decided he rather didn�t care for the baying of the mules, nor the look of distress on the cook�s face as he tried desperately to salvage what he had been cooking. He stepped over and angrily kicked dirt over the fallen bits of food before Davey could pick at them.
Davey froze and looked up with his wide, brown eyes at the towering menace that was Nim. �Leave it, it�s spoiled.� Nim said gruffly. �Cook the rest.�
Davey gave a slight nod of understanding and quickly went about cooking the rest of the now diminished meat. Noticing the laughter had stopped, he briefly glanced up to see Nim glaring at the two �guards� and slowly making his way over to where they stood.
Nim watched their shoulders straighten and their expressions turn stone but his keen eyes caught the sudden, slight hitching of their breathes, the sheen of the sweat forming at temples and foreheads. He could bet that if he stopped walking, he could even hear the blood pounding through their weak hearts. He had chosen well for this journey. These two knight�s pages were very easily the most disposable men in all the castle.
Nim turned his cold, hard stare on Fritch until he was sure the man would begin to squirm at any minute. �Continue cooking, indeed. It seems Mister Fritch here has decided to skip dinner tonight. How generous of you.�
Fritch turned wide, astonished eyes to his commanding officer. Nim saw his expression and grinned ferociously, nearly begging for the man to put up a fight. But, alas, the man wasn�t entirely stupid. Instead, he shut his mouth and looked forward again. A second later and he gave a curt, understanding nod.
Nim felt disappointment settle around his shoulders. He almost had himself a good, old-fashioned fight there. Now his mood returned to sour once again. �See to the horses.� Nim growled at the two and watched them all but scurry about to do as ordered.
He glanced once more to make sure the cook was getting about dinner before leaving their small clearing and the light of the campfire. He needed space. He needed to think. He needed TIME to think. Because it wasn�t only Hunter that Nim was obligated to, but also to Davey�s mother, Marne.
They had been childhood friends, growing together and seeking life as they each would. Nim had sought knighthood but was distracted by the hopes of perhaps raising the next king-in-waiting. Marne had hoped to one day marry a farmer and raise a family, securing the lives of her future children. Then, one day, Little Davey arrived and her hopes, her dreams to marry vanished. She was a harlot, they branded her; a slut to have a child out of wedlock.
Nim had urged his old friend to divulge the name of the father, so that he might force the man to take responsibility and marry her. But she refused, deciding not to tell the man and instead keeping the baby to herself.
***
�He�s mine, Nim,� Marne said, glaring and just as headstrong as the man towering over her. In her arms, baby Davey cooed and reached tiny, grubby hands up to Nim, his surrogate uncle. �And I�ll not let some man take him away. He�s just about the only thing in my world.�
�That�s why you need a man.� Nim argued once more, hoping to save his friend a harsh future, husband-less and fatherless. �Look, I know a few men, good men, who won�t mind their wife already having a child, so long as they can come home to a proper family after a hard day�s work. You won�t be giving little Davey away, just sharing both your lives with another person, that�s all!�
Marne held her baby tighter and took a step back, eyes narrowing. �Nimmarrow Farwind, I will NOT accept another man into my house just to have my son raised by a complete stranger.� And now her eyes turned pleading, begging, �Nim, love, why can�t it just be us? Why can�t we be a family the way we are?�
Nim sighed. He reached over and gently put a large, callused hand on little Davey�s head. The baby looked up and, seeing Nim, shrieked in delight. �He needs a father, Marne,� Nim said quietly, �all boys need a man in the house to set them straight, to discipline them, teach �em how to be men.�
Marne turned her eyes to her child and whispered softly. �And you, Nim? Would you be his father? Will you take him and raise him as your own? You know I�d choose no other for this.�
Nim took Davey from Marne and held him up for inspection. Davey kicked with delight then stilled, thumb in his mouth. Nim sighed and gave Davey back to his mother. �Marne, you�ve known since we were still green I wasn�t the type of man to marry. I couldn�t marry that copper headed lass, I can�t marry you.�
Marne turned her back to him, pretending to fix Davey�s already neat toys lining the bed. Nim shifted nervously. Never since that one time when they were experimenting as teens had Nim and Marne come to an awkward moment in their lives. Marne was a hissing snake, worse than Nim at times, and if she decided to never forgive Nim for this, he could very well have lost his best friend in the world.
And for what? For not wanting to marry? Was it that horrible? Nim had already been spending nearly every day with Marne, eating the food she cooked for him and telling her about the day he�d had, what adventures he signed up for and dangers he�d courted.
Was that truly so different than being her husband? Nim took a deep breath. If it meant to keep there being a rift between the two of them. . . yes, Nim was willing to marry Marne. She was, after all, his best childhood friend.
However, before he could open his mouth, Marne turns back around, smile on her lips. �Then, would it be so horrible,� she asks quietly, �if you could be Davey�s uncle? I�ll not marry, that�s for certain. But Davey. . . he needs a man around. I can only show him so much. . .�
Nim swallowed. He nodded, eyes slightly downcast, �Yes, Marne, old friend, I�ll help you raise him. I�ll help the best I can.�
***
Nim folded his arms across his chest and stared at the thousands of glittering diamonds scattered across the darkened sky. He hadn�t been much of a father figure, had he? Constantly been on the road, traveling and fighting in wars, then later living mostly at the King�s castle, preparing teen Hunter how to rule a kingdom when his father died.
He hadn�t always been there for Marne, or for Davey. But when he WAS there, there was an obvious difference to the lad and mother. Marne always managed to seem relieved every time she saw him striding up to the gate, welcoming him with open arms. The lad, Davey, at first welcomed Nim as a permanent fixture to his environment. The small, thin boy would run up and either give Nim a hug or else follow the man around curiously.
That, is, until Nim began disciplining the boy. For eating a biscuit before dinner: one switch. For trailing mud across the house: four switches. For collecting tadpoles in his pockets and forgetting about them for a week: eight switches and laundry duty thereafter. For shirking his chores in favor of running about with the other eight year olds: no switches, just a beating and a terrifying talking-to by Nim himself. A reminder, Nim assured himself even after all these years, that Davey had to be the man of the house. He had to be reminded of his place.
After that, Davey grew wary of Nim and his presence at Marne�s house. The lad grew quiet and somber, truly terrified of his mother�s friend. Marne herself seemed to take Davey�s punishments in stride.
�You�re a man,� she�d told Nim once, after he�d asked her about it, �you know how men should be. I trust your judgement.�
�And now, Marne?� Nim asked the cool, open air of the night, �what now? Have I still earned your trust? Do you still choose my judgement? Knowing what I must do, to save my Lord?�
The stars didn�t answer. Of course not, they were not Marne. Sweet, loving Marne who had been so delighted that Davey was able to work in the very same castle Nim himself was working in, so that Nim could �keep an eye out� for the lad. To protect him more than keep him in line.
Nim looked about, searching the sky in hopes for a sign. Kill Davey, and allow not only Hunter heart break, but for Nim to suffer throughout life knowing he�d killed his best friend�s only child. NOT kill Davey and allow a risk to Hunter�s life continue unchecked.
He didn�t know what to do. What COULD he do? He had no choice. Fate was stringing him like a puppet, forcing his hands into a deadly pantomime that would lead to a torrential future.
Nim closed his eyes and lowered his head. He couldn�t look at the stars anymore. They no longer held any answers or gave any comfort.
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Adam decided to take after Hunter and make sure the man remained healthy. Four days of separation were showing visible strain on the man and appeared evident in his distant gazes and fumbling attempts to act normal.
It was night and Adam was tucking the Lord into bed. He knew Hunter hadn�t been sleeping very well these past nights but still insisted that Hunter at least lay down, incase he should nod off at some point.
�I won�t.� Hunter said softly, watching Adam as he went about snuffing out the various candles in the room.
�Still,� Adam said, moving to the last candles by the window, �you should at least try. You don�t need any more grey hairs than you already have.�
�I don�t have grey hairs.� Hunter muttered. If he lowered his eyes and peered through his lashes, Adam almost looked like Davey. Almost.
Adam saw Hunter�s lowered eyes and felt relief flood through him. If Hunter was so tired he couldn�t keep his eyes open, perhaps he�d drop off at any moment! Adam felt hope enter his heart and mind once more.
The last of the candles went out and Adam paused at the open window. Down below, two cloaked and almost hidden figures made their way out of the castle and toward the stables. Adam had been in their company far too long to recognize the slight limp of Adrian and the sharp, purposeful stride of Mal.
What were those two doing out at a time like this? As Adam wondered to himself, he watched as two more cloaked figures left the stables to meet Mal and Adrian. Adam frowned. He didn�t recognize either, what with their hoods up, but by the way they lead Adrian and Mal into the stables, they must all have been acquainted. When the last of the four left inside, Adam stepped back and turned away from the window. He hadn�t seen enough to know what was going on, but he knew he�d rather not know.
He began making his way around the bed and toward the door, heading to his own bedroom next door when the rustle of blankets made him pause.
�Join me?� Hunter asked softly. Adam turned to see the Lord sitting up in bed, holding open the blanket.
�My Lord,� Adam began, resistance in his tone.
�Please?� Hunter begged. �Just. . . just this once? Just, just lay next to me? My bed is empty. It feels too big. If there was someone next to me, I�m sure I�d be able to sleep for just a while. Look, you can have the pillow between us if you�d like, but I swear to you, Adam, I won�t try anything. I just. . . I want to sleep next to someone again. I don�t want to be alone tonight.�
Adam weighed his options again, then reluctantly nodded. If it would help Hunter to sleep. . .
He moved to the bed, then gently slipped between the sheets. The relief on Hunter�s face as he lay back down took away several days� worth of stress and sadness that Adam already believed it would work. But after ten minutes of simply laying, they both realized something was missing.
�Do you toss and turn?� Hunter inquired.
�No,� Adam said.
�Davey does, all the time.� Hunter picked at the bedspread. �Almost knocks me to the floor. How about snoring?�
�No,� Adam peered over at Hunter curiously. He missed Davey�s snoring?
�Davey wouldn�t either.� Hunter smiled lovingly at his memories. �But he drooled when he left his mouth open. It sort of feels gross when he�s on your chest, but when you look down, he�s like a big kid, all cute and whatnot.� Hunter�s smile slowly dimmed. He turned to Adam. �You know, when I couldn�t sleep, Davey would. . .�
Adam swallowed thickly. �W-what would he do?�
Hunter stared into Adam�s starlit eyes. �He�d. . . well, some nights, he�d hold me. Talk until I dropped off. Rub my back and kissed me if he thought I needed it.� Hunter paused at Adam�s arched brows. �But you could just hold me if you wanted.�
Adam blinked slowly. Was this Hunter trying to have his way with Adam? He really didn�t have to try that hard, truly. But somehow Adam didn�t think Hunter was being sly. So he turned to his side and let Hunter shift closer so he could wrap his arms around the man.
Hunter gave a satisfied sigh and settled into Adam�s arms with relief. Adam could almost feel him smiling against his chest. To ensure Hunter�s rest, Adam slowly began to rub his back. Hunter clutched him closer and nearly purred.
�Davey,� Hunter moaned. Unconsciously, one hand dipped low and squeezed a buttock.
Adam froze and peered down. But Hunter didn�t move. In truth, he was already well on his way to slumber land, breath even, gentle smile on his face and hand sporadically squeezing Adam�s rear.
Adam sighed and closed his eyes. This was nice, he realized, sleeping with someone you could trust. His hand reached down and tugged the blanket around the two of them before drifting off to sleep once more.
*************************
Jade watched them for ten more minutes through the crack in the door before turning and making his way to his own quarters. Tonight, he wouldn�t sleep, he knew. Already the image of his slave wrapped around his half brother was burned into his mind and he knew the moment he lay down and closed his eyes, that image would haunt him until dawn.
No, tonight, he must plan and discover a way to take Adam back under his control. Not until he had his slave back in chains would Jade rest.