Chapter 13
Will woke well before dawn, disturbed out of a very pleasant dream by a persistent ache between his legs. He supposed it was to be expected considering the teasing activities the night before. He smiled at the thought of a very flustered prince. Though his own discomfort was not as appreciated. He couldn't very well soothe it here, but a little touch to get the feel of it wouldn't bother anybody. His erection stirred under his hand and he took a deep breath to calm himself, sending a thankful thought to his master and all the relaxation exercises Sharican had taught him.
Will turned his head slightly to look at the sleeping body next to him, golden hair all spilt out across the pillow. He reached out and touched it; soft as always. He remembered he had touched something entirely different last night, albeit through a layer of cloth, and it had been so good. Kell's flesh had twitched and stiffened under his hand and Kell had hardly been able to breathe. And the ache in Will had been painfully obvious too.
Will absently twined a strand of the golden hair around two of his fingers as he thought back to their argument last night. The prince had said he'd never break Will's heart, that he'd even oppose his father's – the king's – wishes and somehow that had eased Will's worries a bit. But he knew it wasn't that simple, just as his father had pointed out; duties were duties and not even the prince could escape them for all eternity. Especially not the prince.
Will had accused Kell of pursuing him only for the easy bedding but knew he had been wrong even as he said it. The prince was not like that and Will felt ashamed for his words now. But with what his father had said, reminding him of the reality waiting for them, and with Kell apparently so unconcerned with it all, he had been too upset with all that could happen if this went any further to hold it all back.
But Kell had managed to calm his fears with his words, which the prince was so adept at spinning, golden promises to never break his heart. Will knew there were outside forces none of them could control, but that Kell would also keep his promises to the extent he was able. He just hoped the cost wouldn't be too high or he would walk away from it all, despite how his heart clenched painfully at the thought.
But right now Kell was here next to Will, sleeping, warm and very tempting. He lay on his side with his back to Will, a soft snore erupting from his throat now and then.
Here and now. What could be wrong with sating his need and desire for just a bit? Who knew when the prince would leave for his real life? Will would let him go, but why couldn't he take what he wanted so much before then? Just a little?
Will edged his mattress closer to Kell's and then slid in under his blanket to mold his body against the prince's. He gathered all the golden hair to move it up over the pillow and out of the way so he could burry his face at the nape of Kell's neck.
The prince stirred slightly in his sleep but as Will began to gently caress a flat belly, Kell sighed and kept on sleeping, comfortable with this new warmth against his back. Will closed his eyes. This was nice, pleasant, comfortable. The press of his groin against the prince's firm buttocks was. Will could definitely get used to this.
And that scared him, the ease with which he had come to want, need Kell's presence, his touch and kisses. He knew this could never last, not the way they wanted it to. Kell would have to go back to the capital and one day sit the throne, his queen by his side. And Will would be following his own path; he had duties as a sorcerer even when this war was over and the army no longer had any need for him.
The people would need him, his knowledge and his gifts of healing. Like Sharican had settled in Diamban, so would Will find a city or town of his own and serve those who needed him. It would be luck then, if he ever saw the prince again and if he did, things would never be the same. The barriers of kingship would be erected and Will would never come near Kell again.
That was a sad, heartbreaking thought and he pulled a deep breath filled with Kell's scent, nuances that were becoming familiar, and it found its way through his chest to his groin. He held his breath, wanting to imprint the scent in his nostrils and never forget.
* * * * * * * *
"WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEADS, OR YOU'LL MISS BREAKFAST!"
Nila's loud voice jerked Kell out of contented slumber and he muttered something not so princely about the girl and her screaming. He sighed a bit annoyed and burrowed his face deeper into the pillow.
But, gods, Will had been right when he said it would be hot up here in the morning. Kell shifted a bit and tried to lure some cooler air down under his blanket, but there was no relief from the heat enveloping him.
Then Kell realized why. Will lay close to his back, an arm around Kell's waist and legs that had tangled with his own. Kell wondered if he was dreaming and was all of a sudden afraid to move and shatter this moment.
"That's not a very nice thing to say about my sister," Will murmured sleepily against Kell's neck. Then he shifted slightly and propped himself up on an elbow to look down at Kell. "Good morning."
Kell couldn't help but stare at him. "I guess it is. I thought you were afraid someone might see us?" he whispered, just a bit anxious himself.
Will smiled crookedly. "They'll figure it out soon enough anyway, at least Nila."
"And that doesn't bother you?"
Will shrugged. "She is my sister. I don't like keeping secrets from her." He looked a moment longer at Kell before he leaned down and gave him a gentle kiss, one that held promises of more when the time was right. Then he rolled out of his bed to get dressed and Kell was very disappointed to see him leave.
Climbing down the ladder was worse than going up, Kell decided when he sat at the edge of the loft and looked down at the floor so far below. Will was standing down there, smiling up at him with an arched eyebrow.
"I promise I'll catch you if you fall," he said sweetly.
Kell glared at him.
"Me too." Nila came to stand shoulder to shoulder with her brother with a grin on her face. She got herself a glare too, for good measure. But the prince made it down in one piece to receive his share of a very tasty breakfast. Mother Vina served a sturdy porridge – something Kell hadn't eaten since he was a child – together with several different breads and cheese and jam, and Kell found it difficult to choose between them. He felt rather spoiled when Will motioned for him to try them all.
"Don't forget you promised to take us riding today," Nila reminded them helpfully when she and Ina helped mother Vina to clear the table.
"I suppose we did," Will smiled at his sister. "But you will have to come with us first; I want to show Kell the city."
Nila sighed and rolled her eyes. "That'll take the whole day," she said in a tone somewhere between a mutter and a whine. Kell found it curious how she could fit two kinds of mood into one voice.
"You just have to be patient, little sister."
"I'm not 'little'," Nila pouted, but there was mischief in her eyes.
Father Ion was already at work in his carpentry when Kell and Will together with the two young girls stepped out into the pleasantly shadowed yard. He looked up from the chair he was mending and gave them a critical look.
"You behave now, Nila. You know Will is not merely your brother any longer. He has a reputation to uphold now."
Kell felt that look and warning included him as well, and he nodded discretely at the man with the heavy hammer when Ion came over to them.
"Will, could you buy this when you are at the market?" Ion gave his son a list with a few items described. "The smithy should have them at his stand. Otherwise you'll have to put in an order for me."
"Yes, father." Will put the list in his belt pouch.
"Come on then." Nila grabbed Will's arm with one hand and Kell's with the other. "I want to see the horses today." She proceeded to drag them out in the street and towards the market at the center of the city. Cousin Ina slipped silently up on Will's other side.
"Gods of mercy, Nila. One could think you're a child, behaving like that." Will wrinkled his nose at his sister, something Kell had never seen him do before, and she glared back.
"I'm fifteen and you missed my birthday so I can behave anyway I like."
"Oh, that's right. I apologize, dear sister. I hope this simple gift can soothe your wrath." Will smiled and waved an open palm before Nila's face. Then suddenly there was this bright light that forced them all to blink and when they looked again Will held out the most beautiful red rose to his sister.
Nila gasped and Kell could've sworn there were tears in her eyes. "Oh, thank you, Will. It's beautiful!" She took the flower carefully between her fingers and smelled its soft petals. With a squeal she gave her brother a hurtfully tight hug and then swirled around to show Ina her gift.
"You created that?" Kell couldn't help but stare at the rose. It was magnificent. Nila delicately put it behind her ear among her dark curls.
Will smiled at Kell and fell back a step when the girls trotted down the street ahead of them. "No, I didn't. Creating something living is far too complicated."
"But where…? How? It just appeared."
Will laughed and shrugged, although he ducked his head to hide the somewhat guilty look on his face. "I picked it from mother's flower patch by the house. She won't be happy when she notices, but it's worth it to make my sister happy."
Kell adored the sorcerer at that moment. He gave Will a mock frown. "You're nothing but a simple wizard, then, Will De'Noa," he teased.
"Exactly. But don't tell anyone."
The market in Diamban was not much different from them one in Adeban or the capital, except that it was smaller, which in turn made it appear more quiet and organized, and everyone seemed to know each other, at least by reputation.
Of course Will's presence attracted attention, partly because his sister had to tell everyone she knew that he was back to visit and to show her flower, and partly because people knew he was a sorcerer.
Men and women came up to him and Kell kept his head down and stayed in the background, well aware of the fact that his features could draw unwanted attention. But he didn't have to worry, Will made sure to keep everybody's focus on him, as if he sensed Kell's unease.
People asked Will about all and everything that made up their daily existence. What crops they should sow next season or when the trading with silk would go up again, how the winter would be and when the autumn rains would fall. Things Will hardly could know the correct answer to, but he answered them politely just the same.
One woman slowly made her way closer to the small crowd around the sorcerer, a small boy wrapped in a warm woolen blanket cradled in her arms. She looked tired, her face lined and pale with little rest, and her eyes next to dull. Kell saw Will stiffen when he laid eyes upon her, and a small crease formed between his eyebrows even before she had told her business.
She asked Will to heal her son from the yellow fever and Kell saw the compassion and pity in the young sorcerer's eyes. Yellow fever was a deadly sickness and so far there was no cure. The fever ate away on the victim's lungs and not even a sorcerer could recreate that which was gone. But Will gave the poor woman an herb to mix with tea that would ease the boy's pain.
After that the crowd dispersed, no one was comfortable around sickness and death, and the woman was left to grieve her son alone. Will stood for a moment in the suddenly empty space around him and stared at the ground before his feet. Kell didn't know what to say, what could he say really when there was so much Will could do except this? But he put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. Will managed to smile back.
After they had managed to get nearly every item on father Ion's list, they left the packages with aunt Elyn in her small stand in a corner of the market. She smiled and exchanged a few polite words while keeping an eye on the apples roasting in her portable stove. Kell took the opportunity to repay Will's family for letting him stay with them and bought apples for them all, slipping one or two extra coins into Elyn's hand. She tried to refuse but he gave her one of his most charming smiles and a wink, and she pretended surrender and slipped the coins into her purse.
"I saw that," Will murmured and nudged Kell in the ribs with an elbow.
"What?" Kell said innocently, chewing on a mouthful of delicious apple.
Will just rolled his eyes.
They went down towards the city wall from there and Will showed him the old, leaning building that was his master's home. Will told them not to touch anything and explained that his master had put up wards on the door and windows.
"You can't break them?" Kell wondered, he was a bit curious about the home of the great sorcerer Sharican.
"I can if I must, but I prefer not to. They are of a personal nature and he put them up for a reason." Will looked wistfully at the old house and the wilting herbs and bushes in the small garden.
"You miss him?" That almost sounded like jealousy in Kell's own ears.
"Yes. There's so much still that he can teach me, so many questions I want to ask." Will gave the house one last look over his shoulder as they left.
Nila and Ina were delirious once they realized they finally were heading to the stables to see the horses. Nila hooked her arm through Will's with a large smile.
"Can I ride your horse, Will?" she asked and how could he really say no when she looked so very adorably up at him.
Kell smiled at the ease with which Nila wrapped her brother around her little finger, wondering if Beanice had that much control over him. Then noticed Ina was walking quietly at Will's other side, her eyes riveted on the sorcerer, taking in every detail of his face and clothes. She noticed Kell was watching and her expression turned cold and disdainful.
Kell blinked, baffled. Ina obviously didn't like him and he wondered why. He had noticed nothing at the dinner last night; she had spoken to him almost as much as Nila. Though Ina behaved a bit possessive of the sorcerer towards Kell the longer the evening went and the more Kell told of life in the army. Surely she couldn't know him and Will… No. She was too young to entertain such thoughts and they had been discrete enough around the family. He dismissed it as a silly idea; Ina probably just had a bad day.
The stable master actually smiled when he saw Kell and he gave the man an extra coin for helping them prepare the horses. Nila and Ina fussed around the animals and made it a bit more difficult than it needed to be to put on the saddles and bridles. Kell was for once glad he had left Runner back at main camp, the stallion would have fretted at the chatter and giggles and Will would really have had to make use of his healing skills.
As it was now Nila got to ride Will's horse, which left Kell's mare over for Ina. The girl didn't look too happy about the arrangement, but it was only a mild scowl on her face once she let Kell help her up in the saddle.
"You hold the reins like this," Kell said kindly and reached for one of her hands. She yanked it away and glared at him.
"I don't need your help, boy," she snapped at him.
Boy? Kell frowned but didn't want to make a bad situation worse, so he let it pass.
"Where should we go?" Will asked and Kell gladly took the excuse to turn away from Ina.
"I suggest out of the city at least. A soft field would be preferable in case they decide to do all the funny tricks you did," Kell grinned at him. Will's eyes narrowed and the expression warned Kell to be quiet and behave, and that made Kell grin even wider.
They found an empty field not far outside the city walls where they dared let go of the horses' reins to let he girls try and steer on their own. They did surprisingly well and Kell couldn't help but tease Will about it.
Nila almost fell out of the saddle when Kell told them about Will's first riding lesson, much to Will's aggravation and Kell's amusement, but Ina's scowls and glares in Kell's direction only grew darker.
Kell wanted to ask her what was wrong, but he didn't dare because he had a bad feeling he wouldn't like what the girl had to say and then he'd lose his temper and make it worse. So he kept his mouth shut and avoided the girl as much as possible.
But when Nila suggested in her usual cheery mood they should go to the ponds to show Kell the hill with all its newly blossoming flowers, there wasn't really much else Kell could do except take the mare's reins again and follow Will into the forest.
Kell couldn't stand the tense silence emanating from the girl for long and finally looked up at her to try and coax out of her what was wrong.
"You're doing well there, Ina. Seems to me you've got a gift for riding." He gave her a gentle smile.
"I'd do a lot better if I was riding Will's horse," she said with an edge to her voice.
Kell hadn't really expected an answer and that he had gotten one baffled him for a moment. He decided to try and be as nice to this little brat for as long as he could manage before his last nerve snapped, and only then would he put her over a knee and spank some proper behavior into her.
"Well, for your information I was the one who taught Will how to ride." He kept his voice amiable.
"Still, I know he'd be better at teaching me, he's much kinder than you."
"Hey." Kell looked up at her, eyebrows drawn. "What did I ever do to you?"
"I don't like you, soldier," Ina spat at him, yet kept her voice low enough so the others wouldn't hear. "You make fun of Will all the time, teasing him, thinking you're so much better than him and you made him sad yesterday."
Kell began to feel an uneasy knot in the pit of his stomach.
"And then you kissed and touched him last night. You don't deserve him; he's too good for you!"
That was enough. Kell pulled on the reins to make the mare stop and turned to the girl. Her eyes were burning and suddenly Kell wished she wasn't sitting up there and he standing on the ground. She was looking at him with a sneer on her lips.
"You have no right speaking to me like that, little girl. You don't even know me or what kind of relationship I have with Will."
"I know you want to bed him, but I won't let you. It's me he'll marry and have children with and he'll forget all about you."
Kell clenched his fists. "You're cousins, Ina, he doesn't think of you that way."
"Yes, he does. He said so," she replied with confidence.
Kell blinked stunned. "When?"
But Ina only turned away. "I want to go now," she commanded and kicked the mare forward. Suddenly Kell wished he had taken Runner instead, then she'd know who was in charge.
Kell walked behind the horse along the path. He was more than a little worried about what Ina had said, not just the fact that she was clearly head over heels in love with Will, but also that she had imagined he loved her back. And then there was that little problem about her seeing them kiss and cuddle last night. Gods of mercy! If she really had then the rest of the family would know soon enough and that would be the end of this.
He wasn't really worried that Will wouldn't stand by his side when this whole thing erupted, but he worried about the rift it would cause between Will and his family, Kell was reluctant to be the cause of it. Still, he needed to tell Will about his cousin's discoveries and obsessions.
The forest opened up to the small ponds that circled a smooth hill rising up out of the earth like a maiden's breast. Small white and pink flowers stood clustered together in the soft grass and summer birds were singing among the bushes. Kell marveled at the peaceful beauty of this place, disturbed only by their presence, and for a moment he forgot all about Ina.
The girls had gotten down on the ground and were walking over to a pool of clear water not far away, their heads close together, talking quietly.
Kell took a deep breath and went over to Will where he stood holding the gelding's reins.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said when Kell stopped beside him. "I spent a lot of time here as a child, fishing and swimming." He sighed at the memories of innocent childhood.
Will tilted his head and closed his eyes for a moment, and Kell stood still, barely breathing, knowing from the prickling of hairs on his forearms that Will was using some kind of magic at the moment. Then he opened his eyes.
"I think you could be right," he said and Kell blinked and stared blankly, not understanding what the sorcerer was speaking about. "There might be magic here," Will continued, unaware of Kell's blank look now that he had discovered something new and interesting. "Old magic, dormant, but it is there."
"Will," Kell said quietly, putting a tentative hand on his arm. He didn't want to ruin this moment when Will seemed so at peace, family and memory both close at hand. But he had to. Will turned and saw the worried wrinkle between Kell's eyebrows.
"Something wrong?"
"I need to speak with you. But not here." He nodded his head towards the trees away from the ponds.
Will cast a look at the girls crouching by the water, giggling over something, and then followed Kell in among the trees. "What is it, my prince?"
Kell wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to say this. He hesitated. "I think… I think Ina is a bit taken with you, Will."
Will's dark eyebrows shot up, then lowered. "What do you mean?"
Kell searched for words. "We had a little conversation just now and I gathered as much and she said she doesn't like me, that I'm… that we…" He glanced up at Will and saw his concerned expression. "Gods of mercy! She saw us kiss last night, Will," he hissed in frustration.
Will just stared at him.
"She wants to marry you, Will, and she said you told her you love her."
Will blinked and looked away. "Well, I do, but not like that," he said slowly as it all sank in.
"She really worries me, Will. She's a bit too caring of you for comfort."
"Ina is a child, what could she do?"
"She could tell your family. She could really make a mess out of this."
Will was quiet for a while, absently biting on the inside of his lip. "She's always been… I don't know, touching me, closely, putting just a bit more force behind her greetings. But I never thought anything more of it, she's always done it." He looked confused at Kell.
"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have bothered you with this unless I hadn't felt so bad about her saying she saw us." Kell reached out and took Will's hand. "Perhaps it's good that we're leaving tomorrow."
"Yes, I suppose it is. Still, I'd like to have the time to sort this out with Ina," Will said quietly.
Kell nodded and pulled gently on Will's hand and he stepped closer. Kell was about to reach up and caress Will's face when an angry scream broke through the air and something hard hit Kell's shoulder. He yelped in shock, a jolt of pain numbing his arm.
"NOO!" Ina screamed at them, a stone in her raised hand. "You're making him hate me and now you're taking him away from me again!" She threw the second stone and both Will and Kell had to duck to avoid being hit.
"Ina?" Will said shocked and took a step towards her.
"No! I don't want him touching you! I hate him!"
"Ina!" There was sharpness in Will's voice now and he walked towards the girl. But she turned and ran.
"Gods of earth and air!" Will cursed. "We have to go after her." He gave Kell a worried look and they both hurried to get the horses.
They met Nila on the way and she looked more than a little frightened. "What happened?" She grabbed Will's hand. "I heard Ina scream"
"She's a bit upset and ran off. We have to go after her." Will went straight for his horse.
"You go, Will. I'll take Nila behind me on the mare," Kell said and grabbed the girl's shoulder gently. Will's eyes met his and then he nodded.
Kell watched anxiously as Will got in the saddle and trotted down the path into the forest. Then he felt a tug on his sleeve and looked down at Nila's worried face.
"What happened?" she asked in a small voice.
"Perhaps you should ask your brother that, I don't think me answering will do anything to improve the situation." He took the reins and got in the saddle and then held out a hand for Nila. She wrapped both arms around his waist and held on tightly when the horse set off in a canter.
Will must have caught up with Ina and taken her in the saddle behind him, Kell though, because they weren't anywhere along the path. Then the forest opened up to the field and they saw Will's horse standing out in the tall grass without its rider.
Kell's heart missed a beat. He just knew something was wrong and he kicked the mare forward. Nila whimpered behind him and he put a steady hand over hers. Poor girl, she had no idea what this was all about.
Will's gelding pricked its ears happily at the mare when they got closer, but they couldn't see Will or Ina anywhere.
"Will!" Kell shouted out over the empty field, then held back a curse. He hated it when people disappeared on him. "Will! Answer, damn it!"
"Over there!" Nila pointed at a figure further away. It was Ina, running across the field towards the city like she had a demon on her heels. "We should go after her," Nila said nervously.
"Not until we find Will." Kell realized his voice was harsher than he had meant for it to be, but he had been through this before and the feelings were much too uncomfortable to control. He swung his leg over the mare's neck and slid out of the saddle.
"Will, answer me!" He was really beginning to worry.
Then there was a gasp and a moan a few yards away in the tall grass, and something stirred it. Kell ran towards it with Nila scrambling clumsily down on the ground to follow.
They came upon Will's limp body on his back in the grass; his eyes squeezed shut and a soundless cry of pain on his lips. Kell fell to his knees and made to pull Will into his arms. Will groaned and grabbed a handful of Kell's tunic.
"What happened!" Kell asked and could hardly breathe. Not again. He couldn't stand to see Will hurt and not knowing what to do to help him.
Nila reached up to touch her brother and her fingers came away red with blood. "He's really hurt," she sobbed.
Kell shifted enough to free a hand and ran it over Will's body. He found the wound in the thick hair, bleeding copiously, red running down Will's neck.
"Gods of mercy! We need something to stop the bleeding."
Nila drew her little dagger and cut off a shred of her skirt without hesitation. Kell held Will still against him while his sister made quite a good bandage. The bleeding slowed, soaking through the dark cloth, and soon stopped.
Kell put Will back down in the grass and they both waited until he came around, blinking to focus on their worried faces. Nila let out a relieved little sob and Kell found himself squeezing her shoulder in comfort.
"What happened?" he asked of Will, not quite able to hide the anxiety in his voice.
"She ambushed me," Will whispered and touched a hand gingerly to his head. "I was closing in on her when she dropped and vanished in the grass. I looked for her but she must've snuck around me. I never saw her. I think it was a rock." Will grimaced in pain and rolled to his side. "I don't feel so good," he hissed.
Kell and Nila did their best to hold him and comfort him when he threw up.
Concussion, then. Kell though of a number of things he wanted to say and do to the little brat responsible. Will panted and reached out for Kell to pull him up to sit, leaning against Kell's shoulder.
"Gods… it hurts."
"I should think so, you probably got a concussion." Kell nodded for Nila to get the horses. "We need to get you home."
"Gods, Kell. She was so angry," Will said almost amazed against his shoulder. "Like I had wronged her somehow."
"In her mind you have," Kell murmured.
Letting Will ride on his own wasn't even an option when he could hardly stand up even with Kell's aid, so Nila mounted the gelding while Kell took Will in the saddle in front of him on the mare. Will sat slumped against Kell's chest, his head rolling listlessly against Kell's shoulder and they didn't dare go faster than walk.
It was slow but they got all the way to the De'Noa's house, Nila riding ahead to lead the way. They attracted a fair bit of attention from the people in the street; even though Will wasn't wearing his greys, people still knew him.
Nila jumped out of the saddle as soon as they got into the small yard in front of the house, and called for her father in the carpentry. Ion looked out through the door and then rushed over with worry written all over his face to take his son in his arms. Will's limp body was carried inside and Kell found himself alone with the horses. He suddenly felt lost then, staring blankly at the still open door to the house, he didn't quite know what to do with himself.
The mare stomped her hoof under him and Kell decided to get the animals back to the stable. At least he'd have something to do while he gathered his wits.
He had worked up quite a temper by the time he was heading back to the house, wanting very badly to say a few choice words to Ina. Gods, he hadn't been this angry even when Will had lain deadly wounded in his tent, only terrified then. And now he had been struck to the ground by a girl, his own cousin, using a stone. It wasn't even in battle but a low, cowardly ambush on a person she was supposedly in love with.
Kell cursed. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react to his own anger over the situation and the young girl that had caused it. He wasn't prone to beating up children or those weaker than himself, but the notion that maybe – just maybe – he would give her a good spanking if given the opportunity, scared him and jarred his confident stride as he stepped into the yard, and he was more subdued than he had intended to be when he opened the front door.
The house was suspiciously quiet when Kell entered, only Nila and the old grandfather were in the kitchen, and Nila threw herself around his neck as soon as she saw him, tears in her eyes. Kell held her for a moment and then made her look at him.
"Where is Will?" he asked gently, bereft of all his anger by her tears.
"He's sleeping in father and mother's bed, mother is with him."
Kell hesitated to go in there but Nila pulled him with her trough the study and into the bedroom. Mother Vina looked up and there was a worried wrinkle between her lean eyebrows.
"He asked for you," she said and rose gracefully out of the chair by the bed. "He cares for you."
Kell met her grey eyes and realized she probably knew now what they felt for each other. He nodded to her in lack of a proper response.
"I should go and help the others look for Ina, she hasn't come back yet." Mother Vina took her daughter by the hand and they went to the door. "Please, take care of him," Vina said quietly and looked straight into Kell's eyes. "He's the only son I have."
"I will, ma'm. I promise." Kell would keep that promise.
He stood staring at Will under the covers in the large, sturdy bed that father Ion had probably made himself. Will looked almost small in it.
"You seem to enjoy making me worry, sorcerer," Kell whispered as he went closer, mostly because he didn't like the silence. He stroked back a strand of hair from Will's forehead and touched the new bandage around his head.
Will stirred slightly and turned his face into the touch. Kell sank down on the edge of the bed and brushed a finger along one cheekbone to the lips, he kissed them gently.
"Hmmm, Kell…" Will whispered and his lashes fluttered.
"I'm here, Will. Don't worry."
He blinked open heavy eyelids. "Did they find her?"
Kell frowned, Will shouldn't worry about that brat now; he had a damned concussion. "No, not yet," he answered. "You rest now. She'll turn up soon enough."
"I need to talk to her before we leave."
"You can't ride in this condition, Will. I won't allow it."
"I'll be fine. Please, Kell. Let her come in here when she's back. Okay?" He turned dark eyes to Kell.
The prince sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Alright, but I'll stay all the while."
Will smiled faintly and closed his eyes.
* * * * * * * *
Nila came in with a tray a few hours later and gave Will a worried glance. Kell gave her an encouraging smile and bid her to sit. He rose from the chair and took a piece of roasted apple from a plate, surely a gift from aunt Elyn.
"He's probably in hibernation, Nila, nothing to worry about. He'll be as good as new when he wakes up." Kell tried to comfort her as much as himself.
She gave him a small smile. "I know, Will told me most of what his master taught him. It's just… I never thought Ina could do something like this," she said quietly and her voice was almost a whisper at the last word.
Kell studied the girl perched on the edge of the bed. "She likes him a lot, doesn't she?"
"Yes, perhaps too much." Nila looked down at her hands. "I said once that Will was surely going to marry a really beautiful girl from up the hill one day and that we'd come and visit in their big house, and Ina bit me and said the most awful things."
"I'm sorry, Nila." Kell didn't know what else to say.
"You make him happy, sire," Nila said then and looked almost shyly up at him.
Kell blinked at the honorific. "Why do you call me 'sire'? I'm no different now than I was this morning when you called me a sleepyhead." Kell gave her a crooked smile.
She blushed much like her brother. "Well, I know you're not a simple soldier, sire. Will was a bit confused before you came; he said something about the prince." She studied Kell out of the corner of her eye.
Kell sighed deeply and sank down in the chair again; he suddenly didn't have the strength to stand. "You won't tell anyone, Nila? Please, I'm trying to keep my true identity a secret for as long as I'm here. It would help no one if people knew."
She smiled and nodded. "I won't say a word, I promise. Not even on my deathbed." She seemed proud to have made such a solemn vow.
Kell smiled at her. "Good. Thank you."
"Is you name really Kell, sire?"
He chuckled at her curiosity. "Yes, it is, and you have my leave to call me by it. Your brother does so I guess it's only fair."
"I should get back in the kitchen and help mother with supper." She got up almost reluctantly.
"You don't have to leave, Nila. I could use the company; your brother isn't doing much talking right now."
The young girl smiled. "I'll be back later then. Mother needs me." She left after one last look at Will.
* * * * * * * *
Will opened his eyes to the faint, flickering light of a candle on the bedside table and a lamp in the windowsill. He had been in hibernation, he knew, his body felt heavy and the muscles sore. Outside daylight had turned to dusk.
~You've got to stop getting hurt, Will.~
He sighed. ~I'll try, but I seem to attract it.~
~Yes, and making him worry.~
Will turned his head and looked at Kell dozing in the chair, his hair loose around his face and glinting golden in the candlelight. Will called his name and the prince stirred and looked up at him.
"Finally," he grumbled and rubbed the stiff muscles in his neck. "You've been out for several hours." He got up and crossed over to the bed but didn't sit down.
"Hibernation does that." Will reached out a hand and Kell took it, letting himself be pulled down on the edge of the bed.
"How do you feel?" Kell asked quietly.
"Fine. I'm sorry I scared you." He pushed himself up to sit and leaned against the headboard and the pillows.
"Again." Kell brushed a finger across the bandage Will felt circling his head. There was a tone of something weary in Kell's voice and he looked so troubled.
"Again," Will echoed obediently and smiled to try and reassure the prince he really was okay.
A subtle movement outside the window caught his attention and he knew who it was without having to look.
"Kell, don't look now, but I think Ina is outside the window."
Kell frowned and his eyes flicked that way but he didn't turn. "What do you want me to do?" he asked in a voice gone dark.
"Can you get her for me?"
"Fine." The prince got up slowly, as not to alarm the girl outside to his intentions, but Will saw the clenching of a fist.
"Be gentle with her," Will asked. "She doesn't understand what it is she's done."
Kell hid his dark look as he turned and went out the door, but Will already knew what he thought about Ina.
There was commotion in the yard outside and an angry scream, and then Will heard Kell struggle to get Ina inside. He heard his father curse and Ina screamed at him to keep away and Kell to take his dirty hands off her.
Then Kell forced the girl into the room quite ruthlessly, his temper obviously finding some retribution in the handling of her, and she had to grab hold of the bedpost not to stumble and fall. Ina spun around to get out of the room but Kell took up guard in the door with a stern look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest, and behind him was father, looking every bit as angry as Will had ever seen him. Ina stopped indecisively.
"Ina," Will said softly and she spun around again to face him. There were no sadness or regret in her eyes, only anger and maybe fear for the two men in the doorway. She sneered at Will.
"I've never seen you so upset, Ina," he said just as gently and held out a hand for her. She looked at it as if it was a viper.
"You hate me," she hissed.
"No, I don't. You're my cousin."
"You're leaving," she said accusingly.
"Yes, tomorrow. I have my duty to the king."
"And to him." She took a step closer, stabbing a finger at Kell. "He wants to bed you."
Will stared her down for that. "You have no right to speak to me like that."
She didn't lower her eyes, didn't take a step back, she only stared back with eyes wide and burning.
"You hurt me, Ina. Do you understand that?" He gestured at the bandage around his head. "You hurt Kell and Nila too when you took off, and your mother. We've all been worrying about you."
"I don't care about them. Only you. I want you to stay with me."
"Why?" Will needed to get to the root of this problem; he needed to make Ina understand what she had done. But there were walls around her that kept everybody out and herself inside that strange world of hers.
"Because you'll marry me and I'll give you children," Ina said with a strange, disconcerting fervor, and her eyes bore into Will.
Will's eyebrows drew. How old was Ina? Fifteen? She behaved like a much younger child, persistent in her beliefs and unable to see reason. And misguided in her claims, insane almost. Will was worried this was more than he could handle. Ina took a step closer when he failed to respond to her.
"And maybe one of our children will have the gift too and you'll be so proud and mother will be proud too." Her eyes widened at that prospect. "And then she'll love me," her voice fell to a monotone whisper.
Will felt his throat tighten. This wasn't just Ina, but her mother as well, Elyn. He closed his eyes for a moment to gather strength. "Come here, Ina." He held out his hand again and this time she took it.
Will immediately let a small spiritkin spell flow into the girl and her eyes rolled up as she fell listlessly onto the bed. He grabbed the thin shoulders and held her there until father came and took her into his arms.
"She'll sleep for the rest of the night," Will said to ease Ion's fears. "She'll be fine."
Ion nodded, trusting the young sorcerer in his bed, and took the girl back into the main room of the house to carry her up to the loft. Will sighed and looked down at his hand. He didn't want to do this, it would hurt his family so much, hurt his mother. Kell touched his shoulder and he looked up.
"Something is wrong," Kell stated quietly.
"Yes. But I don't know if I can make it right."
"You can only do your best, Will. The rest is up to them."
"Perhaps." Then there was a figure in the door and an accusing voice broke into the room.
"What have you done to my daughter?" Aunt Elyn hissed very much like Ina had and walked up close to the bed. Behind her in the doorway Will could see mother and Nila cautiously waiting for what would happen.
"I put her to sleep," Will said, his voice more calm than he felt. "It must have been an exhausting day for her."
Elyn glared up at Kell and he met her eyes without blinking, his lips pressed to a thin line.
"Elyn." Will demanded her attention. "You should treat your daughter better; she deserves no less than unconditional love from you. You can't blame her for what she doesn't have."
Elyn's eyes narrowed. "How come you have the gift and possibly even Nila, when Ina doesn't?" She took a step closer and Will noticed Kell tensed. "Vina and I are sisters, of the same blood, and yet her children got everything," she said accusingly.
Will didn't know how to answer that, he honestly didn't know why some people had the gift while others didn't. Perhaps it was a mixture of the right blood, but not even the sorcerers that had done research on the subject truly knew.
"Still, you must love her. You must tell her I can never marry her to give you what you want. The gift is just not yours to have, Elyn."
She glared at him, a venomous look that Will had never seen from his aunt before and it startled him. Then she glared at Kell and finally spun around and stalked out of the room.
Kell stared after her. "She's actually jealous of you?" he asked astonished.
"I think so." Will sighed, he was suddenly very tired.
Mother and Nila came into the room and his sister threw herself on the bed to hug him tightly. Mother stood anxiously a few steps away from the bed and stared at her children.
"I'm so sorry, Will. If I had realized…"
"No, mother. Don't apologize; it's not your fault." He reached out for her and she gratefully took his hand. "You'll be alright. They will too, they just need to find out what is important in life."
Vina nodded and there was a worried expression around her eyes, and still she gave Will a brave smile when she looked up at him. When had she become so old? "We'll leave now and let you go back to sleep." She held out a hand for Nila and the girl reluctantly slid off the bed. "You two can sleep in here tonight," Vina said with a glance at Kell. "I'll sleep on the loft with Nila and Ion will take the spare bed with grandfather."
"Are you sure, ma'm?" Kell asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Yes. We'll be fine, sire." She gave him a little smile and carefully closed the door behind her.
Kell turned to Will with a troubled look. "I shouldn't have come with you. All this is happening because of me."
"No, don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known and besides, Ina and Elyn have had these ideas for years, it only surfaced now because you're here."
"Exactly. I shouldn't have come." He stood frozen out of Will' reach.
"It's not your fault. It's better this way or it would've lay hidden under the surface, gnawing like a cancer at my family for years to come. Now the wound is open and soon it will be ready to heal. They will get through this." Will tried to convince Kell as much as himself, he needed his family to be whole, they were they one safe harbor he knew he always could come back to when the rest of the world was chaos.
He ground his teeth together and tore at the bandage to get it off; it was too tight and giving him a headache.
"Will! Stop!" Kell stepped closer to capture his hands.
"The wound's healing. I don't need this any longer," he said, annoyed all of a sudden, weariness washing over him.
Kell let his hands drop to his sides and just watched as Will tried to get out of bed to take off his breeches and shirt, he was too warm to sleep in anything more than his smallclothes. But he was still to dizzy and he would have fallen over if Kell hadn't caught him and lowered him back to the bed.
"Stubborn, dumb wizard," Kell muttered. "Just sit still, I'll help you." He pulled the shirt over Will's head and then set about untying his breeches. That was a strangely pleasant feeling and stirred something inside Will. He rose slowly to let the prince slide his breeches off and steadied himself with a hand on Kell's shoulder. Kell looked up, his eyelids a bit lowered, his face close to Will's groin.
"You should get into bed, sorcerer." Kell's voice was low but commanding and Will found himself doing as he was told.
Kell carefully folded Will's clothes and put them over the foot of the bed. He barely glanced at Will as he went back to the chair where he had been sitting when Will first woke up, and sat down again.
"Aren't you coming?" Will wanted him close tonight, he wanted comfort and safety and warmth, and Kell could give him all that, he knew.
"I don't think I'll sleep very well in your parents' bed."
"Please, Kell." There was a bit of desperation in his voice.
Kell looked hesitantly at the bed but then made his decision. He rose and undressed down to his smallclothes and when he slid under the covers Will reached out and pulled him close. Kell wrapped his arms around him. The prince's heart was a steady beat under Will's hand and he found himself counting it.
"Will?"
"Yes?"
"Will you go back with me tomorrow?" Almost a worried tone in Kell's voice.
"Of course. I have my duty." He hugged Kell reassuringly closer.
"I'm glad you're alright. I can't do without you." Kell kissed the top of Will's head.
"Nor I you." And it was the truth.
Kell's fingers began to caress a lazy pattern across Will's neck and shoulders, and it lulled him gently to sleep.
* * * * * * * *
The door opened quietly and closed, and Kell woke with the feeling that he was being watched. He lifted his head from the pillow and looked at the dark figure on the other side of the bed.
"Can I sleep in here?" Nila asked quietly. Kell couldn't say no, she seemed almost lost.
"Of course. If you can stand two half naked men."
Nila smiled and climbed into bed next to Will. "He's my brother, I've seen him completely naked."
"Yes? How old were you?"
There was a short silence. "Almost five and Will was about ten."
Kell smiled but didn't want to say anything to ruin the fun of the girl's discovery when she'd finally got to bed with her future husband. There were a lot that was different about a ten year old boy's body compared to a fully grown man's.
"You have beautiful hair," Nila whispered from the other side of Will.
"Thank you, Nila. You have a beautiful smile," he said truthfully.
"Take care of my brother."
"Always. I promise."
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