Chapter 5
Kell woke with a stubborn ache between his legs and he cursed under his breath the circumstances and the man that was the cause for it. He wanted to have him present right now, to make good use of the sorcerer's deft hands to ease the discomfort. Kell knew this kind of need from experience, and even though his mind had reservations about how far he could – and should – go, his body obviously wasn't so uncertain. Instead, he flung back the blankets and stalked over to the washbasin to pour every drop of the cold water over his head. He stood just breathing for a moment at the sudden shock while his body settled, and then went about getting dressed.
It was too early yet for the camp to be properly awake and even Janu was still asleep in his own tent outside, as his title – however temporary – of the prince's manservant allowed him to do. It wasn't how a manservant ordinarily behaved, sleeping in his own tent and not being at his master's side at all times, but Kell had felt it almost would be like treachery to allow Janu that close when the man that had originally held the title and been at Kell's side from babe to young man, couldn't be here to service him. This arrangement was a solution that satisfied them all, and although Janu had put up some resistance to the unconventional decision to give him his own tent, he now seemed content. And besides, Kell could take care of himself quite well.
Kell enjoyed his new independence too much to trouble Janu and decided not to wake him this early just for breakfast. And he wasn't really hungry, but still he headed down the path to see the cook for some bread and cheese anyway.
The cook bowed deeply at the unexpected and rather sudden honor to receive a visit from the prince himself, and gave Kell the bread he asked for, newly baked and still warm.
Kell walked aimlessly through camp and enjoyed the silence in the early morning, only the occasional snoring emanated from this tent or that. There had obviously been some celebrating last night among the rejoined soldiers and since many of them had the day free, they would be sleeping late.
Eventually Kell found himself at the lines of horses and sought out his Runner. The dark ears pricked at the sound of his voice and he gladly whiled away almost an hour while the camp slowly woke up, grooming the animal until its coat shone. By then Runner's lower lip was limp and the head hung low and relaxed. He left the horse with a friendly pat and received a warm huff of air against his neck for the care.
The smell of horses didn't really bother Kell, but he was the prince in the middle of his own war camp and his upbringing clearly told him he should set an example for his men. And smelling like a horse was not it. The brook just outside camp would do to wash off the worst.
The cold water was just what Kell needed, the grooming had caused him to sweat and a quick wash of the torso wasn't a bad notion. It cleared his head and he wished he had taken the time to fetch a towel and soap and clean clothes from his tent for a more proper bath. The sun and the rising warmth of the day would dry him soon enough though, and he pulled the shirt back on for decency and took the leather jerkin in his hand.
When he turned to head back to camp his eyes fell on a figure he never thought he'd see so soon. And staring so blatantly. It almost made Kell blush. The ache made itself known again.
"Good morning," he managed to say without sounding too surprised or desperate.
"My prince," Will greeted and took a few hesitating steps forward. He looked good in that plain, dark tunic. But there was a change in the young sorcerer now. Kell studied him closer to discern this new expression and realized Will was relaxed. Relaxed in a way he hadn't been around Kell before, still careful and a bit hesitant, yes, but not down right scared and rejecting.
Perhaps even curious, Kell reflected at the look that lingered at his bare chest visible between the open halves of his shirt. Surely this whole situation was as new to Will as it was to Kell. Sure, he had confidently and rather easily wooed women to find a bit of pleasure in his life, but this one was another story. Slowly was the keyword to this new relationship.
"Have you eaten yet?" Kell dared to ask.
"Yes, just now." Will came closer. "I thought perhaps you could teach me to ride?" he asked then and that simple question made Kell's heart soar.
"Why?" He let it not show on his face or in his voice though, keeping his hands motionless along his sides only with an effort.
"Well, if we march out tomorrow it would probably be better if I had a horse. My feet are a bit sore still today."
"You'd march with us?" Calmly, slowly.
Will shrugged. "If you'd order me to."
I'd order you to my bed if I thought for just an instant you'd follow it. That thought startled as much as pleased Kell and he wondered where it came from; surely his desires weren't that uncontrollable? Then, when looking at the young sorcerer, he had to grip the jerkin harder in his hand not to reach out for Will.
"We haven't chosen the men yet. Perhaps we won't even need any of you sorcerers this time."
Will smiled faintly. "Aron doesn't think so. He's already prepared me and the others for march tomorrow since Henron's group will be staying here."
"Has he now? Why you?"
"He wants to see me in action other than improvised."
Kell nodded. "That's probably a good idea before we engage in any serious battles. Though the marauders are a tricky bunch."
"I'll manage. Will you teach me?"
Kell couldn't help but smile. "Of course. My pleasure, your backside."
* * * * * * * *
The prince found him an obedient and well-behaved gelding and they set out on a field not far from camp to go about the task. Will discovered that riding wasn't really that difficult once you found your balance and he enjoyed the new kind of freedom he gained. Though he could really do without the sore thighs and the aching bottom.
The prince fell into a laughing fit more than once at Will's clumsy and not too coordinated handling of reins and stirrups, though he managed to stay in the saddle. The gelding had well earned the rest they took after almost an hours bouncing up and down on the poor animal's back.
Will slid gingerly out of the saddle while the prince held the reins, trying in vain to hide the wide grin on his face. "Not funny," Will grumbled and carefully stretched out a leg.
"If you say so," the prince agreed suspiciously readily, and tied up the reins around the horse's neck so it wouldn't step on them while it grazed.
Will remained standing when the prince made himself comfortable in the tall grass, leaning back on his elbows and stretching out his long legs.
"Have a seat, sorcerer. I believe your legs would do with the rest."
"I don't think I'll ever sit again." Will avoided rubbing his sore backside by force of will alone.
"Suit yourself." The prince shrugged and lay back with his hands folded behind his head. "How come your guardian isn't scaring the horse?" he asked then.
"We came to an agreement."
"Really? What was it?"
Will glanced down at the prince reclining in the grass and considered sitting down. "She'll keep a distance when I'm around horses if I'll let her be present during… other things…" Will trailed off, he didn't really want to discuss this with the prince.
"Other things?"
Why did he have to ask so many questions? Will shrugged, uncomfortable. "It's not important." He couldn't help that he blushed and tried to hide it as he sank down on a sore butt.
"I thought your guardian was always with you."
"She is, but there are different levels of presence."
"Hmmm." The prince sounded a bit sleepy.
Will glanced over and found the eyes closed. He dared study the face; high cheekbones, a sharp nose and a lean jaw. Beautiful face but still masculine, and so very intense when the eyes were directed at you.
"You said 'she'."
Will blinked. "I did?" Had he said that? Ashiná was not going to like that. Why was the prince so damned perceptive!
"Yes, you did. I didn't know ethereal beings had genders."
"I haven't thought about it." Will wasn't really happy with this topic of conversation, spirit guardians were a private matter. The prince seemed to notice his unease, for he didn't ask any more questions.
They were quiet for a while and Will dared to lie back in the grass, gingerly lowering to the ground and sighed deeply when there wasn't that much pain from his back. Small fluffy clouds sailed by on slow winds high up in the blue sky and larks crisscrossed against that scenic backdrop in their hunt for food. A gentle breeze swept its fingers through the grass and Will breathed with the calming sound. It was really a beautiful morning. Well, forenoon was probably more correct by now.
"After we've taken care of these marauders, the soldiers will each have four days leave. Some of them will probably head out to the nearest town to spend the money they've earned," the prince was saying then. "The commanders and you sorcerers will have a whole week."
"A whole week?"
"Yes. What will you do with your time?"
There was never any question in that matter. "I'll go home to see my family. If I can borrow a horse, I'll get there faster and can spend more time with them."
There was a short silence. "I'm sure your sister will be delighted."
Will smiled at the prospect of seeing her surprised face when he'd step through the door.
Grass rustled and then suddenly the prince was leaning towards him, propped up on one elbow. "Let me go with you."
"What?" Will was genuinely surprised by that request.
"I want to see how your family lives."
"Why? I don't think your commanders would be too happy to let you out of their sights for a whole week, just to go see a carpenter's family."
"That is my decision, not theirs."
"My prince, use your common sense…"
"Don't 'my prince' me, sorcerer, I have a name. And don't tell me how to use my common sense."
Will frowned up at the face above him. "I don't think my parents would really know how to behave around you, my prince. They'd be uneasy and troubled about –"
The prince interrupted him again. "They don't have to know who I am. I can dress as a commoner easily enough; I even know a few bad words to roughen up my language."
"You'd dress and behave like a commoner?" Will couldn't quite picture that.
"You doubt my theatrical abilities, sorcerer?"
"Well, yes!"
The prince's blue eyes narrowed and he set about blurting out a long string of every curse and foul word he could come up with.
"Stop! Enough!" Will realized he was laughing. "Gods of mercy! Not even my grumpy, old grandfather curses like that even in his worst moods."
"Then you'll let me go with you?" There was a hint of a rather smug smile on that beautiful face.
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not unless you want me to give you an order, sorcerer." There was a definite smile there now.
"Fine then."
The smile widened.
It took a moment before Will realized he was staring into those deep blue eyes. And the prince was staring back, intently. Will couldn't even blink.
The prince leaned in slowly. "My name is Kell," he murmured, his eyes still locked on Will's.
"Kell," he whispered absently. He was entranced by the intensity in those eyes. They were so close now.
"Will," the prince murmured deeply.
"Yes?"
Then soft lips brushed across Will's mouth and he had to gasp to get any air into his lungs. His heart skipped a beat and his stomach tightened. The lips touched again, a bit more confidently now, and Will responded clumsily. Kissing like this was new to him, kissing a man in such an intimate manner. But the prince seemed to know what he was doing. The tip of his tongue flicked out and tickled Will's lips until he parted them slightly, then it slipped in to brush against Will's and the kiss deepened. One of Will's hands darted out to grasp at the prince's shoulder and hold him there. These new feelings rushing through him were too good to let go of so easily.
But to Will's disappointment and frustration the prince broke the kiss and leaned back. Will blinked to get his focus back. Gods, his body was flushed with heat and his breath was ragged.
"We should return to camp," the prince said and those words broke the spell and brought Will back to reality. "It's nearing noon and my commanders are probably wondering where I got off to."
No! Will wanted to say, but he nodded and sat up as the prince rose to his feet and went to fetch the horse.
~That was unexpected.~ Ashiná's voice startled Will and he almost fell over as he was getting to his feet.
~Gods of mercy! Don't do that!~
~You liked it.~
~Well… yes. I think I did.~ Will smiled, blushing.
~I knew you would.~ Ashiná sounded smug and then she was gone again.
Will cast discrete glances at the prince during the walk back to camp. None of them said anything and Will began to wonder if he had done something wrong. But the prince had initiated the kiss, not Will, so he wasn't really to blame, was he? Perhaps it hadn't really been that good, the prince had really hated it and now he never wanted to see Will like this ever again. The worries got worse and worse the closer to camp they got and soon Will was ready to scream out loud in desperation of not knowing how the prince felt.
"Please, my prince." Will stopped him with a hand on the reins close to the prince's fingers. Blue eyes turned to look at him and Will almost lost his courage. "I… Did I do something wrong?" he blurted out.
The smile was as instant as it was astonished. "No, Will. Gods! You didn't do anything wrong. It was just so overwhelming, that's all."
Will sighed with relief and all detrimental thoughts vanished.
"I'd do it again if we weren't so close to camp." The smile turned into a sly grin on the prince's lips and Will's heart beat faster with the thought. But they were at the edges of the camp by now, anyone could see them. Perhaps it was just as well, Will wasn't sure he'd be able to kiss like that again and not get anything more of it. It had been far too long since he had been intimate with another warm body.
The horse master bowed to them both when they returned the gelding. "So, how'd it go?" the wiry man asked bluntly, no heed for titles or due respect.
It didn't seem to bother the prince, though. He smiled and winked at Will. "With a bit of practice I believe our sorcerer will make a fairly good rider."
"So, so." The horse master nodded. "What horse should I prepare for him tomorrow then?"
"This one will do just fine. They've gotten to know each other today."
"So, so. The bay gelding it is." The man bowed again and went off with the horse to give it a well earned rubdown and its share of grain.
The prince turned to Will. "I must go back now, Will. And I don't know if I'll be free later to see you, probably not since I've been gone all morning."
"I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble, my prince." Will felt genuine regret, he'd never wished to do that.
"No, you haven't. I truly enjoyed spending time in your company, Will."
"Me too." Gods, he wanted to kiss those lips again.
"Say my name, Will."
"Kell," he said without even hesitating and the prince sighed and smiled at him.
"I'll see you tomorrow, sorcerer." The prince nodded farewell and headed deeper into camp.
"Yes, my prince." Will remembered to bow.
* * * * * * * *
Focus. Concentration. Presence. Those were the words farthest from Kell's mind. The commanders' voices had tuned out into a background noise to the song in his heart. The moment when his and Will's lips met replayed slowly over and over again in his mind. So soft, pliant those lips had been. Gods of earth and air! He wanted to do it again. And the tongue. A swift, fluttering, sweet thing he wanted to take into his own mouth to suckle on forever.
And Will had wondered what he had done wrong. Kell had almost laughed then, but had held it back at the last moment when he'd realized the young sorcerer had been genuinely worried. No, definitely nothing wrong with that kiss.
The fact that Will was a man concerned Kell, but it was intriguing as well how he hadn't felt this relaxed and needing this close to another for a long time. And even so, a knot of fear began to persistently nag in the back of his mind, vying for dominance with the deep warmth that filled him. The contradicting emotions made him want to scream in frustration; instead he cursed the one responsible for his current chaotic being.
Someone cleared their throat loudly as if it was done for the second or third time, and Kell blinked to focus on the faces looking at him.
"My prince? Are you ill?" Rión asked.
"No, just deep in thought." He straightened in his chair and tried to concentrate again.
"I see." Rión had a concerned wrinkle between his thick eyebrows.
"You were saying?" Kell steered them back on track.
"The area around the Knee is difficult for a large force to travel safely. The road is winding and narrow, the forest full of hideouts for the bandits and virtually every bend in the road is perfect for an ambush."
Kell's eyebrows drew as he contemplated this. "Which means our men will be spread out and vulnerable for an attack. Can we use you sorcerers as primary defense, Aron?"
The old man chewed on his lip. "Probably, and I'd say that would take them by surprise. Perhaps even scare them off."
"How many can you handle at once?" Rión asked.
"Well, the brothers and I can perhaps take a dozen each at a time, but Piotry isn't quite as strong and not even I can go on indefinitely. And we don't know how many bandits there are to begin with."
"And Will De'Noa?" Kell asked, trying to hide the interest in his voice.
Aron met his eyes, a corner of his thin mouth twitched. "Will is very powerful, but I doubt he can keep his aim sharp for very long and I have no idea about his stamina."
"So in the end it's up to the soldiers," Rión summoned up.
It was a tricky situation. As long as they were on the move their men would be easy targets, and when they took their battleground they couldn't be sure the marauders would take the bait and attack.
Kell sighed. They really had no choice, though. High commander Jayce needed them and the location where he had chosen to meet them, was the best suited spot for a camp as large as the joined forces would need. Kell rose from his chair and rubbed a knuckle down the length of the muscles in the small if his back. He was tiring of this discussion; they wouldn't make any wiser decisions now at this hour anyway, best if they all got a good night's rest instead.
Commander Rión lingered behind when the others had left. He studied his prince with a critical eye.
"Just say it, Rión," Kell sighed as he rolled up the map.
"Your focus is scattered, my prince. And though I can't blame you for the reason, which is ample enough, I hope it will not cause you any serious problems."
Kell smiled tiredly. "I appreciate your concern, Rión. I didn't know you to be so perceptive."
"Well," the commander cleared his throat, "I'm not, really. Sorcerer Aron made me aware of the situation and asked me to keep an eye on you."
"I see. You needn't worry. I know what I'm getting myself into." I hope. "I promise, as long as we're not within the safety of our camp, I'll focus on the business at hand."
Rión studied him a moment longer, before he finally nodded. "I bid you a good night, then."
A good night, Kell mused when he was alone. He was fairly certain he knew who would be disturbing his sleep tonight.
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