Fic: The White Dove - Part 5
2022-Jun-01, Wednesday 07:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
summeryewberryHeader in Part 1.
Back to Part 4
Chapter 5: To Free a Man
Laurent woke to the sight of Damen's broad, bare chest in front of him. His blanket had slipped and Perrin, or another servant, had already stoked the fire to fill the room with warmth. The sound of rain came from outside, but in Laurent's chambers it was dry and comfortable.
Maybe Damen's chest needed to be this wide to contain the size of his heart. Was it possible that love from his father and friends had nourished and grown Damen into the size he was today?
The size of him had always been commanding on the battlefield, with arms like tree trunks, the intimidating breadth of his shoulders, and the thickness of his neck.
Laurent remembered when a gold collar had encircled that neck. He'd wondered once if Kastor needed to cast a collar especially for Damen just to have one fit him. Laurent also remembered how afraid he'd been at first sight of this giant beast that was brought into his harem, and while he knew Damen wasn't always gentle - he'd seen him brutal on the battlefield and bathed in the blood of his enemies, after all - Damen was always gentle with Laurent.
Paradoxically, he made Laurent feel stronger when he was with Damen.
As he thought that, Damen stirred and blinked awake. "Good morning."
Laurent touched the unshaven hair on Damen's cheek, bristly and rough. "In Vere we have a fairy tale," he began, "called the Maiden Blanche."
Damen listened without speaking as Laurent recounted the tale of grief and suffering, the impossible tree, and the white dove.
In all his reading over the past week, scholars had endless theories about the maiden and her love as figures of Artesian history, although no one could agree on who they might have been. The tree had no name and no colour in the story, but scholars theorised it was an olive tree, since it grew where the land ended in Akielos. The dove must have requested a branch with a single olive on it as payment. Now Laurent couldn't help but wonder if doves even ate olives in Akielos.
Damen listened until Laurent was done. He took Laurent's hand and kissed his fingers before replying. "We have similar stories in Akielos. Maybe the gods finally heard you and took pity on you?"
"You believe in the gods, Damen?"
Damen sighed. "In Akielos there are old stories of when the gods still interfered in human affairs. There are more than a few tales of people returning from the underworld. A husband asking for his wife to be returned, a hero rescuing a king, and a woman who sacrificed herself for her husband. I'm not a scholar but even children in Akielos hear the stories where people can return after they die."
Laurent wasn't learned in Akielon stories either, but something stirred in his memory. "Isn't there always a price in your stories?"
"There are also stories of gods taking pity on wounded innocents," Damen regarded him for a moment. "And I think the price you paid was high enough, don't you?"
Laurent pushed away, rolling to sit up in bed. "You think it's him!" Laurent said, flatly. "You think after all this time a dead man comes back, without impediment or drawback? When it's far more likely that the Lords who are plotting against me have sent an impostor to weaken me before they make their move. I learnt the hard way, a long time ago, that there is no such thing as winning everything, no such thing as a fairy tale ending."
Damen sat up beside him, but his voice remained gentle. "I believe in you, Laurent, and I believe in us. I believe that if anyone can win everything it would be you, because I've seen you do much more difficult things. And when you do, I will be right there with you. I don't believe you would ever need my help, but I'll offer it anyway, any time you want."
Laurent breathed. It had been over a week and no one had any more answers on who the man in Paschal's rooms could be, and the man himself was unshaken in his answers.
"I don't know what to do with him," Laurent said at last.
Damen nodded. "I think you should free him."
"Out of the question."
"Let him walk the castle," Damen continued undeterred. "Watch him if you need to, but you've had him chained in bed for long enough. What else are you going to learn from him this way?"
"I haven't tried torturing him yet," Laurent pointed out.
"All right," Damen nodded, agreeably. "Are you going to?"
Laurent debated saying yes, but he knew there was little to be gained from torture that couldn't be teased out of people in other, more creative ways. Torture might lead to lies, if only to end the pain, but trickery? Trickery was something Laurent knew well, and if he played things right it might lead to the truth far more quickly.
"There's a reason you haven't thrown him in your dungeons yet, isn't there?" Damen asked.
Laurent fixed him with a look. "Because I'm weak to manipulation by family?"
"No," Damen huffed. "Because you're smart. You know there's more to this, whatever is going on, and you want to solve this puzzle."
It was still uncomfortable to Laurent sometimes, how well Damen understood him.
After a moment Damen spoke again. "You're strong. You're the strongest person I've ever met and you're not a child anymore. You hold all the power this time and you know how to wield it with compassion, wisdom, and ruthless scheming."
Laurent felt the tug of a smile on his lips.
Damen smiled too. "King Laurent, you know what you survived to get here, and you and I both know it takes more than this to break you. Whoever this Auguste is, he may hurt you, but he cannot break you. I don't think there is a force in the world that can do that."
His eyes were full of warmth, and Laurent's heart leapt at the emotion he saw there.
This was why Damen was here: to help Laurent make better decisions; to love Laurent when he needed it most.
Laurent leaned over to kiss him, letting Damen pull him closer on top of him. Damen's skin was very warm, as though he had brought the sun north with him, and Laurent wanted to grasp and hold as much of it as possible. Thankfully Damen seemed to be thinking exactly the same thing.
-
Laurent sent a message that Auguste was to be released from Paschal's rooms later that day. He would remain confined to the northern suite for royalty and foreign royalty, where he would have access to servants and guards, but he would not be permitted to leave his suite except under guard. Better to have him close and observed than to give him a leash that was too long.
Laurent didn't go see him directly.
Instead, he spent the day with Damen. It had been a month since Laurent left Marlas, taking his time riding north to let his people see their new king. Since Damen was not yet officially in Arles they had no pressing business to complete, though they spoke about the laws they still needed to address between them.
The day spent in Damen's arms helped Laurent relax, a relief and a comfort after everything that had happened here in Arles. Damen made love to him as though nothing beyond these walls mattered, as if time had stopped just for them, and the world would wait forever.
-
Damen's men arrived that night.
When they were sighted from the city walls, Damen rode out to meet them. It was only proper to follow protocol for a visiting noble, especially for a meeting as historic as this one.
No king of Akielos had visited the Veretian capital since the breakdown of peace talks a century ago, when the borders were made guarded and controlled.
Laurent stood on the palace steps as Damen rode up with his small party. The sun was setting, the sky a mottled rose and lavender above them, and the wind carried ice as it blew from the east, though Laurent's fur cloak kept him warm as he waited. The clatter of horses hooves grew as the men rode into the courtyard, Damen at their head.
He was still dressed in the Veretian style in which he had been dressed as he rode out, lacking the finery of his station, but some of the horses were laden with packs, no doubt carrying the King's possessions. For a semi-official visit, it would do.
All around stood the courtiers and soldiers of Arles, with a few servants sneaking a look from the back of the crowd. Laurent heard the whispers, the comments on Damen's enslavement and more than one muttered Prince-Killer. But they fell silent when the men stopped.
Laurent waited until Damen swung out of his saddle and approached the steps.
"Our brother of Akielos," Laurent spoke just loud enough for his voice to carry in the courtyard.
Damen was barely shorter than him when he stopped two steps lower. "Our brother of Vere."
"Welcome to Arles."
"Thank you. We look forward to a prosperous meeting and a fortunate future for both our countries."
Formalities out of the way, Laurent spoke softer to his guards. "Lazar, show the men to their accommodations. Make sure Pallas has a bed of his own apart from yours, even if he won't be using it much."
Lazar grinned, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"If you would like to follow me, Exalted?"
Damen broke into a smile. "Gladly."
-
Jord and Rene's morning report now included news of their newest unwelcome resident.
Auguste had been asking servants questions, mostly about the past few years, recent events, and Akielos. The servants who were not under any orders not to answer him would have shared what they knew from their own experiences. If the man truly was ignorant he would now have a broad but inaccurate picture of Laurent's life in Vere, but none of the servants reported any dangerous questions, merely curiosity. He asked no questions about security in the palace or the king's movements, almost as if it never occurred to him that either of those things could be a concern. And half the servants were apparently charmed by their new visitor already.
Jord was clearly uncomfortable as he spoke and eventually Laurent put down his breakfast with a sigh.
"Speak plainly, Jord. What is it that bothers you?"
Jord's stance relaxed. "I keep thinking of the women we met at Chastillon and I ask myself if it's possible. If your brother really did return, he would be a lot like the man we found in the gardens, where his statue should have been."
"You believe it's him, Jord?"
"I don't know, Your Majesty." But his discomfort clearly said he was leaning on the side of being convinced.
Laurent took a pastry from his plate and considered as he ate.
Damen was watching him, clear and open face, without judgement.
"I cannot believe it is him," Laurent said. These men he could trust. These men would defend him to the death, and they deserved this much honesty at least. "I cannot let that thought gain wings. If he disappears one night, the way he appeared, what will that do? If he is real?"
"Then you would lose him again," Damen completed the thought.
Laurent inclined his head. "So you see, Jord, I cannot allow myself to believe in fairy tales."
Jord bowed low, showing both apology and understanding.
Laurent decided that he would avoid Auguste for the rest of the day and to ignore his existence completely. His men would let him know if Auguste did anything suspicious or met with someone he shouldn't have.
"Where are we with our trap for Lord Emilion?"
"Captain Enguerran has given us our tasks," Rene answered. "We will have word from the walls as soon as Lord Emilion is within sight of the city. What do you want us to do with our guest Auguste when that happens?"
"Make sure he's in the throne room when Lord Emilion arrives," Laurent said. Both Jord and Rene startled. "I want him close if the Lords decide to make their move, but keep him out of sight. I want to see who makes the first move."
Rene nodded. "And Lord Emilion?"
"Be patient and let him come to us, but I will speak to Enguerran further about that. Emilion is not one of the better schemers of the land, but he was loyal to my uncle. It's possible that anything happening now was set in motion by the Regent before he died."
"Would your uncle have planned for anything other than your death?" Damen asked. "He never planned to lose. I don't think he even thought it was a possibility that he could lose."
"You're right," Laurent acknowledged. "He never thought he would lose his head. But it's possible he planned for a future in which I slithered out of his grasp again. He always had more than one scheme in motion. An impostor of my brother could have been designed to weaken me or to hold over me as a threat."
Damen nodded.
Even Jord looked like he was considering the possibility.
"Even so," Damen said, adding salad to his eggs as only an Akielon would, "I will protect you, even from Auguste, but I will not kill him again unless you give the order."
Laurent swallowed his pastry before speaking again. "Jord, make sure all the men are similarly instructed."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
-
Given that Damen had been summoned in a hurry, there had been no time to prepare an official feast as deserving of a foreign king, so Laurent had their dinner brought to one of the informal dining rooms, with only Damen and a few servants for company. It was as intimate as a dinner could be in the palace, but Damen's eyes darting around at everything said it was still more elaborate than he was used to.
"No courtiers and pets are joining us?" Damen asked as servants uncovered gold plates for them. Cheese-bread and soup decked the table, with sweetmeats and fruits on the side, and a selection of wine and water held by the servants.
"Only at the larger dinners. Even Vere cannot feast every day."
"I did wonder," Damen said.
"Once a week is traditional for a feast," Laurent explained as they settled down to eat, "like the ones you might remember with pets and courtiers. Of course, every king has done things differently; my uncle preferred his court as decadent and carnal as possible to make himself look less outrageous by contrast."
Damen pulled a face at the mention. That was one thing that had always intrigued Laurent even as he had used it against Damen.
"For a man this experienced, you are remarkably demure about our nobles and their pets."
Damen chewed before he answered. "I'm not sure I will ever get used to your culture's immodesty with physical affection."
"You mean shame-free fucking?" His own court was already much more discreet and proper than his uncle's had been.
It was much more in line with what Laurent remembered of his childhood, when his father had hosted the weekly feasts with important allies. Some of those courtiers had stopped attending the Regent's feasts after a while, including Laurent's second cousins. The people took their lead from their king, and while his people now knew Laurent wasn't as frigid as they might have thought once, he had been in power long enough to implement a different style of kingship. He would likely always be seen as somewhat untouchable, but if that restrained the worst indulgences of the nobility in his country, then it could only be a benefit.
Laurent smiled at Damen. "I take it you are not looking forward to the council watching our wedding night then?"
Damen's expressive face immediately dimmed. "Not if we get married in Ios. Your council can't overrule a foreign king in his own country."
Laurent laughed, his chest filling with affection for his modest lover, who was so proud of his virility in other ways. Akielons were a mystery. "Are you sure? I might want to show you off."
"I've been shown off enough to this court and country," Damen glowered.
They were probably both thinking of the sparse silks and oils right now. Laurent had enjoyed Damen's discomfort back then, had revelled in his humiliation.
It was strange that Akielons were so conservative about sex, given it was as natural as eating in the world of humans and animals. But Laurent could also appreciate the weight given to keeping one aspect of life reserved for certain special people. There was a sense of trust in that, that he could respect.
If Damen wanted an Akielon wedding, Laurent was happy to give it to him.
"Your coronation was at the Kingsmeet," Laurent started. "Would your wedding also take place there?"
"Yes; all royal weddings do. Apart from Prince Theseus, who was married on the battlefield during the first Delpha War and died before the marriage could be solemnised at the Kingsmeet. But if possible, yes, it's traditional."
Laurent took a drink before he spoke again. "Then my council will just have to accept the legitimacy of a foreign marriage for their king."
Damen's smile was bright enough to rival the sun. He picked up Laurent's hand from where it lay on the table kissed his fingers, as gentle and tender as ever. However much else they had done together, Damen's open heart still made Laurent's breath catch and his pulse race. There was so much affection in those dark eyes, and as much as Laurent would like to trumpet his love off the tallest towers, he thought maybe he could understand the desire to keep this between just the two of them, without an observing council.
He heard movement at the door and Laurent looked up to see Auguste staring at him. Jord had a hand on his chest, stopping him from entering, but Auguste stood stock still.
Just like that, the warm feeling in Laurent's heart disappeared.
"It's alright, Jord," Laurent called out. "What do you want, Impostor?"
Auguste stepped in slowly once Jord let him pass. He was dressed in common clothes, washed and neat, shining hair tied back with a blue ribbon. It was like watching a memory step through the door.
"Apologies for the interruption, but you have been busy all day and I wanted to speak with you."
There was nothing Laurent wanted less, but he gave permission to continue. The sooner he was done, he sooner he would be gone.
"I've been speaking with your people," Auguste began. "You have opened borders, wealth flows in both directions, and your palace functions like a well-trained army. They praise you for bringing peace and stability to Vere and they hold a lot of affection for you personally."
All that was true and important; unfortunately it wasn't the common people that held power and that needed to be brought under his accords. If Auguste had spoken to certain courtiers he would have a very different impression of how stable Laurent's standing was.
"Your people have nothing but loyalty and admiration for you," Auguste continued, "with good reason, if some of the stories are to be believed."
"And what stories are those?" With long practice Laurent affected boredom to hide his trepidation, but inside his stomach flipped and his mind raced.
"Stories about what happened after I died, the things the servants say about what it was like here. I know our uncle is a traitor and I understand why he is not being mourned, but some of the staff are outright glad he is gone. They say he encouraged the worst excesses of Vere and made himself Regent over a playground of decadence and ruination. There are rumours of a boy's headless body buried under the horse's training yard. I do not want to imagine living in the place the servants describe. Laurent, you are not a sacrifice I wanted to make."
The longer he spoke, the colder Laurent's blood ran. In the end he tasted bile on his tongue. "You didn't sacrifice anything."
"I did." Auguste had a very familiar and very stubborn set to his jaw. "I was willing to sacrifice my life for my country, as I think you would. But I would never sacrifice you. I'm sorry I did that. I'm sorry you were left hurting-"
"Stop." Laurent cut him off. "You are dismissed."
There was pain in Auguste's eyes. If it was only pain without roaring anger then Auguste had not guessed the full truth. It was a small mercy.
When he didn't move immediately, Laurent repeated himself. "I said, you are dismissed."
"Did I lose you forever that day?"
But before Laurent could have him forcibly removed, he turned to leave on his own.
Laurent thought he must have been trembling but his hand was still when Damen took it again. Damen's skin was so warm and Laurent even colder by contrast.
Auguste was gone again.
And Damen held onto his hand until Laurent needed it to eat again.
-
Notes: Yes, I was thinking of Orpheus, Theseus, and Alcestis returning from the underworld.
On to Part 6.
Back to Part 4
Chapter 5: To Free a Man
Laurent woke to the sight of Damen's broad, bare chest in front of him. His blanket had slipped and Perrin, or another servant, had already stoked the fire to fill the room with warmth. The sound of rain came from outside, but in Laurent's chambers it was dry and comfortable.
Maybe Damen's chest needed to be this wide to contain the size of his heart. Was it possible that love from his father and friends had nourished and grown Damen into the size he was today?
The size of him had always been commanding on the battlefield, with arms like tree trunks, the intimidating breadth of his shoulders, and the thickness of his neck.
Laurent remembered when a gold collar had encircled that neck. He'd wondered once if Kastor needed to cast a collar especially for Damen just to have one fit him. Laurent also remembered how afraid he'd been at first sight of this giant beast that was brought into his harem, and while he knew Damen wasn't always gentle - he'd seen him brutal on the battlefield and bathed in the blood of his enemies, after all - Damen was always gentle with Laurent.
Paradoxically, he made Laurent feel stronger when he was with Damen.
As he thought that, Damen stirred and blinked awake. "Good morning."
Laurent touched the unshaven hair on Damen's cheek, bristly and rough. "In Vere we have a fairy tale," he began, "called the Maiden Blanche."
Damen listened without speaking as Laurent recounted the tale of grief and suffering, the impossible tree, and the white dove.
In all his reading over the past week, scholars had endless theories about the maiden and her love as figures of Artesian history, although no one could agree on who they might have been. The tree had no name and no colour in the story, but scholars theorised it was an olive tree, since it grew where the land ended in Akielos. The dove must have requested a branch with a single olive on it as payment. Now Laurent couldn't help but wonder if doves even ate olives in Akielos.
Damen listened until Laurent was done. He took Laurent's hand and kissed his fingers before replying. "We have similar stories in Akielos. Maybe the gods finally heard you and took pity on you?"
"You believe in the gods, Damen?"
Damen sighed. "In Akielos there are old stories of when the gods still interfered in human affairs. There are more than a few tales of people returning from the underworld. A husband asking for his wife to be returned, a hero rescuing a king, and a woman who sacrificed herself for her husband. I'm not a scholar but even children in Akielos hear the stories where people can return after they die."
Laurent wasn't learned in Akielon stories either, but something stirred in his memory. "Isn't there always a price in your stories?"
"There are also stories of gods taking pity on wounded innocents," Damen regarded him for a moment. "And I think the price you paid was high enough, don't you?"
Laurent pushed away, rolling to sit up in bed. "You think it's him!" Laurent said, flatly. "You think after all this time a dead man comes back, without impediment or drawback? When it's far more likely that the Lords who are plotting against me have sent an impostor to weaken me before they make their move. I learnt the hard way, a long time ago, that there is no such thing as winning everything, no such thing as a fairy tale ending."
Damen sat up beside him, but his voice remained gentle. "I believe in you, Laurent, and I believe in us. I believe that if anyone can win everything it would be you, because I've seen you do much more difficult things. And when you do, I will be right there with you. I don't believe you would ever need my help, but I'll offer it anyway, any time you want."
Laurent breathed. It had been over a week and no one had any more answers on who the man in Paschal's rooms could be, and the man himself was unshaken in his answers.
"I don't know what to do with him," Laurent said at last.
Damen nodded. "I think you should free him."
"Out of the question."
"Let him walk the castle," Damen continued undeterred. "Watch him if you need to, but you've had him chained in bed for long enough. What else are you going to learn from him this way?"
"I haven't tried torturing him yet," Laurent pointed out.
"All right," Damen nodded, agreeably. "Are you going to?"
Laurent debated saying yes, but he knew there was little to be gained from torture that couldn't be teased out of people in other, more creative ways. Torture might lead to lies, if only to end the pain, but trickery? Trickery was something Laurent knew well, and if he played things right it might lead to the truth far more quickly.
"There's a reason you haven't thrown him in your dungeons yet, isn't there?" Damen asked.
Laurent fixed him with a look. "Because I'm weak to manipulation by family?"
"No," Damen huffed. "Because you're smart. You know there's more to this, whatever is going on, and you want to solve this puzzle."
It was still uncomfortable to Laurent sometimes, how well Damen understood him.
After a moment Damen spoke again. "You're strong. You're the strongest person I've ever met and you're not a child anymore. You hold all the power this time and you know how to wield it with compassion, wisdom, and ruthless scheming."
Laurent felt the tug of a smile on his lips.
Damen smiled too. "King Laurent, you know what you survived to get here, and you and I both know it takes more than this to break you. Whoever this Auguste is, he may hurt you, but he cannot break you. I don't think there is a force in the world that can do that."
His eyes were full of warmth, and Laurent's heart leapt at the emotion he saw there.
This was why Damen was here: to help Laurent make better decisions; to love Laurent when he needed it most.
Laurent leaned over to kiss him, letting Damen pull him closer on top of him. Damen's skin was very warm, as though he had brought the sun north with him, and Laurent wanted to grasp and hold as much of it as possible. Thankfully Damen seemed to be thinking exactly the same thing.
-
Laurent sent a message that Auguste was to be released from Paschal's rooms later that day. He would remain confined to the northern suite for royalty and foreign royalty, where he would have access to servants and guards, but he would not be permitted to leave his suite except under guard. Better to have him close and observed than to give him a leash that was too long.
Laurent didn't go see him directly.
Instead, he spent the day with Damen. It had been a month since Laurent left Marlas, taking his time riding north to let his people see their new king. Since Damen was not yet officially in Arles they had no pressing business to complete, though they spoke about the laws they still needed to address between them.
The day spent in Damen's arms helped Laurent relax, a relief and a comfort after everything that had happened here in Arles. Damen made love to him as though nothing beyond these walls mattered, as if time had stopped just for them, and the world would wait forever.
-
Damen's men arrived that night.
When they were sighted from the city walls, Damen rode out to meet them. It was only proper to follow protocol for a visiting noble, especially for a meeting as historic as this one.
No king of Akielos had visited the Veretian capital since the breakdown of peace talks a century ago, when the borders were made guarded and controlled.
Laurent stood on the palace steps as Damen rode up with his small party. The sun was setting, the sky a mottled rose and lavender above them, and the wind carried ice as it blew from the east, though Laurent's fur cloak kept him warm as he waited. The clatter of horses hooves grew as the men rode into the courtyard, Damen at their head.
He was still dressed in the Veretian style in which he had been dressed as he rode out, lacking the finery of his station, but some of the horses were laden with packs, no doubt carrying the King's possessions. For a semi-official visit, it would do.
All around stood the courtiers and soldiers of Arles, with a few servants sneaking a look from the back of the crowd. Laurent heard the whispers, the comments on Damen's enslavement and more than one muttered Prince-Killer. But they fell silent when the men stopped.
Laurent waited until Damen swung out of his saddle and approached the steps.
"Our brother of Akielos," Laurent spoke just loud enough for his voice to carry in the courtyard.
Damen was barely shorter than him when he stopped two steps lower. "Our brother of Vere."
"Welcome to Arles."
"Thank you. We look forward to a prosperous meeting and a fortunate future for both our countries."
Formalities out of the way, Laurent spoke softer to his guards. "Lazar, show the men to their accommodations. Make sure Pallas has a bed of his own apart from yours, even if he won't be using it much."
Lazar grinned, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"If you would like to follow me, Exalted?"
Damen broke into a smile. "Gladly."
-
Jord and Rene's morning report now included news of their newest unwelcome resident.
Auguste had been asking servants questions, mostly about the past few years, recent events, and Akielos. The servants who were not under any orders not to answer him would have shared what they knew from their own experiences. If the man truly was ignorant he would now have a broad but inaccurate picture of Laurent's life in Vere, but none of the servants reported any dangerous questions, merely curiosity. He asked no questions about security in the palace or the king's movements, almost as if it never occurred to him that either of those things could be a concern. And half the servants were apparently charmed by their new visitor already.
Jord was clearly uncomfortable as he spoke and eventually Laurent put down his breakfast with a sigh.
"Speak plainly, Jord. What is it that bothers you?"
Jord's stance relaxed. "I keep thinking of the women we met at Chastillon and I ask myself if it's possible. If your brother really did return, he would be a lot like the man we found in the gardens, where his statue should have been."
"You believe it's him, Jord?"
"I don't know, Your Majesty." But his discomfort clearly said he was leaning on the side of being convinced.
Laurent took a pastry from his plate and considered as he ate.
Damen was watching him, clear and open face, without judgement.
"I cannot believe it is him," Laurent said. These men he could trust. These men would defend him to the death, and they deserved this much honesty at least. "I cannot let that thought gain wings. If he disappears one night, the way he appeared, what will that do? If he is real?"
"Then you would lose him again," Damen completed the thought.
Laurent inclined his head. "So you see, Jord, I cannot allow myself to believe in fairy tales."
Jord bowed low, showing both apology and understanding.
Laurent decided that he would avoid Auguste for the rest of the day and to ignore his existence completely. His men would let him know if Auguste did anything suspicious or met with someone he shouldn't have.
"Where are we with our trap for Lord Emilion?"
"Captain Enguerran has given us our tasks," Rene answered. "We will have word from the walls as soon as Lord Emilion is within sight of the city. What do you want us to do with our guest Auguste when that happens?"
"Make sure he's in the throne room when Lord Emilion arrives," Laurent said. Both Jord and Rene startled. "I want him close if the Lords decide to make their move, but keep him out of sight. I want to see who makes the first move."
Rene nodded. "And Lord Emilion?"
"Be patient and let him come to us, but I will speak to Enguerran further about that. Emilion is not one of the better schemers of the land, but he was loyal to my uncle. It's possible that anything happening now was set in motion by the Regent before he died."
"Would your uncle have planned for anything other than your death?" Damen asked. "He never planned to lose. I don't think he even thought it was a possibility that he could lose."
"You're right," Laurent acknowledged. "He never thought he would lose his head. But it's possible he planned for a future in which I slithered out of his grasp again. He always had more than one scheme in motion. An impostor of my brother could have been designed to weaken me or to hold over me as a threat."
Damen nodded.
Even Jord looked like he was considering the possibility.
"Even so," Damen said, adding salad to his eggs as only an Akielon would, "I will protect you, even from Auguste, but I will not kill him again unless you give the order."
Laurent swallowed his pastry before speaking again. "Jord, make sure all the men are similarly instructed."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
-
Given that Damen had been summoned in a hurry, there had been no time to prepare an official feast as deserving of a foreign king, so Laurent had their dinner brought to one of the informal dining rooms, with only Damen and a few servants for company. It was as intimate as a dinner could be in the palace, but Damen's eyes darting around at everything said it was still more elaborate than he was used to.
"No courtiers and pets are joining us?" Damen asked as servants uncovered gold plates for them. Cheese-bread and soup decked the table, with sweetmeats and fruits on the side, and a selection of wine and water held by the servants.
"Only at the larger dinners. Even Vere cannot feast every day."
"I did wonder," Damen said.
"Once a week is traditional for a feast," Laurent explained as they settled down to eat, "like the ones you might remember with pets and courtiers. Of course, every king has done things differently; my uncle preferred his court as decadent and carnal as possible to make himself look less outrageous by contrast."
Damen pulled a face at the mention. That was one thing that had always intrigued Laurent even as he had used it against Damen.
"For a man this experienced, you are remarkably demure about our nobles and their pets."
Damen chewed before he answered. "I'm not sure I will ever get used to your culture's immodesty with physical affection."
"You mean shame-free fucking?" His own court was already much more discreet and proper than his uncle's had been.
It was much more in line with what Laurent remembered of his childhood, when his father had hosted the weekly feasts with important allies. Some of those courtiers had stopped attending the Regent's feasts after a while, including Laurent's second cousins. The people took their lead from their king, and while his people now knew Laurent wasn't as frigid as they might have thought once, he had been in power long enough to implement a different style of kingship. He would likely always be seen as somewhat untouchable, but if that restrained the worst indulgences of the nobility in his country, then it could only be a benefit.
Laurent smiled at Damen. "I take it you are not looking forward to the council watching our wedding night then?"
Damen's expressive face immediately dimmed. "Not if we get married in Ios. Your council can't overrule a foreign king in his own country."
Laurent laughed, his chest filling with affection for his modest lover, who was so proud of his virility in other ways. Akielons were a mystery. "Are you sure? I might want to show you off."
"I've been shown off enough to this court and country," Damen glowered.
They were probably both thinking of the sparse silks and oils right now. Laurent had enjoyed Damen's discomfort back then, had revelled in his humiliation.
It was strange that Akielons were so conservative about sex, given it was as natural as eating in the world of humans and animals. But Laurent could also appreciate the weight given to keeping one aspect of life reserved for certain special people. There was a sense of trust in that, that he could respect.
If Damen wanted an Akielon wedding, Laurent was happy to give it to him.
"Your coronation was at the Kingsmeet," Laurent started. "Would your wedding also take place there?"
"Yes; all royal weddings do. Apart from Prince Theseus, who was married on the battlefield during the first Delpha War and died before the marriage could be solemnised at the Kingsmeet. But if possible, yes, it's traditional."
Laurent took a drink before he spoke again. "Then my council will just have to accept the legitimacy of a foreign marriage for their king."
Damen's smile was bright enough to rival the sun. He picked up Laurent's hand from where it lay on the table kissed his fingers, as gentle and tender as ever. However much else they had done together, Damen's open heart still made Laurent's breath catch and his pulse race. There was so much affection in those dark eyes, and as much as Laurent would like to trumpet his love off the tallest towers, he thought maybe he could understand the desire to keep this between just the two of them, without an observing council.
He heard movement at the door and Laurent looked up to see Auguste staring at him. Jord had a hand on his chest, stopping him from entering, but Auguste stood stock still.
Just like that, the warm feeling in Laurent's heart disappeared.
"It's alright, Jord," Laurent called out. "What do you want, Impostor?"
Auguste stepped in slowly once Jord let him pass. He was dressed in common clothes, washed and neat, shining hair tied back with a blue ribbon. It was like watching a memory step through the door.
"Apologies for the interruption, but you have been busy all day and I wanted to speak with you."
There was nothing Laurent wanted less, but he gave permission to continue. The sooner he was done, he sooner he would be gone.
"I've been speaking with your people," Auguste began. "You have opened borders, wealth flows in both directions, and your palace functions like a well-trained army. They praise you for bringing peace and stability to Vere and they hold a lot of affection for you personally."
All that was true and important; unfortunately it wasn't the common people that held power and that needed to be brought under his accords. If Auguste had spoken to certain courtiers he would have a very different impression of how stable Laurent's standing was.
"Your people have nothing but loyalty and admiration for you," Auguste continued, "with good reason, if some of the stories are to be believed."
"And what stories are those?" With long practice Laurent affected boredom to hide his trepidation, but inside his stomach flipped and his mind raced.
"Stories about what happened after I died, the things the servants say about what it was like here. I know our uncle is a traitor and I understand why he is not being mourned, but some of the staff are outright glad he is gone. They say he encouraged the worst excesses of Vere and made himself Regent over a playground of decadence and ruination. There are rumours of a boy's headless body buried under the horse's training yard. I do not want to imagine living in the place the servants describe. Laurent, you are not a sacrifice I wanted to make."
The longer he spoke, the colder Laurent's blood ran. In the end he tasted bile on his tongue. "You didn't sacrifice anything."
"I did." Auguste had a very familiar and very stubborn set to his jaw. "I was willing to sacrifice my life for my country, as I think you would. But I would never sacrifice you. I'm sorry I did that. I'm sorry you were left hurting-"
"Stop." Laurent cut him off. "You are dismissed."
There was pain in Auguste's eyes. If it was only pain without roaring anger then Auguste had not guessed the full truth. It was a small mercy.
When he didn't move immediately, Laurent repeated himself. "I said, you are dismissed."
"Did I lose you forever that day?"
But before Laurent could have him forcibly removed, he turned to leave on his own.
Laurent thought he must have been trembling but his hand was still when Damen took it again. Damen's skin was so warm and Laurent even colder by contrast.
Auguste was gone again.
And Damen held onto his hand until Laurent needed it to eat again.
-
Notes: Yes, I was thinking of Orpheus, Theseus, and Alcestis returning from the underworld.
On to Part 6.
