Fairyfly - 13. Heavy Branches

Finally arriving to the Lykos settlement, Rulf sneaked over to Fendrel’s house near the edge of the forest and noticed a broken window. Still in his wolf form, he walked over to the front door and knocked with his paw, but no reply came. Deciding he didn’t want to wait until the morning, he tried the lock and to his surprise, the door was unlocked. As he let himself in, he took in the scene before him – the room was a mess, cabinets and drawers opened, furniture thrown around and broken all over the floor.

“What the hell happened here?” he muttered, when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

“Stay where you are!” a male voice called out.

As Rulf turned around, he saw three royal guards surrounding him, pointing their swords at him. One of them stood at the door, the other in front of the broken window, and the third one between them. There was no escape.

Royal soldiers! It couldn’t be a coincidence that they came here. Did they already have Fendrel, or did they think I was him? Rulf wondered as he eyed the three armed men surrounding him threateningly. Still in his wolf form, he thought about jumping at one of them, when suddenly a powerful shock wave spread out across the room, knocking the soldiers back and into the walls, making them drop their swords. As the men laid unconscious on the floor, Rulf turned around in shock to see Esthor standing right beside him. The look of utter surprise on his face was immediately replaced by relief and happiness.

“Are you ok?” the sorcerer asked, struggling to catch his breath.

“Yeah, I - I’m fine, thanks to you! What are you doing here, did you follow me?!” the Lykos asked, approaching Esthor and grabbing him by the arms, perhaps a bit more roughly than he intended to. He pulled the sorcerer into a hug and let out a deep sigh.

“Of course I followed you! You said you weren’t angry, but… It looked like you were about to do something stupid, I just didn’t know what.”

“I was,” Rulf replied, pressing his lips to Esthor’s for a brief moment, drawing a lovely smile out of the blond man. “But let’s get out of here,” he said as he took Esthor past the three guards on the floor. “We don’t want to be here when they wake up.”

“Oh, they’re no problem,” Esthor smirked. He could defeat three ordinary men with his eyes closed, which was pretty much what he just did.

“You never know, maybe there’s more of them around. You better shift again,” the Lykos suggested and led them into the adjacent room, locking the door behind them. As soon as Esthor shifted back into a fairyfly, Rulf opened the window and jumped out, followed by the flying insect.

“It’s too late now to try and reach Khalgos, the sun will be up soon. We should go to my place,” he said and led the way through the dark, tiny streets.

The guards must’ve been in Fendrel’s house on purpose, which means the king thinks he was the one who bit Arabella, Rulf thought, remembering the broken furniture and window. They must have fought him there already.

In a matter of minutes, the two shifters were in front of Rulf’s house. The Lykos surveyed the surroundings and satisfied that everything was in order, he shifted back and unlocked the door, letting them in. While Esthor remained in his fairyfly form as a precaution, Rulf quickly checked the rooms to make sure there were no surprises. The house was empty and nothing seemed to be missing. At least it wasn’t ransacked like Fendrel’s place.

He made sure all the doors were locked and windows closed, and lit several candles to provide some light until the sun rose. After that, he sat on the bed and held out his hand, allowing the fairyfly to land on his palm.

“It’s ok, you can shift back now,” he said, smiling at the precious little insect.

The fairyfly flew onto the bed right next to him and after a few moments turned back into the blond sorcerer.

“There you are,” Rulf whispered, caressing the young man’s face with his fingers.

He felt so relieved to be with Esthor, thankful the man had followed him and even saved his life. Now all he wanted was to keep him safe in return. The argument they had earlier that night was the last thing on his mind. Even Fendrel and the revenge he wanted was overshadowed by his blooming feelings for the sorcerer.

Feeling encouraged and still full of adrenaline, Esthor scooted closer and placed a hand on Rulf’s thigh, stroking it. It took less than a second for the Lykos to feel his erection growing. He placed a hand on the back of Esthor’s head and pulled him in for a kiss. It started out soft and gentle, but that didn’t last long. As soon as Rulf’s tongue touched the blond’s lips, he opened them and let Rulf in, their tongues connecting and grinding against each other.

Esthor started moaning, his own erection straining hard against the fabric of his underwear. As he moved his hand up from Rulf’s thigh to his crotch, he was pleased to know the other man was as hard as he was. Feeling the Lykos’ thick, hard cock under the layer of fabric made him so aroused, he couldn’t help but moan even louder. Rulf deepened the kiss as if he would devour Esthor, while his hands roamed under his shirt and across his back, feeling the blond man’s hot skin.

Esthor quickly untied Rulf’s pants and his hand found its way inside, grabbing Rulf’s hard erection.

“Unnghh,” Rulf moaned, lifting his butt from the bed.

He quickly pulled his pants and underwear down, allowing Esthor easy access. In a matter of seconds, all of their clothes were in a heap on the floor, leaving them fully naked.

“Wow, you’re beautiful,” the Lykos said softly, his eyes absorbing the view of the naked sorcerer in front of him. His lean body was hairless, other than some light hair on his legs and arms, as well as above his beautiful, thin cock. Rulf, on the other hand, was much more in line with his animal form, which Esthor was just starting to discover, feeling him up all over.

As the Lykos spread himself on the bed, Esthor knelt between his legs, running his fingers all over Rulf’s stomach and moving on to his chest, which was sprinkled with dark brown hairs. Leaning over him, Esthor spread kisses all over the Lykos’ chest before stopping at a nipple and closing his mouth around it, sucking it hard. Not being able to see didn’t mean much to him at that moment. He was exploring every inch of Rulf’s body with his fingers and tongue, feeling every muscle, every part of him.

“Ahhh, keep doing that,” Rulf whispered, loving the feel of Esthor’s wet tongue on his nipple, his teeth scraping against it, sending shocks down to his throbbing cock.

As he moved to the other nipple, Esthor slowly moved a hand across Rulf’s stomach and down to his thick, hairy cock. Grabbing it firmly, he started stroking it, feeling the tip already wet with leaking precum. That was too big of a temptation for him - he just had to taste it.

Reluctantly moving away from the juicy nipple he’d been sucking on, Esthor slid down and brought his face close to Rulf’s cock, giving it a few licks around the head at first. The sweet precum was delicious and he just had to have it all.

“So good…” he whispered, licking Rulf’s cock from base to tip. Wasting no time, he put it in his mouth and started sucking on it, running his tongue and wet lips all over it. Rulf’s moans were making him even more aroused and thrilled to be able to give that much pleasure to his beloved Lykos.

Feeling that he wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer, Rulf pulled away and grabbed Esthor, kissing him and turning him on his back, ready to return the favor. He slowly explored the sorcerer’s body with gentle touches and caresses, kissing him all over.

“Fuck, Rulf,” Esthor whined as the Lykos engulfed his hard dick. “That feels amazing.”

With his hands on Rulf’s head, Esthor pushed him down until he felt his entire cock inside the other man’s warm mouth. As if he was starving, Rulf lapped up all the precum as he caressed Esthor’s balls with his hand. His other hand was slowly stroking his own cock.

“Don’t make me cum yet,” Esthor pleaded and Rulf obliged, pulling away and leaning to kiss Esthor yet again.

“You’re gonna cum with me inside you,” he growled, and for a second Esthor thought Rulf had shifted into his wolf form. Feeling Rulf’s face with his fingers, the sorcerer realized he did not shift, but he had to admit the thought had him more aroused than he anticipated. He made a mental note that they would have to try it sometime.

“Ready?” Rulf asked and Esthor nodded vigorously.

“Yes, please,” the sorcerer whimpered. “Give it to me.”

Esthor lay on his back with his legs spread and Rulf positioned himself in between them and put his hands on the other man’s ass, exposing his tight hole. He eagerly licked and probed it with his tongue, loving the taste and smell that was all Esthor. He pushed his spit inside Esthor’s hole with his tongue and decided to stretch him even more with his fingers. Soon, the blond’s tight hole was ready for the intrusion.

Slowly, but with determination, Rulf pushed his hot, hard rod into Esthor’s opening. The blond man opened his mouth wide, but no sound came out. The burning sensation was too much, but he wanted more of it. He wanted all of Rulf.

“Breathe, it’s going in,” Rulf said in a deep rumbling voice as he slowly slid his erection all the way in, his balls pressing against Esthor’s ass.

“Fuuuuck,” Esthor panted, gripping the sheets with his hands. “You need to fuck me right now!”

“You ready for the real thing?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

Rulf didn’t need to be told twice. His thrusts started slow, allowing Esthor to accommodate to having his large cock inside him. He started grunting with each thrust, feeling as if his dick was getting harder and harder. Esthor was so tight and hot, it felt amazing to be inside him. Soon he started picking up the pace, pummeling Esthor faster and harder, which was met by loud moans and shouts from the other man.

“Fuck, you’re so perfect,” Rulf whispered, ramming his dick into his lover.

“Just keep doing it,” Esthor pleaded, moaning loudly without restraint. His hands went all over Rulf’s hot body, feeling the tight, hairy muscles that were soaked in sweat.

Rulf grabbed Esthor’s hard dick with his hand, stroking it rapidly.

“Ohh, I’m - so - close,” Esthor managed to utter between staggered breaths.

“That’s it, cum for me,” Rulf grunted, slamming into him.

A few seconds later, the sorcerer exploded, shooting his warm load all over his chest and stomach. Looking at the sight in front of him and running his fingers through the pools of cum on Esthor’s body, Rulf couldn’t hold it any longer. Thrusting hard into Esthor, he unloaded inside him, filling him with his cum.

“Oh, my Gods,” Esthor whispered as Rulf laid on top of him, their bodies covered in sweat and cum.

Unable to say a word, Rulf just panted heavily while Esthor ran his hands all over his sweaty back and ass. Feeling Rulf's hot skin and tight muscles felt incredible to Esthor - he couldn't get enough of this handsome man.

Soon after, the Lykos rolled over and laid next to Esthor, caressing his face and kissing him gently on the neck and chin.

“You are just… perfect,” he whispered, drawing a giggle out of the sorcerer.

After wiping themselves clean, the two men snuggled close together and fell asleep, just as the sun began to rise.

It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that they woke up, both of them positively glowing after the night they shared. After another long kissing session, Rulf went to the kitchen to prepare them some lunch, while Esthor sat on the bed, deep in his thoughts. He decided he no longer wanted to keep secrets from the handsome Lykos. He couldn’t deny their connection anymore since they weren’t just two friends helping each other. They had deep feelings for one another, something Esthor never thought he’d have. After everything that’s happened, Rulf didn’t deserve to be lied to and kept in the dark.

Getting up from the bed and putting his clothes on, Esthor found his way to the window and blew on it, creating a magical mist on the surface. Wiping his hand across the glass, he called out master Khalgos’ name and waited to hear if the old man would reply. It was only several moments later that he could hear his master’s voice.

“Esthor, thank Gods! Where the hell did you disappear last night?!” Khalgos asked, visibly upset.

“I’m sorry, master, but Rulf needed me and I went out after him,” Esthor said apologetically. He felt bad for making his master worry, but the truth was he didn’t even think about him last night. All he thought about was the argument with Rulf and catching up to him.

“What happened, are you two alright?” the old sorcerer sighed, shaking his head, but still pleased to know his student had called him. After what happened with the king, he thought he had every right to be a little paranoid.

“Yes, we’re fine now. We’re at his place, I’ll tell you all when we come back tonight.”

“Alright then. We still need to discuss that book of yours,” Khalgos reminded him.

“I know, I haven’t forgotten,” Esthor replied. As if he could ever forget the possibility of getting his eyes back! That was something he would fight for tooth and nail.

While Esthor was talking to Khalgos in the bedroom, Rulf was setting the table in the kitchen and preparing a very late lunch for the two of them. He was soon joined by the young sorcerer and they ate contently, with the Lykos glancing at Esthor every now and then, smiling whenever he would see his face. Even though they were both hungry, they rushed through the meal, eager to return to the bedroom for another round.

It wasn’t long until they were both once again panting heavily in Rulf’s bed, naked and sweaty. Enjoying their post-orgasmic bliss, they quickly dozed off as the sun began to set.

~~

That night was sleepless for Prince Terryn. Lying in his bed and staring at the ceiling, he thought about everything that happened to him since he arrived at Alduin.

So much for not getting involved, he thought, as a small chuckle escaped him.

When he started out on this journey, his only concern was not to get thrown into another arranged marriage, but now, he had all but thrown himself into so much more trouble. This was what he wanted, right? An adventure, something exciting to break the monotony of his days at home in Thorodan, sitting by his father’s side and being ’a prince’, whatever that meant. It meant nothing, he thought. Just a title that made everyone treat him as if he were an expensive vase that could fall and shatter at the slightest breeze.

Despite the concern for Olivia’s safety and the fear of what the king might do if he learns what happened, Terryn felt alive for the first time in a long while. He felt he had a mission – things to do, someone to help.

Feeling restless and wide awake, he got out of bed and crept out of the room, slowly opening the door to the adjacent chamber.

“Huck, you awake?” he whispered, tiptoeing over to his servant’s bed. Actually, Huck was more than a servant, he was a good friend the prince could always count on.

Stirring from his light sleep, Huck rubbed his eyes and raised his head, propping himself on his elbows.

“Your Highness, what’s going on?” he mumbled, still not fully awake.

“Huck, after everything we just did, maybe you could finally drop the whole ‘Your Highness’ thing?” Terryn rolled his eyes and plopped down on the bed beside him.

“Sorry, it’s just weird calling you Terryn. I’m not used to it.”

“Well, get used to it!” the prince said merrily. “At least when we’re alone, ok?”

“Alright. So, what’s on your mind?” the other man asked, moving a little to the side to make more room for Terryn.

“Sorry I woke you, but I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about Olivia and the king… What are we going to do?” Terryn whispered with concern and what Huck felt was a tinge of excitement in his voice.

“I… I don’t know. I don’t think there’s much we can do. What’s done is done, right? If King Norius asks, we don’t know anything.”

“Right. The crown is not with us, and as for Liv – we never saw her,” Terryn stated, shrugging his shoulders. Hopefully my acting will be convincing enough for the king, he thought.

“Speaking of Liv, you never told me why you went down to the dungeons.”

“Ahhh… Well, remember you told me about that sorcerer who was imprisoned there? I thought if I set him free, he’d help me out. You know, cast a little spell on my dad to make him stop trying to marry me and let me do what I want,” the prince grinned. “Obviously, it didn’t go as planned,” he stifled a laugh.

“I’ll say! But what happened, did you not find him?”

“No, he wasn’t there. Olivia said he escaped somehow,” Terryn said, remembering how the Shade told him someone else had come looking for Esthor before him.

“Well, he is a sorcerer after all,” Huck replied.

“I still think we should look for him. Maybe he can help us,” the prince suggested and looked up to see Huck pursing his lips in disapproval. “Ok, I know, we don’t have to cast any spells on my dad. But think about it, maybe this guy could teleport us to Liv or something, make sure she’s alright.”

“You’re right. If I know Lucius, I’m sure he has more tricks up his sleeve,” Huck said. He never trusted the old fox, and he was quite sure that even after Olivia handed Lucius the crown, he would find a way to keep her working for him. “We should make sure Liv and her brother are safe.”

“I agree,” Terryn nodded. “So, Huck, uh… When you worked together, did you and Liv… Did anything happen between you two?” The prince looked down, feeling grateful that it was dark so Huck couldn’t see him blush.

“What? No, nothing happened. I could never be interested in her that way, if you know what I mean,” Huck smirked.

“Oh, gotcha,” the prince nodded knowingly. Even though he was reluctant to admit it, that was a relief to hear. “It’s settled then. In the morning, I’ll announce to King Norius that we’re leaving. I’ll send our guards back home, and you and I will go and try to find this Esthor. Someone must know where he could be.”

~~

As much as Terryn had hoped otherwise, it didn’t take long for Queen Loreena to realize her crown was missing. She knew exactly where she placed it last night, and now it wasn’t there.

“Are you sure that’s where you left it?” King Norius asked, raising an eyebrow. He was already starting to get suspicious, taught by their previous experience from a few months ago when that Shade girl was caught breaking into their room.

“Yes, I’m sure,” the queen stressed, searching the entire room, but unable to find it.

“Go check with the girls, maybe they took it again to play with it,” the king suggested.

“They’re not five anymore, they know what they can and can’t touch!”

“Just go, please. Just to make sure. I’ll go alert the guards, tell them to check the dungeons,” the king said, leaving no room for discussion. As Loreena left the room, so did King Norius, caliing out two nearby guards and ordering them to see if everything was in order down in the dungeons.

It wasn’t long before he was joined in the dining hall by his wife and their two daughters. The girls were talking to each other, blissfully ignorant of what was going on in their castle.

“Well?” the king asked, giving his wife a questioning look.

“No, they don’t have it,” the queen replied, now visibly concerned. She didn’t particularly care about the crown, she could have a new one made at any time. However, since Arabella’s death, the safety of her other two daughters was a cause of many sleepless nights for her. If someone did sneak in and steal the crown, they could’ve just as easily entered Ariana’s and Amelia’s room and… She dreaded to even think about such horror.

Two guards entered the dining hall and it took King Norius just one look at their faces to know what had happened.

“Your Majesty, the girl… She’s gone,” one of them said, looking at the king and trying his best not to appear nervous.

“Have all the sorcerers spread out and search the castle. If she’s invisible, they’re the only ones who can reveal her. And have a couple of guards accompany each sorcerer, just in case,” the king stood up and ordered. “She must’ve taken the crown, and we’ll be lucky if that’s all she did.”

“Is everything alright?” Prince Terryn asked, entering the dining hall just as the guards rushed out. He tried his best to look clueless.

The two princesses stopped talking and looked at the young prince, smiling expectantly, but he merely glanced at them and greeted everyone formally, before sitting at the other side of the table.

“Yes, everything is fine,” the king stated.

“Thank you for joining us,” the queen added, forcing a smile.

Terryn could sense the awkward atmosphere during the meal, and he was rather certain he knew the reason for it. They must have learned about Olivia escaping or the crown disappearing – or both. Nevertheless, he did not question them on it and instead pretended he knew nothing about it.

As he finished his breakfast, the prince took the opportunity to announce his departure later that day. Even though the queen was as polite as always, Terryn could see the king was relieved he would be leaving. The feeling is mutual, the prince thought, wanting to get out of the castle as soon as possible.

It wasn’t long before all of his things were packed and his guards waited for him in front of the castle, ready to head out. As Terryn and Huck came out to join them, the prince realized they had one less horse – the one Olivia must have took when she escaped. It didn’t matter, as they would not be returning home anyway. At least not yet.

“Huck and I have some things we need to deal with, but you are free to go back to Thorodan. We will see you later, back at my father’s castle,” Terryn announced to his four guards.

“Your Highness, are you sure? King Theodore will want to know why you didn’t return with us,” one of the guards spoke.

“Then don’t go to the castle. Go to an inn, get drunk or whatever, and we’ll meet you once we are done here.”

“We should all come with you. If anything should happen to you, the king…”

Terryn sighed, interrupting the guard. He knew this was going to happen, but his original idea to leave the castle in the middle of the night was even worse. King Norius would’ve been suspicious of him disappearing at the same time as Olivia and the crown, so he had no choice but to leave properly. However, now he was stuck with the guards who were not prepared to disobey their king.

“Alright, you can come with us. But stay in the back and don’t get involved unless I ask you to. Alright?”

“As Your Highness wishes,” the guard replied, relieved that he managed to talk some sense into the young prince – at least that’s what he thought. Returning to Thorodan without the prince would surely bring down the king’s wrath upon them, and that was something he did not wish to face.

“Alright, then, let’s go,” Terryn said, mounting a horse. “Huck, you’re with me.”

The servant got on the horse behind the prince and the two men headed down the path that lead to the town.

“Where are we going?” one of the guards asked, as they mounted their horses, while the coachman followed behind them with the carriage.

“To the town,” Terryn called out. “We have to find someone!”

This was a bit longer than intended, but I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you all for reading!
As always, big thanks to @AusGlitterati for beta reading!