The Truce - 5. Chapter 5

Ysabel wafted herself lazily with an embroidered fan that had come from Ironia, idly admiring its craftsmanship. She had received the piece as a gift from Marcus when she had arrived at the Capitol, despite her leaving him behind. He was now stationed at the wallfort holding the line where as she had left to reconvene with her son. The two hadn’t been apart since Ysabel had appointed him captain, and Ysabel felt a little more relaxed after their split. He was a good lay to be sure… but something just doesn’t feel right about him now that I have the time to reflect. The younger man was a picture-perfect citizen to integrate into Nabian society, but Ysabel wasn’t so sure now that Nabius was changing. Ysabel’s carriage hit a large bump in the road, which pulled her from her thoughts. She was riding in it on the way to the north, with Adrian in the cabin as well.

“Tell the driver to be more careful,” she snapped loud enough for those riding alongside her carriage to hear. She spoke out of a small barred window that was open to the outside and got a diligent apology from the nearest men. “Imbeciles,” she muttered under her breath. She glanced over at Adrian, and reconfigured her face into a smile.

“So, Prince Fray,” she said with casual politeness. “When exactly is your deadline for marriage? I understand that the Illjard works a bit differently than the mainland does when it comes to marital law, but I don’t imagine you’re immune from a deadline. You are a prince, after all.” Adrian nodded, and gave a sigh.

“Please, call me Adrian. I wish I could be a bit more specific, but the solar calendar isn’t used quite so widely in the Illjard as it is here. We operate based on the snow season.”

“Isn’t it always the snow season there?”

“Yes,” Adrian said with a laugh, “I suppose that’s true. But even there, we do have summers. It’s the winters that dictate the true snow season, though. Every couple of calendar years, there’s one great winter that comes in and snows in the entire island. Our country all retreats into either the great ice palace – my ancestral home – or into one of several homes that are connected to it via tunnels carved out of the earth and ice. This is a critical time for the ruler of the Illjardi people, as they become increasingly restless and volatile then. We all live off of food storage, and don’t see the sun for as long as it lasts. I must have a husband by then, or else we won’t be able to reach the island before the waters around it freeze. If I fail to return by then… I forfeit leadership during the great snow, and forfeit the crown.”

“How fascinating,” Ysabel said honestly. “And when does the great snow come in usually? How long does it last?” Adrian shrugged at that, and wore a grimace on his face.

“It all just depends. It could be tomorrow, or it could be six months from now. We know it’s coming based on the environmental signs… but no one knows when. The length of time that it lasts can also change. The longest great storm in recorded history was 300 years ago, and it lasted for 10 years. Many of the Illjardi died during that time.” Ysabel raised an eyebrow at that, and Adrian gave a confirmatory “it’s true.”

“That’s absurd. That kind of risk… why would you not simply pick up and move? I’m sure there is space in Ironia that could still be conquered for the Illjardi.” Adrian laughed a little at that, shaking his head.

“Be that as it may, fighting is not our way of life. We engage in diplomacy, and trade in order to prepare our stockpile. It’s one of the main reasons that our leaders must marry from one of the mainland countries as well – we want to stay on good terms with all sides because we have to in order to survive. The conditions in the homeland are harsh, but they bring us together. And besides, we’ve adapted to braving the cold rather well for thousands of years.”

“Indeed… and you think that a Nabian can adapt to this too?” Adrian nodded at that and worded his reply carefully.

“I would have ideally had a few more months or years to be wed, so it would be less of a problem. There’s typically a period of acclimation for outsiders, which allows them to get used to our ways… but I suppose now is better than never. It can’t be helped.”

“I see,” Ysabel said. “Though I suppose for him, adverse conditions won’t be difficult to adjust to anyway.” Adrian sat up at that, and leaned forward with increased interest.

At least he’s eager, thought Ysabel.

“Do you know anything about him?” asked the prince. “I know that he’s been hidden, but I have to admit I’m a bit anxious.” Ysabel shut her fan with a large clack, and shouted out to the carriage driver to pick up the pace.

“I don’t,” she said plainly. “Until I visited the capitol last, I had no idea that he was even alive, or a he. Alexandre and his uncle have been hiding secrets.” Adrian frowned at that, obviously disappointed.

“I can’t say that I blame them. I hear Yago is a real mons – “ Adrian cut off, seemingly brought to awareness of what he was about to say. Ysabel’s eyes flashed dangerously, and she fixed her stare on him. Adrian had made a mistake, and seemed to forget who he was talking to.

“Yago, my brother, is a real… what?” Adrian swallowed, clearly nervous about his mistake.

“He’s a real… piece of work,” he said slowly. Ysabel took joy out of this interaction but didn’t let it show on her face.

Tactful recovery, she thought. She let the pressure of the situation sit on Adrian’s conscience for a few more moments, before visibly relaxing. When she did, so did he.

“Yes, darling, yes he is,” she said with a smile. She had been teasing Adrian, and she saw on his face when he figured that out. “He’s a monster too.” Adrian grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. We make a point of not apologizing for others here in Nabius, and it’s a philosophy I would highly encourage that you adopt. You’re entirely correct anyway. Yago Clarion is vile, but that consequentially makes him great. I have no doubt that he did kill by brother-in-law’s children, and you should be prepared to fight against him if you’re going to hide away the only remaining survivor of a vengeance mission. The marriage of a prince is news that will travel fast, and mark my words Yago will hear it.” Adrian looked concerned at that.

“You don’t think he would come after us, do you?” Ysabel shrugged.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Like I said, we don’t make apologies for others, and we certainly can’t predict what they will do either.” Adrian turned contemplative at that, and was quieted. Silence hung in the cabin for a few minutes, before Ysabel spoke up again. “I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t finished the job already. It’s possible that Yago didn’t know that there was a survivor, and that he really did mistake a Kate for a Kade. Devan is also secretive, and smart. If he was able to hide a secret like that from my brother… good for him. It’s not likely, but the fact that he’s survived for this long means something.”

Adrian nodded. “I just don’t know what.”

“No one does. I wouldn’t bet against Yago’s ability to gather intelligence, especially on something like this… but I wouldn’t bet against Devan’s ability to hide things either. And besides, I suppose I didn’t know about Kade until Alex and Carl told me about him. If he’s been hidden from me this entire time, Devan did a very good job.”

“That’s true,” Adrian agreed. “Alexandre mentioned that he doesn’t think Kade even knows who his real family is. I’m so curious to see what he’s like.”

“Believe me,” replied Ysabel, “so am I.”

***

Eamon wiped sweat off of his brow, toiling under the heat of the sun. It wasn’t as hot as it had been a few weeks ago, but the red sun that rose over Nabius was relentless on a cloudless day. At least the breeze is nice, he thought. His lapse in concentration almost caught him off guard, but the faint whoosh of a staff being swung at him gave him enough forewarning to duck the blow and lash out with his own staff. His strike was blocked and countered, but Eamon parried the next swing away too.

Shit! Adrian thought as a vicious swing downward caught his staff between where his hands were gripping it. The hard smash of wood on wood sent reverberations up his arms, and it almost caused him to lose his footing. When the next swing came, he barely had time to get out of the way. He tilted his head over to the left and fell to his knees and felt the swing of a staff whiz just millimeters away from his right ear. Using the momentum from his duck, he rolled sideways through the grass, turning upside down before lashing out with a kick from his left foot. The attack connected with his opponent directly between the legs. A pained “oof” and the clatter of a dropped staff alerted Eamon to disarming his foe.

“Gods damn it,” said the solider in a winded voice, clearly having dropped down onto the ground as well. Eamon gave a partial smile at having bested this soldier, as he was one of the units stationed in the practice courts that had proven difficult to beat. Even though he had fought dirtily with the groin kick, Eamon had won the match and thus achieved a personal goal.

“Sorry about that,” Eamon said. He had gotten up, and extended his hand down to the hunched over soldier. The other man took it, and slowly got up.

“It’s alright, Captain.” He gave a grunt of dismissal, and hobbled off into the distance.

“Very well done,” he heard a voice comment from above. Eamon turned his face in the direction of the balcony, on which he knew Luca had been observing. “I think you’ve beaten them all by now. It might be time to bring some real competition into the ring with you.”

“Are these soldiers not real?” Eamon asked, pretending to be hurt. Luca was quiet, which Eamon knew meant he was probably rolling his eyes.

“You know what I mean.”

“Do I?”

“Don’t get cocky. You don’t win ten out of ten every day. Let’s see you repeat it, then you can gloat.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Sure.”

“Maybe I’ll just have to do that then. You know, not many blind guys could beat even one of these soldiers. Give me a little credit.” Eamon heard Luca sigh in pretend frustration, and wanted to snicker.

“I give you plenty of credit.”

“I’d like to trade it in.” Luca paused for a second, and then replied with a hint of confusion in his voice.

“What?”

“My credit. You know, that’s usually how credits work. You earn them, and trade them in for prizes.”

“And what,” asked Luca who was now amused, “would you like for a prize?”

“Stay right there,” Eamon said. He ran out of the courtyard, into one of the large overhangs that provided shade to the inner training area. After taking a large swig of water from a nearby bowl, he splashed water all over his face and body to cool down. He was shirtless, and the liquid ran in cool rivulets over his body. After a hastened washup, he headed over to the door that lead into the wing of the manse that Luca was at. He found the door handle, and moved as quickly as he dare through the stone hall on the other side. After two flights of stairs, Eamon approached the door that he had been looking for. He pushed it open, and walked through. Closing the door behind him, he turned around and gave a grin. Luca had not made any noise of greeting, but Eamon could still tell that he was there.

“I’d like you to be my prize.” Eamon sauntered closer to Luca, and didn’t sense him moving away.

“It’s possible that we could arrange something like that,” said Luca tentatively. Eamon didn’t want to be too aggressive and mess things up, but Luca admitting to a bit of want made him excited.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll have to check my schedule,” Luca said playfully.

“How’s now looking?” By this time, Eamon was very close to Luca. They had backed up into the corner of a wall, and Eamon could feel his nose almost touching Luca’s as he looked down at the shorter man.

“Now is…” Luca’s breath caught in his voice, and Eamon made their bodies touch. He could feel Luca’s heartbeat growing faster and his breathing hitch and he put one hand on the side of Luca’s face.

“Relax. It’s okay.” Eamon pressed his forehead to Luca’s, and they stood there like that for a few moments. Eventually, Eamon’s hand told him that Luca’s face had turned into a smile, and the tension in his body had eased.

“Gross Eamon,” he said with a laugh. “You’re all sweaty.”

“You like it.”

“I do not!”

“Yes you do. I remember how you used to stare at me when I was training before.”

“I most certainly did not stare at – “ Eamon cut him off, leaning in for a kiss. Luca seemed stunned at first, and was frozen. He wasn’t fully kissing back, but he wasn’t resisting either. When Eamon moved one hand to the back of Luca’s neck and the other down his arm to hold his hands, he felt the younger man begin to respond. Luca started to slowly kiss back, and Eamon could feel him smiling at the same time.

“I have wanted you since I first met you,” Eamon said breathlessly when they broke apart.

“I know,” said Luca cheekily. “To be honest, I thought you were a bit of a pig when we first met.”

“Still think so?” said Eamon equally cheekily.

“Yes,” Luca said before initiating another kiss. This time, it was more hungry, and full of want. Eamon could barely control himself after that response, and looped his arms around Luca’s backside. He picked the smaller man up, to where his back was against the wall and their bodies rubbed against each other. Luca was now just as desperate for Eamon, and fumbled at the belts of both of their pants.

While still pinned up against the wall and being held by Eamon, he was able to release both of them. Eamon’s pants dropped down to his ankles, while Luca was only able to just free himself.

“What are you – “ began Eamon between kisses, before Luca shushed him and pulled him back into another deep kiss. He had spit onto his hand, and was now working it all over the length of their members. Without breaking apart, Luca took both cocks in his hand, and stroked them together while lubricated. They formed a rhythm, grinding into each other while Eamon supported both of their weights. He felt strong, and more proud of himself for winning over this boy than he had been for winning anything else.

Too quickly, Eamon felt himself reach the point of no return. When he gave a guttural groan into Luca’s mouth without breaking apart from their kiss, he felt Luca spill his seed between them at the same time. They stood still for a moment, before breaking apart with smiles and giddy laughter. Luca put his feet back to the ground, and stood up fully.

“Come to the bathing quarters with me. You can leave the clothes off,” said Luca. He laced his hand through Eamon’s, and leaned into his shoulder as they began to walk that way.

Holy shit, Eamon thought. He reflected on the emotional bond that had been slowly built between him and Luca since his arrival, and realized that it had made that moment better than any of his previous conquests. He squeezed his lover’s hand, and kissed the top of his head as they walked.

I am going to do everything that I can to keep you.

***

Jared entered the Monciet castle discreetly, using an entrance that was guarded by Ironians in Nabian gear. Most of the Di Coteau occupational forces had long since exited the Monciet region, but Alexandre Di Coteau still officially controlled the area. Jared didn’t want to risk running into any particularly zealous Nabians, so he used an entrance that he knew would be accommodating, per Marion’s instructions. It didn’t take long for him to navigate through the winding halls of the castle and reach Marion’s room, outside of which sat her disabled husband. The man had previously belonged to Darion Di Coteau’s finest assortment of guards, but was abusive and a vile drunk. Marion had put him in the wheelchair and had clearly wreaked havoc on the man’s body. Jared knew that Marion had gotten a rightful vengeance out of the maiming, but it still unnerved him to see direct evidence of just how dangerous she could be.

Jared gave the man a greeting, but he continued to stare into blank space as if he had not heard. Jared gave a small frown before pushing open the doors to his cousin’s lair. Shortly after, she ran across the way to him, her bare feet making little slapping noises on the stone. He was startled by the advance, but then smiled when it turned into a tight hug. He could tell that she was upset, and gave her a warm hug back. They stood like that for a few moments, and then broke apart.

“Marion,” Jared said while pulling away from her to look at her face. “Are you okay?”

“Of course,” said Marion with wet eyes. “I’m just relieved to see you back here. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it.”

“I almost didn’t,” Jared admitted.

“I know,” said Marion solemnly. Understanding passed silently between the two, and they let each other go to move over to a pair of chairs in one corner of the room. After seating themselves and getting comfortably situated, Marion spoke up again. “So Alexandre still lives?” She said this more like a statement, and less like a question.

“He does. I’m sorry that I failed your task.”

“It’s okay,” Marion said. “I shouldn’t have ever sent you in the first place.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?” Jared briefly wondered if she had a change of heart, but realized that this was not the case quickly after wondering that.

“It wasn’t fair of me to risk you. Or right. It was stupid, and motivated by revenge. I’m sorry for putting you in that position.”

“It’s okay,” Jared said in the same intonation as Marion when she had just spoken those same words. She made eye contact with him for a long while, and then sighed.

“Revenge isn’t our way. It never has been, and I shouldn’t have lusted after it so badly. I was reckless.” Jared didn’t say anything at that, implying that he agreed and that she could continue. “I still do want Alexandre Di Coteau dead. He executed our family in front of me, and needs to atone for those sins.”

“I agree.”

“Excellent. In that case, we need to come up with another plan. I’d like you to help conceptualize it this time, if you would.”

“I would be happy to.”

“Okay,” Marion said running a hand over her smooth bald head. “Let’s go ahead and take a look at our assets. We’ve been able to consolidate more power now given the current distractions with the Nabian civil war. Barbarians can’t resist fighting others, even themselves,” she muttered. “I think that if we eliminate all Nabian presence in my territory in one swift blow, we can then – “

“Marion,” Jared said while cutting her off. “I actually have an idea of my own.”

“What is that?” Marion asked with interest.

“We do nothing.”

“We do… nothing…”

“Yes.” Marion gave Jared an impatient glare, silently asking him to continue. “I met with him.”

“You met with him?” Marion asked incredulously. “Under what pretenses? Why didn’t you kill him?” Jared waved a hand to up and down to quiet her, and continued.

“It wasn’t a good time. We ended up having a more… philosophical discussion. I think that he’s trying to atone for his sins on his own. What he’s doing in Nabius… I really do think he’s trying to help out the common folk, and has the public good in mind.”

“All Nabians are politicians Jared,” Marion said with a roll of his eyes. “Of course he said those kinds of things.”

“No,” Jared countered, “they aren’t. And on the record, I believed him. I still believe him.”

“So we give up, and roll over on our backs?”

“I didn’t say that. I just think that we should let him fight this war out on his own. If he dies, he dies and your vengeance is fulfilled. If he wins and lives, he changes the world and makes it a better place. Even marginally,” Jared added after noticing Marion’s skeptical look.

“And what of my home? Our family?”

“Yeah,” Jared said, “about that. If he was being truthful, I think he’d be willing to give this territory back. It’s all of his men from this region to go towards the war, and it would be a gesture of peace with Ironia.”

“Fat chance of that one, but okay.”

“Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. I think that we should engage in diplomatic talks with him.”

“Really,” Marion said doubtfully. “I can’t even imagine him agreeing to that.”

“I think I can make him.”

“That’s craziness.”

“I know.” A long minute passed, and Marion spoke up again.

“Okay. So we invite him to engage in a piece talk. I want it on neutral grounds, with neither side bringing much military force.”

“Agreed.”

“And if he comes, I’ll hear you two out.”

“If he doesn’t?”

“I kill him.”

“And if you don’t like what he has to say?”

“I kill him.”

“And if you do like what he has to say?” Jared had asked that jokingly, but Marion responded all the same.”

“I don’t know. I maybe kill him.”

Jared gave a shrug at that, and nodded apathetically to conclude their conversation.