Amber Waves - 3. Chapter 3

AARON

The crown prince of Astara pulled off his clothes, not bothering to hide himself from Itumak’s searing gaze. The neko still wanted him, and Aaron understood the neko would probably always want him. They would have to set some ground rules.

Aaron let out a sigh of relief as he stepped into the warm bath.

“Are you sure you can’t join me? This feels fucking amazing.”

The elf almost purred, sinking into a seated position. He could see the desire written clearly on Itumak’s face, but the neko shook his head.

“No, Captain Darren said I was not to remove my uniform until my shift ends. I’m on a double watch tonight and tomorrow, to make sure you sleep well tonight,” Itumak shrugged.

“How much did he have to pay you for that?” Aaron smirked, reaching for a bar of soap.

“Two nights of masala and a gold every week,” Itumak grinned. “I tried for three nights of masala, but apparently I was adopted by yet another person who fears the power of the bean. He also weaseled vegetables into the rice. Can you imagine?”

The neko grimaced as a laugh escaped Aaron.

“So, it’s still Captain Darren?”

“First of all, he said I would refer to him as Captain Darren. Second, I’m not about to call him Daddy. I mean, are you going to call the queen Mommy?” Itumak smirked.

Aaron sank deeper into the tub, letting out a quiet sigh.

“I… I don’t know. I thought I’d at least meet her tonight, but apparently she’s having some issues. I mean… if she asked me to call her mother, I’d have to, right? She’s the queen for fuck’s sake.”

“She is legally your mother Aaron. Prince Aaron.”

“Don’t call me that,” Aaron muttered, glaring at his friend.

“It is your title, isn’t it? Or is it Prince Etaro? Fuck, I guess those extra classes on palace etiquette will come in handy.”

“Yeah, like not wiping your snot on your uniform,” Aaron scoffed.

“Hey, that was there when I put it on,” Itumak said defensively.

Aaron sighed, leaning back in the tub to let the soap wash off his body. Staring up at the opulent ceiling of rich violet, the elf let his mind float, wondering just how he’d gotten here. From an orphanage where his only concern had been surviving the next week’s math test, to a palace and a throne that would someday be his… It was too big of a jump. He didn’t know how to handle it.

“...touch your dick?”

“Huh?”

The prince startled, staring at Itumak in shock.

“Oh nothing, just wanted to remind you that there is a kitchen around here. I’m sure they have food.”

“Then you should go get some,” the elf sighed.

“Can’t. I’m supposed to be watching you play with yourself,” the neko smirked.

“Ha ha… Fine, I order you to go stuff your face or something.”

“I don’t know. Captain Darren was very explicit with his orders,” Itumak said uncertainly.

“Okay. Well, what if I have you go get a snack for me?”

“Hold on, I’ll ask the guard at the door.”

The neko hurried out of the bathroom, leaving Aaron frowning in his wake. The elf reached for a bottle of shampoo before Itumak’s words hit him.

“There’s a guard at my door?!”

Itumak returned a moment later, plopping himself on the toilet seat.

“Alright, it’s taken care of. Room service will be sending up a selection of light snacks for our enjoyment. Actually, the kitchen was already working on it. Apparently that is a very beginner level order,” he snickered.

“You know Captain Darren probably didn’t intend for you to watch me bathe,” Aaron sighed.

“Oh probably not. This is part of my reward though. I do like watching a fit young elf washing his privates.”

Aaron flicked soapy water at the neko, and Itumak hissed in mock horror.

“Oh no, the elf prince is attacking his lowly servant!”

“Shut up, they might actually think something’s happening!” Aaron hissed, pulling himself out of the water.

He grabbed a towel off a rack, wrapping himself in the outrageous fluff. Drying his hair, the elf frowned at the fabric.

“Fuck, they should have brought the whole sheep next time.”

“Is the towel not to your liking, your Highness?”

“Oh gods… fuck off Itumak.”

“As you wish, your Highness.”

Itumak grinned at Aaron, miming jacking himself off, and Aaron threw the towel at him. The neko let out a muffled yelp, nearly falling off the toilet as Aaron stepped into his bedroom.

A silken robe sat on the bed, almost too fine for Aaron to touch. He could touch it… couldn’t he? He was the prince after all. But there was no way he could wear something so fine to bed.

“Here.”

Turning, the elf barely caught a bundle of clothes that were tossed at him from a closet.

“They’re your size, supposedly cut to fit,” Itumak shrugged.

Aaron held up a perfectly normal t-shirt, a pair of sweatpants in his other hand.

“Really? Are all of my clothes like that?” he demanded, stepping toward the closet.

“Not all- hang on,” Itumak said suddenly, darting across the room to draw the shades over a window. “Don’t need any of your new fan club to see your princely ass,” he added with a smirk. “Captain Darren told me you have a set style of clothes for meetings, but that you can wear whatever you wish beyond that. I believe they went shopping for you last week.”

Aaron peered into the enormous closet, finding several suits and robes sitting next to plain shirts and jeans. There was even a selection of shirts with logos, anything from the Howlers to Foxboy, a mage who could control his voice to sing as any animal or person he desired.

The elf stared at the shirts in confusion, slipping into a pair of boxers. He pulled his new sweats up, feeling the wool that had always been his normal sleepwear at the orphanage.

“They’re not actually dumping me into the deep end, are they,” he said in relief.

“And why would they do that? It would drive anyone insane,” Itumak shrugged. “They can’t force you to leave Orphan Aaron behind, and I don’t think that’s the idea anyway. That’s why I’m here, to remind you, and to keep you company. Though it might be a little too warm for us to snuggle.”

“Yeah, kinda hot for the fall,” Aaron frowned, sliding the shirt back onto a hanger.

He left the closet, shutting out the light as a knock came at the door. Itumak was already opening the door, and Aaron saw the neko wince as a finger was jabbed into his chest.

“You just let an assassin in to kill your friend,” Captain Darren said quietly, staring Itumak in the eye. “What should you have done instead?”

“Asked who was at the door?” Itumak asked, his ears flattening. “But they could lie. I don’t know people’s names or voices.”

“That will come in time,” the captain of the guard said. “For now we train you to ask anyway. And we bring snacks.”

ITUMAK

They were up early the next morning. Itumak snorted at the space between himself and Aaron. The bed was truly enormous, just like everything else about the palace. Still, he was grateful; Aaron had been cooking during the night.

Tapping the prince’s back, the neko frowned as he realised that was probably a crime now. He wasn’t supposed to touch Aaron without permission now; he and Captain Darren had a long lecture about his hug the day before.

The damage was done though, Aaron rolling over tiredly.

“Time for school already?” the elf muttered.

“Yes, today we have Dining with Royalty 101,” Itumak yawned. “Though this one elf… Master Ilrin or something… said that you need to take a proper shower before I take you to the dining room. Well… the eastern dining room.”

Aaron stared at the neko blankly, rubbing the sleep from his own eyes.

“Come on your Highness, up and at it,” Itumak said cheerfully, pushing past his own exhaustion. “Would you like your manservant to wash your back?”

“No,” the elf muttered, crawling out of bed. “Fuck, what is wrong with you Itumak? I keep saying no, and you just keep teasing me.”

Coldness gripped the neko’s heart, and Itumak chewed on his lip, staring down at his wrinkled uniform. He ran a hand over the navy blue fabric, trying to smooth it out as best as he could.

“I… I don’t know. We had sex, and now I just want more and more of it,” he admitted quietly. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Maybe you should ask Captain-”

“NO!”

This time, terror gripped at the neko’s heart.

“No, I can’t… fuck, we’re underage. What would he do if he knew-”

“We’re both underage. And it’s not like I was the prince when we had sex,” Aaron frowned. “The worst they’d do is slap our wrist, right?”

“Or send you back to the orphanage.”

“I don’t think I’d mind that,” Aaron said quietly.

“I know you wouldn’t, but that would leave us separated. Let’s just… we’ll figure this out on our own, okay?”

Itumak’s eyes begged his friend to see reason. They didn’t need to tell anyone, it wasn’t important enough. He could do better about the teasing; he’d been controlling the urges all week after all.

“I promise I won’t tease you about it any more.”

“Hang on, I didn’t say you had to keep quiet. Just… come up with new material every now and then, okay?”

Aaron smiled at the neko, and Itumak let out a grateful sigh, just barely stopping himself from hugging his prince.

“Okay… well… it’s six in the morning. Breakfast is served at seven. I was told to have… fuck, the blue hangers I think? Yeah, blue for breakfast… Anyway, I’ll get your clothes out for breakfast and then lead you to the dining room. It’s like… a ten minute walk,” Itumak laughed. “This place is fucking huge.”

“Yeah, it has to be if it’s supposed to contain you, Mister Zooms.”

The neko’s ears flicked in annoyance at the memory of his preteen self tearing through the orphanage in the dead of night.

“I grew out of that!”

“Yeah, after Ren and I handcuffed you to the bed for nearly a month,” Aaron smirked.

“Hey, I told you I could deal with that on my own,” Itumak grumbled as Aaron dressed.

“But it’s always nice to have a friend’s help,” Aaron chuckled.

Itumak gave one last attempt at straightening his uniform, staring into a full length mirror on the wall that looked absolutely ancient.

“You know, I haven’t met the queen yet either,” he admitted quietly.

“Yeah… I’m a little scared,” Aaron sighed. “But we’re in this together, right?”

“To the end,” Itumak promised.

A hand patted his shoulder gently, and then Aaron stepped toward the door. Itumak hurried after his friend, trying to remember if there was any routine for walking through doors in the palace. The neko sighed as he opened the door. If there was, Captain Darren would be sure to let him know.

“This way, Prince Aaron,” he said, stepping into the hall past the door guard.

Leading the elf through the halls, Itumak made his way down a flight of stairs, cutting through a corridor before stopping outside a pair of doors. He took a deep breath, turning toward Aaron, who looked a little green himself. A bundle of nerves filled Itumak’s stomach.

“It’s okay. Right?” Aaron said quietly.

“Yeah,” the neko muttered. “Um… I just…”

“It’s the queen. She’s only the queen. It’s not like she’s going to order our death just for using the wrong fork,” Aaron smiled wanly.

Itumak chuckled quietly at the elf’s joke.

“Yeah. Okay. Let’s get you fed for the day.”

With that said, the neko grabbed the door handles, pulling on them. The doors rattled quietly in their frames, and Itumak frowned, letting out a quiet curse as he pulled harder. A moment later, he pushed, and the doors swung open silently.

AMBER

She could hear them whispering outside the room. Amber wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel. She had a son. Just one day, a barrage of signatures, and suddenly, she was a mother at 26 years old.

The queen felt almost as terrified as the boys outside. The difference was, she’d had nearly ten years of practice at hiding that fear.

Beside her, Dowager Finley smirked in amusement as the two debated whether or not Amber would take their heads.

“I remember walking through those doors to meet Queen Erin,” he said quietly. “It was one of the scariest moments of my life, to that point.”

“With you, it was terrifying,” Amber laughed. “You were so stern looking. I almost wished I had been dealing with Zad…”

She bit off the rest of the comment, frowning down at her food. It wasn’t like Zaddis would have been any more lenient. By all accounts, the werewolf had become fiercely overprotective of the neko king.

“I’ll alert the cooks,” Finley said stiffly, stepping out of the room.

“Father,” Amber called after him.

The neko paused, looking over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I spoke without thought.”

“I would think ten years on the throne would temper such actions.”

Finley left the room as the doors rattled. They rattled again, and despite herself, a small smile spread across the queen’s lips.

She was waiting when Itumak finally pushed the doors open. And there he was. Her son.

Aaron Etaro stood with the lankiness of a teen, his body seeming both too tall and too small for his stature. His eyes met the queen’s, and instantly the elf bowed deeply.

“Please, none of that here Aaron,” Amber said, motioning toward the seat across the table from her. “Why don’t you take a seat? Breakfast should be ready shortly. I hear the cooks are baking waffles in honour of your arrival.”

She watched his eyes widen in surprise, and a cautious smile appeared on Aaron’s face.

“Guard Itumak, you are dismissed. I believe Captain Darren has need of your services elsewhere this morning.”

“Yes, your Majesty,” Itumak squeaked, nearly tripping over himself as he bowed.

The doors closed a moment later, Aaron staring after his companion long after he was gone. Amber allowed the silence to continue a little longer, the peace in the room slowly growing into nervous energy before she finally spoke up again.

“He’ll be fine, you know. We treat all guards with respect here, as we do our servants. Everyone works here willingly.”

Aaron’s head whipped back to stare at the queen before his eyes dropped again.

“You don’t need to be so nervous. You are the crown prince. We’re going to be around each other for quite some time,” Amber added.

“Captain Darren said you’d been watching me for a while, your Majesty,” Aaron said quietly.

“We’re the government. We watch everyone.” Amber chuckled softly, cutting her laugh short before it caused a coughing fit. “But yes. We’ve seen your friendship with Itumak. It is something we wish to see grow. And please, I hope you can bring yourself to call me mother. We are not supposed to be ruler and subject; we are family.”

She was interrupted by a door opening, and Aaron shot out of his seat as Finley stepped into the room. Amber let out a quiet sigh as the elf bowed to her father, Finley letting out a quiet scoff.

“It’s been some time since anyone has bowed to me, let alone an elf,” he said. “Sit down. Breakfast should be out in a few minutes. I hope you enjoy bananas on your waffles.”

Aaron took his seat cautiously as Finley sat between him and Amber.

“I… um… forgive me, your… er… Mother, but weren’t you supposed to pick me up last night?” Aaron asked quietly.

“Huh. You don’t waste time. I like that,” Finley snorted.

Amber cast her eyes at her father in a quiet panic, but the neko didn’t seem interested in helping her out of this one.

“I was… feeling under the weather,” she said carefully. “I’m sorry Aaron, I really wanted to come pick you up, but it would have been a bad idea for me to be seen sick. It would put the wrong idea into people’s heads.”

Aaron nodded quietly, looking at the clean plate in front of him.

“I understand. If there was the risk that you might… might die… without an heir…” he said uncertainly.

“It would not bode well for the stability of the world as a whole,” Amber finished.

“Are you feeling better?”

Amber winced at the question, her eyes downcast.

“Aaron… this isn’t quite the illness that you can get better from,” she admitted with a sigh. “But I promise I’ll make sure you have everything you need as a ruler long before I take my last breath.”

Aaron’s face went pale, and the elf tucked a trembling hand under the table.

“Great job Amber. Why not tell him about the restricted section in the library too? Really dig deep into his nerves until there’s nothing left,” Finley grumbled.

“Father doesn’t like to acknowledge the truth,” Amber said.

“What truth? You can and will beat this. You have the best medical care in Astara working on you, magic and mundane. If there’s a cure-”

“That’s too big of an if Father, and you know it,” the queen said sharply. “Aaron, I am so sorry to be shoving all of this at you. But you need to know I will never lie to you. You asked a question, and I answered. I was not planning on telling you this yet.”

“So… so I’m just here… in case you die?” Aaron questioned.

“No Aaron. You are here because you are the best hope the world has for the future. You can keep Astara together. And Father and I will both help you learn how,” Amber promised.

She fell silent as the door opened again, several people stepping into the room with platters of food. A plate covered in eggs and toast was set before Amber, a bowl of strawberry yoghurt added on the side, and she thanked the neko server quietly as he withdrew.

“Today should be easy for you Aaron. We will have a servant show you around the palace. Don’t worry about me, I’m stronger than I look,” Amber said with a tight smile. “I just want you to enjoy yourself here. There will be plenty of time to fret when you’re king.”