Insomnia - 2. Ra

Classes were hell the next day. Casey was no more awake than he had been the previous day and his British Lit teacher was keeping an extra sharp eye on him after yesterday's mishap. On a positive note, tomorrow was Friday. The whole school was buzzing about Roma’s party, guaranteeing a blow out. Casey thought it would be a good way to keep his mind off his problems.

Casey’s plan for that afternoon was to go home, grab a couple of sleeping pills, masturbate until he was exhausted, and see if he could at least snag a couple of hours. Roma warned him that napping contributed to sleep debt, but seeing as he was accumulating plenty of that on his own, he saw no reason to not take a few hours when he could get them. Lord knows he wouldn’t be getting any sleep Friday night.

Roma did nothing but chatter incessantly about her plans for the party, wrangling Casey into a promise to go with her to the store that evening to pick up party supplies. He agreed just to shut her up and by the time they arrived home, Casey was barely able to keep his eyes open. Maybe he wouldn’t need the sleeping pills after all.

"Roma, I'm going to go take a nap," Casey called as he walked down the hallway towards his room. “Come get me when you are ready to go to Sam’s.”

"Okay." Her cheerful acknowledgement floated down the hallway from the direction of her room. Casey walked into his room, swinging the door shut behind him. He dropped his backpack, pulled off his shirt and glanced up in the act of kicking his shoes off.

What the hell?

He was sure when he left that morning, his bed had been in the same disorganized mess it had been in after his fitful sleep the night before. Now, though, it was made up neatly, the blankets turned down like it was waiting for him. He thought momentarily that his mom might have come in and made it up for him except that his mom rarely came inside his room and had never bothered to turn down his bed before.

There was a creak of floorboard behind him and before he could turn, there was an arm around his waist, and someone propelling him to the bed, pushing him down onto the mattress. Torn between terror and anger, he twisted his body around to face his attacker, eyes going wide as a large hand fixed itself over his mouth.

He knew that face. It had haunted him all day. He recognized the thin set of lips, the too long hair and the sharp glint in those cold blue eyes.

"You!" he shouted, or tried to. All that really came out was a muffled indistinct sound. The man straddling him looked far more imposing than the figure in his dreams. He was taller than Casey and definitely much heavier and was wearing some kind of ancient looking armor. It pressed hard against his legs and chest as the stranger waited out his struggles.

The man removed his hand, but before Casey could gather together in his mind what he was going to do--screaming was entirely too girly--the stranger’s mouth covered his. Casey thought for a moment he ought to do something--bite down or struggle, maybe, but the stranger’s mouth was hot over his, with a seductive tongue sliding along his lower lip and a hard, heavy body pressing against him and Casey could already feel the slow tickle of arousal starting, heating up his body, sending that aching need through him. So he kissed back, opening his mouth and arching up against the body on top of his, relaxing in the stranger’s grip.

The kiss ended and the stranger drew back, appearing surprised and pleased, a smile forming on his lips. “My Lord,” he said softly.

Casey let his head fall back, eyes closing. “I’m dreaming again.”

The stranger's smile faded slightly, his eyes grew sad. “No, my Lord.” The stranger bent his head, planted a gentle kiss to Casey’s neck. “Not this time.”

Casey didn’t answer, even though he heard the stranger’s words, he was too exhausted to interpret and put meaning to them. He was lying down, had a comfortable weight covering his body and not even the warm pair of lips on his neck could keep him awake any longer.

When Casey woke up, he did so with none of the groggy disorientation that plagued him in the morning. He noticed, with a bit of unease, that the handsome stranger from his dreams, that he vaguely remembered from before falling asleep…something he thought he had been dreaming of…was sitting at his desk, watching him.

What the fuck? “Who the hell are you?” Casey asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He pressed his hands against the small of his back and arched himself back, hearing several of his vertebra pop satisfyingly. Now he was feeling mildly confused. He was pretty sure he was awake…everything had the kind of clarity and cohesiveness that you didn’t get in dreams, and he could remember past events, things that had happened earlier that day, in the morning, yesterday even. “Are you a hallucination?” Casey asked. It was the next thing that made sense to him. Casey was also relatively sure this man was the same one he had seen at the school a few days ago, watching him from the trees.

“Close,” the man said, standing up and approaching the bed. He made no move to sit down next to Casey, but instead knelt down at his feet. “I take it you don’t remember me?”

“I wasn’t aware I knew you previously,” Casey said. He had tensed a little bit when the man approached, but was amazed at how calm overall he felt at the moment. He also didn’t want to risk doing anything to antagonize the stranger in his bedroom, considering that the man dressed and moved like a warrior and could probably soundly kick his ass if he wanted. He decided to let the man have his say, before he started in on the questions he wanted answered. Like how the hell this guy got into his house in the first place.

“Of course,” the stranger said. “Then allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Ra, Protector and Grand Champion of King Tylien.”

“Ra?” Casey asked. “What are you, Egyptian?”

Ra raised a dark eyebrow. “Do I look Egyptian?”

Casey took in the pale skin, narrow features and endless blue eyes. “No. It’s an Egyptian name.”

“Champions are named after gods,” Ra said, his voice quiet and strained. “Ra was a Sun God.”

“Okay, okay.” Casey shook his head. “What is a Champion?”

“A warrior who protects the King and fights his battles for him.”

“And you’re a Champion?”

Ra nodded. “Of King Tylien.”

“And who is King Tylien?”

There was a pause, then Ra spoke, again quiet and gazing up at Casey’s face. “You are, my Lord.”

Casey stared at him for a moment. All right, everybody out of the pool, he thought. “Um…listen, well good luck with that. But I’m afraid you have to go now.”

Ra regarded him with his dark sapphire eyes. “And where would you have me go, my Lord?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care. But you just need to leave.”

“I cannot.”

“Why not?”

“I am not permitted to leave my King’s side.”

“Look, I’m not King whoever-”

“King Tylien, my Lord.”

“Tylien. I’m not him. And please stop My Lording me all the time.”

Ra looked a little perplexed. “Then what shall I address you as, My Lord?”

“My name is Casey, and you don’t need to be addressing me anymore, because you are leaving.”

“I am not permitted to leave-”

“I don’t give a damn!” Casey said, his voice rising slightly. “I’m not your King! Get out!” He rose to his feet and stalked to the door, throwing it open. “Roma!”

There was a patter of footsteps in the hallway and Roma came into his room, looking curious. “Oh good, you’re awake. Did you sleep well? Are you ready to go to Sam’s?”

“Yeah,” Casey croaked.

Roma raised her eyebrows. “I think they still have a shirt and shoes policy there, CJ.”

Casey stepped back inside his room, picked his shirt up from the floor while Roma leaned casually against his doorframe, unwrapping a piece of Dubble Bubble and popping it into her mouth. Ra was gone the moment Roma arrived at his room. Apparently Ra’s declarations that he could not leave didn’t hold up to the arrival of other people. He tugged his shoes back on and followed Roma down the stairs and out the house.

Hours later, Casey returned, worn out. He had forgotten how Roma got when planning a party. She was driven and determined and would not leave until she had everything she needed. And she needed a lot. Any benefits he got from the few hours of sleep he was sure were gone by now.

He took a shower and returned to his room, clad only in his robe. He shut the door and looked around carefully, relieved to see he was alone. He changed into some pajama pants and a T-shirt, set down at his desk. He stared at his backpack on the floor, considered it for a moment, then turned away and grabbed his saxophone instead. He set up his sheet music, directed the lamp so he could see the notes and started to play. He started with "Cry Me A River" and "Desafinado," then finished up with "Fever." He felt relaxed as the last note left his lips. He had closed his eyes briefly at the end of the song and when he opened them, the stranger was back, standing at his window, watching him.

“Go away,” Casey said with a sigh as he started to take apart his sax, cleaning the parts carefully before packing it back into its case.

“I cannot,” Ra said.

“Look, what are you doing here?” Casey asked. “I’m not your King. I’m seventeen years old, I’m still in high school! You’re not even real, you’re just some hallucination that my mind baked up.”

“You are only half right,” Ra told him. “If you can be quiet, and let me explain--”

“Am I schizophrenic?” Casey mused. “Schizophrenics have hallucinations that promise to explain things to them that will make sense, don’t they?”

“I don’t recognize the term you use,” Ra said. “But I need to speak to you about some things. It’s very important. Your well being is at stake, my Lord.”

Casey rolled his eyes. “Okay. I’m going to go get something to drink. Then I will come back up here. And you can talk. But if I don’t like what I hear, then I’m going to take some sleeping pills and get some sleep.”

Ra didn’t answer as Casey went downstairs and made some hot cocoa. He considered making a second mug for Ra.

Hallucinations don’t drink, Casey reminded himself and went back upstairs. Ra was sitting in his desk chair and Casey hesitated for a minute before climbing onto his bed, propping his pillows up behind him.

“Okay,” Casey said. “I promise to listen to you for at least the next half hour.”

Ra nodded.

“As I told you earlier, I am Ra, Protector and Grand Champion of his Highness, King Tylien. My job is a bodyguard and warrior on behalf of the King. In kingdoms where there is often a potential for violence or a challenge for the throne, we are appointed. If the King is challenged, we fight on his behalf. If we win, the King keeps his rightful place and the challenger is exiled or executed. If we are defeated--” Ra dropped his eyes, “then the King is overthrown and the Champion is executed.”

Sucks to be you then, Casey thought, but didn’t say anything. He felt a strange bitter tug in his chest though, at Ra's downcast look and tried to squelch it. It was a hallucination. A disturbing hallucination with an interesting story, but that was all.

“Right before you disappeared, a person came to challenge your right to the throne. He was a powerful warlord, a mage, who used magic more than might to take over surrounding providences. He also had a champion. Rogura.” Ra’s tone darkened at the name. “I am ashamed to say I knew him once, had trained with him, considered him a brother and a friend. A weakness.” Ra’s voice remained steady, but his face looked sad and conflicted. Casey felt that strange, bitter tug in his chest again. “Perhaps I was too easy on him, not wanting to see him executed. Anyway, my guard wasn’t up like it should have been. We fought. He was fierce, as was I. It would be a difficult victory, as we were evenly matched, but I was confident." Ra sighed. "Unfortunately, I was too focused on my conflict with Rogura to notice that the mage was not liking the way things were going. He broke one of the most sacred laws and attacked you himself while you sat, watching the exchange between your champions."

"That's not allowed?" Casey interrupted.

"No. I don't know how it happened. I was not the only guard in the palace. A King only has one champion, but it's not like you didn't have other forms of protection. I guess they were too involved watching the two of us. But the next thing I know, I saw the mage leveling his sword towards you. I realized seconds too late what was happening and disengaged, ran towards you. But I was too slow, too late in noticing. By the time I was halfway across the throne room, there was this brilliant flash of light, greater than several suns and then you were gone."

Casey found himself leaning forward, intrigued despite himself. "So then what?"

Ra shrugged slightly. "According to other witnesses who were there at the time, when the light faded, you had disappeared, along with the mage and his champion. I didn't see it. The light had blinded me. It took three days for my vision to return. Everyone thought you were dead. They were ready to appoint a new King."

"Why didn't they?"

"Well, for one thing, it was difficult to prove you were dead. There was no body as proof, and I was still connected."

Casey frowned. "What?"

"All Champions have a connection with their King. I could tell that you were not dead, but that was all. I was desperate to find you. Your Kingdom is in turmoil. There has already been some bloodshed in the fight for the throne. Your Queen is holding onto order the best she can, but it's only a matter of time-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Casey said, holding up his hand. "I have a Queen?"

Ra nodded. "Of course. The King is forbidden to take the throne while unmarried."

"What is she like?" Casey asked, unable to picture himself ever marrying anyone...especially a woman. Things were making less and less sense.

"She is kind, beautiful and just," Ra said. "A fine Queen." His voice was curiously flat. "She is being pursued quite vigorously at the moment."

"Like chased?"

Ra gave him a withering look. "Pursued by suitors who prefer a crown in their future."

"Oh." Casey shrugged. "So what?"

"So your Queen is not keen on any of the men that are currently courting her. She does care for you, deeply. And if she does chose one of the men, it can ignite a fight between the chosen one and other courtiers, and the Queen does not want any more violence to break out in a suddenly unstable kingdom. We need our King back. We need Tylien."

"Well, go search for him elsewhere, because you won't find him here," Casey said.

"My Lord-"

"Cut it out!" Casey almost shouted, curbing his voice at the last moment out of respect to Roma and his parents. "I'm not a King. My name is Casey, I'm 17 and I'm gay. I don't even like chicks. I'm not your King."

"You are our King. You just don't realize it."

"Shut up. Just shut the hell up, this is ridiculous. I told you I would listen to what you had to say, and while it was certainly interesting enough, I am tired and I've had enough of this nonsense." Casey reached over and turned off his lamps, rolled over in bed. "I'm going to sleep now."

"My Lord, if you don't return-"

"Look, if it really bothers you, then go back and tell the Queen that she has my blessing to marry whoever the hell she wants. I don't really care."

Since the lights were out, Casey didn't see the hand that shot out through the darkness, grabbing him by the collar of his T-shirt and slamming him up against his wall and headboard. "Listen to me," Ra said, his breath close to Casey's face in the dark. "Your Queen deserves so much more respect than you are giving her. She is an amazing woman and is doing all in her power to keep your kingdom--our kingdom--from falling into chaos and ruin and you will damn well respect the sacrifices she is making. Are we clear?"

"As crystal," Casey gasped out. The hand at his collar was pressing against his throat and his back sang from the impact against the wall. The grip relaxed slightly, enough for Casey to pull free and he scrambled away, into the warm confines of his bed. The lamp near his bed clicked back on, illuminating Ra's face, pulled into angry lines.

"You are in danger," Ra continued. "When you disappeared, so did the mage who attacked you, along with his champion. They are nowhere to be found. I believe that they are here, with you."

"With--"

"In this realm. When you were attacked, you were pulled from our world, our realm and deposited here. Rebirthed, perhaps. But you still carry the King's soul inside you. If that happened to you, it could just as easily happen to the mage and Rogura."

"What kind of name is Rogura anyway? I thought champions were named after Gods,” Casey said in an attempt to distract Ra. His words brought a strange feeling of dread to his stomach.

"That is true. However, I refuse to honor the traitor by using his warrior name. I use his true name, the one that was given to him when he was born, red faced, naked and crying, as it suits him better."

"I don't know what to tell you. I'm just in high school, and the only danger there is I get detention for falling asleep in class after the dreams you're giving me," Casey said. "No one has tried to hurt me aside from what you just did."

"They may be biding their time, or they may be as confused and disoriented as you are," Ra said.

"How are you so certain it's me?" Casey said.

"We have a connection. All Champions do with their Kings. It's mental." A pause, like Ra was struggling to find the right word. "Psychic."

"Like you can read my mind?" Casey asked.

"No. I could not find you physically. So I had to search you out using other means."

"The dreams."

"Yes."

"Why..." Casey paused for a moment. "Why those dreams?"

"I needed an opportunity to speak to you. You weren't wrong when you called me a hallucination. I couldn't contact you, even psychically, when you were fully rested. I needed you sleep deprived and while I couldn't keep you awake, I could at least keep your sleep...interrupted. I had to give you something powerful enough to wake you up and keep you up for a little bit, if possible." Ra's voice was too flat, his expression too neutral.

"You're a sick man."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"Why didn't you send me dreams of my Queen then?"

"I can't send you dreams. I can just visit you through them."

"Oh." Casey felt himself start to blush. "Well, then why couldn't you just tell me all this while I was dreaming?"

"Because then you would just have written it off as a dream. You wouldn't have remembered important details once you woke up. Besides, dreams aren't very good vessels for communication. They are full of unconscious impulses and desires. I wouldn't be able to make you understand much of what I was trying to tell you." Ra leaned forward, slid a hand up Casey's thigh, tightening his grip when Casey started to pull away. "You are in danger, my Lord. I wouldn't lie about that."

"And what exactly am I supposed to do about it?" Casey asked.

"Let me fight for you, my Lord. Let me redeem myself. Please." Ra bent his head down until it rested on Casey's knee. "Punish me if you must for my shortcomings. But please don't order me to leave you here defenseless."

"Stop that," Casey said. It unsettled him to see the large man kneeling at his feet, pleading like that. Warriors were not supposed to beg, were they? "Look, I just...give me some time to think it over. Let me sleep on it, okay, and we'll discuss it in the morning." With that, Casey pulled away from Ra and turned off the light again. He was just ready to roll onto his side and fall asleep when Ra's voice interrupted the quiet again.

"I'm sorry my Lord, but I cannot allow that."

"Allow what?" Casey asked, sleepily, half the question being obscured in a yawn.

"Letting you sleep. See, the only reason I can contact you now is because you are sleep deprived. If you get a full nights rest, you won't be able to hear me or see me, possibly even remember me when you get up in the morning. You have to stay awake."

"Screw that. I'm exhausted, because you kept me up for several weeks playing your perverted games inside my head." Casey felt himself grow hot as recent memories flooded his mind and quickly shook his head, trying to clear his mind and focus. "I deserve some sleep."

"No. My Lord, you must stay awake."

"And if I refuse?"

Ra's voice was suddenly very close to him in the darkness.

"Trust me, My Lord, I have ways to keep you awake."

Casey pondered that for a moment, then decided that the worst Ra could do was nothing compared to what Roma could do to annoy him. And besides that, he was tired. "Fuck off," he murmured and closed his eyes, pressing his face into the pillow.

Seconds later, the pillow was violently pulled away from his grip and Casey found himself flipped onto his back. Ra's mouth, hot and impatient, fastened on his. Casey gasped in shock, the momentary parting of lips giving Ra an advantage he didn't waste. Casey squirmed a little bit, but it was already a losing battle, with Ra's weight pinning him down and the flavor of his mouth clouding his mind. Arousal swept through Casey like fire and he encouraged the kiss, moving his mouth against Ra's and folding his arms around the larger man's neck and shoulders. His legs were trapped in between the mattress and Ra but he still arched up, attempting as much body contact as he could, as the fire continued to pour through him, igniting his insides. His breath came through in shallow, desperate gasps as he continued to kiss Ra, groaning as Ra's hands slipped over his skin, one scorching against his side, the other sliding down the back of his pants.

"Damn you," Casey ground out as Ra's mouth attacked his neck, not sure who he was angry at--Ra for doing this or himself for responding this way, wanting it so much. "Get off me."

Ra's chuckle was dark and sinister, but he made no move to release him. "Why should I? If you fall asleep, I'll just do the same to you in your dreams."

"Why are you doing this?" Casey said. Now that the intoxicating flavor of Ra's mouth was elsewhere, he could think a little more clearly. Ra's mouth and hands were still doing sinful things to his body, things that made him want to abandon this train of thought and just enjoy, but he refused, struggled to form a rational order for his thoughts.

"To please my Lord," Ra murmured against his skin. Casey felt his insides grow cold. Was this all it was, another one of Ra's duties for his King? And what about Raphael, and Casey's unknown Queen? True, right now what he was doing could hardly be considered cheating on Raphael, as they didn't even have a relationship beside Casey's one sided infatuation, but what of his Queen? For all that Ra said about respecting her, his actions didn't seem to match his words at the moment. "Get off me," Casey said again, firmly, anger giving his words a sharp edge. "Now."

Ra glanced up but retreated, kneeling down next to the bed and giving Casey some time to rearrange his clothes and calm himself. An obvious erection strained at his sleep pants but Casey tried to ignore it. Fuck it all, he was wide-awake now anyway. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Casey said, pulling at his shirt.

"My Lord?"

"I thought you told me I have a wife," Casey said.

"That is correct."

"Well, then I should be faithful, don't you think?"

Ra was silent for a long while. "You really don't know anything, do you?" His voice sounded forlorn and despondent.

"What do you mean?"

Ra didn't answer and when Casey finally reached over to turn on the lamp, he was gone.