The Princess and the Blade

[Soran Nightblade]

Merry's ears caught the faint sound of voices, and she peered into the cliffside. "Mr. Marr! Here, Lee, here!" she shouted.

"Yeah, I heard it," the pirate said gruffly, turning the boat in toward shore.

Tabetha's head poked up beside Merry's. "We found them?!" She caught sight of Ren and Laurius perched in the rocks, and jumped up. "Mr. Marrr!!" she waved happily.

"Will you sit the fuck down," Lee snapped as the boat swayed wildly.

____________

Ren tensed up as well, waiting to see if any animosity remained from the rut. He braced himself to grab the walls again, but all he felt was relief and exhaustion. "I'm me," he said. He butted his horns gently against the man's chest. Laurius felt warm. Perhaps too warm? Had he rested since coming here? Had he even eaten? "It's over, thanks to you. I'm so sorry," he murmured while they waited for Lee to reach them.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius shrugged. “Nothing to be sorry for. Women get periods for seven days every month, and you get raging, days-long hard-ons. Biology is a hell of a thing.” He leaned into Ren’s touch. “But I could use a hot bad, a warm bed, a bottle of whiskey, and a steak.” He swayed a little. “A big… juicy…” He fell a bit hard into the cavern wall, scraping down to sit next to Ren. When he was seated, his head cleared a bit more, and he could focus on the dingy coming towards them. “I really hope the fact they brought that boat here isn’t some sign our rescue ship abandoned us…”

But where was Tenara and Havitharon? He didn’t see them.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren blushed at Laurius's reference to his 'raging' hard-on. He reached up to catch his master and guided him protectively in against his side. He was about to ask him what a period meant when he registered his other statement. "Rescue ship?!" he half-shouted.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius nodded. “The morning you disappeared, a ship showed up off the coast. I think our fire flagged it down… But, I don’t know if they were friend or foe or willing to wait until we came back.”

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren stared at him like his language spell had suddenly worn off. "You know a ship came, and you stayed here?" His heart hammered in his chest. He was dumbstruck.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius appraised Ren before looking away. “I told you I take care of what is mine,” he said. “Come on. Let’s at least try to meet them halfway. That little boat will break against these rocks.”

Laurius groaned as he rose and stumbled out of the cave. The dagger was safely tucked in the lip of his trousers, and he abandoned the dull sword Havitharon had given him. He slid down on his rear, and then navigated the rocks as the waves crashed in, heading for the boat.

[Soran Nightblade]

Mine.

Ren's cheeks burned as he staggered out and followed him through the water.

They met up with the boat further out, where the water was chest deep.

"Thank god you're both alright! We've been looking everywhere! Tenara and Havitharon are aboard the ship. They said they'd only wait till dawn, but Tenara convinced them to meet us at the southern tip of the island so we could try one last search," Merry gushed, tugging on Laurius's arms while Ren pretty much lifted him into the boat. Then the others moved to the opposite side so Ren could climb on over the gunnel.

"Everybody siddown so we can get further out. I don't want them to fucken miss us," Lee snapped. "The fuck were you two doing out here?!"

[Emora Deen]

Laurius opened his mouth to say something lewd but, for once, kept it to himself. “Ren fell into the sea sleepwalking, and we ended up getting pinned down in that cave by the tide. I found him. That’s all that matters.”

Laurius looked to Ren, then he searched the horizon for the ship.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren made some wide eyes at Laurius, but didn't try to supplement his explanation. He was still coming to terms with the fact that Laurius had risked his chance to go home in order to retrieve him. It was one thing to take those risks when the shipwrecked lifestyle he hated was on the line. This was risking his real life. His pulse felt unsteady again, and he wondered if the unfamiliar sensation meant his body was still off from the rut. He stared hard at Laurius's profile and noted that he seemed to have lost weight.

"Sorry, but do you have any food?" Ren asked.

Merry frowned. "Tabetha packed the whole island, but Lee said no."

"See! Told you we should have brought it!"

"Do you want me to row fast, or not?" Lee sighed.

"Sorry, there will be food on the ship. It's an Ongorethan trader."

"Great. I fucken hate rice."

"I'll eat anything that's not coconut," Tabetha chirped.

Ren sat on the floorboards, watching his Master conscientiously. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he must have been truly out, because when he woke it was because the rowboat had just thunked against the side of the trade ship. He stared up at the much larger vessel like it had fallen out of the sky while someone lowered a rope ladder from the deck.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara leaned over the boat's railing, looking down at the dingy bumping the ship. Her heart swelled at the sight of Laurius and Ren, alive and mostly well. She whirled on Havitharon, clutching his arms. "He found him! They're alive!"

Laurius shielded his eyes as he looked up at the boat. He was the first to climb the ladder. It took effort. His arms shook, and when he reached the top, he stumbled on his feet. Tenara's arms caught him, pulling him into a tight hug and collapsing with him to sit on the deck. He rested half in her lap, half against her chest. He was too tired to feel shame in showing his exhaustion.

"Water," Tenele said, and suddenly there was a flask there. Laurius grabbed it and drank heaving gulps. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was until it was there before him, readily available.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi ran to the rail and crashed into it so he could look down. Despite Tenara's words, it was hard to believe without seeing it for himself. Artisuren and Laurius really had both survived.
He stretched his arms down the ladder, helping Merry and Tabetha as they reached the deck.

Artisuren was next, but he looked disoriented. All that covered him was his ruined trousers that could barely be called shorts in their current state. It was then that Havi noticed the black rings on the being's horns. Lead settled in his stomach. What exactly had the two of them been through? How had they both survived? "Wait. I'll come get you," he said, starting to climb over the edge.

"Fuck off," Ren said, but his grip faltered on the next rung. He dropped the four or five feet he'd climbed and landed flat on his back on the bottom of the boat. The phage wheezed and moved to get up again, but Lee's boot held him down by the chest. "Drop a line so I can tie him up," Lee called in a bored voice.

One of the shipmates came forward with a length of room and tossed the end down to him, and Lee made short work of securing it around Ren's waist. Once Lee finally let Ren up, Havi tugged him up hand over hand, taking most of the weight off Ren's arms as he climbed to the top. Lee followed close behind him as best he could with one leg, leaving the boat to drift. He never wanted to see it again.

Ren hated how limply he sagged into the other Ivis's arms when Thvoros finally got him aboard. "Leggo. I'm fine," he sighed.

"Fine? It is a miracle you are even alive," Havi said quietly, checking him for signs of fever and then inspecting his eyes.

"I said, it's already over," Ren asserted firmly. He waited with a sharpened tongue for some criticism or scolding to come from Thvoros next.

"Good job," Havi said, his tone earnest. He touched Ren's shoulder, just once, with a gentle expression he'd never seen before. "I am glad."

Ren stared at his worried eyes for a moment, startled by the sincerity in them. He regrouped quickly and turned up his lip in disgust. "Fine. Let go."

Havi complied, setting him loose with a smirk and turning to where Laurius was collapsed on top of his Yurivis. The Border's not too far out of their way, so the captain's agreed to drop us off. Especially since you generously offerered to pay for our voyage, Mr. Marr," he said with a mild smile.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius was still drinking water when Havitharon spoke to him. He passed the empty flask back to its owner and sagged into the softness of Tenara's form. "What? The literal princess couldn't cover the tab?"

Tenara chuckled.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm rich," he muttered, glancing up. Laurius wasn't certain how he felt about covering Lee's journey though, considering the man was part of the reason they were in the castaway mess to begin with.

Laurius's generosity afforded them meager accommodations in a corner of the cargo hold in the belly of the ship. It was a trading vessel, so rooms were sparse and the ones available were assigned to the crew. None of them had any desire to share or give up their limited space. However, they happily sold off some of their clothing.

While everyone seemed pleased with the arrangement, convincing Tenara to go below deck, and especially as far down as the cargo hold, proved difficult. After exchanging their rags for dry clothes, and filling their bellies with food and wine, she made it to the second floor down before her breath began to quicken and a faint red glow beaded in her eyes. She scurried for the fresh air on deck and resolved that she would sleep under the stars. The arrangement worked at first, but on their third day the sign of storms appeared on the horizon and the deck would soon become unsafe.

Laurius and Havitharon attempted to coax her down. They made it three floors before the sounds of the ship made her sweaty and panicked, and she returned up. The merchant disappeared after that, and when he returned he held in his hand a wad of bee's wax.

"Before visiting Hajara, I was experimenting with an explosive powder. It's terrible for your ears, so I researched a means to preserve my hearing," he explained as he took the wad and divided it in two. He shaped one into a cone. "May I?"

Tenara eyed him and then Havi before she nodded. He took her face gently with one hand and turned it so he could see the side of her head. Then, he inserted the wax gently. "It plugs the sound out," he said and turned her face with the tips of his fingers on her chin, inserting another bit of wax into her other ear. "There. No more sound. Alright, Havitharon, guide her down and see if she comes unglued on you again."

Laurius jogged down the steps ahead of them, disappearing into the dim light below. He wove his way into the cargo hold to see how Ren was fairing.

[Emora Deen]

They reached Belder's Cove almost two weeks later, where they parted ways with Lee for good. Before hiring carriages to drive them up to Laurius's mountain estate, Tenara and Havitharon made a quick stop to acquire some climate-appropriate clothing, with Tenara placing some finer orders to be delivered later.

The estate was almost a day's ride from Belder's Cove. They took two carriages, with Tabetha and Merry riding in one along with Tenara and Havitharon's new trunks. Tenara, Havitharon, Ren, and Laurius rode in the other.

The trail up the mountain was somewhat treacherous due to the weather conditions, with ice covering some of the shadowed, rocky paths. Laurius continuously assured them the landscape was a beautiful wonder in the spring—omitting that their spring and mild summer lasted three months before chilly temperatures swallowed them again.

They arrived at night. The mansion glowed warmly along the horizon, seated at the top of a hill. Laurius admired it wistfully as they approached, like he was looking into a dream.

A procession of servants greeted them, and Laurius apologized for being almost three weeks overdue. He did not tell them he had been marooned on an island for most of it, but he appeared thinner than they last saw him. Some suspected illness had kept him away.

He introduced Ren as his new manservant, the only explanation he could give for why Ren would be following him around or stationed in the room next door to him. Laurius didn't keep guards and suspected his staff would worry if he suddenly hired one.

He introduced Tenara as the Princess of Hajara, and to both her and his staff's surprise, his fiancee. She had expected him to abandon the ruse, but he seemed intent on keeping it up. He introduced Havitharon as her guard and consort—not an unusual thing for a Hajaran to have. He didn't pause to gauge Havitharon's reaction to being labeled a concubine, or to see the deep flush that colored Tenara's cheeks.

As it was late, they avoided a formal dinner. Instead, they parted ways for rest. Tenara and Havitharon were led to lavish guest bedrooms on the same floor but in opposite directions from Laurius's rooms. Ren was directed to a stately room joined to Laurius's quarters by a servant's entrance.

Servants arrived moments later to draw them all hot baths in large clawfoot tubs and deliver trays of food.

Tenara took in the strangeness of being alone from beneath three inches of bubbles and almost three feet of near-scalding water. For over a month, between being trapped on the island for weeks, and then sailing for weeks more, she had spent almost every waking moment with someone right beside her. Now, she was alone, and her only company came from the quiet pop of bubbles and the crack of fire in the shared hearth between her bathroom and her bedroom.

The bathroom was as elegant as anything she might find in a palace. Gold leaf, brushed copper, white marble, and polished dark wood. Laurius was truly rich. She tried not to think about how many awful things he sold to get such luxury.

After bathing, Tenara dressed in a long, thick white nightgown, with long sleeves and a scoop-necked collar trimmed in lace, paired with a dusty-rose velvet robe. She paced the warmly lit bedroom floor, feeling the need to go to Havitharon, but also the desire to give him space.

She occupied herself with the window, watching snow fall beneath the dim glow of a new moon over Laurius’s shapely estate. Cold radiated off the windows, so she retreated to pacing by the fire, attempting, vainly, to acclimate to the silence.

----

Laurius on the other hand was having no problem acclimating. He'd bathed, and despite the cold, flung himself naked on his bed, hugging the soft down bedding like a long-lost love. He had missed his bed, his home, his things. He was never leaving again.

[Soran Nightblade]

It was a bit before midnight when Havi's mental voice poked through their connection. *What are you up to? Still up?*
________________________

Ren nearly jumped out of the cushioned chair he'd settled on when the servant poked his head in. "Your bath is ready for you, sir," he said politely.

"Thanks," he forced out. He had no idea how to deal with a servant. He was grateful at least that Laurius had assigned him a male. Or perhaps that had just been random. He noticed the young man's trim figure as he bowed and left the room. Male or female, nearly all of Laurius's staff seemed particularly beautiful. He remembered Merry and Tabetha's gossip on the ship, and shook his head. He wondered who had drawn Laurius's bath. Perhaps they were doing more than that.

The thought made him queasy, and that was a bad sign. He gritted his teeth and went into the bathroom, then double-locked the door behind him before slipping into the bath.

The water was hot and smelled wonderful. He focused on that, and not the image of Laurius joining him in the icy stream while he was cleaning himself. This place would be different from the island. There were other priorities, other lovers, other options. Laurius had clearly missed his life here. It was up to Ren to make sure he could fit into it somewhere. The man had placed him in the room adjacent to his, so that had to mean something. At the very least, he could function as a servant.

Memories of Kishva's estate, of bringing food and changing sheets for Kishva to dirty with her other Ivie, festered at the back of his thoughts. He'd done it, and he could do it again. He regretted not talking with Laurius more on the trip home so he would have some idea of what to expect. Ever since his rut, he wasn't sure what to say around him, and his chest kept acting strangely when he got too close. That said, his fevers had diminished significantly. He degraded less quickly when they had to be apart, and he required fewer commands to stabilize his body. He felt less broken. He leaned into the water and closed his eyes, thinking of his master doing the same thing on the other side of the wall.

He lay there until he fell asleep in the warmth, and didn't wake until he heard a knock the next morning. He came to with a start, splashing water everywhere.

"Sir? Sir, are you alright?"

An unintelligible slurry of words fell out of his mouth as he scrambled out of the long-cooled tub.

The servant must have caught his alarm, because he politely said "I will leave you to your privacy and return later. Breakfast will be served at 8:30."

"Good!" he called awkwardly. He grabbed a towel and threw it over his waterlogged skin. It actually felt strange to hold such a big piece of fabric, like having a feast after starving for weeks. He started for the door and slipped on his own damp footprints, making a racket tumbling to the floor. He cringed and hoped Laurius hadn't heard it next door.

[Emora Deen]

Tenara hadn't realized how much tension she was holding in her body until Havi's warm voice swept over her mind. She was lying in her overly large, overly stuffed, overly blanketed bed. The sword was tucked up against her side, its cool metal having gone hot from her body's heat. She had tried, fitfully to sleep, but her mind didn't feel comfortable enough in her new surroundings to find it, or maybe it was being alone that it was bothered by.

She was so used to sleeping near him now, and every part of her had wanted to go across the hall and slip into his bed. But another part of her thought a being who had spent most of his life keeping to himself might enjoy some privacy now that it was available to him. She wasn't certain why. He had had his own room in her palace and they had still shared a bed in one room or another, depending on the mood. Part of her felt it was healthy for two people to not be bound at the hip all the time, but it felt lonely to lie down and sleep without him. Though, as her hand felt along the sword, she wasn't completely without him, and, humorously, though she desired to not keep him bound to her hip, he quite literally was.

*I can't sleep,* Tenara said, brushing fingers along his sword like she was stroking them down his spine. She thought about the last time they were truly alone together and her hands on his horns. She wondered what it felt like when she touched the sword. *And this bed feels too big...* Tenara pursed her lips and decided. She didn't want to be alone. She gathered up the sword and wallowed to the edge of the bed, clumsily finding her feet under her.

A minute later Havi's door clicked open and Tenara slipped into the dark space. She set the sword on the floor beside the bed, shed her robe, and crawled up into the large space until she found Havi wedged in the center.

—-


Laurius cracked an eye open at the sound of a harsh thud. It sounded far away in his groggy mind, but it had been loud enough to wake him. "What was that?" he asked, slipping out of bed. His servants were at the ready. A robe found its way around his shoulders, and one was tending the fire to warm the chilled space.

"Came from next door, sir," said a lovely woman with blond curls and rosy cheeks.

"How are my guests?" he asked, picking a pair of trousers from an assorted selection.

"Timothy went to wake Mr. Ren," she replied, holding up two tunics to choose from. "Missy has gone to wake the princess and her consort. Breakfast will be served at 8:30, as usual."

"Good," he sighed, slipping his chosen tunic on. "It will be nice to settle into routine again. I’ll be giving them a tour of the house and grounds today. Have lunch served in the laboratory and dinner in the main dining room.” He waved his hand and the servants departed.

Laurius went to the door between his and Ren's room, sliding it into the pocket and slipping into the next space. "Ren?" he asked, looking for the man. He jiggled the door to the bathroom and then fished in his pocket for the skeleton key, turning the knob and sliding the door open. "I trust you slept well for having not had a proper bed in weeks... What are you doing down there?"