by Hurri Cosmo
"Why do you think I did it in the first place? Our sister will be queen of the most influential kingdom beside ours, don't you see? It's a match made in heaven. Even if the duke secedes, what difference would it make? In fact, he wouldn't dare. And besides, love has nothing to do with anything when you're talking wealth and power. Once we have Tamusi on our side, even the king of Thunder Wolf won't dare to touch us."
"How much?"
Diagus blinked hard. "What?"
"How much, Diagus? How much did you make him pay, not only for our sister but for the pass? Do you think I'm daft? I know you also had to have negotiated that as well. How much?"
Diagus laughed once again, impressed with how much his brother had changed. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for. Yes, you're right. I did negotiate that as well."
"You know I should have been involved in those discussions."
"Don't be ridiculous. It would be stupid for any kingdom to have to deal with two of us. Father did not know what he was doing. He was obviously sick in the head, as well as body."
"You know damn well that doesn't matter. Father gave the pass to me..." Joron stopped abruptly for a moment.
Diagus watched as his brother's whole attitude seemed to change.
"And...and you need to respect that."
Diagus narrowed his eyes. What the hell just happened inside his brother's brain? "Don't worry, Joron," he said slowly. "I know what I'm doing. I made a splendid deal. Believe me, you could not have done better."
"But that's exactly what I'm talking about. You can't do things like that. People need the passage and we've held them hostage with our greed. What did you make him pay?"
Diagus laughed. He must have imagined the change in the atmosphere. "Little brother, you are so weak." It was clear Joron needed the strong influence of a powerful king to guide him. He rose once again from his chair and started to come around the desk. Kinnabe instantly stepped to Joron's side. Diagus sighed. "Oh, Kinnabe, relax. I am not going to attack him...yet."
His gaze went right back to Joron. He pushed Kinnabe back and sat on the arm of the chair Joron was sitting in. He draped his arm around the back of the chair, effectively preventing Kinnabe from returning to his original position. Joron looked straight forward, sweat starting to form on his forehead. The buffer he obviously thought Kinnabe being in the room would provide was not going to make a difference. However, Diagus continued in a softer tone.
"The pass is the only real power we have. I made a deal with a king who can not only afford it but one who uses it the most. It only makes sense he pays the most. Besides, he didn't mind the deal, especially after I promised him Liarta. It seems he was quite desperate to have her hand as well."
Joron turned his head to Diagus. "How can that be? Liarta said she never met him."
Diagus leaned in, reaching over and put a hand under Joron's chin. "That's another thing, Joron. Don't you think it would have been a show of respect for you and Liarta to have stayed at the reception after the coronation and met the man? He is--besides me, of course--a most important man. I do hope you didn't offend him by not meeting him."
Joron pulled his face away and tried to get out of the chair. Diagus easily slipped into the chair, pulled Joron back onto his lap, and snaked a tight arm around Joron's waist. Joron pulled at Diagus's arm, trying in vain to escape.
"Let me go!"
Diagus chuckled but let him go. Joron struggled out of his lap but not before Diagus knew Joron felt his rock-hard reaction to the closeness. Joron stumbled over to the front of the desk and turned around. "As if that would have offended him. You didn't even stay. You left with some servant boy--and right before the king came in. You better hope you didn't offend the man."
"You saw that? Joron, were you jealous?" Diagus was surprised his brother had actually witnessed that little indiscretion. Was there some hope Joron cared for him? He looked up at him with wide eyes. He saw Joron flinch.
"Have you taken leave of your senses? Jealous?" He turned away.
Diagus calmly rose from the chair and walked the couple of steps to Joron. He put his arms around him and pulled him close. He truly meant to tease Joron, make him confused, flustered, or plain mad. But the warmth he felt from that one act made him the confused and flustered one.
Diagus whispered into Joron's ear. "There is no need to be jealous. If you were in my bed, I would bring no one else to it. Ever. That's a promise."
Joron brought an elbow back into Diagus's side and pulled out of his embrace, once again to face him. "Stop this nonsense. I'm your brother and a man. How can you say these things to me?"
Diagus allowed Joron to move away from him, forcing himself to be patient. "As I have told you before, Joron, you know my ways. You being a man is what attracts me and you being my half brother doesn't bother me in the least."
"Enough of that! I came here to discuss Liarta. You need to call King Aric back in here and tell him Liarta is not available."
"Now who's taken leave of his senses? I would more likely call the duke in and tell him she is no longer available. Are you really concerned about him trying to leave the kingdom or are you more concerned about making our dear little sister happy?"
"The duke has a lot of influence and you know that. He's a dangerous man to cross. You're playing with fire."
Diagus took a step toward Joron, backing him up to the desk. He leaned over Joron, forcing Joron to bend backward, and put a hand on the desk on either side of him. With his face right in Joron's, his lips so close it was almost a kiss, he whispered, feeling Joron's anxious breath wash over his face, "What incentive do you have to offer me to convince me of your side of the argument? If it's the right incentive, I might reconsider."
Chapter 7
Joron pushed him away. This was going nowhere. He had already decided he would not offer his body. He was surprised he had even considered it. Liarta would never have allowed it anyway. He was certain Diagus would only take him and never correct his mistake. He would have to come up with a different plan and he thought he had that now.
"I changed my mind. I have nothing to offer you. I'm leaving." He made for the door, motioning to Kinnabe, who was standing, wringing his hands.
Diagus grabbed Joron's arm and pulled him back. "Where do you think you're going?" he said through clenched teeth. "I think you made a promise when you came into this room and I'm not going to let you go back on it."
"I didn't promise anything. I said I would discuss other things with you, not--"
Diagus pulled him into a rough kiss, plunging his tongue in as he wrapped his arms tightly around Joron's waist and neck. Joron struggled and tried to cry out, pushing at him, but it was clear Joron was not strong enough. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he hoped Kinnabe would stay away. For him to lay his hands on the king would be a crime punishable by death. Then Joron's mind jumped back to the kiss that he had been forced in to after being shoved up against the tree. He went weak with the thought of it and though this kiss was not like that one at all, he was unexpectedly becoming aroused and he fought harder. The very last thing he wanted was for Diagus to think was he was reacting to this kiss. Suddenly there seemed to be commotion in the room and someone was calling out the king's name.
"King Diagus! Your majesty."
Joron felt and heard Diagus growl as he pulled out of the kiss. "How dare you disturb me?" he shouted, turning, releasing Joron but keeping a solid hold on his left wrist. Joron tried to pull away but Diagus drew him close again, turned to him and said through his teeth, "Be still."
The man who had come in was obviously shocked at what he saw and lowered his gaze to the floor. "I...I'm sorry... Please, your majesty, King Aric has been called away suddenly. He has prepared to depart, my king, and will be heading back to Claymoor Doom. He told me if you wanted to see him before he leaves, you were to hurry to the front gate. He...he won't wait but..."
"What?" Diagus released Joron's wrist and headed for the door. "Did he leave anyth
ing behind? Did he take Liarta with him?"
Fear stabbed Joron's heart and he quickly looked to Kinnabe. "Kinnabe. Go. Make sure."
Kinnabe turned and started to follow the king out the door with Joron right behind him. They turned in the opposite direction the king went and hurried down the hall toward the princess's rooms. When they arrived, both Kinnabe and Joron pounded on the door.
"Liarta. Liarta it's us. Open the door."
Joron knew in his heart, she wouldn't answer. He would have to reach down and open the door himself and when he did, he would find the room unlocked and empty. But suddenly he heard the locks moving and the door flew open. Liarta was standing there with her wet, red, and swollen eyes. Joron breathed a sigh of relief as he pushed her back and they both came into the room. Kinnabe closed the door behind him, locking it firmly.
"What...what happened?" she breathed, eyes wide.
"King Aric left. Seems there was an emergency. Diagus was upset so obviously he expected something from the king before he left. He...questioned whether or not he had taken you and I thought..."
"You thought the worst. So it's not fixed. You weren't able to change it..." She turned away and went to sit down on a chair that had been placed near the window. He expected her to burst into tears again, but all she did was sit and stare out of the glass. "I guess it was too much to hope for. Thank you for trying."
"Liarta, don't give up hope. You're right. I wasn't able to change Diagus's mind but I'm not done yet. I have another plan and now that King Aric has left without you, I think it might work."
She was suddenly encouraged again, turning to him with a smile breaking on her lips. "What?" It was only a whisper.
"I don't have all the details yet, but you're safe for the moment. Keep the duke away from Diagus. You can tell him what's happened. It would be better coming from you. But tell him everything will be fine. I'll work this out, okay? Trust me."
She folded her hands in her lap and looked down at them, nodding. Joron took a deep breath and headed back out the door and led Kinnabe down to the small servant's room he had been occupying since his father's death.
"My prince, what's this idea you have? Already I don't like it."
Joron started to pace the small area. He had to think. He would go to visit King Aric himself. He would barter for his sister's freedom with passage through Ice Dragon Pass. He would send his sister and the duke off tomorrow night, after the funeral, to get married, just in case it didn't work. But he truly thought it would. He had the power now that the pass was his to negotiate. He was certain of it, too, since it was clear Diagus's so-called deal had to have been an enormous expense. Certainly one of the reasons for King Aric's desperation had to be once he was married to Liarta, he would be more in control of the negotiations concerning the pass. He would put up with Diagus's greed until then.
Since the two of them had not met--even if the king had somehow seen Liarta and was taken with his sister's beauty--breaking the marriage agreement to make the much better Ice Dragon Pass deal Joron had in mind would be extremely tempting. Being that Joron had heard he was a very good king, he would not be able to ignore a better price. Joron would leave the morning after the funeral, early enough to make it through the pass, sleep a while in Ghost Pines, and possibly shave off a day traveling to Claymoor Castle. He would like to make it in less than the three-plus days it normally took, if possible. King Aric would have been home for several days at that point.
Joron would wait for the duke's arrival, then inform both him and Liarta of the plan. Well, not all of it. All they needed to know was their part of it--escape Blade Rain and go back to the Province of the Moon citadel--where the duke lived--marry, and live happily ever after. The rest they would have to leave up to him.
* * * *
Joron rose before the sun. Though the funeral was being held unreasonably early, he still did expect--hoped was a better term--for hundreds of people to swarm unto the castle grounds. Up until now, they had been coming pretty much nonstop and filing past the casket but leaving the castle proper almost as fast. Joron wasn't sure if they had camped somewhere outside the castle walls, waiting for the funeral to take place, or simply gone home. Either way, he needed to make sure everything was ready.
Whenever large gatherings like this happened, there would always be problems, both large and small. He wouldn't care much about the small things but the large ones would have to be anticipated and dealt with. Things like sunstroke, dehydration, broken bones, and heart attacks. Though he had started as soon as he could after learning the funeral had been set for this date, he didn't have much time to gather the necessary people to make all the preparations. Joron's morning went fast as he threw out order after order, sending his men in a number of different directions all at once--some for supplies, some to erect temporary shelters, some to strengthen security in and around the castle.
The other thing he was not looking forward to was the problems the hordes of people would bring. Most would be here to actually pay their final respects but there would be those, too, who were here only to cause great trouble--thieves and robbers, molesters, and swindlers. It would be a very troublesome day, and the night would be worse. He hoped he had put enough of his own people on duty.
By time the first official guests arrived, Joron was already exhausted. Diagus and he greeted the Lord and Lady of East Grand Province and after a few minutes, Joron excused himself and headed back to his room to take a quick, refreshing bath before the day really began.
Afterward, he dressed in the royal guard uniform he would wear for the rest of the day--tight, dark blue pants and a blue tunic he tucked in at the waist. He next put on a heavy, dark blue coat that buttoned up the front with small, gold buttons. The coat fell past his thin hips, rode high on his neck, and was ornately edged with gold thread. Next came the belt that carried his royal sword. The grip was in the form of a crouching panther. Its eyes were dark blue sapphires, winking out from just above the guard. Stomping into his nearly knee high, shiny black boots, he lastly grabbed his hat, again dark blue with a single white feather suck in the side. He tucked this under his arm. He would only don it when he mounted his horse to follow the procession to the graveyard. But to have it with him and not on his head was a show of respect to his dead father and the new king, a tradition dating back to, he was sure, the beginning of time.
He sobered as he took one last look at himself in the mirror. His brother would be dressed exactly the same. The only difference would be the gold crown on his head. He would also have the king's sword by his side this day. It was an amazing sword, again handed down since the beginning of time. Its grip was an eagle's head, the eyes sparkling diamonds. The guard consisted of a sweep of solid gold encrusted with rubies and sapphires and emeralds. It was strictly for show and had never been used in battle. Diagus would take back his own sword after all the ceremonies were complete and the king's sword would go back up on the wall in the royal chambers once more.
Joron headed back toward the main hall where the castle servants had set up food and drink. He needed some coffee. When he arrived, the hall was already teeming with people. He took a cup of coffee that was handed to him by one of the castle workers. He smiled at the young girl and turned to watch the movement in the room. If he stood there watching long enough, it could put him to sleep. Of course, sitting down for ten minutes would yield the same results. The low, murmuring voices and slow movement were mesmerizing. He realized it was one of those moments he would remember for the rest of his life. Not that it was a good moment. It was actually quite disturbing and would haunt not only his memories but also his nightmares. He shivered.
Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder and lips near his ear. "Time to go, brother." The hand on his shoulder turned him.
"Where?" He had no idea what his role would be in all of this. The queen's hatred of him would dictate all decisions concerning him and where he would be this day. He had already decided he would allow for what
ever she thought she needed, mainly because he truly didn't care that much. He was not interested in standing or sitting in front of all of these people, pretending this was a distressing and mournful day. But it was also due to the fact he wasn't looking forward to spending much time around the queen. He knew the queen would behave herself in front of the people but he hated the fact she would be putting on a fake sad face, thinking she would be able to fool anyone.
Well, maybe herself. Certainly no one else.
But if he was given the freedom to not be with the witch, he also thought he might have a chance to see that man again. If he did, if that man was by some chance here for the funeral, he would be able to learn who he was. Thinking about it made Joron's heart beat faster. He fully intended to simply worship him from a distance. If they somehow were able to do more than that... Well, probably not. Once again, Joron had to remind himself they were both men. The man had kissed someone who he thought was a woman.
Ahh that kiss... He was shocked at his own need for more.
Suddenly Diagus's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "During the service, I will sit next to Mother. You will be next to me. Liarta, next to you."
Joron looked at his brother then, hearing the strain in his voice. Diagus truly did look stricken.
"When it's over, Mother and Liarta will be in a carriage behind the wagon bearing the casket and we will mount up and follow both out to the royal cemetery together."
Joron was taken aback, not only by the fact that obviously the queen intended on showing the kingdom they were one big, happy family but more so for the look on Diagus's face. "Sure...fine." Could it be Diagus really did love their father? Or was it guilt for not being here for the past three years? Whatever it was, Diagus looked like hell.
Diagus turned to walk away. On impulse Joron reached out and stopped him. Diagus turned back to him and Joron walked up to him, put his arms around his waist and laid his head on Diagus's chest for a moment. Diagus was obviously shocked but he recovered quickly and wrapped his own arms tightly around Joron, laying his own heavy head on top of Joron's. They stood that way for a few minutes until Diagus actually pushed Joron gently away.