by J. M. Snyder
“I like you, too.” Amery smiled again and scooted closer so he could rest his head on Tovin’s shoulder. Picking at the knight’s tunic, the prince whispered, “I think…I might like you more. I mean, I know I’m still too young, really, but maybe, if you don’t have anyone else, and you don’t mind much, maybe you’d want to be mine?”
Tovin felt his insides melt and he’d kissed Amery again. “There’s no maybe about it.”
On that day they became something more than friends. And three years later, when Amery turned of age, they became lovers in every sense of the word. Eight years had passed and still Tovin felt every ounce of affection the regent roused in him—over time, those boyish feelings had deepened into a love that burned in him like a small sun, shining over everything he said or did or thought, every aspect of his life.
He was glad Amery had promoted him to castellan; he would trust no one else with the duty of protecting the regent’s life because none could ever feel as much for the man as he did himself. Tovin knew he alone would ensure the regent’s safety, at any cost. I’ll not let them take him from me.
He meant the Cyrians, but part of him meant the kingdom of Pharr, as well. He couldn’t lose the one man he loved more than life itself. He wouldn’t. He would give up his sword before he gave up Amery.
* * * *
From the parapets that crowned the castle’s towers, Tovin could survey the land stretching away to the south of the castle. Forests bordered the keep to the north and east, a fact that Tovin didn’t much like, but he didn’t have the manpower at the moment to waste in clearing the trees. Once this threat was dispersed, he promised himself, frowning at the dark shadows that clung to the woods, he would have that forest pushed back about a league or so, just enough to give him any warning of an attack. In the meantime, he would simply have to tighten security on the northern wall.
As dusk began to fall, sputtering torches flared to life around the parapets. Tovin waited until the sun had dipped below the horizon and the whole castle was lit before satisfied he had done all he could for the evening. What few men were stationed at the castle as the regent’s personal guards had been reassigned—they now dotted the parapets with arrows and buckets of oil, guarding the castle itself. They were a lax bunch, used to the comfortable life, but they snapped to attention when Tovin passed their posts and that was all he could ask. Earlier in the day, a runner had come from the south, announcing that Tovin’s own men were already mounted and heading his way. If they rode through the night, as he suspected they would, then the castle could be fortified by their presence before noon the next day. That thought alone would allow Tovin to sleep well.
Retreating inside, he made his way to the regent’s chambers with a thoughtful expression on his face. The runner bothered him; if the courier had managed to meet with Tovin’s troops in record time, why had they had no word from Berik, Lohden, or Giles? Surely the three knights had reached their own troops already.
At the back of his mind, something else nagged at him, something just out of reach. He ran through the ramparts again, recalling the lay of the land surrounding the castle. The flat plains to the south, the rolling hills west, the cluster of trees and shade that festered to the east and north like a dark, seeping wound. Something bothered him about those forests, something he couldn’t quite place…
You’re just being overly cautious.
True. He reached Amery’s chamber door and raised his hand to knock, but dropped it to the knob instead. It turned easily beneath his hand, but he wasn’t ready to let the worry fall from him just yet. In the morning he would ride out there himself, he decided. I’ll survey the trees and maybe start clearing them away. I won’t accomplish much, but it will ease my mind, at least.
Yes, he’d do that. In the morning, when there was light to see by, he’d ride a little way into the trees, just to put his fear to rest. As he opened the regent’s door, he smiled at the thought that maybe Amery would ride with him. Just the two of them, alone in the woods, free from the constant supervision of the servants and the guard…free to linger in the shadows, or make love on the moss-covered ground…
“There you are,” Amery purred.
Locking the door behind him, Tovin turned to find Amery stretched out on the chaise lounge in his sitting room. Still nude, as if he had not bothered to dress the entire day, he lay with one arm draped over the back of the chaise lounge and his legs parted in invitation. He looked as if he had not moved since Tovin left him that morning.
He was gorgeous.
Tovin took in the vision of his lover’s freckled skin, naked and smooth and dappled with a golden glow cast by the fire. His long auburn hair had been pulled back in a loose braid, and his pale eyes danced with firelight. In front of the chaise lounge, a small table was set, laden with fresh berries and slivers of rich cake.
The regent’s cock was already rigid with desire; it pointed up at his navel, hard against his lower belly, and one hand toyed with the foreskin, sliding it back and forth, allowing the damp tip to peek out, then disappear again. Leaning back against the chaise lounge, Amery sighed. “I’ve been waiting forever.”
Tovin’s sword landed on the floor with a clank, his mail following suit. In two steps he was leaning over his lover, pressing Amery back against the chaise lounge as he kissed him hungrily. His hand strayed to his lover’s crotch, where it cupped the soft sac of the regent’s balls. “Forever?” he murmured against Amery’s lips. “You poor boy.”
“I know,” Amery conceded.
Nimbly, he untethered Tovin’s shirt, his fingers finding pinked nipples and teasing them erect. Tovin gasped with delight at the shivers that ran through him at that touch. In his breeches, his dick went from mildly aroused to rock solid in the time it took his lover to make his nipples stand beneath his fingers. Amery’s mouth was hot on his, ardent, his tongue licking into him as if staking claim.
Tovin’s hand smoothed along his lover’s muscular chest, slipping across his flat stomach and lower, until his fingers twisted in kinked hair and Amery thrust into his closed fist. “Please…”
“The regent begs,” Tovin teased, and the frustration that crossed Amery’s face made the rest of the world disappear. “Tell me you want me.”
Amery pouted. “You know I do,” he whispered, helping Tovin out of his shirt. Tossing the garment to the floor, he said, “Kiss me again.”
“You aren’t playing along.” Tovin squeezed his lover’s erection. “Tell me you want me.”
“I do,” Amery replied. “Please, Tovin. Please—”
Tovin sighed. “I guess that will suffice,” he whispered against Amery’s neck. “I give in too easily to you…you know that, right?”
Amery laughed and hugged Tovin to him. “It’s because you love me.”
“I do,” Tovin admitted.
Amery managed to get the knight’s breeches untied and pushed them down past his thighs, hands already kneading Tovin’s weeping erection. When Tovin raised a knee to straddle Amery, his breeches threatened to tear at the seams, stretched across the chaise lounge and keeping the knight from opening his legs farther. Amery’s hands encircled his shaft; his fingers were oiled, scented with perfume, and they slid along Tovin’s hard cock with ease, massaging it, tugging at the swollen tip. Placing his hands on the back of the chaise lounge, one on either side of Amery’s head, Tovin thrust into the regent’s grip and moaned his lover’s name.
Then the regent sat up, his tongue licking out to connect with Tovin’s flesh, and when his teeth caught one tender nipple between them, Tovin couldn’t help himself—the orgasm he tried so hard to hold back surged through him, and a dribble of cum squirted from his cockhead onto Amery’s already slicked hands. With a breathless laugh, the knight admitted, “I don’t think I can hold out against you much longer.”
A knock on the chamber door interrupted them.
Tovin stopped in mid-thrust; Amery’s teeth released his nipple and the regent leaned against the knight�
��s chest to mutter, “Fuck.”
Tovin laughed again, a shaky sound. As the pleasure in him receded, he reined in his lustful desire and managed to pull himself back from the edge of release. Kissing the top of his lover’s head, he murmured into Amery’s thick hair, “Tell them to go away.”
Without moving, Amery raised his voice. “Go away, damn it! I told you I wanted to be alone tonight.”
“You’re not exactly alone,” Tovin joked.
“That’s beside the point,” Amery told him. The knock sounded again; the regent shook his head, negating the sound. “I’ll not answer it. The kingdom can fall for all I care—”
From the hallway they heard a rush of footsteps and then the page’s voice called out, hollow through the thick door. “Your Highness, please! It’s important.”
“It better be,” Amery grumbled.
Tovin stood and tugged up his breeches. As he tucked himself into the fabric, Amery surged to his feet and pushed past his lover, a look of pure hatred twisting his beautiful features. Scooping the knight’s shirt from where it had fallen to the floor, Amery fisted it at his crotch, then threw open his chamber door to glare at the boy standing in the hall. “Well?” he asked hotly. “What the hell is it?”
“A rider,” the boy answered. His gaze flickered down Amery’s nude body to the shirt clenched at his crotch. His eyes widened slightly, his mouth a perfect O of surprise. Then he glanced past Amery to take in Tovin, shirtless, sitting on the edge of the chaise lounge and nibbling at a piece of cake. Ignoring the regent, the page said, “Sir Tovin, I came looking for you, actually.”
Tovin stared at Amery’s naked buttocks, clenched in his anger. Twin dimples marred the otherwise flawless skin. He imagined licking those dimples, smoothing that flesh out with his lips, nipping at it until it reddened beneath his teeth… “You found me.”
“A rider from the north,” the boy stammered, hurrying on. “He asks for you.”
The north. So Berik had sent word. Tovin rose to his feet. “I shall see him.”
“Tovin,” Amery whined. He shut the door in the page’s face as the knight belted his sword into place. “Can this not wait?”
“I shall be right back,” Tovin promised. He kissed Amery, a quick peck on the corner of his mouth, and pulled his shirt out of the regent’s hand. “I believe this is mine.”
In the hallway he shrugged into the shirt, fastening it as he hurried after the page. The scent of Amery’s oils rose from the fabric like a cloud enveloping him, a heady combination of patchouli and sage. It only incensed the ache in his crotch. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and take his lover in his arms, dive into the tight warmth at his center, and let his stymied orgasm loose. But duty first… “A rider, you say?”
The page nodded. “Sir Berik himself. He rode—”
“Sir Berik?” Tovin broke into a trot, forcing the boy to run ahead of him. “Why did you not say so? What’s he doing here?” Berik was supposed to be commanding troops, not racing back to the castle. Where’s Lohden? What the hell is going on?
Questions the page would be unable to answer. Aloud, Tovin asked, “When did he arrive?”
“Minutes ago.” The page led the way through the castle halls. “He says it’s urgent he sees you.”
They rounded a corner and, as if his words had brought the man into being, right into Sir Berik. The page slammed into the knight, who caught him easily. “Tovin,” Berik gasped, breathless. Pushing the boy aside, he lowered his voice and looked around, eyes wild in his bearded face. His ruddy cheeks were flushed a deep shade of red, like twin beets. “God.”
“What is it?” Tovin demanded. He tucked his shirt into his pants and cursed the fact that he had left his mail lying on Amery’s floor. “Berik? Talk to me. What are you doing back? And where’s Lohden?”
“Dead.” Berik leaned against the wall and gripped his head in both hands. “At least I think he is. We didn’t see them coming. We didn’t know until it was too late…”
“See who?” Tovin wanted to know. “Berik, the Cyrians? Where are they?”
His voice was barely a whisper when he replied, “In the woods.”
The woods…
Berik continued. “They’ve surrounded the castle, Tovin. They were closer than we thought. Much closer. We stumbled upon their camp and I sent Lohden west to catch up with Giles while I raced back here but they were right behind me. We never even reached our men. I suspect they will attack at any moment now—”
“Battle stations!” Tovin roared.
His cry rang off the stone walls and startled a guard posted nearby. When the man frowned at him, Tovin pushed him into action. “I want men at every entrance,” he commanded. The guard gave a curt nod. “Double the guard outside the regent’s chambers, do you understand? He is not to leave his chambers. Tell the archers to concentrate on the forest. Douse the torches but spare a few to light the oil.”
Another nod. Tovin shoved the guard down the hall. “Go!”
As the man raced from the corridor, Tovin took Berik’s arm and tugged his friend after him. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?” Berik asked.
“The ramparts,” Tovin replied. He had a castle to defend.
Chapter 10
The first attack came before they reached the parapets. Tovin heard the thunder of siege engines and then the stone around them shook as the machines unleashed their artillery on the castle walls. He staggered in the stairwell, Berik falling away behind him as another volley struck. Keep Amery safe, he prayed, pushing his way through the servants scrambling down the steps. Please let him stay out of harm’s way.
At the parapets, Tovin looked down over the northern face of the castle and frowned at what he saw. The night below him was alive with bonfires, their shadows flickering in the light and the trees. He couldn’t tell how large the army was, how many men he was up against, what weaponry they had…splashing in the moat told him their border had been breeched, and as he stood there, assessing the situation, one of the courtyard walls was pulled to the ground. “This is no good,” he muttered.
Berik laughed, a short, rough sound that scared him. “You wanted to fight,” he reminded Tovin. “Here’s your chance. They came knocking for you…shit.”
But Tovin shook his head and leaned over the parapet, trying to stare into the battle roiling in the darkness beneath them. He had wanted a chance to fight the barbarians, yes—hordes of ruthless, lawless men rumored to eat their victims and drink the blood they spilled on the battlefield. But he never wanted to bring the war this close to the castle, to Amery. I never meant to bring them here.
With a shaky sigh, Berik glanced around at the men rushing by them, readying their defenses. “Is the regent—”
“Fine,” Tovin replied quickly. Cheers rose from the western wing of the castle, where the Cyrians managed to break through the guard and were beginning to enter the courtyard, crawling over the crumbled walls like insects. It was only a matter of time before the whole place fell.
Tovin gripped the rough stone in both hands and fought the urge to race back to the regent’s chambers. There were guards stationed at his door; they would protect him. They had to. Tovin was needed elsewhere. Please, he prayed, hoping his plea would be heard over the rising din of battle. Please keep him safe.
* * * *
Amery felt the castle shake beneath a volley of cannon fire and knew Tovin would not be back. He dressed quickly, his heart in his throat, his dick no longer interested in lustful play. The rider must’ve been sent with news that the Cyrians were nearby, but this close? He had never imagined the threat to be that imminent. They had so few men guarding the castle…when would the knights’ armies arrive? Could the castle hold fast that long?
Another booming attack shook the walls around him and he suspected he already knew the answer to that question. If the Cyrians forded the moat, if they had siege engines with them, if they had the element of surprise in their favor…then no, the cast
le would not last until dawn.
Tovin’s voice rose in his mind, unbidden. Off the servant’s quarters, through the pantry, there is a small door along the back wall that opens into the sluiceway. It was once used to toss old food, to keep beggars from rooting through the King’s garbage, but when the sewers were rebuilt, this one was abandoned. You have to get down on your hands and knees and crawl through…
Amery shook the words away as he fastened his coverlet into place. The sluiceway was a dream, something he would think about on rainy days but never once dare use. He was too damn stubborn to run…and admit it, he told himself, crossing his sitting room to the chamber door, you’re too damn comfortable with this life to give it up just yet.
When he opened his door, two pikes dropped into an X before him, trapping him inside. “Your Highness,” one guard said, snapping to attention. “Please, stay inside.”
“I shall not.” Amery straightened his back to stand at his full height, just shy of six feet. “Remove your weapons, men. I am the regent.”
But the pikes did not budge. “Sir Tovin’s orders,” the other guard bellowed. “The regent is to stay put.”
A deep heat rose to color Amery’s cheeks. “Stay put!” he spat. “I am not some recalcitrant child or…or…or a prisoner in my own kingdom! I will not be shuffled aside. I am—”
“In danger, Your Highness.” With a clink of metal, the first guard tipped the visor on his helmet. “With all due respect, Sir Tovin requests that you remain here. We have increased your personal guard and have more men blocking the corridors that lead to your chambers. This really is the safest place to be.”
Tovin’s arms would be safer, Amery mused, but he kept those words to himself. With a final glower at both guards, the regent slammed his door shut, arms crossed as anger whirled through him. He wanted to be on the parapets, sword held high, leading his people to victory. His hair would whip out behind him like a banner, the crown gleaming atop his head—
The crown.
Out loud, Amery muttered, “I don’t want the crown. I don’t want to fight.” He stormed across his chamber; at the fireplace, he turned on his heel and raged back to the door. His voice rose as he paced. “I don’t want to be here, locked up in my own goddamn room, while Tovin is out there, in danger.”