A Heart to Trade

As a quick note, please be aware that this story does contain some incest. This is not the central pairing, though, and doesn't really pertain to it. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this story!

-----

12:00, Aminri had stared at the reflection of his pale, thin self for a long while before sighing and deciding to redo his cravat. He had dreaded the coming of this day, in which it seemed that he would be forced to give away his whole self, like a whore, in his opinion. Again, he looked at himself, finally satisfied at his outer appearance. But he could not rid himself of the mild sickness which lingered in his stomach.

12:10, Aminri finally realized just how fearful he was of the event. Perhaps it was the fact that he was being forced to marry another man? No, it wasn’t that. He would actually be quite fine with that fate alone, if the man were good enough to him. Perhaps it was because he was being married to a Bennington, the most intimidating and revered noble family in all of the fourteen existing ones? Yes, it was definitely this. And that the man he was being married to had only an interest in men, much to the dismay of his family members. He knew some of the family would be giving him and his husband alike an insurmountable amount of grief because of this. Although homosexuality was quite accepted in the country of Destatia, some were still very loathsome of it. Mostly just the elder folk, Aminri thought to himself.

12:20, Aminri could hear heavy footsteps, each thump heavier and more distinct than the last. “Hey!” The young man turned attentively towards the doorway, “The Benningtons are almost here! You best get yourself downstairs before I have to flog you!” The boy’s older brother, Bram, paused, then grinned as a filthy thought entered his mind. “Though you did seem to enjoy it last night when father did, didn’t you? I bet you did.”

But Aminri was silent, simply twiddling his thumbs and staring down at the floor. At this Bram frowned. His teasing had been unsuccessful this time around. “You--”

12:22, at this point the eldest brother, Harold, had had enough of Bram’s mindless child’s play. “Get downstairs and help get ready, Abraham! He needs to get ready, and if you stall him anymore, you’ll be the one to get flogged.”

Bram huffed and left the room, followed by Harold trailing behind him. When the older brother saw the boy looking thankfully at him, he smiled gently in reply and left, closing the door softly behind him.

For what felt like an hour afterwards, the boy sat in his room, looking back and forth between each corner as if he’d find something different there each time. Aminri contemplated leaving, even after Harold defended his staying in the room. His step-mother had even ordered him to not leave, lest he “do something wrong.” So he continued to sit on his bed and stared at the far wall until she would come to tell him that the Benningtons had arrived.

But she didn’t need to, for at 1:00 Aminri could hear the doorbell ring.

~ * ~ * ~

“Ah, Duke Bennington! You must be exhausted from the long ride here!” The head of the Parselle family marched down the stairway to greet the two representatives.

A handsome, lean man by the name of Anthony stepped gracefully forward in response. “Earl Parselle, it’s good to see you again.” When he noticed that the taller man’s focus was on the man behind him, he said, “I’ve brought Zane along. If you recall, he’s the one who will be married to…Aminri, was it?”

Earl Parselle nodded in reply. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Zane stepped forward and shook hands with him.

The Earl smiled politely at him, but inside he grimaced. The man’s eyes, which were peering ever calculatingly at him, were a deep navy blue and were shaded beneath short but apparent lashes. He was tall and well muscled, with crisp black hair that was neatly trimmed. Zane looked oddly much like the duke; both were quite attractive in their own unique way, but Zane had a much more intimidating, almost frightening, aura around him. “So…shall we discuss the agreements?” Duke Anthony folded his hands in front of him, a glimmer in his eye.

“Ah, yes, please come this way,” the other lord said, motioning towards the lounge. “As for Aminri, he will be called shortly. You are staying the night, aren’t you?”

“Yes, we are,” Zane replied.

Nodding, Earl Parselle called for a servant, who unhesitatingly went to them. “Go get the boy. And make sure he’s ready. Don’t forget to take up their bags, too.”

He better be, the little bastard, he bitterly thought to himself.

~ * ~ * ~

The servant pounded furiously on the bedroom door. “You’re being summoned!” she called.

“Ah…I’m coming,” Aminri replied, opening the door.

Fully expecting his mother, he was surprised to meet the frowning young woman instead. “Oh…Claudia, it’s you.”

“It’s you?” She sighed in annoyance. “The Benningtons wish to see you. Get downstairs.”

“Well…”

“Well what?”

“Mother told me not to leave unless she herself called for me. So…”

“Well, your father told me to get you, so go.”

“But, mother’s in charge…isn’t she?”

Aminri was held aback when she guffawed at the utterance. “Get your ass downstairs” was what Claudia would have said, but she was interrupted when Zane silently approached her. Seeming to sense his presence, she whirled around and said, apprehensively, “M-my lady! NO! My lord! Uh, the young master will be down shortly, so…”

“Well, he’s right there, isn’t he? So there’s no reason to go back downstairs, unless he intends to introduce me to something I’ve already seen,” Zane interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

Claudia whimpered, afraid that he had seen the exchange, and quickly turned back to Aminri. “Well then, are you ready, young master?”

“Yes, I am. Thank you. You can go back downstairs, now.” Aminri nodded, taking note of how flustered she was.

She was quick to scurry away. “Is she a friend of yours?” Zane put his hands in his pockets, staring at the back of Claudia’s head as she left.

Aminri wanted to reply with “absolutely not,” but, not wanting to cause any trouble, he simply said, “No, not exactly.”

“Is that so? Is she always so disrespectful?” Zane inquired.

“No…well…not exactly?”

“She’s a servant, is she not?”

Aminri shuffled awkwardly in place, unsure of how to respond. It was quite an obvious fact, what with the way she dressed. When an awkward silence lingered over the two, Aminri stammered, “W-Well…Lord Bennington-”

“Please, just Zane would suffice.”

Aminri simply looked at him, unsure of what to do. He had been very clearly told by his mother to be as respectful to the Benningtons as he possibly could, and that, in case he wasn’t, that he’d be flogged. But the man had instructed him to be casual, and on this rare occasion Aminri was forced to comply. And Zane’s daunting, watchful eyes upon him didn’t quite help him much… “Well then, L…Zane, shall I show you around the mansion?”

The boy immediately thought the idea to be rather silly once he suggested it. The man was only staying for a day, and yet he was going to show him the whole house? Then again, what else were they going to do? “Yes, I’d like that,” Zane replied, “Where shall we start?”

“Ah, well, this hallway here is where all of the guest bedrooms are, along with my bedroom, as you can see…”

Aminri continued to show them the rest of the mansion, including the kitchen, the bathrooms, and his own room. “Aminri?”

“Ah, yes Lor…Zane?”

Zane smirked at his uneasiness. “Do you happen to have a nickname?”

When the boy was quiet, he added, “An alternate name? A shorter one, perhaps?”

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry…” Aminri fidgeted and looked down at the floor. “Um…it’s Ari. But no one really calls me that except for Harold…”

“Harold?”

“The eldest son…my older half brother.”

“Ah…I see,” Zane quietly said, “You wouldn’t mind if I called you Ari, would you?”

“No, not at all. Please, go ahead.”

Zane smiled, satisfied. He took a moment to examine the boy as they walked, all of the boy’s words passing straight through his ears. He was beautiful, with pale blonde hair and hazel eyes. Every aspect of this young man seemed to be something out of one of Zane’s fantasies. His porcelain skin, long lashes, thin, pink lips…

“And…I suppose that’s the entire mansion. Do you have any questions?”

Zane snapped out of his entrancement and dug his hands into his pockets. “No, not really. Thank you.” For a moment he was silent, unsure of what to say next. “Well, you do have quite a lovely mansion. I don’t suppose you know when dinner is…do you?”

“Ah, yes. Usually it’s at around 6:30, though it may take longer today, with the more extravagant than usual dinner the chefs are preparing.”

“I see. Are you busy afterwards?”

“No, I shouldn’t be. May I ask why you’re wondering?”

Zane replied with a sly grin, and in that moment Aminri felt a nervous shiver go up his spine.

~ * ~ * ~

“Is…your son really so sure about marrying Aminri?” the Earl asked the duke.

“Yes, quite.”

“Well, I must say I was quite surprised when he had asked to meet the boy. He really has no interest whatsoever in Bram or Devon?”

“No, he doesn’t at all. He isn’t very fond of Bram’s…eccentric personality, and Devon is far too young for his comfort. We did ask to see all of your sons besides your eldest, didn’t we? That was in the agreement you signed.”

They sat in an awkward silence afterwards, the only noises being the soft shuffling of clothes and the sound of the duke sipping his tea. “So, Earl Parselle…” Anthony finally began as he was setting his teacup back onto the ebony table, “Would you care to explain to me the situation with Aminri once more?”

Earl Parselle shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “You mean…with his mother?”

“Yes.”

He took a long sigh before shaking his head and answering, “A while ago, my second wife became pregnant with my third son, Aminri. As you already know, my first wife died giving birth to my second son, Abraham, a few years before I married Aminri’s mother. She and I had two children: Aminri and another boy, Detra…”

“I don’t recall the second child. May I meet this…Detra?”

“Ah, well, that would be a problem…” The earl grasped his trousers in painfully tight fists. “He ran away from home about a year after his mother passed away. We’re not sure at all what’s become of him to this day.”

Anthony, surprised and regretful of his question, quickly said, “My apologies, I wasn’t aware. I’m very sorry.”

“No, it’s quite alright. It’s been a while since it’s happened. And the boy was rather troublesome, anyway…er, I mean! He was a wonderful boy. I do miss him…”

Anthony looked suspiciously at the man before him, unsure of what he had just said, but quickly let it go. “Well, continuing what you were saying earlier, what became of your wife?”

“Ah, well, one day, one of the maids caught her…” The earl’s expression turned cold. “…she caught her in bed with one of my good friends. For some reason she thought that I’d believe the horrible lie that he was raping her. Well, after that I sent her away. Ha, I even heard a rumor that she died somewhere in a carriage accident…”

Anthony was horrified at his pleasure on the subject, but, restraining himself, he said, “I’m very sorry.”

“Here I had that…woman’s children,” The earl continued. “What am I to do with Aminri? The son of a whore…”

“Not to question you, earl, but haven’t you had your fair share of mistresses?”

“Ah, well…yes, I have. But my wife’s a different story, you see…she’s a woman…ah, I mean…”

“What?”

“N-NO, nothing! She’s just a different story! Though, she is rather courageous to have wanted to defy me.” The earl paused, realizing what he had just said. It was then, to his relief, that a knock came at the door. “Yes? What is it?”

“Dinner is ready, master.”

“Very good, shall we, Duke Bennington?”

“Yes, let’s go. I’m rather famished from all this talk,” Anthony replied as he began to question his agreement with this man.

~ * ~ * ~

Dinner had been awkward that night, with Aminri looking back and forth between Zane and his brother, Harold, who were both glaring at one another. Harold was irritated with what he considered to be Zane’s elite demeanor and Zane was irritated by Harold’s irritation. “So, Lord Zane…” Harold began, his aura tense and seemingly hateful.

“Yes?” Zane replied as he frowned.

“How is your stay at the estate?”

Zane’s brow furrowed at the question. Although it seemed completely innocent on the surface, there was an underlying hostility and scorn in his voice. Everything about the man seemed to be mocking him haughtily; his seemingly polite silence, his poised position, his elegant movements…Zane found himself already hating Harold. Though, for the sake of being polite, the man simply replied, “Quite good, thank you.”

Two young men pushing carts went slowly down the table, laying down a feast of steak and broccoli along the way. When they reached Aminri, he thanked them graciously and showed them a brilliant smile. At that Bram loudly scoffed. Zane glared at the young man and thanked the servants as well. “It looks delicious,” Duke Anthony commented as he lifted his fork and knife eagerly.

“Yes, Michael is a magnificent chef. We’re lucky to have him,” Lady Parselle laughed in agreement.

They ate in silence, the only noise in the dining room being the soft clatter of metal upon china and the heavy gulping of Bram as he heavily downed his wine. Aminri and Zane were seated side-by-side, while across from them were Harold, who was sitting quietly poised, and Bram. Besides the two young men were the other four Parselle children, all of them being younger than Aminri. Earl Parselle, his wife, and Duke Bennington, on the other hand, were located at the farther end of the table, signifying their higher rankings. Finally, after having enough of being good and polite to the alien guests, Bram slammed his glass down onto the table and asked, “Father, may I be excused?”

“You may not. We have guests here, can’t you see? Don’t be rude!” his father scolded him and glared in his direction.

The young man huffed and stabbed bitterly at the remainders of his dessert. Like a spoiled little five-year-old, Zane thought as he overheard the Earl mumbling about Bram needing to be more like his brother, Harold.

When the day was finally finished and everyone was readying for bed, Aminri found that he was exhausted. He sighed as he began to turn the knob of his bedroom door, but stopped as a large hand was laid on the wall beside him. The boy turned nervously around and found Zane leaning over him, his eyes gleaming eagerly. “Stay with me in my room tonight,” the man suggested, though to Aminri it sounded more like a demand. “My bed’s most definitely large enough for the two of us to fit in it.”

“No!” Aminri quickly replied, his eyes growing wide. “Er…I mean…I’d rather not. My bed is quite comfortable enough.”

“Oh?” Zane sang, a mischievous smile crossing his lips, “But the whole point of me coming with my father was to become acquainted with you, wasn’t it? Come now, surely you’ve shared a bed with another man before.”

“Please, I…” A drop of perspiration dripped down the side of Aminri’s face as Zane grasped his wrist and brought it up.

His digits gently grazed the buttons of Zane’s shirt. The man’s much larger hand forcibly wrapped Aminri’s fingers around the copper disk and unbuttoned it. “Please, Lord Be…”

“I’ve told you not to call me that, haven’t I?” The man quickly interrupted him.

“I’m sorry…no, please!”

Aminri shivered as Zane gently rubbed his free hand against the boy’s nipple. “Come to my room,” he whispered in Aminri’s ear, his breath lightly tickling the flesh. “You wouldn’t want to disappoint me, would you?”

The boy bit his lower lip and trembled. As much as he didn’t want to, and as much as he feared what would happen to him, he most definitely didn’t want that. It was his duty to his family to appease this man, and if he failed at that any hopes he had of gaining his family’s acceptance would disappear. “Alright…I’ll go…but only after I dress first,” Aminri finally said, his voice soft and shaky.

For a moment Zane was reluctant, afraid that he had made the boy cry, but he soon came to his senses and smirked. “Good boy,” he replied, “you know where my room is, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Good, I’ll see you there.” Zane gave him a sensual look before leaving down the hall.

Aminri let out a heavy sigh and opened his bedroom door, all the while sullenly thinking about what had become of him. Though he’d been expecting this much when he had very briefly met Zane for the first time a few weeks prior, now that he had finally experienced it, it was much harder to deal with than he’d thought.

He had taken a single step into his room before he felt his collar being fiercely tugged at. He stepped backwards, gasping silently in surprise. “So, it looks like you’ve already become quite well acquainted with him, huh?” Harold said, leaning over Aminri’s shoulder with a smile.

“Harold…” Aminri sighed, relieved that it wasn’t Bram, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have the time right now. I have to get to his room, or I’m sure he’ll be angry.”

“So I heard.” Harold released him, his eyes narrowing. “Fine then. Just make sure not to do anything…odd. Remember what I told you?”

For a moment Aminri was silent, unsure of what to say. Then he sighed, slumping his shoulders and looking guiltily at his brother. “Harold…I told you, I don’t love you in that way. Er…I do love you, but it’s simply platonic. Nothing more.”

At that Harold’s expression darkened as he shoved his brother to the ground, his previously polite and gentle composure dissolving. The boy grunted as his bottom harshly met the hardwood floor with a thud. “Ow, what--!”

His brother’s palm met with his cheek suddenly. “He’ll never love you! I won’t let him. You belong to me, not anyone else! Do you hear me?”

Aminri simply laid on the ground, staring with wide, horrified eyes at him in response. “I said do you, hear me?” his voice grew louder, just barely under a shout, as he scowled.

“Yes, brother…” Aminri whimpered, a shiver going up his spine.

Harold gave him an innocent smile then and turned on his heel without another word, slamming the door behind him. At that Aminri gulped and began to stand weakly up, heading to his wardrobe. His brother’s disturbing obsession, his father’s disregard for him, Zane’s perverted approach…the entire situation seemed to absorb all of his strength. But even so, Aminri grasped the handle of his wardrobe and lifted himself up to his feet. He let out a heavy breath, his mouth fixed into a frown, as he opened the doors and pulled out his nightshirt. He quickly switched into it, the cold night air biting his bare skin. Quickly combing his hair back, Aminri sprinted out the door and down the hall, only hoping for the very best this cold night.

~ * ~ * ~

“You came. I was afraid that you’d decided not to.” Zane leaned against the doorframe as he greeted Aminri. “Come in.”

As the boy reluctantly entered the room Zane shut the door behind him, making sure to lock it. The man reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, though the boy refused to turn. “Let me see you,” he commanded.

Aminri obeyed him, looking shyly down at the floor as he did. “Look at me,” he commanded again.

But this time Aminri did not listen; instead he turned his head down further. At this the man frowned and took his chin into his hand, raising his head. The boy swallowed nervously and, panicking, shifted his eyes to the wall beside them. The man ignored this and traced the contours of the boy’s face with his eyes, taking note of even the smallest details. Slowly his focus went lower and lower, until finally Zane found himself unbuttoning the boy’s nightshirt eagerly. “Oh, my lord, please…” Aminri helplessly whispered as the garment slipped from his shoulders onto the wooden floorboards below.

The boy stood completely nude before Zane, and in response Aminri made an attempt to cover himself. But the man quickly grabbed his wrists, not wanting any interruption of his investigation. Before he could stop himself, the boy let out a whimper and looked away. “Shush now, it’s not that bad,” Zane hushed him. “Let’s go to the bed.”

He looked sadly down at the ground, ashamed of himself, as strong arms wrapped themselves around him. He let out a soft gasp as he felt his feet leave the ground and was carried over to the bed. Zane gently laid him down on the silken sheets which covered the mattress and smiled as the boy relaxed in his arms. “Unbutton my shirt, Ari.”

Aminri cringed slightly and looked pleadingly up at the man. But Zane would not relent, and instead pressed him further by grasping his hand and leading it to the first button, his piercing eyes ever watchful. Aminri looked away, a boiling heat rising in his face, as he fingered the copper piece through the hole. “Good, now the next one,” Zane rasped, moving Aminri’s hand down.

The boy breathed deep before continuing, almost as if the task was beyond his ability. One by one he unbuttoned the man’s shirt, until finally he could see the man’s well toned muscles. He swept a fragile hand over them, his breaths becoming faster, as Zane began to remove his shirt. “Now, unbutton my trousers. No, no, not like that, you’ll pop one out if you’re too rough.”

Aminri bit his lower lip at the man’s commentary and, gentler this time, worked at the last button of the three. Hastily, Zane pulled them down and threw them across the room as Aminri’s horror began to slowly grow. The man was awfully eager; this was made obvious by his actions and by the bulge that showed gloriously through his underwear. And when Zane began to slip them off as well, Aminri dramatically shielded his eyes and turned the opposite direction. “Hey, don’t be like that. Come on, surely my cock isn’t that villainous.”
Aminri grimaced at his profanity. He wasn’t very fond of cursing at all. Yes, he had indeed heard plenty of “fucks” and “shits” thrown about, and he could at least stand those without getting too uncomfortable, but “cock” was different. Perhaps in this context it was the lingering horror of being penetrated by this man, who, judging by Aminri’s quick glimpse, was rather large.

Zane gently removed Aminri’s hand from his eyes and turned his head around. “Don’t be like that. I’ve had enough experience by now, so I know what I’m doing.”
Aminri was beginning to get slightly irritated, now. The man could at least be a bit more genial... Zane laid his hand on the boy’s and again led it to the bulging head. Aminri let out a whimper as his fingers grazed the hardened flesh, then was forced to grasp it as Zane’s hand tightened around his. A nervous shiver went up his spine as Zane gasped in pleasure. “Lie down on your stomach, Ari.”

“Wha…why?” Aminri asked.

“Do it.”

Slowly, the boy turned, contemplating whether or not he should reject, regardless of his family’s welfare. “Wait,” Zane said, much to Aminri’s relief, “Are you a virgin?”

“Y-yes… I am…”

When the man was silent, the boy began to become nervous. Was that a bad thing? “Hold on,” Zane suddenly said as he abruptly left the bed to look through his small baggage.
Aminri looked curiously up, unsure and slightly worried about what it was that Zane was looking for. “Ah, good, I didn’t leave it.” the man thought out loud.

The boy took a moment to process what the glass bottle with a mysterious liquid inside was for. But as a realization struck him, he instinctively crossed his legs. Zane laughed at his anxiety and, rather forcibly, spread Aminri’s legs apart. The man screwed the cap of the bottle off and dripped the slippery substance onto his fingers. Carefully capping it again, Zane discarded the bottle onto the side of the bed. “N-no…wait…” Aminri whimpered as the man placed his fingertip at his entrance.

“Relax. It’ll hurt more if you’re too tense.”

“O-ok--!” Aminri gasped as he felt his forefinger slowly enter him.

The boy tried his best to stay relaxed, as he was told to, but he couldn’t help it, and as soon as the second finger began to enter him he let out a silent ah of discomfort. Zane gently moved his fingers in and out with the help of the lubricant and looked up at the boy. He wore a mixed expression of pain and pleasure. Maybe the stimulants aren’t working? Zane thought. But it’d worked quite well with all the other men…

Aminri shivered suddenly, and soon his half-pain-half-pleasure expression faded to simple gratification. Zane grinned in response. Never mind.

“What…what’s happening to me? I feel strange…”

“You mean you feel good,” Zane shifted closer to Aminri, wondering if this boy had ever even masturbated before. He couldn’t possibly be that ignorant about sexual pleasure, especially at his age. His age… How old was he again? 18? 19? I’ll ask him later. “I asked the family doctor to put a stimulant into the lubricant. I suppose it’s starting to take effect?”

Aminri didn’t reply and quietly moaned as Zane quickened his movements. The boy moved his hips backwards, wanting more. Oh god, oh god, oh god, what’s happening to me?!

But Zane’s fingers left his insides, to his disappointment. “Z-Zane…?”

“Hold on. Be patient,” Zane whispered as he laid a hand on his shoulder and stroked his now erect cock.

Aminri shivered at the motion and ran a hand through Zane’s raven colored hair. The man placed the tip of his bulging erection at Aminri’s ass and slowly entered. At first the boy let out a quiet squeak, his hands gripping the bed sheets in anticipation, but they soon turned into silent mewls of pleasure. He truly hadn’t expected something like this; he had only thought that sex was simply something two people did to have a child, and then that was it. He didn’t think it would feel like this. He didn’t think that it would make him crazy. Zane eased in until finally his entire manhood was inside. “I’m going to thrust now. Is that alright?” he asked, his eyes carefully watching the boy beneath him.

“Y-yes, it is…” Aminri quietly replied.

Zane spread the boy’s legs wider and thrust, their bodies slapping together. Aminri hung his head back and exclaimed as the moment completely consumed him. “Quiet, now. You wouldn’t want to wake your family, would you?”

Aminri quickly shook his head and bit his lip. Thrusting his hips again, Zane covered the boy’s mouth as he began to cry out. His muffled exclamations and the sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room. A drop of perspire fell against Zane’s temple as he panted and felt the gentle vibrations of Aminri’s moans against his palm. Without thinking, he wrapped his free hand around the boy’s cock and pumped quickly up and down. In response, Aminri tensed and grasped the bedpost.

Aminri trembled as Zane’s thrusts and his nearing climax became much stronger. Realizing that the man was beginning to come as well, he moved his hips steadily to the same rhythm Zane had been following. Zane grunted loudly and spurted his semen inside of the boy. Aminri climaxed as well, dirtying himself with his own hot seed as he nearly screamed.

The boy relaxed, all his energy leaving him then, as Zane collapsed beside him. The man sighed contentedly as he looked wondrously at fiance. The boy was staring with half-lidded eyes at the ceiling above, his thin chest heaving and his hands laying upon his stomach. Zane turned himself over and fondled the boy’s small, pink nipple. Aminri gasped in surprise and looked pleadingly at him. “I’m exhausted, Zane…” Aminri murmured weakly, his eyes closing.

“I know you are. But I must say, you were amazing,” Zane whispered and leaned in closer to him. “Perhaps we were made for each other.”

The boy murmured incoherently in reply as he began to fall asleep. Zane smirked ever so slightly at his peaceful face and covered them both with the blankets. We can bathe tomorrow morning, he thought as he, too, began to drift soundly asleep. The room then became still, the only sounds being the soft breathing of the two men and a chorus of cicadas to accompany them in perfect rhythm.