To break or not to break

Fuu is the creator of Taithos and the house Malefactum and all thanks and praise go to him for thinking up this little plot bunny.
Antioche and Darsh are mine all mine and their sadism and angst respectively is thanks to many nights of binge drinking pop and chowing down on nothing but cookies.

Warnings: BDSM, yaoi and all that other good stuff. Plenty of angst on the part of Darsh and even a walloping load from Taithos so if you're looking for WAFF you're in the wrong place. This was done up a bit hastily to post here so if there are typos please excuse me, I'm new to posting here and I hope that I can give you all what you need.

Disclaimers: None needed I think though we do mention the Underdark a few times which is property of TSR *shrugs* Just want to cover all my bases so that this doesn't get ripped down from the site.

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As the boy's eyes adjusted to the near blinding light of a mere grouping of candles, he leaned forward to inspect the runes with a curious glance - tempted to touch a few but figuring it would get him a worse reaction than his dagger had.

"They sell charms for that, I think. I don't know if they work - I've never really needed them."

He offered absently as he had recognized a few of the symbols. Taithos wasn't entirely sure how to answer the question so he ignored it for the most part, head canted to the side. He was just about to remark upon something else before a decidedly aggrivated hiss caught his attention.
Aua.

"Dalhar." Came the snarled call - the feast had concluded and many of the house members were slowly filing back into their rooms - one such woman standing in the open doorway of the mage's new residence. "Dalhar. Who gave you permission to leave your chambers?" Hands resting high on her hips, one slender brow rose at Antioche's appearance and she forced a smile onto painted lips, nails digging into the fine fabric of her robes. "Oh? So I see you've found your Tutor. You have a penchant for ruining surprises."

"...Eh..?"

Antioche bowed to the woman, knowing better than to bring on her ire. She didn't seem too pleased with the boy and they were kin so he as a stranger would get much less love. Casually he reached out a snuffed a couple of the candles, trying to assist both the young one and the matron in seeing better.

"Aye, he's quite difficult this one." The surface dweller responded for Taithos. "And he's quite adamant about not answering my questions until I press him about the matters at hand. If your gracious lady would allow it... I would be grateful to have permission to punish him if he decided to be unruly or willsome."

The flaxen haired mage kept his eyes trained on the ground. It was probably stepping beyond his bounds to ask such a thing, but at the very least it would get a good reaction out of Taithos. The little brat....

Taithos was a great deal more comfortable as the candles were snuffed. The resulting smoke made his nose wrinkle but it was a lot better than seeing spots. The matron seemed all the more fierce in the dark and with a yelp he protected his head - a resounding smack echoing in the halls as her hand connected with the back of the boy's thick skull.

"You should be lucky that's all you get." She mumbled at the child's insistance at pouting, dark fingers curled in the youth's braid to keep him in place. "Punishment? We're paying you enough to marry the boy so we expect discipline as well as scholarly learning to be taught." She emphasized her point with a sharp tug of the delicate strands which forced a squeak from the brat prince.

Perhaps not a brat! But he definately would not still be living in any other household.

All the while Taithos looked mortified. Antioche was not only supposed to be his teacher but his militant behaviorist as well?

The mage bowed, not at all bothered by how the woman was treating Taithos. Things were different down here and it was simply not his place. Smoothly, quietly, he crossed over to Taithos' side and raised a hand, not quite touching the woman's lithe but powerful hands.

"My apologies, my knowledge of your culture is not perfect. I had assumed that only the matrons of this great house were allowed to dole out the punishments of the slaves and lesser members. I shall endeavor to do your previous work justice and teach him as best I can in all manners." Antioche's voice turned from sweet when talking to the woman to ice when he turned to Taithos. "And you -will- take my lessons to heart."

The woman frowned slightly at Antioche's approach but made no move to show her displeasure, fingers still curled tightly in the squirming boy's hair. With another pull he stilled at which she smirked and turned her attentions fully towards the mage.

"Slaves and lesser members are free game, Mage. It is this little prince that has most of the house's residents stuck behind a technicality. You, however, have my express permission to do what you see fit. I grow weary of his insolence but Lloth refuses to grant us permission for easier... methods."

At this Taithos winced and grew as still as stone, fingers twisted in the hem of his shirt nervously. He didn't need it to be spelled out to him to know precisely what the Matron meant. More than one time, he was sure, they had asked permission from the spider queen.. For whatever reason they were denied. Thankfully.

"You do know that you will be lodging with him? There is a study set aside in our tower for the two of you. Seeing as Taithos-" She frowned at the boy. "-already knows of your being here it would not be prudent of you to wait another night before moving there."

A small, cold smile spread on Antioche's face and he clasped his hands together lightly, his fingers weaving as he did so. The mentioning of Lloth brought a chill up his spine. He had no real love for the spider queen but he still respected her power and her ability to rule the Drow world with an iron fist. It was rare for anyone to escape the underdark unscathed, and he'd only heard of one man that ran away from her. Dronnts? Something like that?

"I did not know that, but it pleases me. It shall make things a bit easier for me." Antioche turned his gaze to the boy and tapped his chin, motioning for him to lower his eyes from him as he would his matrons. "Ah, and I nearly forgot grand matron, on my journey here I lost some of my... tools... There are only one or two things that I might request if it is not too bold. A flail and a sturdy whip. My last one met an unfortunate end with a beast with too tough a hide..."

Taithos was obviously not so pleased at the mentioning of the spider queen and he stood there staring in a sort of daze. This wasn't fair! He hadn't been such a terrible boy, had he? The light tap to his chin was distracting and he would have complained about the forced submissive gesture had the matron not been there. Instead he simply grunted and lowered his eyes obidiently to his feet, cheeks flushed in a deep blush. How humiliating.

"Ha! What a silly question you ask, Mage." She teased, a grin breaking out onto her feminine features. "The leather from our riding lizards is remarkable for whips. When they.. retire.. we make sure to put them to good use. As for the flail - we have more than our fair share. Should you be moving to the tower tonight, I'll make sure that these things are delivered before the morning."

Antioche watched the boy in fascination, almost missing the question that the lady of the house asked him. He raised his eyebrows slightly and brought a hand up, snapping his elegant fingers so his runes that had been set out floated into the air and zipped across the room to slip into his pocket, one sneaking into the robes of the boy. The candles all snuffed out except one which went to him. The ones that snuffed went into his bag where he had put his traveling jacket and a few other things that he brought in with him.

"Dalhar..." The word came out almost affectionately but mostly teasing, "Carry my bag. It is not too heavy so I'm sure even you can manage it."

He nodded to the matron, keeping his head bowed reverantly. "I appreciate all that you do for me. I hope I can do much to further your clan."

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Translations and further disclaimers...

Dalhar - child (you'll hear Antioche calling poor Taithos this quite often)

"...he'd only heard of one man that ran away from her. Dronnts? Something like that?" - Yeah, my poking fun at the angsty ranger Drizzt. I think this is the only time we come close to mentioning him. ^_~

Again, Fuu and I appreciate any reviews that we get. The next few chapters are not this short but they may take some time in uploading.