Captain of the Guard

And this is the end of this. Elt's story is concluded in Broken Innocence, which will go up either later today or in a few days. I could have written about how Elt handled it but I would think that it's just something that can't be said. His grief was very private and not something that anyone around him took the time to notice. Unless Niph did, but Niph's definitely not in a talking mood.

Read, Review and Enjoy.

 

Time flew. Niph gave Elt one concession, the last months of the mating were allowed. Elt didn’t tell Leo, didn’t even mention it to the warrior because Leo was happy and who was he to take that from him? Elt was happy as well, he enjoyed Leo’s company and almost forgot about what would happen at the end of the year.

And then it was there. By tradition, Elt took off the brass ring but he kept it, placed it with the earing whose owner he had never found. He gathered up his resolve and went to Leo’s rooms, ready to do what must be done.

Leo already had a ring box there and Elt didn’t doubt what was inside. The warrior grinned at him but Elt didn’t smile back.

“What?” Leo said, his features falling. Being a warrior, Leo could read Elt almost as easily as he could read a book, “what’s wrong?”

Elt dragged in a breath through his teeth, “there’s an old tradition,” he couldn’t just say no, he couldn’t just break Leo’s heart and pretend like he wanted to, like he didn’t want Leo, “goes back so far that no one knows where it started but it makes sense, it does. Just. It’s never really been used before. Says that the captain of the palace guard can’t carry on a relationship with a warrior under his care.”

Leo stilled, there was something so very frightening about watching a warrior go completely still, “when did you find this out?”

“Niph told me when he offered me the position.”

“But you still took it?”

Run.

Elt almost did run but he stayed still at the same time because he knew for a fact that if he tried to run now, Leo would chase him down, hurt him before the crown prince knew what was going on. Holding his place, Elt met Leo’s eyes and saw nothing. No emotion there. Anger, hatred, something would have given him something to work with but Leo was a blank slate, simply waiting for Elt to speak.

“It was either that or allow the palace guard to be destroyed.”

Understanding. For a brief moment there was understanding in a way that Elt knew he would never understand himself. There was something about this position, these events that Leo as a warrior understood. As a man the crown prince was broken, only on his feet because he was too stubborn to give out from under him but some part of Leo understood.

But that didn’t make it any easier on Elt.

“This is goodbye. You and I,” he had to say it because if he didn’t say it Leo would come running around like a puppy and he would cave, he would give in to temptation, “can never be. Ever. Goodbye Leo.”

And he walked out. He left Leo’s rooms and went to Niph’s. Walking in, he didn’t even bother closing the door, he stopped by Niph’s desk and glared at the old master.

“I hope you die before Talten, I hope you never know freedom again and when this is all over and you’re dead, I hope to all the  gods on all the worlds that my heart doesn’t hurt this much, that there is some going back and there is some happy ending for me because if there isn’t, old man? First thing I’m going to fucking well do when I die is hunt you down and destroy your spirit, your soul, so that there’s nothing left to be reborn. Do I make myself clear?”

“Perfectly,” Niph said quietly, “but Elt? I raised you better than that. You swear again, I’ll put you over my knee.”

“Given the events?” Elt snapped back, “I think I’m entitled to a bit of swearing.”

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