The Jewel of the Vale

A/N: I rewrote this chapter in order to weed out some inconsistencies I was unhappy with.

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Tibor dismounted his horse and tied the reins on the bridle holder in front of the large town house. He climbed up the stairs to the entrance of Lord Devensfort's home. It was an impressive three-story building entirely built out of the brownstone that had become so popular over the last years. A liveried servant opened the huge elaborately carved wooden door. He beckoned Tibor inside and took his leather overcoat.

"His Lordship is awaiting you in the study. If you would be so kind and follow me, Milord."

The servant led Tibor past the high ceilinged hall with a large staircase at one end. They didn't get up the stairs though, but entered through a smaller door just to the left of the staircase. Lord Devensfort's study was surprisingly small and sparsely furnished. Under a large window stood a solid looking bureau, a chair with a high backrest in front of it. A sofa and a few chairs stood in a circle near the fireplace and a low dresser was tucked in one corner. The wall opposite to the window was completely hidden by a huge wall-to-wall bookshelf, well stocked with hundreds of leather bound tomes. Tibor suddenly felt homesick. His father Andru had a similar looking study and the incomparable smell of leather, teak and dust brought home fond childhood memories. Tibor hadn't seen his family in nearly a year and he supposed he was entitled to a bit of nostalgia. Lord Devensfort got up from his seat by the desk and held out his hands.

"My dear boy, it is so good to see you again."

He was a tall man. With his six foot two inches, he was the same height as Tibor, but where Tibor was solid muscle, Lord Devensfort was solid flab. He had always been on the pudgy side, but since Tibor had last seen him three years ago, he'd gained even more weight. Tibor knew it wasn't only the fact that his lordship's only form of exercise was the occasional stroll through his rose garden; he also had a wickedly sweet tooth and indulged in his passion for Kasidian chocolate far too often.

"Don’t look at me so skeptical boy. I know, I haven't gotten any slimmer, but gardening isn't exactly a sweat inducing activity and I'm not getting any younger.“

Lord Devensfort embraced the young valo.

Tibor just smiled. "It's good to see you again uncle. I'm quite impressed with your new home."

Lord Devensfort wasn't really his uncle, but he'd been a close friend to the D'a Ventilos, long before Tibor had been born 24 years ago. Tibor was acquainted with the old family rumor that his father Detor and Lord Gumfrey Devensfort had been more than just good friends and Detor had tried to get Devensfort to move to Southland with him, but for some reason, unknown to the D'a Ventilo children, Devensfort reclined and when Detor met his life-bond Andru and later their vajudik Melana it wasn't an issue anymore. However the human and the valo remained friends and the families had seen each other on a few occasions over the years.

The Devensforts were landed gentry and lived in a comfortable mansion about a two days ride east of the royal city of Shevlon. Tibor knew that they had purchased this town house a few years ago, but seldom used it. Tibor was surprised when he had learned the Devensforts were going to live here permanently, for his uncle wasn't really a city person with his love for the countryside and his penchant for gardening.

But much to Lord Devensfort's chagrin. Lady Devensfort pressed for the family to live in their town house as of this winter to further the education of their three daughters aged 14, 15, and 22..

"I don't want my girls to grow up as country pumpkins," she'd insisted. "They have to learn to act like the ladies they are. They are related to the King after all and might get called to Court."

Lady Devensfort was a first cousin once removed to the king's stepfather, and she'd always taken pride in her relationship to the royal family.  She had grown up at court and had suffered the reclusiveness of their country manor over the last twenty-three years, so Lord Devensfort supposed it was his turn now to reciprocate. Grudgingly, he had agreed to them moving to Shevlon. It was going to be an insufferable time of banquets, balls, and soirees, but his wife was right, they needed to find a suitable husband for their eldest daughter Hendraa, who was turning 23 in the next month. Hendraa currently had a suitor and although the young man was a baronet's son, his family was poor and Lady Devensfort suspected his continued interest in Hendraa solely to derive from the generous dowry Hendraa was going to receive once she married.

Lord Devensfort led his young guest to the chairs in front of the fireplace and offered him a glass of port.

"We only moved here two days ago," he informed Tibor. "Now that we're settled in you are most welcome to stay with us."

"I'm merely staying another night in Shevlon and then I'll travel to the kingdom of Terndurque," Tibor gently declined his uncle's offer.

"So business has been good then?"

"Not, really. The further north I get, the less inclined the merchants are to deal with non-humans. Good business partners suddenly don't want to meet with me anymore and some even disregard our previously signed contracts."

Lord Devensfort sighted. "Yes, contacts between humans and non-humans have become quite strained in the Northlands. It hasn't been too bad here in Shevlon, but that is changing as well. It's the King's new group of advisors, and their affiliation to a sect called the Khrestens"

To a large part the predominantly human population of the seven kingdoms of the Northlands worshipped the six gods of the Church of Vyfe. The deities were rather lenient of their worshipers, mainly expecting them to prosper and be honorable. That included respect towards all forms of life. However there were other denominations, as well, some more prominent than others. Over the last decades the more intolerant, anti-preternatural cults had gathered a continually growing following. Especially the increasingly popular sect of the Khrestens.

They claimed  before the so called Third War, which took place four hundred years before the Dark War, there were no preternaturals on Earth or rather they lived in a parallel world. The magical forces used in the Third War were so powerful they unhinged Earth out of its orbit and thus enabled non-humans to emerge from their parallel existence. The more liberal Khresten scholars debated as to whether preternaturals entered human realm or vice versa. Nevertheless, most Khrestens believed the only salvation for the inferior non-humans was to submit themselves to Earth’s righteous owners, the humans.

"This sect is getting more intolerant by the day and they believe in the total supremacy of humans," Lord Devensfort continued.

"All non-humans should be wiped off the face of the Earth and if that feat is accomplished, Preelton the Father of Gods will descend to Earth and reward his followers handsomely. Their beliefs have become quite popular among Court and the good people of Yallellow. They blame non-humans for everything from poor crop to barren women."

“Why do humans have to be so narrow-minded,” Tibor deplored. “Don’t they want to live in peace?”

But he realized the preternaturals were no better, because similar sects had sprung up in the Southland's kingdoms as well, where the preternaturals, naturally deemed themselves to be the superior ones. And Tibor had to admit that a lot of preternatural races were faster, stronger and harder to kill than humans. The humans' strength was in their sheer numbers though, and if there ever was going to be another war between the preternaturals and humans it would be anybody's guess as to who would win.

“It’s got nothing to do with being human or not. It’s all about power, acceptance of advantages and enrichment of a select few, but that has always been the case with politics,” Lord Devensfort said saliently.

“Enough with politics,” Tibor abruptly changed the subject. “What do you know of the paly race?”

Tibor knew that his uncle didn’t possess all those books just for show. He was astoundingly literate and was able say something knowledgeable about most subjects.

“Paly, hm, I only know that they’ve become extinct in the Dark War, but I don’t know why or how,” Lord Devensfort mused. “You know, there're hardly any written records pertaining the Dark War. Most of them have been destroyed in the chaotic years after the war. The few chronicles left are so incomprehensible even the wisest of scholars haven’t been able to make any sense of them. The only thing I know is that palys were created by the Felidae Gods same as valos, but they originate from the Goddess Felis, not the God Onca as valos do. Why your sudden interest in them?”

Tibor told his uncle of his encounter with the paly boy the previous night. When he mentioned the glass stone, the boy somehow seemed to treasure, his uncle suddenly perked up.

“There is something about palys and a glass stone. I don’t know where I heard of it nor if I read it somewhere, but there is a saga of a translucent stone that has some significance to them. But I always thought the stone was just referred to in a symbolical meaning, not that it was an actual stone. I will try to see if I can find out more about it.”

The door to the study opened and a tall, good-looking woman entered. Lady Suzanna Devensfort was curvaceous without being fat, but her most stunning feature were her cornflower blue eyes. She was in her late forties having married late but she had aged with grace. Tibor was as always amazed how such a bland looking, fairly ugly man as his uncle had managed to entice such a beautiful woman such as Lady Devensfort in the first place. Tibor knew that among aristocracy marriages of convenience were the rule rather than the exception, yet theirs wasn't an arranged marriage and whenever he saw them together, it became obvious how fond they were of each other

Like her husband, Lady Devensfort greeted Tibor warmly. “Tibor, it is a pleasure to see you again, but Gumfrey is hiding you in this stuffy study of his. Please come into the parlor. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Obediently both men got up and followed Lady Devensfort into the great entrance hall and up the large staircase where they entered an elegantly furnished sitting room. Whereas Lord Devensfort’s study attested to the masculinity of its owner, this room was clearly the women's sphere. The prevalent colors of the room furnishings were light blue, mauve and pastel green and the furniture was rather dainty and fragile looking. Three giggling girls sat on a rosewood sofa that was covered in light blue chintz. They lapsed into silence when Tibor and Lord Devensfort entered.

Lady Devensfort guided Tibor towards the sofa. "You haven't seen each other in a long time so let me reacquaint you. Girls welcome Tibor D'a Ventilo like the sensible young ladies I know you are. Tibor, these are my daughters Deboraa, Lyasana, and my oldest Hendraa.”

The girls stood up and curtsied shyly. Whereas the two younger girls were blessed with the good looks of their mother, the oldest one had the misfortune to be the spitting image of her father sans the paunch, although she was quite a bit overweight. She had a non-descript face with an already acrid line around her mouth

Tibor bowed slightly before each girl and they subsequently started giggling again. He feared that it was going to be a long evening trying to entertain two pubescent girls and their sullen older sister. Fortunately, the Devensforts knew enough about valos to refrain from matching him with one of the girls. Tibor was aware of his appeal to women and he used it to his advantage on occasion. But valos very rarely got intimate with females and therefore like a true valo, women were of little interest to him. He preferred his partners to be small and trim, but most definitely male. Like the nameless paly boy, now he was temptation in one hot little package.

Suddenly the door opened again and a liveried servant announced the arrival of another guest. Whereas Lord Devensfort looked pleased with himself, his wife seemed slightly annoyed. A young man of Tibor’s age entered the parlor. Wow, Tibor thought on impulse. Although the young man wasn’t exactly his preferred type, he was most certainly a stunner. Sleek auburn hair, tied in a ponytail, a good posture and even aristocratic features. He was elegantly dressed in the latest fashion, without being flashy. At six foot, he was almost the same height as Tibor, but not quite as brawny. Out of the corner of his eyes, Tibor observed Hendraa’s face lighting up, so she obviously knew the newcomer. The young man politely bowed towards Tibor and the family while Lord Devensfort made the introduction.

“Sir Aiden of Oakshyre. His father is the seventh Baronet of Oakshyre. Tibor D’a Ventilo, Lord D’a Ventilo’s youngest son, a very dear family friend.”

Tibor bowed slightly. “Sir Aiden.”

“Please, call me Aiden.”

Tibor was surprised. Northerners were usually not so informal on a first encounter and loved to impress with their titles and exaggerated aloofness which they considered to be good manners.

The servant entered the parlor again and announced that dinner was ready. While the family and their guests went into the dining room, Lord Devensfort held Tibor back and whispered into his ear.

“Sir Aiden is courting our Hendraa. She’s quite enamored with him but I’m not so sure about his motives. Please tell me what you think of him, later.”

"I'll keep an eye on him."

Tibor followed the others as they settled around the large rectangular table. Hendraa was clearly completely taken in by Sir Aiden. All through dinner she made sheep’s eyes at him and turned bright red every time he said something to her. Tibor had to admit that the young baronet was a talented entertainer, he was charming and quick-witted. Even Lady Devensfort, who evidently distrusted Aiden, unbent considerably. Aiden was subtly flirting with everybody, including Lord Devensfort and Tibor. Tibor quite enjoyed the light-hearted banter and the evening was much more enjoyable than he had anticipated.

After dinner was over Lady Devensfort and her daughters retired, while the three men went into Lord Devensfort’s study. Tibor and Aiden sat on the sofa, with their host sat opposite. They had more wine and chitchatted idly about nothing of importance. Lord Devensfort responded less and less until both young men heard unmistakable snoring coming from their host.

Aiden snickered. “We're obviously not as entertaining as we think we are. We've bored our host to death or at least to peaceful sleep.”

He inched closer to Tibor until their thighs touched and lightly put his right arm around Tibor’s shoulders. He leaned even closer and murmured seductively into Tibor’s ear. “But I’m sure we can pass the time somehow.”

Tibor was nonplussed by that blatant invitation. “I thought you and Hendraa …?” he hesitated.

“The honest truth Tibor? Hendraa is an ugly, fat cow with a pea-sized brain. Her mother’s right to mistrust me. But I'm a modest soul and if the prize is right, I might marry the girl. But I’m not married, yet and you’re too damn hot to pass up.”

Somehow, Tibor had to admire Aiden’s refreshing frankness and had to admit to himself that he wouldn’t mind a little tousle in the sheets with the attractive baronet. Hendraa had her parents to look out for her. In the morning he would tell Lord Devensfort what he learned from Aiden, of course, but that was then and this was now.

“Do you think it is a good idea to be so open, Aiden? I’m a good friend of the family and I care about what’s happening to Hendraa," Tibor enquired regardless.

Aiden smiled nonchalantly. “Do you now. I've invested time and effort into this, but there are countless more desperate, aging heiresses around, so I could move on."

“You’re a heartless soul and very naughty boy,” Tibor teased.

Aiden tightened his embrace of Tibor and put his left hand on Tibor’s crotch where he lightly started to caress the growing erection hidden there by the woolen trousers.

“Hm, I’d say you’re an even naughtier  one, Tibor.”

Then Aiden bent forward to give Tibor an open-mouthed kiss. Tibor responded by opening his lips as well and delving his tongue deep into Aiden’s hungry mouth. It was such an illicit thrill to make out right in front of their slumbering host. Still locked in a tight embrace and kissing him passionately Aiden fumbled the buttons of Tibor’s trousers open and wormed his hand into Tibor’s linen underpants. He deftly encircled Tibor’s dick with sure fingers and started working him with titillating up and down strokes. Tibor made a conscious effort not to moan out lout however he couldn’t stop a few whimpers from escaping. Tibor pulled Aiden forward a bit so he could put both of his hands on Aiden’s side and then he moved them down to knead those enticing ass-cheeks covered by plush corduroy trousers. Encouraged by Tibor steadily leaking pre-cum Aiden increased the speed of his strokes and with a muffled moan, Tibor came all over Aiden’s hand. Both men loosened their tight embrace and grinned at each other. Tibor refastened his trousers all the while pointedly looking at Aiden’s crotch where the visible outline of Aiden’s erection could be seen and a small wet patch had appeared on his trousers.

“We should take this somewhere else, don’t you think?” Tibor smiled.

“Let’s head back to my house.” Aiden leaned forward for another tongue dueling kiss.

The loud shattering of glass interrupted the men. Hendraa stood in the door, clad in a full-length nightgown and holding a small tray in her shaking hands. On the floor in front of her were the remains of what had been a tall tumbler filled with hot milk. Both men parted as if struck by lightning.

Hendraa had wanted to bring her father his customary night-cup of cinnamon flavored hot milk and when she heard no sound coming from the study she'd assumed  his guests had already left and quietly opened the door in case her father had fallen asleep on the sofa as he was wont to do. She was not prepared for the sight that awaited her. Aiden lying half-on top of Tibor and both men locked in a tight embrace their mouths glued together. Hendraa had grown up very sheltered, but she wasn’t that innocent. She could tell what the young men were doing was way beyond a friendly kiss.

Along with the tumbler, her world shattered into pieces. Hendraa had resigned herself to the fact that she wasn’t as beautiful as her sisters, but she’d hoped Aiden sought her out, because he enjoyed her company and because of their common interests in gardening and taking long leisurely walks through the countryside. Her own father was rather unattractive, yet her mother loved him dearly, so Hendraa had hoped she could have something like that with Aiden. A companionship that was based on mutual respect and understanding and not on the shallowness of coquetry and prettiness. Yet her mother as usual had been right, calling Aiden a ‘fortune hunter’ and a ‘charming, but no good scoundrel’ who just pretended to be interested in Hendraa, but only wanted her dowry.

“What … what are you doing?” Hendraa barely got the strength to ask.

At that moment Lord Devensfort awoke from all the commotion and looked groggily from his daughter standing by the door with utter despair in her face and two guilty looking young men on the sofa. Hendraa ran towards her father and immediately started crying. Aiden and Tibor recovered from their shock and quickly got up. Aiden turned to Lord Devensfort.

“Your daughter will undoubtedly tell you everything. I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other in the near future, but let me assure you that I’ll always fondly remember your kind hospitality,” he said smoothly.

Then he took Tibor’s arm and  dragged the still somewhat stunned young valo after him. Tibor felt dreadful. He’d always admired and respected his uncle Gumfrey and he’d never wanted to cause him any pain and he knew he'd hurt Hendraa beyond believe. As they retrieved their overcoats from a servant standing by the door and stepped outside, Aiden playfully poked Tibor in the side.

“Hey, come on. Stop looking like a picture of misery. You can blame it all on me, the mean, bad, money-grubber, who seduced you. You’ll be back in their good books in no time. Now let’s go back to my place and finish what we started.” Aiden took Tibor’s hand and put it over his still half erect cock. “Leaving me like that, now that would be really mean."

Tibor still felt guilty, but Aiden was right. Things couldn’t get any worse, could they, and why not finish what they’d started. Aiden was hot as anything and they might have a lot of fun together. Tibor took his horse which had been brought over by a servant.

“No need to mount your horse. I live just at the end of this street”, Aiden explained and pointed down the street ahead of them.

“Aiden! Aiden, please wait. Don’t leave me like that.”

The young men had just crossed the street and turned around in unison. Hendraa stood at the top of the stairs. She was still only dressed in her nightgown and looked at them with an inscrutable expression. Then she was rushing down the steps towards them and lifted up her right arm high over her head. Tibor saw the blade of a small knife glinting in the moonlight.