The Phoenix Key

\"The Phoenix Key\"



By: Delilah deSora

Pagan_nyght@yahoo.com



Chapter 5



**



What makes one man a Tsar and one man a slave? Is it the breeding? Or is it perhaps something inside the man?

-Tsar Afron



**



\"You really think this is going to work?\"



Ivan sighed and quieted the man next to him with a kiss. \, no, now stop worrying.\"



Trey sighed. \"I can\'t help it. What if Vislav doesn\'t agree to the demands?\"



\"It doesn\'t matter whether he agrees or not. The people will see that we\'re out numbered and demand that Vislav give in.\"



\"But what if they don\'t?\"



\"They will. Nobody wants to see their sons or husbands going off to fight a war they can\'t hope to win. Besides, Vislav refuses to punish Dmitriy for his crimes and the people do not want a raving maniac who chops up his brothers to be Tsar, no matter that his father insists he is under Morevna\'s control.\"



Trey sighed and nuzzled up against the naked body next to him. Ivan started slightly at the unfamiliar sensation but forced himself to relax.



\"It really doesn\'t bother you? That I\'m . . . this way?\" He asked, hoping his face didn\'t look as red as it felt.



Trey peered up at him for a moment before a delicate frown worked its way onto his face. \"No! I think you\'re perfect like this. If anyone should be embarrassed about his body it should be me. You\'re graceful and I\'m just bulk.\"



Ivan sighed. \"I\'ve heard all my life that bulk is better.\"



\"Then you\'ve been living among the blind.\" Trey responded dryly.

<>
I>
Ivan chuckled and tugged lightly at the red hair. \"I wonder what this would look like if you grew it long.\" He mused.



Trey shrugged. \"I don\'t know. I cut it short whenever the Tsar or Dmitriy fall asleep so they can\'t use it as a hand hold and to keep it from getting tangled in the chains.\"



\"Practical. However, I would like you to grow it out.\"



\"If you wish.\"



Ivan sighed and pushed himself up. As enjoyable as lounging around in the warmth of the bed was he had things he needed to do. The day before Vislav had marched his army against Tsar Morevna and today he would discover not one army waiting for him but three. Three armies that would provide him with just one demand.



Give his throne to his youngest son.



Vislav would ride back to his palace to demand answers today and then Ivan would have to work to convince fate and his father\'s council to side with him.



\"Do you remember what you are to do?\" He asked as he pulled on the silk shirt and clasped it with a jeweled belt.



On the bed Trey nodded nervously.



Ivan smiled. \"Hopefully it won\'t be necessary for you to flee. However if I do not succeed the grey wolf will stay with you but you have to stay out of sight and get far from here, do you understand?\"



Again Trey nodded.



\"When all of this is over I\'ll take you for a long walk.\" Ivan promised, holding out his arms. \"Well? Do I look like a Tsar\'s son?\"



The red haired man on the bed laughed and shook his head. \"No.\"



Ivan frowned. \"No?\"



Pushing himself up Trey crawled across the bed to catch a fist full of long black hair and pull him down into a kiss before pulling back and giving him a devil\'s smile.



\"No. You look like a Tsar.\"



**



Do you know what happens to people who walk on the cutting edge? They bleed.

-Trey



**



Ivan sat alone at the high table, ignoring the stares of the men around him. Dmitriy was confined to his room and Ivan prayed silently that he hadn\'t been betrayed or mistaken the time it would take for a single horse to return from the western border of the kingdom.



It wasn\'t supposed to turn out like this, Ivan mused. His original plan had been to come in, quietly kill off his brothers and father, and claim the throne. Trey had changed that. Somehow by accepting him for who him to rise above such plans. Now the whole thing hinged on fate and it was entirely possible that he might die because of it.



Ivan sighed in irritation and gave up all pretense of enjoying his meal.



The doors at the end of the hall burst open and Ivan\'s hands clenched tightly on the arms of his chair as he forced himself to look relaxed. Vislav stormed in, his massive strides eating away the distance between the door and head table. Halfway there he froze, frowning.



Ivan crossed his legs, trying to appear like he was lounging and not ready to jump at the slightest provocation. \"Hello . . . father.\"



A myriad of emotions spread over the Tsar\'s face as he stared up at his lost son. He finally settled on anger.



\"You\'re responsible for this.\" Vislav accused.



Ivan shook his head. \"Only for Dolmat. Everything else was exactly how I found it when I got here.\"



\"Liar!\" Vislav hissed, taking a step forward his hand on the hilt of his sword.



A bolt from a crossbow lodged itself firmly in the floor, making the Tsar jump back in surprise. If his body hadn’t already been so tense Ivan would have jumped as well. He hadn\'t expected that.



It was a struggle to keep his voice even and his eyes forward. \"Was it not you who placed men in Tsar Afron\'s army? Was it not you who married Tsar Morevna\'s only daughter to you second son instead of your heir as befits her status. Oh wait; Dmitriy isn\'t your heir now is he? I forgot.\"



Vislav turned a fascinating shade of violet. \"Dmitriy is my heir!\"



Ivan snarled. \"Did you not promise your kingdom before the entire court to the son who brought you the firebird?\"



Black eyes flickered slightly to gauge the reaction of the gathered men who were murmuring and nodding. \"Yes,” he admitted, “Dmitriy and Vasiliy brought it back. Vasiliy promised to turn his claim over to Dmitriy in exchange for land and Elena as his wife.\"



\"Dmitriy and Vasiliy did not bring back the firebird, my lord, and you know it.\"



\"I know nothing of the sort! I saw them bring it back for they presented it to me themselves.\"



Ivan shook his head. \"I was the one who discovered the firebird in your orchard. I was the one who tracked it to Dolmat. I was the one who freed it from the Tsar there and I was the one who brought it back. Your other sons waited at the door and claimed my hard work as their own. Is that who you reward in your kingdom, my lord? Murderers?\"



The murmurs had turned angry and Vislav was fiddling with his sword. \"You give me no proof of that! Instead you come here under false pretences, immerse the kingdom in war, and try to steal my throne. You tell me who I should believe.\"



\"It is your own folly that placed this kingdom at war with not one but three kingdoms, my lord. As for coming here under false pretences, my own brothers tried to kill me once, you can not fault me for being wary of revealing myself to them again.\"



\"Give me proof!\" Vislav howled, trying to be heard over the crowd.



Ivan opened his mouth to reply when a man stumbled around one of the lords\' tables. Even from half way across the room Ivan recognized the shock of red hair. \"No.\" He whispered but it was too late.



Trey halted a few feet before the Tsar, looking like a trapped deer before a pack of wolves but he drew himself up and shouted above the crowd.



\"I am the proof! I am the firebird.\" Trey\'s proclamation dropped silence across the room like an iron curtain. \"I was there the whole time. It was Ivan, not Dmitriy or Vasiliy who took me from the Tsar Dedumil. They killed him because of greed and this man,\" he pointed accusingly at the Tsar, \"is a monster not fit to rule a kingdom!\"



Vislav snarled. \"You stupid creature!\"



Trey was strong but Vislav was a built like a bear. The Tsar slammed into him and Trey went down hard against the wooden floor. The steel sword came down and the firebird screamed in pain, as he was painted red.



**



Wolves always travel in packs. If you see a wolf directly before you, you won\'t live to see the ones behind you.

-The Grey Wolf



**



Ivan would never entirely be sure that he was a part of what happened next. To him it felt like he was watching a play, seeing things and acting on them but not really part of it all.



With the first splash of the firebird\'s blood there was a snarl that froze the hall despite its horror. The Tsar fell forward, covering Trey completely as a large grey form fell on him. He screamed as claws and teeth tore into him and before Ivan could even formulate the thought necessary to move from the high table to the floor to stop the creature the Tsar lay dead.



Nobody moved as the wolf, which was easily large enough to ride upon, as Ivan knew so well, dragged what was left of the Tsar off the firebird, who was keening softly in pain.



That small sound was enough to snap Ivan out of his shock and he leapt down off the raised dais and hurried to the pale form on the floor. Kneeling next to Trey his hands hovered over the bleeding man, unsure of where to touch so that he wouldn\'t cause more pain.



\"Trey? Please Trey, wake up!\" He urged, hoping golden eyes would open and tell him everything was all right.



Gold eyes did open but instead of relief he saw the pain of the body mirrored in them. \"At least,\" Trey coughed, his breath rattling in his lungs, \"you got your kingdom.\"



\"No! I don\'t want it without you. Stay awake you stupid, stupid man!\" Ivan ordered, resisting the urge to shake the red head. \"You were supposed to have gone to the woods to wait! What were you doing here?\"



Trey gave no sign that he heard his master\'s words.



A thought occurred to him and he whirled upon the nearest guard. \"The orchard!\" He shouted. \"Go get me an apple from the orchard.\"



The guard hesitated. \"But no one is allowed there . . .\"



\"Fool!\" Ivan snapped, \"My father is dead and I order you to go get an apple from there now!\"



The guard broke into a run and Ivan turned back to the shivering form on the floor. He was aware that he was whispering nonsense to the man but he didn\'t care. He just had to keep Trey awake until the guard returned.



Ivan was only vaguely aware that the grey wolf was standing before him and addressing the crowd.



\"A Tsar governs not only his people but also the land in his keeping,\" The wolf intoned loudly, \"if he has no compassion for the people they will rise up and avenge themselves. So too will the land.



\"Vislav treated the land with contempt. He took its treasures and hid them away in dark rooms where he abused them and left them to neglect. Therefore the very land has risen to take back the gifts Vislav treated so poorly.



\"The land witnessed the actions of the Tsar\'s two sons and saw that they were no better than their father. Only one son was deemed worthy. This son. And to this son the land grants her treasures in hope that he will treat them properly. No other will be accepted as Tsar and the land itself will revolt if its decision is not respected. For thirty years we have suffered under an unacceptable Tsar, now it is out turn to chose a new one.\"



The wolf turned and curled up on Trey\'s exposed side. The fallen firebird whimpered but responded to the warmth by leaning towards it.



Ivan became aware that all eyes in the hall were on him. Waiting.



Swallowing to clear his throat he stood. \"Send a message to Morevna, Afron and Dedumil. Tell them that Vislav is dead and Tsar Ivan has ordered his people home.\"



A young scribe came forward and bowed to him and Ivan was grateful for this boy\'s courage.



\"Send a message to any of our people in Afron\'s kingdom. Tell them to come home or face his justice. Princess Elena is to be sent to Morevna as a token of good will. Dmitriy is to be sent to Afron with a letter describing his crimes. Afron may do with him as he pleases.\"


nd Dnd Dedumil, my lord?\" The scribe inquired.



Ivan looked down at the two magical creatures beneath him. \"He will get his token in a few days but to tide him over please send him the horse Dmitriy brought back five years ago with the firebird, as well as any fouls it may have sired.\"



The scribe bowed again and then slipped away. <>
<>


Dropping back to his knees, Ivan stroked the red curls. \"Will the apple work again?\" He asked quietly.



The wolf shook its head. \"I do not know.\"



Ivan sighed and sat back, praying fate wouldn\'t ask so high a price for his greed.



**



There\'s no such thing as a happy ending because a story only truly ends when the person dies.

-Trey



**



\"Tsar Ivan?\"



The black haired man blinked and pulled himself out of memory and back to the present. Turning away from soft white blossoms of the apple tree he stared at the page. \"Yes?\"



The young boy bowed. \"The princess Galina has arrived and is anxious to meet with you.\"



Ivan frowned and shook his head. \"Anxious to know her chances of becoming Tsarina you mean. Don\'t these Tsars know I am still in mourning?\"



The page winced and fidgeted with his tunic. \"We have informed them my lord but. . .\"



\"But there is a young unattached Tsar they want to get their claws on. Go tell the princess that I will have no visitors today but perhaps I will see her tomorrow.\"



The page bowed and fled.



\"You know,\" the grey wolf lounging at his feet said dryly, \"you can\'t hide in mourning forever. Sooner or later you will have to take a mate and have cubs.\"



Ivan snorted and made his way through the orchard. \"The kingdom\'s at peace, their Tsar is young and in good health, and the land is fertile. You\'d think these people would have better things to worry about other than whether or not their Tsar is sleeping in a cold bed.\"



The wolf chuckled as it trotted up to him. \"Its been a year, Tsar Ivan. Don\'t you think its time to put the past aside and move on?\"

Ivan smiled sadly. \"I know that time must eventually come but,\" he reached out to touch the sun warmed bark of a nearby tree, \"for now I am content to just be.\"



The wolf bowed. \"As you wish.\" It bounded away through the trees, leaving Ivan alone with his desire.



Closing his eyes he enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his skin and the way it warmed his black hair. Hands gently cupped his face and he smiled as he was drawn down and warm lips caressed hisek. ek.



Opening emerald eyes he smiled. \"Had enough already?\"



The firebird scowled at him and tossed a mass of red curls over his shoulder. \"You promised!\"



Ivan laughed quietly and tugged on a long strand, enjoying the way it changed shade with the sunlight. \"I suppose I did.\" He conceded, letting the stronger man lead him to the base of the very tree where he\'d first caught the elusive man.



Sunlight glintff cff copper hair that tumbled over strong shoulders that was yet another physical testimony to the past difficult year. The grey wolf may have frightened the populace into not fighting his sudden ascension but that didn\'t mean they were going to make it easy for him.



At least he had the support of the closest three of their neighboring kingdoms. And he had Trey to keep him from storming over his own people\'s wishes. Being compassionate was something that was new to Ivan but he was learning. Even if the complicated dance of give and take was one he found tedious.



He had made a promise nearly a year ago to put his hatreds and personal greed aside if fate would give him back the only person he trusted to teach such foreign ideas to him was spared.



Fate had kept its end of the bargain and he had the rest of their lives to keep his.



\"Did I hear that another princess is here?\" Trey asked as he pulled his master down to sit beside him.



Ivan shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. \"Mmm, yes.\"



\"And you\'re not going to see her?\"



\"I sent a message that I was still mourning my family. Besides, I didn\'t invite her, she can wait.\"



Trey scowled at him. \"You should be more courteous towards them.\" He chided.



Ivan shrugged. \"These women didn\'t care to know me before I became Tsar, why should I care to know them after? Besides, I don\'t want a Tsarina right now. I\'m content with you.\"



The red haired man smiled and stretched out his long legs. \"Can we go see Afron again soon?\"



\"We just got back!\" Ivan protested.



Trey laughed and laid his head against his master\'s shoulder. \"I know but I enjoy the ride.\"



\"That\'s because you heal every bump, bruise, and sore muscle in a night. I have to walk around stiff for a week afterwards.\" He grumbled.



\"I don\'t know, you seemed pretty spry last night.\" Trey teased.



Ivan growled and kissed his slave into submission. They sat together in silence for a time, just enjoying the quiet nature around them.



Finally Trey spoke up again. \"So, do you know what the moral of our story is?\"



\"Never have children?\" Ivan guessed.



He laughed as Trey tried to swat him. \"No!\"



\"Hmmm, don\'t travel alone to strange lands?\"



Trey rolled his eyes in mock irritation. \"No, that’s not it either.”



“Then enlighten me, oh wise one.”



“The moral of our story is that people can change who they are if they truly wish to.\"



Ivan gave him a playfully suspicious glare. \"You\'d better not wish to change from being my firebird.\"



Gold eyes looked up at him innocently from a frame of red lashes. \"Would I do that, master?\"



Ivan\'s fingers found the bejeweled ruby collar his slave wore about his pale neck and tugged it gently. \"In a heartbeat.\"



Trey laughed. \"Then you\'d better make sure I never wish for it.\"



The black haired man leaned over his love, hiding them both behind a spill of twilight hair. \"If you insist.\"



Under the shade of trees that bore magical fruit a Tsar kissed his firebird and convinced the Russian phoenix that Paradise wasn\'t such a bad place to be trapped in after all.

**



-The End-

The story is continued in \"Deliver Me\"