Twilight of Ivory

It's here. So sorry for delay. This deviates from the teaser, and that is explained more in the bonus chapter, if you decide to read the bonus, which correlates with the teaser, but this is the actual chapter in the storyline.

When Naru woke up, the first thing he thought about was his father's sword; the second thing he thought about was its unknown whereabouts. Then he finally noticed that he was awake in the first place because someone was shaking him. It was Prith.

"You okay, man? Was it bad? Can you walk by yourself?" He peered anxiously into his face.

Naru rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and looked over at him blearily. "What are you talking about?" he asked, glancing around. He was still in Eulovanic's bed, but the latter was nowhere in sight.

Prith's eyes were going up and down his body. Naru looked at him in confusion and pushed at his shoulder. "Hey, what's up with you?" he asked, moving his legs over the edge of the bed. Prith visibly winced.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Prith's eyes were wide, and his voice was low and urgent. "You took it up the ass last night, didn't you? Your first time?"

Naru leg flashed out on reflex and slammed into Prith’s stomach. He was so taken aback. "Nothing happened, you perv!"

Prith didn't seem to hear. "Iventhal!" he said, clutching his stomach.

Naru got up hastily and pulled Prith to his feet. Prith braced himself against the table by his side.

"Jeez, Naru, I was just worried about you. You say nothing happened?"

"No." Something occurred to Naru then. "Hey, how'd you know I haven't done it before?"

Prith’s eyes took on a serious look. "Your pious face."

Naru rolled his eyes and stretched his arms out above his head. "Yeah, I’m a right angel, alright." Prith smirked.

"So what happened last night, anyway? I came in for a location review and there you were, snoring away on his bed. It was like all the rumors were confirmed." Prith shuddered. He headed for the bed and started packing the bedding, shaking out the mussed coverlet and looking oddly out of place; he was a warrior doubling as a laundry maid.

"What rumors?" Naru scratched his side absently and made his way over to help.

"Well, basically that milord..." Prith paused, folding a sheet over methodically "...well, that he took you on the tent floor while you screamed murder."

"Aw." Naru clapped a hand to his right eye, his face red. "Blech."

"You're okay, though, right?" Prith prompted, nudging him in the shoulder.

"Sure." Naru gathered up the pillowcase. "We tussed a bit on the floor, that’s all. I tried to leave after he spewed some crap about bonding and heirs or something. But afterwards he just left me on the bed, alone. I slept it off."

"So that’s what happened."

"Yeah." Naru paused. "Hey, Prith."

"Yeah?"

"You can't honestly think this is okay, right? Even if you are Isormine."

Prith shifted. "I don't know."

Naru didn’t say anything, but his fingers grasped at the sheet in his hands. His face was a little pale.

"Hey…" Prith put an arm around his shoulders, tugging him closer. Naru's head bumped into his chest. "You're a good kid, Naru. I've never gotten along faster with anyone else, but I love my company and milord and my home. Maybe it's kind of bad and you don't have any power right now, but everything happens for a reason, right?" He rubbed his nose with his free hand. "Suppose this was meant to happen. Milord isn't a cruel guy. Maybe he's even got it a little bad for you—he’s never acted this brashly before, you know. Maybe he’ll take really good care of you and you'll be okay." Prith looked at him hopefully.

Naru didn’t answer. His face was now fairly burrowed into the fabric of Prith's shirt. Prith patted him awkwardly on the back.

"Prith."

"Yeah?"

"Will you sleep with me?"

He jumped. "Eh!"

Naru wrestled his head out of Prith's arm and looked up into his face. "I'm not losing it to that pompous ass, so do it with me." He was grinning like a jackal.

"Jeez, Naru, you've got a hell of a mouth on you," Prith complained, disentangling himself from him. "And no, I don't do boys or virgins. Except Princess Rainie, if she'd have me."

"You sure?" Naru wiggled his eyebrows. Prith pushed at his shoulder.

"Yes. Anyway, you’re already really close to the event, so why don’t you just wait until marriage like a good kid?"

"It’s not even a proper marriage. Not that I want one."

"Well...no matter what, I don’t think milord will make it dishonorable, he’s very conservative about those types of things--and don’t look at me like that, I already told you--"

"I didn’t look at you anything, Prith, stop imagining things about me."

"Oh, shut it, boy." They finished folding over the last of the things and left them neatly piled for a page to pack. As they exited the tent, Prith lowered his voice and said, "Naru, if you do decide to find someone else, just be careful. I don’t fault you for it. You might even deserve it, but I...I don't know how Milord will react. I can imagine..." He suddenly turned gray, and he added quickly, "but I'll pretend I can't. Yeah."

Naru smiled briefly. "Thanks."

But he had already decided not to go down that route. He had been serious with Prith; if the latter had agreed, Naru would have persisted. However, pairing with some stranger in a busy camp was infinitely less attractive, and he didn’t want that. Truthfully, none of his options were really good, his pride hurt at all of them…but to go on with the best option, he really needed his father’s sword.

It filled him with dread, because that meant he would have to earn Eulovanic’s favor.

***
Prith was called up to the column front that day, and Djahn and Anatole were left with strict instructions to accompany Naru and assure his safety. After breakfast, they helped Naru find a horse to ride, a gray, almost chicory-colored mare with an appetite for grass and Naru’s hair.

Djahn watched her sniff and nuzzle into the side of Naru’s head. "And another one bites the dust," he commented dryly.

Naru pushed the mare’s nose away, but he was grinning. "Just help me get on. I haven’t ridden in ages."

"And the last time was a pony, I expect, a young whippersnapper like you." He helped heave Naru into the saddle.

"Actually, no, it was a stallion. You don’t know much about me, but I was the hero of my village—when I was five, I tamed the wildest colt in the county, so they let me keep him. ’fact, once, there were rumors about some highwaymen terrorizing the nearby villages, so Horse and I rode out together, killed the lost of them, and saved the village." Naru stretched languidly. "Then later that night they threw a grand celebration in my name and tossed garlands at me, and after that I snuck away and waylaid four maidens."

"Maidens?" Anatole said, raising an eyebrow.

Naru grinned. "Well, maybe not maidens, but I was definitely on top."

"You little raunch. You’re in high spirits today, aren’t you?" Anatole said. He and Djahn mounted their horses.

Naru didn’t stop grinning, but there was a tick in his forehead now. "Do you know something I don’t know?"

"We don’t. If he had taken you last night, we would have seen it when you took your saddle," Anatole replied casually, guiding his horse towards the column. Naru groaned into his hands. Anatole chuckled and Djahn smiled, and then Djahn took hold of Naru’s horse’s reins and made her follow along with him and Anatole. All around them, the camp was in a bustle. The fires had been extinguished and the tents had been packed, and each company was readying to join the column.

"Was it loud?"

"Not really. We were all at the match, you remember. But those who stayed back did hear things, and rumors spread," Anatole replied.

"Yeah, Prith told me." Naru wrapped his hands around the pommel, hesitated, and then swallowed his nerves. "Hey, Anatole, Djahn… Tell me about your lord, will you? Do you guys actually like him?"

"He’s fair enough," Anatole conceded with a nod

"Capable, too. And I hear he’s got a hell of an entitlement," Djahn said absently. "Not bad in a consort, eh?"

Naru flinched but Djahn didn’t notice.

"Anyway, Prith knows a lot more about him than we do. You two get along well; I’m sure you’ve consulted each other."

"Yeah. Does…does he have any hobbies?"

"Sure. Fishing, sparring, eating, Princess Rainie—"

"Not Prith, Eulovanic!"

Djahn laughed. "Eulovanic? Well, he’s more refined, so... Lemme think… Eh, I guess he likes the military life and making a name for himself. He gets such a feral look in his eyes sometimes, don’t he, Anatole? That is, when he’s on campaign, or strategizing, or yelling at Prith."

Anatole nodded sagely.

"Yeah, well, besides that…I’d say reading, dining, sport, music—the usual things court folks like."

"Music?" Naru sat up a little straighter.

"He plays the piano."

"A piano? Really? I’ve only seen those in pictures!"

"Well, then, you’re in for a treat when we get to the castle. There’s an enormous music hall off the main hall."

"Do they have a flute?"

"Brass ones, silver ones, wooden recorders… Hell, even I’ve got a flute, my mam forced me to pick it up."

"Do you have it with you?" Naru could barely contain himself; his hands were shaking with excitement. Maybe this was what he needed.

"I do. It’s weird, when you’re learning something, you really hate it, but after you quit, it all goes rather wistful-eyed… I bring it out sometimes to play for the men."

"Can I borrow it? Tonight?"

"Are you musical, Naru?" Anatole asked with a brief glance at him.

"I’m a devil with a flute."

Djahn raised an eyebrow. "Well, I do kind of want to see you blow…"

"Suck it."

Djahn chuckled. "No problem. Anyway, I’ll hand it over to you when we make camp."

"Are you going to give our lord a treat, Naru?" Anatole asked airily.

Naru snorted and almost let out a "Why would I do that?" but stopped himself just in time. Anatole had just given him an idea. Initially, he had just wanted to try the flute again. He hadn't touched one since he'd slipped on ice and sent his mother's flute cracking to the floor, but now he realized that maybe he could use it to lull Eulovanic into a false sense of security.

"Well," Naru said, picking his words, "I just want to see how he reacts. Maybe we’ll...uh…actually have something in common." He had to force that out; it was like choking. "He doesn’t sound so bad, now that I think about it. Maybe he’ll let me visit home" clearing his throat "once in a while." For a moment, he felt self-conscious, as if Djahn and Anatole were both staring at him, but he couldn’t bear to actually turn and see their facial expressions. He just grinned straight ahead and said, "He’s got an estate and a piano. I think I can deal for awhile. Life was getting a little boring back in Aryau, anyway, I wanna do more than just sit around and look after chickens and potatoes, you know?"

Not true, number one on his to-do list was currently "be free and independent", but what was true was that as he had grown up, he really had thought about leaving his village. Just not in this way, and certainly not to Isormine.

Suddenly he felt a stab of guilt: he was giving in. The novelty of the situation sent a thrill through him, even if it was accompanied by pangs of uncertainty and fear; his soul was an adventurous one, and…and Eulovanic sent his heart racing just a little faster, frisson, a hot streak of feeling in his stomach like lightning…

No, he had to stop doubting himself. If he had room for that, he was never going to get out of here. And really, getting out of here was the sole purpose for why Naru had said what he had said, he mustn’t lose sight of that: his goal was to leave.

And to do so, he had to get Eulovanic to trust him. Fast.