Ekleipsis (Fantasy Romance - LGBT, manXman)

4.6.

"Have anyone here who'd take a letter to Selkhir?"

Kintaro rolled on his back to see Alva.

"Want to send a note to that sheared girlfriend of yours? Sure, I can find someone."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Ithildin piped up.

"Maybe this comes as a surprise, but the Enqins know that our little redhead here is alive and well. And so does your would-be suitor."

"That's not what he is talking about, moron," interjected Alva. "What if the Enqins get your messenger? Bet they are watching everyone riding to Selkhir."

"Nah, don't fuss, I won't be sending a dumb-ass ... a real fighter, natch. A few Enqins are nothing to worry about."

"Fine, made your point. Can he get to it, then? Leitis Lysander will pay him well, and I too."

"So mercenary, you northerners. Forget it, my sweet, your money is shit in the steppe."

"Right, you'd rather have the pound of flesh. Or pounds."

"See, over here – becoming a messenger is an honor, and a reward. For the ones who have earned some rest and fun, get my drift?"

"Got it. Leave of absence, steppe-style."

"Yep, that's right. So who does your lady-colonel go for?"

"The Essanti are out of luck with her. She is into sweet blonds, doubt your tribe stocks those."

"Why not?" grinned Kintaro and rose.

He returned a quarter of an hour later in the company of a young warrior, at whose sight Alva was rendered speechless.

When Alva could speak again, he sputtered, "And they say elves do not mate with humans ..."

"Lielle, he does not look like an elf at all, as evidenced by his stature and bone structure," Ithildin was being pedantic, as usual. "Besides, his coloring would be atypical ..."

Without listening to any of this, Alva circled the warrior and shamelessly stared. The young man smiled, and took a more relaxed stance, but said nothing. Alva looked back at Kintaro.

"You trying to say this one is an Essanti too?"

"His name in Renhiro. He was born here, he knows the Essanti oman. He is a true warrior. One of the tribe."

"I am delighted to make your acquaintance, noble Alva Ahayrre," said Renhiro in the Common tongue, and lowered his head slightly, hiding a smile.

Alva did not even bother pretending coyness. He smiled pleasantly at the warrior and kept on ogling.

Renhiro was about as tall as Kintaro, but fine-boned and young. He could not have been older than twenty, and, more probably, only eighteen. He was dressed as a nomad, in leather pants and moccasins, and wore the usual black agate earrings and necklace. But otherwise, his only resemblance to the Essanti was his lithe muscled body that could have been chiseled by the best of metropolitan sculptors.

His skin was not bronze; it was light, probably milky-white by nature, and turned to darker cream by the luster of a golden tan. The high cheekbones and almond eyes of the nomads were absent as well. His lips were full and delicate, like a girl's; beneath the thick eyelashes, mingled the greens and blues of the distant seas; his face was perfect. If mother nature had gone just a bit further, he would have been nothing more than eye-candy. But his expression and his stance were those of a warrior confident in his strength. One who would face ten enemies without flinching.

A mane of blond wavy hair down to his waist was the finishing touch. The sun had bleached them to a platinum color. A romantic dream. In the capital, all the painters would have fought each other to have him for a model. The ruler of Arislan would not have scrimped on gold and jewels to have him as a bodyguard.

To think about it, his appearance was not that surprising. He could have been captured as a child with his mother. Or he could have been sired by a guest. If Alva had agreed to have a woman during his first visit, there could have been a red-haired baby already.

"You know the Selkhir commander by sight?" asked Kintaro.

"I have seen Lady-colonel during the campaign."

"You'll deliver Chevalier Ahayrre's letter to her personally, and inform her that you are at her disposal. If she does not task you with anything, you can hang around Selkhir or come back here, up to you. All right?"

"It is a great honor to meet Hazarath, famed in battle."

"If she lets you go before the month is out, that nickname is wasted on her," exclaimed Kintaro. He put his arm around the young man's shoulders and laughed heartily.

Renhiro smiled back, and Alva concluded that they must have been lovers in the past – there was so much affection in that gaze. Not surprising at all, Kintaro could have easily fucked his way through the entire tribe, with his temperament. Probably harder to find some here he had not slept with.

Alva, ever-curious, asked Kintaro about it after the young warrior left. The chief answered absently, "Used to, at one time. But Ren is more like a brother to me. We hooked up first in the ayuri, the kids' training camp, I helped him fight off the older boys. He used to be pretty-pretty."

"Not too bad these days either," said Alva.

Kintaro sniggered, then asked, "Think your girlfriend will like him?"

"You serious? What is he, a gift? On the orders to get into Leitis's bed?"

"Don't get riled, my sweet. Nobody is ordering anyone. She is a great warrior, never mind that she is a woman, and she is known all over the Wild Steppe. Bedding her is a real honor. The Eutangha are sending her pretty boys for sure. It's their custom, offering love to the allies."

Alva cocked an eyebrow. Leitis had never told him about this. Probably sent those "gifts" back, unwrapped. She did not like them dark. There might have been some chestnut-haired Eutangha, but Lei was not fond of the steppe type generally. Until Alva had met Kintaro, he sort of saw her point.

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Author's Notes

Initially this was the beginning of a separate story about Renhiro and Leitis, called 'Messenger'. He will deliver the letter, of course, and then there will be lots of hot wild sex :)

Later Renhiro will be appointed some kind of a tribal liaison in the garrison of Selkhir and basically will never leave Leitis Lysander's side. They will be good together XD They will even have a son. His name is Saiyonji and he is a character in 'Caged Bird' - the sequel to 'Ekleipsis'. There are so many stories in this series, I'm trying to give you the lie of the land, so to say XD

After it became obvious that Renhiro is not just a passer-by, I added this part to the novel.