Ekleipsis (Fantasy Romance - LGBT, manXman)

4.10.

"I am coming with you." As he said it, Kintaro was being frankly insolent.

Who would have thought the barbarian would get his way?

"Like hell you are!" shouted Alva. "You are shagging me right now, not for the rest of my life! We are leaving alone, and just try stopping us!"

"Admit it, Alva, you are scared of me," teased the Essanti, smiling, but his eyes remained serious.

"I am not scared," Alva insisted, but did look away.

"You know I would never hurt you."

"Nice story, if I can believe it. The likes of you just come and take what they want, not even bothering to ask."

"I only do what you want me to do."

"Yeah, and the likes of you think they know better what it is I want. And do not listen when I say 'no.'"

Kintaro looked almost hurt, when he said, unusually gentle, "Alva, I would never force you to do anything."

"Why don't you just let me be then?!"

"Because it is destiny, Alva Ahayrre. There is nothing you can do about it. We are meant for one another."

"You just don't want to see your plaything go," spat Alva through gritted teeth.

"I'll tell you a story, my sweet. A legend." Kintaro lay on his back and stared at the tent's low ceiling. "I read it in an old novel, when I was in the monastery school. Once in three hundred years, an eclipse brings three people together, and weaves their lives into one. From then on, they are bound by inextricable ties, until death parts them. The three can be anybody at all, and they can feel any sort of thing for one another, but they are as a bow, an arrow and a string, and they become whole only when joined together. Like the night, the sun and the moon, that all come together in an eclipse. There is a word for it in the Ancient Tongue ..." Kintaro snapped his fingers.

"Ekleipsis," Ithildin supplied. "That's not the Ancient Tongue, but one of human languages, a very old one."

"Drivel, that," Alva sneered. "It's a myth, a legend. Besides, it's a stretch anyway. You can say that an eclipse is made up of four things – sun, moon, day, night. Your stupid author decided to fit his story to the number three, because he thought it prettier that way."

"I do not care if it's true or not. The important thing is that I believe it," said Kintaro. "I want to keep living with the two of you in the same tent, screw the two of you and fight alongside you both if need be."

"Is that a declaration of love, W-wild Steppe style?" Alva's stuttering gave away his nervousness, which the elf had felt anyway.

"Take it any way you want. I had never asked anyone to stay with me before, but now I ask it of you, Alva. Make a choice. Now."

Ithildin thought he could almost see two conflicting desires battle in his lover's soul, and could tell he was desperate to put off making the choice.

"By the way, I am not the only one here who has a say," Alva nodded at Ithildin.

"There are three of us here, my sweet, and I had already sorted things out with the elf. Tell him, Ithildin."

It was strange to hear the barbarian speak his name. He had never said it before.

Ithildin said, "I would agree to any decision you make, Alva. But, as an elf, I feel your fears and prejudice obscure what your heart and your reason are telling you."

"So what do your heart and reason tell you, Diné?" asked Alva and embraced the elf, looking into his eyes.

Kintaro half-rose, watching them carefully.

"Lielle, you know I want no one but you. But I can't make you happy. And can't keep you from harm on my own. But two might be better at it than one."

"You are dull, elf," Kintaro interjected. "Why not admit you like it when I do you."

Those crude words of the barbarian sent a delicious shiver through him. Ithildin blushed and turned away, ashamed by how obvious it was. Certainly it would have been missed by neither Alva nor Kintaro.

"I am not going to deny that you ... you make me react ... a certain way," he managed, head low.

"One thing I like about you, doll-face, is that you don't know how to lie," smirked the Essanti.

"Why do you keep calling him doll-face?" Alva suddenly wanted to know.

"Because. He looks exactly like a pretty white elf doll. My baby sister had one."

"I did not know the Essanti kids played with anything besides shields and swords."

"How would I know? I grew up in a normal family, with parents and siblings. Never held a longsword. Not until I turned fourteen."

Alva raised an eyebrow. That was news. But Kintaro was not inclined to give more details.

"Want to know why I call you "my sweet"?" he asked, and moved closer.

"And why?"

"Because you are sweet." The Essanti pulled Alva in, and licked Alva's lips. "Hot, tight and sweet. I never enjoyed anyone as much ..."

Kintaro pushed Alva into Ithildin's embrace and went on kissing the redhead as he put his hands on the elf's hips.

"... as I enjoy the two of you," he finished suddenly.

Ithildin began kissing Lielle's shoulder and tugging at his silken locks, while Kintaro's sharp kisses criss-crossed Alva's chest and abs.

"I thought we were discussing important matters here," Alva feebly tried to resist and get away.

"To hell with important matters," rasped Kintaro and pushed him back. "You can answer tomorrow."