Ekleipsis (Fantasy Romance - LGBT, manXman)

6.11.

"Taro, why are you surly now?" the brown-eyed imp would cajole him.

Kintaro looked at him morosely and frowned. Strange, now that the thrill of the chase was gone, and all the games of denial and withholding were over and done, the forbidden fruit seemed to lose much of its appeal. And Alva knowing about the affair made it especially tawdry.

Kintaro had not been back to Zeinab Street for a week now, and, sometimes, the desire to look into the green eyes became unbearable.

Yesterday night he could stand it no longer; he crept up to the house, climbed on the roof and peeked into the garden. The house was dark and quiet. "Screwing, I bet," thought Kintaro viciously.

He had no inkling that, at that very moment, Alva was burying his face in the pillow and saying to Ithildin, "Why would he do that to me? Sure, he got what he wanted and lost interest. Acts as if he doesn't give a damn about me. I mean, would it hurt him... bring flowers, or, I don't know, a bracelet. He just tosses me on the bed right away, even forgets to kiss me. I wanted him to treat me like a prince, not go out and get an actual prince for himself!" Unexpectedly, Alva sobbed. "If you want to know, I had lovers who'd do anything for me, gifts, diamonds, novels dedicated to me, duels fought in my name..."

"And had even one of those ever saved your life?" whispered the elf.

Alva could not understand, and Ithildin could not explain to him what he felt. It could be that Kintaro would never say a word of love to Lielle. He would simply face down a whole army for him, if he had to − no questions, no hesitation, no fear, no delays. And, once back from the battle, he would have Alva, and not waste any words along the way.

Chevalier Ahayrre missed all those things meaningless to the elf − the flirting, the flattery, the passionate glances, the innuendos. But, given only some time, he would come to miss the coarse jokes, the loud voice, the strong arms and the large hot body far more. Even worse, Ithildin feared he might too.

But Kintaro knew none of this. He was consumed by longing, and neither the wild sex, nor the drinking, nor the exhausting training did anything to dispel it.

"Forget about them, Kintaro. It's for the best." Not getting an answer, Kismet went on. "I thought I'd check... There is no Lady Aldys Alanis in Trianess."

"I never asked for her papers," Kintaro shrugged.

And then the boy asked slyly, "They are not women, are they?"

Kintaro felt a frisson of discomfort, but showed nothing. Even if anyone suspected his mistresses of being male, it wasn't such an end all.

"What makes you think that?" he asked casually.

"My people have been watching the house. It's not obvious, but if you keep watching them..."

The nomad's eyes narrowed. This was none too good.

"There is no Lady Aldis Alanys. But there does exist a famous Creedan poet, Chevalier Ahayrre." Kismet stressed the last syllable of Alva's last name in the Arislani fashion, not the second. "And then there is his lover, the elf. A year ago, they got involved in a scandal, and then, within a short while, they disappeared. There were rumors they were both dead. Creedan literature would not have recovered from such a loss!"

"Interesting story," said Kintaro, feigning indifference. "What I don't get is what it is to me."

"It's that your ladies can be banished from the capital any time at all."

Within a second, the boy was pinned down on the bed, and Kintaro leaned over him scowling nastily.

"You go ahead and try harming them in any way, and I'll wring your neck. Won't give a shit that you are a prince."

The Khaliddin tried to smile and turn everything into a joke, but fear had made him go green. There was something else in his eyes too... guilt, perhaps?

"Talk to me," said Kintaro. He was quiet and he was terrifying. His fingers dug into the boy's shoulders.

Kismet babbled. "Taro, it wasn't me... If I found out about it, anybody else could... Just have to pay. Yesterday night, the Grand Vizier had a visitor. Doesn't matter who, he was just a middleman. It was hard to hear, but I did catch the name of Chevalier Ahayrre. And also... they spoke about Targhai, the chief of Enqins. Arislan is looking for allies in the wild steppe. The Vizier has his own spies."

Kintaro, darker than a storm cloud, leapt off the bed. Kismet watched him from the corner, torn between fearing Kintaro and fearing for Kintaro.

"Taro, don't go there," he barely managed. "Don't go, please... I..."

The anger in the stare of the Essanti chief burned him through. The Khaliddin barely managed to go on, voice shaking, "I had sent my people there, with horses and permits. They both will be escorted wherever they need to go, under my protection. Nobody will harm them, not even my brother. Taro..."

"How many did you send?"

"T-ten."

"Your men are already dead, if the Enqins are indeed here. You better be praying that nothing bad happens to my redhead. Or else I'll be back. And there will be blood!" Then Kintaro took a ring off his finger.