The Royal Series 0 - A Royal Archive

Promised to Him: Chapter 1

June 19th, 2093

† Spencer †

He was not supposed to be here, but once again Spencer's curiosity had dragged him into the city. The only difference between this visit and his last was his age; at sixteen he was an even more enticing attraction for Lafayette to capture and with knowledge enough to make it worth the trouble of coaxing him into the job.

There was one more difference that no one would believe, had they cared to ask. This time, Spencer was heading towards the brothels, not away from them.

The heat of the summer was waning, offering only three days of warmth. Still, three days was more than last year had provided.

Shadows moved to the far left, near the local tavern, suggesting a fight of some sort. Spencer reacted automatically and pressed against the nearest wall in panic. If anyone found him here, he was in more trouble than he could handle. His parents were well off, but not enough to buy him out of trouble if he was arrested or captured by Lafayette.

Fortunately, he had not seen Lafayette recently.

As soon as the commotion died down outside the tavern, Spencer pressed ahead and snuck around the corner of the building. Two more turns and he would reach the Promise of Pleasure brothel, where his friend Finnegan worked.

Having grown up together, Finnegan had voluntarily joined the brothel at age sixteen, when his parents discovered him kissing a neighbourhood boy. His family had thrown him out, afraid that the revelation of his homosexuality would reflect poorly upon them. It was ridiculous, but Spencer praised his dear friend for being brave and taking hold of his future.

As Finnegan had once told him, it was the brothel or a book store and he was too afraid to work at the book store because a vampire owned it. He had the same fear of being bitten that Spencer harboured, though he knew deep down that he must overcome that fear someday.

He only wished he had the same strength his friend had, to approach the King and finally seek his own future. He already knew that Prosper, the vampire King, was the man to lead him to his happily ever after. But he still had not figured out how to present himself to the King or what he would say when he did so.

At least Finnegan knew what he wanted and how to get there. He wished to leave Ruiseart and head for a bigger city, to find a way of making his fortune and finding his One True Love. He had it in his head that there was one man in the world made for him and that they would find each other, by fate's design.

Just the way Spencer felt about Prosper.

However, Finnegan was ready to sacrifice his body and his pride, to stage his own journey of self-discovery. No matter how many men it took to make his fortune, he was willing to live that life and work his way towards his destiny.

Now, Spencer would learn how to approach his destiny, with Finnegan's help.

***

Just outside the Promise of Pleasure Spencer froze and glanced behind him, as he caught the tail end of a cloak disappearing around the corner. It could be a vagrant or a thief hiding in the shadows, but as long as they did not approach him, he had nothing to fear.

He proceeded through the side door, that Finnegan always left unlocked for him, and carefully crept up the stairs to the room on the far left of the top corridor. He looked around and checked the door handle of the bedroom that belonged to his friend. A piece of red thread balanced on top of the lock; he released a sigh of relief. That meant Finnegan was alone, as his schedule dictated. The thread would have been on the floor if he had a client, as proof that the door had been opened and warning Spencer not to advance.

That was good. That meant they had not been caught on his last visit and no one had changed Finnegan's work hours.

Spencer quietly tapped twice on the door, waited for a count of ten, then knocked three times in the same way.

Three breaths later, the door opened and Finnegan ushered him inside. "My client changed the time of their arrival. We only have ten minutes before we are interrupted," he explained, backing towards his bed. "If you are quiet and willing to wait, we can continue our discussion after he leaves?"

Spencer joined him on the bed and smiled. "I will be very quiet," he promised, in agreement to wait. He was about to comment on the change of plans, when he noticed how nervous Finnegan appeared, constantly glancing towards the windows and door. "Are you well? Do you think we have been discovered? If it is unsafe, I will leave. I would not wish to get you into trouble," he admitted.

"No." Finnegan smiled and looked down at the blanket on the bed, as he wrung his hands. "I am merely nervous. I was informed that the client is a vampire and I may be asked to...supply...more than what is normally on offer," he hinted, with a look of fear that Spencer shared.

He placed his hand on his friend's arm and smiled consolingly. "I am sorry for that. I cannot imagine how frightening it must be, to anticipate the event for such a long time. Perhaps it would have been best if he had not warned you?" he suggested, as that was how he wished to live. He knew that Prosper must bite him one day, but he would prefer to not have advanced warning, in which to panic and over analyse the situation.

Finnegan nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes. But I was told so that I may eat a specific diet, prior to his visit. They claim it alters the taste, depending on what you have eaten." Then, as he talked, he brightened. "I saved some for you. I was given a very rich meal, tonight. Something only vampires could afford. There was a chocolate dessert that was to die for," he exclaimed.

Spencer watched in amusement as his friend rose from the bed and extracted a small wrapped parcel from the bedside table. He took it gladly and picked up the conversation as Finnegan took his seat. "I fear the same thing," he confessed, deciding to speak up, as he had come for advice, as usual. "I fear the day when Prosper must feed from me, yet a part of me longs for it. As though it is my destiny. And another part wishes to be the only human he will ever feed from again, though I know what that would require," he explained.

Finnegan nodded and chuckled, as he unwrapped the parcel to reveal a small slice of chocolate cake. "I do not believe you have anything to fear. If this feeling is as you say it is, then as your life mate Prosper cannot hurt you," he admitted, with a smile. He happily reached forward and broke off a crumb of cake to pop in his mouth.

Spencer felt his face flush and decided to change the subject. "Tell me more about how things have been since we last spoke," he suggested.

His friend smiled and began to speak of the fancy meal he had been served this night, in preparation for his new client; a meal of rich steak, wine and foods that they could only dream of in any other circumstance. Then he talked of the clients he had served recently and what he had learned from them and the kind of places they had spoken of.

Spencer had always admired and looked up to Finnegan, but knowing that he could learn the ways of pleasure from him, by discussing his experiences with clients, was more than he could ever have asked for. Every movement of his lips would help him make sure that the vampire King, Prosper, was not disappointed, when their fates finally collided.