Squire (Male x Male) (Wattys Shortlist 2021 & 2022)

Chapter 21 - The Elixir

The ornately carved clock on the mantlepiece ticked audibly, drawing my eyes towards it. The wooden deer that Sebastian had made for my birthday stood proudly next to it and made me smile. It was delicate and perfect, much like its creator.

I had spent much of the day looking at finances with my father. I had always had a flair for numbers and an eye for prices, so my father had given me a treasury role which suited me well. People generally responded to me well when I spoke to them, so I found I also had a talent for setting up trade agreements with the various provinces and districts and creating additional efficiencies, which my father seemed to appreciate.

The ticking clock indicated that the time was nearly half past seven. Which meant that for the second time in as many weeks, Sebastian was uncharacteristically late.

Being as stubborn as he was punctual, Sebastian was unlikely to ask for assistance if he had taken on additional tasks, as he had on the Wednesday of the previous week. Deducing that this was the most likely explanation for his tardiness, I resolved to aid him in whatever manner I could to help him finish so that we could spend more time together. I was not averse to physical labour and reasoned I may well welcome it after poring over numbers all day.

Mind made up, I slid on my boots and retraced the route I had taken when this had happened last Wednesday. I started by knocking loudly on the door of Sebastian's room in case he had already returned for the day and was freshening up.

As it had last week, the action of knocking on his door brought back one of my favourite memories of Sebastian, opening the door to his room half naked. I recalled I had intended to go to Gadwall Lake alone that evening in August last year, since bringing Sebastian with me on a previous occasion had nearly driven me insane with desire. So, I had tried to be sensible and not put myself in that situation again, but when he opened the door to his quarters, dripping wet and wearing only a towel, I caved, wedging my foot in his door and inviting him anyway. The result was better than I could have ever anticipated.

I sincerely hoped that when I found him tonight, Sebastian would be in the mood for undressing. Now that images from the lake filled my head, I was going to find it difficult to keep my hands to myself.

I opened the door to Sebastian's quarters. I called his name and looked around, establishing quickly that he was not inside.

My next port of call would be the stables, so I closed his door and steered myself in that direction. I knew he had an arrangement with Paul and Aaron which meant they would sometimes take on each other's chores so that they could take leave more often. This seemed to have worked well for them as a rule, but it occasionally made for longer days.

As I stepped outside, dark rainclouds were drizzling small droplets of rain and blotting out the sun. I pulled up my collar and strode towards the stables. Last week I had heard him clattering as he tidied up, but as I walked past the various stalls, I heard nothing that would indicate he was here.

I decided to look for him in the stall I most anticipated he would be found in.

"Have you seen Sebastian?" I asked Nutmeg after I entered, patting him softly. 

 He whinnied and nodded his head but offered no clues as to my lover's whereabouts. Nutmeg had clearly been groomed and fed today, and his stall looked clean, so Sebastian must have been here.

I left, closing the door behind me and started poking my head through the other stable doors systematically, finding nothing. Perhaps he was not here after all. After peering through the fourth door, I was about to leave, when something in the corner of my eye made me pull back for another look.