💎A Collision of Fates💎 (Straight to Gay) (MxM) (18+)

44 - Landel

It was a night of celebration.

Bright candles littered the dining room, casting the paintings and walls in light. The table was laid for a feast. The guests were jubilant and raucous, laughing and cheering and chatting. And Landel couldn't stop smiling.

He was sitting right next to Adam. Which, on one hand, was fucking torture because all he wanted to do was pull the man closer. He knew he couldn't, though. Adam wanted to keep their relationship a secret just like Chris had asked Vinton to keep theirs secret. But, on the other hand, being next to Adam was all Landel needed. If he couldn't pull the man into him, they shared smiles and lass and that was enough.

As the evening went on, most of the men around the table stood up to make a speech. Most of the words concerned Adam and how happy they were to have him back. When Nick stood up and gave an impassioned speech about how much he loved his son, it was hard not to feel touched. He talked about Adam's mother. Landel could almost picture her in his mind. A woman. Short, blonde, quick with a joke and easy with a laugh. He would have liked to have met her. Nick talked about their life back home and how proud he was of his son, of the bravery that he had shown. He ended it off with a toast to Adam and to the people that saved him. Landel drank heartily to that one.

The final person to talk was Esteck, when he stood up the whole room quieted down fast. The joy and laughter sizzled out and everyone turned to the king, who was smiling broadly at the assembled men, his friends, his family, his charges.

"Friends," he began, "we stand on a precipice. The last few days have shown us that disaster and darkness does not wait to be discovered, it comes for you, it comes for us." Esteck turned to Adam. "It comes for those we love and those we hold dear." He nodded. "Adam, I agree with your father, you showed immense bravery dealing with the criminals who took you. I am extremely happy you are back safe and wish you a wonderful second term at The Academy."

He drank some lass and the rest of the room followed. But he didn't sit back down, he lowered his drink to the table and gazed out at the assembled men once again.

"Lord Djaro will be arriving shortly. He is coming on a diplomatic mission in the spirit of friendship and collaboration between Paxta and Sesstria." Esteck's eyes were grave. "We must put our might on show. We must give the young Lord no reason to doubt us."

Landel had been friends with Djaro when they were kids. It was around the time that the Paxtan-Sesstrian treaty was getting drafted and the High Lord and his sons had been making the journey to Sesstria a lot. Djaro was only a few years older than Landel, but, as he remembered, he was a nice guy. Landel couldn't believe he would spy on them for his dad.

Esteck continued. "And, considering that, I have authorized a contingent of defenders to set up a permanent position around that coastal cave and have authorized the creation of a crystal vein investigative force." His intense stare caught Landel in its web and Landel's heart dropped. "My son will head up the force."

The rest of the room turned to him, some of them smiling, some of them with blank expressions. Landel turned to Adam, who had a confused look on his face. An investigative force?

"I have every faith in you, son," Esteck said. His eyes were still trained on Landel. A beat later he turned out again, taking in the whole room. "Now, friends, I wish you all a hearty welcome back and a sincere thank you!" He held up his drink again. "To Sesstria!"

The rest of the guests followed. "Sesstria!"

Most drank, but Landel was too distracted, too lost in his own thoughts.

Esteck lowered himself down into his chair and the dinner continued as normal. The conversations resumed and, soon after that, the laughter did too.

Adam leaned in. "Crystal vein investigative force? Did he tell you about that?"