V. The Devil

Luke got up from the bed. He mumbled to himself. "A rowan. Your fairy prince...It's a common name. I'm sure many fairies have such a name. He'd have to be a fairy, if he got in here. He couldn't be a human." Alan titled his head, confused. "What's wrong?" "Nothing." Luke said. He looked over Alan again. "He gave you a sword." Alan unsheathed the blade. He held it up in the air, grinning from ear to ear. "Yes. It's very pretty. You have one too. I wish I could see what yours looked like." "It's nothing special." Luke rarely thought of the blade he used. Every sword he had ever wielded was a gift from his father, though Faolán never delivered them in person. Luke's communication with his father was the same as with his mother, limited to letters. All of his armor, his clothes, and most of his things were paid for by his father's money. What Philip gave him went to his mother. Faolán sent money monthly to Luke without him having to ask for it. Luke himself only sent letters back when he needed more than that. His letters were short and cold. For the torment he had caused his mother, Luke felt his father owed him the gesture without the need to dress it up in warmth and reverence. His father left land he rarely ever visited, staffed with people to care for the land and the people on it. As the land originally belonged to Faolán, it resided within the outermost limits of King Silvanus's kingdom. As Faolán was the one actually controlling everything within those small borders, neither King Philip nor Silvanus minded the arrangement despite the father and son serving different kings. The king Luke's deceased brother used to serve, Argus, likewise did not concern himself with the brother's land either as the arrangement was the same. Faolán gifted much wealth and land to his sons, and neither had ever concerned themselves with the caring for nor feigned gratitude for these gifts. His brother at least could have thought well of his sword. It had been given to him by Sir Ronan, the knight his older brother had trained under. Their bond was more like father and son than master and apprentice. Luke had been a little jealous of that, even though he intentionally avoided his older brother until late into the last war. He heard enough to know. Now both were gone beneath the earth. He and his wretched father remained as survivors of the war, a loveless connection bound by name and blood. Luke watched Alan swing the sword around. Where love was, death seemed to always be near and where hatred, longevity. What path was he heading toward now? If Philip found out about anything between Luke and Alan, or about the sword, he would be executed. Much as he often used his father as a threat to others, his father was in another kingdom far from here. If he could fly, he would not make it in time to stop Luke's death. Alan put the sword away. He sat on the bed and put his hand to Luke's face. "Did you sleep well last night?" Luke recalled his dreams. He pushed thoughts of them away, hoping to soon forget the absurdities of the night. He gave Alan an answer he knew the man would want to hear. "How could I not resting beside you?" "Do you think breakfast is ready yet?" Alan asked. "Should be. I need to go and get it before I'm late." Luke got up from the bed. He kissed Alan on the cheek before heading for the door. "I won't be gone long." Alan followed him to the door. He hugged him from behind. "Hurry. Thinking of you leaving for a moment is already breaking my heart." Luke put his hands over Alan's along his abdomen. He laughed under his breath. "You've gotten quite good at stringing together romantic words." Alan pressed his face against Luke's neck. "When you return, I have a gift for you." "Oh? What is it?" Luke asked playfully. Alan smiled. "You'll have to wait until after breakfast. But I am worried I might disappoint you." "Oh, I doubt it. I am the one who disappoints others." Luke pulled away from Alan. He turned and gave him a half-hearted smile before descending the long stairs. Alan lingered in the doorway, watching Luke leave. Luke realized when he got to the bottom of the steps he had forgotten to close the top door. There was no point, Luke thought. Alan would not leave on his own. He was too helpless to escape. Even if he did, Luke would not regret freeing him. Luke had never done anything worthwhile in his life, he thought. If he managed to set Alan free, he would have at least done one good thing before dying. In the kitchen, Philip was waiting for Luke. The kitchen staff were on edge and quiet. Luke greeted the king. "Good morning, your majesty. I don't usually see you here." "Yes, well, it is an unusual morning. I have received word you did not leave the tower last night. What is the reason?" Philip asked. "Oh, I lost track of the time. It was very late when I realized, so I simply stayed the night. Isn't that what you instructed me to do?" Luke asked back. He picked up the plates from the table. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask me?" "How have you been feeling around him? You haven't noticed any usual desires or thoughts, have you?" Philip asked. Luke gave him a strange look. "What do you mean? Are you saying he has the power to manipulate thoughts?" "I don't know. I don't know the way in which he may attempt to ruin me. Have you noticed him displaying any powers or felt anything unusual within yourself?" Philip's demeanor grew more paranoid with each word. Luke laughed. "Can't say I have. Unfortunately, my thoughts are the same dull, dirty ones they always are. Should I avoid staying the night, your majesty? I thought you said it was acceptable if I maintain the other rules." "It is allowed, but be cautious. He may attempt to take your life in your sleep. Or the key." Philip warned him. Luke laughed again. "He cannot take my life. I am the son of the Black Wolf. I will not be slain by a man who's never cut so much as a blade of wheat. And he won't make it to the door if he takes the key. I've become a light sleeper out of necessity. If he stirs in the night, so will I." "What of love? If not by force..." Luke shook his head. "I say to you again, I am the son of Faolán of Cailean. No love dwells within my blood." "Your brother died with his lover, did he not?" Philip's words stung deeply. Luke did not let the pain show on his face. He flashed his teeth. "Well, what can I say? He was raised by fairies." "Yes, I suppose that was the case." Philip seemed to accept Luke's answer. "If you can smile while speaking of your deceased brother's weaknesses, I shouldn't worry over love manipulating you." Luke turned away from him. "I am known as a devil in many lands. You needn't worry about me. Besides, I can assure you simple things like food entertain him plenty enough." "Do not let your guard down, Luke. We cannot know what way he will strike. His meekness is likely a mask to disguise his true form." Philip handed Luke a necklace. "What's this? A rosary?" Luke looked down at the beads in his hand. "You know I worship none." Philip closed Luke's hand around the rosary. "Whatever you may believe does not matter. Keep it on you for protection. It will ward evil from you." "As you wish, but if it really did that, it should be burning in my hand." Luke left the kitchen. As soon as he was out of the king's sight, he rolled his eyes. Luke considered where to discard the beads. He didn't want Alan to see them. He dropped them inside at the bottom of the tower. Luke locked the door behind himself, suspicious the king might check if he did or not. He walked with a quick pace up the steps. When he reached the top, he locked that door as well to be safe. He knew the king also had a set. The king could come up here and watch them any time he wanted. He doubted Philip would go past the second door with how paranoid he already was about Alan, but Luke was unnerved by his earlier interaction with the king. The tower suddenly didn't feel like a private space anymore. His anxious thoughts eased when he saw Alan. Alan was waiting for him at the table, smiling. Luke smiled back and placed the food on the table. He sat down across from Alan. "Forgive me for taking so long. Your father stopped me to ask why I stayed the night." "Was he angry?" Alan asked. "No, I would say he was more afraid than angry. I am allowed to stay the night. But I did something different than normal, so he became suspicious of it. I want to stay again tonight simply to spite him, but I know that will likely make him more suspicious of us. I'll have to go back to my room tonight." Luke poured a glass of water. "Really? That's a shame. I was hoping you could stay more nights with me." Alan gazed at Luke with wanton eyes. Luke did not notice. His thoughts were still on the king and the night. Luke wanted to stay another night. If he stayed the night every night and only left to get what they needed, he could limit his interactions with the people inside the castle to as little as possible. He never liked much of anyone there, but he never really had anywhere to be either. Luke didn't particularly like being much of anywhere. The only times he remembered feeling a sense of ease in a place was when he wandered across north and central Africa with his lover at the time or when he was in the company of his older brother's lover. When he was alone with Alan, he didn't want to leave, but it wasn't ease he felt. It was fire. Desperation lingered in every motion and every thought. He didn't want to be alone with Alan. He wanted none to have him. He wanted him all to himself, somewhere none with even the smallest hint of cruelty in their hearts could reach the prince. In a way, Luke wanted to keep Alan within a tower too, but with himself locked inside it. He knew it was wrong. Regardless of the burning inside of him, he knew what he needed to do to make Alan happy. No one could ever be happy with him for long, Luke told himself. Everyone would eventually leave once they got tired of him. That was why he always preemptively ran way from any he cared for or destroyed whatever was between them. If he stayed with Alan too long, the collapse was coming. How was yet to be seen, but he told himself it would be his fault like all the other times he ever reached out to anyone. He needed to free Alan, and get him to someone who could love him without being a burden. Alan's mind was empty of worry, but full of many other thoughts. He undressed Luke with his eyes and contemplated what Luke might taste like as he finished his breakfast. Alan ate his food quickly, wanting to get breakfast out of the way. He rested his face against his palm, staring at Luke. "Your hair is such a pretty shade of gold." Luke's thoughts was disrupted by Alan's comment. He looked up at Alan. "Ah, thank you. Though I don't much care for it. The shade is the same as my father's." "I'm sure it looks better on you than him. Your eyes are beautiful too, so a beautiful color." Alan said. Luke was perplexed by that compliment. "I don't think I've ever had any call the color of my eyes beautiful. They're a dull, ordinary brown." "They don't look dull to me. Your eyes are like morning dew on sparkling in the sun on trees and your hair is as golden as a rainbow." Alan took hold of Luke's left hand. "Rainbows aren't gold. They're made of many colors." Luke said. "So is gold." Alan replied. He reached up and touched a lock of Luke's hair. "I see seven colors in your hair, an iridescent shimmer moving across the waves. It is the same seven I see in rainbows and all things that are gold." Luke looked at his own hair. "Do you...is it possible you see colors differently than I do?" "I don't know. Are rainbows and gold different to you?" Alan asked. "They couldn't possibly be more different." Luke had a thought. "Tomorrow, I'll bring some paint and sketches. I'd like you to color the sketches with the paint. I want to see what the world looks like to your eyes." "If you would like. I wonder what else we see differently. Tell me, what color do you see my voice as?" Alan asked. "What? Sound doesn't have color." "You can't see sound?" Alan was shocked by this. "Not at all?" "No. I've never heard of such a thing." Luke said. "I wonder if my brother can." Luke winced. He changed the topic. "Tell me, what color is my voice?" "Blood red, freshly drawn from a wound, sparkling like a stone." Alan got up from the table and went over to the bed. He searched through his collection of stones and returned with almandine. He showed the stone to Luke. "This. It looks like this most of the time." Luke recognized the stone right away. It was the first he had ever seen on a ring. His father, when he wore jewelry, always donned almandine and obsidian to match the red and black he wore in cloth. His father was not the only one to have such a preference. His brother's lover, Rowan, also preferred those stones to match his own attire that consisted primarily of the same two colors and once gifted Luke a razor made of pure obsidian. Luke also wore those same colors, an intentional reminder of his parentage to ally and foe alike, but he did not care for the stones. Luke preferred malachite, emerald, azurite, and lapis lazuli set in gold. He once paid quite a high price for a stone with a mix of malachite and azurite that he later had made into a necklace. He only wore red stones when he was expected to be present for a formal occasion and avoided obsidian altogether. It had no flash to it. Luke took the red stone from Alan's palm. He laughed. He had gone out of his way to cover himself in red. It seemed only fitting his voice would be stained with the same shade his skin so often was when he wielded his blade, the same shade his father carried with him everywhere. Luke handed the stone back. "Tell me, what color is your voice?" "I don't know. I can't see the sounds I make." Alan answered. "The fairy prince has a green voice, it's a grey-green like steady rain and warm like mist." "Mist is warm to you?" Luke asked. "I find it suffocating." "You don't like mist or fog?" "No, I find them both quite lonely." Luke's mind returned to the previous night's dream. A deep pain burned in his heart. Alan tightly grabbed hold of Luke's right hand. "You haven't forgotten about my gift, have you?" "Gift? Oh, you said you had something for me before I left. Was this something your fairy prince left behind?" Luke asked. Alan shook his head. "Go sit on the bed and I'll show you." "Alright." Luke did as he was told. He was curious what Alan was up to. 'Is he going to show me some sort of magic?' Alan stood in front of Luke, then got on the bed with him. He pushed Luke down against the sheets and began to undo his pants. All of Luke's thoughts about his father, the king, his own faults, everything was replaced with far more base ones. Luke's body burned in a different way than earlier. He wondered. 'How far will you go today, my prince?' Alan was quick to rid Luke of his clothes. He removed his own as well, save for the cloak on his shoulders and the rowan crown on his head. Luke found this amusing and arousing. This would not be his first time alone with a prince undressed in such a way. He got a rise out of getting royalty to keep their crowns and jewels on when he was in bed with them. He doubted Alan would see this all the way through. Alan was full of desire, but quite shy. As they kissed, his mind was already wondering what sort of state of longing Alan would leave him in when he inevitably wanted to stop. Alan positioned himself between Luke's legs, raising them over his own thighs. Luke understood quite well what Alan was thinking about. If Alan did take it farther than usual, Luke would need to refuse this position as he did to nearly all other men. It was too vulnerable to be the one being penetrated. He wouldn't allow it. His body had other plans for him. Luke was rock hard and desperate to feel Alan inside him. He couldn't let Alan know that, he told himself. Alan stared down at him. He blushed. "Um, I..." "Did you want to stop?" Luke asked. "No, I'm not sure...what I should do..." Alan's face went a deeper red. "I, um...is there...anything I'm supposed to do before I...you know..." "Before you what?" Luke asked to watch Alan's reaction. He knew very well what Alan meant. "Before I...um, before I put it inside." Alan was red even on his ears. "Do I just put it in?" "Please do not do that. You'll definitely hurt me if you do that. Here." Luke smirked. He handed Alan a small bottle from a bag he kept near the bed. "Use this to make it easier to get inside." "How much do I use?" Alan asked. "Not much. If you use a lot, you'll be making a mess more than anything." Alan opened the bottle. He put a little of the oil on Luke and himself, then adjusted his position to more easily enter. Luke could tell Alan was getting more nervous. Alan looked at him, his embarrassment growing when their eyes met. He averted his gaze. "Is...is there anything else I should do?" "Put it in slowly, gently...I don't usually do this in this position and you're quite big. Move slowly until I tell you it's alright to go faster." Luke said without thinking. Heat rose in his face. 'What am I doing? We need to switch positions. I should be doing this, not him.' Luke couldn't get himself to make such a request. He wanted it so badly his ordinary fears could not control him. Afraid as he was of being vulnerable in any way, Luke said nothing to reject Alan's plans. He let Alan in deep inside him. Alan moved gently, as Luke had instructed him to. Luke was so lost in the sensation of their bodies connecting he struggled to think at all, even to tell Alan to move faster. When he could manage to retain a thought for long enough to remember to speak, he finally managed a few words. "Faster, please...I beg you..." Alan did as Luke wanted, gradually increasing his speed. The more Alan moved, the more confident he became with his actions. He leaned forward, taking hold of Luke's legs and lifting them up over his shoulders. Luke gripped the sheets, trying hard not to moan. He had never allowed any man to put him in this position, not even his past lover, even though it was the position he fantasized of most when he touched himself. He couldn't allow it. He couldn't allow someone else to have that much power over him, physically and over his very desires themselves. Luke slept with hundreds of men, more than he could remember, but not once had he ever told a single one of them what he liked in bed. He was terrified to, that if he ever admitted to any desire it would be used against him in some way. All his wants and wishes stayed safely in his mind and dreams. He couldn't explain to himself why now he was allowing Alan to see his most unguarded self. The whispers fear and nihilism spoke inside him could not hold him. Luke wrapped his arms around Alan's neck. Through panting breaths, Luke whispered. "More...please, harder..." Alan, having mostly gotten over his nervousness, focused intently on Luke's reactions. He made note of what caused even the slightest reaction. He tried his best to replicate what got him the loudest reactions. Luke's voice was so different than Alan had ever heard from him before, as were the faces Luke was making. All of it aroused him. He became a little jealous thinking of other men getting to see Luke like this, then became even more aroused at the idea of picturing Luke having sex with other men. He knew so few people his mind could only conjure up his fairy prince, who he thought of as quite handsome as well. This image in his head shifting from Luke and the prince to including himself sharing Luke with the prince. The jealousy Alan felt before faded. He couldn't hold any ill thoughts of any man who would take the chance to have Luke for a night, Alan thought. He couldn't imagine how anyone could deny Luke. He wished he were bigger, so he could reach deeper inside. Luke guided one of Alan's hands down to stroke him. Alan understood what Luke wanted him to do. He kissed Luke as he moved his hand. Alan shifted his body slightly to get a better angle for the task. As he did, it shifted how he touched Luke inside as well. Luke's eyes widened, then quickly closed. Much as he wanted to, he could not stop himself from moaning. Alan grinned. He became intent on getting Luke to react that way again. Luke was reaching his limits. He felt a little embarrassed that he was there already. A virgin shouldn't have been able to do this to him. He wanted to hold out longer, but he couldn't stop it. As he came, he felt Alan do the same shortly after. The feeling was different than normal. He felt sensations across his body he had never felt before. He couldn't describe what they were it was so foreign to him. He could not speak afterward. His body went limp as he caught his breath. Alan got off of him and rested beside him, cuddling against Luke's chest. Luke's heart rang in his ears. It was so loud and fast he felt like he would die. His vision went black. Luke heard his own voice. "Oh, are you one of my grandchildren?" Luke saw a blond man in a black cloak staring down at him. The man looked similar to his father and his brother, but his facial features were somewhat different. He looked similar enough Luke was certain the man must be a relative, but Luke knew who both of his grandfathers were and this man looked like neither. He did not even look older than Luke. The man in black lifted up a large scythe. He shook his head at Luke, grinning. "Fly too close to the sun, child? Haha, go back now. It's far too soon for you to be here." Luke blinked and the man was gone. He was back inside the tower. 'What the hell was that?' He looked over at Alan, who appeared pleased with himself. Luke caressed his face. "Did you enjoy yourself?" "Yes." Alan's cheeks flushed. He smiled at Luke. "Was it alright? I hope I didn't disappoint you..." "Not at all. You're quite naturally talented." Luke kissed him on the cheek. He held Alan closer to him. Absentmindedly, he said. "I'm going to murder your father." Alan got up, eyes wide. "What?" Luke laughed. "I'm absolutely going to kill him. Without a doubt. I'm going to gut that fool." "Do...do we really need to go that far? Wouldn't running away be enough?" Luke got up. He picked up the sword Alan received that morning and unsheathed it. Luke looked over the hilt more closely, noticing the rowan flowers. "I'll do it with this blade. I'll train you how to use it for defense, but I'm going to kill him with this and then we're going to find your fairy prince. If your raven-haired fairy turns out to be human, I'm going to slap him across the face." Alan put his hands on the blade, lowering it. "You mustn't hurt him. He has done nothing to hurt you." "Oh, I won't kill him. I doubt I could. But he needs a punishment too, for breaking my heart." Luke said, running his fingers over the flowers. "He can handle it." "I won't allow you to hurt him like that." Alan took the sword from Luke. Luke laughed. "I was joking about the prince. I couldn't do that to him, not even in rage. I'd break my heart a second time. But I am going to murder your father and set this entire castle on fire." "Luke, what's gotten into you?" Alan asked. "Well, you, for one." Luke got up from the bed. He took the sword again and swung it. "You want to escape, don't you?" "Yes." Alan said. "But will bloodshed really be necessary?" "Your father will intend to spill blood, whether you like it or not." Luke shared at his own reflection in the blade, then down to the rowan flowers again. "Dress yourself. Let's start your training today." "So soon?" "The sooner we work on this, the sooner I can grant you your freedom." Luke sheathed the blade. He buckled the belt around his waist, naked otherwise. "Of course, if you'd like to have your way with me a second time today, you may do with me as you please. I will object to no desire from you." Alan was speechless for a moment, then he laughed. "Was I really that good at it?" "I am embarrassed to admit that was the best sex I've ever had in my life and I've slept with hundreds of men." Luke sighed and shook his head. "I think I might have even died for a moment." "Died?" Alan laughed loudly. "You're silly." "That might have been an exaggeration. I think..." Luke leaned down and kissed Alan on the forehead. "I am your knight, and your lover. Use me as you wish, my prince." Alan took hold of Luke's hand and kissed it. "I accept your offer to begin training me, but I do have one more request first. Bring me metal, any metal you can sneak in." Luke knelt before Alan, bowing his head to him. "As you wish." The lovers returned to the bed to hold each other for a while longer. They held one another close until it was nearly time for lunch. Luke reluctantly got up from the bed to get them more food. He raced down the steps to get back sooner. When he opened the bottom door to the tower, he found he was not alone. A raven haired man in red and black was waiting for him at the entrance of the tower. "Hello, Luke." The man said. "Wren?" Luke answered. "What are you doing here?" VI. King of Cups