WORRLGENHALL (115 page)

 
      “I thank you.”

 
      Loth nodded, and jumped back on his horse, “The servant will hold his tongue. I shall leave you to the other matter.”

 
      Belon nodded back, and jumped on his horse to leave, but his curiosity peaked, he felt compelled to ask. “How did you know it was my commander who was with him?”

 
      Loth didn’t need to reason hard of who it could have been, as he readily answered with certainty.

 
      “By the way Ovfren behaved around him in the men’s hall when he first met him.” Loth just knew, “Your commander is full of humor, and has silent strength and patience, yet can easily cut a man down as breath. It was only a matter of time before Ovfren would fall under his spell.”

 
      Reasoning it as well, Belon didn’t reply and rode off.

**

       Unable to make it to an eighth, although they tried their utmost, both collapsed in the other’s arm completely exhausted. Their bodies so intermingled as they slept, Belon who had sneaked inside to speak with Enek after his talk with Loth, had to squint his eyes to see which body was Enek’s and which body was Ovfren’s.

 
      About to clear his throat to wake them, as he looked at how they slept with their bodies intertwined lovingly, it reminded him of how he and Aderac slept lovingly in the other’s arms and couldn’t, so he decided to sneak away and speak with Enek later.

 
      As he quietly tried to back away, groggily Enek awoke, and when he looked up and noticed Belon inside the chamber standing, raised slightly.

 
      “How did you get in?”

 
      “Sssshh,” Belon shushed him, noticing Ovfren was still soundly sleeping, “We must speak.”

 
      Enek slowly eased towards the edge of the bed, carefully moving Ovfren’s leg and arm that lay on him aside, and as Ovfren adjusted his sleeping position, he slipped out bed without waking him.

 
      Quietly, without putting on any clothes he went to the back of chamber to speak with Belon, who having seen him naked many times before as they camped and cleaned up when scouting, thought nothing of it.

 
      “I know…” Enek whispered first before Belon could begin to chastise him.

 
      “You know what?”

 
      “That you asked me to stay away from him, but ...”

 
      Belon interrupted him. “It is needless to speak of that now. What is done is done, and to late to turn back from it.”

 
      “Such is true,” Enek whispered, as he looked over to Ovfren to make sure he was still asleep.

 
      “The question is now, is this only mere pleasure while here at WorrlgenHall or do you love him?”

 
      “I love him,” Enek’s resolute and immediate answer.

 
      Belon sighed deeply, again wondering what about Ovfren twice in his life had two close to him, one a lover, the other a close friend, unable to resist him.

 
      “I cannot understand what it is about him,” he voiced, as his face distorted with unbelievable puzzlement while looking over to Ovfren, “He has to be charmed.”

 
      “How did you know of us?”

 
      “Any not blind can see it if they look for what is there.” Belon now knew as he thought back more, “Ovfren seems to have played his role well with Ogorec so that he does not reason anything wrong.”

 
      “For the reason he does still love him.”

 
      “Oh,” he bobbled his head sarcastically. “Does he really?”

 
      “Yes, and me as well -”

 
      Again, Belon sighed.

 
      “I hold you and Ogorec in high regard, and each as a friend,” he said, “And will not put myself in the middle. But, I do not want either of you trying to kill each other either should Ogorec find out, so I shall reveal this to you.”

 
      Turning to the tapestry, Belon moved it aside and pushed on the stones, one at the top, and one at the bottom; then pushed a fake wall to the side.

 
      Surprised, Enek looked at it; then back to Belon.

 
      “The answer to how I got in,” Belon revealed, “Have him use it to come and go that no one sees him. It leads out and into a hallway much farther down.”

 
      “Ah.” Enek nodded, “Why, Belon?”

 
      “I have come to know you well Enek,” Belon answered, “And know you would not be with him without reasoning in your head the bad, as well as, the good before you let yourself love him.”

 
      “And?”

 
      “And,” Belon added, and warned before he turned to leave through the secret passageway himself, “If found out, I know it will deeply crush Ogorec and, somehow, I have come to be somewhat fond of Ovfren. Yet, I warn you, if this is found out, I will deny I knew anything.”

 
      Enek nodded, his way of saying thank you to Belon.

 
      “Oh and …” Belon said, as he turned and looked at him, “Speak nothing of this to Ovfren.”

**

       Sliding back into bed, Enek pulled Ovfren close to him again; then inhaled deep relieved Belon understood.

 
      “Umm.” He groggily hummed, as he nudged the side of his head into Enek’s chest, “Is it time to wake?”

 
      “Ssshhhh,” Enek soothingly answered, “Dawn is still far away.”

 
      Ovfren slightly lifted his chin to look at Enek, who when he did, looked back at him. “If only I could always wake as this.”

 
      Enek sighed deeply, as he thought about Ovfren’s comment.

 
      “If you wish it,” he whispered, “In my arms you could always wake back at Ivodgald.”

 
      When Ovfren realized what he said, both eyes opened wide.

 
      “Enek,” he began to speak hesitatingly, careful about how to phrase his words, “I ...”

 
      “Ssssh,” Enek shushed him, “I know.”

 
      Ovfren smiled, as he looked at Enek and raised his body, resting his weight on his elbow.

 
      “I did not speak that I would not,” he whispered, “But I will not deceive you. He has been a part of my life for some time. I do still love him and do not want to hurt him.”

 
      “And what of me?”

 
      “You,” Ovfren’s truth, “Once spoke that I had cast a spell upon you, but it is you who has cast a spell upon me. I do not want to be without you. In truth, I know I cannot be. I love you and it is unlike how I love him.”

 
      “Unlike?” he questioned.

 
      “He is a comfort to me,” Ovfren being still truthful, “Just as I am to him. We are comfortably in love, and enjoy each other, as well as embrace, in that comfort. It was lust for you at first and by no will of my own became more, such that just to have you near me pleases me just as much as you inside me.

 
      Even as haughty as you are, you gave yourself over to me first as a gesture of love, your already love, and it was then that my already love, turned more deeply. ”

 
      Enek kissed his lips tenderly.

 
      “All I ask of you is that there is truth with us, just as it is now,” Enek lovingly said, “And that you truly love me, and not stay with me for the sake of comfort and loyalty.”

 
      “I ask the same of you.”

 
      Again, Enek kissed him before he moved his body flat on the bed and pulled Ovfren closer to him.

 
      “It is time,” he words, as his hand gripped Ovfren’s rear while his other hand dug into his hair.

 
      “Time for what?”

 
      Leaning his head towards Ovfren’s, as his strong hand moved his head forward to meet his lips, he kissed his words into his mouth. “Our eighth.”

**

       Belon eased into bed trying not to wake Aderac, but he should have known he’d awaken.

 
      “Where did you go?” he asked, as he stretched.

 
      “…to speak with Loth.”

 
      “Is all well?”

 
      “As well as it can be for now,” his reply, still slightly concerned, “A servant heard heavy breathing and saw Ovfren sneaking out of the darkness and spoke it to Loth, who knew without question that it was Enek with him.”

 
      Aderac sat slightly up. “What did you do?”

 
      “I spoke with Enek,” he answered, as he moved closer to Aderac, “And revealed a secret passageway in my chamber that Ovfren could come and go without others seeing him.”

 
      “Oooooohh,” Aderac made certain to stretch the word to add inflection, as he looked at him raising one eyebrow inquisitively, “A passageway once well traveled, I gather.”

 
      “Ummhmm.” Belon sounded off, as if reminiscing, “I gather it was.”

 
      Aderac immediately became jealous, and flipped hard onto his side with his back to him go back to sleep. “Hmph”

 
      Belon only laughed while looking over at him. “You knew beforehand that I was one for pleasures.”

 
      Aderac didn’t respond, and instead stayed on his side, but when Belon put his hand on his shoulder and gently turned him, he looked up. “And what are you now?”

 
      “I am still one for pleasures,” he readily answered.

 
      “Oh, are you?” Aderac asked, as he rose slightly giving him another inquisitive look.

 
      “Yes,” Belon answered, and put his hand to his chin, “But from only one.”

 
      Rident, Aderac now turned his whole body to face him. “And your pleasure is me?”

 
      “You, and you alone,” he assured him.

 
      Aderac beamed, as always when Belon spoke to him lovingly, then as he moved his head more to his, he closed his eyes and rubbed his face onto his chin.

 
      “I love the feel of my face to yours, as I rub it along the hair on your chin,” he whispered, then inhaled deep taking in his scent, “And I love how you smell.”

 
      “How I smell? I have been riding and sweating, and did not even wash up before bed.”

 
      “Umm.” Aderac hummed, “And so manly you smell.”

 
      Belon chucked, as Aderac kept sniffing on him, and playfully bit on his nose. “Enough smelling on me, now go to sleep.”

 
      Playfully, Aderac giggled returning Belon’s bite, but on his neck. “Sleep well honey.”

 
      Moving onto his back, with his arm securely wrapped around Aderac, Belon stared at the beams above him and thought of Ogorec, Ovfren, and Enek, troubled that in the end someone would probably be hurt between the three.

 
      He thought of all the seasons that had passed between Ogorec and Ovfren with them contently in love, and how even once he actually paid someone to tempt Ovfren and failed. Yet, as fate would have it, after he had fallen madly in love with another who ruled his heart completely, one who could and did came to WorrlgenHall.

 
      Without even trying, Enek captured part of Ovfren’s heart that once Ogorec completely filled, and if Belon had been the same man from long ago, he would have enjoyed seeing them tormented, but he wasn’t and it saddened him that sometimes love can bond and even severe those seized by it.

 
      As Belon settled down to sleep beside Aderac, he thought of his life with him. Always when he did, it made his heart pound rapidly with exuberant palpations that he could want and love only one, and truly that one.

 
      “I have never known such happiness Aderac,” his whispered words to him, as he contently sighed before he pulled him even closer.

 
      Aderac dug his head into Belon’s upper chest, as his arm and leg found their usual place draped somewhere across his body.

 
      “Nor, have I honey,” his tender returned words, as he kissed underneath Belon’s chin.

**

       Just as planned, King Baric arrived back at WorrlgenHall by mid sun, and as he approached, as soon as Ovfren heard the horns sounding, rushed to the wall to wait for Ogorec.