WORRLGENHALL (81 page)

“
Not for all the gold and most precious stones in the earth,” Aderac averred, “Would he leave Ivodgald.”

King Habjoric laughed and shook his head.

“I gathered such. I would have been a fool not to have tried, but even one touched would know he is indeed bonded here, and to more than just Ivodgald.”

“
Again I ask, what do you mean?”

“
The way he looked at me -” King Habjoric surmised, “That look can only come from one offended by a deed. I am a king, yet his look to me was not of one honored, but one offended.”

Aderac looked at him puzzled, still not following.
“What such deed?”

“
The books,” he answered surprised he didn’t notice, “Your eyes lit and his dulled. I saw it at once.”

Aderac said nothing a
nd kept walking, but as he did, his mind flooded with thoughts of what Belon must have thought while he eagerly thumbed through the books completely ignoring him.

“
Dare you try to keep it hidden?” King Habjoric insightfully knew by how adamantly he averred Belon would not leave Ivodgald, “You cannot Aderac. I have known you since we were very young and you reveal what is within you like open books from your eyes. You are in love with your commander and from the hateful look he gave me about the books, he returns your love, and I shall add this as well. You wear only one wristband that matches the one he wears on his wrist, who would do such a thing if they were not one?”

“
I did not mean to keep it hidden. I was filled with joy to see an old friend and new king,” Aderac revealed, as he looked proudly at Belon’s wristband, “It is true and deeply of us both.”

“
Then why did you shun him?”

“
I did no such thing?” he indignantly denied.

King Habjoric again laughed.
“I have been within these walls all day and you have not gone to him or spoken to him other than in court, and in truth, even in court you did not really speak to him, but so blind are you Aderac. He has been with us all day.”

“
Where?”

“
He lurks in the shadows and keeps himself hidden as he follows us around,” King Habjoric revealed what his guards had told him when they noticed him earlier in the day.

Aderac shook his head upset with himself and realized he had done wrong.

“So happy I was to have you at Ivodgald after so long,” he admitted, “And from it shunned him and our son.”

King Habjoric looked at him with raised curious brows. “
I saw no son sitting beside you.”  

“
Belon has a son,” another proud proclamation. “And I love him as my own.”

“
Much has changed with us both as time has crept upon us.” He nodded pleased.

“
Such is true.”

Again, they walked, but suddenly King Habjoric stopped when he r
emembered something.

“
Oh,” he hinted to Aderac teasingly, “I should warn you. Some with me see him as pleasing to the eyes.”

“
Reveal who, reveal it now?”

Laughing at how instantly alarmed Aderac became, he teased him even more.

“My female servant’s eyes are on your red haired commander. If you are not careful, I am sure at least one of them will be under him, if not kneeling between his legs.”

Aderac
’s face puckered as if he had eaten some very sour.

“
Warn your servants,” Aderac’s threat unmistakably clear, “He has a jealous love that has the power to order heads removed and will easily over his red haired commander.”

His comment made King Habjoric laugh even harder.

“Aderac, Aderac,” he again teased, “You are just as before.”

T
hat night, after Aderac made certain to kiss Ihon goodnight before he went to sleep and explain how busy he had been; once back in their chamber, he darkened it and lit only a few candles that he put alongside their bed; then sprawled his body over it and waited for Belon. 

His body groomed smooth how Belon liked it and completely oiled. He set his mind to please him for half the night; then sleep on top of him, but as he waited, when it began to get late and he had not come to bed, he rose and went to his
door.

“
Have one of the guards’ find where he is,” he ordered, “Say nothing to him, but bring word of it to me.”

As obeyed, a guard reported Belon was in one of the halls drinking alone.

“Where?” Aderac asked, as he dressed.

“
He is in the eastern hall drinking in the far back.”

After he dressed, Aderac walked to the eastern hall; then as he stood at the door, his eyes searched the room looking for Belon and spotted him in the back staring into his cup.

“
That will be all,” Aderac said to his guard.

The
room full of people, as soon as Aderac walked inside. All who were there lowered their heads except Belon.

“
Out all,” Aderac said, with a wave of his hand.

Immediately, everyone scurried to clear the room and once they were alone, Aderac closed the door
and slowly walked over to Belon, but still nursing his full drink and brooding, he didn’t look up.

Knowing Belon
’s weaknesses, tenderly Aderac put his hands into Belon’s hair and massaged his scalp with his fingers, and although he enjoyed it completely, he pretended to ignore it.

“
Belon,” Aderac whispered only to receive silence.

After moving to sit beside him, Aderac rested his head on his arm, then took his hand off his cup and intertwined his fingers between his.

“My Belon,” he whispered, as he now affectionately took his large hand and kissed it, “Why are you not in bed beside me?”

Weakened by the tender way he spoke to him and kissed his hand, Belon couldn
’t bring himself to blatantly ignore him.

“
You cared not for eight nights;” however, he still brooded, “Why is this night set apart?”

Aderac gently touched his face with his hand.

“It is set apart for the reason, I know I have behaved wrong by shunning you and our son,” he humbly answered.

Instantly, Belon raised his he
ad.

“
Our son -” he repeated, as he looked at him lovingly surprised, and although he knew Aderac made sure Ihon had everything he wanted and needed, he never thought Aderac thought of him as his own son.

“
Yes, our son.” Aderac smiled. Bewildered Belon would ever believe he thought anything less, “What did you believe I saw Ihon as? He is my son, as well as yours.”

Belon inhaled pleased and relieved, and always able to speak how he felt truthfully to him, he did just that.

“Such was my fear to have another taken from me,” he voiced his fear, “First by one young, handsome, and untouched and now by a king, who is handsome, well learned, and wealthy. I could not win against the first and now I fear the second. I only know of battles and wars, and have nothing more to offer.”

As his fear pierced his heart, Aderac eyes began to glisten.

“You know how to love with all that is within you,” Aderac replied softly, hurt that he felt that way, “And so tender is your touch upon those you love and fierce is your wrath to those who threaten them. You make me laugh from being happy and in love, and Belon so wonderful is what rests between your thighs, and mine.” 

“
It is not only what rests between my thighs that is yours,” he said, as he looked at him, “It is all of me that is yours.”

“
And it is just as that for me as well.”

“
I was jealous of him,” Belon admitted.

“
I did not see it and now I do,” Aderac softly responded, moving his body closer, “I was wrong for going on and on about him. I will never speak in such way of any ever again.”

An item hidden under his large hand, as Aderac spoke, Belon tried causally
to move it to his belt, but he noticed it.

“
What do you have under your hand?”

“
It is nothing,” Belon answered, still trying to tuck it away.

“
It is something,” Aderac insisted, and held out his hand, “That I want to see.”

Slowly, Belon pulled it from his belt, and after Aderac looked down at it, he looked back at Belon.

“A letter?”

“
I was going to give it to you to read one day,” he revealed, “But when the king brought you the books, I knew mine was nothing.”

“
Never speak lowly of anything you give me,” Aderac lovingly chided, “Even the smallest of things is cherished by me. Where did you get it?”

“
Before my father fell in battle,” Belon answered, “He wrote this for me to remember his last days. I wanted to give it to you to read.”

Truly moved, Aderac took the letter and read some of the words.
“Your father was a high commander?”

“
Yes, and as many great warriors woefully do, died in battle to soon,” Belon answered, as he looked away from Aderac and again into his cup, “It is but a letter and I fear nothing scaled to your gift of books.”

“
This letter,” Aderac said, as he put his hand under Belon’s chin and tenderly moved it so he could look at him, “I shall hold dear to my heart.”

Again, Aderac put his fin
gers in his hair.

“
Your words to me were once this and I shall speak them to you,” he said and leaned over to look right into his face, “He is no longer within me. In truth he never was. You are within me and have been from the first.”

His anxiety and wor
ry now soothe, Belon relaxed when Aderac began to massage his scalp again.  

“
Umm.” A now comforted Belon moaned aloud, pleased.

“
Can you forgive your love?” Aderac whispered.

Already forgiving him, Belon took his hands out of his hair. “
Let us go to bed.”

Aderac
’s grin went wide from ear to ear. “I groomed my body as you like and oiled myself well so that when you came to bed I could please you.”

“
Then let us hurry our steps.” Belon prompted, as he stood and moved to the side to follow Aderac back to their chamber, “Umm, how I enjoy your body even more when it is groomed as I like. Well oiled you shall be again, but we shall please each other.”

As they walked giddy-fully down the hallway, every few hallways Aderac would suddenly stop and face Belon.

“Kiss me Belon, kiss me,” he would lovingly request when he stopped, and Belon would quickly kiss him passionately, then Aderac would walk more and do the same thing until they reached their chamber door.

Once inside, engulfed in passion to their fullest, both had trouble feverishly grabbing onto each other as the oil off Aderac
’s body mixed with their sweat, and again when they tried to tenderly hold each other after they embraced to simply kiss, when they couldn’t, they laughed.

“
Aderac, you are my life,” he whispered, as he looked at him after he laughed.

“
Belon, we are the other’s life,” Aderac whispered back, and closed his eyes waiting for another kiss.

Lovingly, both held each other as they slept, then when Belon
’s eyes opened that morning, not feeling some part of Aderac’s body on him, his heart dropped fearing even after their heartfelt words and passion; he again left without waking him.

“
At last you wake,” Aderac said, while looking over his shoulder from the chamber pot at Belon when he heard him stretching after he woke, then once done he hurried back to bed, “Get out of bed, my sleeping giant.”

After he bounced back into the bed, he put his body c
lose to Belon’s again.

“
I am going sleep in this day,” he said suspecting Aderac would probably want to spend his day with King Habjoric.

“
No you will not,” Aderac chided playfully, then got up and tried to pull him up too, but couldn’t because he was to heavy, so he plopped himself on top of him, “We both shall spend our morning with Ihon, and afterwards I want you by my side in all that I do.”

Hoping that was what Aderac
had wanted to do, because in truth, he wanted to spend time with him alongside his friend, Belon smiled. “And I welcome such.”

Just as Aderac said, they rode and played with Ihon in the morning; and after that Belon stayed close to Aderac while he spent the later part of the day entertaining King Habjoric, making certain whenever possib
le to include him in their conversations.

As all three rode and walked about, King Habjoric asked Belon about his battles as a commander at WorrlgenHall, as well as at Ivodgald, and having never been in battle, he listened intently to Belon
’s every word.