It's Wednesday again and here is the latest installment of Demon. Castien is getting the wrong end of the stick and Tian is being all mature and diplomatic. Baby steps guys
Most of the prompts this week were out because they didn't fit with the world my guys live in, but I figured anyone can go for wine, so I took this prompt
“Father,” she says in a voice that is far more certain than her eyes betray. “Let it be known the demon is here to pay suit to me. Make an announcement to the people that he is an envoy of peace and has made an offer for my hand which I have accepted.”
For a moment, the room is silent, then it erupts into noise, voices speaking all at once, their words overlaid and each of a different flavour.
The king is in favour of the suggestion, already playing over the ramifications and possibilities. He is skilled in the art of politics and, I am sure, sees the same opportunities as I. He yells for a boy to fetch wine and summon his Council.
The queen is concerned only for her children, and voices doubts of a personal nature, while my prince is distraught at the suggestion he might lose me to his sister. His mind is not clear, clouded by the strength of our bond. I appreciate that. It clouds my mind also, but I am highly trained in diplomacy and I am able to see the benefits of the arrangement without allowing personal feelings to intervene.
“I believe there is merit in the proposition.”
Again the room falls silent for a moment. All eyes turn to me and it Is fortunate I am trained for this as each gaze holds its own intensity.
“No.” My prince appears distraught, his eyes wide and bright. For a moment I am lost in them. “You can’t do that. You can’t marry my sister. You can’t. You said you love me. Didn’t you mean it? Is that all I am to you? A political advantage?”
My heart breaks at the anguish in my prince’s voice. It hurts more to know I caused it.
“No one said I was going marry him,” the princess says, spitting out he words as if they were acid on her tongue. “This is for appearances only. Once peace is secured we can announce that the arrangement has been amended. Once there is dialogue between our people ours will be less likely to rebel against your relationship. The Goddess knows why, but the people love Castien and they will accept the situation far more easily than the Council will, once their fear of the demons has been lessened.”
The hope in my prince’s eyes hurts more than the pain. That I have caused such anguish! This is unfair. I should have been give opportunity to speak to my love before I had to speak.
“I love you, and only you, my bonded. From a political perspective an union with your sister is preferable and there is no harm in giving the illusion that this is so. That does not mean I will give up my heart, or any part of it, to her. Neither will I give her my body, which is only for you.”
A delicate pink dusts the pale cheeks of my love. When I take him to my home and we walk beneath the trees, and around the banks of the lake, the sun will put colour there that will not diminish when his embarrassment fades. He is too pale, too timid. That I can remedy.
“I’m sorry,” Castien whispers. “I doubted you. That was wrong.”
“It was natural. Our bond is strong but we still know very little of each other. I would be a fool to expect absolute trust. This will grow as we come to know ourselves and each other.”
Again the pink blush highlights my love’s beauty and my heart warms at the love that shines in his eyes. I ache to touch him, to hold him, to soothe his strained nerves, but that will have to wait. As always with those in our position, the affairs of state must take precedence to affairs of the heart.
The king is already running through the possibilities, working out plans and details. He calls his advisors and I know that very soon I will be thrust into the centre of a diplomatic storm. I appreciate the king is a man of action, that his thoughts become deeds with decision and precision, but he fails to realize how his son suffers when swept up with a course he struggles to understand and is not made to feel an important part of.
“I require time to speak with my bonded.”
At first my request is ignored, as the king in absorbed in his plans. When I repeat louder he stops and gazes at me, surprise in his expression and annoyance in his posture.
“There is no time. The Council will be here very soon and we need to discuss how best to approach the subject.”
“The Council are your problem. You can discuss the proposal without my presence. It would be better, perhaps if you build up to an introduction in any event. I require time to discuss matters with
my beloved before matters proceed, or they will not proceed at all.”
The king glares at me. I meet his gaze projecting a calm I do not feel. It is the queen, however, who steps in and grants my request. We are ushered into an anti room and the door closes on their discussions.
In the silence of the room, my nerve fails me. I let my face fall to my hands and rub my tired eyes. I have swung from emotion to emotion and I am exhausted. I seek a chair in which to collapse, but before I can do so, my beloved’s arms are around me, hugging tight.
“Just hold me,” he says raggedly. “Please, just hold me."
Next week the boys share some love, and they're going to need it to hold on to.
Now go visit the rest of the flashers and find some good quality shorts.
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