Page 16

Chapter Fifteen

T hey did not immediately head off at a gallop, of course. They made their way at a trot out of the stable yard, over the guarded drawbridge, and into the royal park, whose land had been preserved for anyone to ride or walk in. Brannal kicked them into a canter and was leading them in a mostly northern direction, and a little bit to the east. Perian was pretty sure he was getting them out of easy viewing distance of the castle.

Prince Horsey was highly responsive, barely needing Perian to indicate what he wanted to do—or Prince Horsey was just doing what he wanted. But Perian was entirely certain this horse deserved the best gallop ever. Humans weren’t the only ones who grieved, after all, and it must be even more confusing when you didn’t actually know what had happened, and the person you depended on just didn’t come back one day. (Perian knew that feeling. It was an awful feeling.)

Once they were well out in the open, in fields dotted with trees and growing things, Perian couldn’t help himself. He urged Prince Horsey into a gallop as he yelled, “Catch me if you can!” to Brannal as he shot past him.

It became immediately clear that Prince Horsey was an exceptional horse. He didn’t just look pretty, and he wasn’t just fractious in the stables. No, he was, truly, born to run. He surged into the smoothest gallop Perian had ever felt, and Perian threw back his head and whooped with joy.

He was pretty sure Brannal yelled something, but Perian missed it. He leaned low over Prince Horsey’s back and watched as the world flew by around them. Perian hadn’t given a lot of thought to how long he’d been in the castle. Going out into the quadrangle had made it feel as though he was getting outside, and he loved all of the picnics and the time spent out in nature, but it was still surrounded by walls. It had been too long since he’d been in the country and on a horse. It was only dawning on him now just how much he’d missed it.

But… they probably shouldn’t gallop forever. He slowed Prince Horsey to a canter and then took a look around him. Brannal was still following, and his horse was clearly very good, just not as good as Prince Horsey. Perian patted his horse’s neck.

“That was a nice run to get us warmed up, wasn’t it?”

He dropped to a walk until Brannal finally caught up with him. He was looking at Perian with a hilarious mixture of respect and annoyance.

“What was that?” he wanted to know.

“What did it look like?” Perian queried.

“It looked like you were running as though all the demons in the world were chasing you.”

“We were just stretching our legs,” Perian assured him.

“Fire and water,” Brannal cursed. “And also, you are kind of breathtaking, and that was really beautiful to watch.”

Perian grinned at him. “Thank you. Prince Horsey really is amazing.”

“I wasn’t talking about the horse.”

Perian’s grin deepened. “Extra thank you.”

“Do you think we could ride where I don’t feel like I’m running after you the entire time?”

Perian patted Prince Horsey’s neck. “What do you think?” he asked. “Should we restrain ourselves a little?”

Prince Horsey threw back his head and snorted.

Perian eyed Brannal. “As long as you make an effort.”

Brannal shot him a look and nudged his horse into a gallop.

Laughing, Perian and Prince Horsey were after him a moment later. Perian made sure to restrain him a little. He fought a bit at first, but once he understood they were galloping together, he seemed to be all right with it.

Perian took in the countryside as they passed it. He’d never been in the royal park before. Everything was growing, and it made him happy. From time to time, he couldn’t help but look over at Brannal and watch how expertly he handled his horse. Sometimes, their eyes would meet, and they would smile.

Then Perian would have to go back to looking at everything around him, because they weren’t having sex right now, it wasn’t very comfortable to ride a horse with an erection, and that wasn’t what this was about anyway.

Brannal adjusted their trajectory periodically, Prince Horsey following the directions to stay neck-in-neck with the other horse. They eventually approached a stream and slowed to a halt.

“How about a rest, and a drink and some grass for the horses?” Brannal proposed.

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” Perian agreed.

He dismounted and felt a pull in his muscles that reminded him that much as he rode frequently at home, it had been a while since he’d been home. But he was sure it was going to be worth it. Galloping on a horse like that was as close to flying as Perian would ever experience, and he loved it.

He patted Prince Horsey on the neck.

“Thank you so much for the amazing ride. Would you like to get a drink and maybe graze for a little while? Has to be nicer than just being in a stall in the stables, right?”

Prince Horsey seemed amenable to this change. Perian was sure he simply enjoyed being out. Brannal led his own horse to the water, and both drank thirstily.

“What’s his name?” Perian asked.

“Warrior,” Brannal answered.

Perian eyed him. “Not Mage Warrior?”

Brannal rolled his eyes. “The Princess named him, too. She was four and had very decided opinions.”

Perian laughed, loving the fact that Brannal had let the Princess name his horse.

“Did she name all the horses?”

“Several of them.” He was silent for a moment, and then admitted, “Cormal’s horse is named Fireball.”

Perian burst into laughter, which made both horses look at him, but they subsided when they saw it was just him being ridiculous. He could not help but laugh and laugh. He had absolutely nothing to say about that, nothing at all. Brannal’s lips had tipped up, but he didn’t say anything either about just how fitting that name was for that particular Mage Warrior.

“Would you like to sit?” Brannal gestured at a shaded spot under a tree.

Nodding, Perian added, “Though I don’t much fancy running after Prince Horsey if he decides he’s going to bolt.”

Brannal shook his head. “I’ll corral him if needed. But he likes you. I think he’d do it to anyone else, but I don’t think he’d do it to you.”

Perian hoped Brannal was right, but he’d momentarily forgotten that the other man could throw up a shield or create a wind or whatever was needed to stop a horse.

Reassured, he sat down under the tree.

“Thanks for this. It was a great idea.”

“I’m glad,” Brannal said, admitting, “It struck me how long it had been since you’d last been outside.”

Perian smiled softly. “Yes, exactly that. The quadrangle helps tremendously. But I’m typically out a lot more frequently when I’m home.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Absolutely,” Perian admitted.

Brannal nodded, expression a little wistful.

“Except for the parts that I don’t miss at all,” Perian added.

This made Brannal laugh.

Perian smiled at him, shrugging. “Like anything, I suppose, there are good parts and less good parts. I mean, I grew up there, it’s where I have all my memories of my father. It was mostly just the two of us, but there was always something to do.”

He told Brannal about the swimming, riding, reading, and so much more.

“It was all the childhood that I knew, of course. I had other ideas from books, but it seemed like my life was exactly what it was supposed to be, you know? It didn’t occur to me to want anything else until much later. I could wish I’d had more people my own age, but had that been the case, I might not have had such a close relationship with my father. I don’t remember ever being unhappy as a child.”

He was so very grateful for all the time they’d had together, before it had been cut short.

Brannal was nodding, and after a moment, he said carefully, “Would it be rude to ask about your mother?”

Perian shook his head. “Oh, no. She died when I was a baby, so I don’t remember anything about her.” He thought for a moment. “I miss the idea of her, and I’m sad she died, of course, but it doesn’t feel like she was ever a part of my life. It was much harder on my father. He was a merchant, you see, and he decided to retire and move out to the country with my mother so that we could all live together. Only then she died, and it was just the two of us. He always said it was exactly like he wished it to be, but I can’t help thinking that wasn’t entirely true.”

“I’m sure he loved spending time with you,” Brannal said gently.

His expression was very earnest, and Perian couldn’t help but be touched.

“He always said he did,” he agreed, smiling at the memory. It was bittersweet. “But I feel sometimes like I was preventing him from maybe meeting someone else, you know?”

Brannal’s expression was soft. “He didn’t have visitors?”

Perian shook his head. “Not really. It was truly mostly just the two of us. Given how many people are here in the castle to ensure it stays running, that must seem like a very weird arrangement, but we were the only two who lived there all the time.” Perian squinched up his eyes and thought. “Actually, I might have had a nanny or nursemaid when I was very little; I have some vague memories. By the time I have consistent memories, it was just me and my father. We had a housekeeper, steward and cook, cleaners and gardeners, stable hands, tutors when I was younger, but none of them lived in. They all had their own homes, some of them leased from my father, some of them owned.”

“So, he was a successful merchant?”

Perian nodded. “Yes, he did very well.”

“Did he want you to follow in his footsteps?” Brannal asked curiously.

Perian shook his head, then amended, “I mean, he would have been happy if that’s what I wanted to do, I’m sure, but he always said the most important thing was family. He valued the time we spent together, and he didn’t want to push me off into the world. I’m so grateful, now, for all the time we had together. Neither of us expected him to be gone by the time I was eighteen.”

“Oh, Perian,” Brannal said gently, “I’m so sorry.”

He reached out and clasped Perian’s arm.

Perian nodded, swallowing against the lump in his throat. “It’s, uh, it was hard. Being alone in the world.”

“Yes, it is,” Brannal agreed. Perian looked at him, and he continued quietly, “I showed up here a twelve-year-old orphan. Demons overran our farm. I manifested fire for the first time, but it was too late to save them.”

Perian sucked in a breath sharply and covered Brannal’s hand with his own. “Brannal.”

He shook his head. “It’s fine. It happened a long time ago.” But he flipped his hand so that he could twine their fingers together. “But if we’re lucky, we find people so we’re not so alone anymore.”

Perian clasped those fingers perhaps a little bit harder than was strictly necessary.

“That’s very true,” he said, voice thick. “We do that.”

Perian hadn’t really had anyone before he came here to the castle. And that was all thanks to Brannal finding him and choosing to help him—and then deciding he wanted to keep him. Not like keep keep him, Perian was aware this wasn’t permanent, but at least keep him temporarily. And that had led Perian into the sphere of a lot more people, and with a few notable exceptions, they really seemed to like him.

“I’m so glad to be here,” he whispered, feeling like it needed to be said.

Brannal squeezed his hand gently. “I’m so glad you’re here, too.”

They just sat there for a little while, in the shade of the tree, as the horses grazed and the world moved quietly around them. There were no other people, the sounds were all those of nature. Perian really did like the hustle and bustle of the castle as opposed to constant solitude, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t nice to have some quiet peace sometimes as well.

It was actually Prince Horsey who decided they were done, coming over from his grazing and nudging at Perian. He looked up at that big face, and imagined he looked impatient.

“Oh, is that it? I’d better get riding again or you’re going to just leave?”

Prince Horsey nudged him again. Laughing, Perian and Brannal rose to their feet.

“I really don’t fancy running after him,” Perian admitted, “not even if you have the best corralling skills in the world.”

“I do seem to remember the Queen threatening to throw you in the dungeon if anything went wrong,” Brannal pointed out. “I think it might be better to try to avoid that.”

Perian made a horrified face. “Thanks for reminding me!”

Brannal just laughed, and for that, as soon as Perian was in the saddle, he nudged Prince Horsey into a gallop.

He thought he might have heard Brannal swear, and then they were gone, too far away to hear anything. Perian yelled out for joy once again, loving the way Prince Horsey stretched himself to the utmost, how he could move with such speed and energy as though there was nothing in the world he liked so much as this.

Mindful of the fact they were heading back to the stables and he wasn’t sure what sort of mood Prince Horsey was going to be in when he got there, Perian didn’t let him gallop madly for too long. He allowed Brannal and Warrior to catch up with them once again, and they headed the last distance at a trot, letting Prince Horsey get his breath back and ensuring he didn’t show up in the stable in a sweaty lather that might make everyone think Perian had mistreated him.

This had been the best ride ever, and Perian would very much like to be able to do it again—as well as not wanting to wind up in the dungeon—so it seemed wise to make it clear everything had gone well.

They garnered a fair bit of attention coming back into the stable yard, but Perian had been mostly expecting it. He wasn’t sure if they were surprised by the horse or Perian—or maybe the fact Perian was still on top of the horse. He patted Prince Horsey’s neck.

“You were amazing,” Perian told him. “Thank you very much for taking me for such an enjoyable ride.”

Prince Horsey still seemed full of energy but also more relaxed. Perian was pretty sure the horse had enjoyed this as much as Perian had.

“We’d better get you cleaned up,” he said, “or you’re not going to want to do it ever again.”

Unsurprisingly, Prince Horsey was not delighted by the idea of anyone but Perian doing that cleaning up, but he didn’t mind. He’d done most of the work with his own horses back home, and he’d been happy to do it. You had the best experience with your animals when you did everything with them.

Perian pulled off the saddle and blanket and handed them off to a stable hand, removed the bridle, and then set to work brushing Prince Horsey down and telling him what a good horse he was and what a pretty horse he was and how Perian hoped they could continue to be friends and would get to do this again in the future.

“Is that how you charm the horses?” Brannal asked. “Give lots of compliments?”

He was doing the same work with Warrior in a stall a couple over from Prince Horsey.

Perian shrugged. “I like to acknowledge when awesome things are awesome. I don’t see the point of not sharing it when I’m thinking it.”

Brannal raised an eyebrow, and there was something like a pout on his face. “Do I take this to mean you don’t think I ’m awesome?”

Perian could only laugh. “I actually thought I was rather clear on my appreciation of you, but I can definitely be more explicit if you’d like.”

One of the stable hands who was nearby practically asphyxiated on their own spit laughing and then trying not to look like they were laughing when Brannal eyed them. Perian hadn’t actually meant that , but he recognized how it had sounded. He gave Brannal a saucy wink, and Brannal smiled at him, though there was a little color in his cheeks. Perian went back to the horse, feeling lighter than air.

He made sure Prince Horsey got oats to eat and was comfortable in his stall.

“You could try being a little nicer to everyone,” Perian told him. “They’re just doing their jobs. I’m sure everyone respects the fact that you’re picky about who you want to ride you, but no one wants to get trampled just because they’re trying to do their job.”

Prince Horsey threw up his head, snorted, and tossed his mane around.

“Oh, just because I rode you once, you don’t think I should dictate how you want to live your life?” There was another laugh behind Perian, but he didn’t mind. “Fine, fine, you’re your own horse, and you can live however you want. I’m going to try to come back as soon as I can, tomorrow or the next day, as long as the Queen doesn’t decide to throw me in the dungeon.”

Prince Horsey nickered and showed his teeth.

“Hey, are you laughing at me?” Perian asked, laughing himself. “I’ll have you know that if I’m in the dungeon I can’t ride you and feed you oats, so I don’t think you should be quite so excited about that. I might even bring treats when I come back if you don’t laugh at me anymore.”

Brannal snorted. “All right, come on, before you promise him the entire kitchen.”

“Just a small portion of the kitchen,” Perian said, giving Prince Horsey a last caress on his velvety nose before letting Brannal tug him out of the stables.

“Thanks everyone,” Perian said in general.

He wasn’t sure which of them had actually helped, he’d been concentrating too much on Prince Horsey. He got a few nods, a few people still staring at him like he didn’t totally make sense, and a few who just went about their job because that was exactly what they were supposed to be doing.

“Thanks again for suggesting this,” Perian said once they were heading back into the castle. “It was great.”

“It didn’t go exactly the way I thought it would,” Brannal said with a smile, “but it really was enjoyable. There aren’t a lot of people who leave me in the dust.”

Perian laughed at him. “Are you saying you’re not used to losing?”

There was still an amused quirk at the corner of Brannal’s lips. “No, I’m saying there are times I’m happy to lose.”

Perian sucked in a breath, and his smile came out a little wobbly. What a nice thing to say to him. It had occurred to Perian more than once that Brannal was Summus and didn’t answer to very many people, and maybe Perian was a little much with his opinions and his irreverence and his insistence on doing this his way.

But he was pretty sure that was a very clear way of saying that Brannal didn’t mind one bit.

“Hungry?” Brannal asked.

Perian nodded, patting his stomach which chose that moment to grumble loudly.

“Very.”

It felt like a lot of hours since the picnic—or the biscuit with the Queen. Perian thought it entirely possible that biscuits with royalty when you were nervous didn’t actually feed you, they just sort of disappeared into nothing.

They swung by the kitchen, and Brannal asked for dinner before they headed back to his rooms.

“I think we should get cleaned up,” he said. “We smell like horse.”

Perian laughed. “Is that not a smell you enjoy?”

“In the stables, yes. In my bedroom, not so much.”

Perian grinned. “That’s perfectly fair.” He hesitated for a moment, as he remembered what had happened the last time they’d had a bath together. “How about you go first, and I’ll bathe afterwards?”

Brannal stared at him for a long moment before he said, “How about we bathe together?”

Perian swallowed. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Are you saying you can’t keep your hands to yourself?”

“My hands, yes. Other parts might get a little more excited.”

“I told you I didn’t mind that,” Brannal said mildly. “Unless you’d prefer not.”

Perian said, “No, that’s fine.”

He hoped it was fine. He’d never pressure Brannal deliberately, but he didn’t want to inadvertently pressure him either. But he’d made his preference clear, and one or the other of them could always get out of the water and try again later if needed.

Perian stripped off, and Brannal did the same. He tried not to stare too much. He was going to see Brannal naked in the bath, and he’d seen him naked before, but it still felt a bit different, the first time they’d been totally naked together since the night that sex had gone wrong.

Perian got the bath started, and a few minutes later, they climbed into the tub. They were both aroused, but it wasn’t like arousal automatically meant they had to do anything about it.

“How about you lean against me this time,” Brannal suggested.

Perian happily complied, eager to do anything to ensure Brannal stayed comfortable. Perian could feel Brannal’s cock pressed up against his ass, which would be even nicer if they were going to do something about it, but Brannal didn’t seem self-conscious, at least. And this way, Brannal didn’t have to feel Perian’s cock, which hopefully put him at ease.

Leaning back on Brannal’s chest, Perian relaxed in the water.

“You don’t wear one.”

It took a moment for Perian to realize Brannal was indicating the talisman bag he’d taken off before getting into the bath. They were filled with earth, so they didn’t mix well with water.

“No,” he agreed. “I know most people do. But my father always used to say the nightmares were meant to keep the nightmares away, and we had nothing to fear from them as far out as we were.”

Brannal was silent for a moment. “And did you always have good dreams?”

Perian huffed a laugh. “You know, I always did. I don’t remember a single bad one, except right after my father died. That one was a nightmare for sure.”

Fire and screaming and so much smoke… Yes, it had definitely been a nightmare.

Brannal’s hand pressed against his chest, a warm and soothing weight over his heart.

“I’m sorry.”

Perian swallowed. “Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “I just never got in the habit, even after he died. Didn’t see a reason to change, I suppose.”

“And no more nightmares?”

Perian shook his head. “No.”

“Then it seems like you’re doing something right.”

Perian could only hope so.

“Let’s get rid of that horse smell,” Brannal finally said.

They soaped up and scrubbed themselves clean. They kept their hands to themselves, which wasn’t quite as fun but which respected Brannal’s limits. Once they were clean, Brannal urged Perian to lean back against him again. He wrapped an arm around him.

“Is this all right?” he murmured against Perian’s hair.

“Very all right,” Perian responded.

They might not have sex, but there still seemed to be this closeness, and that meant a lot to Perian. He stayed cradled against Brannal and basked in the hot water and the company. Perian was very glad Brannal had suggested it. But both of their stomachs were making periodic rumbling noises of hunger.

Eventually, Brannal sighed. “Dinner is probably out there.”

“Very true. Although we could eat it cold.”

“Also true,” Brannal agreed, and Perian could hear the smile in his voice. And the continued rumbling. “But our stomachs might revolt.”

They climbed out of the water, toweled off, and dressed in sleep trousers and shirts. They ate dinner, talking about nothing in particular, and it was casual and relaxed.

“So, you’d like to keep riding?” Brannal asked.

“Oh, very much so,” Perian enthused. “And I would definitely like to keep riding Prince Horsey if I’m allowed to do that.”

“I’ll confirm with the Queen tomorrow. I don’t think it will be a problem.”

“Thank you.”

Perian thought his chat with the Queen had gone extremely well, all things considered, but that didn’t mean he wanted to have more conversations with her if he didn’t need to. She’d actually seemed pretty all right, but Perian didn’t want to push his luck. Brannal was used to talking to the Queen.

“And did you mind more company, or would you prefer to wander free?”

Perian refocused on Brannal. “Well, I don’t want just any company.”

Brannal smiled at him. “I will work rides into our schedule.”

“Excellent.”

Perian knew that meant a lot more rearranging on Brannal’s side than Perian’s, but it caused a warm glow in his chest to know that the other man was willing to figure out ways they could spend more time together. Perian wouldn’t give up his time with Renny, but otherwise, he was totally free.

After dinner, Brannal proposed reading by the fire, and Perian was delighted to discover this meant cuddling while reading by the fire. It was the perfect way to end the evening, even if he didn’t actually end up reading very much.

Brannal nudged him. “I’m going to think this is just an excuse to be close to me.”

“Who says it’s not?” Perian asked a bit sleepily, then frowned and half-lifted his head off Brannal’s shoulder. “Is that all right?”

Brannal wrapped an arm around him and hugged him closer. “Perfectly all right.”

Perian sort of drowsed next to the other man. He could do some reading in the morning, maybe, if he wanted. It definitely felt like he was making the best possible use of his time right now.

Eventually, Brannal said, “All right, time for bed.”

Perian let Brannal guide him as he had before, until they were both tucked up together, and Perian fell asleep.