Tryst Part 2
"You go," his older brother leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes at Heero. "I have things to do."
Heero bit his lip. He knew that his father had placed his older brother in charge of the manor and lands before he'd left. His brother should be the one out searching. Not to mention the fact that it was his horse and not Heero's that had vanished from the stable.
"It might have been stolen." He countered.
"Father would want us to search before accusing someone of theft," his brother replied and Heero sighed internally. That was true enough, but-
"Maybe a search party-"
"In the forest? At night? You'd never get the men to go with you. They'd be afraid the fae would carry them off." His brother chuckled. "You, on the other hand, the fae returned, so you should be safe enough. They obviously didn't want you."
Heero forced himself not to reply to the insult. That had been weeks ago- the mark had faded- he'd proved his wits weren't addled- but as long as his brother kept bringing it up no one would ever forget.
"All right," he said and got to his feet.
"Don't forget to take a cloak- it's raining out there." His brother smiled, his attention wandering away from Heero and focusing on one of the serving girls across the hall.
So that was his 'things to do', Heero hid his frustration and headed for the door. He wished his father was home, he would've sent out several men to look for the horse. Including the horse's owner- their father was very strict about that sort of thing.
Wrapping his cloak around himself, he left the hall, taking a lantern with him. It was dark and the rain was falling in sheets. The wind was cold, blowing the rain droplets against his face. The small lantern flickered in the wind- it didn't cast more than a small circle of light as it was and the wind was making it worse. He'd have to run into the damn horse to find it.
For a moment he was tempted to make his way to the stables and find a warm corner to tuck himself into for a few hours. Though with his luck, he'd be found out and reported to his brother.
Who wouldn't miss the opportunity to 'teach him a lesson'. Since he still had bruises from the last one, he wasn't tempted to risk it again.
He crossed the rain-soaked courtyard and made his way out of the front gate. The horse wouldn't have headed towards the village- if it had someone would've brought it back already. So that, as his brother had pointed out, left the forest.
By the time he stepped past the first towering trees, his cloak was soaked, his lantern even dimmer than before, and he could feel the water seeping past his shirt to chill his skin. At least under the trees the rain was lighter, the branches offering some protection from the water if not the wind.
Still, the forest was huge- if the horse had run off in here, how was he going to find it? He didn't quite dare to leave the path... He wandered down it, lantern held as high as he could, calling out occasionally- hoping the horse wasn't that far away-
"You look lost," said a familiar voice in his ear. He whirled and found himself once again face to face with the fae he'd met before. It- he- looked amused, his eyes crinkled at the corners, lips curving in a warm smile. "And you also look a little damp. Why are you out courting illness on a night like this?"
Maybe the fae would help him? He seemed nice enough last time. "My brother's horse is missing."
"And he sent you out to find it? Alone? In the rain?"
Heero nodded and the fae rolled his eyes. "He must not have much love for you, to be so careless with your safety." He stepped closer, his hand reaching out to wipe the water off of Heero's cheek. "Luckily for you, I am not so careless."
Before Heero could answer, the earth under his feet seemed to tilt and his eyesight blurred. Was he already ill from being soaked?
"Here we go," the fae said in a satisfied tone. "Isn't this better?"
Heero blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes. The rain seemed to have stopped and the air was much warmer. His sight cleared and his jaw dropped in surprise. Instead of a rain-soaked glade, he now stood in a warm dark room of some sort. There were dim lights on the walls, which seemed to hide more than reveal anything.
"Hm, I think it should be warmer." The fae said and a fire suddenly sprung to life on a stone hearth beside them. "Now, out of those wet clothes." Warm fingers brushed against his throat, untied his cloak, jostling his own fingers out of the way. "No, no, let me. You're nearly frozen."
The cloak was removed from his shoulders, the lantern pried from his frozen fingers. "Sit down," the fae said kindly and pushed him gently down on the stones beside the fire. When the fae knelt down in front of him, his hands tugging at one of Heero's boots, Heero finally protested.
"You shouldn't- I can do that milord. Please-"
"You're half frozen." The fae batted Heero's hands out of the way again. He glanced up through his bangs and smiled. "Trust me- you can return the favor later."
His soaking boots and stockings pulled off, his wet shirt replaced by a warm blanket- it happened so quickly that Heero couldn't protest again. Besides, it was nice to be warm- he hadn't realized quite how cold he'd gotten.
The fae sat down on the stones, a lean warm length pressed against his side. "Better?" He asked and Heero nodded quickly.
"Yes, thank you, milord-"
"I'm not a lord," the fae smiled, his eyes twinkling. "Not as you mean, anyway."
"Then-" Heero stopped himself. He knew the fae didn't give their names away to mere mortals. "What- what should I call you?"
The fae regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, his unusual eyes gone dark and still. "You can call me Duo. That name will do as well as any other."
"Ah-" Heero wasn't sure his etiquette lessons had covered this situation. "Well, you know my name-"
"I do- but will you gift me with it?"
Blinking, Heero wondered what he meant. "Of course- I owe you- I would've frozen out there looking for my brother's horse-"
"So you would've. Considering it's safe in the back of the stable."
"What?" Heero sat upright. "It is- oh-" A sudden thought occurred to him. "Did you...?"
Duo shook his head. "Not me. It was there before you left- or so the wind said."
The wind said? Then again, Duo was fae... who knew what he could talk to? Heero sighed. "I should've known it was one of his jokes. That's very like him."
"No," Duo leaned closer, his heavy braid of hair sliding over his shoulder to brush against Heero's hands. "I do not think your brother is fond of you. I would walk wary around him if I were you."
Despite the warm blanket around him and the blaze at his back, Heero shivered. "You think-"
"It's only speculation, of course. But- you should be careful."
"I will be.... Thank you. I can't repay you for all of this help-"
"But you can." Duo leaned closer still, his lips nearly touching Heero's. "Surely you haven't forgotten how you paid me the first time? That coin is still good- should you choose to use it again."
Heero remembered all too well- his blood grew hot at the memory. It was his turn to learn forward- just enough.
Once again, his mouth was claimed and his soul seemed to catch fire. Duo tumbled him down off of the hearthstones and onto something softer than a featherbed. Gentle hands caressed him, removed the confining blanket, made him arch in a longing he couldn't identify.
"Give me your name..." Duo murmured in his ear. "Please..." Heero gasped his name and felt Duo laugh against his skin in response. "Mine...." he heard the fae murmur. "Mine at last...."
TBC...
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