Defiance Ch. 08

"Nothing at all." Tate said numbly. "Do with me as you will, there's nothing I can do to stop you."

He grunted as a hand wound through his hair and pulled his head back. He caught Ralen's wrist but he didn't try to dislodge his hold. "Do with you as I will?" The lord repeated, making it into a question. "And what if I should decide to keep you, what if I should decide to use you before I pass you onto your prince? What then?"

"If you do," Tate began and he felt a moment of calm as he released the other man's wrist. "If you do I'll tell him. I swear to the gods that I will! And I'm sure you can imagine what his reaction will be."

He tensed as he waited for the other man to strike him down. When he felt soft lips pressed against his Tate's heart began hammering in his chest. He was sure his threat would have worked! But the kiss ended quickly and the other man was smiling when he pulled back. "I think that perhaps I'll request to have you once the prince has had his fill." His smile grew wider. "You're a devious little beast aren't you? Well we'll see how well you cope in court. We leave on the morrow." He ran a light caress over Tate's cheek. "Enjoy the garden Tate. It may be a while before you're let back off a leash."

**********

Tanis waited impatiently in lord Ralen's foyer. They had been left to their own devices for too long and Tanis was eager to collect his prize and go. When at last Ralan came into greet them the other man was dressed in finery that far surpassed Tanis's dirt streaked travelling clothes. He could have cared less though. He wasn't there to impress a know nothing lord.

"My prince," The other man said mildly, performing a small bow. "What a pleasure." His tone indicated it was anything but pleasant to have them there. "How might I assist?"

"Sources tell me that you have managed to acquire something that belongs to me." The information had been fairly easy to find out. Apparently the woman that had been murdered was spotted bringing a gypsy to the lord's home not long before she was found dead. A jittery and bruised young whore had been happy to part with information regarding the tracker and Tate, all he asked for in return was a few meagre coins and assurances that Tate would not be harmed.

"I hasten to question my princes sources but I have no property in this household that isn't rightfully mine." His smile was relentless as he sat down, unbidden before his prince. "Perhaps if you tell me what you lost I might be able to help retrieve it for you."

"I've very little patience for this Ralan." Tanis said, too weary for courtly drivel. "You have the half-breed. He was stolen from me and I want him back."

"My my Tanis," The smile on the others man's face was hideous. "If I didn't know any better I would have thought I was talking to your brother." His smile widened. "If I did have Hasin's bastard I would hardly feel obliged to just hand him over to you. As far as I'm aware our people do not tolerate slavery and the boy has yet to be accused of any crime. If he was here, and you understand that I'm not saying he is of course, then I would not have do anything, especially give him to you."

"You're playing a very dangerous game Ralan."

The other man shrugged and stood up. "That's the difference between us my prince, I'm not playing." He gestured towards the door. "If there isn't anything else?"

"No," Tanis said stiffly. "Thank you for your time, my lord."

"My pleasure, Prince Tanis."

***********

Tate said quietly in the lavish carriage and forced himself to release the death hold on his brightly coloured trousers. Ralan stepped in a moment later, dressed impeccably in a dark grey tunic and trousers. His warrior knot was tied tightly as the base of his neck and he held a solid oak cane in his hand that had the head of a roaring lion.

Tate's hand went subconsciously to his own hair. It fell loose and straight to his shoulders, so dark and blatantly foreign. It had grown so long and he had never once thought to cut it. How must he look, dressed as a tinker and wearing his hair free and wild. He wanted to braid it but the smug look the lord gave him made his cheeks burn and he let his hand drop onto his lap

Ralan tapped the carriage roof and it began to move immediately. After a moment Tate pulled aside the small red curtain that blacked the window and peered outside. He tried to make it look casual but he wasn't fooling anyone. "You see my guards don't you?" Ralan asked good naturedly. Four warriors, all of them in their thirties and all of them were staring fiercely back at him. How could he not see them? "Don't try anything foolish half-breed."

Tate let the curtain fall back into place and sat back. How long would it take to reach the city of kings? One day, two perhaps. He wanted to know but he couldn't bear to ask Ralan. His entire body twitched with the need to run, to keep moving. He wondered if he could overpower the lord. He had been trained after all, even if he had never accomplished much on the training fields.

"I wonder what he'll say when he first see's you." Ralan said suddenly and Tate's head whipped up in alarm. "What do you suppose he'll do to you?"

He stared expectantly at Tate, he actually wanted an answer. "I suppose you'll find out." Tate said at last. He lifted his chin and met the other mans gaze steadily. "I won't let him destroy me."

"Ah, I knew the meekness was all an act. You're quite the hellcat. Perhaps you might survive Tanis, though I very much doubt it."

"What do you know of survival?" Tate hissed, "You fought a battle perhaps, managed to earn your first blood? Well doesn't that make you quite the man! A snobbish lord who has so many servants that he doesn't even know how to scratch his own wrinkled arse!"

He had a moment to curse himself and his flapping tongue before the cane caught him squarely in the stomach. He pitched forward and felt a firm hand on the back on his neck. His legs were kicked out beneath him and he fell onto his backside. "Why don't you spend the rest of the trip on the floor?" Tate flinched as a soft hand patted his head. "There's a good slave."

He pressed his fist into his mouth and willed himself not to speak. Stupid bravado only caused pain. He knew that now and he thought he might need all of his limbs and strength if he was going to survive.

**********

Lukas kept his head high and his expression stern as they walked the length of the city, but it wasn't long before somebody recognised him and his brother for what they really were. He felt a firm hand on his arm and was pulled into an alley before he had time to protest. He was knocked up against a wall and a moment later his brother was pushed up beside him. They both tensed, positive that they were about to join the others in the cadges when they noticed the smiles the men around them were sporting. Lukas looked more closely, he imagines hair braided and decorated with charms, darkened eyes and tinker bracelets. "Thank the gods," He gasped, sagging back in relief.

"The gods haven't been kind of late but thanking them can't exactly hurt can it." The older man was tall and thin, with ash coloured hair and light grey eyes. He smiled tiredly as he offered Lukas his hand. They shook, clasping one another's hand firmly. It had been too long since Lukas had clapped eyes on a potential friend and he was relieved beyond words. Robert stepped forward then. He offered his own hand but he didn't smile or speak to the older man. He stepped back quickly, fidgety and agitated as he looked back towards the city streets. "You and your friend should be more careful."

"Don't we know it?" Lukas said with a tired smile. "My name is Lukas; this is my younger brother Robert. Our family were brought in today with Prince Tanis's train."

"I am called Adam," he gestured towards his four comrades. "This is Mikard, Stephen, Joseph, and Rowan. There are more of us hiding in the sewers, all of us from different tribes. I saw your people come in. How many are in your tribe?"

"Some twenty of us. The others were picked up before and after ours. We haven't been able to get close enough to count how many he's captured all together."

The other man growled low in his throat. "We've managed to count over sixty. Many of them are women and children. We expect they've killed off most of the men and elderly. The young men and women are not in a good way. The soldier's have-" He stopped for a moment, his face draining of colour. "They've violated many of our youths and girls."

"Bastards!" Robert snarled, causing all of them to turn to look at him. He lashed out and punched the nearest wall. Blood began dripping down his hands as he lifted his finger and jabbed Lukas in the chest. "I told you! I told you what they were doing to them, to our sisters, to our brother! Damn it you stupid fool, this is your fault, all of it is your fault!" He drew back his fist again but this time he wasn't aiming for the wall. Lukas knocked his younger brother's hand away at the last possible moment and then weeks of anger and frustration and fear overwhelmed him and he balled up his own fist and struck his brother across the face. Robert fell back, his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed.

He looked back at his shocked new comrades faces and raised his hands beseechingly. "It is a very long story."

"Well then pick up your brother and tell us of it." Said Adam.

Lukas did as he was bid but he had a feeling that after he was done with his story the others wouldn't be so keen to keep company with Lukas.

**********

They had made a decision but it lay heavily with Tanis. How many more lives was he going to sacrifice to save his own? It should not have mattered to him that gypsies' were being rounded up and disposed of, everyone knew that they were vermin, and it should not bother him that he was about to kill Lord Ralan, the man was bringing it down on himself, but like so many things in Tanis's life he couldn't help but wonder if he was making the right choice. Why did his life matter more than theirs?

He saw Ralen's carriage riding towards them, guarded by two men, both of them young, robust and armed. They would not be easily taken down but Tanis was willing to bet that he and Kenner's had the greater skill. They stayed in the middle of the road, waiting as the coach pulled up before them. Lord Ralan was already leaning out, scowling at the delay. He saw Tanis and shook his head irritably. "By what right do you halt us?" He asked furiously.

"As I said before my lord, you have something that belongs to me."

"And as I said before I assure you that I do not."

Tanis smiled at him. "Then open the carriage and allow me to look inside."

The lords' own cocky grin was beginning to slip away. "You do not have the right." He said, sounding confident.

"I am your prince and I am commanding you to open the carriage!" He had not meant to shout but his temper was quickly fraying. He did not wish to kill Ralan, nor his unfortunate guards and driver but if the other man didn't relent soon he was going to do just that, because what other choice did he have? He was beginning to realise that self preservation could do a lot to twist a man's conscious.

"If I don't?" Ralan asked contemptuously.

"Do you really want to find out?" Kener asked, smiling lazily, looking as if he was about to doze off.

Ralan looked between them for a moment and then back at his own guards. He smiled suddenly and shrugged. "Very well then Tanis, it appears that I am beaten." He sighed dramatically. "You take away all the fun in life lad."

He moved back inside his carriage and Tanis and Kener both tensed, expecting him to attack. But then he flung a brightly coloured figure out of the carriage and onto the dirt floor. The half-blood let out a quiet grunt as he hit the ground. Ralan looked down at him and shook his head resignedly. "How close I was to such acclaim." He smiled abruptly. "Ah well, I shall carry on ahead as planned. I wish to see the outcome of this little play. Farewell Lord Tate and may the gods have mercy on you." He turned back to Tanis and bowed. "And to you my prince, good luck buying your life with my party favour."

"Be gone." Kener growled at him, fingering his blade carefully as Ralan disappeared inside his carriage with a flourished wave.

He jumped off his horse and sheathed his blade when the carriage was a safe distance away. "Lord Tate," He began tentatively as he stepped up to the other man's hunched over form. Tate was smaller than he expected him to be. Barron Hasan was a great bear of a man and so were his other sons. Tanis could only presume that Tate had taken after his mother for his slightness and height. The half-blood soft brown hair lay loose and free down his back and shoulders, covering his face like a veil as he stared down at the ground. His shoulders were a comely bronze colour, unlike anything Tanis had ever seen before. He stepped closer and eased down onto his knees beside the elder man. He noticed that the half-blood was cradling his left arm. "Are you hurt?" He asked awkwardly.

He was shocked by the bitter laughter he heard but he pushed his surprised away quickly and reached towards the other man. He caught a glimpse of his Tate's face when the other man flinched away from him. "Don't!" He said, not a command but a plea. "Please, just allow me a moment."

Tanis leaned back on his haunches and waited. He resisted the urge to push Tate's hair back from his face and study the exquisite features he had momentarily glimpsed. He reasoned that he was about to destroy the other man's life. The least he could do was offer him a few moments to collect himself.

"All right." Tate said suddenly and he rose so quickly that Tanis was left scrambling up after him. "I'm ready."

Tanis took in the hollow eyes, the broken arm and the willowy frame and it struck him suddenly how very little Tate was ready for what was about to happen to him. But what is one more soul compared to the dozens I've already sacrificed for my own? He thought miserably as he shepherded the elder man up onto his horse. He climbed up behind Tate's slight frame and tried not to think about how good it felt to have the other man in his arms. Dangerous thoughts, he decided as he spurred the horse forward, dangerous and incredibly stupid. The important thing now was getting him to the palace and handing him over to Christian. Then his own life was be secured and he could finally rid himself of the death threat lingering over his head.

He just hoped he would be able to live with himself when it was all over.

***********

He had surrounded himself with beautiful, exotic men, each one of them more pleasing to the eye than the last. They catered to his every whim, they offered him everything he desired and they did it gladly. They adored him, they respected and wanted him. So then why did the great open void in his chest refuse to close? Why couldn't he allow himself the contentment he so badly yearned for? For the god's sake, he was going to be king one day! Why did one man affect him so much?

It all came back to the bastard, that small, unimportant creature that should not have mattered. Christian had had many lovers in his young life and none of them had held his interest for long. Did he want Tate so badly just because he couldn't have him or was there more to it? Surely lust couldn't invoke such torment in any man? There had to be more.

His current favourite entered the room then. His dark golden hair and midnight blue eyes set him apart from the rest of their race. He denied any corruption in his family's bloodline, shrugging off his odd colouring without explanation. He did not look like Tate, no man in the kingdom did, but he was beautiful, perhaps as beautiful as Tate was in his own right. He smiled at Christian, a soft, innocent smile that set Christian's heart racing.

"I've brought wine my lord, if you so desire?" His voice was soft and sensuous. Whatever his fate might have been within his family before he had caught Christian's eyes would have been wasted on him. The older man oozed sex. Christian believed he had found his newest lovers true calling in life and was quite proud of himself for taking his newest pet for himself. There had been the initial resistance of course. The other man's mother had made a terrible racket, as had the young woman clawing to reach the then startled young man. Alec had adapted quickly though. He actually seemed quite grateful to be taken away from his old life.

"Wine would be welcomed Alec," He gestured to the empty goblet beside him and the other man immediately knelt before him and poured a cup of blood red wine. Alec kept his eyes lowered as Christian took a sip. He reached out casually and stroked the other mans cheek and he was more than a little surprised when he felt Alec flinch away from him touch. Tate's old words suddenly shook him "Has anyone ever denied you before?" and the answer was no, because who would dare deny him anything? He reached out and brutally caught the base of Alec's skull. He forced the startled young man to look up at him and he could almost feel the terror radiating from him. "Why do you recoil?" He demanded, almost shouting in his anger. "Have I ever hurt you? Having I given you reason to fear me? Why do you flinch away?"

Alec's dark eyes were as wide as two sovereign coins. He started babbling an apology, his entire body shaking as Christian stared at him. Christian didn't think of himself as a cruel person. He understood that there were certain necessities in life and that sometimes hurting other people was part of his duty as heir to the throne. But sometimes a terrible anger overtook his good sense and that made him do terrible things. It was not his fault; he only acted that way when he was provoked.

Abruptly he pushed Alec onto his back and stepped over him. The other man was cowering on the floor, his whole body curled up into a tight knot. Christian wanted to hurt him, he honestly and truly did, he wanted to kick and punch until his own anger abated and he could think clearly again. But no, he wasn't a monster. He wouldn't kill the little craven whore, at least not this time.

He didn't bother with niceties. He didn't want any of the whores gentle coaxing this time. He had a need which needed to relieved and he intended to use whatever he had at hand to do so. He ripped the other man's shirt clean in two and then his hands were encircling the craven things waist. He fumbled with the trousers, his anger growing tenfold when they refused to undo. "My lord, please," The whore's voice was still soft but it was chocked with fear. "Please my lord, allow me." He looked up, his dark eyes filled with open worry. When Christian didn't react he reached out with shaking hands and undid his belt buckle and then the trousers. He wiggled out of them, his eyes fixated on Christian's the whole time. He let out a shaky breath and crawled towards the prince on his hands and knees. The longer Christian watched him the more his anger was replaced with need. He smiled slightly as the lithe young man gently parted Christian's legs and crawled between them. He undid Christian's trousers and gently pulled out the prince's cock. He smiled sweetly at Christian before taking the thing in his mouth and applying a warm sucking motion.

Christian allowed his head to fall back, his anger trickling away with satisfaction as he allowed his newest pet to please him. The other man really was beautiful and clearly he did want Christian. His eagerness was proof enough of that. He must have imagined him flinching before. After all, why in the world would he want to flinch away from him? Who wouldn't want him?

He pulled him off and forced him on the floor. He pressed his weight down on the other man and pressed a kiss on his sweet lips. Alec kissed him back, his eyes closed and his face smooth as Christian pressed against his tight hole with his finger. The other man gasped in pain as Christian pressed it deeper within him. He wasn't using any sort of lubrication. It must have hurt. "Tell me you love me," he said abruptly, the sudden words bursting unbidden from his swollen lips.