"Arabian Nights"
Part 68
by Beryll
More than a week had passed since Prince Viggo had been saved from the nearly fatal curse. Most of the palace had been left in the belief that the Prince had been ill, but had recovered by the grace of Allah and the healing hands of Liv. The fact that it had been an attempt on his life, which had almost succeeded, was kept to a select very few.
Karl knew of course and it worried him deeply. He had no doubts that those who had placed the curse on the Prince were the same people who had sent assassins before to murder the children , and who had hired Dominic. That they also had such magical powers at their disposal made them even more dangerous enemies. Especially considering the fact that he still had no clue who they were and why they were threatening the Caliph's children.
This mystery should have taken up all of Karl's time, his whole attention should have been focused on finding out who was trying to harm his master.
But the private matters weighing on his mind were effectively blocking him from finding even one clear thought. Without even showing up in person his father had managed yet again to ruin Karl's life. The simple mention of his name had sent him into a frightened rage that had destroyed everything he had worked for so hard for such a long time.
The carefully built trust and friendship between him and Sean was gone. When he looked at the other man's face now all he saw was disgust and there was a cold distance between them that cut Karl deeper than rage or open accusations would have. Since that morning in the office Sean had not spoken with Karl on anything but professional matters.
Karl longed for the return of their casual closeness more than he would ever have believed possible. He hadn't even known how much he needed a friend, a brother, until he'd had one. The silent understanding which had grown between them had given him strength and a confidence that anything could be overcome.
He would have loved to explain, to tell Sean what had happened to him, why he had harmed - no, not harmed, raped - the young whore, to tell Sean how very sorry he was. Not just because it had cost him Sean's friendship but for the fact that he had hurt someone who could not defend himself, and because he had become the very thing he had hated all his youth.
But there was no way of telling Sean without also explaining what he had learned on the slave market. That it had been Karl's father who had owned Sean, who had nearly broken him. Besides he couldn't hope that this knowledge would repair the broken friendship between them. Probably Sean would hate him even more for it and Karl wasn't sure if he could bear any more.
Then there was the Prince of course. The few times he had seen Prince Viggo since his recovery the look in his eyes had pierced Karl's heart. Where the anger in Sean's eyes was veiled, it was open and ready to erupt in Viggo's. Karl had no doubt that Sean had calmed the Prince. He had expected Viggo on his doorstep the moment he had learned of Karl's crime, with sword in hand and murder on his mind. He had half wished for it, to end his misery, but he had not been granted the mercy of an easy way out.
At least the Caliph had obviously not learned of his acts. Or, if he had, he didn't care. Then again he was extremely busy with the preparations for the great birthday celebrations. The festivities would last an entire week with guests from all over the world attending. It was an organisational nightmare and Karl was of course right in the middle of it. There were a million security issues to be considered with so many dignitaries coming to the city, and most of them ultimately found their way to Karl's desk.
Only one factor had been removed from his considerations: Prince Viggo. Karl remained the Captain of the Caliph's guard but Sean - now freed - had been named Captain of the Prince's Guard, with men of his own to command. It had rankled on a deeply emotional level that the Prince had been removed from Karl's care but most of the time Karl was grateful that he didn't have to deal with him on a daily basis. The smouldering hatred of the Prince would have killed him.
He still had to interact with Sean though, spending hours with him in planning. It was pure torture and he knew that his men were picking up on the tension between them. None of them knew what had happened between them, what had caused the rift, but all of them worried for their Captain and for Sean. Making tentative attempts to bring them closer again, the men began arranging chance meetings between the two Captains such as making sure they were training at the same time - completely oblivious to the fact that they were just making things worse.
Life was hell for Karl and it didn't look as though things would get better any time soon.
---
Sean greeted the two guards at the entrance to the Prince's quarters with a silent nod. It was well past midnight and the palace lay silent but the two men were alert and wide awake, not lulled at all by the general peace. Sean had trained both of them and picked them when the Caliph had told him to choose which men should form the Prince's guard. None had given Sean any trouble. At first he had been worried that they would resent the fact that only a few days before he had still been a slave and they were now supposed to follow his commands. Sean had realized quickly that they had been following his commands all along anyway. They had accepted him as their commander because they had recognized him to be a man who would lead them well.
For them the matter was quite simple. All the worries were only in his head. It was he who felt unworthy not they who looked at him with anything but respect and trust.
Silently Sean crossed the courtyard and the garden. Both lay silent and deserted, the kittens and Viggo had long since retired to their huge bed. The thought brought a smile to Sean's face. The kittens had managed what Viggo's mother had often despaired over - getting him to bed before the sun rose again. The Prince had a habit, just like Sean, of working overtime, but he was unable to resist his kittens sweet worry for his well being.
Maybe a kitten would be good for him too, Sean thought ruefully. He had spent the last hours discussing security with Karl and Ian. The slave trainer and ex-general had been brought out of retirement to advise on the complicated endeavor of organising the festivities for the Caliph's 40th birthday.
The work hadn't bothered Sean at all. It felt good to do something useful. But having to stay locked up with Karl in one room for an extended amount of time was proving harder and harder each day. On the one hand there was the overwhelming urge to strangle the man. On the other hand there was also the growing feeling that he was missing something vitally important. No matter how hard he tried - he simply couldn't ignore the fact that Karl looked miserable. Sometimes Sean caught himself wishing for nothing more than to take the Captain aside and simply ask him what was wrong.
But then he remembered Jared, curled up in his arms and crying, and that notion was quickly drowned in cold rage. How could he pity a man who was capable of such acts?
Rubbing his face tiredly, Sean entered his own room. In the doorway he stopped, surprised at the fact that the room was not empty.
Curled up on the bed lay Elijah, hugging Sean's pillow in his arms. Next to him on the bed sat a tray with bread, cheese and some dates which he had obviously brought earlier to serve as Sean's dinner. That he had waited for Sean and fallen asleep over it warmed Sean's heart deeply.
He already had a kitten taking care of him, Sean thought, going over to the bed and sitting down on the edge, gazing at Elijah fondly. Relaxed in sleep the boy looked younger, much more carefree then the serious young man he presented to the world when he was awake.
Sean reached out and gently touched Elijah's shoulder. When he didn't react he leaned over the boy and placed a soft kiss against his brow. Elijah muttered in his sleep but didn't really wake.
The thought of sharing Viggo's huge bed still scared Sean to his bones but the idea of having Elijah in his provoked a wholly different reaction. In particular the thought of waking up with a warm, curious kitten wrapped around him was rather enticing.
With a minimum of noise Sean removed his armour and undergarments and the tray from the bed. Then he carefully shifted Elijah so he could settle both of them under the light blanket. Again Elijah muttered some complaint, no more than half awake, but when Sean wrapped his arms around the boy he calmed immediately, snuggling against him.
With a contented sigh Sean closed his eyes as well, Elijah's scent calming him, filling his mind with pleasant memories, allowing him to slip quickly into sleep.
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to: Beryll
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