Orpheus was quite certain that he would not be able to find his way back to the cove where he had left Yuushi. They’d been moving too quickly, concentrating too much on getting as far away as fast as possible, and he hadn’t been paying much attention to the direction.
He was fairly certain, however, that he could find his way back home. He’d taken special care, when the Beast had first captured him, to remember the direction in which he’d been taken, so that he could find his way back. And thank goodness for that. If he could just get back to the castle, he thought, he could find Yuushi. He’d mount a search, do whatever it took, but he would find him.
It took longer than he would have liked. Finding the beach was easy, but then he was forced to wait around for days while the beast’s slime in his lungs wore off. All day he swam impatiently back and forth, his eyes on the beach, and at night he slept only fitfully, washed by the current, to make his way back toward the shore in the morning, having drifted during the night.
The slime lasted four days. Perhaps the stuff that they had somehow milked from the Beast and stored had a lower potency, or maybe it was an artificial variety. But Orpheus was glad for any reprieve. He had never been so happy to be choking, as he stumbled his way onto the shore. Minutes later there was a puddle of black bile next to him in the sand, and he was gasping his first lungfuls of sweet air in weeks, possibly months.
He made his way up the beach, to the forest beyond, stumbling, not yet re-accustomed to legs. In the forest itself his feet were cut by brambles, the bare soles ripped and torn, branches caught his arms and hair, and the cool shade of the canopy made him shiver. But it was nothing, nothing compared to what had been done to him, and nothing compared to what he was searching for.
He stopped at the first house he came to, a fisherman’s cottage, and begged use of some clothes and shoes. The elderly couple living there did not recognize him; his face was not known this far away from the castle, but they were kind people. Not only did they clothe him, but fed him as well, and offered to take him to town where he might bargain for a horse. Orpheus accepted gratefully, resting his sore legs, unused to walking, in the back of a mule-drawn cart. Mentally he promised himself that he would reward this couple lavishly when he had access once again to the palace treasury.
They left him in town, but he soon realized that acquiring a horse would be difficult; the animals were expensive, and he had nothing to bargain with. In the end he had to resort to stealing one, hijacking it from the town’s inn. Again he promised himself that not only would the horse be returned, but he would compensate the owners and the innkeeper handsomely.
When he had less important things on his mind.
He rode the horse hard the day and a half to the castle, stopping only a few hours in the middle of the night to rest. When he reached the gates of the palace the next day, the guards were so stunned to see him that they simply stood, gaping, until finally Orpheus growled, “Open the gates!” and they leapt into action.
Sentries must have spotted him coming, because the castle steward was already rushing out to meet him when he dismounted next to the doors. “My lord!” he called, his face flushed from running, “you are alive! Praise be! We had thought you lost-“
“Where is my father?” Orpheus interrupted. “I need complete access to our navy. I have to search the coast. Please, this is important.”
He began to storm up the stairs, but his father met him halfway, coming down, and enveloped him in an enormous hug. “My son!” he exclaimed, and Orpheus paused at the sheer emotion in the old man’s voice. “You’re alive. Thank- you’re alive.”
Tentatively, Orpheus returned the embrace. His father’s arms were tight around his shoulders, and the older man shuddered as if with tears.
“I am alive,” Orpheus assured him softly. “But I have a very important task to attend to, father. The life of someone I love may be at stake. Please. I need access to the navy. The entire fleet. I have to search the coast.”
“That may be difficult.” His father drew back to look at his face. “I’m in negotiations right now with someone else who is trying to commission use of our ships. He’s very adamant. They’re envoys from Erontis, an ally of ours. The crown prince just recently succeeded the throne, and it’s important that we make a good first impression in our dealings with the new leadership. They are very powerful, and share a border with us. It could be dangerous to refuse them.”
The reality of life suddenly came crashing back to Orpheus in a way it hadn’t before. Somehow, in his concern for Yuushi, he had forgotten how the world worked, the myriad bits of red tape, the commotion of details that the real world brought with it. His stomach felt as though it were sinking towards the ground. Yuushi seemed to grow farther and farther away by the second.
“When are they arriving?” he asked his father. “I’ll talk to them, see if- see if I can explain the situation. You don’t understand, father, I need to do this.”
“They’re already here,” the king responded. “As a matter of fact, I left right in the middle of the negotiations. It must have seemed incredibly rude to them; the page just slipped into the room and whispered to me that you had been sighted on the road up to the palace, and I left without a word to them. I probably compromised our relationship already. But, you’re alive! How could I not!” And again Orpheus found himself embraced.
He accepted it for a few moments longer, calming himself. He couldn’t lose his head now. He would find Yuushi. Somehow. He just had to remember who he was, work this situation like a true prince, and get what he needed. Perhaps his plans were compatible with the envoy’s, and they could both be accomplished. Although he doubted it. At any rate, shaky relations were not a good way to begin.
“Take me to them,” Orpheus requested of his father. “I’ll explain the situation to them, and hopefully they will be understanding.”
His father nodded, beaming at him, and led him up the stairs.
It seemed strange to Orpheus, to be in such familiar surroundings again. The solid stone that had housed him since he was little, the strange sensation of moving through air once again, so much easier, so much less resistant. He trailed a hand along one wall as they moved down the corridors, his fingertips feeling the familiar smooth texture, gaze caressing the well-know portraits that periodically studded it. Beneath his feet, the long, plush rug that had been there since he was a child. And in front of him, the familiar imposing figure of his father, whom he had never thought he’d see again.
‘There will be time for sentiment later,’ Orpheus told himself. ‘For now, I must deal with the present.’
“My sincerest apologies,” the king began as he pushed open the large double doors that led to the council chamber. “Something urgent came up. My son has returned.”
Orpheus heard the scraping of chairs being pushed back, and had opened his mouth to apologize on his own behalf when his father moved out of his field of vision and he came face to face with the envoys from the neighboring kingdom. Then, suddenly, he found he could not breathe at all, let alone speak.
“Yuushi…”
They were in each other’s arms before Orpheus’s mind could register moving, and Yuushi was chanting his name over and over while Orpheus’s father and the other ambassadors looked on in stunned silence.
“How? Why?” Orpheus managed.
“My father died while I was away,” Yuushi said, the words tumbling together in their hurry to leave his lips. “They thought I was lost, so the steward took over until my little brother would be old enough to take the throne. But then I returned, and I was next in line, so- but you’re here! I was trying to assemble a fleet. I- I wasn’t going to leave you down there, please believe me, I was going to come for you, I wanted to be armed-“
“It’s all right,” Orpheus gasped, holding him tighter. “I know. But I also knew you wouldn’t do anything foolish. But I’m okay now. He let me go.”
“He let you-“ Yuushi’s eyes widened. “No. Later. You can explain everything. Now-“ he sighed helplessly, as though the world was too much for him. “God, I can’t believe you’re here, and okay.”
Orpheus finally took in Yuushi’s appearance, how ornate his clothing was, the thin circlet of gold that glimmered in his pale hair. With a sudden start, Yuushi’s words sank in, and Orpheus blurted out, “You’re the prince. From the neighboring kingdom. The one who just took over. It’s you.”
“Of course,” said Yuushi, frowning slightly. He paused, surprised. “You didn’t know that? I knew who you were the second you told me your name. You should keep better track of your allies.”
“Apparently,” said Orpheus, feeling a bit dazed.
They were interrupted by a throat-clearing from behind them. Orpheus turned to his father and released Yuushi abruptly from his embrace, embarrassed. “Father,” he hurriedly explained, “this is Yuushi. We met when I was- while I was gone. I thought he was still lost. That’s why I wanted to use the navy. I wanted to look for him.”
Yuushi reached subtly for Orpheus’s hand and entwined their fingers. But he gazed steadily at the king. “That was my mission here as well. I wasn’t going to bring up your son’s involvement unless you refused to give me the ships, but I was planning a rescue mission. Evidently I will no longer require your services.”
The king shook his head, and threw a somewhat pleading glance skyward. But then he smiled. “It seems that you two have much to discuss. King Karashka, we would be pleased if you and your escort would spend the night here. You can rest, have a good meal, and you and my son can... talk.”
Yuushi smiled and bowed his head to the king. “Thank you, My Lord.”
Orpheus smiled as well, and led Yuushi from the room by their still joined hands.
“You never told me you were a prince!” Orpheus exclaimed the moment they were alone in his bedroom. “You never mentioned the fact that you knew I was!”
“Most of the concubines down there were princes or nobles,” Yuushi said calmly. “Who do you think gets sent to slay the Beast? It wasn’t something particularly noteworthy.”
Orpheus smiled and shook his head. As he stood there, Yuushi approached him and once again wrapped his arms around Orpheus’s waist. “I was so worried about you,” he murmured.
“I was worried about you too,” said Orpheus, stroking his hair. He tilted his head down and buried his face in the soft, pale strands, breathing in deeply, taking in Yuushi’s scent. He smelled vaguely of oranges.
“When they captured you again, I thought- I thought for sure they’d have you killed. And yet, you say the king let you go?”
“Let’s sit down,” said Orpheus. He moved with Yuushi, not quite releasing him, until they were seated side by side on the bed. Then he tucked Yuushi’s head under his chin and continued speaking. “He wanted to know about love. He was desperate. So in return for me teaching him to make love, he released me.”
“Such a simple thing?” Yuushi asked, sounding surprised.
“I didn’t expect it either,” said Orpheus. “I was just happy to be able to leave.”
“Why did he want to learn about love?” Yuushi asked. “It was my understanding that he had no need for such things.”
“He knew nothing about it. I suppose the concept intrigued him. And…” Orpheus paused and pressed his lips to the top of Yuushi’s head. “He wanted to know what made me so strong. I told him that because you had escaped, my heart was safe where he couldn’t reach it. I suppose he was angry that he couldn’t control me completely.”
Yuushi pulled back slightly, and looked up at him with wide eyes. Tentatively, he lifted a hand to Orpheus’s cheek. When he received no objections, he pulled Orpheus’s head down and kissed him deeply, eyes falling gently closed.
The kiss was as sweet as the first breath of air Orpheus had taken upon returning to the surface. It was the sudden sweet return of something he had never expected, but something that felt so right and necessary, he didn’t know how he had ever survived without it.
When they broke, Yuushi trailed his fingers down Orpheus’s face and neck like rivulets of water, a wondering expression on his face. “I love you,” he whispered. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Orpheus didn’t reply verbally, but pushed Yuushi down against the bed, kissing him again, and moved a hand to loosen the fastenings of Yuushi's fancy dress shirt. “I’m here,” he murmured in Yuushi’s ear as his hand slid inside the shirt and up Yuushi’s torso. “I’m here, and I won’t leave again, and neither will you.” His lips curved into a smile against the shell of Yuushi’s ear. “After all, you’re only right across the border now, right?”
“Mm,” said Yuushi, as much verbalization as he could apparently manage, as Orpheus’s hands slid under him and cupped his buttocks, squeezing gently. “Orpheus,” he murmured, reaching up with he head and latching onto Orpheus’s collarbone with his mouth, sucking and nipping lightly.
“Yuushi.” Quickly, Orpheus divested the boy of his clothes, sliding the shirt off his slim shoulders and making quick work of the pants. His own clothes he removed even more quickly; he had still been clad in the outfit the peasant couple had given him, far simpler to remove than the ornate court garments. But both sets of clothing went into the same pile at the side of the bed as the two of them lay finally against one another, flesh pressed against searing flesh.
In the tritons’ kingdom, Orpheus had always felt as though he needed to hold himself back. He couldn’t explain exactly why he’d felt so; it wasn’t as though the concubines would be punished for having sex with each other. But somehow, it had seemed as though he’d be making a promise, one which, at the time, he hadn’t been sure he could keep.
Now, with Yuushi’s naked body pressed against him on the soft quilts of his bed, he felt free. Free to touch, free to run fingers over every inch of exposed skin, to follow them with lips and tongue, all over Yuushi’s body. To finally kiss his way up Yuushi’s thighs, and take the young man’s penis into his mouth, worship it gently with tongue and throat while his hands worshipped the greater temple of Yuushi’s body.
He felt Yuushi’s hands on him, tugging at him, arranging him and moving him over, even pulling him away for a moment while Yuushi squirmed about, turning himself around until he could reciprocate Orpheus’s favor, lying flat on his back with Orpheus’s genitals dangling into his face, servicing Orpheus’s member with his mouth while Orpheus did the same.
Orpheus pulled back for a few seconds and stuck two fingers into his mouth, lathing them generously with his own saliva. While his mouth returned to sucking greedily on Yuushi’s penis, his fingers circled behind the young man and cautiously parted his cheeks, delving one at a time into Yuushi’s anus.
Yuushi whimpered at the penetration, which stimulated Orpheus, making him more eager than ever to finally feel Yuushi from the inside. But he held himself back, forced himself to be as careful and gentle as his impatience would allow, spreading Yuushi with two fingers, widening and preparing him.
Yuushi gasped, releasing Orpheus’s member from his mouth, as the prince’s questing fingers found the perfect spot inside him. He squirmed a bit, pulling back and sitting up, until Orpheus joined him, kissing him deeply once more before pushing him back against the pillows, as Yuushi spread his legs open and wrapped them loosely about Orpheus’s waist.
“Are you sure?” Orpheus asked him softly. “Are you ready? Shouldn’t I… a little more…”
“Orpheus.” Yuushi grabbed the prince’s face and gave him a swift kiss. “I’ve just spent years as a concubine for a sadistic bastard. I’ll be fine. Just do it.”
Orpheus nodded, though Yuushi’s words made a helpless rage boil up inside him, and positioned himself carefully. He wanted to push in slowly, but Yuushi’s legs suddenly tightened around his waist, thrusting him deep into the young king. He grunted at the unexpected motion; Yuushi was tighter than he’d imagined.
He tried to remain slow, he did, but the sheer relief of having Yuushi back, the sudden immediate reality of him, so very close, was too much, and he found himself thrusting harder and harder, spurred on by Yuushi’s loud cries and encouragements. He leaned forward, plunging himself deep inside the other’s body, bringing their faces close together and kissing him in a way that was more like exchanging breath, mouths open and panting into each other.
The sweat that slicked their body eased their movement, allowing them to slide and arc against each other with greater and greater ease, and greater speed, until it seemed they were nothing but motion and a few vital points of connected flesh, like beads of light strung together by energy, and the world grew brighter and brighter around them, until with a simultaneous cry, everything went white.
For a few moments, Orpheus worried that he had forgotten how to breathe. Perhaps this had all been a dream, and he was still underwater, drowning. But then it came back to him, in a large lungful laden with the smell of their sweat and their sex, and reality had returned and was all around them. They breathed deeply, entwined, amidst the messy birth of their future together, and waited for their hearts to slow.
“I love you,” Orpheus whispered against his hair. “I will never let you go again.”
Yuushi’s body was a bit too warm where it touched him, and the sweat of their bodies stuck them together. But Orpheus did not mind in the least when he pressed them closer still, close enough that his cooling breath wafted against Orpheus’s collarbone.
“You’ll never have to,” Yuushi assured him.