Wherever You Are Ch.2
Title: Wherever You Are
Author: Cesi
Rating: R
Pairing: VM/OB; SB/OB; KU/OB; VM/SB
Summary: How can you stop their love, when it defies death and eternity? A tale of three adopted brothers caught in a passionate battle over power, vengeance…and everlasting love. MPREG.
Feedback: Please tell me what you think, I love hearing from my readers = )
Disclaimer: These characters and personalities are not mine. No profit is made from this and it is not intended to hurt anyone.
A/N: Thanks so those who read the first chapter = )
Chapter 2- Memories of Sea and Stone
Orlando pressed his lips close to the baby’s face, feeling for assurance of breath and life. Though heavy weariness and exhaustion bore him down, he refused to rest. He remained diligent and watchful over his tiny son, fearful that if he slept he would awake with a dead child in his arms. And if that happened…Orlando laughed miserably at the thought…the only thing left to do was to take his own life. He didn’t fear death, nor was he weak for thinking such things. If the child died he would kill himself as one last act of defiance, a last spit in the face to that hell-bound bastard who did this to them. He smiled with grim satisfaction.
The wind rattled against the splintering wood, alerting and startling the animals around him. He turned his eyes down in disgust… to fall so deep and far from his station…down to the level of pigs and cows. The howling wind alone gave him comfort in the stench and filth. He knew the sound as well as he knew his own voice, the sound of wind dashing pass and around the earth.
“But it sounds better over the sea,” Orlando whispered in the dark, “Over the wild and wonderful sea.”
In his weary eyes, he saw visions appear before him, images of cliffs and dark plumes of clouds towering above him. He would rush right into the storm, laughing at the very brim of its eye, playing within its deadly showers as a child plays in summer sunlight. The swollen, jagged sea returned to his mind, wide and bare and gloriously eternal. He felt so foolishly invincible then, so naïve and deliriously happy as the salty wind caught him up, the white sprays of waves washing over him…over them.
“I told you the truth,” Another vision appeared, a face he still loved yet hated with a searing passion, “I told you everything…Karl…”
A gentle cry from his arms stirred his anger once more.
“I told you everything! Everything of what he did to me…but you…you…why? Why did you leave?” Orlando chanted over and over, his arms trembling from anger. The child was crying madly now and Orlando bound the screaming bundle into a constricting embrace.
“He won’t find you. No one will hurt you…we will hurt and destroy them, but they won’t do that to us…you’ll see…one day everyone will see. Hush now…I’m here my baby, I’m here…I won’t leave you. We can’t take back what they took from us…but we will make them wish they never had.”
He nearly suffocated the child with his mad, possessive embrace. He hid his face close to the struggling baby, kissing its brilliantly hot face tenderly. He was like this once before, he thought numbly, just as helpless and innocent…he remembered childhood, how easily he fell for fantastic lies and poisonous illusions, how wonderfully blind he was of the dark desires of men. But the veil of childhood innocence fell away, releasing the violent thrust of primeval lust before he could escape.
“Delphine,” Orlando shook from sudden cold within.
The vision of his old home returned to him, the ancient castle of Delphine, his beautiful prison palace. There were stone halls he longed to return to, a barren garden he wished to trample on again, beautiful tragic tapestries he yearned to touch once more, and a silent stretch of grey beach…where kind, deep eyes of the day grew dark with untamed hunger…where soft, shy lips in the daylight ravished his naked flesh in the dark…and where gentle arms in the morning turned wild with merciless passionate at night.
~~~~~~~Two Years Earlier~~~~~~~~
“Get back here you brat!”
“Sean where are you? Help! Help! Karl stop...Sean!” Orlando laughed wildly as his legs slipped in the sloping sand.
“I said get back here you imp!”
“Make me!” Orlando stuck out his tongue playfully and kicked the sand up, laughing at his brother’s quickly reddening face, “Oh come on Karl, liven up! A dead fish sees more action in a day than you.”
“A dead fish has more brains than you.” Karl said crossly. He reached out to stop Orlando, only to have another kick of sand sprayed at his face.
“Stop being such a kill joy. There’s too much fun to have, just take it!” Orlando tossed his head against the wind, the long thick curls flopping about. He dashed further away into the shore, his voice light in the fluttering air. With expert ease he jumped through the large formations of rocks that littered the shore, his feet leaping and gripping through the stony maze like a strange animal on a chase. Behind him, he could hear Karl telling him to stop. He smiled and went faster.
And then he made the mistake of turning back. A large, heavy, solid thing pushed him tackled him to the ground. He cried in surprise and scrambled away, but strong arms yanked him back. Orlando’s eyes widened and he kicked furiously against his sudden enemy, biting and clawing at the arms and hands. The intruder pressed his mouth against Orlando’s neck, and the younger began to laugh uncontrollably.
“Stop it! Please Sean! Get off me-” Orlando begged through rapid laughs, pushing his eldest brother away.
“I’m not through with you yet,” Sean hoisted Orlando into his arms. The younger one began to shout and punch frantically, knowing full well what the other intended.
“Put me down. Right now! Let me go right now!”
“Alright,” Sean replied, and promptly threw him into the oncoming wave.
“Sean!” Orlando was plunged completely into the cold water, his pleas half buried in the sea. A swollen wave brought him to his feet again, and he launched himself into Sean’s open arms. The waters washed over them, their laughter and furious insults ringing with each crash of the waves.
“You bastard! It’s freezing,” Orlando wrapped his arms tightly around his brother’s body, his hands gripping the blonde hair a bit tighter than needed. A surging wave knocked them over and swept them to the beaten shore, the waves lapping over their tightly drawn bodies. Orlando leaned over Sean and started to pick the seaweed sticking to his brother’s face. He could feel the warmth of Sean’s breath touching against his fingers as he worked, smiling playfully as they teased each other.
It was a strange tradition that started ever since Orlando learned how to unfasten the locks. In the summer days Orlando would break free from the castle with Karl and Sean at his heels. Karl would merely chase while Sean would be the one to pick him up and plunge him into the sea. Then came the inevitable play fight and lying on the beach till sand covered every visible part of their bodies. Orlando rolled his eyes and laughed softly.
“Here comes my favorite part,” He looked up and smiled sweetly as Karl stared down at their tangled mess. His arms were crossed impatiently, the rare smile replaced with his usual sternness.
“Get up the both of you.” Karl said, ignoring Orlando’s silent word for word impersonation of him, “Father will be arriving soon. Do you want to greet him with sand and seaweed?”
“Then he’ll see us exactly as he did the last time,” Orlando said matter-of-factly, rolling over to his belly. With elbows in the sand he rested his head in his hands, looking very much like a small child trying to charm his way out of trouble, “It’ll be like he never left.”
“Let him have his fun.” Sean said. Orlando laughed and swatted Sean’s hand away from the tickle spot in his back, “Show some life for once.”
“Two grown men shouldn’t be rolling around like manner-less children in the sand.” Against his better judgment he extended a hand to help, “When are you both going to grow up?”
“And what? Become deadweight like you?” Orlando teased, splashing the water at his brother’s neatly pressed shirt. He was answered by a steely glare. “Don’t look at me like that. I was just playing around.”
“He’s mad because he knows it’s the truth.” Sean whispered to Orlando, “He really has no life aside from those damn books.”
“Karl…” Orlando rose up quickly. The coldness soaked into his skin. His clothes clung limply against his lithe body, the wide collar exposing a generous flash of his glistening shoulders. As he walked by, Karl pulled enough of his shirt up to conceal the bare skin. A change came over Orlando then, the former carelessness replaced with something kinder. He reached out and allowed himself to lean into Karl’s solid body. “You know Sean doesn’t mean that. Don’t fight with him.”
Karl pushed him away in annoyance. Orlando just leaned deeper into his arms. He looked up, his eyes big enough to melt any heart to the ground… give or take a few.
“You can stop that now. I’m immune.”
“I don’t believe you,” Orlando pouted, hugging him even tighter, “Not one bit. No one has immunity to me.”
“He’s right you know,” Sean interrupted, getting up and shaking the sand from his hair, “And even if he’s not he’ll just pester and whine until wrong is right.”
“That’s because he’s spoiled,”
“But at least I’m not a bore,” Orlando smacked Karl’s chest, his lips in a curl, “Besides I have every right to be a bit spoiled.”
“Excuse me then. I was mistaken before,” Karl said, “I meant brat…a spoiled, self centered brat.”
“I’m not a brat because I’m spoiled. I’m a brat because I’m the favorite.” Orlando laughed as Sean crashed into him, wrapping him in his large arms. Orlando welcomed the embrace and rested his head against the taller man’s chest. A change came to Karl’s eyes, so subtle yet deep that it was nearly missed.
“And you’re jealous,” Orlando added, his smile fading when Karl took a step back, “But you have no reason to be.”
“But of course he does,” Sean said, spinning Orlando to the side. He cupped his little brother’s face, “You were always the favored child, right down to how you can convince father to give you whatever you want on a whim… just by a simple pout. If Karl and I tried to do that it would end in disaster.”
The strange mood was broken and Orlando went back to laughing, pulling himself free from Sean’s hold long enough to meet Karl’s gaze.
“We must go now,” Karl nodded to the shifting sky. He laid a hand on Orlando’s shoulder. Dull thunder rolled over them as the clouds raced beyond the setting horizon. Dashes of bruised colors against storm and daylight washed across the sky. The dancing wind pulled them closer to the surging shore. The last streaks of daylight were caught within the waves, the distant reflections of lost light glowing beneath the rising waters. It was a haunting image, a vision of dying day and awakening night.
“It’s beautiful,” Orlando said softly. Stray sunlight brushed his face as the sea scents filled his senses. He took a step forward, the cold ocean lapping at his feet.
“It will turn ugly soon. The rain will start to pour.” Karl said. Orlando shook his head, fully entranced by the sheer vastness of the sunset storm.
“I don’t care. Let it come!” Orlando shouted to the sea, his fist up in the air in foolish courage, “Let it do its worse.”
His hand brushed against Karl’s and for a swift moment their fingers caressed.
“I’m not frightened,” Orlando whispered as the touch deepened, “I’m not alone.”
Thunder boomed over them once more, closer and louder than the last.
“Listen. Look,” Orlando pointed to the menacing sky, “That’s beauty right there. Untamable, unconquerable, nearly unreachable…none of that stupid foolishness of soft, silk roses or poems or absurd promises of forever…”
“You’ve been reading too many of those damn plays again. You’re going insane.” Karl said, ending the trance. He kept an arm around his brother’s shoulder, ensuring him that there would be no chance of escape this time.
“Perhaps,” Orlando replied with a sweet and strange smile, “But there is beauty in insanity isn’t there?”
Karl didn’t respond, but Orlando already knew his answer.
Their tender walk became a playful race once again, with Karl chasing Orlando back to their home. Had they turned back, they would have seen how their neglected brother watched them. They would have seen a warning for the things yet to come, a warning for where their fear should truly lie.
But at the time all thoughts of betrayal and evil were far from their minds. They quickly cleaned up and waited anxiously for their father to arrive. Karl sat by the fire, a battered book in his hands. His eyes drifted to the restless youth by the window. Sean was beside him, obviously making up those silly stories that Orlando seemed to find so entertaining. In the middle of those stories Orlando would gaze out, his eyes searching for the long-lost carriage he so sorely missed. His disappointment didn’t last very long, Sean would somehow make him laugh again, forcing his mind even for a second away from the imminent arrival.
That was one thing Karl envied about Sean, his ability to make Orlando laugh…and forget.
Once, it was Karl and Sean who were tight companions in everything. They stuck to each other like twins, together learning the meaning of mischief and mayhem. It would have continued too, if a certain child wasn’t left at their doorstep one winter. It was the most hideous thing Karl ever saw in his young life, a screaming red thing wrapped in miserable cloth. At first he thought it was some sort of animal, never really knowing what a baby was before. He and Sean poked and shoved the ugly thing, amazed by how something so small could be so loud. They were further amazed by how such a hideous changeling could have captured their father’s heart so quickly. Within a day their father decided to adopt the child as their new baby brother. That addition marked the end of Karl’s mischievous days and signaled the beginning of Orlando’s prominence as the favorite.
“Not so loud Sean. He’s right there,” Orlando whispered, nodding towards Karl, “You shouldn’t make fun of him that way. It’s not fair. He can’t even defend himself.”
“Since when did fairness matter to you? He takes the punishment every time you cause trouble. And you just let him take the blame.”
“Because he doesn’t mind if it’s for me.” Orlando explained, “You do the same thing.”
“Because you’re a manipulating, clever little bastard.”
“And because I’m so irresistible.” Orlando threw his head up dramatically, the heavy curls flopping to the side. He flashed a playful smile and leaned in to hug his brother, “You’d both rather die than see me hurt.”
Karl turned the page numbly as his brothers laughed. As spoiled as Orlando was, he also the most affectionate. Sean could be sweet if there was something to be gained from it, but Orlando would fall on anyone at any time and hug the breath from them. He wasn’t the smartest or the strongest, but he knew how to charm and delight. While Orlando entranced and captivated through his charms, Sean impressed others with his sheer strength and courage. It was strange how wonderfully tight there bond was. Though he was a bit selfish and insensitive at times, Orlando could never truly hurt another living thing. Sean on the other hand, could probably kill any wild beast he set out to hunt.
Karl watched his brothers carefully through narrowed eyes. Out of the three of them, he knew he was the weakest. He couldn’t speak aloud the thoughts that entered his mind or the feelings that swelled in his heart. Unlike Sean he didn’t have much strength to boast of, and unlike Orlando no beauty to be proud of. But he did take pride in being the good child, the obedient, thoughtful one who reminded the others of their responsibilities. But he was far from perfect. He was not spared from the vices and desires brimming within him…forces that he tried uselessly to suppress. But like the darkness overcomes the day, so did the forbidden conquer his heart whenever daylight disappears into night.
“Father…” The word turned heads towards the widow. Karl’s thoughts were broken. Orlando shot up excitedly and raced down the stairs, “It’s Father! He’s arrived, he’s come back!”
Within minutes Orlando was at the bottom of the castle. Their father emerged from a heavy cloak. At the sight of Orlando’s beaming face he burst out with a wide smile of his own.
“I’ve missed you!” The old man choked under the furious hugs Orlando lavished upon him, “I’ve been marking down each day until your arrival.”
“And I’ve been searching for anyone who could outmatch your sweetened lies,” The lord joked, pinching his son’s face as he often did in younger days, “It was an impossible task. How I’ve missed you too, my youngest and most troublesome child! Where are your brothers?”
“Don’t mind them. What happened during your trip? Were you able to see Paris? Did you see the gardens of Versailles?” Orlando locked his arm with his father’s and chattered excitedly. The servants were busy unpacking, carefully unloading the poor old carriage of its parcels.
“Easy with that,” The lord pointed to a curious red package that a servant pulled from the pile, “That’s Orlando’s birthday gift.”
“But Father my birthday was months ago.”
“Yes but I was still away. Now I intend to make up for missing it.” The lord declared. Orlando hugged him tighter and kissed his cheek.
“Oh, each year you grow I feel younger. You still treat me as if you were a little child, just as excited and anxious for my arrival and stories. I remember how small you were back then, a little tornado tearing through the castle…”
“A tempest better describes him now Father,” Sean appeared, his arms wide to receive the arriving lord, “He’s been a complete nightmare during your absence.”
“I’m not half as horrible as you all say,” Orlando scoffed, throwing his head back in mock snobbery, “How can I be such a nightmare? There has to be something good about me to gain everyone’s favor.”
“I’m glad to see you’ve kept your sanity,” The lord patted Sean’s broad shoulders, “Not many can endure him for so long…Hmm…But I remember three sons. Where is Karl?”
“You know him,” Orlando replied, “He doesn’t believe in all this nonsense about hugging, kissing, and crying whenever you return…but me, I don’t mind. I’m just so happy that you’re back.”
“Oh my dear boy, I’ve missed you too…all of you. Now let’s eat some supper. I’ve dined in the greatest halls in Europe but nothing compares to a good home-cooked meal. Yes, Delphine is the sweetest name on earth, second only to the names of my sons.”
Sure enough, Karl was waiting for them at the table. Their father exchanged a mock display of hurt and forgiveness of his failure to greet him. Karl couldn’t reply except to say that he didn’t want to anger Orlando by taking his place. It was common knowledge that whenever Lord Ian arrived from his far travels, he was exclusively Orlando’s…and anyone would be damned if they tried to speak with the lord before his youngest child did. The excuse worked wonderfully well and Karl was forgiven.
Soon they sat down to eat. The table brimmed with every conceivable dish and the air was thick with savory scents. Being unaccustomed to guests or manners, they ate like starving lions on a field of bloody meat. Lord Ian and Karl were the more reserved of the four, while Sean and Orlando saw no problems with flinging bread at each other from across the table. The meal lasted late into the night, the wind drowned out by laughter and playful insults of every kind.
“I’ve lost count of the places you’ve been too… Italy, Spain and now France…” Orlando tried hard to imagine how those places looked like. He wanted so much to just know, to see them with his own eyes, “What did the people look like? Is it true that they eat frogs? Do they have beaches there? I bet it’s not half as beautiful as the one right here.”
“So many questions! Perhaps I should keep a diary, a detailed account of everything there is to know about my travels.”
“Oh no father. It’s not that I’m trying to be a pest…I just really want to know…I mean, I’ve never really been past the village before.” Orlando said, his eyes fumbling with his nervous hands, “I’m just curious that’s all.”
In truth, Orlando never saw a single tree that was beyond the village. His eyes were accustomed to the sea and stone of his home. Aside from his father, brothers, and servants there were no other people he knew of. The faces from his childhood followed him through the years, nothing new entering and nothing old passing away; to him everything was constant. He struggled with images of things beyond the sea, things that he couldn’t comprehend. The most he received from the outside world where those ships that sometimes sailed by. He often thought of what it felt like to be aboard one. How did it float? Where did it go? Where was its home? Karl would try to explain it through books, but Orlando wanted more than just an explanation…he wanted to know, touch, see, taste…what was beyond that horizon? Where did the sun shine when it left them?
“I’ve read in one of those books that Versailles is beautiful. They have a lot of flowers, gardens, parties and all sorts of things we don’t have here. What does it look like? Is it like Madrid or Venice?” Orlando asked.
“Madrid, Venice, and Versailles are all in different countries,” Karl corrected, “I’ll show you a map of it later so you’ll know the difference.”
“The only use of your pointless maps is to feed fire,” Orlando said in annoyance, “They won’t get me to those places and they won’t answer my questions. I want to go myself. I want us to go there Karl…all of us.”
There was a hungry, almost desperate glow in Orlando’s eyes now. His brothers, whether they knew it or not, mimicked his change. They were raised in Delphine as nobles, educated and trained no differently than others of their station. But they still wild, almost feral creatures, their passions not completely beaten out with the bars of civilized society. Raw, untamed desires seethed at the tips of their fingers, barely dormant in the hidden sanctuary of their sea kissed home. It was mere a question of time before they broke free from this place, beautiful Delphine, to pursue the aching cries of their heart.
But for that night, in their father’s presence, they pushed the thoughts and dreams away and returned once more to a lighter mood.
“But Orlando, I doubt Karl will do anything else except read books on Paris while we’re already there,” Sean laughed, taking another swing of dark wine, “It’ll be a waste of time to take him along. He’ll probably prefer those dusty old paintings to finding a lady friend. He has no appetite for things of blood and flesh. He wouldn’t know the difference between pleasure and pain unless he read it from a book.”
The joke seemed more cruel than humorous to Orlando, and he tried to come up with something to pacify any insult Karl might have felt. But before he did, Karl raised a hand to stop him.
“But if Orlando is with me I’m certain I’ll have a greater appetite than you brother…and I will have no need for a lady friend.” Karl replied, looking straight at Sean’s face. There was no mistaking the challenge in his eyes or the firmness of his words, “It matters not where you are, but who you’re with. I’d rather be trapped in a ditch with Orlando than spend a day in the greatest palace with your frustrating company.”
Sean’s empty wine glass hit the table soundly.
“But I doubt he’ll be satisfied with you.” Sean smiled, though his eyes were flickering with repressed fire. It was not often that he was challenged, especially by Karl, but he couldn’t pass the chance of asserting his place as the strongest among them, “You’re the smart one. Don’t you think our little brother is suited for more intense and passionate activities than sitting in a ditch?”
“If you’re trying to say that I prefer hunting with you, you’re mistaken,” Orlando spoke up, “It’s absolutely disgusting and cruel.”
Sean poured blood red wine into his cup. A feral gleam marred his handsome face.
“So you do have a conscience.” Sean whispered in mock, almost bitter surprise, “Strange that it only selects the sins it wishes to object to.”
Orlando’s foot drew back when an unwelcomed touch brushed against it.
“Enough talk of travels, ditches and sins. I’ve brought gifts for each of you,” Lord Ian interrupted, patting Orlando’s shoulder in reassurance. His youngest son wasn’t fazed by much, but if there was one thing that made him shy and cower it was a fight between his two older brothers. A scolding maid or a slap on the hand did nothing to cut down Orlando’s spirit…no punishment seemed to break him down. But the slightest spat between Karl and Sean would be enough to upset Orlando for days, and he would spend sleepless nights trying to figure out how to reconcile them again.
“Here we are,” Lord Ian said, taking a polished wooden box out from a leather bag. He presented the box to Karl, who studied the exterior before finally seeing the inside. Karl found it hard to stop the smile on his face as he picked a handsomely crafted brush from its case.
“Fine, smooth brushes from France…the best I could find. I also brought an array of paints for you. Maybe now you can finally capture Orlando’s image at last.”
“Thank you,” Karl said simply, carefully placing the brush back into its proper place, “But Orlando can never be brought down to mere paint and ink. He’s far too much capture…especially since he can’t stand still for a second.”
“Well maybe he’ll sit still when he reads these,” Lord Ian took a red parcel from the bag. Orlando eagerly accepted the gift and tore the lovely wrapping off. His face brightened like a star as he flipped through the pages excitedly. Lord Ian waited for his well deserved hug or kiss, but instead Orlando’s smile began to fade.
“The latest plays and a few older ones you haven’t read before,” Lord Ian explained, as if it would spark Orlando’s usual joy. The young man merely slipped his fingers between the pages, his gaze lost in the words.
“Yes…plays for the ones I’ll never see.”
“Now, don’t be like that.” Lord Ian teased kindly, “I promise I’ll take you with me to see them, but not anytime soon.”
Before Orlando could pout, his father turned to the leather bag again, this time pulling out a darker case. He handed it to Sean, who instantly uncovered the brilliant pair of hunting knives hidden in the scabbard.
“They’re beautiful,” Sean said, carefully running his finger against the sharp edge of the shorter knife. The blade drew a straight cut through his skin and a drop of thick blood fell on the table.
“Put that thing away,” Karl said, noticing the unease Orlando felt. For once, Sean obeyed and placed the knife out of sight but close within reach. Their father called for another bottle of wine and the night went on in drunken revelry.
“Here-here’s a toast.” Lord Ian said, raising his overflowing cup up in the air, the liquid spilling over his hand, “To Orlando, my precious, mischievous elf of a son. Who would have thought that the screaming baby I took in from the snow would flourish into such a fiery spirit?”
That one earned him two kisses on the cheek and a massive, suffocating embrace. Orlando, safe and contented, rested his head on Lord Ian’s shoulder. He still held his place as favorite…he would need that for later, if things went his way. He laughed as his father struggled for something to say about the others.
“Well, what else is there? To Sean…my strongest, bravest, child…the best hunter in these lands. You will be an honorable leader one day and a faithful protector of your brothers. I’m proud, so proud of you…” He took another gulp of wine, refilled the glass and held it up again, “And to Karl…my most intelligent, obedient son…the only one who brings peace to my mind when others bring chaos. You are a true blessing. God knew the horrors I would face with these two and was kind enough to grant me a kinder, thoughtful child.”
“You’re far too generous with Karl,” Sean swung his glass around, a bit of wine accidentally splashing on his brother as he did, “Allow me to give a more accurate account. To my brother, who spends his life studying how to live it, who would rather admire something from a far instead of hunting it down for his own.”
Lord Ian chuckled and nodded in agreement, the liquor clouding his mind. He failed to see the embarrassment on Karl’s face, or the dangerous tightening of his fists.
“Well what about Orlando?” Lord Ian asked, smiling adoringly at his son, “What have you to say about him?”
An oddness crept through Sean’s face, something new and intense. Orlando wasn’t sure if it was from all the drinking, or from the long hours of the night…but it brought an unsettling shadow over him. He calmed when he felt Karl’s eyes guarding him, but he still couldn’t bring himself to meet Sean’s strange gaze.
“To Orlando…” Sean declared, his gaze falling heavily on the object of admiration, “To whom nothing else can be compared. If there was anything close to a living definition of beauty it would be him. And if the world thinks it not then everything they say will be a lie to me. Let the world stay outside, but may Orlando always remain here.”
“To Sean,” Orlando said, raising his own glass to the air. His eyes were on Karl as he spoke and smiled, “Our lunatic brother who speaks nonsense.”
“Perfectly said,” Lord Ian laughed heartily, slapping a heavy hand on the table. He rubbed his eyes and yawned deeply, “And a perfect end for tonight.”
“But you still haven’t told us everything about Paris and nothing about Versailles except for how much it rained.” Orlando whined insistantly, “It’s not that late Father.”
“I’m not as young as you. I tire too easily. Besides, I’ve been away from home long enough. Don’t make me wait any longer to sleep on my own bed. I’ll tell you everything you want to know in the morning.”
“But Father-”
“In the morning,” He kissed Orlando’s forehead soundly, “You all should get some sleep as well. I wish to ride tomorrow. Perhaps then we can make use of those new hunting knives of yours Sean.”
Sean said he looked forward to it and bid his father farewell. Karl nodded respectfully in turn. Orlando tried in vain to convince his father to stay, but it appeared that the liquor numbed his usual charms. Once the old man was gone, Sean got up, leaned forward and kissed Orlando barely on the cheek. Orlando drew back in panic, his fingers covering the spot where Sean’s kiss landed…so close to the edge of his mouth that he could taste the liquor that stained his brother’s lips.
“What was that for?” Orlando said, his voice sharp. Sean shrugged and kissed him again, this time on the forehead.
“I missed the first time,” Sean slurred as he staggered back.
“But what was it for?”
“Your belated birthday gift,” Sean whispered, “The priceless gift of undying brotherly love…”
“You’re so cheap,” Orlando’s anger vanished quickly. He smiled and shoved Sean away playfully. His brother caught him by the waist and suddenly whispered into his ear, the hot touch awakening sensations across his neck.
“Don’t worry. If that wasn’t enough for you, I can make up for it.” Sean’s lips stole a quick peck on Orlando’s neck before he staggered back. He grabbed the bottle of half-empty wine, “We will save this for another day. Goodnight baby brother.”
Sean fumbled up the stairs with the bottle barely in his hands. It wasn’t until after he was gone from sight that Orlando realized how shallow his breathing had become.
“Karl-” He turned to greet him only to discover that he was alone. Karl had slipped away once more. It was a strange ability of his, he could slip in and out without anyone noticing and yet he could pick up the slightest rouse of emotion from the most controlled soul. It was so like his nature, subtle and sensitive to others although they were callous to him.
Orlando wrapped his arms around himself. The air was suddenly cold and the candlelight seemed somehow dimmer than before. He blew out the lights, abandoned the messy table and approached the window. The clouds were sweeping swiftly over the half moon. The wind displayed only a fraction of its power tonight, like the peering eye in the night sky. Between the thin clouds he could see bright spots of silver and white forming patterns against the darkness. Karl told him about them once before, those distant constellations, one night when they stayed up gazing at the sky. He felt his heart flutter at the memory.
He smiled brightly as he pressed his hands against the window, the chill awakening him. In the falls of spilling moonlight he saw a sole figure racing towards the raising rocks, the secret sharer of his stone sanctuary. He searched around, making sure that no one would see him. He snuck out of the dining hall and crept down the stairs to the servant’s quarters and then to the doors leading to the outside world. His hand reached for the lock and began to work it free. He nearly cried in joy as the door creaked opened. But then a soft hand reached out and pulled him back.
“You’re not going out there again are you?”
“Hush. Liv, someone might hear you. Is anyone else awake?” Orlando panicked and scanned the deserted room. The young maid calmed his fears with a gentle shake of her head.
“You mustn't say anything to anyone. You promised me.”
“You also said that you would stop. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this secret from your father. If he finds out-”
“I’ll tell him…We will tell him together…But please, don’t say anything too him. He has to hear it from us. He can’t find out through anyone else.”
“I don’t think you should go through with this.” Liv pleaded, “I fear for you. This thing between you and…and him… it’s-”
“Wrong?” A dangerous gleam shone in his eyes, a wild determined glare, “There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“He’s your-”
“Only in name and paper,” Orlando argued, his hands shaking and wet from sudden sweat, “We came to our father one by one from whatever place he found us. We do not share blood.”
“So that gives you leave to share your flesh?”
The question hung like a noose between them. No other servant would have dared speak such things to their masters, especially to Orlando. But this was Liv, his closest friend aside from his brothers. They grew up together; much like a little pleasant flower grows alongside a ticket of beautiful thorns. She was a pestering conscience to him, ready to slap him with the truth if that’s what it took to wake him from his irrational thoughts. Most times her gentle warnings were enough to drive him back to sanity, but the passing months were biting down her patience. No matter how much Liv coaxed him to stop she knew that he would go ahead and do it anyways. That was his essence, that frustrating quality of his…There was no known restraint that could hold him back from something he clearly desired...injury and virtue meant nothing.
“Step aside or be thrown aside,” Orlando commanded, making the choice for her. He pulled her aside without a word of apology and before she could protest he was already swallowed in the late night darkness.
Liv closed the door, but kept the lock open. She knew the damage his selfishness could inflict, but she also knew the immense love he was capable of. Besides, she was his friend and confidant…he turned to her in laughter and in tears…she couldn’t bring herself to lock him out now. But above all else she pitied him. There was a certain air of illusion he had, a craving for the impossible that Liv didn’t want to shatter. After all what did he know of control and restraint? He was like the wind, many people said so…swift to change and impossible to control, a great friend one moment and a deadlier enemy the next.
While his friend was left to worry and wait Orlando made his careful journey towards his stone sanctuary, veiled from sight under the giant shadows of his castle home. The wind splattered clouds on the moon’s face, creating a shield of darkness to aid in his trek. The stone sanctuary grew closer, and his feet began to slow down, as if he were prolonging the agony until he met completion once more. What was nothing more than a jagged maze during the day became his haven at night. The twist and turns of this secret place were etched deep in his heart, the feel and taste of the night-covered ocean as integral to him as his own blood.
A waiting figure emerged from behind a row of giant stones, a whiff of wind blowing away the clouds long enough from the moon’s face to reveal their furious embrace. Orlando panted breathlessly as he slammed their mouths together. His hungry tongue shoved violently against the heat that drowned his senses in madness. Hands that were gentle and shy in daylight were all over him now, pulling and tearing away the clothes that separated flesh from flesh.
“I missed you,” Thrill ignited within Orlando as hands brushed against skin, naked and burning, “Don’t make me wait any longer please-Karl.”
“I was with you the entire day.” He answered lowly, “I never left you.”
“No. That wasn’t you. This…This is who you really are, the one you hide behind their accursed insults and your blameless mask.” Orlando gasped as Karl touched him boldly, shamelessly in barely hidden places. He pulled off what little remained of their clothes and clung tightly, almost desperately to him.
“You are not that daylight coward, willing to let whoever wishes trample over you.” His body arched with a cry, his lover’s throbbing manhood pressing painfully against his sweat-slick thighs, “This is you right here…over me…Soon inside of me, ready to take without asking-”
Orlando screamed as Karl entered him violently, driving deep into the tight, fevered heat. It was selfish and maddening, how they took whatever they pleased, ravishing without another thought. They were lovers and rivals of pleasure, seeing who between them could give and take the most. There was no room for sweet tenderness or soft, fluttering whispers when heated thrusts mingled with broken cries. They made love in brutal, violent, passion while the rest of existence was reduced to nothing more than the crashing waves at their feet.
The salty, wild drops of the ocean fell from Karl’s brow into Orlando’s lips. The scent of sweat, sea and sex intoxicated them both, shooting their rapturous coupling to the limits of pleasure. Orlando braced himself, mindless to the world but fully captive beneath the massive velvet steel slamming inside him. Muscles rippled around and within, inside and over, beneath and above. They moved like a single, ravenous creature twisting under a deadly fever.
“Karl-” Orlando cried out in his insanity, meeting a powerful thrust with his own, “Karl! Please-”
Their screams merged as one, piercing roar. Orlando felt himself completely unravel as Karl’s release filled him, overflowing down his legs into the sand. Karl collapsed on top of his trembling body; his tongue already plunging into Orlando’s bruised mouth.
“Why must we hide like this?” Orlando asked when their kisses ceased. He rolled on top of Karl, his voice soft and nearly breathless. His fingers played across Karl’s chest, stopping where the heart rested, “I want it. You want it. Tell me why we can’t confess this and live as wish, in freedom?”
“Our father would never allow it. You know that.” Karl said, his hand reaching out to take Orlando’s, “He will sooner cast me out than give you to me.”
“Do you think him so heartless?” Orlando leaned down to rest against his lover’s chest, the strong heartbeat pulsing against his face, “How will we know if we don’t even try? He may be angry at first but he’ll accept it …he will give me to you if you would only ask.”
“He won’t risk the scandal,”
“To hell with scandal. You weren't thinking about scandal when you made love to me…” Orlando’s voice became weak, almost fragile, “I don’t want to hide anymore. Even if father says no his word means nothing.”
“Orlando-”
“He is not our father by blood and you are not my brother!” Orlando snapped, “Do you know how disgusting it is to hear you call me that?”
“Do you feel just as disgusted when Sean touches you?”
Karl’s eyes were no longer unreadable and distant. Instead they held intense, biting jealousy and deep, unspoken love.
“I’m not blind,” He said, gently taking Orlando’s face into his hands, “I’ve seen how his hands brush against your body, how his eyes drill themselves to you. Tell me, is there reason to fear him?”
“I see him as a brother and a friend, nothing more,” Orlando answered honestly, “But you are worth more to me than that…I love you, not in the way I love the sea, or father, or Sean…but I love you unlike anything or anyone else. Can’t you understand that?”
“Yes…” Karl answered, “Because I feel it too.” He kissed Orlando, this time it was gentle and full of tenderness. There were no fragrant roses, lush gardens, shimmering stars or songs to accompany their intimate embrace…there was only sea, stone, and wind…and yet Karl found it impossible for anything to enhance the beauty a breath away from his lips.
“Then let us tell Father. Please my love,” Orlando looked away, surprised that such a silly endearment slipped from his tongue. Karl smiled and pulled him deeper into his arms.
“My love…it sounds wonderful from your lips,” He caressed warmth back to the trembling body. Orlando settled beneath his touch.
“Just think,” Orlando’s hands laced around his, “Would it be any different if he never took us in? If I met you somewhere else by another name? If we were strangers to each other?”
“You would still be you,” He breathed deeply into Orlando’s mouth.
“And I,” Orlando closed the whisper between them, “I would still be yours,”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Orlando awoke with tears in his eyes and a sob from his lips. Where was he? The horrible stench reminded him quickly enough. A harsh light dangled somewhere close by. The air felt as sharp as fresh ice. He shivered and instantly reached for the sleeping bundle at his side. His eyes flew open when he felt nothing but hay and dirt.
The shrill cry of his baby came from above him, and there he saw a young servant girl. Her eyes were wide with fear and her mouth was open in a half-choked scream. Orlando’s eyes blazed as his baby cried madly in her arms.
“Help!” The girl shouted, “Help! There’s a thief in the stables! Quick, before he-Help!Help!”
He grabbed her hair and dashed her head against the planks of wood, the short nails cutting into her face. He struck her heavily and ripped his son away from her, cursing and spitting on her before he made a frantic run to the open doors.
“Hold it there. Where do you think you’re off too?” A gruff man appeared, followed by several others. Orlando clenched his son tightly against his chest. The man caught sight of the crying, bleeding maid on the floor, her face torn with terrible marks.
“So you fancy yourself a murderer too? What kind of beast are you, to attack an innocent woman? And what’s that? A baby? You plan to steal that one too?” Orlando’s eyes widened as he saw the thick, black whip the man drew from his belt, “I’ll show you what’s done to your bloody kind…”
“It was that vile girl who wanted to steal my son from me! This child is mine.”
“Take the child from him,” The man ordered, his whip licking the air with a sharp bite, “Go!”
“No…” Orlando begged furiously as he tried to conceal his son, “Please don’t take him from me...don’t...please...”
The other men hesitated for a second, the frantic pleas of the young father stilling their steps.
“Don’t let those damn tears stop you. Look at him, he’s completely deranged! Get that child away from him now before he hurts it!”
“Stay away,” Orlando warned, backing away from their advance. The frigid snow sunk beneath his feet. His eyes were sick and wide with raw panic, “Stay away from us…No! Stop please! Don’t! No!!”
His baby was torn from his grasp, and the absence was all it took to shatter his sanity.
He launched himself towards the man who stole his child, his hands suddenly aching for violence and blood. When the other men tried to keep him back, he grabbed their heads with so much force that he ripped fistfuls of hair out. His tongue lapped the taste of blood as he bit and cursed. He fought like a madman towards those shrill, desperate cries that urged him on. His eyes glowed brightly with fierce anger and desperation, primeval fear reflected deep in their depths. He was just one against many, but his furry made him indifferent to their strength. They took his child, and he would not allow them to go unpunished. He bite, tore and clawed like a desperate animal, fighting his way to the man who held the precious captive.
“Enough of this,” The leader came forward and uncoiled his whip, “Get back from him!” The others promptly fled as the whip snapped down across Orlando back. He collapsed from the burning pain, his body sinking into the razor cold. He staggered against the hard wetness only to receive another sting.
“How many lashes will it take to beat the demons from you?” The sharp crack of the whip sounded once more, followed this time with a broken cry.
“How many? Ten? Twenty?” He brought the whip down in quick successions, ignoring the blood seeping through the thin shirt.
“This is what happens to thieves and kidnappers,” The man explained heartlessly, his ears dumb to the young man’s anguished pleas.
“He’ll bleed to death.” One servant spoke up, daring to step closer in defiance, “Our master wouldn’t approve of this.”
Their shouts were distant echoes to him. He looked up to see the whip smacking the air once more, a mere inch from his face. His strength faltered from fear. Vibrant patterns of blood trickled against the pale snow, blinding his eyes with their brilliant hue. He buckled under the next lash, and a fresh gush of red flowed from him. He dared to raise his eyes, the tears mingling with blood and snow when he saw a glimpse of his son’s tiny hand.
“No…” Orlando whispered as his son’s cries filled him, “Don’t cry…please, don’t cry…Don’t hurt him! Please!”
The servants watched in shock as Orlando crawled through the snow, a trail of blood staining behind him.
“Don’t hurt him,” Orlando begged, his hands reaching out to the man who held his child, “He’s frightened…please don’t hurt him…please…”
He collapsed entirely from the repeated strikes against him. The man who held the baby stared in horror as the father’s back was torn into strips of red. Orlando became a small, red, cowering creature, his trembling hands covering his tear soaked face.
All at once the beatings ceased, and absolute stillness filled the air. Orlando felt himself falling, crumbling like a wounded animal into the frigid snow. He felt a hand reaching down to help him and a cloak draping gently over his bare, bleeding body. He heard a commotion approaching them, a shout of anger and rebuke.
“Have you no shame?”
“But my lord, he was trespassing. He attacked one of your subjects-”
“And that gives you right to do this?” The new voice was full, powerful, but for some reason it made Orlando hope for mercy. Strong arms lifted him gently from the snow.
“But Lord Viggo he is a criminal.”
“It is I who will judge that, not you.”
Orlando shivered, realizing that the voice and arms that helped him belonged to one person. Careful, gloved, hands wiped the blood and snow from his face. Orlando could barely see the lord’s face. But he could make out sandy blonde hair that fell past the ears and a pair of blue eyes…eyes that shocked him with unexpected pity and kindness.
“I will not allow this atrocity to pass,” The lord promised softly. Orlando pulled away from his touch, afraid of hidden intentions. The lord watched as the bloody young man looked up, his arms open, his eyes brimming with tears.
“Please,” He whispered brokenly, “Please...my son…just give me back my son…”
A servant immediately knelt by his side, trying his best to avoid the father’s face out of guilt. The young man’s strength returned long enough to bring his child close to his heart. He kissed the little face, and touched the tiny waving hand with such care and gentleness that it silenced everyone who looked upon them. It was a frightening and aching sight, a wounded father caring for his infant child.
“Hush,” Orlando smiled weakly when his son’s hand wrapped around his shaking finger. The child began to calm as his father kissed and rocked him, “Hush, I’m here…it’s alright…no one will harm you.”
The lord was enraptured by the strange exchange before him. The young father shed the cloak which the lord gave him and wrapped it around his son.
“It’s alright…see?” Orlando said, breathing in the warm breath of his treasure, “It’s alright…You’re safe.”
The last thing he saw before darkness filled him were his son’s bright eyes staring up at him…but the last thing he felt were Viggo’s hands wrapping tenderly around his own.
TBC….
Author: Cesi
Rating: R
Pairing: VM/OB; SB/OB; KU/OB; VM/SB
Summary: How can you stop their love, when it defies death and eternity? A tale of three adopted brothers caught in a passionate battle over power, vengeance…and everlasting love. MPREG.
Feedback: Please tell me what you think, I love hearing from my readers = )
Disclaimer: These characters and personalities are not mine. No profit is made from this and it is not intended to hurt anyone.
A/N: Thanks so those who read the first chapter = )
Chapter 2- Memories of Sea and Stone
Orlando pressed his lips close to the baby’s face, feeling for assurance of breath and life. Though heavy weariness and exhaustion bore him down, he refused to rest. He remained diligent and watchful over his tiny son, fearful that if he slept he would awake with a dead child in his arms. And if that happened…Orlando laughed miserably at the thought…the only thing left to do was to take his own life. He didn’t fear death, nor was he weak for thinking such things. If the child died he would kill himself as one last act of defiance, a last spit in the face to that hell-bound bastard who did this to them. He smiled with grim satisfaction.
The wind rattled against the splintering wood, alerting and startling the animals around him. He turned his eyes down in disgust… to fall so deep and far from his station…down to the level of pigs and cows. The howling wind alone gave him comfort in the stench and filth. He knew the sound as well as he knew his own voice, the sound of wind dashing pass and around the earth.
“But it sounds better over the sea,” Orlando whispered in the dark, “Over the wild and wonderful sea.”
In his weary eyes, he saw visions appear before him, images of cliffs and dark plumes of clouds towering above him. He would rush right into the storm, laughing at the very brim of its eye, playing within its deadly showers as a child plays in summer sunlight. The swollen, jagged sea returned to his mind, wide and bare and gloriously eternal. He felt so foolishly invincible then, so naïve and deliriously happy as the salty wind caught him up, the white sprays of waves washing over him…over them.
“I told you the truth,” Another vision appeared, a face he still loved yet hated with a searing passion, “I told you everything…Karl…”
A gentle cry from his arms stirred his anger once more.
“I told you everything! Everything of what he did to me…but you…you…why? Why did you leave?” Orlando chanted over and over, his arms trembling from anger. The child was crying madly now and Orlando bound the screaming bundle into a constricting embrace.
“He won’t find you. No one will hurt you…we will hurt and destroy them, but they won’t do that to us…you’ll see…one day everyone will see. Hush now…I’m here my baby, I’m here…I won’t leave you. We can’t take back what they took from us…but we will make them wish they never had.”
He nearly suffocated the child with his mad, possessive embrace. He hid his face close to the struggling baby, kissing its brilliantly hot face tenderly. He was like this once before, he thought numbly, just as helpless and innocent…he remembered childhood, how easily he fell for fantastic lies and poisonous illusions, how wonderfully blind he was of the dark desires of men. But the veil of childhood innocence fell away, releasing the violent thrust of primeval lust before he could escape.
“Delphine,” Orlando shook from sudden cold within.
The vision of his old home returned to him, the ancient castle of Delphine, his beautiful prison palace. There were stone halls he longed to return to, a barren garden he wished to trample on again, beautiful tragic tapestries he yearned to touch once more, and a silent stretch of grey beach…where kind, deep eyes of the day grew dark with untamed hunger…where soft, shy lips in the daylight ravished his naked flesh in the dark…and where gentle arms in the morning turned wild with merciless passionate at night.
~~~~~~~Two Years Earlier~~~~~~~~
“Get back here you brat!”
“Sean where are you? Help! Help! Karl stop...Sean!” Orlando laughed wildly as his legs slipped in the sloping sand.
“I said get back here you imp!”
“Make me!” Orlando stuck out his tongue playfully and kicked the sand up, laughing at his brother’s quickly reddening face, “Oh come on Karl, liven up! A dead fish sees more action in a day than you.”
“A dead fish has more brains than you.” Karl said crossly. He reached out to stop Orlando, only to have another kick of sand sprayed at his face.
“Stop being such a kill joy. There’s too much fun to have, just take it!” Orlando tossed his head against the wind, the long thick curls flopping about. He dashed further away into the shore, his voice light in the fluttering air. With expert ease he jumped through the large formations of rocks that littered the shore, his feet leaping and gripping through the stony maze like a strange animal on a chase. Behind him, he could hear Karl telling him to stop. He smiled and went faster.
And then he made the mistake of turning back. A large, heavy, solid thing pushed him tackled him to the ground. He cried in surprise and scrambled away, but strong arms yanked him back. Orlando’s eyes widened and he kicked furiously against his sudden enemy, biting and clawing at the arms and hands. The intruder pressed his mouth against Orlando’s neck, and the younger began to laugh uncontrollably.
“Stop it! Please Sean! Get off me-” Orlando begged through rapid laughs, pushing his eldest brother away.
“I’m not through with you yet,” Sean hoisted Orlando into his arms. The younger one began to shout and punch frantically, knowing full well what the other intended.
“Put me down. Right now! Let me go right now!”
“Alright,” Sean replied, and promptly threw him into the oncoming wave.
“Sean!” Orlando was plunged completely into the cold water, his pleas half buried in the sea. A swollen wave brought him to his feet again, and he launched himself into Sean’s open arms. The waters washed over them, their laughter and furious insults ringing with each crash of the waves.
“You bastard! It’s freezing,” Orlando wrapped his arms tightly around his brother’s body, his hands gripping the blonde hair a bit tighter than needed. A surging wave knocked them over and swept them to the beaten shore, the waves lapping over their tightly drawn bodies. Orlando leaned over Sean and started to pick the seaweed sticking to his brother’s face. He could feel the warmth of Sean’s breath touching against his fingers as he worked, smiling playfully as they teased each other.
It was a strange tradition that started ever since Orlando learned how to unfasten the locks. In the summer days Orlando would break free from the castle with Karl and Sean at his heels. Karl would merely chase while Sean would be the one to pick him up and plunge him into the sea. Then came the inevitable play fight and lying on the beach till sand covered every visible part of their bodies. Orlando rolled his eyes and laughed softly.
“Here comes my favorite part,” He looked up and smiled sweetly as Karl stared down at their tangled mess. His arms were crossed impatiently, the rare smile replaced with his usual sternness.
“Get up the both of you.” Karl said, ignoring Orlando’s silent word for word impersonation of him, “Father will be arriving soon. Do you want to greet him with sand and seaweed?”
“Then he’ll see us exactly as he did the last time,” Orlando said matter-of-factly, rolling over to his belly. With elbows in the sand he rested his head in his hands, looking very much like a small child trying to charm his way out of trouble, “It’ll be like he never left.”
“Let him have his fun.” Sean said. Orlando laughed and swatted Sean’s hand away from the tickle spot in his back, “Show some life for once.”
“Two grown men shouldn’t be rolling around like manner-less children in the sand.” Against his better judgment he extended a hand to help, “When are you both going to grow up?”
“And what? Become deadweight like you?” Orlando teased, splashing the water at his brother’s neatly pressed shirt. He was answered by a steely glare. “Don’t look at me like that. I was just playing around.”
“He’s mad because he knows it’s the truth.” Sean whispered to Orlando, “He really has no life aside from those damn books.”
“Karl…” Orlando rose up quickly. The coldness soaked into his skin. His clothes clung limply against his lithe body, the wide collar exposing a generous flash of his glistening shoulders. As he walked by, Karl pulled enough of his shirt up to conceal the bare skin. A change came over Orlando then, the former carelessness replaced with something kinder. He reached out and allowed himself to lean into Karl’s solid body. “You know Sean doesn’t mean that. Don’t fight with him.”
Karl pushed him away in annoyance. Orlando just leaned deeper into his arms. He looked up, his eyes big enough to melt any heart to the ground… give or take a few.
“You can stop that now. I’m immune.”
“I don’t believe you,” Orlando pouted, hugging him even tighter, “Not one bit. No one has immunity to me.”
“He’s right you know,” Sean interrupted, getting up and shaking the sand from his hair, “And even if he’s not he’ll just pester and whine until wrong is right.”
“That’s because he’s spoiled,”
“But at least I’m not a bore,” Orlando smacked Karl’s chest, his lips in a curl, “Besides I have every right to be a bit spoiled.”
“Excuse me then. I was mistaken before,” Karl said, “I meant brat…a spoiled, self centered brat.”
“I’m not a brat because I’m spoiled. I’m a brat because I’m the favorite.” Orlando laughed as Sean crashed into him, wrapping him in his large arms. Orlando welcomed the embrace and rested his head against the taller man’s chest. A change came to Karl’s eyes, so subtle yet deep that it was nearly missed.
“And you’re jealous,” Orlando added, his smile fading when Karl took a step back, “But you have no reason to be.”
“But of course he does,” Sean said, spinning Orlando to the side. He cupped his little brother’s face, “You were always the favored child, right down to how you can convince father to give you whatever you want on a whim… just by a simple pout. If Karl and I tried to do that it would end in disaster.”
The strange mood was broken and Orlando went back to laughing, pulling himself free from Sean’s hold long enough to meet Karl’s gaze.
“We must go now,” Karl nodded to the shifting sky. He laid a hand on Orlando’s shoulder. Dull thunder rolled over them as the clouds raced beyond the setting horizon. Dashes of bruised colors against storm and daylight washed across the sky. The dancing wind pulled them closer to the surging shore. The last streaks of daylight were caught within the waves, the distant reflections of lost light glowing beneath the rising waters. It was a haunting image, a vision of dying day and awakening night.
“It’s beautiful,” Orlando said softly. Stray sunlight brushed his face as the sea scents filled his senses. He took a step forward, the cold ocean lapping at his feet.
“It will turn ugly soon. The rain will start to pour.” Karl said. Orlando shook his head, fully entranced by the sheer vastness of the sunset storm.
“I don’t care. Let it come!” Orlando shouted to the sea, his fist up in the air in foolish courage, “Let it do its worse.”
His hand brushed against Karl’s and for a swift moment their fingers caressed.
“I’m not frightened,” Orlando whispered as the touch deepened, “I’m not alone.”
Thunder boomed over them once more, closer and louder than the last.
“Listen. Look,” Orlando pointed to the menacing sky, “That’s beauty right there. Untamable, unconquerable, nearly unreachable…none of that stupid foolishness of soft, silk roses or poems or absurd promises of forever…”
“You’ve been reading too many of those damn plays again. You’re going insane.” Karl said, ending the trance. He kept an arm around his brother’s shoulder, ensuring him that there would be no chance of escape this time.
“Perhaps,” Orlando replied with a sweet and strange smile, “But there is beauty in insanity isn’t there?”
Karl didn’t respond, but Orlando already knew his answer.
Their tender walk became a playful race once again, with Karl chasing Orlando back to their home. Had they turned back, they would have seen how their neglected brother watched them. They would have seen a warning for the things yet to come, a warning for where their fear should truly lie.
But at the time all thoughts of betrayal and evil were far from their minds. They quickly cleaned up and waited anxiously for their father to arrive. Karl sat by the fire, a battered book in his hands. His eyes drifted to the restless youth by the window. Sean was beside him, obviously making up those silly stories that Orlando seemed to find so entertaining. In the middle of those stories Orlando would gaze out, his eyes searching for the long-lost carriage he so sorely missed. His disappointment didn’t last very long, Sean would somehow make him laugh again, forcing his mind even for a second away from the imminent arrival.
That was one thing Karl envied about Sean, his ability to make Orlando laugh…and forget.
Once, it was Karl and Sean who were tight companions in everything. They stuck to each other like twins, together learning the meaning of mischief and mayhem. It would have continued too, if a certain child wasn’t left at their doorstep one winter. It was the most hideous thing Karl ever saw in his young life, a screaming red thing wrapped in miserable cloth. At first he thought it was some sort of animal, never really knowing what a baby was before. He and Sean poked and shoved the ugly thing, amazed by how something so small could be so loud. They were further amazed by how such a hideous changeling could have captured their father’s heart so quickly. Within a day their father decided to adopt the child as their new baby brother. That addition marked the end of Karl’s mischievous days and signaled the beginning of Orlando’s prominence as the favorite.
“Not so loud Sean. He’s right there,” Orlando whispered, nodding towards Karl, “You shouldn’t make fun of him that way. It’s not fair. He can’t even defend himself.”
“Since when did fairness matter to you? He takes the punishment every time you cause trouble. And you just let him take the blame.”
“Because he doesn’t mind if it’s for me.” Orlando explained, “You do the same thing.”
“Because you’re a manipulating, clever little bastard.”
“And because I’m so irresistible.” Orlando threw his head up dramatically, the heavy curls flopping to the side. He flashed a playful smile and leaned in to hug his brother, “You’d both rather die than see me hurt.”
Karl turned the page numbly as his brothers laughed. As spoiled as Orlando was, he also the most affectionate. Sean could be sweet if there was something to be gained from it, but Orlando would fall on anyone at any time and hug the breath from them. He wasn’t the smartest or the strongest, but he knew how to charm and delight. While Orlando entranced and captivated through his charms, Sean impressed others with his sheer strength and courage. It was strange how wonderfully tight there bond was. Though he was a bit selfish and insensitive at times, Orlando could never truly hurt another living thing. Sean on the other hand, could probably kill any wild beast he set out to hunt.
Karl watched his brothers carefully through narrowed eyes. Out of the three of them, he knew he was the weakest. He couldn’t speak aloud the thoughts that entered his mind or the feelings that swelled in his heart. Unlike Sean he didn’t have much strength to boast of, and unlike Orlando no beauty to be proud of. But he did take pride in being the good child, the obedient, thoughtful one who reminded the others of their responsibilities. But he was far from perfect. He was not spared from the vices and desires brimming within him…forces that he tried uselessly to suppress. But like the darkness overcomes the day, so did the forbidden conquer his heart whenever daylight disappears into night.
“Father…” The word turned heads towards the widow. Karl’s thoughts were broken. Orlando shot up excitedly and raced down the stairs, “It’s Father! He’s arrived, he’s come back!”
Within minutes Orlando was at the bottom of the castle. Their father emerged from a heavy cloak. At the sight of Orlando’s beaming face he burst out with a wide smile of his own.
“I’ve missed you!” The old man choked under the furious hugs Orlando lavished upon him, “I’ve been marking down each day until your arrival.”
“And I’ve been searching for anyone who could outmatch your sweetened lies,” The lord joked, pinching his son’s face as he often did in younger days, “It was an impossible task. How I’ve missed you too, my youngest and most troublesome child! Where are your brothers?”
“Don’t mind them. What happened during your trip? Were you able to see Paris? Did you see the gardens of Versailles?” Orlando locked his arm with his father’s and chattered excitedly. The servants were busy unpacking, carefully unloading the poor old carriage of its parcels.
“Easy with that,” The lord pointed to a curious red package that a servant pulled from the pile, “That’s Orlando’s birthday gift.”
“But Father my birthday was months ago.”
“Yes but I was still away. Now I intend to make up for missing it.” The lord declared. Orlando hugged him tighter and kissed his cheek.
“Oh, each year you grow I feel younger. You still treat me as if you were a little child, just as excited and anxious for my arrival and stories. I remember how small you were back then, a little tornado tearing through the castle…”
“A tempest better describes him now Father,” Sean appeared, his arms wide to receive the arriving lord, “He’s been a complete nightmare during your absence.”
“I’m not half as horrible as you all say,” Orlando scoffed, throwing his head back in mock snobbery, “How can I be such a nightmare? There has to be something good about me to gain everyone’s favor.”
“I’m glad to see you’ve kept your sanity,” The lord patted Sean’s broad shoulders, “Not many can endure him for so long…Hmm…But I remember three sons. Where is Karl?”
“You know him,” Orlando replied, “He doesn’t believe in all this nonsense about hugging, kissing, and crying whenever you return…but me, I don’t mind. I’m just so happy that you’re back.”
“Oh my dear boy, I’ve missed you too…all of you. Now let’s eat some supper. I’ve dined in the greatest halls in Europe but nothing compares to a good home-cooked meal. Yes, Delphine is the sweetest name on earth, second only to the names of my sons.”
Sure enough, Karl was waiting for them at the table. Their father exchanged a mock display of hurt and forgiveness of his failure to greet him. Karl couldn’t reply except to say that he didn’t want to anger Orlando by taking his place. It was common knowledge that whenever Lord Ian arrived from his far travels, he was exclusively Orlando’s…and anyone would be damned if they tried to speak with the lord before his youngest child did. The excuse worked wonderfully well and Karl was forgiven.
Soon they sat down to eat. The table brimmed with every conceivable dish and the air was thick with savory scents. Being unaccustomed to guests or manners, they ate like starving lions on a field of bloody meat. Lord Ian and Karl were the more reserved of the four, while Sean and Orlando saw no problems with flinging bread at each other from across the table. The meal lasted late into the night, the wind drowned out by laughter and playful insults of every kind.
“I’ve lost count of the places you’ve been too… Italy, Spain and now France…” Orlando tried hard to imagine how those places looked like. He wanted so much to just know, to see them with his own eyes, “What did the people look like? Is it true that they eat frogs? Do they have beaches there? I bet it’s not half as beautiful as the one right here.”
“So many questions! Perhaps I should keep a diary, a detailed account of everything there is to know about my travels.”
“Oh no father. It’s not that I’m trying to be a pest…I just really want to know…I mean, I’ve never really been past the village before.” Orlando said, his eyes fumbling with his nervous hands, “I’m just curious that’s all.”
In truth, Orlando never saw a single tree that was beyond the village. His eyes were accustomed to the sea and stone of his home. Aside from his father, brothers, and servants there were no other people he knew of. The faces from his childhood followed him through the years, nothing new entering and nothing old passing away; to him everything was constant. He struggled with images of things beyond the sea, things that he couldn’t comprehend. The most he received from the outside world where those ships that sometimes sailed by. He often thought of what it felt like to be aboard one. How did it float? Where did it go? Where was its home? Karl would try to explain it through books, but Orlando wanted more than just an explanation…he wanted to know, touch, see, taste…what was beyond that horizon? Where did the sun shine when it left them?
“I’ve read in one of those books that Versailles is beautiful. They have a lot of flowers, gardens, parties and all sorts of things we don’t have here. What does it look like? Is it like Madrid or Venice?” Orlando asked.
“Madrid, Venice, and Versailles are all in different countries,” Karl corrected, “I’ll show you a map of it later so you’ll know the difference.”
“The only use of your pointless maps is to feed fire,” Orlando said in annoyance, “They won’t get me to those places and they won’t answer my questions. I want to go myself. I want us to go there Karl…all of us.”
There was a hungry, almost desperate glow in Orlando’s eyes now. His brothers, whether they knew it or not, mimicked his change. They were raised in Delphine as nobles, educated and trained no differently than others of their station. But they still wild, almost feral creatures, their passions not completely beaten out with the bars of civilized society. Raw, untamed desires seethed at the tips of their fingers, barely dormant in the hidden sanctuary of their sea kissed home. It was mere a question of time before they broke free from this place, beautiful Delphine, to pursue the aching cries of their heart.
But for that night, in their father’s presence, they pushed the thoughts and dreams away and returned once more to a lighter mood.
“But Orlando, I doubt Karl will do anything else except read books on Paris while we’re already there,” Sean laughed, taking another swing of dark wine, “It’ll be a waste of time to take him along. He’ll probably prefer those dusty old paintings to finding a lady friend. He has no appetite for things of blood and flesh. He wouldn’t know the difference between pleasure and pain unless he read it from a book.”
The joke seemed more cruel than humorous to Orlando, and he tried to come up with something to pacify any insult Karl might have felt. But before he did, Karl raised a hand to stop him.
“But if Orlando is with me I’m certain I’ll have a greater appetite than you brother…and I will have no need for a lady friend.” Karl replied, looking straight at Sean’s face. There was no mistaking the challenge in his eyes or the firmness of his words, “It matters not where you are, but who you’re with. I’d rather be trapped in a ditch with Orlando than spend a day in the greatest palace with your frustrating company.”
Sean’s empty wine glass hit the table soundly.
“But I doubt he’ll be satisfied with you.” Sean smiled, though his eyes were flickering with repressed fire. It was not often that he was challenged, especially by Karl, but he couldn’t pass the chance of asserting his place as the strongest among them, “You’re the smart one. Don’t you think our little brother is suited for more intense and passionate activities than sitting in a ditch?”
“If you’re trying to say that I prefer hunting with you, you’re mistaken,” Orlando spoke up, “It’s absolutely disgusting and cruel.”
Sean poured blood red wine into his cup. A feral gleam marred his handsome face.
“So you do have a conscience.” Sean whispered in mock, almost bitter surprise, “Strange that it only selects the sins it wishes to object to.”
Orlando’s foot drew back when an unwelcomed touch brushed against it.
“Enough talk of travels, ditches and sins. I’ve brought gifts for each of you,” Lord Ian interrupted, patting Orlando’s shoulder in reassurance. His youngest son wasn’t fazed by much, but if there was one thing that made him shy and cower it was a fight between his two older brothers. A scolding maid or a slap on the hand did nothing to cut down Orlando’s spirit…no punishment seemed to break him down. But the slightest spat between Karl and Sean would be enough to upset Orlando for days, and he would spend sleepless nights trying to figure out how to reconcile them again.
“Here we are,” Lord Ian said, taking a polished wooden box out from a leather bag. He presented the box to Karl, who studied the exterior before finally seeing the inside. Karl found it hard to stop the smile on his face as he picked a handsomely crafted brush from its case.
“Fine, smooth brushes from France…the best I could find. I also brought an array of paints for you. Maybe now you can finally capture Orlando’s image at last.”
“Thank you,” Karl said simply, carefully placing the brush back into its proper place, “But Orlando can never be brought down to mere paint and ink. He’s far too much capture…especially since he can’t stand still for a second.”
“Well maybe he’ll sit still when he reads these,” Lord Ian took a red parcel from the bag. Orlando eagerly accepted the gift and tore the lovely wrapping off. His face brightened like a star as he flipped through the pages excitedly. Lord Ian waited for his well deserved hug or kiss, but instead Orlando’s smile began to fade.
“The latest plays and a few older ones you haven’t read before,” Lord Ian explained, as if it would spark Orlando’s usual joy. The young man merely slipped his fingers between the pages, his gaze lost in the words.
“Yes…plays for the ones I’ll never see.”
“Now, don’t be like that.” Lord Ian teased kindly, “I promise I’ll take you with me to see them, but not anytime soon.”
Before Orlando could pout, his father turned to the leather bag again, this time pulling out a darker case. He handed it to Sean, who instantly uncovered the brilliant pair of hunting knives hidden in the scabbard.
“They’re beautiful,” Sean said, carefully running his finger against the sharp edge of the shorter knife. The blade drew a straight cut through his skin and a drop of thick blood fell on the table.
“Put that thing away,” Karl said, noticing the unease Orlando felt. For once, Sean obeyed and placed the knife out of sight but close within reach. Their father called for another bottle of wine and the night went on in drunken revelry.
“Here-here’s a toast.” Lord Ian said, raising his overflowing cup up in the air, the liquid spilling over his hand, “To Orlando, my precious, mischievous elf of a son. Who would have thought that the screaming baby I took in from the snow would flourish into such a fiery spirit?”
That one earned him two kisses on the cheek and a massive, suffocating embrace. Orlando, safe and contented, rested his head on Lord Ian’s shoulder. He still held his place as favorite…he would need that for later, if things went his way. He laughed as his father struggled for something to say about the others.
“Well, what else is there? To Sean…my strongest, bravest, child…the best hunter in these lands. You will be an honorable leader one day and a faithful protector of your brothers. I’m proud, so proud of you…” He took another gulp of wine, refilled the glass and held it up again, “And to Karl…my most intelligent, obedient son…the only one who brings peace to my mind when others bring chaos. You are a true blessing. God knew the horrors I would face with these two and was kind enough to grant me a kinder, thoughtful child.”
“You’re far too generous with Karl,” Sean swung his glass around, a bit of wine accidentally splashing on his brother as he did, “Allow me to give a more accurate account. To my brother, who spends his life studying how to live it, who would rather admire something from a far instead of hunting it down for his own.”
Lord Ian chuckled and nodded in agreement, the liquor clouding his mind. He failed to see the embarrassment on Karl’s face, or the dangerous tightening of his fists.
“Well what about Orlando?” Lord Ian asked, smiling adoringly at his son, “What have you to say about him?”
An oddness crept through Sean’s face, something new and intense. Orlando wasn’t sure if it was from all the drinking, or from the long hours of the night…but it brought an unsettling shadow over him. He calmed when he felt Karl’s eyes guarding him, but he still couldn’t bring himself to meet Sean’s strange gaze.
“To Orlando…” Sean declared, his gaze falling heavily on the object of admiration, “To whom nothing else can be compared. If there was anything close to a living definition of beauty it would be him. And if the world thinks it not then everything they say will be a lie to me. Let the world stay outside, but may Orlando always remain here.”
“To Sean,” Orlando said, raising his own glass to the air. His eyes were on Karl as he spoke and smiled, “Our lunatic brother who speaks nonsense.”
“Perfectly said,” Lord Ian laughed heartily, slapping a heavy hand on the table. He rubbed his eyes and yawned deeply, “And a perfect end for tonight.”
“But you still haven’t told us everything about Paris and nothing about Versailles except for how much it rained.” Orlando whined insistantly, “It’s not that late Father.”
“I’m not as young as you. I tire too easily. Besides, I’ve been away from home long enough. Don’t make me wait any longer to sleep on my own bed. I’ll tell you everything you want to know in the morning.”
“But Father-”
“In the morning,” He kissed Orlando’s forehead soundly, “You all should get some sleep as well. I wish to ride tomorrow. Perhaps then we can make use of those new hunting knives of yours Sean.”
Sean said he looked forward to it and bid his father farewell. Karl nodded respectfully in turn. Orlando tried in vain to convince his father to stay, but it appeared that the liquor numbed his usual charms. Once the old man was gone, Sean got up, leaned forward and kissed Orlando barely on the cheek. Orlando drew back in panic, his fingers covering the spot where Sean’s kiss landed…so close to the edge of his mouth that he could taste the liquor that stained his brother’s lips.
“What was that for?” Orlando said, his voice sharp. Sean shrugged and kissed him again, this time on the forehead.
“I missed the first time,” Sean slurred as he staggered back.
“But what was it for?”
“Your belated birthday gift,” Sean whispered, “The priceless gift of undying brotherly love…”
“You’re so cheap,” Orlando’s anger vanished quickly. He smiled and shoved Sean away playfully. His brother caught him by the waist and suddenly whispered into his ear, the hot touch awakening sensations across his neck.
“Don’t worry. If that wasn’t enough for you, I can make up for it.” Sean’s lips stole a quick peck on Orlando’s neck before he staggered back. He grabbed the bottle of half-empty wine, “We will save this for another day. Goodnight baby brother.”
Sean fumbled up the stairs with the bottle barely in his hands. It wasn’t until after he was gone from sight that Orlando realized how shallow his breathing had become.
“Karl-” He turned to greet him only to discover that he was alone. Karl had slipped away once more. It was a strange ability of his, he could slip in and out without anyone noticing and yet he could pick up the slightest rouse of emotion from the most controlled soul. It was so like his nature, subtle and sensitive to others although they were callous to him.
Orlando wrapped his arms around himself. The air was suddenly cold and the candlelight seemed somehow dimmer than before. He blew out the lights, abandoned the messy table and approached the window. The clouds were sweeping swiftly over the half moon. The wind displayed only a fraction of its power tonight, like the peering eye in the night sky. Between the thin clouds he could see bright spots of silver and white forming patterns against the darkness. Karl told him about them once before, those distant constellations, one night when they stayed up gazing at the sky. He felt his heart flutter at the memory.
He smiled brightly as he pressed his hands against the window, the chill awakening him. In the falls of spilling moonlight he saw a sole figure racing towards the raising rocks, the secret sharer of his stone sanctuary. He searched around, making sure that no one would see him. He snuck out of the dining hall and crept down the stairs to the servant’s quarters and then to the doors leading to the outside world. His hand reached for the lock and began to work it free. He nearly cried in joy as the door creaked opened. But then a soft hand reached out and pulled him back.
“You’re not going out there again are you?”
“Hush. Liv, someone might hear you. Is anyone else awake?” Orlando panicked and scanned the deserted room. The young maid calmed his fears with a gentle shake of her head.
“You mustn't say anything to anyone. You promised me.”
“You also said that you would stop. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this secret from your father. If he finds out-”
“I’ll tell him…We will tell him together…But please, don’t say anything too him. He has to hear it from us. He can’t find out through anyone else.”
“I don’t think you should go through with this.” Liv pleaded, “I fear for you. This thing between you and…and him… it’s-”
“Wrong?” A dangerous gleam shone in his eyes, a wild determined glare, “There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“He’s your-”
“Only in name and paper,” Orlando argued, his hands shaking and wet from sudden sweat, “We came to our father one by one from whatever place he found us. We do not share blood.”
“So that gives you leave to share your flesh?”
The question hung like a noose between them. No other servant would have dared speak such things to their masters, especially to Orlando. But this was Liv, his closest friend aside from his brothers. They grew up together; much like a little pleasant flower grows alongside a ticket of beautiful thorns. She was a pestering conscience to him, ready to slap him with the truth if that’s what it took to wake him from his irrational thoughts. Most times her gentle warnings were enough to drive him back to sanity, but the passing months were biting down her patience. No matter how much Liv coaxed him to stop she knew that he would go ahead and do it anyways. That was his essence, that frustrating quality of his…There was no known restraint that could hold him back from something he clearly desired...injury and virtue meant nothing.
“Step aside or be thrown aside,” Orlando commanded, making the choice for her. He pulled her aside without a word of apology and before she could protest he was already swallowed in the late night darkness.
Liv closed the door, but kept the lock open. She knew the damage his selfishness could inflict, but she also knew the immense love he was capable of. Besides, she was his friend and confidant…he turned to her in laughter and in tears…she couldn’t bring herself to lock him out now. But above all else she pitied him. There was a certain air of illusion he had, a craving for the impossible that Liv didn’t want to shatter. After all what did he know of control and restraint? He was like the wind, many people said so…swift to change and impossible to control, a great friend one moment and a deadlier enemy the next.
While his friend was left to worry and wait Orlando made his careful journey towards his stone sanctuary, veiled from sight under the giant shadows of his castle home. The wind splattered clouds on the moon’s face, creating a shield of darkness to aid in his trek. The stone sanctuary grew closer, and his feet began to slow down, as if he were prolonging the agony until he met completion once more. What was nothing more than a jagged maze during the day became his haven at night. The twist and turns of this secret place were etched deep in his heart, the feel and taste of the night-covered ocean as integral to him as his own blood.
A waiting figure emerged from behind a row of giant stones, a whiff of wind blowing away the clouds long enough from the moon’s face to reveal their furious embrace. Orlando panted breathlessly as he slammed their mouths together. His hungry tongue shoved violently against the heat that drowned his senses in madness. Hands that were gentle and shy in daylight were all over him now, pulling and tearing away the clothes that separated flesh from flesh.
“I missed you,” Thrill ignited within Orlando as hands brushed against skin, naked and burning, “Don’t make me wait any longer please-Karl.”
“I was with you the entire day.” He answered lowly, “I never left you.”
“No. That wasn’t you. This…This is who you really are, the one you hide behind their accursed insults and your blameless mask.” Orlando gasped as Karl touched him boldly, shamelessly in barely hidden places. He pulled off what little remained of their clothes and clung tightly, almost desperately to him.
“You are not that daylight coward, willing to let whoever wishes trample over you.” His body arched with a cry, his lover’s throbbing manhood pressing painfully against his sweat-slick thighs, “This is you right here…over me…Soon inside of me, ready to take without asking-”
Orlando screamed as Karl entered him violently, driving deep into the tight, fevered heat. It was selfish and maddening, how they took whatever they pleased, ravishing without another thought. They were lovers and rivals of pleasure, seeing who between them could give and take the most. There was no room for sweet tenderness or soft, fluttering whispers when heated thrusts mingled with broken cries. They made love in brutal, violent, passion while the rest of existence was reduced to nothing more than the crashing waves at their feet.
The salty, wild drops of the ocean fell from Karl’s brow into Orlando’s lips. The scent of sweat, sea and sex intoxicated them both, shooting their rapturous coupling to the limits of pleasure. Orlando braced himself, mindless to the world but fully captive beneath the massive velvet steel slamming inside him. Muscles rippled around and within, inside and over, beneath and above. They moved like a single, ravenous creature twisting under a deadly fever.
“Karl-” Orlando cried out in his insanity, meeting a powerful thrust with his own, “Karl! Please-”
Their screams merged as one, piercing roar. Orlando felt himself completely unravel as Karl’s release filled him, overflowing down his legs into the sand. Karl collapsed on top of his trembling body; his tongue already plunging into Orlando’s bruised mouth.
“Why must we hide like this?” Orlando asked when their kisses ceased. He rolled on top of Karl, his voice soft and nearly breathless. His fingers played across Karl’s chest, stopping where the heart rested, “I want it. You want it. Tell me why we can’t confess this and live as wish, in freedom?”
“Our father would never allow it. You know that.” Karl said, his hand reaching out to take Orlando’s, “He will sooner cast me out than give you to me.”
“Do you think him so heartless?” Orlando leaned down to rest against his lover’s chest, the strong heartbeat pulsing against his face, “How will we know if we don’t even try? He may be angry at first but he’ll accept it …he will give me to you if you would only ask.”
“He won’t risk the scandal,”
“To hell with scandal. You weren't thinking about scandal when you made love to me…” Orlando’s voice became weak, almost fragile, “I don’t want to hide anymore. Even if father says no his word means nothing.”
“Orlando-”
“He is not our father by blood and you are not my brother!” Orlando snapped, “Do you know how disgusting it is to hear you call me that?”
“Do you feel just as disgusted when Sean touches you?”
Karl’s eyes were no longer unreadable and distant. Instead they held intense, biting jealousy and deep, unspoken love.
“I’m not blind,” He said, gently taking Orlando’s face into his hands, “I’ve seen how his hands brush against your body, how his eyes drill themselves to you. Tell me, is there reason to fear him?”
“I see him as a brother and a friend, nothing more,” Orlando answered honestly, “But you are worth more to me than that…I love you, not in the way I love the sea, or father, or Sean…but I love you unlike anything or anyone else. Can’t you understand that?”
“Yes…” Karl answered, “Because I feel it too.” He kissed Orlando, this time it was gentle and full of tenderness. There were no fragrant roses, lush gardens, shimmering stars or songs to accompany their intimate embrace…there was only sea, stone, and wind…and yet Karl found it impossible for anything to enhance the beauty a breath away from his lips.
“Then let us tell Father. Please my love,” Orlando looked away, surprised that such a silly endearment slipped from his tongue. Karl smiled and pulled him deeper into his arms.
“My love…it sounds wonderful from your lips,” He caressed warmth back to the trembling body. Orlando settled beneath his touch.
“Just think,” Orlando’s hands laced around his, “Would it be any different if he never took us in? If I met you somewhere else by another name? If we were strangers to each other?”
“You would still be you,” He breathed deeply into Orlando’s mouth.
“And I,” Orlando closed the whisper between them, “I would still be yours,”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Orlando awoke with tears in his eyes and a sob from his lips. Where was he? The horrible stench reminded him quickly enough. A harsh light dangled somewhere close by. The air felt as sharp as fresh ice. He shivered and instantly reached for the sleeping bundle at his side. His eyes flew open when he felt nothing but hay and dirt.
The shrill cry of his baby came from above him, and there he saw a young servant girl. Her eyes were wide with fear and her mouth was open in a half-choked scream. Orlando’s eyes blazed as his baby cried madly in her arms.
“Help!” The girl shouted, “Help! There’s a thief in the stables! Quick, before he-Help!Help!”
He grabbed her hair and dashed her head against the planks of wood, the short nails cutting into her face. He struck her heavily and ripped his son away from her, cursing and spitting on her before he made a frantic run to the open doors.
“Hold it there. Where do you think you’re off too?” A gruff man appeared, followed by several others. Orlando clenched his son tightly against his chest. The man caught sight of the crying, bleeding maid on the floor, her face torn with terrible marks.
“So you fancy yourself a murderer too? What kind of beast are you, to attack an innocent woman? And what’s that? A baby? You plan to steal that one too?” Orlando’s eyes widened as he saw the thick, black whip the man drew from his belt, “I’ll show you what’s done to your bloody kind…”
“It was that vile girl who wanted to steal my son from me! This child is mine.”
“Take the child from him,” The man ordered, his whip licking the air with a sharp bite, “Go!”
“No…” Orlando begged furiously as he tried to conceal his son, “Please don’t take him from me...don’t...please...”
The other men hesitated for a second, the frantic pleas of the young father stilling their steps.
“Don’t let those damn tears stop you. Look at him, he’s completely deranged! Get that child away from him now before he hurts it!”
“Stay away,” Orlando warned, backing away from their advance. The frigid snow sunk beneath his feet. His eyes were sick and wide with raw panic, “Stay away from us…No! Stop please! Don’t! No!!”
His baby was torn from his grasp, and the absence was all it took to shatter his sanity.
He launched himself towards the man who stole his child, his hands suddenly aching for violence and blood. When the other men tried to keep him back, he grabbed their heads with so much force that he ripped fistfuls of hair out. His tongue lapped the taste of blood as he bit and cursed. He fought like a madman towards those shrill, desperate cries that urged him on. His eyes glowed brightly with fierce anger and desperation, primeval fear reflected deep in their depths. He was just one against many, but his furry made him indifferent to their strength. They took his child, and he would not allow them to go unpunished. He bite, tore and clawed like a desperate animal, fighting his way to the man who held the precious captive.
“Enough of this,” The leader came forward and uncoiled his whip, “Get back from him!” The others promptly fled as the whip snapped down across Orlando back. He collapsed from the burning pain, his body sinking into the razor cold. He staggered against the hard wetness only to receive another sting.
“How many lashes will it take to beat the demons from you?” The sharp crack of the whip sounded once more, followed this time with a broken cry.
“How many? Ten? Twenty?” He brought the whip down in quick successions, ignoring the blood seeping through the thin shirt.
“This is what happens to thieves and kidnappers,” The man explained heartlessly, his ears dumb to the young man’s anguished pleas.
“He’ll bleed to death.” One servant spoke up, daring to step closer in defiance, “Our master wouldn’t approve of this.”
Their shouts were distant echoes to him. He looked up to see the whip smacking the air once more, a mere inch from his face. His strength faltered from fear. Vibrant patterns of blood trickled against the pale snow, blinding his eyes with their brilliant hue. He buckled under the next lash, and a fresh gush of red flowed from him. He dared to raise his eyes, the tears mingling with blood and snow when he saw a glimpse of his son’s tiny hand.
“No…” Orlando whispered as his son’s cries filled him, “Don’t cry…please, don’t cry…Don’t hurt him! Please!”
The servants watched in shock as Orlando crawled through the snow, a trail of blood staining behind him.
“Don’t hurt him,” Orlando begged, his hands reaching out to the man who held his child, “He’s frightened…please don’t hurt him…please…”
He collapsed entirely from the repeated strikes against him. The man who held the baby stared in horror as the father’s back was torn into strips of red. Orlando became a small, red, cowering creature, his trembling hands covering his tear soaked face.
All at once the beatings ceased, and absolute stillness filled the air. Orlando felt himself falling, crumbling like a wounded animal into the frigid snow. He felt a hand reaching down to help him and a cloak draping gently over his bare, bleeding body. He heard a commotion approaching them, a shout of anger and rebuke.
“Have you no shame?”
“But my lord, he was trespassing. He attacked one of your subjects-”
“And that gives you right to do this?” The new voice was full, powerful, but for some reason it made Orlando hope for mercy. Strong arms lifted him gently from the snow.
“But Lord Viggo he is a criminal.”
“It is I who will judge that, not you.”
Orlando shivered, realizing that the voice and arms that helped him belonged to one person. Careful, gloved, hands wiped the blood and snow from his face. Orlando could barely see the lord’s face. But he could make out sandy blonde hair that fell past the ears and a pair of blue eyes…eyes that shocked him with unexpected pity and kindness.
“I will not allow this atrocity to pass,” The lord promised softly. Orlando pulled away from his touch, afraid of hidden intentions. The lord watched as the bloody young man looked up, his arms open, his eyes brimming with tears.
“Please,” He whispered brokenly, “Please...my son…just give me back my son…”
A servant immediately knelt by his side, trying his best to avoid the father’s face out of guilt. The young man’s strength returned long enough to bring his child close to his heart. He kissed the little face, and touched the tiny waving hand with such care and gentleness that it silenced everyone who looked upon them. It was a frightening and aching sight, a wounded father caring for his infant child.
“Hush,” Orlando smiled weakly when his son’s hand wrapped around his shaking finger. The child began to calm as his father kissed and rocked him, “Hush, I’m here…it’s alright…no one will harm you.”
The lord was enraptured by the strange exchange before him. The young father shed the cloak which the lord gave him and wrapped it around his son.
“It’s alright…see?” Orlando said, breathing in the warm breath of his treasure, “It’s alright…You’re safe.”
The last thing he saw before darkness filled him were his son’s bright eyes staring up at him…but the last thing he felt were Viggo’s hands wrapping tenderly around his own.
TBC….