Whoever You May Be Ch. 13
Title: Whoever You May Be
Author:Cesi
Characters: Karl Urban, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen
Genres: Angst, Drama, Romance
Rating: R
Warnings: AU, mpreg
Beta: My sister at heart, NJ
Disclaimer: No profit made. No harm intended. No truth involved. Nothing at all.
Summary: Liv enjoys the power and pleasure of nobility, while Orlando suffers the harsh life of a commoner. The arrival of a Danish Lord may put them in their rightful place. Can you live a life, and keep a love that's destined for someone else? AU. V/O
Previous chapters
Chapter 13- The Missing Key
“Would you just look at Orli? He looks so radiant! He stands out from even the finest of them!” A young maid whispered excitedly to her friends as they waited in the shadows, taking a well deserved break from the hustle of the evening.
“He’s always stood out…even among us,” Fran replied fondly as she watched the young man in the arms of the royal, “That boy’s a natural beauty, all that decoration and nonsense those nobles wear would be just ghastly on him! Wouldn’t do him justice at all!”
The other servants and maids nodded in agreement.
“He’s dancing with Lord Mortensen. What luck! A royal, dancing with our Orli!” an older maid said through a huge grin.
“Or at least he’s trying to,” Fran said, suppressing her laughter as Orlando tripped again and again while his partner tried his best to cover the mistakes gracefully. The other servants continued to chatter away, pointing towards the odd couple and giggling excitedly.
“He’s really moving up in the world isn’t he? Did you see all the attention he got?”
“I know. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought this was his birthday celebration, not Liv’s!”
“This night is quickly becoming his. You’re right, it’s almost like this party were meant for him!”
“Can you image him as a real lord? As our lord?” Fran wondered thoughtfully.
“I’d have less bruises and blisters that’s for sure.” A servant said while rubbing his hands, the blisters still burned from all the labor Liv inflicted on him.
“Why couldn’t he be our master instead? Of all the children our Lord and Lady could have had, why Liv?”
“For tonight he might as well be their son…you know, I’ve never noticed how much he and Liv resemble one another.”
“Come to think of it…they do look a little alike…Why… they could almost be brother and sister!” Fran exclaimed, wondering how she could have missed it after so many years. The gossip ceased once they realized she was right. There were whispers of agreement and suspicion as they compared the young celebrants.
“You’re right Miss Fran…from where I stand, they do look similar…they really could pass for brother and sister.”
“But it can’t be. We know Lord Hugo could never betray Lady Cate like that. Sure Orli and Liv look somewhat alike, but an angel can’t be the brother of a demon…it’s just outrageous...don’t think such things.” Fran waved off their wild theories, “Don’t let your imaginations run off again.”
“Orlando looks ten times more splendid then Liv doesn’t he? Everyone else seems to agree.” A young servant changed the subject, still love-sick at the very sight of the dark-haired beauty.
“Especially that Dane,” Another chimed in, a slight giggle in her voice.
“And what are all of you doing here?” Bernard demanded as he stepped from behind them. All at once their voices and laughter stopped, and they were back to their submissive state, “Get back to work. You’re here to serve Liv, not to share your sick fantasies about that boy!”
In a flash the servants were up and gone, fleeing to different sections of the grounds with their bottles of wine and trays.
Bernard’s eyes stalked Orlando through the dance floor, dark memories overpowering his mind. The boy was the living reminder of his grief and misery. The years only intensified his hatred, his thirst for vengeance growing passionate with each day.
Every day he saw more and more of that bastard in Orlando…in his eyes. Eyes that mocked and destroyed, eyes that watched as his family was taken from him… eyes that just begged to be ripped from that accursed face!
“Who does that bastard think he is? How can he flaunt himself like that? The nerve of that dirty, ambitious, whore!” Furry swept through Bernard like a demon craving for possession, the depths of hell reflecting in his eyes, “If Liv feels even the slightest touch of humiliation from this, that bastard will pay!”
*******
“I’m sorry,”
Orlando’s head shot up, his eyes wide with confusion.
“I apologize for this morning,” Viggo whispered in his ear.
Orlando shifted away from the whisper, the lord’s breath arousing tender sensations across his skin. He kept silent as he cursed himself for responding so easily, for allowing mere words to entice him. It was barely a day ago that this same man crushed and caressed him painfully, daring to explore his body against his will. And now here he was, once again in the arms that held him the night before, desperately fighting the sensations that swept through him as the lord held him close.
His brown eyes turned down when the lord’s breathing spread against his neck. The Dane didn’t draw him close, yet it felt as if everything connecting them intensified, almost to make up for the lost space between them. The very air between them felt warm, not from sensations or contact, but from something intangible and fearfully wonderful. The music which serenaded the night seemed to move them in a single step, a single direction, and a single embrace. To Viggo, even the slight brush of Orlando’s hair against his cheek as they turned sent messages coursing within him. He breathed the sweet scent even more as they triggered a memory, a dark one…
“A Lord, especially a royal…” Orlando whispered as he hesitantly met Viggo’s eyes, “Does not need to apologize to their subjects.” His earlier courage was drawn completely from him. There was not a trace of defiance left. He was meek and fragile once more, open to rebuke and scorn, ready to accept whatever punishment this lord would inflict upon him for his insolence.
“I apologize when I know I’m at fault,” Viggo answered, his pride melting away as he beheld the depths of Orlando’s eyes. Eyes that revealed so much fear, confusion, and regret.
“I’ve been defiant, I know…I just…” Orlando tried to explain, but how could he? How could he tell Viggo why he acted the way he did? The Dane obviously didn’t even remember what happened last night, and the last thing Orlando wanted to do was accuse Liv’s fiancé of attempted rape.
“Lord Viggo…I…I’m sorry if I have offended you, and I’m even more sorry if I disgraced my master’s family because of how I treated you. It won’t happen again.”
The apology would have satisfied Viggo’s pride had it been another low class peasant. But this one was different. In his meekness, Orlando had done what no servant dared to do… he met Viggo’s eyes, and spoke to him, not as a servant, but as an equal.
“You are different tonight,” Viggo said as the music swelled, gently taking Orlando deeper in his arms.
“And you… you’re different as well.” Orlando whispered beneath his breath. The Dane surrendered to a smile with the faint sound of his voice.
So they danced, slow and beautiful as the music’s melody. For a few minutes they forgot the shadows and doubts that filled their minds. For a few minutes their worlds stopped. Society, duty, reputation melted in forgetfulness until all that remained was them…just as they were, no title and no name…simply two people cradled in each other’s arms. They were no longer lord and servant, but equals…Two hearts that longed for what the other possessed. Freedom for one, and hope for another…and deep within them, they both yearned for that illusive fantasy called love…
Neither knowing the missing key to their desires was right there in their arms.
TBC….
Author:Cesi
Characters: Karl Urban, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen
Genres: Angst, Drama, Romance
Rating: R
Warnings: AU, mpreg
Beta: My sister at heart, NJ
Disclaimer: No profit made. No harm intended. No truth involved. Nothing at all.
Summary: Liv enjoys the power and pleasure of nobility, while Orlando suffers the harsh life of a commoner. The arrival of a Danish Lord may put them in their rightful place. Can you live a life, and keep a love that's destined for someone else? AU. V/O
Previous chapters
Chapter 13- The Missing Key
“Would you just look at Orli? He looks so radiant! He stands out from even the finest of them!” A young maid whispered excitedly to her friends as they waited in the shadows, taking a well deserved break from the hustle of the evening.
“He’s always stood out…even among us,” Fran replied fondly as she watched the young man in the arms of the royal, “That boy’s a natural beauty, all that decoration and nonsense those nobles wear would be just ghastly on him! Wouldn’t do him justice at all!”
The other servants and maids nodded in agreement.
“He’s dancing with Lord Mortensen. What luck! A royal, dancing with our Orli!” an older maid said through a huge grin.
“Or at least he’s trying to,” Fran said, suppressing her laughter as Orlando tripped again and again while his partner tried his best to cover the mistakes gracefully. The other servants continued to chatter away, pointing towards the odd couple and giggling excitedly.
“He’s really moving up in the world isn’t he? Did you see all the attention he got?”
“I know. If I didn’t know any better I would have thought this was his birthday celebration, not Liv’s!”
“This night is quickly becoming his. You’re right, it’s almost like this party were meant for him!”
“Can you image him as a real lord? As our lord?” Fran wondered thoughtfully.
“I’d have less bruises and blisters that’s for sure.” A servant said while rubbing his hands, the blisters still burned from all the labor Liv inflicted on him.
“Why couldn’t he be our master instead? Of all the children our Lord and Lady could have had, why Liv?”
“For tonight he might as well be their son…you know, I’ve never noticed how much he and Liv resemble one another.”
“Come to think of it…they do look a little alike…Why… they could almost be brother and sister!” Fran exclaimed, wondering how she could have missed it after so many years. The gossip ceased once they realized she was right. There were whispers of agreement and suspicion as they compared the young celebrants.
“You’re right Miss Fran…from where I stand, they do look similar…they really could pass for brother and sister.”
“But it can’t be. We know Lord Hugo could never betray Lady Cate like that. Sure Orli and Liv look somewhat alike, but an angel can’t be the brother of a demon…it’s just outrageous...don’t think such things.” Fran waved off their wild theories, “Don’t let your imaginations run off again.”
“Orlando looks ten times more splendid then Liv doesn’t he? Everyone else seems to agree.” A young servant changed the subject, still love-sick at the very sight of the dark-haired beauty.
“Especially that Dane,” Another chimed in, a slight giggle in her voice.
“And what are all of you doing here?” Bernard demanded as he stepped from behind them. All at once their voices and laughter stopped, and they were back to their submissive state, “Get back to work. You’re here to serve Liv, not to share your sick fantasies about that boy!”
In a flash the servants were up and gone, fleeing to different sections of the grounds with their bottles of wine and trays.
Bernard’s eyes stalked Orlando through the dance floor, dark memories overpowering his mind. The boy was the living reminder of his grief and misery. The years only intensified his hatred, his thirst for vengeance growing passionate with each day.
Every day he saw more and more of that bastard in Orlando…in his eyes. Eyes that mocked and destroyed, eyes that watched as his family was taken from him… eyes that just begged to be ripped from that accursed face!
“Who does that bastard think he is? How can he flaunt himself like that? The nerve of that dirty, ambitious, whore!” Furry swept through Bernard like a demon craving for possession, the depths of hell reflecting in his eyes, “If Liv feels even the slightest touch of humiliation from this, that bastard will pay!”
*******
“I’m sorry,”
Orlando’s head shot up, his eyes wide with confusion.
“I apologize for this morning,” Viggo whispered in his ear.
Orlando shifted away from the whisper, the lord’s breath arousing tender sensations across his skin. He kept silent as he cursed himself for responding so easily, for allowing mere words to entice him. It was barely a day ago that this same man crushed and caressed him painfully, daring to explore his body against his will. And now here he was, once again in the arms that held him the night before, desperately fighting the sensations that swept through him as the lord held him close.
His brown eyes turned down when the lord’s breathing spread against his neck. The Dane didn’t draw him close, yet it felt as if everything connecting them intensified, almost to make up for the lost space between them. The very air between them felt warm, not from sensations or contact, but from something intangible and fearfully wonderful. The music which serenaded the night seemed to move them in a single step, a single direction, and a single embrace. To Viggo, even the slight brush of Orlando’s hair against his cheek as they turned sent messages coursing within him. He breathed the sweet scent even more as they triggered a memory, a dark one…
“A Lord, especially a royal…” Orlando whispered as he hesitantly met Viggo’s eyes, “Does not need to apologize to their subjects.” His earlier courage was drawn completely from him. There was not a trace of defiance left. He was meek and fragile once more, open to rebuke and scorn, ready to accept whatever punishment this lord would inflict upon him for his insolence.
“I apologize when I know I’m at fault,” Viggo answered, his pride melting away as he beheld the depths of Orlando’s eyes. Eyes that revealed so much fear, confusion, and regret.
“I’ve been defiant, I know…I just…” Orlando tried to explain, but how could he? How could he tell Viggo why he acted the way he did? The Dane obviously didn’t even remember what happened last night, and the last thing Orlando wanted to do was accuse Liv’s fiancé of attempted rape.
“Lord Viggo…I…I’m sorry if I have offended you, and I’m even more sorry if I disgraced my master’s family because of how I treated you. It won’t happen again.”
The apology would have satisfied Viggo’s pride had it been another low class peasant. But this one was different. In his meekness, Orlando had done what no servant dared to do… he met Viggo’s eyes, and spoke to him, not as a servant, but as an equal.
“You are different tonight,” Viggo said as the music swelled, gently taking Orlando deeper in his arms.
“And you… you’re different as well.” Orlando whispered beneath his breath. The Dane surrendered to a smile with the faint sound of his voice.
So they danced, slow and beautiful as the music’s melody. For a few minutes they forgot the shadows and doubts that filled their minds. For a few minutes their worlds stopped. Society, duty, reputation melted in forgetfulness until all that remained was them…just as they were, no title and no name…simply two people cradled in each other’s arms. They were no longer lord and servant, but equals…Two hearts that longed for what the other possessed. Freedom for one, and hope for another…and deep within them, they both yearned for that illusive fantasy called love…
Neither knowing the missing key to their desires was right there in their arms.
TBC….