Fortunate Son (Part 68/?)
Title: Fortunate Son (Part 68/?)
Authors: wrestlemanix and eric_idle_rules
Pairings: Ted DiBiase Jr./Cody Runnels, John Cena/Randy Orton, Justin Gabriel/Wade Barrett
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Taking place in feudal England, Cody's family comes from a long line of farmers who work the land belonging to the DiBiase family. Despite the enormous class differences, Cody and Ted meet and form an instant connection with one another, both learning things from the other that they otherwise never would have known.
Word Count: 8464
A/N: I admit, I'm no expert on the life and times of feudal England, but I tried. Forgive any errors when it comes to time frames and whatnot.
Disclaimer: Neither of us own the WWE.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38, Part 39, Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, Part 45, Part 46, Part 47, Part 48, Part 49, Part 50, Part 51, Part 52, Part 53, Part 54, Part 55, Part 56, Part 57, Part 58, Part 59, Part 60, Part 61, Part 62, Part 63, Part 64, Part 65, Part 66, Part 67
Ted made his way to the front doors and his eyes grew wide as he saw carriages pulling up carrying members of the King’s court. Well, then.
Two blonde men stepped out of the first carriage, dressed in their finery, whereas the other carriages seemed to be carrying what must have been servants, for none of them were dressed as nicely as these two men. Ted stood in the background as Caroline, Ted Sr. and Brett stood before them. “Good afternoon to you,” Ted Sr. greeted.
“Good afternoon,” one of the blonde men returned the greeting. “My name is Chris Jericho, Duke of Irvine. This is my cousin Christian, Duke of Lancaster. We come representing the court of King McMahon.”
Ted watched as his father, mother and Brett introduced themselves to the members of nobility standing before them. He didn’t get off easy as he, too, was called over to introduce himself. He had to admit, though, that he was quite impressed that this wedding had caught the attention of the McMahons. They were expected to be at the wedding, but now it seemed like it was actually going to happen.
They already had the Del Rios, who were a monarchal family on the Iberian Peninsula in the country of Spain. The McMahon daughter was married to the Prince of France, so their appearance at the wedding would also be showing their support for the later marriage of Ted and Maryse, further strengthening their countries in hopes of peace between them.
Ted tuned out quite a bit of the conversation, only picking up bits and pieces about how a majority of the McMahon servants and luggage was sent along ahead before they would make their own journey of several days to reach the DiBiase castle. They would be here in a few days, in the meantime, they were the representatives.
At the first sign of all the commotion, many of the other guests had gathered around to see just what was going on, all of them slightly awed at the sight of the royal carriages, despite the fact that many of them knew the King and his family.
Once the cousins were finished speaking with Ted and his family, all the guests began returning to their normal activities while the King’s servants began unloading the luggage. As he walked away, he overheard, “Greetings to you, my name is King Alberto, the third.” When he looked behind him, he could see that Del Rio was introducing himself to the two Dukes.
He would have thought Alberto would have focused on any ladies hanging around---
He’d heard-tell about what Spaniards were supposed to be like, their temperament and behaviour akin to almost that of the French. He realised that he was categorising people (something he said he wouldn’t do since getting close to Cody and learning a few truths) but he couldn’t help it; arrogance rolled off of Del Rio in tangible waves.
“Good day to you,” he was surprised to hear the mildly frosty tone from the blonde addressed before as Chris (Chris and Christian… they could have been twins if he hadn’t known they were cousins).
“Hello,” Christian seemed much more welcoming to him and Ted swore that Alberto was looking at Christian a little too intensely to be construed as normal. There was a small man who seemed -in appearance at least- much older than Del Rio, attempting to get his attention. However, the king was paying him little heed. Yes, there was definitely an arrogant streak in him that was putting Ted off already.
Deciding to leave the guests be and head to his room Ted found himelf absently dreading more so than ever what sort of circus his and Maryse’s wedding was going to become when they got around to it. Not to claim his status as more important than Brett’s, but in terms of their family it was. He vanished up the stairs, happening upon a canoodling couple.
They didn’t see him and he didn’t recognise them so he made quick work of getting up the stairs and out of their way; he’d rather not have to go down and act like the pious host his father would be expecting him to be one day very soon.
Meanwhile, Chris was less than impressed by the way that the Spaniard was looking at his cousin. Neither he nor Christian were currently attached and they were two of the most elligible bachelors in the McMahon court. At one point it had seemed that Chris might marry Stephanie before she got entangled in the French Levesque.
“We’ve travelled a long way, cousin,” he said, pointedly taking the other’s arm in hand and pulling, “We should go and rest up; undoubtedly they will be serving supper before too long.” And without further ado he towed Christian away. To say Del Rio was fuming wouldn’t be an understatement, but when Christian glanced back at him before vanishing out of sight he felt a smirk growing on his face.
Ted had never seen his home so full of people before. Sure, the place was packed for their holiday parties, but this was on a far grander scale. He also couldn’t wait for the following day when easily the most important guest was to arrive.
He had only just taken a seat on his bed when his brother appeared in the doorway. “Oh, no, Theodore, you’re not getting away from here that easily.”
“What?” he asked.
“I am not facing all those guests on my own. I’m not about to be bowing and shaking the hands of hundreds of people if you’re not there.”
“It’s your wedding,” Ted replied.
“And you’re my older brother and best man. So don’t think you can hide from the masses.”
“I’ve introduced myself to a number of people already.”
“And there are still guests slowly arriving who we should greet as a family,” Brett told him.
“Oh, fine,” Ted said, getting up from having just sat down. He really didn’t want to have his brother go through this all by himself. “But I expect the favour to be returned when it’s my wedding.”
“Deal,” Brett said without hesitation.
That amused Ted a little; he would have thought Brett would have protested hard indeed to the prospect of having to deal with so many people ever again. It seemed his brother was bothered by the whole thing more than he had expected.
“Surely there can’t be that many left,” Ted said, “I know mother’s guest-list was rather extensive, but…” the most important people seemed to be there.
“I have no idea,” Brett sighed.
“Just think though you’re getting a whole week of parties up and coming,” Ted tried to seem bracing but Brett merely sighed once again to him.
“To be honest…” he started and then stopped.
Looking at the smaller blonde Ted asked, “What is it Brett?”
The other blushed and then mumbled, “I’d just rather spend time with Kristen to be honest.”
Ted’s expression softened; he knew how it felt to just want to spend time with your lover.
“You’ll get your chance soon,” he soothed. He didn’t voice the opinion but he felt that soon with so many people around his brother and his bride-to-be could possibly sneak off and have a little time together.
What they did in that time was their business.
“I don’t know, I can’t seem to get two seconds to myself. I’ve hardly even seen Kristen since the guests started arriving steadily,” Brett told him. “I haven’t spoken a word to her in ages.”
“Once things calm down a little you’ll be able to see her, I’m sure of it,” Ted replied. “Don’t worry.”
“I won’t. But all this is just a touch excessive, don’t you think? All these people? Kings from other countries, our own king is going to be coming… I never asked for all this,” he said.
“No, but it’s what you were born into and there’s not much that you can do about that.”
Brett sighed as they lingered near the middle of the stairwell, the couple that Ted had seen earlier still there. “Well, I guess we better get down there.”
“I guess so,” Ted agreed, though the last thing he wanted to do was to go talk with the guests, who he was sure were going to ask him when his own wedding was going to be once they congratulated Brett.
~~~
In the stables, John, Justin and Heath were working like mad men attempting to keep all the horses straight and in their proper places. They had large facilities for keeping all the horses, but they had never kept this many animals at once.
The animals had all travelled a long way and they had to ensure that they were well rested and well fed during their stay so they could be healthy for their long journies back home.
“Justin, get me some feed,” John ordered. Their troughs were empty, and they needed to be able to eat if they weren’t around so they needed to fill them. “Then you and Heath can go and removed the harnesses from the newest arrivals once you lead them down to the other building.”
Neither of them questioned any of John’s orders. They knew they had long days ahead of them, as there were still more guests to arrive, meaning more horses coming in. There was a lot of work to do and they hardly had enough time in a single day to get it all done.
Once the troughs were filled Justin and Heath hastened to attend to the new arrivals. All of the servants seemed to be in a state of chaotic disarray thanks to the guests, many of them being sent off to aid the arrivals as they came if necessary.
John was currently struggling to calm down a young mare that didn’t seem used to being around as many horses and in such a busy state. He couldn’t remember which family had it.
Suddenly, the animal reared back and John moved just in time to avoid a hoof to the stomach, but the glancing blow was painful enough. With a quick bit of force and years of experience John finally managed to calm the animal enough to get it into its pen alongside its friends.
“Fuck…” he murmured softly, lifting his shirt and seeing a partially imprinted bruise already beginning to form. Exhaling a sharp breath John straightened up just as Justin and Heath arrived with the new arrivals. Ignoring their concerned looks John was straight to business again.
John hissed as he bent over to grab the feed bag, needing to fill another trough for the new horses.
“Shit, John, what happened?” Heath asked. He remembered John’s accident years ago, when John was fourteen and he was eight, all the blood and fear in thinking that John had died. There was no blood, but that was the only time he had seen John in pain, and now something had clearly happened.
“Nothin’,” he answered, though when he picked up the bag, he held it in one arm over his shoulder while his free hand clutched his stomach.
“That doesn’t seem like nothing,” Heath said.
“I’ll work through it,” John replied. “Can’t be takin’ time to bitch about a little pain when we got so much work to do.”
“There’s no need to be an idiot about it,” Justin chimed in as he pet one of their new arrivals on the nose.
“I know what ‘m doin’!” John said stubbornly and Heath and Justin traded looks with one another.
If it came down to it they’d go and fetch Randy; John wouldn’t be able to put up too much of a fight if Randy pulled Randy on him; John was head of the stables but Randy was still technically head of all of the staff even if John’s rule in general was considered absolute. “Alright, if you’re sure…” Heath trailed off.
He really would rather not experience John gravely injured again--- he hadn’t been able to sleep for weeks after the accident, nightmares aplenty.
After what seemed like years they received a merciful lull in their work.
When John doubled-over again and wheezed slightly Justin suggested tentatively, “Maybe you should go and have a drink or something?”
“I’m fine!” John protested, another voice sounding moments later to ask, “Why wouldn’t you be fine?” as Randy appeared in the doorway.
“No reason,” John replied. “What are you doin’ out here anyway?” he then asked.
“To check on you and make sure that things are running smoothly. Why the hell are you holding your stomach like that?”
“Things are runnin’ jus’ fine,” John told him, completely disregarding Randy’s question.
“John, you damn well better answer me,” Randy said, eyes narrowing.
“Or what?” he asked, wincing as the pain flared up even worse.
Randy stepped closer to John, into his personal space and yanked his shirt up. “Holy fuck, John, what happened?” he asked, this time his voice not stern at all, but full of worry.
“Horse got me, that’s all,” he insisted.
“That’s all? John, you’ve got a black and blue on you the size of England.” He ran his fingers gently over the outside of the bruise, but withdrew his hand when John hissed in pain at the touch. “You’re not doing anymore work right now. We’re going to fetch Nancy and she’s going to have a look at you.”
“Not happenin’!” John protested, Randy cutting off his protests almost immediately.
“I trust you two can handle things on your own for a while?” he asked, Heath and Justin nodding rapidly, “Yeah, of course.”
Justin, though still genteel and shy had definitely gained some more confidence since spending time with Wade; he no longer jumped or quaked when addressed suddenly.
Nodding stiffly, “I’ll leave it to you then,” he said, ignoring John’s protests from his side.
Taking John’s arm he all but hauled him -carefully- out of the stables.
“Randal Keith let fuckin’ go o’ me right now!”
“Not happening,” Randy said, mimicking John’s earlier words back to him.
Inside of the kitchen Wade and his staff were running around preparing food for snacks and suchlike for the arriving guests, and also for the main meal later on. Wade had certainly been very harried these past few days. “Nancy!” Randy called over the racket, attracting her attention immediately, “John needs your help.”
The old woman looked concerned. It wasn’t often that John asked for help, or that Randy asked for help for him. She headed towards them as quickly as she could, her own health on a little plateau, neither getting better nor getting worse. “What is it?” she asked once she reached them.
“John said a horse grazed him but he’s already bruising, so I’d say it more than just grazed him,” Randy told her.
“Said I’m fine.”
“You are not fine,” Nancy said, leading the boys down to their room so that she could look at them better away from the busy kitchen. Once they were in the room, she said, “Take off your shirt.” John raised an eyebrow and Randy tried to fight back a grin. Still, John did as he was ordered, and noticed with a grimace that the bruise was even worse. “John, I need you to lie down,” she then ordered.
“Why?” he asked, but he was already moving towards their bed. He didn’t want to disobey her order, as no one wanted to face the wrath of Nancy.
“I have to check for damage,” she said, though if something was seriously damaged internally, there was nothing that could be done but hope that John was strong enough to get through it, just like he’d done last time when he was on the brink of death. She put her hands on the bruise and heard John hiss in pain. She had to ignore him, though, if she wanted to check him thoroughly. While she was checking the area, she idly commented, “I like what you’ve done with the place.”
For a moment Randy didn’t get what was genuinely so nice, but then he noticed that she must have been referring to their beds being pushed together. And the dressers they had were also fitted neatly together across the room as opposed to most rooms wherein each kept to their side.
“We find it comfier,” he said lightly.
“I don’t blame you both,” she mused, eyes still on John’s stomach and Randy was pleased that Nancy had no qualms on them.
She was essentially like a second mother to everyone of their generation, not just Wade’s essentially adopted mother, and it would have hurt to have her disapporval even though Randy knew in a million years she would never be vicious enough to indite them to the town. “It feels a little swollen,” she commented uncertainly, John breathing hard through his nose against the stinging recurring pain.
Randy felt his stomach drop, suddenly finding it hard to breathe, “An’ y’wonder why I don’ like letting you down into them stables,” he muttered quietly.
“It’s me job,” John muttered, looking a little green around the gills but serious all the same, “An’ I love it. Ain’t nothin’ gonna put me off.” A bit of bruising from a kick in the gut was nothing compared to what he’d gone through last time, and other than soreness he didn’t sense something being off. He reached a hand across the bed a little to where Randy stood next to it. “Stop lookin’ like that, there’s nothin’ wrong with me, you hear me?” he murmured lowly, Randy’s hand finding his.
“Damn well better not be,” Randy replied, holding John’s hand tight.
“Language,” Nancy then said as she leaned over John’s exposed torso to get a closer look at the bruising.
“Sorry,” Randy said.
“He’s got quite a bit of swellin’,” she told them. “Bes’ thin’ I’ve found to do is, since it’s still cold out, go get some of the snow off the ground ‘n rest it over the bruise. Helps the swellin’ to go down, the cold does.”
“You want me to put a snowball on his stomach?” Randy asked.
“You want him havin’ any chance of gettin’ better?” she asked in return.
“Thank you,” he whispered to her, squeezing John’s hand tight before letting it go and leaving the room.
Once he was gone, she looked to John and said, “He’s a nice young man, that Randal.”
“He is,” John agreed, feeling slightly better now that he wasn’t being poked and prodded at by Nancy.
“Always had a protective streak when it came to you,” she continued.
“Well,” John said, trying to adjust himself into something more of a seated position but Nancy didn’t let him get far.
“He is my best friend.”
“I had a best friend like you did once,” Nancy said, and had John been able to he would have jerked completely upright into a sitting position in shock. The widow laughed slightly, shaking her head at him.
“Oh, it was many, many years ago now. Back before you were even able to walk on your own actually.”
“You…?” John trailed off and she nodded, still wearing her usual smile.
“She left to travel abroad with her master and we never saw each other again. And then I fell in love with my husband…”
John was fascinated; he would never, ever have guessed that of her.
“Do you miss her?” he asked, and Nancy seemed to consider it, “I do… but I couldn’t have held onto her… not like you and Randal can hold onto each other.”
“But why not?” John found himself asking.
“Because she was only here for a few months, not a very long time, considering. She was visiting here with her master’s family and we grew close very quickly.” She paused when the door opened and Randy came in with a mound of snow. Grabbing some spare linen, she laid that on John’s stomach and Randy placed the snow on top, folding the rest of the linen over the top so it was less likely to move around.
“You were sayin’?” John asked, trying to get her to finish her story.
“That we grew close, but we knew we wouldn’t have much time together. We made the most of it, but when she left… I knew I needed to settle myself down, ‘n then, like I said, I fell in love with the man who would become my husband.”
“Wait,” Randy said, quirking his head to the side, looking at the older woman, “you were involved with someone like… I’m involved with John?”
“Not quite. We kept one another company ‘n she did become my closest friend while she was here… but I don’t think we ever loved one another. And that’s how our involvement was quite different than you two young men.”
“Huh…” Randy shook his head, “Woman of mystery even now, aye Nancy?”
“I may be gettin’ old but I ain’t dead yet, mister.”
Randy grinned at her playful chastising and Nancy straightened up after checking that the snow around John’s middle was secure in its temporary bundle. “When the snow melts check the swelling again,” she instructed Randy, “But I really wouldn’t have him out in the stables again today… too much movement might aggravate it.” The old chef had to fight a smile at Randy’s serious expression as he listened to her.
John groaned, a hand covering his eyes; why the hell did this have to happen at a time when they needed all the hands that they could get for the animals?
“They need me down there!” John protested, being ignored as Randy thanked Nancy and then saw her out, turning back to John just as he said, “-there’s no one else that knows what they’re doin’ that could help out!” and Randy knew that too.
“There is someone-“ Randy said suddenly, brow furrowing somewhat. John sent his lover a look that plainly asked what he was talking about. “Cody,” Randy said simply, “I’m sure we can borrow him fer a little if needs come to it.”
“I’d hate ta take away from any time he’d have with Ted,” John replied, but he knew that was who Randy was getting at.
“I know, but I think they’d both understand what with you being hurt,” Randy said.
John sighed. It might be their only option. Justin and Heath were still learning, especially Heath, who had been so reluctant to work in the stables at all for so long. “We can ask him. Hate ta do it, though.”
“I know, I know… we have to, though, at least until we know that you’re well enough to move around.”
“I’m fine ta move around!” John protested.
“You know damn well that you’re not,” Randy said. “And you’re not going to until Nancy says that you’re better.”
“Well, I’m sure I’ll be better by tomorrow.”
“We’ll see about that,” Randy said unrelentingly and John sighed; Randy’s mother-hen tendencies were well-hidden but impossible to get around. John didn’t blame him or fault him, not after last time around.
“I could send a letter down t’the parcel,” Randy said, pausing a little. They didn’t know when Cody was due back after all.
They knew he was coming back as Ted’s guest, as Ted had told them, but they didn’t know when exactly.
“Tomorrow,” John said in all seriousness. He knew how difficult this time would be for Cody and he didn’t want him to take on extra work.
“Fine… Are you sure you can trust those two to carry on without you there?” he asked.
“We’ve done the main stuff now, as long as we don’t get too many coming in now…”
Sod’s law would be they’d get a massive influx now.
“I’ve been checking off the guest list as people have arrived,” Randy said, “and we don’t have too many people left to show up. I’m going to go check on the status of things, including the stables, and make sure that things are running smoothly. As for you, don’t do anything stupid.”
“What if I need ta piss?” John asked.
“Do you need to piss? I’ll help you out back if you do,” Randy told him.
“No, I don’t need to now. But what if I do when yer gone ‘n yer tellin’ me I can’t move around.”
“You can sit up and piss in the pot, can’t you?”
“You don’t consider doin’ that as doin’ somethin’ stupid?” John asked.
“I’d consider pissing your bed to be something far stupider.”
A heavy sigh greeted his words and Randy knew that unlike usually, as always when his health was even slightly imbalanced, John was already beginning to feel tension. Carefully, Randy perched on the bedside next to his lover, once again taking John’s hand and looking him in the eye.
“I know it’s frustratin’ but I am not risking you again,” he murmured.
“I wouldn’ consider takin’ a piss dangerous.”
His expression had softened as much as it was able in pain though and Randy knew John’d do as he said.
“I’ll come back and check on you again soon alright?” Randy said, standing.
He gave John a kiss before leaving the brunette alone.
Well, he had Ortz the kitty for company at least he supposed.
Randy headed out into the mingling crowd; as people arrived they went to their rooms to change from the clothes they were riding in, but they all left the room and ended up gathered downstairs. “Lady DiBiase,” he greeted when he finally found her.
“Randal,” she returned with a smile.
“A word?” he asked, hoping they could get away for a little bit so he could get a proper check on things and let her know about John.
“Of course,” she agreed, leading them through the throng of people until they were outside, where a lot of the commotion had died down. “Finally, I can hear myself think,” she said. “What is it I can help you with?” she asked
“I wanted to get a firm check on the guest list,” he told her. “Confirm with you who’s arrived so far and who we have left. As there’s been a little accident.”
“An accident? With whom? What happened?” she asked. She cared for her staff, as she knew that without them, this would not be possible.
“John,” he answered, attempting to remain stoic. “A horse seemed to get him right in his gut,” he went on. “Nancy checked him over, now he’s got some ice… or snow rather, on him to try and get the swelling down. But that does mean we’re short staffed in the stables.”
“Oh dear…” there was genuine concern in Caroline’s eyes and Randy knew that it was for John’s well-being as opposed to the fact that they were one staff-member down. “Do we have anyone else on the staff who might be able to assist?” she asked him next.
But even he could tell she didn’t expect a positive response.
“No ma’am,” Randy admitted, “The two lads who help John’re still just learning themselves so we can’t trust them to be completely unattended.”
And of course having them overseen by someone with little to no experience of animals would be just as useless as having them attempting to do it all alone.
“Oh no…” Caroline bit her lip, clearly contemplative. Randy could bet she was considering how she would tell Lord DiBiase so that he could find some way to tend them a replacement temporarily, possibly from the village with luck.
Little did she know of course that Randy already had someone in mind. “I know someone who’s technically outside the staff who could help ma’am.”
“You do?” she asked him, and Randy felt it was a mark of the respect that the DiBiases held for their staff that she didn’t immediately shoot his opinion down or think he was too above his station, “And who might that be?” the sooner they could sort it the better.
“Cody,” he answered. “He knows his way around animals, he’s been in our stables before… I think he could be a great help.”
“Oh,” Caroline said. She didn’t know if he knew about Cody’s relationship with her son, so she cautiously went on, “He was coming here as Ted’s guest, not as a worker.”
“I know, ma’am, but I do believe his services, especially with John in this state, will be of use. Even if it’s just for small increments of time. I think both he and Ted would be understanding of the situation,” Randy replied.
“Most likely, yes. When were you planning on asking him to come here?” she asked.
“I was going to write up a letter to be taken to him for tomorrow,” he answered.
“Oh, well, that’s when he’s coming, anyway,” she told him. “Are you sure you won’t need him today? Will the two of them be all right by themselves for the rest of the evening, since John won’t be able to help at all?” she asked of him.
“I think they will be able to manage for the rest of the night if we’ve had the maximum expected visitors,” Randy said.
“Well, if you’re sure… If I happen to see Cody first tomorrow I shall let him know that you’re looking for him,” Randy fought not to let his expression give him away there.
“Thank you very much ma’am; I’m sorry to have pulled you away from your visitors but I felt that it would be prudent to let you know the situation.” Caroline patted Randy’s arm and smiled, “I’m glad you did let me know.”
Giving a slight bow Randy then moved away from her and headed back downstairs.
Caroline exhaled and headed back to seek out her husband, let him know as well.
Ted meanwhile was letting his mind wander even as he went through dinner and then the expected mini-social events that were happening with their guests, Cody being the predominant thought there. Well, his return and the… new developments.
When Randy entered his room again, he found that the cat had jumped up onto their bed and was curled up on John’s chest. “Well, excuse me,” Randy said, taking in the sight.
“Hey, he did it on his own,” John told him, stroking Ortz’s head. “How’s everythin’ goin’?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Seems to be going pretty well. I told Caroline about you and our backup plan and she said Cody was coming tomorrow anyway. But she also made it a point to tell me that he was coming as Ted’s guest, not as a worker.”
“Did she?”
“She did. But she understands the circumstances and she’s sure the both of them will, too. It’s not like we’ll be takin’ Cody away from Ted completely.”
“Right, jus’ here ‘n there.”
“Of course, that’s probably time the two of them would rather spend fucking,” Randy said.
“Probably…” John said and Randy could pretty much see the guilt on his face increasing even though he had no reason to worry about it. That was just the way that John was.
“John, if Cody says no then he says no, we’re not gonna force him into helping us,” Randy said, watching John closely.
Well, that was sort of true. He wouldn’t force Cody… but he wouldn’t be above pulling a few emotional strings to get a response such as that which he wanted from the man. “How’s your stomach doing?” he then asked him.
“It’s very wet.”
“John-“ Randy started firmly.
“It’s gone numb with the cold,” John muttered grudgingly as he began to stroke Ortz’s side again, the kitten stretching out without a care in the world.
“Chances are that it’s working then,” Randy said with admittedly some relief being present.
“I hope so. Feel like an idiot sittin’ here with a damn pile of meltin’ snow on me,” John muttered.
“Well, it’s helping, and that’s what’s important. We need you better, John,” he said, running his hand over John’s head. “Someone’s gotta boss those kids around out in the stable.”
“They’ll do jus’ fine,” John told him. “Now, are you gonna keep me company here, or what?” he asked.
“I would, but it’s still dinner time for the DiBiases and their guests, but it’s nearing the end, so I’ve got to go make an appearance at least and pray that things are still somewhat orderly. Then I’ll have my staff once again accompany each guest to their room so we can make sure they’re in the right places.”
“Then you’ll bring dinner in here?” John asked.
“That I can do, promise,” Randy said. “You just stay there, let yourself rest for once.”
~~~
Meanwhile, down on the parcel, Cody and his family noticed almost every single occasion when a carriage headed towards the castle thanks to the fact that they ostensibly worked outside.
“I don’ even like t’ think how long they will-a been travellin’ fer,” Dustin commented with a shake of his head.
“Huh?” Cody looked up from where he was chipping away at some of the ice that had formed over the river to allow them better access to water for the animals and their own needs.
“I said I wouldn’ like t’ think how long they’ve been travellin’ fer,” he repeated, amused.
“Oh, yeah. Yeah… I don’ think I would like to be in one o’ them carriages much.” The way they swayed made him feel a little queasy, and he was confident in stating that he had a strong, robust stomach.
And, another thing bothered him: one of those carriages undoubtedly contained the beautiful Maryse… thinking of her made Cody feel anxious, though it wasn’t her fault.
“Wow,” Cody said, looking up as another string of carriages passed them by.
“Huh?” Dustin asked, turning his head towards Cody.
“Look at the carriages,” he told him.
When Dustin looked towards the carriages, he noticed that they had the royal family’s crest and flag and his own eyes grew wide. “Wow,” he repeated, then stood up straight and bowed as they continued to pass.
Cody did the same. He had completely forgotten to bow his submission to them as he was so impressed with the fact that the king was going to be at Brett’s wedding. All their carriages finally passed by and they were able to get back to their work. “Brett must be about shitting his pants by now,” Cody said.
“He nervous?” Dustin asked.
“Terrified,” Cody answered with a chuckle. “He loves Kristen, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so nervous. Though you try gettin’ married in front of all these people ‘n see how much you enjoy it.”
“No thank you,” Dustin said, grinning.
“Ya can’ help but feel sorry for ‘im though can ya? And we thought we were pressured!”
Cody nodded his head; Virgil wanted them married but he’d never dream of making it into such a spectacle like Brett (and Ted, he conceded reluctantly) was currently having to grin and bear through. He hoped he was Ok.
He’d have to ask him as such when he went to the castle.
“Thinkin’ about bein’ Lady DiBiase one day?”
He chucked a chunk of ice at Dustin.
“Why?” he huffed, cheeks red from embarrassment now and not cold.
“Come on; it’s been a few days since-a last got atcha fer it,” Dustin smirked slowly, “Figured that now would be a good time since ya weren’ expectin’ me t’do it.” He had dodged the ice without any strain at all since the aim was not intended to actually hurt him since Cody was at an odd angle for throwing.
“Fuck you…” Cody muttered, swearing that even his ears were burning. Regardless of whether he took Ted’s cock inside of him or not did not make him any less of a man. “You’re just jealous anyway,” he huffed.
“Jealous? Of what? You takin’ a dick up yer backside? Hardly,” Dustin said.
“That I’m sleeping with someone of nobility,” Cody replied.
“Please, like I even care about anythin’ like that.”
“There’s also the fact that I’ve also gotten to sleep with him far more often than you and…” he trailed off, raising a brow.
“Well, I’m back now so once we’re married, I plan on makin’ up fer lost time,” Dustin told him, and Cody scrunched up his nose.
“I better not have to hear you two,” Cody muttered. Dustin’s bed was only feet from his (and thank God they didn’t have to share a bed anymore).
“Oh, you probably will.”
“You’re disgusting,” Cody said. “At least me ‘n Ted find rooms to ourselves.”
“Rooms?” Dustin asked, raising a brow, and Cody blushed. “Well, unless your lover boy wants to lend us a room every night, yer gonna be stuck with us.”
“I’ll find the wood and build you a shack myself,” Cody said in all seriousness.
“I’d actually be impressed if you did,” Dustin replied amusedly.
“If we were still sharin’ a bed though you’d have no chance for anythin’ like that.”
“I’d like t’see ya stop us both,” the elder challenged.
“Dustin!” Cody groaned, shoving him.
“Oh calm down princess--- we’ll probably wait until yeh’re outta the way anyway. An’ dad’s a heavy sleeper…” he smirked wickedly.
“And you tell me that I’m the perverse one,” Cody muttered, shaking his head, “You have no shame!” and, sadly, Virgil genuinely would not care--- within reason.
As long as Dustin and Terri weren’t actually doing anything blatantly before him or where he could see he wouldn’t interfere at all.
“Maybe I’d best be tryin’ t’find permanent work in the castle then,” Cody grimaced, “If only to avoid being scarred for life by seeing yeh’re cock, and ye molestin’ Terri.”
“Ain’t gonna be molestin’ nobody. She’ll be perfectly willin’,” Dustin told him with a smirk.
“Still… if you wait a few more months, then you’ll have the house to yourselves… and Dad,” Cody said, “since I’ll be back up at the castle at the end of harvest time.”
“We ain’t waitin’ that long to get married, I’m afraid. We wanna be married in a few weeks, just a little after your birthday.”
“Oh, well… that’ll be nice.”
“Yeah, we agreed it’d be best if we was married then so she could be keepin’ house while we’re workin’ on harvestin’ so’s we can come back ‘n she’ll have everythin’ all prepared fer us.”
“You mean so I won’t have to cook for you anymore after I do all the same amount of work that you do?” Cody asked.
“Yup, so you should be thankin’ me. ‘N once we start a family, we’ll have more help ‘round here.”
“Yeh won’t be havin’ kids fer a while yet, surely?” Cody asked, thinking that they would just want to enjoy their marriage first.
“Yeh can’t control these things, Cody,” Dustin reminded him, “If it happens then it happens.”
Cody nodded, realising that his thought had been a little naïve; it wasn’t like he and Ted who never had to worry about the chance of accidentally impregnating one another.
“That reminds me-“ Dustin said suddenly and Cody looked up, arching a brow slightly in question, “What?”
“What about when Ted marries?”
Cody’s stomach dropped a little and he looked at his brother as calmly as he could, “What about when Ted gets married?” It seemed that Dustin wasn’t completely fooled by his acting.
“You won’ stay with ‘im surely? It’s not fair that you’d become some… piece on the side fer ‘im,” he said, obviously trying not to offend.
“It’s not going to be like that,” Cody said, attempting to sound confident.
“How do you know? Because he’s told you it’s not gonan be like that?” Dustin asked, raising a brow. He didn’t want to see his little brother hurt.
“Well… she… I don’t know if it’s true, or not, but we suspect that she’s sleeping with her own servant, Michael.”
“So? She and Ted still have a duty to perform in carryin’ on their family.”
“I’m not gonna become secondary to her,” Cody tolf him. “He loves me, not her.”
“But he’ll be married to her, not to you. Whether or not she’s sleepin’ with her personal servant, she’s still gonna be married to him ‘n havin’ his children.”
Cody shut his eyes. He didn’t want to show his raw emotions to Dustin, because he was bringing up every point that Cody had before. “That’s for duty’s sake only. He wants to be with me.”
The sudden feeling of hands on his shoulders startled him into opening his eyes.
Dustin had an oddly intense look on his face and Cody’s heart dropped.
“I just don’ want you hurt,” Dustin’s eyes were serious and it wasn’t often that he was this forthcoming with his little brother. “I don’ want that.”
“Don’-“ Cody could feel his throat beginning to become clogged with all of the emotions he had been trying so hard to work through, suddenly taking over his mind again because of comments from his well-meaning brother.
“I know how much he means t’ya Cody, but ya really need to think about this…” Cody’s head bowed and Dustin felt his mouth thinning in annoyance after a moment.
“Shut up-“ the words were weak and tremulous and Dustin felt an odd ire towards the middle DiBiase son growing in his chest.
Giving a small growl of annoyance Dustin drew Cody into an awkward but meaningful embrace.
“It can’t happen,” Cody whispered as he wrapped his own arms around Dustin.
“What can’t?” Dustin asked, pulling back and looking his brother in the face.
“Him leaving me for her. He may marry her, but he’s not going to love her. God, I can’t wait to see him tomorrow,” he said.
“Are you gonna talk about everythin’?” Dustin asked.
“You mean about him and Maryse and their marriage? Probably, yes. We have talked about it before… just never with her around,” Cody told him.
“Well, that could make all the difference,” Dustin said.
“I know. But I need to believe that he won’t be like his…” he trailed off, realizing he was about to say that he didn’t want Ted to end up like his own father, so he started over, “that he won’t be like how his father wants him to be…”
“I really hope you know what yer gettin’ yerself into.”
“I do!” Cody insisted, but then relented a little, “Thanks for caring though Dustin.”
“O’ course I care,” Dustin’s cheeks pinkened, “No one c’n bully ya except me.”
“Ted doesn’t bully me…” Cody said, but he understood what point Dustin was trying to make to him. “It’ll be Ok, I promise you.”
Theoretically he knew, but realistically? Well, they’d have to see when things happened wouldn’t they? He couldn’t see into the future to know the answer.
Dustin privately reiterated the promise he’d made to himself before; if Ted broke his brother’s heart, or made him cry, then he was going to have to deal with him… and Dustin wasn’t scared of a few consequences. He’d been in wars.
“So, let’s get this finished!” Cody said with a determined brightness.
Dustin sighed and allowed the conversation change to happen.
Maybe he should talk to their father about this situation?
On the other hand, though, Cody was a man now and could make his own choices in life. Their father may know about Cody’s situation, but he couldn’t live Cody’s life for him. He could maybe give him some advice, though.
As they worked, all Cody could think was that he couldn’t wait until tomorrow. He needed to see Ted again. Needed to be reassured that things were still good between them despite their time apart. He hated that there were guest there now, and that he wasn’t one of them. But they had been travelling long and far and probably didn’t know how long they would need to arrive on time. Cody was just a but of a walk away.
“Thought you wanted to get this finished,” Dustin said, startling Cody.
“Huh?”
“You’ve been starin’ at the castle instead a doin’ any o’ yer work,” Dustin told him.
Cody shrugged sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“Why don’ ya jus’ go over there, already if all yer gonna do is stare ‘n daydream?” he asked.
Blushing, Cody looked away from Dustin and said tartly, “Because I have a job that needs doing here first.” And though Dustin never explicitly said so Cody knew that his presence really helped down on their parcel when the work came about. Dustin was capable, sure, as was his father, but Virgil couldn’t take on too much more and even Dustin had his limits. He wanted to see Ted, of course, but he had responsibilities.
“You do realise by trying to kick me out sooner that doesn’t mean that Terri will be allowed to move in yet?” he tried to sound flip but mostly the words came out all too serious. Dustin rolled his eyes, “I know that, Cody,” he said.
“Jus’ makin’ sure that you do, brother.”
They may have done that already but Dustin wasn’t about to risk his bride’s reputation.
“Brat.”
And of course that sparked off one of their usual arguments together.
Something that Virgil greatly lamented on when he arrived back and found them at it.
“Do you boys ever quit it?” Virgil asked, arms crossed in front of his chest as he took in the sight of his boys fighting with one another.
“You make it sound like you never argued with any of your siblings,” Dustin said, looking back at his dad.
“That may be, but we grew outta it. Now you wait until you got yer own family ‘n see how much you like seein’ yer kids go at it like that,” Virgil told him.
“Sometimes ya jus’ gotta get somthin’ off yer chest ‘n the best way ta do that is a nice little argument.”
“It wasn’t like it was anything serious, anyway,” Cody said. It was usually the littlest things that set off their arguments.
“Well, if it’s settled now, let’s get back ta work. Doesn’t look like hardly nothin’s been done here!”
The two brothers protested at that (“We wasn’t arguin’ the whole time!”) but Virgil worked them both hard for the last few daylight ours.
And of course since they were still in winter that daylight was neither especially bright or lasted very long.
That evening once again found Cody in the kitchen preparing their evening meal as Dustin and Virgil checked that the animals were secure and settled for the night.
“It’s gonna be weird even goin’ away fer a few days knowin’ that ye’re gonna be eatin’ properly,” he said.
“Ye tryin’ t’start somethin’?” Dustin asked with a slight frown, Cody immediately shaking his head in response, “No.”
“Behave both of ya,” Virgil said, but then added, “Yeah, it is nice t’have somethin’ other than burnt flavour.”
“Excuse me?” Dustin asked at his dad’s comment. Cody was just laughing. “I don’t burn everything! I’ve gotten better!”
“Dustin, Son, I love ya, but yer cookin’s awful. Can’t wait for Terri to move in here proper so we can eat real meals.”
“Wait, are you saying that I don’t make real meals?” Cody questioned.
“I was talkin’ about fer when yer not here,” Virgil amended. “You do know how ta cook a damn good meal.”
“He makes nothing but stew all the time!” Dustin protested.
“Better than burnt stew,” Cody retorted.
“Hey, we don’ need all this arguin’,” Virgil said, cutting them off before they could even begin bickering yet again.
“We weren’ gonna,” Dustin mumbled but Virgil knew that that wasn’t true; they couldn’t help themselves but to do so whenever.
Cody knew he’d have to file away his comment about Dustin making his own food if he had a problem with Cody’s repetoire of cooking skills.
Before too long they were all readying to settle down for the night.
And Cody was in a word, excited. Very excited.
He wasn’t even sure if he would be able to sleep that night because of it.
Tomorrow after so long he would be seeing Ted again. He wanted to see Ted again so badly indeed that it ached.
He hoped that Ted was looking forward to seeing him as much as he was to seeing him, though he was sure he would be.
~~~
Once Caroline told her husband about John, she managed to find Ted during their dinner, as everyone ate and went around mingling. “Ted, dear, did you hear about John?” she asked him.
“No? What about him?”
“He’s injured,” she told him.
“What? How badly?” he asked, now worried.
“He was kicked by a horse, and Randy said there was some swelling and a great deal of bruising. Which means that he can’t work in his current condition. However, they did manage to come up with an idea of who could replace him for a while,” she then said.
“Cody?” Ted asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes dear,” Caroline said, “But I did tell them that Cody was going to be here at your behest as opposed to working.” Ted felt that the distinguishing sentiment really hadn’t been necessary since the two men would have known, but his mother didn’t need to know that.
“I don’t think Cody will mind…” he admitted, “Especially if he finds out John’s hurt.” Actually he too wanted to help but he knew that he couldn’t for many reasons. “I’ll mention it to him,” he promised.
Already though he knew he wouldn’t give Cody up completely.
No chance of that happening.
“You’re such a good boy,” Caroline kissed his cheek.
Oh, if only she knew.
“What was that about?” Brett asked, sneaking up behind Ted.
“Brett!” Ted exclaimed, turning around to face his younger brother. “Uh, Ma just told me that John was injured today in the stables.”
“Oh no, what happened? Is it bad?”
“I guess he got kicked by a horse,” Ted answered. “And he had some swelling and brusing, but it sounds like he’s going to be ok. But they want Cody to help out in the stables with the animals now.”
“That’s good, though. He likes being with the animals. And he and John and friends, right? So I’m sure he’d be happy to help them out.”
“He probably will be. I was just hoping that I’d be able to spend some time with him, you know? I still will, obviously, but… oh, nevermind, it’s not the time to be selfish about my friendships, not if he’s needed elsewhere.”
Authors: wrestlemanix and eric_idle_rules
Pairings: Ted DiBiase Jr./Cody Runnels, John Cena/Randy Orton, Justin Gabriel/Wade Barrett
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Taking place in feudal England, Cody's family comes from a long line of farmers who work the land belonging to the DiBiase family. Despite the enormous class differences, Cody and Ted meet and form an instant connection with one another, both learning things from the other that they otherwise never would have known.
Word Count: 8464
A/N: I admit, I'm no expert on the life and times of feudal England, but I tried. Forgive any errors when it comes to time frames and whatnot.
Disclaimer: Neither of us own the WWE.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31, Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38, Part 39, Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, Part 45, Part 46, Part 47, Part 48, Part 49, Part 50, Part 51, Part 52, Part 53, Part 54, Part 55, Part 56, Part 57, Part 58, Part 59, Part 60, Part 61, Part 62, Part 63, Part 64, Part 65, Part 66, Part 67
Ted made his way to the front doors and his eyes grew wide as he saw carriages pulling up carrying members of the King’s court. Well, then.
Two blonde men stepped out of the first carriage, dressed in their finery, whereas the other carriages seemed to be carrying what must have been servants, for none of them were dressed as nicely as these two men. Ted stood in the background as Caroline, Ted Sr. and Brett stood before them. “Good afternoon to you,” Ted Sr. greeted.
“Good afternoon,” one of the blonde men returned the greeting. “My name is Chris Jericho, Duke of Irvine. This is my cousin Christian, Duke of Lancaster. We come representing the court of King McMahon.”
Ted watched as his father, mother and Brett introduced themselves to the members of nobility standing before them. He didn’t get off easy as he, too, was called over to introduce himself. He had to admit, though, that he was quite impressed that this wedding had caught the attention of the McMahons. They were expected to be at the wedding, but now it seemed like it was actually going to happen.
They already had the Del Rios, who were a monarchal family on the Iberian Peninsula in the country of Spain. The McMahon daughter was married to the Prince of France, so their appearance at the wedding would also be showing their support for the later marriage of Ted and Maryse, further strengthening their countries in hopes of peace between them.
Ted tuned out quite a bit of the conversation, only picking up bits and pieces about how a majority of the McMahon servants and luggage was sent along ahead before they would make their own journey of several days to reach the DiBiase castle. They would be here in a few days, in the meantime, they were the representatives.
At the first sign of all the commotion, many of the other guests had gathered around to see just what was going on, all of them slightly awed at the sight of the royal carriages, despite the fact that many of them knew the King and his family.
Once the cousins were finished speaking with Ted and his family, all the guests began returning to their normal activities while the King’s servants began unloading the luggage. As he walked away, he overheard, “Greetings to you, my name is King Alberto, the third.” When he looked behind him, he could see that Del Rio was introducing himself to the two Dukes.
He would have thought Alberto would have focused on any ladies hanging around---
He’d heard-tell about what Spaniards were supposed to be like, their temperament and behaviour akin to almost that of the French. He realised that he was categorising people (something he said he wouldn’t do since getting close to Cody and learning a few truths) but he couldn’t help it; arrogance rolled off of Del Rio in tangible waves.
“Good day to you,” he was surprised to hear the mildly frosty tone from the blonde addressed before as Chris (Chris and Christian… they could have been twins if he hadn’t known they were cousins).
“Hello,” Christian seemed much more welcoming to him and Ted swore that Alberto was looking at Christian a little too intensely to be construed as normal. There was a small man who seemed -in appearance at least- much older than Del Rio, attempting to get his attention. However, the king was paying him little heed. Yes, there was definitely an arrogant streak in him that was putting Ted off already.
Deciding to leave the guests be and head to his room Ted found himelf absently dreading more so than ever what sort of circus his and Maryse’s wedding was going to become when they got around to it. Not to claim his status as more important than Brett’s, but in terms of their family it was. He vanished up the stairs, happening upon a canoodling couple.
They didn’t see him and he didn’t recognise them so he made quick work of getting up the stairs and out of their way; he’d rather not have to go down and act like the pious host his father would be expecting him to be one day very soon.
Meanwhile, Chris was less than impressed by the way that the Spaniard was looking at his cousin. Neither he nor Christian were currently attached and they were two of the most elligible bachelors in the McMahon court. At one point it had seemed that Chris might marry Stephanie before she got entangled in the French Levesque.
“We’ve travelled a long way, cousin,” he said, pointedly taking the other’s arm in hand and pulling, “We should go and rest up; undoubtedly they will be serving supper before too long.” And without further ado he towed Christian away. To say Del Rio was fuming wouldn’t be an understatement, but when Christian glanced back at him before vanishing out of sight he felt a smirk growing on his face.
Ted had never seen his home so full of people before. Sure, the place was packed for their holiday parties, but this was on a far grander scale. He also couldn’t wait for the following day when easily the most important guest was to arrive.
He had only just taken a seat on his bed when his brother appeared in the doorway. “Oh, no, Theodore, you’re not getting away from here that easily.”
“What?” he asked.
“I am not facing all those guests on my own. I’m not about to be bowing and shaking the hands of hundreds of people if you’re not there.”
“It’s your wedding,” Ted replied.
“And you’re my older brother and best man. So don’t think you can hide from the masses.”
“I’ve introduced myself to a number of people already.”
“And there are still guests slowly arriving who we should greet as a family,” Brett told him.
“Oh, fine,” Ted said, getting up from having just sat down. He really didn’t want to have his brother go through this all by himself. “But I expect the favour to be returned when it’s my wedding.”
“Deal,” Brett said without hesitation.
That amused Ted a little; he would have thought Brett would have protested hard indeed to the prospect of having to deal with so many people ever again. It seemed his brother was bothered by the whole thing more than he had expected.
“Surely there can’t be that many left,” Ted said, “I know mother’s guest-list was rather extensive, but…” the most important people seemed to be there.
“I have no idea,” Brett sighed.
“Just think though you’re getting a whole week of parties up and coming,” Ted tried to seem bracing but Brett merely sighed once again to him.
“To be honest…” he started and then stopped.
Looking at the smaller blonde Ted asked, “What is it Brett?”
The other blushed and then mumbled, “I’d just rather spend time with Kristen to be honest.”
Ted’s expression softened; he knew how it felt to just want to spend time with your lover.
“You’ll get your chance soon,” he soothed. He didn’t voice the opinion but he felt that soon with so many people around his brother and his bride-to-be could possibly sneak off and have a little time together.
What they did in that time was their business.
“I don’t know, I can’t seem to get two seconds to myself. I’ve hardly even seen Kristen since the guests started arriving steadily,” Brett told him. “I haven’t spoken a word to her in ages.”
“Once things calm down a little you’ll be able to see her, I’m sure of it,” Ted replied. “Don’t worry.”
“I won’t. But all this is just a touch excessive, don’t you think? All these people? Kings from other countries, our own king is going to be coming… I never asked for all this,” he said.
“No, but it’s what you were born into and there’s not much that you can do about that.”
Brett sighed as they lingered near the middle of the stairwell, the couple that Ted had seen earlier still there. “Well, I guess we better get down there.”
“I guess so,” Ted agreed, though the last thing he wanted to do was to go talk with the guests, who he was sure were going to ask him when his own wedding was going to be once they congratulated Brett.
~~~
In the stables, John, Justin and Heath were working like mad men attempting to keep all the horses straight and in their proper places. They had large facilities for keeping all the horses, but they had never kept this many animals at once.
The animals had all travelled a long way and they had to ensure that they were well rested and well fed during their stay so they could be healthy for their long journies back home.
“Justin, get me some feed,” John ordered. Their troughs were empty, and they needed to be able to eat if they weren’t around so they needed to fill them. “Then you and Heath can go and removed the harnesses from the newest arrivals once you lead them down to the other building.”
Neither of them questioned any of John’s orders. They knew they had long days ahead of them, as there were still more guests to arrive, meaning more horses coming in. There was a lot of work to do and they hardly had enough time in a single day to get it all done.
Once the troughs were filled Justin and Heath hastened to attend to the new arrivals. All of the servants seemed to be in a state of chaotic disarray thanks to the guests, many of them being sent off to aid the arrivals as they came if necessary.
John was currently struggling to calm down a young mare that didn’t seem used to being around as many horses and in such a busy state. He couldn’t remember which family had it.
Suddenly, the animal reared back and John moved just in time to avoid a hoof to the stomach, but the glancing blow was painful enough. With a quick bit of force and years of experience John finally managed to calm the animal enough to get it into its pen alongside its friends.
“Fuck…” he murmured softly, lifting his shirt and seeing a partially imprinted bruise already beginning to form. Exhaling a sharp breath John straightened up just as Justin and Heath arrived with the new arrivals. Ignoring their concerned looks John was straight to business again.
John hissed as he bent over to grab the feed bag, needing to fill another trough for the new horses.
“Shit, John, what happened?” Heath asked. He remembered John’s accident years ago, when John was fourteen and he was eight, all the blood and fear in thinking that John had died. There was no blood, but that was the only time he had seen John in pain, and now something had clearly happened.
“Nothin’,” he answered, though when he picked up the bag, he held it in one arm over his shoulder while his free hand clutched his stomach.
“That doesn’t seem like nothing,” Heath said.
“I’ll work through it,” John replied. “Can’t be takin’ time to bitch about a little pain when we got so much work to do.”
“There’s no need to be an idiot about it,” Justin chimed in as he pet one of their new arrivals on the nose.
“I know what ‘m doin’!” John said stubbornly and Heath and Justin traded looks with one another.
If it came down to it they’d go and fetch Randy; John wouldn’t be able to put up too much of a fight if Randy pulled Randy on him; John was head of the stables but Randy was still technically head of all of the staff even if John’s rule in general was considered absolute. “Alright, if you’re sure…” Heath trailed off.
He really would rather not experience John gravely injured again--- he hadn’t been able to sleep for weeks after the accident, nightmares aplenty.
After what seemed like years they received a merciful lull in their work.
When John doubled-over again and wheezed slightly Justin suggested tentatively, “Maybe you should go and have a drink or something?”
“I’m fine!” John protested, another voice sounding moments later to ask, “Why wouldn’t you be fine?” as Randy appeared in the doorway.
“No reason,” John replied. “What are you doin’ out here anyway?” he then asked.
“To check on you and make sure that things are running smoothly. Why the hell are you holding your stomach like that?”
“Things are runnin’ jus’ fine,” John told him, completely disregarding Randy’s question.
“John, you damn well better answer me,” Randy said, eyes narrowing.
“Or what?” he asked, wincing as the pain flared up even worse.
Randy stepped closer to John, into his personal space and yanked his shirt up. “Holy fuck, John, what happened?” he asked, this time his voice not stern at all, but full of worry.
“Horse got me, that’s all,” he insisted.
“That’s all? John, you’ve got a black and blue on you the size of England.” He ran his fingers gently over the outside of the bruise, but withdrew his hand when John hissed in pain at the touch. “You’re not doing anymore work right now. We’re going to fetch Nancy and she’s going to have a look at you.”
“Not happenin’!” John protested, Randy cutting off his protests almost immediately.
“I trust you two can handle things on your own for a while?” he asked, Heath and Justin nodding rapidly, “Yeah, of course.”
Justin, though still genteel and shy had definitely gained some more confidence since spending time with Wade; he no longer jumped or quaked when addressed suddenly.
Nodding stiffly, “I’ll leave it to you then,” he said, ignoring John’s protests from his side.
Taking John’s arm he all but hauled him -carefully- out of the stables.
“Randal Keith let fuckin’ go o’ me right now!”
“Not happening,” Randy said, mimicking John’s earlier words back to him.
Inside of the kitchen Wade and his staff were running around preparing food for snacks and suchlike for the arriving guests, and also for the main meal later on. Wade had certainly been very harried these past few days. “Nancy!” Randy called over the racket, attracting her attention immediately, “John needs your help.”
The old woman looked concerned. It wasn’t often that John asked for help, or that Randy asked for help for him. She headed towards them as quickly as she could, her own health on a little plateau, neither getting better nor getting worse. “What is it?” she asked once she reached them.
“John said a horse grazed him but he’s already bruising, so I’d say it more than just grazed him,” Randy told her.
“Said I’m fine.”
“You are not fine,” Nancy said, leading the boys down to their room so that she could look at them better away from the busy kitchen. Once they were in the room, she said, “Take off your shirt.” John raised an eyebrow and Randy tried to fight back a grin. Still, John did as he was ordered, and noticed with a grimace that the bruise was even worse. “John, I need you to lie down,” she then ordered.
“Why?” he asked, but he was already moving towards their bed. He didn’t want to disobey her order, as no one wanted to face the wrath of Nancy.
“I have to check for damage,” she said, though if something was seriously damaged internally, there was nothing that could be done but hope that John was strong enough to get through it, just like he’d done last time when he was on the brink of death. She put her hands on the bruise and heard John hiss in pain. She had to ignore him, though, if she wanted to check him thoroughly. While she was checking the area, she idly commented, “I like what you’ve done with the place.”
For a moment Randy didn’t get what was genuinely so nice, but then he noticed that she must have been referring to their beds being pushed together. And the dressers they had were also fitted neatly together across the room as opposed to most rooms wherein each kept to their side.
“We find it comfier,” he said lightly.
“I don’t blame you both,” she mused, eyes still on John’s stomach and Randy was pleased that Nancy had no qualms on them.
She was essentially like a second mother to everyone of their generation, not just Wade’s essentially adopted mother, and it would have hurt to have her disapporval even though Randy knew in a million years she would never be vicious enough to indite them to the town. “It feels a little swollen,” she commented uncertainly, John breathing hard through his nose against the stinging recurring pain.
Randy felt his stomach drop, suddenly finding it hard to breathe, “An’ y’wonder why I don’ like letting you down into them stables,” he muttered quietly.
“It’s me job,” John muttered, looking a little green around the gills but serious all the same, “An’ I love it. Ain’t nothin’ gonna put me off.” A bit of bruising from a kick in the gut was nothing compared to what he’d gone through last time, and other than soreness he didn’t sense something being off. He reached a hand across the bed a little to where Randy stood next to it. “Stop lookin’ like that, there’s nothin’ wrong with me, you hear me?” he murmured lowly, Randy’s hand finding his.
“Damn well better not be,” Randy replied, holding John’s hand tight.
“Language,” Nancy then said as she leaned over John’s exposed torso to get a closer look at the bruising.
“Sorry,” Randy said.
“He’s got quite a bit of swellin’,” she told them. “Bes’ thin’ I’ve found to do is, since it’s still cold out, go get some of the snow off the ground ‘n rest it over the bruise. Helps the swellin’ to go down, the cold does.”
“You want me to put a snowball on his stomach?” Randy asked.
“You want him havin’ any chance of gettin’ better?” she asked in return.
“Thank you,” he whispered to her, squeezing John’s hand tight before letting it go and leaving the room.
Once he was gone, she looked to John and said, “He’s a nice young man, that Randal.”
“He is,” John agreed, feeling slightly better now that he wasn’t being poked and prodded at by Nancy.
“Always had a protective streak when it came to you,” she continued.
“Well,” John said, trying to adjust himself into something more of a seated position but Nancy didn’t let him get far.
“He is my best friend.”
“I had a best friend like you did once,” Nancy said, and had John been able to he would have jerked completely upright into a sitting position in shock. The widow laughed slightly, shaking her head at him.
“Oh, it was many, many years ago now. Back before you were even able to walk on your own actually.”
“You…?” John trailed off and she nodded, still wearing her usual smile.
“She left to travel abroad with her master and we never saw each other again. And then I fell in love with my husband…”
John was fascinated; he would never, ever have guessed that of her.
“Do you miss her?” he asked, and Nancy seemed to consider it, “I do… but I couldn’t have held onto her… not like you and Randal can hold onto each other.”
“But why not?” John found himself asking.
“Because she was only here for a few months, not a very long time, considering. She was visiting here with her master’s family and we grew close very quickly.” She paused when the door opened and Randy came in with a mound of snow. Grabbing some spare linen, she laid that on John’s stomach and Randy placed the snow on top, folding the rest of the linen over the top so it was less likely to move around.
“You were sayin’?” John asked, trying to get her to finish her story.
“That we grew close, but we knew we wouldn’t have much time together. We made the most of it, but when she left… I knew I needed to settle myself down, ‘n then, like I said, I fell in love with the man who would become my husband.”
“Wait,” Randy said, quirking his head to the side, looking at the older woman, “you were involved with someone like… I’m involved with John?”
“Not quite. We kept one another company ‘n she did become my closest friend while she was here… but I don’t think we ever loved one another. And that’s how our involvement was quite different than you two young men.”
“Huh…” Randy shook his head, “Woman of mystery even now, aye Nancy?”
“I may be gettin’ old but I ain’t dead yet, mister.”
Randy grinned at her playful chastising and Nancy straightened up after checking that the snow around John’s middle was secure in its temporary bundle. “When the snow melts check the swelling again,” she instructed Randy, “But I really wouldn’t have him out in the stables again today… too much movement might aggravate it.” The old chef had to fight a smile at Randy’s serious expression as he listened to her.
John groaned, a hand covering his eyes; why the hell did this have to happen at a time when they needed all the hands that they could get for the animals?
“They need me down there!” John protested, being ignored as Randy thanked Nancy and then saw her out, turning back to John just as he said, “-there’s no one else that knows what they’re doin’ that could help out!” and Randy knew that too.
“There is someone-“ Randy said suddenly, brow furrowing somewhat. John sent his lover a look that plainly asked what he was talking about. “Cody,” Randy said simply, “I’m sure we can borrow him fer a little if needs come to it.”
“I’d hate ta take away from any time he’d have with Ted,” John replied, but he knew that was who Randy was getting at.
“I know, but I think they’d both understand what with you being hurt,” Randy said.
John sighed. It might be their only option. Justin and Heath were still learning, especially Heath, who had been so reluctant to work in the stables at all for so long. “We can ask him. Hate ta do it, though.”
“I know, I know… we have to, though, at least until we know that you’re well enough to move around.”
“I’m fine ta move around!” John protested.
“You know damn well that you’re not,” Randy said. “And you’re not going to until Nancy says that you’re better.”
“Well, I’m sure I’ll be better by tomorrow.”
“We’ll see about that,” Randy said unrelentingly and John sighed; Randy’s mother-hen tendencies were well-hidden but impossible to get around. John didn’t blame him or fault him, not after last time around.
“I could send a letter down t’the parcel,” Randy said, pausing a little. They didn’t know when Cody was due back after all.
They knew he was coming back as Ted’s guest, as Ted had told them, but they didn’t know when exactly.
“Tomorrow,” John said in all seriousness. He knew how difficult this time would be for Cody and he didn’t want him to take on extra work.
“Fine… Are you sure you can trust those two to carry on without you there?” he asked.
“We’ve done the main stuff now, as long as we don’t get too many coming in now…”
Sod’s law would be they’d get a massive influx now.
“I’ve been checking off the guest list as people have arrived,” Randy said, “and we don’t have too many people left to show up. I’m going to go check on the status of things, including the stables, and make sure that things are running smoothly. As for you, don’t do anything stupid.”
“What if I need ta piss?” John asked.
“Do you need to piss? I’ll help you out back if you do,” Randy told him.
“No, I don’t need to now. But what if I do when yer gone ‘n yer tellin’ me I can’t move around.”
“You can sit up and piss in the pot, can’t you?”
“You don’t consider doin’ that as doin’ somethin’ stupid?” John asked.
“I’d consider pissing your bed to be something far stupider.”
A heavy sigh greeted his words and Randy knew that unlike usually, as always when his health was even slightly imbalanced, John was already beginning to feel tension. Carefully, Randy perched on the bedside next to his lover, once again taking John’s hand and looking him in the eye.
“I know it’s frustratin’ but I am not risking you again,” he murmured.
“I wouldn’ consider takin’ a piss dangerous.”
His expression had softened as much as it was able in pain though and Randy knew John’d do as he said.
“I’ll come back and check on you again soon alright?” Randy said, standing.
He gave John a kiss before leaving the brunette alone.
Well, he had Ortz the kitty for company at least he supposed.
Randy headed out into the mingling crowd; as people arrived they went to their rooms to change from the clothes they were riding in, but they all left the room and ended up gathered downstairs. “Lady DiBiase,” he greeted when he finally found her.
“Randal,” she returned with a smile.
“A word?” he asked, hoping they could get away for a little bit so he could get a proper check on things and let her know about John.
“Of course,” she agreed, leading them through the throng of people until they were outside, where a lot of the commotion had died down. “Finally, I can hear myself think,” she said. “What is it I can help you with?” she asked
“I wanted to get a firm check on the guest list,” he told her. “Confirm with you who’s arrived so far and who we have left. As there’s been a little accident.”
“An accident? With whom? What happened?” she asked. She cared for her staff, as she knew that without them, this would not be possible.
“John,” he answered, attempting to remain stoic. “A horse seemed to get him right in his gut,” he went on. “Nancy checked him over, now he’s got some ice… or snow rather, on him to try and get the swelling down. But that does mean we’re short staffed in the stables.”
“Oh dear…” there was genuine concern in Caroline’s eyes and Randy knew that it was for John’s well-being as opposed to the fact that they were one staff-member down. “Do we have anyone else on the staff who might be able to assist?” she asked him next.
But even he could tell she didn’t expect a positive response.
“No ma’am,” Randy admitted, “The two lads who help John’re still just learning themselves so we can’t trust them to be completely unattended.”
And of course having them overseen by someone with little to no experience of animals would be just as useless as having them attempting to do it all alone.
“Oh no…” Caroline bit her lip, clearly contemplative. Randy could bet she was considering how she would tell Lord DiBiase so that he could find some way to tend them a replacement temporarily, possibly from the village with luck.
Little did she know of course that Randy already had someone in mind. “I know someone who’s technically outside the staff who could help ma’am.”
“You do?” she asked him, and Randy felt it was a mark of the respect that the DiBiases held for their staff that she didn’t immediately shoot his opinion down or think he was too above his station, “And who might that be?” the sooner they could sort it the better.
“Cody,” he answered. “He knows his way around animals, he’s been in our stables before… I think he could be a great help.”
“Oh,” Caroline said. She didn’t know if he knew about Cody’s relationship with her son, so she cautiously went on, “He was coming here as Ted’s guest, not as a worker.”
“I know, ma’am, but I do believe his services, especially with John in this state, will be of use. Even if it’s just for small increments of time. I think both he and Ted would be understanding of the situation,” Randy replied.
“Most likely, yes. When were you planning on asking him to come here?” she asked.
“I was going to write up a letter to be taken to him for tomorrow,” he answered.
“Oh, well, that’s when he’s coming, anyway,” she told him. “Are you sure you won’t need him today? Will the two of them be all right by themselves for the rest of the evening, since John won’t be able to help at all?” she asked of him.
“I think they will be able to manage for the rest of the night if we’ve had the maximum expected visitors,” Randy said.
“Well, if you’re sure… If I happen to see Cody first tomorrow I shall let him know that you’re looking for him,” Randy fought not to let his expression give him away there.
“Thank you very much ma’am; I’m sorry to have pulled you away from your visitors but I felt that it would be prudent to let you know the situation.” Caroline patted Randy’s arm and smiled, “I’m glad you did let me know.”
Giving a slight bow Randy then moved away from her and headed back downstairs.
Caroline exhaled and headed back to seek out her husband, let him know as well.
Ted meanwhile was letting his mind wander even as he went through dinner and then the expected mini-social events that were happening with their guests, Cody being the predominant thought there. Well, his return and the… new developments.
When Randy entered his room again, he found that the cat had jumped up onto their bed and was curled up on John’s chest. “Well, excuse me,” Randy said, taking in the sight.
“Hey, he did it on his own,” John told him, stroking Ortz’s head. “How’s everythin’ goin’?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Seems to be going pretty well. I told Caroline about you and our backup plan and she said Cody was coming tomorrow anyway. But she also made it a point to tell me that he was coming as Ted’s guest, not as a worker.”
“Did she?”
“She did. But she understands the circumstances and she’s sure the both of them will, too. It’s not like we’ll be takin’ Cody away from Ted completely.”
“Right, jus’ here ‘n there.”
“Of course, that’s probably time the two of them would rather spend fucking,” Randy said.
“Probably…” John said and Randy could pretty much see the guilt on his face increasing even though he had no reason to worry about it. That was just the way that John was.
“John, if Cody says no then he says no, we’re not gonna force him into helping us,” Randy said, watching John closely.
Well, that was sort of true. He wouldn’t force Cody… but he wouldn’t be above pulling a few emotional strings to get a response such as that which he wanted from the man. “How’s your stomach doing?” he then asked him.
“It’s very wet.”
“John-“ Randy started firmly.
“It’s gone numb with the cold,” John muttered grudgingly as he began to stroke Ortz’s side again, the kitten stretching out without a care in the world.
“Chances are that it’s working then,” Randy said with admittedly some relief being present.
“I hope so. Feel like an idiot sittin’ here with a damn pile of meltin’ snow on me,” John muttered.
“Well, it’s helping, and that’s what’s important. We need you better, John,” he said, running his hand over John’s head. “Someone’s gotta boss those kids around out in the stable.”
“They’ll do jus’ fine,” John told him. “Now, are you gonna keep me company here, or what?” he asked.
“I would, but it’s still dinner time for the DiBiases and their guests, but it’s nearing the end, so I’ve got to go make an appearance at least and pray that things are still somewhat orderly. Then I’ll have my staff once again accompany each guest to their room so we can make sure they’re in the right places.”
“Then you’ll bring dinner in here?” John asked.
“That I can do, promise,” Randy said. “You just stay there, let yourself rest for once.”
~~~
Meanwhile, down on the parcel, Cody and his family noticed almost every single occasion when a carriage headed towards the castle thanks to the fact that they ostensibly worked outside.
“I don’ even like t’ think how long they will-a been travellin’ fer,” Dustin commented with a shake of his head.
“Huh?” Cody looked up from where he was chipping away at some of the ice that had formed over the river to allow them better access to water for the animals and their own needs.
“I said I wouldn’ like t’ think how long they’ve been travellin’ fer,” he repeated, amused.
“Oh, yeah. Yeah… I don’ think I would like to be in one o’ them carriages much.” The way they swayed made him feel a little queasy, and he was confident in stating that he had a strong, robust stomach.
And, another thing bothered him: one of those carriages undoubtedly contained the beautiful Maryse… thinking of her made Cody feel anxious, though it wasn’t her fault.
“Wow,” Cody said, looking up as another string of carriages passed them by.
“Huh?” Dustin asked, turning his head towards Cody.
“Look at the carriages,” he told him.
When Dustin looked towards the carriages, he noticed that they had the royal family’s crest and flag and his own eyes grew wide. “Wow,” he repeated, then stood up straight and bowed as they continued to pass.
Cody did the same. He had completely forgotten to bow his submission to them as he was so impressed with the fact that the king was going to be at Brett’s wedding. All their carriages finally passed by and they were able to get back to their work. “Brett must be about shitting his pants by now,” Cody said.
“He nervous?” Dustin asked.
“Terrified,” Cody answered with a chuckle. “He loves Kristen, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so nervous. Though you try gettin’ married in front of all these people ‘n see how much you enjoy it.”
“No thank you,” Dustin said, grinning.
“Ya can’ help but feel sorry for ‘im though can ya? And we thought we were pressured!”
Cody nodded his head; Virgil wanted them married but he’d never dream of making it into such a spectacle like Brett (and Ted, he conceded reluctantly) was currently having to grin and bear through. He hoped he was Ok.
He’d have to ask him as such when he went to the castle.
“Thinkin’ about bein’ Lady DiBiase one day?”
He chucked a chunk of ice at Dustin.
“Why?” he huffed, cheeks red from embarrassment now and not cold.
“Come on; it’s been a few days since-a last got atcha fer it,” Dustin smirked slowly, “Figured that now would be a good time since ya weren’ expectin’ me t’do it.” He had dodged the ice without any strain at all since the aim was not intended to actually hurt him since Cody was at an odd angle for throwing.
“Fuck you…” Cody muttered, swearing that even his ears were burning. Regardless of whether he took Ted’s cock inside of him or not did not make him any less of a man. “You’re just jealous anyway,” he huffed.
“Jealous? Of what? You takin’ a dick up yer backside? Hardly,” Dustin said.
“That I’m sleeping with someone of nobility,” Cody replied.
“Please, like I even care about anythin’ like that.”
“There’s also the fact that I’ve also gotten to sleep with him far more often than you and…” he trailed off, raising a brow.
“Well, I’m back now so once we’re married, I plan on makin’ up fer lost time,” Dustin told him, and Cody scrunched up his nose.
“I better not have to hear you two,” Cody muttered. Dustin’s bed was only feet from his (and thank God they didn’t have to share a bed anymore).
“Oh, you probably will.”
“You’re disgusting,” Cody said. “At least me ‘n Ted find rooms to ourselves.”
“Rooms?” Dustin asked, raising a brow, and Cody blushed. “Well, unless your lover boy wants to lend us a room every night, yer gonna be stuck with us.”
“I’ll find the wood and build you a shack myself,” Cody said in all seriousness.
“I’d actually be impressed if you did,” Dustin replied amusedly.
“If we were still sharin’ a bed though you’d have no chance for anythin’ like that.”
“I’d like t’see ya stop us both,” the elder challenged.
“Dustin!” Cody groaned, shoving him.
“Oh calm down princess--- we’ll probably wait until yeh’re outta the way anyway. An’ dad’s a heavy sleeper…” he smirked wickedly.
“And you tell me that I’m the perverse one,” Cody muttered, shaking his head, “You have no shame!” and, sadly, Virgil genuinely would not care--- within reason.
As long as Dustin and Terri weren’t actually doing anything blatantly before him or where he could see he wouldn’t interfere at all.
“Maybe I’d best be tryin’ t’find permanent work in the castle then,” Cody grimaced, “If only to avoid being scarred for life by seeing yeh’re cock, and ye molestin’ Terri.”
“Ain’t gonna be molestin’ nobody. She’ll be perfectly willin’,” Dustin told him with a smirk.
“Still… if you wait a few more months, then you’ll have the house to yourselves… and Dad,” Cody said, “since I’ll be back up at the castle at the end of harvest time.”
“We ain’t waitin’ that long to get married, I’m afraid. We wanna be married in a few weeks, just a little after your birthday.”
“Oh, well… that’ll be nice.”
“Yeah, we agreed it’d be best if we was married then so she could be keepin’ house while we’re workin’ on harvestin’ so’s we can come back ‘n she’ll have everythin’ all prepared fer us.”
“You mean so I won’t have to cook for you anymore after I do all the same amount of work that you do?” Cody asked.
“Yup, so you should be thankin’ me. ‘N once we start a family, we’ll have more help ‘round here.”
“Yeh won’t be havin’ kids fer a while yet, surely?” Cody asked, thinking that they would just want to enjoy their marriage first.
“Yeh can’t control these things, Cody,” Dustin reminded him, “If it happens then it happens.”
Cody nodded, realising that his thought had been a little naïve; it wasn’t like he and Ted who never had to worry about the chance of accidentally impregnating one another.
“That reminds me-“ Dustin said suddenly and Cody looked up, arching a brow slightly in question, “What?”
“What about when Ted marries?”
Cody’s stomach dropped a little and he looked at his brother as calmly as he could, “What about when Ted gets married?” It seemed that Dustin wasn’t completely fooled by his acting.
“You won’ stay with ‘im surely? It’s not fair that you’d become some… piece on the side fer ‘im,” he said, obviously trying not to offend.
“It’s not going to be like that,” Cody said, attempting to sound confident.
“How do you know? Because he’s told you it’s not gonan be like that?” Dustin asked, raising a brow. He didn’t want to see his little brother hurt.
“Well… she… I don’t know if it’s true, or not, but we suspect that she’s sleeping with her own servant, Michael.”
“So? She and Ted still have a duty to perform in carryin’ on their family.”
“I’m not gonna become secondary to her,” Cody tolf him. “He loves me, not her.”
“But he’ll be married to her, not to you. Whether or not she’s sleepin’ with her personal servant, she’s still gonna be married to him ‘n havin’ his children.”
Cody shut his eyes. He didn’t want to show his raw emotions to Dustin, because he was bringing up every point that Cody had before. “That’s for duty’s sake only. He wants to be with me.”
The sudden feeling of hands on his shoulders startled him into opening his eyes.
Dustin had an oddly intense look on his face and Cody’s heart dropped.
“I just don’ want you hurt,” Dustin’s eyes were serious and it wasn’t often that he was this forthcoming with his little brother. “I don’ want that.”
“Don’-“ Cody could feel his throat beginning to become clogged with all of the emotions he had been trying so hard to work through, suddenly taking over his mind again because of comments from his well-meaning brother.
“I know how much he means t’ya Cody, but ya really need to think about this…” Cody’s head bowed and Dustin felt his mouth thinning in annoyance after a moment.
“Shut up-“ the words were weak and tremulous and Dustin felt an odd ire towards the middle DiBiase son growing in his chest.
Giving a small growl of annoyance Dustin drew Cody into an awkward but meaningful embrace.
“It can’t happen,” Cody whispered as he wrapped his own arms around Dustin.
“What can’t?” Dustin asked, pulling back and looking his brother in the face.
“Him leaving me for her. He may marry her, but he’s not going to love her. God, I can’t wait to see him tomorrow,” he said.
“Are you gonna talk about everythin’?” Dustin asked.
“You mean about him and Maryse and their marriage? Probably, yes. We have talked about it before… just never with her around,” Cody told him.
“Well, that could make all the difference,” Dustin said.
“I know. But I need to believe that he won’t be like his…” he trailed off, realizing he was about to say that he didn’t want Ted to end up like his own father, so he started over, “that he won’t be like how his father wants him to be…”
“I really hope you know what yer gettin’ yerself into.”
“I do!” Cody insisted, but then relented a little, “Thanks for caring though Dustin.”
“O’ course I care,” Dustin’s cheeks pinkened, “No one c’n bully ya except me.”
“Ted doesn’t bully me…” Cody said, but he understood what point Dustin was trying to make to him. “It’ll be Ok, I promise you.”
Theoretically he knew, but realistically? Well, they’d have to see when things happened wouldn’t they? He couldn’t see into the future to know the answer.
Dustin privately reiterated the promise he’d made to himself before; if Ted broke his brother’s heart, or made him cry, then he was going to have to deal with him… and Dustin wasn’t scared of a few consequences. He’d been in wars.
“So, let’s get this finished!” Cody said with a determined brightness.
Dustin sighed and allowed the conversation change to happen.
Maybe he should talk to their father about this situation?
On the other hand, though, Cody was a man now and could make his own choices in life. Their father may know about Cody’s situation, but he couldn’t live Cody’s life for him. He could maybe give him some advice, though.
As they worked, all Cody could think was that he couldn’t wait until tomorrow. He needed to see Ted again. Needed to be reassured that things were still good between them despite their time apart. He hated that there were guest there now, and that he wasn’t one of them. But they had been travelling long and far and probably didn’t know how long they would need to arrive on time. Cody was just a but of a walk away.
“Thought you wanted to get this finished,” Dustin said, startling Cody.
“Huh?”
“You’ve been starin’ at the castle instead a doin’ any o’ yer work,” Dustin told him.
Cody shrugged sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“Why don’ ya jus’ go over there, already if all yer gonna do is stare ‘n daydream?” he asked.
Blushing, Cody looked away from Dustin and said tartly, “Because I have a job that needs doing here first.” And though Dustin never explicitly said so Cody knew that his presence really helped down on their parcel when the work came about. Dustin was capable, sure, as was his father, but Virgil couldn’t take on too much more and even Dustin had his limits. He wanted to see Ted, of course, but he had responsibilities.
“You do realise by trying to kick me out sooner that doesn’t mean that Terri will be allowed to move in yet?” he tried to sound flip but mostly the words came out all too serious. Dustin rolled his eyes, “I know that, Cody,” he said.
“Jus’ makin’ sure that you do, brother.”
They may have done that already but Dustin wasn’t about to risk his bride’s reputation.
“Brat.”
And of course that sparked off one of their usual arguments together.
Something that Virgil greatly lamented on when he arrived back and found them at it.
“Do you boys ever quit it?” Virgil asked, arms crossed in front of his chest as he took in the sight of his boys fighting with one another.
“You make it sound like you never argued with any of your siblings,” Dustin said, looking back at his dad.
“That may be, but we grew outta it. Now you wait until you got yer own family ‘n see how much you like seein’ yer kids go at it like that,” Virgil told him.
“Sometimes ya jus’ gotta get somthin’ off yer chest ‘n the best way ta do that is a nice little argument.”
“It wasn’t like it was anything serious, anyway,” Cody said. It was usually the littlest things that set off their arguments.
“Well, if it’s settled now, let’s get back ta work. Doesn’t look like hardly nothin’s been done here!”
The two brothers protested at that (“We wasn’t arguin’ the whole time!”) but Virgil worked them both hard for the last few daylight ours.
And of course since they were still in winter that daylight was neither especially bright or lasted very long.
That evening once again found Cody in the kitchen preparing their evening meal as Dustin and Virgil checked that the animals were secure and settled for the night.
“It’s gonna be weird even goin’ away fer a few days knowin’ that ye’re gonna be eatin’ properly,” he said.
“Ye tryin’ t’start somethin’?” Dustin asked with a slight frown, Cody immediately shaking his head in response, “No.”
“Behave both of ya,” Virgil said, but then added, “Yeah, it is nice t’have somethin’ other than burnt flavour.”
“Excuse me?” Dustin asked at his dad’s comment. Cody was just laughing. “I don’t burn everything! I’ve gotten better!”
“Dustin, Son, I love ya, but yer cookin’s awful. Can’t wait for Terri to move in here proper so we can eat real meals.”
“Wait, are you saying that I don’t make real meals?” Cody questioned.
“I was talkin’ about fer when yer not here,” Virgil amended. “You do know how ta cook a damn good meal.”
“He makes nothing but stew all the time!” Dustin protested.
“Better than burnt stew,” Cody retorted.
“Hey, we don’ need all this arguin’,” Virgil said, cutting them off before they could even begin bickering yet again.
“We weren’ gonna,” Dustin mumbled but Virgil knew that that wasn’t true; they couldn’t help themselves but to do so whenever.
Cody knew he’d have to file away his comment about Dustin making his own food if he had a problem with Cody’s repetoire of cooking skills.
Before too long they were all readying to settle down for the night.
And Cody was in a word, excited. Very excited.
He wasn’t even sure if he would be able to sleep that night because of it.
Tomorrow after so long he would be seeing Ted again. He wanted to see Ted again so badly indeed that it ached.
He hoped that Ted was looking forward to seeing him as much as he was to seeing him, though he was sure he would be.
~~~
Once Caroline told her husband about John, she managed to find Ted during their dinner, as everyone ate and went around mingling. “Ted, dear, did you hear about John?” she asked him.
“No? What about him?”
“He’s injured,” she told him.
“What? How badly?” he asked, now worried.
“He was kicked by a horse, and Randy said there was some swelling and a great deal of bruising. Which means that he can’t work in his current condition. However, they did manage to come up with an idea of who could replace him for a while,” she then said.
“Cody?” Ted asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yes dear,” Caroline said, “But I did tell them that Cody was going to be here at your behest as opposed to working.” Ted felt that the distinguishing sentiment really hadn’t been necessary since the two men would have known, but his mother didn’t need to know that.
“I don’t think Cody will mind…” he admitted, “Especially if he finds out John’s hurt.” Actually he too wanted to help but he knew that he couldn’t for many reasons. “I’ll mention it to him,” he promised.
Already though he knew he wouldn’t give Cody up completely.
No chance of that happening.
“You’re such a good boy,” Caroline kissed his cheek.
Oh, if only she knew.
“What was that about?” Brett asked, sneaking up behind Ted.
“Brett!” Ted exclaimed, turning around to face his younger brother. “Uh, Ma just told me that John was injured today in the stables.”
“Oh no, what happened? Is it bad?”
“I guess he got kicked by a horse,” Ted answered. “And he had some swelling and brusing, but it sounds like he’s going to be ok. But they want Cody to help out in the stables with the animals now.”
“That’s good, though. He likes being with the animals. And he and John and friends, right? So I’m sure he’d be happy to help them out.”
“He probably will be. I was just hoping that I’d be able to spend some time with him, you know? I still will, obviously, but… oh, nevermind, it’s not the time to be selfish about my friendships, not if he’s needed elsewhere.”