WORRLGENHALL (69 page)

The queen nodded; then gently took back the child.

“Let there still be truth between us,” Aderac said candidly, “We have no love for the other, and I have not hidden him from you, but I am king and from such you are queen. You may enjoy the glory of being a queen just as you always have or leave these walls, but know well, your life will be banished to a monastery to live out your days if you do.”

Well aware of whom he spoke and why; Irenea spoke her mind.

“And when you bore of him or he bores of you?” she sneered sarcastically, “Then what of us?”

“
If I bore of him or he bores of me.” Aderac avidly knew, “It can only mean there is no life within either of us.”

Irenea mockingly laughed, insulted by his devoted words of Belon.

“Here this well,” Aderac said when she did so there would be no misunderstands, “We both know you father sent you here for his own wealth and to be rid of you. Enjoy your life as it is just as you have always and now even more as the mother of our child, but should as much as a beat of treachery enter your heart against me or him for any reason, I will have it pulled from your chest while it still beats within you.”  

Irenea
’s face straightened surprised. She was the mother of his child, yet he threatened to kill her for the sake of Belon.

“
Are my words clear to you?” he asked, as he looked at her intently, making certain she understand them exactly.

“
Well clear,” Irenea answered, as Aderac kissed his daughter on her forehead and left her chamber.

**

When the rains began slowly to subside, hopeful he could leave, Belon sent one of his men to check the roads, and when he learned traveling was still to hazardous, he sighed anguished longing to be with Aderac and where he now truly called his home.

“
I shall never journey in early spring again,” Belon swore to himself.

Later that day, Baric o
n the throne while his father King Rone now rested in the later part of the days with Seda lovingly beside him, when Belon walked into the king’s court and sat to watch, Ogorec walked over to him.

“
Such a look,” he teased, “Or dare I say such a forlorn look.”

Belon sighed and shook his head, Ogorec was right.

“I have seen such looks from you on our journeys,” he reminded him.

“
Well true,” Ogorec had to agree.

Again, after a loud sigh. His tall frame slumped from him feeling lovesick, making Ogorec chuckl
e because Belon had always been the one pined after, but as he sat, Belon did the pining; longing deeply to be near Aderac.

“
Why did you chuckle?”

“
To see you this way,” Ogorec admitted,” Is strange to me, but is how I knew you would become once smitten.”

“
And how have I become?”

Again, Ogorec chuckled.

“Dare I answer a question you already know the answer to well? You sigh and mope, and mope and sigh from being away from who you love.”

Belon smiled. “
All is true,” he had to admit; “I am hopeless lump when away from him.”

Ogorec stood and put his hand on Belon
’s shoulder. “This day we ride to a village. Come along that you not mope about.”

Eagerly, Belon agreed to keep himself from moping and wistfully thinking of Aderac, and brought his men along with
him.

Expecting people to be busily doing this or that when they arrived in the village, they were surprised when they entered and saw no one.

“Do you have the right village?” Loth questioned, as he looked around.

“
What reason are we here?” Belon added in his question.

“
The same two villages that quarreled over water one summer,” Laad answered, “Now quarrel over cows. One village accuses another village of stealing four cows.”

“
And how do these cows look?” Loth asked, as he looked into a stable.

“
Two brown with white feet, and two black with a white head or nose,” Laad answered.

“
They are here,” Loth said, as he walked out.

“
Where are the people?” Ovfren asked, but as he did, a man came out.

“
Well,” he said sarcastically, as he walked from between two cottages and stood in the middle of the road, “What an honor it is to have so many from WorrlgenHall ride to my village.”

At once, all of them looked at each other, but Belon put his hand on the hilt of his sword, as did Loth.

“You have four cows in your stable,” Laad said, “That the village next to you accuses you of stealing.”

“
I know nothing of it,” he proclaimed at once.

“
Who owns the four cows in the stable?” Laad asked.

“
I do not know.”

“
Then you will not care if we take them back,” Laad said; then nodded to Ogorec who was now closet to the stable.

Suddenly, a man ran out of s
ide door wielding a knife and when he did, all turned, but when Ogorec turned his horse to look too, since he was closet, the man stabbed him in the thigh and ran.

Letting out a groan, as the knife sank deep into his thigh, impulsively, Ovfren, who was bes
ide Ogorec jumped down and grabbed Ogorec’s axe from his belt, and chased him.

Ovfren swift on his feet, he quickly caught him by grabbing him by his tunic from behind, then not even thinking twice axed him in the back of his head, and as he fell face down
, when Ovfren withdrew it and was about to plunge it into his head again, Laad stopped him.

“
Ovfren!” he yelled quickly, “I am sure he is dead!”

At once, Ovfren hurried back to Ogorec, then looking up at him and into his eyes, as Ogorec looked down at hi
m, as if in a trance, he didn’t notice when Ovfren pulled the knife out of his thigh.

“
Ogorec,” Ovfren said, as he fretted over Ogorec and got a cloth out of his pouch; then put it around his thigh to stop the bleeding, “Are you hurting? What can I do?”

“
I will be fine,” Ogorec said, as he slightly grimaced from the pain and lovingly touched the top of Ovfren’s head.

Again, Laad looked at the man who stood in the road.

“Who was he?” he questioned, “That now lies dead in the middle of your village.”

“
Uron,” he answered, “A known thief.”

“
Then I ask you,” Laad said, as he looked at him intently, “Do you a have reason to deny we take those four cows?”

Looking up at how they looked at him intently as well, all but Ogorec had their hand on the hilt of his swo
rds, but Ovfren was in front of Ogorec prepared to defend him.

“
Take them,” he said, “And get out of my village.”

As they herded the cows to the other village, Ogorec and Ovfren road back to WorrlgenHall, but as they rode away, Loth teased with Laad about
what happened.

“
What is it about Ogorec’s axe?” Loth chuckled and asked as they rode, “That all grab it from his belt to use, but him?”

Laad shook his head at Loth, but inwardly chuckled too; then they returned the cow
s their rightful owners, and returned to WorrlgenHall.

**

Longing everyday for Belon, Aderac trained with the sword in the courtyard or read constantly late into the night within his chamber to keep his mind preoccupied, and to please him when he got back, he began assiduously working at building his muscles and eating more to put on weight.

“
Get word to me right away,” he ordered the guards every day without fail, “Of any sight or word of Belon.”

One morning as he trained, Belon now gone at least fiv
e full moons, as Aderac trained before court, one of the guards hurried to him.

“
What is it?” he asked, as he sweated; his longing to please Belon always driving him, as he imagined what he would say to him when he saw he was no longer as slender and had increased his muscles.

“
He comes,” he said, out of breath from riding hard; then running the rest of the way to him, after seeing Belon riding with his men just before the wall of Ivodgald.

Ins
tantly, Aderac’s eyes widened, before he panted drawing in quick erratic breaths. “Where, where is he?”

“
He is at the second hill not far beyond the walls.”

Immediately, Aderac rushed inside and hurriedly washed himself before he fumbled through his vast array of clothes frantically searching for something Belon enjoyed seeing him wear, and once he fina
lly found something, hurried back outside.

“
My horse,” he ordered, pacing impatiently for a guard to bring it to him before he jumped on it and galloped away.

Riding as fast as his horse would go, Aderac hurried down the road and when Belon saw him, he s
purred his horse forward and rode hard to meet him.

When both got close enough they could see the joy in the other
’s eyes, Belon leaped off his horse, and when he did, Aderac leaped from his, and as they ran to each other, just as when Aderac found him in their secret room, when he reached him, he excitedly collided into him and grabbed him.

Expecting it, Belon braced for their collision; then held him tightly, and after Aderac held him tightly back, hypnotically they stared into the other
’s eyes before so overjoyed to be together again, they passionately openly kissed.

“
Look at you Belon! Ah look at you, my wonderful beloved Belon!” he ranted, so excited he could hardly contain himself after they kissed ,as he touched his face, hair, and beard repeatedly, “Your red hair has grown so long and you have a beard again, and still Belon, still you look so handsome!”

“
Oh, my want,” Belon said in return, noticing he increased his size and built his muscles more, “So well fit you have become and so handsome you look.”

“
You did not send word you were on your back,” Aderac said, as he stared at his face. His eyes beaming from his love, “I would have greeted you better than this.”

“
I wanted to surprise you,” he told him, “And no greeting could be better than us running into the other’s arms, before kissing passionately.”

“
Surprised I am, “Aderac, so elated he wanted to shout to the world, “And happy again.”

“
Not as happy as I am,” Belon declared.

“
I will be weak, I will Belon. I will be weak,” Aderac’s quick proclamation, as their bodies again pressed together, “Do not be gone from me so long again.”

“
I will not,” he gladly promised, “Your shadow I shall become.”

“
Ah, Belon,” Aderac said pleased, “Dare I love my shadow more than myself?”

Again, they kissed, holding th
e other with every bit of strength their arms could muster, and when Belon’s men now caught up to them, but kept riding pass them, both jumped onto their horses and hurried to Ivodgald, but as they rode neither looked ahead and only at the other.

Once insi
de, both jumping from their horses, Belon in front and Aderac right behind him, they practically ran down the hallways to their chamber; then Aderac stopped briefly in front of his guard.

“
Unless the walls are breached,” Aderac blurted so quickly he almost didn’t understand him, “Let no one come to my chamber.”

After talking to the guard, Aderac hurried inside, and before he could even completely close the door, Belon was naked in the middle of the chamber.

“Bare yourself,” he lustfully commanded, as he stared at Aderac. His shaft so engorged he was certain the tightened skin would rip down the center to its bass, “That I may see all of your flesh in front of me.”

Feverishly, Aderac undressed, and as Belon looked at him. His muscles larger and his body he
avier, he inhaled deep through his nostril taking in his scent.

“
Umm.” his deep guttural moan, “I want to eat you whole.”

His words weakening Aderac such that he could hardly stand still, he launched himself on Belon, and as they fell on their bed, both
rolled around on it kissing wildly.

“
I have craved you.” Aderac kissed on his body. “…and madly.”

“
Crave no more,” he said, and moved him onto his back, “Who you desire is back with you.”

“
And you are my desire Belon!” Aderac exclaimed passionately.

Looking right into his eyes, Belon slowly entered Aderac, who stared back into Belon
’s; then as his pace increased, overcome, Aderac closed his eyes and moaned, as he arms clung around Belon’s back as his fingers dug deep into his now sweating flesh.