A Bond of Three (31 page)

The funeral procession arrived at the little garden. Tanish and Sorran proceeded to the tomb and watched as the royal guards placed the casket within the white stone monument with infinite care. They withdrew, and Tanish entered the cool edifice alone.

Sorran waited at the threshold, head bowed. It saddened him that there had been so little time to get to know Tanish’s father. As he watched his lover lay his hand upon the casket, Sorran was overcome by the torrent of regret that flowed from Tanish.

It seems I am not the only one with such thoughts.

The little he had gleaned from conversations with Tanish spoke of a lonely childhood, with a father who had never had much time for his only son.

I would have spent more time with him, built a relationship with him, had he been my son.

And for the first time, a longing welled up inside him, something he had never considered before this moment.

Sorran wanted to be a father.

Chapter 22

T
HE
VAULTED
ceiling of the royal chamber rang with the jubilant sound of horns. Loud cries of acclamation rose into the air as the high priest placed the thin circlet of gold upon Tanish’s brow.

Feyar clutched the trellis, his heart bursting with pride at the sight of Tanish kneeling before the priest, resplendent in his royal robe of deepest purple, the fabric shimmering in the sunlight that poured in through the long windows of the chamber. The colorful swathes of gauze that hung from the rafters moved gently in the breeze, heavy with the fragrance of flowers.

Tanish raised his head and gave a nod of acknowledgment to the priest, and then he rose slowly to his feet. When he turned to face his subjects, the shouts and cries intensified, until Feyar was certain all of Teruna could hear them. Sorran stood with his parents, his gaze fixed on Tanish. Sorran’s face was alight with joy. Feyar could feel his love for Tanish burning inside him like a brilliant flame.

“They make a handsome couple.”

Feyar turned to Tehar beside him and smiled. “They do indeed.”

She gave him a speculative glance. “His Majesty will no longer require a
Seruan
once he is married. I pray this will not be painful for you, Feyar.”

Feyar gave her a reassuring smile. “Fear not, Tehar. I shall not suffer.”

Her cheeks pinked, and she patted his arm before returning her attention to the coronation.

Tanish walked out onto the balcony and waved to the crowds assembled below, which resulted in a great clamoring as the people cheered for their newly crowned king. Inside the chamber, the guests applauded, the air filled with the sound of their joy.

Feyar wanted to be among them, to be able to greet the new king face-to-face. He contented himself with the knowledge that he would share his joy that evening, when the three of them were alone once more. He could not share with Tehar that nothing had changed.

Though perhaps it is time for change.

There dwelt in his heart the faint hope that Tanish could bring about that change.

Tanish and Sorran.

“O
H
, S
ORRAN
,
you look wonderful.”

Sorran smiled at his mother and regarded his reflection in the silvered mirror. The royal dressmaker circled him, muttering to himself as he made tiny adjustments in the wedding robe. Sorran loved it. The robe fell to the floor, a rich cream fabric embroidered with tiny hummingbirds around the hem and collar. It looked stunning next to his dark skin. Over the chair nearby lay his cloak, made from the same fabric, with a jeweled clasp fashioned in the shape of a hummingbird.

And tomorrow I shall be Prince Sorran, consort to His Majesty, King Tanish.

He had not yet become accustomed to thinking of Tanish in that manner.

Tanish had seemed startled the night after his coronation when both Sorran and Feyar had bowed upon his entrance to their chamber, both murmuring “Your Majesty.” It quickly became clear that Tanish felt overwhelmed by the process and wanted things to be as always between them. It was obvious that thoughts of his father still occupied his mind, so Feyar had taken control. Tanish had ended up on all fours, crying out around Sorran’s cock while Feyar plowed into him until all three released with shouts of ecstasy. The new King of Teruna had drifted off to sleep in their arms.

The dressmaker carefully removed the wedding apparel, and Sorran slipped on his dark blue robe and tied it around his waist.

When he and his mother were alone once more, she rose up from her chair and put her arms around him. “My baby is to be a married man.”

He chuckled. “Your ‘baby’ is nearly twenty, Mother.”

She stroked his hair. “You will always be my baby.”

Sorran gazed at her, a thought coming to mind. “Why did you not have more children?” He knew his mother had married his father at the age of seventeen and had given birth to Sorran a mere year later.

A look of such sadness crossed her face that Sorran’s heart stuttered. “Mother?”

She sat down slowly, the leather chair molding to her body. “I wanted more children, as did your father. But after you were born, I became gravely ill, and for a time the healers were not certain that I would live, the fever was so severe.” She smiled. “As you see, all was well in the end.”

Sorran waited, sensing there was more to come.

His mother stared at her hands clasped in her lap. “We tried for many years after that, hoping I would conceive, but nothing happened. It was eventually concluded that my illness and the fever had rendered me childless.”

Blue flickered around her, so deep that it made Sorran catch his breath. He moved swiftly to kneel at her feet, his head in her lap. Sorran placed his hand upon her knee. “Peace, Mother.”

A gentle hand stroked his hair. “Bless you, Sorran. It is as though you see within to my pain. Time may have passed, but now and again I am plagued by regret. I am still young enough to bear children. Your father could have put me aside and taken a new queen, one who could bear him more children, but he did not.”

Sorran had often sensed the deep current of affection between his parents, and thought it unlikely that his father would have done this. He raised his head to look her in the eye. “He loves you, Mother.”

She smiled. “And tomorrow you will have a husband who loves you.” He stared at her, and her smile widened. “Oh, Sorran, I see it in his eyes when he looks at you.” She cupped his cheek. “The same look that is in your eyes when you are with him. It gladdens my heart.” The blue light around her flickered and faded, to be replaced by a deep gold.

A wave of melancholy coursed through him, and he ached to share what lay on his heart.

Oh, Mother, what would you say if you knew that your son is in love with two men? A love that I can never declare publicly. Tomorrow I will stand at Tanish’s side, giving my vows and promising to be his, while our lover watches from afar. In my heart Feyar is as much my husband as Tanish is to be.

“Sorran, what is it?”

Sorran breathed deeply, pushing down on the rising tide of sorrow. Such thoughts served only to torment him. “Nothing, Mother. Perhaps I am nervous about the wedding.”

She bent low and kissed the top of his head. “All will be well, my son. I feel it.”

Sorran closed his eyes and drank in his mother’s reassuring presence. He knew she spoke logically. Everything was in readiness. Yet that knowledge did little to ease his fears.

Something is coming.

T
ANISH
BREATHED
deeply, listening to the gentle strains of the
torishar
, its simple melody a faint background to the hum and chatter of the assembled guests. He did not look in their direction. He knew the horns would sound to signal Sorran’s arrival.

His gaze traveled to the trellis where he knew Feyar stood watching. In his head he replayed their conversation from that morning.

“I will be there, my
terushan
. You may not see me, but you will feel my presence.”

Tanish pulled him closer. “I wish that Sorran had spent this last night with us.”

Feyar frowned. “He said he wanted a final night alone, to meditate.” He let out a sigh. “All evening I have been plagued by the feeling that something is wrong.”

Tanish raised his head from Feyar’s chest. “Do you think he has doubts about the wedding?”

Feyar laughed softly. “Tanish, he loves you.”

Tanish stroked Feyar’s mat of chest hair. “He loves us,” he corrected. “But you are right. I too sensed something, an undercurrent I could not identify.” He shivered. “I pray all will be as normal after the wedding.” He craned his neck to kiss Feyar on the lips. “I would have you there with us, giving us your blessing. This is to be no ordinary marriage.”

Feyar stroked his arms. “Oh, my
corishan
, you know I would be there if things were different.” He shifted in the bed and curled around Tanish, his arm draped across his chest. “But now is not the time. Sleep, my
terushan
. Rest.”

Tanish closed his eyes and willed himself to relax. His last thought before sleep took him was to wonder if Sorran was sleeping soundly.

A loud blast from the horns brought him abruptly into the present.

His betrothed had arrived.

Tanish turned to watch Sorran’s approach, and he caught his breath at the sight of his husband-to-be, dressed in his wedding robes. Malin walked in front of him, leading him to the spot where Tanish stood, his heart beating fast. He could see Sorran’s parents, their faces smiling as they watched their son walk slowly through the assembled throng, his gaze fixed on Tanish, his deep cream cloak spread out behind him like a silken carpet.

When he reached Tanish’s side, the horns fell silent, and Sorran gave him a shy smile.

Tanish reached for his hand and squeezed it. “You are beautiful, beloved,” he whispered.

Sorran flushed. He withdrew his hand and took up his position next to Tanish, facing the high priest who would hear their vows and bless their union. Tanish took a deep breath and followed suit. A hush fell upon the spectators.

“We are gathered here to witness the marriage between His Majesty, King Tanish of Teruna, and His Highness, Prince Sorran of Vancor,” the priest intoned, laying his hands on their heads. “We ask the Maker to bless their union, that they may know joy in their life together.”

Sorran surprised him by taking hold of his hand and grasping it tightly.

“They will each vow to work together through good times or ill, and to be faithful to each other, that their love will grow stronger so that no one may come between them.”

Sorran’s hand tightened.

“We ask that—”

“Stop.”

Sorran’s voice was a whisper, but the word carried throughout the still chamber. Gasps echoed around the room.

Tanish turned to face him. Sorran’s face was pale, and he was trembling. “Sorran, what is wrong?”

Malin took a few steps back.

Sorran’s eyes held a look of such profound sorrow that Tanish’s heart quaked. “I cannot do this.”

The world became very still.

Tanish stared at him in dismay. “Speak to me,
terushan
.” Waves of panic flooded through him, and underneath it he sensed Feyar’s similar state.

Sorran swallowed and released his hand. “I love you, Tanish. You know this.” Tanish nodded, hardly daring to draw a breath. “But I will not marry you when….” His voice faltered and he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. When he opened his eyes to gaze at Tanish, he was calmer. His voice dropped to a whisper. “I will not marry you when I cannot acknowledge that we are not two but three.”

Shock pulsed through Tanish. “But—”

Sorran laid a hand on his arm. “He is part of us, my love. He should be here, at our side. In a different world, he would be taking vows with us, for is he not as much your husband as I would be?”

The thought stopped Tanish cold. “Husband?”

Sorran’s sorrowful smile made his heart ache. “I would have two husbands,
corishan
, but I know that is greedy. I would be content to face the world with him at our sides, but Teruna sees him as something to be hidden, whispered about but never spoken of openly.” He fixed Tanish with a steady gaze. “You are King of Teruna, Tanish. You have it in your power to change the way
they
see the
Seruani
.” He gestured toward the onlookers, who stared at them openmouthed, murmurs rippling through the crowd.

Tanish gaped. “You… you would have me change the laws?” he whispered.

Sorran nodded. “We have spoken of this, my love. You know in your heart that what happens here in Teruna is wrong. This is the time to do something about it.” He took a step away.

Tanish reached out for him. “You will not leave me? Leave Teruna?” Icy cold spread up and down his spine.