By Proxy

By Proxy

*Story contains fantasy characters, M/M relations, and explicit sexual scenes.*

Sunlight danced through leaf and branch, lighting the forest floor in delicate patterns that rippled and danced along with Eldon's light footfalls. The early months of the second season were always Eldon's favourite. Gone was the teasing of the first: the afternoons that promised sunny skies and warmth only to be replaced by a new dusting of snow or vicious layer of ice the following day. Nor did one wake knowing the day was spent to nothing more than harvest, store, pack and prepare. No, this season, this was the one for play – for long walks and conversations with those who flew and that which strode the land on four instead of two.

He was too far from camp, Eldon knew that, but with eighteen years behind him Eldon was past the trappings of childhood. He was not yet through the rituals of adulthood, that wouldn't happen until after the frost came back. Why the elders chose to wait for the cold and the cruel Eldon couldn't manage to find reason for. Wandering the hills and trees searching for your meanings and strengths could be accomplished so much better when the sun was above and the grass was fresh, Eldon was sure of it.

If there was anyone to blame for Eldon's wanderings that afternoon, it was the birds. They'd called him, way back at the edges of the trees, to tell him about the new cubs that were struggling to survive at the caves of calling winds: two of them, without a mother, their fishing skills as yet unmastered. Eldon knew, as did his winged friends, that Nature set her own path when it came to those that survived and those that did not. But it was not Nature that had taken the one who should have nurtured. This mother bear had been brought down by hunters. Human hunters. And to Eldon, that just wasn't right. For this cause, Eldon could step away from the rules to leave Nature to her own. For this, Eldon would help.

For the most part Eldon and his kind kept far, far away from the humans. Stories had been told of the cruelty that existed where these beasts congregated—to their own and others—and from infancy the elves knew to keep away and stay hidden. The caves of the calling winds were far too close to the settlement for comfort, there was no doubt in Eldon's mind that the elders would be furious at his breach of invisible boundaries but, the birds... and the cubs... he wouldn't stay long, after all. Just a check, just a peek, and if all was well then that's exactly how Eldon would leave it. In and out, no harm done.

It was a shame, Eldon considered, his gaze sliding across the moss-infused grasses and bloom-peppered landscape that led from forest to rock, to let such a place go to the waste of human eyes alone. He turned towards the small flock of sparrows that had travelled alongside him to quest further direction and, when out of nowhere the entire horde took flight, he reacted similarly, shrinking back quickly into the tree line. Eldon dared not whistle out to his feathered companions for guidance, perking long ears instead towards the sound of snapping twig and shuffling brush.

It wasn't hard to conceal himself. Waist-length brown hair, haphazardly woven and highlighted by sunlight, masked quickly against bark; tanned skin blended flawlessly with Nature's hue. Even Eldon's green eyes carried the colour of flora within them. Preferring a simple leather shift, slung low on slim hips and covering as little as possible, Eldon didn't need to worry the wind might cling to brightly coloured robes and wave attention to his hiding. He didn't move, he barely breathed but for a single word, and that was in both shock and reverence. "Human..."

The steed on which the male rode was an intense beast—massive in comparison to Eldon's height of barely four feet—broad shouldered, dark, its mane flowing with each movement, vainly similar in both proportion and appearance to that of its mount. When the man stopped the approaching animal to slide from its back, black silk billowed from chest and shoulder, teased by the wind and granted sheen from the light overhead. Tight leather leggings and tall boots graced legs that seemed, to Eldon, to go on for miles. "Stand still!" the man told his ride, dragging thick fingers over the horse's neck. "What are you so jumpy for?" The man grinned pleasantly, flicked collar-tickling black hair from his face and then performed a similar move on the horse's forelock to press it away from the beast's flashing eyes. "They are, after all, only bears." The man laughed; a strong, pleasant sound that sounded so unlike any laughter Eldon had heard from his own kind that Eldon shivered with it. A gentle stroke swept down the horse's muzzle before rising again to trace a pointed ear. Eldon's own ear twitched in response.

When the man reached for the buckles holding down a pack at the horse's croup, images of bloodlust and heavy swords were all Eldon could see. His first reaction was to raise his hand, call to the horse's mind, and force the animal to gallop away, if for nothing else than distraction. Something made him pause. Perhaps it was the smell of fish, the sudden arrival of two bumbling forms galloping with glee towards the bright clearing; perhaps it wasn't. It might have been the small smile that played on the man's lips – a smile so sweet, so kind, that it turned Eldon's mind upside down and sideways. It was not the smile of a cruel monster, nor that of a domineering hellion. And that could not be. Humans were evil. Humans were vile. Humans were the destruction of all that was good and sound, the consumers, the destroyers.

Fascinated, Eldon watched the man remove the pack and turn towards the advancing cubs. He was known to the pair, he had to be. They came at him with careless abandon, wrapping paws already three times the size of Eldon's own hands around calves and ankles. Innocent, laughable grunts and grumbles fell from inquisitive snouts as they sought out the gift the man held above their furry heads. "Patience!" the man chuckled, reaching down to scrub the head of one and then the next. "It's not even been a full turn of the sun yet!"

As the horse looked on, unamused and skittish, the man began to untie his offerings. "See?" he teased the excited cubs. "I told you I would be back again today. You never believe me..." And then he stopped, turned directly towards where Eldon stalked, frowning. Two black heads swivelled in unison, cheeks huffing for the fish as yet proffered. The horse mirrored the movement, rolling great eyes in Eldon's direction. "Hello?" The man's voice dropped several octaves, concern replacing joviality. "Who's there?"

Eldon shrunk further against the tree, catching a breath in his throat. He willed his heart to stop its sudden thrumming, an ill-fated attempt when the man tossed the meal to the ground, and began to walk. "Speak," the man ordered. "Show your face, whoever you are."

A fine breeze brought the man's scent before providence brought his presence: sweat, spice and leather. Eldon forced a deep breath, lifted both hands—one to horse, the other to cubs—and tried to call. His chest felt like it would explode, his head spun with the exotic fragrances, and he stepped forward quickly. A twig snapped below him, a startled cry left his lips, and every bit of grace granted to his kind seemed to fly away. Eldon stumbled, his knees faltered, and he was forced to lower his hands to guard face and fortune from ground and stone.

Eldon didn't see the blade get drawn but he heard it loud and clear. A drag from leather, a snick as the tip released from sheath, the slice of metal through air, and his voice failed him but his feet found purchase. He sprung off the earth, lifting fearful eyes towards the human.

The anger flashing in the man's dark eyes morphed into surprise. Surprise twisted into panic and the man did his own stumbling act, quick, sloppy steps backwards. "By the Gods," the man whispered. "By the goddamn Gods..."

Eldon almost shrieked when the man fell forward to his knees. The sword was dropped, forgotten, and the human male held both arms straight, palms out, "I'm sorry!" the man panted. "I'm so sorry. Gods in heaven as my witness, I did not wish to harm her!" Eldon frowned, tilted his head and looked in utter confusion at the terror on the man's face. "She attacked our hunting party. I had no idea the cubs were close. I-I acted only in defence of life and limb!"

Trembling scourged the man's hands, his eyes darted back to the dropped weapon. "Please..."

Realisation dawned slowly but soundly. "Are you..." Eldon almost laughed. "Are you frightened?" He shook his head. "Of me?"

"You mean... you're not..." a dry tongue snaked from the man's mouth and Eldon caught himself watching it with a strange mix of bewilderment and interest. "You're not here to kill me? For destroying the mother bear?"

"Me?" Eldon looked up and caught the man's eye. "Kill you?"

"Aye?"

Eldon patted the flesh of his chest, his hips. "I hold no blade!"

The man cast a glance up to the sky. "Are you not going to call the winged beast that breathes fire to fly from the sky and sear my skin until it crisps? Or sing to the serpents that live below the earth to rise up and swallow me whole?"

"Can I do that?" Eldon asked, fascinated.

A flush crept up the man's neck, staining skin the colour of autumn apples. "You are an elf, yes?"

"And you are human?" Eldon asked in return.

"The stories," the man continued, growing flustered. "They speak of powers to sing to the animals, to conform their will to your own."

Eldon snorted. "Perhaps the animals you are familiar with are much more terrifying than the ones I know of. Or far more weak-minded. Besides, the stories I've been told about your kind tell me that you are all greedy, horrifying slaves to blood and destruction." He shrugged and nodded at the cubs working their way through cloth to fish. "Apparently, both tales are misleading."

Eldon resisted the urge to offer his assistance as the man righted himself. "Have you come to finish the death you started?"

"Never!" the man said, horrified. "I would never have even done what I did had there been any other option." He lifted a hand and smoothed a wayward swatch of black hair away. "They're so small," the man's voice dropped. "I was worried they would starve."

"So you..." Eldon paused, walked towards the cubs and stared at the fish being consumed with vigour. "Brought food?"

"Aye." The man chuckled nervously. "I have a fondness for..." he looked away, blushing, "little things."

It took Eldon a moment to reason the statement. A human? Caring about something so insignificant as an animal? Would wonders never cease?

"I see," Eldon frowned up at the larger species. "That is... good of you then." He bit his lip, continued frowning and was almost shocked when his brain kept providing speech that he wasn't sure he should be voicing. "I am known as Eldon. I believe the humans use names as well…?"

"They... I... we..." the man stopped, crossed his arms in front of his chest and put a hand over his mouth. He stood back. "I can't believe I'm talking to a Gods-strike-me-dumb elf. An elf!" A long second of silence passed while they assessed one another. The man shook his head and a rush of breath left his chest. "Yes. Yes, we do. I'm Varick, Prince of Württsdyne." Varick tapped his right fist to his left breast and held it there. "It is an honour to meet you, Eldon."

Eldon lifted both eyebrows, the formal gesture lost on him. "A prince? Out here? Alone?" He eyed the package that was now mostly debris, the plump babies licking oils from fur. "Feeding Nature's children?"

Another blush and the fist dropped to Varick's side. "I am… alone. Yes. This would not be... an approved gesture by my people, I fear."

"Your people?"

Varick nodded. "More so my father, yes."

"Oh?"

Varick reached for and began to fiddle with the fastener on his empty leather sheath. "He can be a cruel man. He would not approve of wasting time nor stores on a lowly forest animal." Varick loosed a heavy sigh. "If it does not serve, it serves no purpose."

Eldon knelt beside the cubs that had taken on the sleepy contentment of well-fed infants. "And you?" Eldon asked. "Do you serve your King? Are you useful?"

"Hardly," Varick said firmly, plopping down beside Eldon, startling both elf and animals. "But I am given allowance. One day I will be king."

"Then one day you can stop the cruelty," Eldon stated simply.

Varick looked over and smiled. And once again he was the man that had stolen Eldon's breath on arrival. "Aye." He reached to gather scraps of cloth. "And you, Eldon the elf? What do you do?"

Eldon chuckled. "I am only me. Nothing special. Nothing great."

Varick passed him an unreadable glance. "Unlikely."

"Although," Eldon continued, rising. "I will be missed. Good luck with your fosterlings."

"Thank you," Varick said and reached out a hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Eldon."

Once again Eldon tilted his head in confusion. "Give me your hand," Varick explained and, when granted, pressed the two alongside, palm to palm. "This is a handshake," Varick said. "We do this when we say hello or goodbye."

What a fabulous gesture, Eldon thought. He could feel the blood race through Varick's veins, the warmth that seeped from Varick's skin. He wondered if the man knew that power was released through the hands, if any human in fact did. When Varick tightened the grip, Eldon responded in same. He heard the quick intake of breath, saw Varick's lips part, felt his own slip open as well as he watched Varick force a hard swallow.

"On the contrary," Eldon whispered. "The pleasure has been all mine." He released Varick's hand and ran for the cover of the forest.

***

He gave himself the excuse that Varick might have chosen not to come back. Told himself that he should, at the very least, make sure the cubs were doing all right. As for arriving at the exact same time as the previous day, in the hopes that it was a standard advent for the prince, well, there really wasn't any excuse for that. Or for the fact that Eldon had already convinced himself that if Varick wasn't there yet, there was really no need to rush right back to camp; that he could probably wait around for a little while.

There was no need, however. Varick sat in the middle of the clearing, while the sun beat down and the bees droned, and both cubs discovered new ways of climbing the man's body. Varick's chuckles rumbled from his chest and filled the air with a deep, vibratory sensation that made Eldon close his eyes and pull in a deep breath. As though, through inhalation alone, Eldon could draw the feeling into his body.

Dreams such as the ones that had plagued Eldon throughout the night had not fevered his mind as they had since Eldon had first begun to mature. Back then they'd been of a short-eared, cocky-smiled dark elf though; certainly not the tall, muscular human that had driven him nearly mad with want from dusk to dawn.

"You know," Varick's voice cut into Eldon's musings. "If you stand in the same place, and make the same sounds, I will see you just the same as I did yesterday. There is really no reason to stay hidden."

Eldon's ears twitched at the tone of Varick's voice. So much inflection these humans... it was hard to tell when they were serious or playing. Their words said one thing, but the way they spoke them gave indication there was something hidden underneath that Eldon found absolutely impossible to follow. He pressed his way free of the trees and stepped into the clearing.

Eldon felt more than heard the quick hum that dropped from Varick's lips as his eyes travelled over Eldon's shape. "You don’t..." Varick cleared his throat. "You don't wear much, do you?"

Eldon shrugged. "It's easier to move, to run this way. And I enjoy the sun on my skin."

Varick smiled. "It appears to enjoy being there." He tapped the ground beside him and Eldon obliged, spreading knees and tucking ankles under thighs. There was nothing to be seen at the apex of Eldon's spread legs, of that Eldon knew without doubt. The garment was remarkably well designed considering its size. Yet he still got an odd thrill at the fact that Varick's eyes flew up and away from the small flap of hide that covered Eldon's parts. More so that it looked like Varick had to fight to keep them away.

"I guess I expected billowing robes and ribbons," Varick fell back into conversation. "As opposed to leather and skin. Something a little more ethereal."

"We're beings just as you are. It's not like we're gods," Eldon chuckled.

"If you say so." Varick shrugged and shook his head. "Though in my opinion, any creature that can talk to an animal tends to the side of god-like a little more than my kind does."

Eldon could have stopped the conversation there, tried to explain the finer details of communication, point out, even, the fact that as they sat there Varick spoke to the furry babies without even realising it. But Varick said something that made Eldon's spine tighten and sent all kinds of warning shouts through his mind.

"My father used to dress his up," Varick said. "With silver and gold robes to match its chains."

"His?" Eldon drew the knee closest to Varick away.

Varick plucked a tall piece of grass and began to shred it. "Aye. He kept an elf. A small one like yourself but with much shorter ears." He caught Eldon's eyes for a single beat before lowering them to his task again. "I told you. My father can be a cruel man."

Uneasy pricks danced at the base of Eldon's skull and he flicked his eyes around the open space. "I thought your kind was frightened..."

A snort rushed from Varick's nose. "They branded him." Eldon flinched and Varick pretended not to see it. "With an upended cross. We were told it would strip him of power and ward off anything untoward that might attempt to assist him in escape."

Eldon frowned, swatting away a fly that sought to gain a pinch of skin. "How can a mark take away something that one is born with?"

"Indeed," Varick agreed. "Hindsight is much wiser than fore."

Varick looked up at Eldon's silence and concern deepened his expression. "I've worried you," Varick said, reaching a light touch to Eldon's knee. "I'm sorry. There is nothing to fear from me. I have no desire to steal you away from anything, little one. Nor would I harm you."

Eldon fought away the pulses of celebration that raced from where Varick's fingers had rested on his bare skin. "What did he do with this elf? Your father? What was the elf's purpose?"

"He was a pet," Varick explained. "A companion of sorts."

"But you said yesterday that if it does not serve..."

"Oh," Varick said quietly. "I'm sure he served."

A deep silence, marred only by the gentle huffing of the wrestling cubs, blanketed the two beings. "I should go," Eldon said, lifting to his feet.

Varick nodded, unfolded and rose as well. "Wait," he asked, reaching for one of the embroidered pockets that graced his short jacket. "I brought you something." He handed Eldon a small shape hidden within cloth and tied with twine. "It's okay, you can take it. It can't hurt you."

Unconvinced, Eldon extended his hand slowly and cautiously took possession of the item. "What is it?"

"Unwrap it," Varick instructed, then caught himself and explained further. "Undo the bind and roll it from the cloth."

A wooden carving tumbled from its confines and Eldon stared at it in wonder. "What is it?" Eldon repeated.

"The beast I spoke of yesterday. The ones my people believe your kind can call. It's a dragon."

Eldon turned the figure in his hand. He'd never seen something carved with such skill before; from tiny tooth to wrinkled eye, every scale and limb was perfection.

"You may keep it," Varick said. "It's a gift."

"Did you carve it?"

Varick laughed and the quick rumble flashed pleasantly down Eldon's spine. "I wish I had such talent. It was made by one of the palace artists. He did it for me when I was a child."

Eldon couldn't suppress his grin. "I am no child."

"No?" Varick reached up and distractedly brushed back hair. "It's so hard to tell with your people."

"I have eighteen years on me," Eldon smiled. "The final season of this one I will do my journey into the mountains."

Varick shook his head and Eldon frowned. "Why do you say no? I speak the truth."

"I believe you," Varick confirmed. "I swear on all that's holy that I believe you to the letter. My eyes though, they want me to tell you that you're lying."

"Ah, well," Eldon said, wrapping the carving back into the cloth before tucking it into his shift. "You like little things if I recall correctly."

Varick's eyes flew to his own, Eldon smirked at the expression, and before Varick could say anything further Eldon was once again running for the forest.

***

"They're gone," Eldon said, extracting himself from greenery the moment Varick dismounted. "Moved down to the springs where the fishing is easier and the berries are full."

Obvious disappointment surged into Varick's expression. "Oh. So soon?"

For two weeks they'd met. They'd fed the cubs, lain in the grass, and discussed everything from political process to calling birds. "They are bigger now," Eldon said, forcing down his own regret. "They grow into their own abilities."

Varick leaned against his horse's shoulder, absently stroking its thick neck. Summer wind shook heavy leaves; the thick scent of baking grass clung to the clearing like fog. "Shame," Varick said finally. "I was enjoying the company."

"As was I," Eldon agreed.

Varick sighed quietly. "I do not mean the bears."

Eldon stepped forward, extended a hand to the patient beast that held its master's weight and lightly rubbed the horse's muzzle. "Nor did I." The horse lowered its head to sniff at the meadow below it and Eldon held out a stained cloth. "Will you sit with me? I brought berries but..." he shrugged at the empty clearing, "apparently they are not needed here any longer. You and I could share them? If you're so inclined?"

"Aye," Varick smiled, and the sadness in it pulled at Eldon's chest. "Too bad we have no wine."

Eldon recalled the word, and with it a fluttery memory of acidic liquid that made him forget where he was at and awake with a pounding head. He shuddered. "Vile drink is that."

Varick's smile lightened. "Not the palace wine. You would enjoy it most certainly. I have no doubts."

Eldon walked to the spot in the clearing where the deep grass lay almost flat with wear, smiling when he heard Varick stepping along behind. They each curled to seated, Eldon opened the package and one by one tiny tart berries began to disappear. "They will do well," Varick said. "Our bears. If they are both enjoying fruit as fine as this."

"They will do well regardless," Eldon confirmed. "They had a strong start."

Varick snorted against his fingers as they popped another berry into his mouth. "They had a horrible start. I'm an ogre. I only hope that I helped, even marginally, to make it right."

"Of course-" Eldon began to speculate and stopped suddenly as a large butterfly found landing on Varick's shoulder. Orange wings, spotted with browns and blacks, fanned against the ends of Varick's hair. "Look," Eldon whispered. "Luck for you."

"Luck?" Varick asked, watching the insect preen with a sideways glance.

"So they say," Eldon grinned up at Varick. "Though you and I both now know that the stories mean little when compared to truth." He accepted Varick's return smile with glee. "Perhaps it merely found something just as beautiful as it, and couldn't resist the urge to come in for a closer look."

Varick lifted an eyebrow. "Then it would surely have lighted on you instead."

"You tease me," Eldon frowned.

"I do?" Varick's confusion was genuine.

"Of course you do," Eldon told him. "How else could you explain your telling me that my expression could ever be compared to yours?"

A tilt of head, a twist of brow and the insect lifted to resume flight at the same moment that Varick asked, "Surely you don't find me attractive?"

Eldon's frown deepened. "Why would I not?"

Varick picked up Eldon's hand. He laid it on his own, palm to palm. "Look at you. You're so tiny, so delicate. I'm so... big. And rough."

The two hands lay together, one small and tanned, the other large and calloused. Heat rushed Eldon's mind, unspoken need pouring from Varick's palm directly into Eldon's soul. He pulsed his own desire back, urging his own want into the receptive stream of energy that blossomed from Varick's hand. A shudder racked Varick's shoulders and Varick clamped his jaw shut with a snap.

Eldon slowly closed his fingers, dragging tips over Varick's palm. He smiled at the spike of lust that tracked through Varick's veins. "I like it. Strong. Wild." He opened his fist again, reversing the movement, and laced their hands together when he reached the juncture of fingers. "Very... very... hmm. There is a word but I don't recall it." He looked up, leaned towards Varick and delighted at the way Varick's breath sped up. "It means that it incites fire—in your blood—the kind that makes your skin prick and your heart beat." Eldon moved closer still. "Do you know that word?"

"Scintillating?" Varick suggested, breathless. "Erotic?"

"Either will do," Eldon agreed and then closed the space between their lips. The taste of the berries still lingered on Varick's tongue, the heat coming off his skin was intoxicating.

"Don't do that," Varick pulled back, struggling to draw air into his lungs.

Eldon responded by pressing against him yet again. "Why not?"

Varick reached up, threaded his fingers into Eldon's hair. He growled against Eldon's jaw and every nerve in Eldon's body jumped to attention. "Because if you continue to kiss me like that, I will not want you to stop."

"Then I..." Eldon had to pause to regain hold on both oxygen and thought. "Then I shall try it once again."

The groan that Varick provided as Eldon slid forward, up, over, and straddled Varick's lap, was the sweetest sound that Eldon had ever heard. It took very little slide to coax Varick's body to hard. Coarse fingers traced the delicate rise of Eldon's long ear, stroking base to tip and down again. Sensation poured through Eldon's body, sweet tickling rivers that forced his eyelids to fall and a soft moan to tumble from his lips.

"Always wanted to feel those," Varick mumbled. "So soft."

Eldon liked his ears as well, though he didn't speak it to the man who watched them with half-lidded admiration. They were long, longer than the rest of his camp, and more sensitive than almost anything else on his body; as though some clever weave had manipulated both ear and cock to the same magnificent string of nerves. He rocked against Varick's hardness, leather to leggings, and savoured the flavour that was Varick's mouth.

"Stop..." Varick whispered, though his hands never ceased wandering: again to ears, hair, neck and shoulders, down back, over hips and ass. "Can't..." Kisses pressed, tongues slipped out to taste the other, "Don't want... to hurt you."

"Then don't," Eldon said, as if the answer was as simple as speaking it. He shifted his legs, folding them around Varick instead of over, and used thigh muscles to cinch them both close. With lithe fingers he reached for the fastenings of his own leather, releasing both sides and the strings that held that hammock underneath him. The shift fell loose and Eldon let it fall open on to Varick's lap.

"Gods," Varick whispered, reaching out slowly, as if he fought his own hand for control.

Eldon shook as he waited for the touch, leaning back, offering the space between them for free movement; and when flesh met flesh, when strength gripped the growing organ, Eldon put his head back and moaned to the sun. It was a short-lived lapse of senses. For as hungry as Eldon was to be touched, he was ravenous to see and feel the man behind the cloth. Fingers scrabbled for the heavy buckle that bound Varick's jacket.

"Wait, little one," Varick panted as his clothing was pressed aside and Eldon's hands continued their journey lower still. Eldon continued his pursuit, Varick's request unheeded, until Varick grabbed Eldon's wrists and stilled him. "Please, Eldon. No."

"Why?" Eldon asked, eyes wide, widening just a hair's breadth more when a thought crossed his mind. "Do you not like it? Is it because I am male as well?" There were, after all, several of his kind that chose not to imbibe in the pleasures of the same, choosing only the opposing sex to claim. It had never crossed his mind to assume that of Varick but… perhaps?

"No," Varick said emphatically. "I like it very much. I like you very much. Too much, in fact." Varick smoothed palms down Eldon's back, under Eldon's hair, and lit fires down his spine that made Eldon want to melt into the man. "Too much to hurt you. And I would. Here, now, like this. I am… well, let's just leave it at the fact that I am not an elf."

Eldon frowned, confused and more than a little frustrated. "Do not speak of me as a child," he growled. Eldon reached between them, fisting Varick's hardened body through cloth. "I have been with others and I know…" He stopped, looked up, "Oh…" The body that had grown below Varick's tights was easily twice, more perhaps, than anything Eldon had ever known. It made sense, Eldon thought, when he stopped to think about it. Varick stood at least two feet taller than he, wider in the shoulders to the point of doubling him, and Varick's strength and size held no similarity to the almost rib-exposing structure that Eldon had. Where Eldon was slim and small, Varick was tall and hard. Why Eldon hadn't stopped to take that into consideration for every part of the man, he could only logic as lack of reason from rerouted blood flow.

"Can I…" Speech was gone, kicked aside by desire. He tried again, swallowing the low hum that fell in place of word. He didn't mean to slide his hands over the thick flesh he'd been gripping, didn't mean to force the heavy groan from Varick's throat, "… see?" While Eldon's fingers trembled, they did not falter on the binds at the front of Varick's tights. "We can touch," Eldon explained when Varick's eyes flew to his own and a strong grip again found Eldon's forearms.

A lie – by all accounts. There was no way once Eldon pulled clothing off Varick's erection and studied it with awe, that he would be content to merely play. He'd never seen anything like it. And he wanted to feel it – as much as he could take of it, as much as Varick would give. Instead, using both hands in succession of one another, Eldon stroked Varick's cock. The almost-pained groan that Varick rewarded him with was musical. Eldon's grip moved like water over rock, smooth and tight and Varick only paused a moment before following Eldon's lead, taking Eldon in hand as well.

Sound faded away as Eldon's ears drooped in surrender to the sensations that rushed him. Varick's breath, hot and fast danced in Eldon's face. Every muscle was at attention, every nerve on alert. "Yes," Eldon whispered and the word was repeated against his own lips. Tension mounted, need increased, and no end was searched but that of release. Eldon gasped, Varick groaned, and seed spilled in waves of pleasure that made Eldon's thighs shake and Varick cry out to gods that Eldon couldn't name.

The sun smiled down on Eldon's heaving back and the birds began to sing praises in light, sweet notes that, had the circumstances been different, could have easily lulled Eldon into sleep. Instead Eldon shifted back, looked up into the face of the man who rested against stone, his own eyes closed, his own breath laboured. Eldon stretched up, kissed Varick's chin and delighted in the small smile that brightened Varick's face.

"Perhaps next time you'll bring the wine," Eldon grinned.

"Aye." Varick's eyes opened. "But there are no cubs."

"No," Eldon agreed. "There are no cubs."

"Yet you'd still meet with me?"

Eldon smiled and unfolded himself from Varick's lap. "I would. If you would be here."

"It's… dangerous," Varick advised. "If I were to be found…"

Eldon nodded. "For now." Using the berry-stained cloth Eldon swiped at his belly. He'd never seen so much seed from one being. Thicker, richer, he longed to taste it but squelched the urge and handed Varick the cloth for his own use. "But one day you will be king. And then you will make the decrees, yes?"

Varick looked up as though the thought had never crossed his mind. "Yes. Yes, I will."

"Who knows?" Eldon shrugged and began the process of reattaching his shift. "Maybe you can even make your people see we are not so different. That we are nothing to be feared."

Varick reached for Eldon's hand, pulling Eldon towards him when it was offered. "And you can pass the story that some of us are not so cruel."

"And one day," Eldon continued, "everything might be different."

Varick tucked away his sleeping member before directing Eldon alongside him. They stretched in the grass and watched winged forms circle above them. "You said you were nothing special, elf. Nothing great." Strong fingers secured and tilted Eldon's jaw. "And yet here you are, speaking the words of an ambassador."

Eldon smiled into Varick's eyes, waited for their lips to meet and breathed a happy sigh into their kiss. "I know not what that word means, prince." He reset his face in the hollow of Varick's shoulder and stroked Varick's chest. "But if it means that I can know you, and that we can know each other in the way we just did, then I will consider it a blessing."

The End

Copyright © 2012 AF Henley