CHAPTER THREE
Chief Manz had planned an official visit to the neighboring region of Renakan. Prince Hammand was expected to travel with his parents and sisters while his brothers were left to man the fort in their father's absence.
Asgar was more than happy to go along. He knew that the more places he traveled, the better his chances of discovering where he could be from. Any place was better than no place. And it gave him some peace knowing that he was searching, albeit not of his own choice.
The only snag was the extremely
uncomfortable
ride on the carriage. Despite being bigger and more spacious than the one that carried the rest of the servants and slaves, having to sit on a meager cushion (which Hammand had snuck underneath him when no one was looking) on the floor for the entire ten hour bumpy journey was not his idea of enjoyment. The horses that pulled the carriage were fast and he felt every stop and jerk they made.
At least this told him he was definitely not used to travelling this way. So his previous station couldn't be too low down the ladder... could he? It was not like his bones were breaking or anything; it was having to sit in one crouched position for so long with no room to stretch his long limbs. There were only two stops made the whole time, not nearly enough to relieve him. Maybe he wasn't as strong as he thought.
He couldn't look out of the window to see the various sights they passed but Hammand made sure to describe everything he saw of interest. Asgar knew that Hammand worried about his reaction for he had nervously explained how the trip might be uncomfortable for him on and on until Asgar had had to distract him.
Since they had climbed into the carriage Hammand had remained apprehensive and kept touching Asgar at his feet with as much subtlety as he could. It was only when the big man shifted backwards so that the prince's legs were against his back that Hammand relaxed a little.
Asgar noticed the princesses were watching them with interest now. A lot of interest. He knew that if they had not guessed there was something between them the night he met them, they probably would be getting there now. He wasn't sure this was a good thing.
* * * *
They arrived in the city of Renakan late at night and were heartily welcomed by the royal family. There was Chief Ker, his Queen Camarina and their array of four daughters, all good-looking but not overly beautiful.
Renakan was on the lower rung of power amongst the regions, so they had a big impression to make, for Renadi was the third richest in the whole land. The first was Renan, the mainland where the King lived, a most beautiful and wondrous place and the second was Renagoa.
The Renakans orchestrated an entourage of half-naked dancers and acrobats, all dressed in fantastic attires with elaborate decorations covering the carriages that bore them and exotic animals to escort them into the city from its gates. It was as if the entire people of the city were out in the square heralding their arrival.
That was when it irked Prince Hammand a bit;
what was all the fuss for
? He had visited other lower rung regions in the past and granted, there had always been pomp and pageantry but not like this. It was then that he began to wonder if there was something else going on.
When they were led into the palace, royals first, Asgar got a chance to stretch his long limbs and have a look around. Asgar could see that from the wealth displayed in the palace, that Renakan was a relatively rich place. But it was not nearly as grand or as large as Renadi, you could tell from the small city gate. He felt nothing familiar about the city; it was all strange to him, even the dialect the people spoke. His heart sank, just a little bit.
Soon it was obvious that Prince Hammand was the centre of attention, which was strange considering that he was not the heir to the Renadi throne. Asgar noticed that the red carpet was littered with flowers only when Prince Hammand walked past and he was put to the right of the Chief Ker.
Something was up, Asgar could tell.
Luckily, Prince Hammand was in no mood for entertainment and when they were all in the confines of the throne room, he immediately but politely asked to go to bed. His sisters joined in as well, yawning for good measure. Their hosts understood this and offered them a light supper to be eaten in their respective chambers before slumber.
The girls were shown their bedchamber first and Hammand saw them settled in before he headed for his.
Once they had eaten and were ready for bed, all the servants left. Prince Hammand turned to Asgar apologetically.
"I'm okay my prince..." Asgar said unnecessarily. But his voice was weary. The prince said nothing, just pushed Asgar onto the bed and pulled his slippers off. Maneuvering the huge man onto his belly he clambered onto Asgar's broad back.
He ignored the feeble protests that the tired man tried to make and began to massage his shoulders and lower back as best he could. He felt so guilty when he got to his buttocks, very sore indeed judging from the subtle catch in Asgar's breath as he began to knead into them; thinking he would need to ensure that he had his own carriage next time they went on a journey. No way he was putting Asgar through this again, he didn't care how strong Asgar was. It had been a long tiresome journey in an uncomfortable position. Besides, everyone needed taking care of by the one they...
he closed his eyes at this thought and took a deep breath
... loved.
By the time he had slowly worked his way down to Asgar's legs, the big man was fast asleep. Hammand smiled in delight, as he made sure he covered Asgar with the soothing ointment before tucking him in. He snuggled in tight beside him, yawning and falling asleep almost immediately.
* * * *
They were both so tired that they did not awaken at their normal early hour. It was nice that Hammand had no duties for a change and he wanted to make the most of it. He also wanted Asgar to rest a bit more.
His deep slumber confirmed how tired he was when the servant's tentative knocking did nothing to rouse him at all.
"We are here to ready you for the morning, our Prince." Thankfully they didn't dare come in.
The prince called out sternly that he was not to be bothered for the next three hours. Asgar just slept on through it. Hammand joined him soon enough, enjoying the sight of his slave's relaxed face for a while.
An hour later, his sisters burst in excitedly, eager to start their tour of the place and people.
They found their brother and his slave fast asleep in each other's arms, lost to the world. Arina and Kitina stared at each other and then at the bed again, both inwardly thankful that it had been them that had burst in and not their mother for they both looked so... intimate.
It was almost like Hammand was in a cocoon. He was curled completely into Asgar, who was tilted sideways yet holding Hammand tight against him. Asgar's huge frame was wrapped around the prince so you could hardly see him. Their legs were tangled, with Hammand's little leg thrown over the huge man's toned thigh.
Even as they awakened slowly, they remained in tune with each other, nuzzling into each other's faces, bodies stretching and tangling even more before snuggling back again as if to go back to sleep further.
That is until Asgar turned sleepily. And stiffened.
He said nothing, but his body language alerted a sleepy Hammand and he turned as well, eyes widening in shock as he scrambled to sit upright. He grew beet red in embarrassment as he tugged the covers over Asgar's half-naked body, thankful that he was fully dressed at least.
"Wh-what ar-e you girls doing here?" he managed, looking around helplessly.
"Waking you up Hammand?" Princess Arina said softly. There was confusion on her face.
"You didn't knock." He protested half-heartedly.
