The Peasant King
by: LunaticsWorkshop
Summary: A land with no King; a country of rich fools- a non-existant middle-class, of course all a poor peasant can do is steal his next meal. Upon escaping the clutches of a bread merchant, poor peasant boy Sora stumbles across something that changes his life forever.
Pairings: RikuSora
Warnings: Yaoi. o.o We warned you.
Notes: Roleplayed by Tihmm and Xeora. : D
Chapter 1
Bread, Cheese and Demons
"Come back here, BRAT!"
It was a call that sounded upon deaf ears as a young brunet made his way through the streets; narrowly missing several people as he zig-zagged his way through the crowded market place. Luckily, the entrance was nearby (the shops liked to try and sucker any new arrivals into buying useless items). The boy jumped through the last ring of people, darting his way straight out of town and toward the bordering forest. There was a hill in his way, one of those long ridges of land that causes the entire wood to be a level higher then the town, but it was nothing to the blue-eyed thief as he bounded right up it's side without any trouble.
The boy snickered as he heard another call of 'I said STOP!' from the merchant man, easily finding amusement in how this pudgy individual tried to pursue him further; laughing at the weariness in his screams. Of course, the man could never catch him, no one ever could. Sora, the aforementioned brat, was faster than horses and more wiley than your average fox. His lanky body and small structure helped in his movements. As always, he would steal away into the forest where no one could find him.
The fool… Just give up, puppet! Sora thought to the man, not looking back once. His ears were eyes, the heavy breathing and yells straining into coughs, and he could see clearly the man would be lost soon.
Sora ran into a clearing near what might have been the middle of the forest, barely noticing how far he had gone. The other man's footsteps mere whispers in the distance. Slow, unsteady… The merchant was tiring into exhaustion.
"Puppet..." Sora murmured as he began to slow down, the goods still secure in his arms. He walked towards a large, pale-white piece of flat-rock that stood in the center in lonesome.
Snickering to himself in an arrogant fashion, Sora could hear the man's loud curses beginning to grow ever more distant.
"I always win. Don't you little mockeries of men know that?" he said in his triumph of another successful raid. Sora breathed a sigh to himself as he pulled the bag of what was now 'his' out from underneath his ratty cloak, revealing some bread and cheese. It wasn't much, but he always appreciated what he got.
He leaned his back against the rock, fully prepared to relax and eat; when he noticed the back of his head...was strangely comfy. Sora moved away from his spot, a small curious scowl on his face--which was immediately replaced by a wide-eyed, open-mouthed gasp. He dropped his well-deserved meal to the undeserving ground, staring in surprise.
It was pale, that piece of soft flesh, which turned out to be a hand. A hand connected to a long, powerful arm and well built chest. Chest, which usually meant a body; a body that was in complete and glorious nude. Not to mention very much male. Silver hair grew in long, silky tresses over a handsome face, which was peaceful; appearing to be in a deep sleep.
At least, that's what one would think, if it weren't for the magnificent sword stabbed deep into his strong chest.
It's blade was thick, wrought in black iron. The handle was wrapped in gold Serpant scale and jewel. Incriptions were carved along the blade:
…"Only One Destined for Great Things Such as I Shall Free Me. In Return, By Knight's Honor Shall I Serve Ye, My New King"…
Sora blushed deeply, examining the other male. The heat was so strong on his cheeks, it felt as if his face might melt off. What was a nude, stabbed man doing here? He moved closer, examining the dead body. Or was it dead? He touched the hand his head had leaned into, immediately noting warmth.
Sora pulled his hand away in shock, looking into the face of this man. His eyes slowly scanned over the body, from his handsome face to his well formed proportions. Color rose in Sora's cheeks as a few... unusual thoughts assaulted his conscience.
Oh no! He mentally scolded himself, looking away from the body. How disgusting- it's a dead body. A very male dead body, for that matter.
Thoroughly convincing himself of such ugly thoughts, Sora instead turned his attention to the sword. He read over the description once and again, curious at to what it could possibly mean. King? He thought, raising a skeptical brow. There hasn't been a king for over a hundred years! Sora moved his hands into the jagged grooves of the rock, climbing up the rock to take a closer look at the strange blade, his bounty of food left forgotten.
"Hmmm...King, eh?" He almost snorted at the inanimate object, glaring at it's beauty. Like he could become some king by pulling a sword out...what nonsense! The mere thought made Sora laugh. However, if the man were still alive, despite the stab wound, it was only right he helped, right? Then he'd have someone in debt to have repay him as he see fit. Maybe he could get the man to use his good looks on some hapless woman in order to take her munny? It's not as if the Noble women needed any of it anyway.
Grinning at his decision, Sora grasped the cold handle between his two small, frail hands. Taking a firm grip as he stood above the man below him. Sora gave the young male another long glance, feeling his cheeks heat up again after their momentary calm, before yanking hard at the blade. He grimaced, pulling as hard as he could—forcing it upwards slowly. He could feel the blade moving towards him, silently wondering if it would catch a fair price in the market. Just as the thought entered and left his mind, the brunet fell onto his backside off the rock from the force of the pull; hearing the strange ripping noise as it left the hard matter and soft flesh. Sora lost his grip, the sword flinging a few feet away from them. He sat up, rubbing his sore spot through his ragged pants, muttering obscenities.
Sora scowled again, still rubbing his behind. He looked over at the sword, sticking his tongue out at it childishly. He turned away to look back at the man, blinking. No blood? How is that even possible...? The only thing there was the wound in the man's chest- empty but raw. The body hadn't even seemed to move an inch from it's original position. Was the man somehow melded together with that rock?
Sora climbed back up the rock and moved over to the body, forgetting the sword and the fact he had fallen into his now inedible cheese. He poked at the soft, muscular arm hesitantly; just a brush. He jerked back quickly, expecting hostility.
But nothing.
Sora moved in again, this time patting the man's shoulder, mumbling something along the lines of 'Wake up and please don't kill me'. He still acted skittish, just barely touching the man's shoulder.
Still nothing.
Maybe this man really is dead and it had simply been recent? Sora thought, giving another experimental poke. But then... why no blood? Is he some kind of vampire? Such things were silly thoughts indeed, a horrific lore his late mother used to tell him just to frighten him. She was always a bit of a sadist... then he remembered: no creature of the night could be within the day. A common fact for such a common story. Shaking his head, he placed his hand flat on the man's shoulder. Sora considered trying to shake him awake, but then another logical thought came to pass through his mind: what if the man were alive; an exiled man of sin and murder? A demonic creature sealed to a stone. That black-iron sword which Sora had ripped away had probably been the only thing keeping this monster there. He moved away again, jerking his hand back quickly as his blue eyes grew wide with sudden fear.
Nothing, that was his answer from the... breathing corpse? The 'dead man' was breathing now, as if he were just leisurely sleeping in a field.
"Hmm..." Sora hummed to himself, sitting on the back of his shins. He leaned over the man's face, taking in his charming good-looks a moment before poking his chest. Once. Twice. Three times. He was smiled slightly, almost in the spirit for chuckling as he poked the stranger, enjoying this small bout of childish fun. That is, until a strong hand gripped Sora's thin wrist.
Blue-green eyes flew open, rolling slowly to look at the boy.
Sora squeaked, immediately struggling. He fell right off the rock again, trying to jerk his wrist out of the man's hand. Oh lord help me, he thought frantically using his free hand to try and pry the silver-haired male's fingers off.
That wrist kept firm in the 'dead' man's hold, the naked figure slowly sat upright. "Be still." The man, vary much alive, commanded. His voice sounded a tinge weary.
"Please don't eat me! I taste like sour milk!" Sora reasoned unthinkingly, still flailing wildly. "My skin is worse than bark and my insides are nothing but dog's slime!"
"What is this foolishness you spout?" The man said in an aggravated tone, voice still raspy. He looked around for a moment, before looking at the panicked Sora. "Be still and tell me; where is the King?"
"The king?" Sora said, only stilling because of his confusion. "There's no one here but me! Why would there be a king?! There hasn't been a royal family in ages!" You try and help someone, I swear... Sora added as an afterthought, sighing in an annoyed fashion once he was able to calm himself down. He glared up defiantly at the once-corpse. "Let me go if you're not going to eat me!"
The man laughed, "No king? Impossible. Only a king could have awakened me. Now stop struggling, peasant and tell me where he is. I grow tired of your lies."
"I said I'm the only on here, you pig! Now for the final time, let me go!" Sora jerked once more, finally freeing himself, only to fall on his butt again as he did so.
"You?" the man paused. "Impossible.." He looked Sora over. "You... of royal blood?"
"... Royal blood?" Sora raised a brow, thinking this man mad. He stood from the ground for the upteenth time, angrily trying to stare the other down. "Whether I am or not, I just saved you. I'd appreciate it if you at least didn't look down on me as if I were some piece of dirt!"
The obviously older male glared. "Unbelievable... I'm in the debt of an... of an… urchin...!"
"Unbelievable... I just saved an... an… UNGREATFUL puppet nobleman." Sora glared right back, stepping backwards as he rubbed his sore wrist. "And at least I have clothes! Something you seem to lack, my naked sir!" The brunet scoffed, pointing down to the man's torso.
"I'd rather be naked than wear those rags," The man said in a tone soft but just as harsh back at Sora.
"I'd rather be in rags than show off...how cold it is!" Of course, the man before him was nothing at all the size he was indicating, but Sora had to defend himself somehow—as pathetically as he did so. He had heard the men in the baths speak of themselves to each other when leaving, back when he was a washer boy—which was how he knew of such an insult.
He almost shuddered at the memory...
"Such a vile observation," The well-endowed man responded, his near sneering turning into a smirk. "Is that a challenge?" He began smoothly, "Perhaps you'd like to show me 'how cold it is' for you?"
"I'd rather keep my 'rags' on, filth!" Sora hissed back heatedly, his cheeks coloring. He turned away from the man and began to gather up the sword, deciding that he could at least sell it and get some room and board for the night. His bread and cheese were ruined, their mushed remains reminding him of his hunger.
"Now just where do you think you're going with my weapon?" The naked noble came up from behind Sora suddenly, grasping the boy by his shoulders from behind- intense frowning returned.
Sora jerked, knocking the other in the stomach as best he could with his elbow--which actually wasn't much. Despite the attitude, Sora was only very fast, not very strong. "You owe me! I need to eat and get a place to sleep. This sword will make fine payment and I'll thank you to remove your nasty hands!"
"And selling that sword will do you no good," The man whispered dangerously in Sora's ear, his breath hot. "You are bound to it..."
Sora blushed further, feeling that intense heat in his face as the man's words settled on his lobe. "And how is that?! You just don't want me using it, do you? You could steal it back or something! Or buy it, if you're so damned noble!"
"Can't you read?" He laughed at that, his tone mocking and intensely snobbish. "Of course not... how silly of me to think a piece of trash like you could have any sort of education!"
"It said, and I repeat: ' Only One Destined for Great things Such as I Shall Free Me. In Return, By Knight's Honor Shall I Serve Ye, my New King'." Sora spoke smugly, elbowing the man again. "Eat my 'uneducated trash', you pig-nosed twit! And why must you continue to grab at me?! Let me go I said, and don't touch me again!"
"Forgive my impudence, my lord, it shan't happen again." He said automatically and backed off… Right after, he covered his mouth—looking horrified.
Sora blinked, wondering why it had been so easy.
He turned to glare up at Riku, wanting to snarl, but holding it back. "It's passed." He shoved the sword towards the man, mindful of the blade. "Just take your damned sword, get some clothes and go! If it means dealing with you, I'd rather sleep among the pines!"
"It is to my distaste that I can't leave your side," the man grumbled. "You... are bound to the sword..."
"I am as much bound to that sword as you are bound to me! I'm no king, be grateful and go!" Sora said as his stomach growled, wiping lightly at his backside with his hand as he moved away. He felt humiliated, as well as strangely…lost. And not just for words.
"I can't." He scowled, almost growling. "I have my obligations to fulfill. You are destined for great things... and I'm bound to your destiny. The moment you pulled out the sword, I became yours to command."
"Then I wish I never did!" Sora yelled before showing his back to the man and moving into a fast sprint. He headed in the opposite direction of the town, in a way he wasn't too sure of since he had never dared explore so far, but he didn't care.
Sora hated nobles... He hated them all, including undressed bastards. "How dare he..." He muttered on his way. "I'm better than him; than any of them!"
"Fool," the man murmured, still standing bare. He stood proud, his faithful sword at his side. "You can't run from destiny."
End Chapter 1
--
Xeora: ... YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME. O.o
Tihmm: ... Um, nope. Still got my diaper bag! (dances)
Xeora: NOT what I meant D: ... I... don't like it.
Tihmm: I TRIED! D:
Xeora: Nonononono... I meant my editing. The ending kills me too...
Tihmm: You hate everything. (puts pants on kitty head) WWWEEEE!
Xeora: ... (sighs) please review?
Tihmm: I LIKE KITTENS!
Xeora: ... yeah. XD; IT GETS SO TOTALLY BETTER THAN THIS! SO YOU BETTER REVIEW!!
LunaticsWorkshop