I'll post the next chaper if you guys like it. Remember, reviews! It's rated M for what I may add.

Chapter 1

Niall had been asleep in his chambers when he heard a light sound. The sound hadn't awakened him yet, it was simply a bare breeze. Suddenly he felt the sizzling euphoria of darkness surround him, hissing his name almost invitingly.

When he awoke, Irial was standing at the foot of his bed, quiet, dark eyes unspoken. Niall glanced once at the mortal by his side- a girl whose name he'd already forgotten- and then over to the Dark King. With as much grace he could muster sitting upright in a bed, he attempted a bow.

Irial almost smiled at that, but something about his dark eyes made Niall wonder of his intentions. Something was causing the shadows under them to seem more from deep thought than from worry.

When he spoke, his voice sounded contemplating, but firm- a sound that made Niall bristle. "Niall, I would like to speak to you."

Niall nodded once, solemnly, with understanding and watched Irial take his leave as silently as he arrived. There was something Niall trusted so very much about Irial. It had much to do with Irial's frankness as well as Niall's own flaws that perhaps made the Dark King so compelling. Without another word, Niall quietly got dressed, glancing back at the girl lying in his sheets. In that instant, he almost felt responsible, rude, and obnoxious for using mortals the way he and Irial often did.

The girl's face was young and fragile, like a dove's, reminding him of so many other mortal girls before her. Kellan, he remembered. Her name was Kellan. In the pit of his chest he once considered a heart, Niall felt guilt and a far greater emotion on the rise. Niall was concerned for her, concerned about where she would go to sleep at night, who would walk her home.

Niall abruptly turned away from the girl. He shouldn't care about mortals, yet he did. And it would kill him if he continued on that path. Pushing the greater latter of those thoughts in the back of his mind, Niall sought out Irial.

He wasn't even surprised to see Irial sitting in his usual position near the windowsill. The light was dim in Irial's bedroom, and the rain that touched the glass outside made the feeling even more dull. The only real color was the grey smoke that wafted from the cigarette in Irial's hand.

Niall shifted uneasily when he saw his king watching the window so intently. That look of worry was evident again- Niall just had no idea how to react to it. In all the time he'd known Irial- and he'd known Irial for a very long time- he'd never seen him look so thoughtful. Usually Irial was so carefree and willing to party at the drop of a hat, but now, there was something about him that- and the fact he'd waken Niall up three o' clock in the morning- made Niall wonder where that part of Irial he'd both feared and cherished had gone.

"Are you all right, my King?" Niall hesitantly approached the dark faery. When Irial did not respond, he took the large canopy bed beside him as a seat. The feel of the dark sheets comforted him.

Irial was holding onto the wooden part of the canopy as he stared out at the storm outside- the same storm that made decisive patterns in his abyss of his eyes.

"Irial?" Niall thought that Irial was going to ignore him if he chose to pry again, but Irial's response shocked him.

"Do you consider me a worthy friend, Gancanagh?"

Niall stared up at him, puzzled. "Of course. You've been nothing but kind to me." It was true. Irial had taken him away from the ingenuousness of the mortal world, had created their own world. One with pleasures and truth- A world unsweetened by lies and delusions- A world Niall would have never found if not for his help.

Irial turned to him and took another drag. "Yes. That may be true, and I praise myself for it. Though… I feel as though I've sheltered you from the truth of our court."

Sheltered? If Niall knew anything about himself, it was that he reveled in the impurity that was the Dark Court. There was no sheltering.

"What do you mean? I've been a part of this court for so long."

"I mean that you do not know everything there is for you to know." Irial shook his head. "This is my fault", he whispered. "But I don't want there to be lies between us, Niall."

It was one of those rare times when Irial addressed him by his first name, and every time he did, it held power.

Niall stood up then and touched Irial's shoulder. "If there is something you do not want me to know, Iri, I know that there is a reason behind it. I have faith in you."

Irial glanced at Niall's hand. The boy had so much undying hope in him that he did not deserve. He turned to face Niall fully, away from the window, and Niall let his hand drop to his side.

"You've never steered me wrong before, Irial, and for that, I have gratitude. This is all I could have ever asked for. You've given me life."

"A life that you enjoy?"

Niall paused. "It is a life I sometimes regret when I see the state of those around me. The shadows, the darkness- sometimes it affects me. Though when I am with you, I feel only the pleasurable aspects."

Irial turned his head away and took a drag off of his cigarette. "Which is what I was thinking exactly. You belong here, Niall. You and I both understand that. At first, I was hesitant as to how you would adjust. Now I can truly see how similar the two of us are."

Niall did not exactly like being compared to Irial, especially when there were so many undesirable aspects to him- even undesirable to Niall- but he thought better of speaking his thoughts aloud. Instead he said, "The transition was difficult a first, though I accepted it over time. With your help, of course."

Irial smiled wearily, his face falling. "Yes", he sighed. "You're right"

Niall did not find comfort in the way Irial held himself, so depressed, so lonely. Niall was there for him- couldn't he see that?

"Irial, I would do anything for you. You're my king, my friend. How could you feel this way? How could you doubt-"

Irial abruptly shushed him, though his tone grew gentler. "I know, Gancanagh. Your loyalty is what I cherish." Ever so lightly, he ran a finger along Niall's jaw line, and then over his eyelids.

Niall stood perfectly still, entranced by the simple affection of Irial's touch. Irial pulled back slowly, staring him in the eye. "Do you trust me enough to believe in me?"

"Yes."

"Even my faults."

"Yes." Niall was beginning to grow uneasy, unsure of what Irial was asking of him. But he loved his king, and that was all that mattered.

Irial moved back to his face, speaking against his lips. "Then I was a fool to have doubted you."

Niall did not complain when Irial's lips met his own in a light caress, nor did he wonder why his king was suddenly the most sentimental he'd ever been in all the time he'd known him. Like chicory and shadows, their mouths fused and Niall fought hard not to lose his sanity. And though the kiss was no longer than a few seconds, the sensations that fluttered Niall lasted much longer.

Irial ended the kiss, their foreheads nearly touching. "Go to sleep now, Gancanagh. I will call upon you again."

Niall was glowing, even after the strange encounter, finding it hard to break away from Irial's gaze. Finally, he made it towards the door and turned to leave. Irial's voice broke his concentration. "Niall."

Niall turned to face him. There was a dark, enigmatic edge to his friend's eyes- the part of his eyes he didn't enjoy seeing too often.

"I hope that you are as sincere as you claim to be."

With that, Niall left the room, shutting both of the double doors behind him.