Chapter One

Rebuilding The Broken Kingdom; Sacrificing Time

—

Iason caressed the mongrel's body, running his hands down the tanned skin that was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He planted a moist kiss upon the nape before him, relishing in the reaction of the younger male. "Good morning, wolf cub," he purred, tracing his tongue over the well defined chin. "It's time to wake up, my love. The military squad will be awaiting your orders for training as soon as the sun has risen."

"Mnnnn..." Riki mumbled, flopping over in attempt to evade the arousing attacks. He buried himself further beneath the brightly decorated, warm quilts to escape the reality that was beckoning him. "Can you make the sun rise later?"

Iason chuckled softly. "If only," he answered, pressing his body flush against Riki. He rubbed himself against the tanned skin, grinding his manhood in the center of the two fleshy globes. "Then I could have you for as long as I wanted. I'd thrust into you for hours, then hurry off to my daily routine meetings." He grinned as he felt Riki tense beneath him and push back against him. "But that is not the way the world works."

Riki slipped his hand back, guiding Iason to his hole and rubbing seductively against the impassioned tip that was lubing him with each prod. "Then the world should fuck off," he growled, before his body shuddered at Iason's entry and he cried out in pain as he was split into two again by the immense member. He took a moment, grateful that Iason paused to allow him a brief period to adjust and then recovered. "So you...hnnnm...can fuck me." He moaned as Iason rocked within him a few times gently, allowing him to still accommodate to Iason's massive size before he began to thrust. "M—mmnahh!"

"Ohh," Iason sounded brokenly, once again fascinated by the tightness that sucked him in and clamped down all around him. No matter how many times he took Riki, it was always as if he were a virgin again. He was unbreakable, no matter how rough or how deep he thrust inside, the next time would be just as good as the first. The tightness that surrounded his cock was paradisaical, pulsating rapidly while pulling him deeper with each thrust inside. Riki's cries were ambrosial to his brain, sending waves of pleasure through him while he moved his hips. He planted several kisses upon the back before him, nipping on Riki's shoulder's gently and then lovingly caressing them with his tongue.

Riki's body seemed to embrace everything they did together, no exceptions. He could be brutally rough after a hard day of work, causing the smaller male to bleed and within the hour it would heal and return to virgin tightness. There were so many things Iason was eager to try, now knowing that Riki's body would accept anything as stimulation.

"Uuahh! Ahh, oh God, Ia...Iason!" Riki moaned, his hips pressing hard against the pale pelvis. He smacked his ass flush to the base of his partner's cock, allowing him access as deep as possible. "M...more!"

Iason obliged, pounding in harder and further. He aimed for the pleasure spot deep within his love, focusing all of his efforts on hitting that place. "Riki," he grunted, feeling himself arrive closer to his peak. He playfully slapped an ass cheek, smiling at the shocked yelp, before grasping onto the tanned erection in the front and pumping it mercilessly.

"Oh, oh! St...can't...!" Riki panicked, his body spasming uncontrollably from the overwhelming stimuli. "Iason! Ahh, ple...oh God! Iason!"

"Cum, Riki," Iason commanded, grasping tightly onto the tanned hips with his free arm and began to piston his own hips. He bucked himself inside like mad, forging his way as deep as he was allowed to. He felt the unmistakable feeling of Riki shuddering and clenching internally, signalling his climax and buried himself deep inside. "Uhh..." he moaned, throwing his head back in ecstasy as Riki cried out in pleasure and fell down onto the bed save for where he was connected to Iason.

Iason pulled out, a string of cum dripping down from his cock to the twitching anus he was just inside. He playfully smacked the tanned ass again, before rubbing the hurt skin. "You'd better get going," he smirked. "Sunrise waits for no one."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Riki grumbled, wincing as he struggled to get up. "Fuck...my hips hurt." He flopped down onto the expensive silk sheets, mumbling curses under his breath.

"Feeling that are we?" Iason grinned, giving a caress to the tanned left hip before slipping off the bed and grasping onto the robe that the servant left on the chair beside his bed.

"Fuck..." Riki whined, flipping his head back to glare at Iason. "We are doing horseback target practice today! How am I supposed to ride a horse in this state?"

Iason tied the sash, grinning at the thought of his beloved riding his black stallion. As Captain of the military squad, he was the pinnacle of the group and highly respected. Iason could just see the rumor mill starting up if Riki was wincing in the saddle during training. Everyone knew that Riki was his lover, as he had declared it so. But there were a few men in the squad who might still attempt to steal a taste of the forbidden fruit, especially if they saw him with such an expression on his face. The smile on the King's face vanished immediately at that thought. "I'll have the servants prepare pain relief, but you should be fully healed by the time you get in the saddle."

Riki finally dragged himself to the bed edge and then maneuvered his sore body into a sitting position. "Just gimme something so I can get my poor ass off this bed," he growled. "I'll be fine once I can actually move."

"Cal!" Iason called, glancing over to the servant quarters and immediately the young sandy blonde servant appeared. "Fetch a pain remedy for Riki and then ready a bath."

"Yes, Master." The young boy disappeared to do the tasks assigned without another sound.

Iason turned, walking over to the bedside where Riki was sitting with his manhood covered by a sheet corner. He wrapped his arms around him, pulling his head into his stomach covered by the silken robe. "I'm going to be rather busy for the next few days," he revealed. "Princess Maia is coming within a few days and then King Girardus and his son Prince Symon are coming from Astren to discuss a possible alliance. When they are not present I will be branching Midas into smaller divisions as well as creating new routes for the villages far away under my power to use to be connected easier with the main vein towns."

"Astren?" Riki repeated, frowning. "You mean the country that's like...really far away? You have the King of Astren coming to your doorstep?"

"He wished to come in person," Iason answered, pushing back to stare into the shocked black eyes. "To pay his respects to me." He caressed the tanned face. "And you."

Riki leaned into the touch. "Still...does that man rule more than you? What if a war breaks out between you two?"

"He rules half of what I do," he explained. "This may seem hard to believe because it's been raining so much here, but the country of Astren has been suffering greatly due to drought." He paused. "I find it odd that they are asking to have an alliance with us. I think there is more to it."

"They're dragging us into war, Iason!" Riki protested. "Don't throw us into war because they can't solve their own damn issues!"

"Hush," Iason whispered, pressing his finger to the lips before him. "I will discuss with them when they arrive."

"Masters?" Cal timidly called, peeking his head out from behind the door he knocked on. "I have the remedy and the bath prepared."

"Very good," Iason praised, pulling the sheets up and over Riki in a swift motion before he scooped him up into his arms. "Let's both take a bath and then we will apply it."

Riki grumbled under his breath at being carried, but didn't struggle and protest loudly. He was still bitter about this King going to visit them. Everything was just beginning to fall into place and he sure as hell did not need another battle to handle. His military squad was growing and advancing nicely and he didn't need to lose the men he had just nurtured into perfection just yet. They required at least another hundred or so men, all trained, to go to war. Their numbers had not been completely replenished since the last battle and Riki wanted more men in the squad instead of the bare minimum as there had been before. That would take months to do. There would be no way to effectively fight in another war if that's what these people were going to ask of Iason. Riki only hoped he could help Iason see that before he went and signed off his men to go to war.

—

"Get ready!" Riki ordered, motioning with his arm towards the group in his right. "Releasing the target, now!" He opened the cage door, releasing the miniature dragon covered in the protective casing that would protect it from the arrows just in case it's skin didn't. "Move, move, move!"

The dragon flew through the air, swooping in between the high trees. It's piercing red eyes sat in his eyes, peering out of his slitted scaled eyelids surrounded by its rough scaled, stubby horned skull, giving it a menacing and intimidating appearance as it glided through the designated flight path. It shrieked loudly, it's many rows of stubby horns running down the sides of each of it's jaws lines along with it's razor sharp teeth flashing as it caught the light filtering in from the tree coverage. It's nostrils flared as it picked up speed and raced down the trail.

"Take the shot when you are able to!" Riki ordered, racing behind the squad and evaluating their progress.

One squad member aimed his arrow, shooting the dragon in the back of it's neck. The soft tip hit the protective layer, dyeing the spot of impact a bright green colour. The dragon screeched, swinging back and attempting to hit the rider with it's long, slim barbed tail.

"Hey, Slytha! Behave!" Riki growled, scolding the dragon back into racing forward. The creature slipped through an opening and glided forward, it's wings with almost angelic bone structures clearly visible through the encasing thin layer of skin. It scraped it's curved talons on the trees as it slipped through the opening in the tall vegetation. "You're losing him! Keep him in your sights!"

"Come on, men!" one of the members yelled, leading the fleet around the barricading trees and down the beaten path. "Woah!" he cried out, striding straight into a muddy bog that had formed with the frequent rainfall. "Dammit!"

From a resting spot in a tree overlooking the mess Slytha snorted with glee, earning scowls from the men as they aimed and rode through the murky waters that were almost up to the horse's bellies and attempted to take down the small moving target.

Riki raced forward and halted at the edge, shaking his head and hung back a bit to give the squad some room to chase. He clicked his tongue, urging his horse onto the higher ground ledge of the forest path around the boggy area. He raced on the smoother path, catching up to the squad at the end of the training area. Slytha was hissing wildly, thrashing it's wings around from it's perch as the men kept shooting arrows at it. "Hey, enough! The perch is the safe spot!"

"C'mon Capt'n," one complained. "He hardly got any spots!"

"No," Riki firmly denied, trotting over on his black horse. "The perch is the safe spot; the end of training. Slytha has a routine and by shooting at him in the safe spot, you are breaking that routine." He approached closer. "He's still young and can easily turn on you as well. And boy does he have a nasty chomp, I'll tell you that." He looked to the beast. "Come here."

Slytha shrieked and flew over, landing on Riki's arm with the protective padding and cowered slightly.

"It's OK, Slyth," he assured, producing a small meaty reward from his saddle bag. "Good job." He examined the spots on the protective layer, counting up the hits and who sent them. "We'll do part two now. Ensure your protective gear is on properly and then fan out. This is not a game, this is serious training on how to avoid arrows and shoot the enemy while riding. You each have roughly thirty arrows in your holsters, use them effectively and wisely. Do not shoot for anyone's head, aim only for the back and sides. The arrows are soft tips, but it is still a threat. Anyone who hits someone beyond the boundaries is going to do basic target practice for two weeks, twice a day. Understand me?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Fan out and pretend you're hiding from the enemy so you can ambush them," Riki ordered loudly. "You may leave your horse and go on foot, but you must retrieve it after. Even if you get hit you keep going, when you run out of arrows return to the old birch! We don't stop until everyone's out of arrows! Move out!"

Riki watched his men move out and then decided where he would observe them. Finding his spot, he hid his horse in a desolate patch of bush coverage and then slipped silently up to the highest branch of the tree, perching himself on the sturdy support and waiting. He pulled back his bow string as one of his men entered the scene and then sent an arrow straight into his back and then hid himself behind the foliage.

"Ah! W-what the fuck?" the squad member protested, glancing helplessly around in search of his attacker to no avail. The black dye dripped down, indicating just who hit him, but he'd never know because he couldn't see it on his back.

Riki bit his lip to keep from laughing and peeked out. It would be a long time before they finished training today. He planned to hit every single one of his men and test their abilities to find him or sense his presence.

—

"Uuuuugh," Riki moaned, plopping himself down in a mahogany wood chair with padded arms and a plush seat. He slowly began ripping off his tunic, breeches and other attire until he was nude. He tossed them all onto the floor and then wobbled over to the bed and crawled into it, creating a cocoon around him with the soft blankets. "Hmmmm..." He snuggled into the warmth, sighing in relief. So nice to be resting after the training, which had went on for hours as while the men were practicing enemy hunting he released two more dragons which kept them on their toes.

Riki inhaled the scent on the fabric, a small smile spreading on his lips as he was hit with the scent of his lover. Iason always smelled wonderful, an earthy yet fresh scent with a dash of some high quality cologne. It was such a calming and seductive smell that Riki could never get enough of. He breathed in deeply, relishing the moment and relaxed his tired body which gave into exhaustion soon.

Iason entered the room silently, having received word that Riki had returned and that dinner would be ready within the hour. He paused as he saw his beloved covered in the blankets and heard the distinct sound of his unconscious mumbling and smiled. His wolf cub was working hard everyday; earning his keep was what he called it. He got paid for his position, diligently doing his job and grooming the army for battle. Not an easy task with the rowdy newcomers, but he seemed to be handling it well.

Iason slipped over to the bedside which Riki was facing, peering over the edge. He reached out his hand, brushing the dark locks coated with dried sweat with a feather light caress. "You are working so hard, my love," he whispered. "We hardly see each other..."

That was true. They had barely seen each other as of lately due to Riki being gone training and Iason being confined to paperwork and planning restructuring everything after the mess that had occurred. There was always more to do. And he could not even begin to guess what news Aunt Maia would be bringing, he'd prayed it was not a warning of war in the country closest to her residence.

War was not something they could handle at the moment. They were severely undermanned in the military region after the devastating trauma of the war.

A new shipment of horses was on the way and he'd hoped that with it would arrive fresh troops from the farther regions who would have gotten notice of the hiring opportunity. Now that the middle class was back to it's thriving state there would be more young men eager to serve the new King and prove their loyalty.

And they had redone the barracks and practicing grounds around the entirety of the castle grounds, along with adding new living quarters for the men. That meant they could now capable of housing and training the new men for their military when the new shipment arrived. That also meant that the men could practice among themselves some days, which meant Riki would be his during those times. But right now Riki needed to teach them the basics before they could continue, as many of the old fleet had perished. Queen Jupiter never seemed to feel the need to have a monstrous army, but Iason was going to put an end to that. The lands were prosperous and there was ample grain and resources stored, therefore they could let their military count rise.

Iason sighed softly, resting his face on the bed and moving his platinum blonde locks closer to Riki's hand that was free from the blanket nest. He brushed it along the tanned fingertips, enjoying the twitch of the strong digits before they gently clasped onto the hair tips. "Have I been neglecting you?" he whispered. "Are we not spending enough time together?"

Riki murmured something, shifting in his blanket cocoon and peeked open his eyes to see the beautiful man before him. "Hey..."

"Hey," Iason softly returned and straightened up. "Did I wake you?"

"Mnmm," Riki denied, rubbing the blonde locks between his fingertips while gazing into the azure eyes. "How's work?"

"Busy, how was training the men?"

"Busy," Riki sighed, freeing himself from the cocoon but keeping himself covered with a light silk sheet. "I'm sore and tired."

Iason pondered for a moment. "Lie on your stomach," he instructed, giving the tanned shoulder a pat.

Riki obeyed, releasing himself from the blankets and laying on top of them, not embarrassed by his nudity. He raised an eyebrow as Iason climbed over him and straddled his back, but then felt the large hands begin to knead his aching muscles. "Oohhh..." he purred brokenly, relishing in the feeling of the knots skillfully being worked out. "So good..."

Iason grimaced at the bruises on the tanned skin, why wasn't Riki healing as fast? Iason didn't wish to hurt Riki, but the needed to be firm enough to get the knots out. "When is your day off?"

"Two days from now," Riki moaned, wincing at the rough spot the blonde was working on. "Tomorrow is obstacle course day. The whole Southern Forest near the Fort was rigged up. We'll be out there all bloody day in the rain."

"Maybe you should take your day off tomorrow?" Iason suggested, gently running his hands along the lean back.

"No," Riki sighed. "Katze predicted an even worse storm on the following day. That's why we are taking that day off. Tomorrow is just off and on rain, but it won't be heavy."

"I see," Iason acknowledged, finishing up his work. "Well then maybe we can have a nice day inside together on your day off."

Riki shrugged. "Up to you," he answered, trying to hide his yearning to just be with his lover—alone again. "If you're free."

"I'll make sure I am," Iason agreed, planting a kiss on the neck before him. "Now. You need to take a warm bath, so your muscles can relax further and then change for dinner."

"OK," Riki exhaled, rolling off the bed and into a standing position. "Hope the tough times are not upon us. I'm famished!"

—

Raoul glanced at the door of his improved potion room and smiled as he saw the familiar redhead enter. "Did you find it?" he inquired, pleased as he saw the herbs he had requested being held up. "Well done, set them over here."

"Are you going to tell me what you're brewing up?" Katze again asked.

"No, it's a surprise," Raoul denied, continuing to grind the leaves into a paste. He was making a new line of aphrodisiac that would react specifically to Katze's blood. Earlier that week he had done a bit of poking around and a few tests and concluded that what he had before him would make the redhead beg for sex for hours on end. Now Raoul just needed the opportune moment to try it once it was complete. He had been so busy as of lately, he was neglecting to fulfill his partner's needs and his own. They needed a nice long evening of relief, not just the short sessions in the evenings.

Katze slumped into a chair, watching the hardworking man before him. He remembered how he used to hate Raoul, despising him for what he had done and the Royal family for killing off all of the magic.

He had wanted to return to being Iason's information seeker and assistant, but when Raoul stole him, he couldn't deny the fact the magic in his blood stirred. It had been ages since he had seen another person with magic abilities and Raoul hid it very well. So when he was approached that fateful day, he was utterly shocked. Katze had hidden himself fairly well and had requested to work among the Royal family to prevent himself from being slaughtered outside by the hunters. He had been the wolf disguised in sheepskin, and it turned out there was another.

After finding out Raoul's secret, Katze found it hard to want to go back to denying his true self. And now he was the Secondary King's lover and was protected.

"Finished," Raoul huffed, placing the dirty mixing devices into the cleaning bucket. He held up the bowl and poured the goopy contents into a sealing crystal container.

"I believe dinner is soon upon us," Katze remembered. "I saw Riki come back and I think King Iason is finished with his paperwork for the day."

"Aye, I helped him with a great heap of it and the organizing of Midas into smaller districts all afternoon," Raoul grimaced. "It should have been done a long time ago, Midas is too large and needs to have more roads and smaller districts. It's no wonder it was such a mess of overcrowding, people were building homes left and right and disregarding the roads."

"Yeah, I've heard some stories from Midas," Katze agreed. "Heard there are a lot of whore houses going up."

Raoul shrugged. "Midas is the town for that. That's not our concern." He grasped onto the container. "Our concern was that Midas also houses many businesses that others may be interested, including the brothels. Once we properly organize the routes, the city will be much more accessible for others and prosperous. And in the end, during tax season, we benefit and can improve the Kingdom," Raoul concluded, stopping before Katze. "Now then. How about a bath before dinner?"

"Could do," Katze answered, rising up from his chair. "I smell like a herb garden."

Raoul grinned, knowing full well he would administer the aphrodisiac during the bath. "It's a fine smell, but I think a bath on this cold day would do good to warm us both up."

—

"Try this," Raoul instructed, covering Katze's eyes with a small warm, wet cloth. He brought the wooden spoon up to the redhead's lips, his arms wrapped around him from behind as their bodies were pressed together. "It's a very calming herb remedy, to aid in a restful sleep."

Katze accepted the spoonful, tasting the concoction. "It tastes sweet," he commented.

"It'll help you relax more," Raoul assured, knowing that the slow acting aphrodisiac would have Katze out of his mind with lust sometime after dinner.

"Thanks," he breathed, leaning back into Raoul's hold more. He had come to enjoy bathing with the larger man, relishing in the warmth that it brought.

No matter what, Raoul was going to do as he pleased. And there was no way to stop him from doing that, so Katze had to learn how to accept the fact and negotiate with the blonde. But a warm bath was something he could readily accept any day in the colder seasons.

—

Riki sighed, sinking deeper into the bathtub. He lazily looked up as Iason strolled in after adding a log to the fireplace in their bedroom, and pulled up a chair to sit in the room with him. "Can't leave me for one minute, huh?"

"We barely see each other aside from the evenings," Iason reminded.

"Yeah..." Riki trailed, knowing that their schedules hadn't coordinated in the least since Iason has become King. Riki was busy with military and Iason was busy with his King duties. They really did only see each other before dinner time and then would just go to sleep shortly after with just a round of sex.

It sucked. Iason was now on top, but there was so much bullshit that needed to be figured out; so much training and planning, building and tearing down. It never ended.

"Will things ever calm down?" he asked softly.

"I'm hoping once Midas is dealt with, the new military shipment arrives and is dealt with and Aunt Maia comes, there will be more time for us," Iason hopefully assured. "We just need to tie up the loose ends, love. Then it should be smooth sailing."

"Sailing," Riki murmured, wondering what that was like. He had seen many ships entering at the harbors, but had never actually been in one. "Can we go sailing someday?"

"Perhaps," Iason smiled. "Maybe we'll stop by an island that the Royal family owns one day." He could see the look of yearning in his lover's dark eyes and hoped it was for more than just sailing. "We shall see... but before that you must finish your soaking and then we'll go to dinner."

Riki snorted. "No, I just thought you'd pull the damn ship into the castle grounds and we'd sail through the fields."

"I do not think the fields would appreciate that nor offer us the ability to do so."

"Gods you have no sense of humor," Riki grumbled, slinking down further into the water.

Iason paused for a moment, then rose up from his chair and left briefly. Riki frowned, but refused to leave the warmth of the water just yet. Iason returned, an object in his hand which he set down in the water. "This will have to keep you content until we are able to go sailing," he grinned, turning and leaving Riki. "You have until that candle has melted halfway to bathe, then get out and come get dressed."

Riki stared at the miniature replica of what he guessed was Iason's ship floating in the water. It was large, carved with sturdy, thick wood and had bright white sails to catch the wind. "Smart ass," Riki grumbled, but enjoyed watching the ship float in the water and imagining traveling with Iason to some place where they could spend time together.

But he had a nagging feeling that it wouldn't be happening any time soon.

—

To Be Continued