On the sixth day of Christmas my True Love gave to me…
…Six geese a laying.
Rath found him in, of all places, on a farm in the goose shed.
Wil had been asked, as the best shot in leagues and one of the best archers in the country, to camp out and kill a fox that had been terrorizing a farm which had lost 2 of its 8 geese.
Of course, he immediately forgot about that when he saw Rath's horse sidle up to his own from the door to the shed.
"Rath? Rath! What are you doing here? I thought you were in Sacae."
"I was. I'm not."
Being silent was not Wil's thing but he knew there was more to be said on the part of his friend.
"I'm enlisting under Caelin." Wil's jaw dropped.
"Wha-but Rath, you love the plains. Did they kick you out?"
Rath quietly shook his head no.
"Then why? It's your home."
"No." Rath took a step forward.
"No?" Suddenly Rath was too close and Wil was now aware of the cold and the shed's doorway digging into his spine. Rath took another step closer and Wil felt Rath's warm breath on his face.
"My home," he said while lifting a finger and jabbing it lightly into Wil's chest, "Is here."
Wil flushed, staring down at the digit digging into his chest, and was at a loss for words. Unable to say anything he brought his gaze up and tried to ask with his eyes.
Rath smiled, an uncommon expression, but one that made his eyes softer. "My home is here." One finger turned into an entire hand, palm pressing lightly on his sternum and fingers splayed warmly. "Here with the only person to have ever made me laugh."
And then, with the tips of his ears red and with Rath's smile growing bigger, Rath leaned down and kissed him unabashedly in front of six geese.
And Wil kissed back the one person who would never get tired of him.