Disclaimer: Please see the first chapter.
A/N: And...another! Joy!
Summary: There is a place in the Eastern Empire where (almost) homophobic. So Emil runs away to Valdemar and opens a restaurant.
Originally, Emil was from the tiny province Esteria in the Eastern Empire. Not a lot was tolerated there. Rotten fruit, bright pink, beggar boys on the street, learning any language but Esterian, shay-a-chern children – they would not stand for any of this. Of course not.
But it didn't change. Maybe because it all subtly solved itself: beggar boys clothed themselves in bright pink and ate rotten fruit, nobody seemed to know that there was any language but Esterian, the shay-a-chern children either disguised themselves or ran away.
Emil was one who ran away. He was the son of a middle-class butcher couple and after a few nightmares where his Papa found out about his preferences and chased him with a cleaver, he packed up, stole a bit from the till, bought a Gate, and ran through into Valdemar.
It wasn't so great, at first, being a stranger who couldn't speak Valdemaran. But he found a sturdy little inn with some sturdy people who gave him room and board until their son Chan the second could teach him Valdemaran.
He fell in love with Chan's younger brother Ark and Ark fell in love right back. They moved to Haven and opened the first Esterian restaurant.
Because the food was very delicious and because it turned into a major shaych 'spot', it was very popular; so Emil and Ark had no lack of money and material goods. But their joys were not over beautiful new cushions that they could have stuffed with coin – no. Their best times were curled up together in their bed, slowly falling asleep and dreaming with each other.