"All right," said Io, trying not to look stiff as he arose from his throne. "I believe that's the end of today's session. Court is closed."

The petitioners who had not yet had the chance to air their grievances murmured their disappointment and filed out of the room, in some cases hustled along by the palace guards. Io himself slipped out the back way and began shuffling towards his rooms. He rubbed the back of his neck, grimacing. It was bad enough having to sit bolt upright and alert in that over-decorated chair for hours, but listening to a lot of people complaining about things that they could have sorted out themselves if they'd been more willing to compromise was torturous.

I can't imagine why anyone thinks they want to be a king, he mused. He paused to lean against a wall and rub at his tired eyes. The day was barely half over, and already he was exhausted.

"Are you feeling all right, your majesty?"

The voice was gentle, soothing, and closer than Io had expected. He jumped, realizing someone had crept up on him while he wasn't paying attention. Akoya gave him an apologetic smile.

"My apologies, sire," he said. "It seems I move very lightly."

"That's all right," said Io. "I was just resting my eyes, that's all."

"You were rubbing your neck," Akoya observed, stepping a little closer. He gave Io a swift appraising glance. "I'm guessing your shoulders are bothering you, too, and probably your back as well."

Io made a face. "Does it show that much?"

"Only to the trained eye," Akoya assured him. "And anyway, I watched you a while from the edge of the crowd, and I can guess what sitting in that awful chair must be doing to you."

"It's only a little stiffness," said Io. "It will pass."

Akoya flashed a winning smile. "I know something that would make you feel better."

Io's expression must have been truly eloquent, because Akoya laughed.

"No, I'm not making advances," said Akoya. "But I am trained in massage, as I believe my introductory letter stated. You aren't making the best use of me if you aren't taking advantage of all of my talents."

"I suppose that's a point," said Io.

"Go on, give it a try," Akoya encouraged. "It won't take long, and I promise you'll feel better when I'm done."

Io vacillated. On the one hand, he still wasn't quite sure what to make of Akoya. A small part of him was afraid that if he let himself get within touching distance, his self-control wouldn't hold out. On the other hand, he hated to pay for something he wasn't getting, and he imagined that Akoya was right - he would feel better if someone was there to rub the tension out of his aching muscles.

"If it won't take long," he said.

Akoya smiled. "Very good. Just let me go and get some things. Where would you prefer me to work? Your room, my room, somewhere else?"

That was another tricky question.

"My room," he decided. He had never allowed Akoya into his own private space before, but it still seemed somehow less like giving ground than it would be if he'd agreed to go into Akoya's room. At least his own room would feel like he was still in a position of authority. That was harder to pull off on someone else's turf.

"I'll meet you there, then," said Akoya.

He flitted off, long hair trailing behind him. Io watched him go, thinking that even when he wasn't dancing, he was still graceful.

What have I let myself in for? he wondered, and then shook his head. Why was he letting himself get so nervous? He was still the king, Akoya was still his servant, and if Io told him to stop, he had to stop.

And it isn't as if you haven't got permission to touch him, said a little voice in his head that he tried not to listen to.

Forcing his thoughts back to purely innocent lines, Io took himself to his room and settled in to wait.

Fortunately for his nerves, he didn't have to wait long. Within a few minutes, Akoya reappeared, carrying a tray with several folded cloths and a bottle of some unidentifiable liquid.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Akoya lightly. He set down his burden on a small end table and turned to shut the door firmly behind him. "I hope you're ready to begin?"

"I suppose so," said Io.

Akoya laughed. "You sound so dubious. I begin to think you distrust my motives. Well, allow me to dismay you further. I'm going to ask you to remove your shirt and lie face-down, please."

Io did find this slightly alarming, but the offhand tone helped. So did the knowledge that after all, Akoya had only asked him to take his shirt off. He removed the required clothing and lay bare-chested on his bed, grateful that the pillows hid his expression.

Akoya chuckled softly. "I'm trying to make you less tense. Try to work with me, won't you?"

"Sorry," said Io sheepishly.

"It's all right. Just relax," said Akoya. His voice was low and soothing, and Io relaxed a little in spite of himself.

There was a soft pop as Akoya uncorked his bottle, and then a soft rustling as he rubbed whatever was in it onto his hands. Then Io felt gentle fingers brushing the back of his neck. They were probing delicately, seeking out all the knots in his muscles there and working them loose. His hands were deft and confident against Io's skin, and the rubbing oil he was using left a warming sensation and a soothing scent in its wake. Io sighed, feeling some of the tension leaving him.

"That's right," said Akoya. "See, I don't bite. My hands aren't even cold."

"You're doing a very good job," Io assured him. "I should have known you would."

"You'll know better next time," said Akoya lightly. "Now, if I may ask, what is it that has you wound so tightly?"

Io considered his answer. It wasn't like him to go blabbing important kingdom business to just anyone. On the other hand, open court was just that: open. Akoya had admitted he'd already seen some of it. Surely there could be no harm in discussing the matter generally.

"I'm just so tired of people coming to me about things they could so easily solve themselves," he said. "They don't need me to unravel their problems - they just need to think a bit, and be willing to compromise."

"Ah, there you've put your finger on it," said Akoya wisely, as he progressed from Io's neck to his shoulders. "So few people are willing to give up even a little bit."

"That's so," said Io. He smiled a little. "You're not like that, though."

"Not like which?" Akoya asked. "The people who can't compromise, or the ones who can?"

"Either," said Io. "You strike me as the kind who doesn't need to compromise because he already knows exactly how far he can go. You'll be clever about getting as much as you can, but you aren't going to waste time trying to get something that's out of your reach."

"You are a very astute man, your majesty," said Akoya softly. "I begin to see why you were the one chosen to take the throne."

"I don't feel very kingly on a day like today," Io admitted. "I keep wondering if I'm making the right choices."

"I'm sure you did," said Akoya. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Somewhat to Io's surprise, he did want to talk about it. As Akoya worked his way steadily from Io's shoulders to his back, Io voiced his concerns about the decisions he had made, about the absurd things people had asked him for, about how he wasn't sure how to face endless days of doing this. Akoya listened, made sympathetic remarks, and occasionally offered shrewd observations and helpful suggestions. He might not have been particularly educated about politics or history, but he obviously had a keen mind and a gift for creative solutions. It did Io good just to vent his feelings and have someone listen to him. By the time Akoya was corking up his little bottle of oil, Io felt a lot better - warm inside and out, as devoid of tension as a piece of wet silk.

"There," said Akoya, as finished cleaning up. "How do you feel now?"

"Much better, thank you," Io answered.

Akoya beamed. "I knew you would. We can make this a regular thing, if you like. You can even invite your husband to join in. I can accommodate both of you easily enough."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," said Io. "All right. Directly after open court, then?"

"Certainly," Akoya agreed. "I'll have it all prepared for you the same time tomorrow."

Io smiled. "I appreciate your efficiency. And thank you. This is the best I've felt in days."

Akoya smiled back. "Then I'm glad I could find something to help you."

Io left his room with more spring in his step than he'd left, ready to take on whatever else this day had to throw at him. Akoya lingered in the hallway, watching him go. Then he turned and walked back to his room with a smile on his face.

When he was safely behind closed doors, Akoya opened up his jewelry box and removed the enchanted crystal.

"Kinshiro, are you there?" he asked. "I have news. I've finally gotten through to him."


Kinshiro closed off the connection with Akoya and settled back in his chair to ponder.

He seems to be doing all right, at least. Maybe I was worried over nothing.

Well, of course he'd been worried over nothing. Akoya was his friend, wasn't he? One of the only true friends he'd ever had, in fact. If he couldn't trust Akoya, he couldn't trust anybody.

But you can't, can you? the little voice in the back of his mind whispered.

After all, he'd already suffered enough betrayals in his life. Only one, really, but that had been more than enough.

It could have been worse, he told himself. I found out in time what was going to happen. If I had taken longer, I probably wouldn't be here to think about it.

A little voice inside him suggested that he might have enjoyed the deception more than the reality, but he shoved that thought aside. Yes, he had been happy when he had believed that Atsushi had loved him, but it had always been a lie, and he was better off hurt but alive than he would be happy and dead.

And I never had an inkling...

Which just went to show, he supposed, how ignorant he had been back then. He had been living in the Arborean court for nearly three months, blissfully unaware of what he had let himself in for. The only dark blot on his happiness had been the thought that soon he would be expected to return home soon, and would have to wait several weeks before Atsushi would come to join him for the wedding and they would never have to be apart again. He was looking forward to that part, but the long separation, not so much. With that in mind, he had been wandering around the castle looking for Atsushi, planning to discuss with him the possibility of Atsushi returning home with him when he left. After all, it wasn't as though anyone here needed Atsushi for anything. Even if it would take time to make all the negotiations a royal wedding required, at least they could still be together.

He heard Atsushi's voice up ahead and picked up his pace. The sound was coming from one of the better parlors, the one where the really important guests were taken. Not wanting to interrupt an important meeting, Kinshiro crept closer and peeked through the partially open door. Atsushi was there, all right, talking to a tall, blond, good-looking man.

"...should have warned me you were coming," Atsushi was saying.

"I figured it'd be okay," the stranger replied.

Atsushi laughed. "You never change. Well, I'm glad to see you anyway, En. I sure have missed you."

The two of them embraced. Kinshiro looked on, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. Who was this stranger who was so close to Atsushi, and why hadn't Kinshiro seen him here before?

"I missed you too," said the man called En. "I hate being apart. I wish I could just stay here with you. I don't know how much longer I can get by without you."

Atsushi smiled affectionately. "Aw, it'll be okay. We'll be together again soon, and you won't have to leave again."

"I know, but it's so long to wait," En wailed. "Why can't we just settle it all now?"

"You know why," Atsushi said, in a tone of gentle chastisement. "Just be patient. Pretty soon, I'll be married and settled in White Sands. I'll get things sorted with Kinshiro, and then pretty soon you'll be in his place and we won't have to worry anymore."

"I'll leave everything to you, then," said En, leaning his head on Atsushi's shoulder.

Atsushi laughed and playfully ruffled En's hair. "I know you will. You always do."

Kinshiro turned away, feeling sick. This had to be a nightmare, but he had heard it with his own ears, seen it with his own eyes. Atsushi, the man he had loved with all his heart and soul, was in a private room, laughing and cuddling with another man. They were conspiring to take Kinshiro's throne and put this other man in his place. There was only one way that could happen under the law of White Sands - if Kinshiro died and the person he'd been married to married someone else. They could only hold the position as consort, not king, but they could hold that position for as long as the surviving ruler lived. Since Atsushi was a healthy young man, that was likely to be a good long time - plenty of time to ensure a comfortable retirement. All it would take would be for Kinshiro to have a an unfortunate accident.

It was a simple plan, and likely to work - assuming they could find a gullible enough mark. If someone had told Kinshiro that it was something Atsushi was likely to try, he would have had them flung out in to the street for their insolence. But he couldn't doubt the evidence of his own ears. He had been played for a fool by a real champion of the game, and he'd never had an inkling.

I should have known all along it was too good to be true.

That had been his thought then, and it was his thought now. You couldn't trust anyone. The kindest face and sweetest smile could hide the hardest heart. That was one of the reasons why Kinshiro had always found Akoya such soothing company: Akoya knew perfectly well that he was a ruthless schemer behind his angelic facade, and was happy to own up to it when called on it.

He won't let me down, Kinshiro told himself. I won't let him. I can't stand to lose anyone else...