I'm so sorry to everyone who tried to find this chapter but was unable to. Someone told me that Fanfiction has been eating chapters recently. Hopefully it'll work this time. I'm so very sorry.
AN: I need to stop taking so long on these chapters. I feel so guilty about it because I'm getting all these beautiful wonderful super fantastic reviews that make me feel like rainbows inside and I know I need to do better pay you back for them. So I'm going to try to get the next chapter out super quick!
Thanks to my wonderful betas!
The Wolf of Aldyr
~9~
The Empty Rooms
When Kurt woke the room was light and his hand closed around nothing. He was alone. Was it all a dream? Had he imagined Val coming to him in bed during the night?
Kurt sat up and looked around. He longed for some sign that it hadn't all been in his head. Then his eye caught something lying on top of the blankets. He crawled over and found silk trousers that hadn't been there the day before. But if Val really had been there last night then where was he now?
He got up and noticed a new door. When he went and cracked it open he found a new room. But there was no one waiting beyond it. Instead, in the center of the room, was a large round basin filled with warm water. Kurt's eyes widened at it. He had seen baths like this in Aldyrgard Castle but he'd never imagined taking a bath in one himself.
He decided not to worry about Val for now. Surely the wolf would turn up. And right now that bath was too enticing not to try. Kurt stripped and stepped into the water. It was so deliciously warm. Before he lowered himself in he reached around curiously and touched his back. He could feel where his wounds were healing up. They no longer hurt to touch, though, and Kurt was thankful for that.
Carefully, he sat down in the tub, letting the water come right up to his ears. It was amazing. He was so used to bathing in the ice cold water of his mountain pool. Even when he could heat up some water to wash with he could never have been able to make a whole tub full. It was so relaxing he felt he could fall right back to sleep.
By the tub were little bottles of oils and Kurt experimented with all of them, rubbing them on his skin and through his hair. Some of them made fluffy white bubbles in the water which Kurt proceeded to play with, blowing them into the air or popping them with his finger.
Washed and smelling like he'd just rolled around in a flower bed, Kurt dried himself off with a soft clean cloth he found and then returned to the bedroom.
Now that he wasn't so tired he could fully appreciate the wardrobe and multitude of beautiful clothes hanging inside. He wasn't even sure Blaine had ever worn clothes as nice as this. He took a long time selecting something to wear before finally settling on a scarlet tunic covered with bronze colored embroidery. He chose trousers, boots, and a belt to match then set out to find something to eat.
He found the hall from the day before, this time covered in all sorts of breakfast treats. Kurt nibbled a bit from several different platters. By the time he finished he was starting to worry about Val again. He couldn't tell the time again, but he was sure it must be very late in the morning.
He decided to find out for sure. He started to retrace his steps trying to find a way out of the palace. He found the front hall faster than he suspected to almost as if it was closer than it had been before.
When he got outside he found the sun high in the middle of the sky. He was also alone. Kurt looked out down the path and all around hoping for the now familiar flash of white fur. But there was nothing.
Kurt called out. He tried calling Val over and over. He shouted until he felt his voice grow hoarse. But there was no answer. He waited, but still he was alone.
Kurt turned back to the archway and saw that damn lynx staring at him again. He stooped and picked up a stone before hurling it at the stone animal, knocking one of its ears to the ground.
Hours later Kurt reluctantly went back inside into the front hall. He leaned against one of the pillars and slid down to the stone floor. He'd been so taken in by Val the night before. He'd believed the stranger really cared about him. Now he truly felt used. He could imagine what sort of life was awaiting him. Days of loneliness. And at night, would Val return and expect Kurt to be alright?
He almost didn't go to bed that night. He wanted to just lie there on the cold floor. If he never showed would Val feel the pain he'd felt? But eventually he forced himself up.
Kurt curled into a tight ball beneath the blankets and waited in the complete darkness until he felt the weight of the bed shift.
Someone, Val, touched his shoulder and Kurt jerked away.
"Kurt?"
Kurt was so angry he could barely speak.
"Kurt. Is something-?"
"You abandoned me."
"What? No, Kurt, I would never-" his hand brushed against Kurt's shoulder again.
"Don't touch me!"
Val's hand pulled away and the bed shook as he moved away. There was silence as Kurt tried to control his breathing.
"Kurt, I'm sorry."
Kurt sat up and spoke into the dark hating the fact that he couldn't see the person he was trying to stare daggers at. "Is this what you want me to do? Sit around in this place and wait for you?"
"I thought you'd like it here," said Val sheepishly.
"Alone?" Kurt snapped. There was silence again. Kurt sighed. "Where were you?"
Val spoke so softly Kurt couldn't make out what he said. "What?"
"T-to Aldyrgard. Wanted to make sure your family was alright."
Kurt's anger dissipated. "Are they?"
"Yes. But I should have told you. I'm sorry."
"No," said Kurt getting to his knees. "You should have brought me."
"It's dangerous."
"And I can handle it. If you're going to keep me here on my own, if you're going to treat me like a child, then I will walk away and never look back."
Silence fell yet again and Kurt was about to rant more, but then Val spoke.
"You're right... Kurt, you're right. I'm sorry. I should never have left you alone. I'm such an idiot... I thought this place would make you happy. I thought as long as you were safe everything would be alright. But, I didn't even realize how I was treating you," Val took a deep audible breath. "I'll wait for you. When you wake up I'll be right outside waiting. And if you want I'll take you away from here."
Kurt heard footsteps. Then a door closed and Val was gone.
Kurt woke once more when the room was light. He didn't bother with a bath or even with breakfast even though his stomach ached with hunger. He threw on his clothes and ran for the entrance.
When he emerged outside the wolf was waiting curled up just past the archway.
When he heard Kurt approach his ears flattened down and his tail curled down between his legs. Kurt hated how sad and guilty he looked. He hated it because any anger he had left from the night before vanished at the sight leaving him only with the desire to make everything alright again.
He knelt down in front of Val and stroked him gently. Val closed his eyes and his whole body relaxed as Kurt scratched him behind the ear.
"I'm sorry, Kurt."
"I know you are." Kurt cupped the wolf's jaw in his hands and tilted his muzzle up to look at him. "Which is why I don't want you to take me home. Just let me be with you, okay?"
Val surged upward in joy knocking Kurt backwards on his behind as Val nuzzled against his face and neck. Kurt laughed and only halfheartedly tried to push him away. "Okay, okay," he said, "stop please that tickles."
He finally pushed Val away enough so he could get up and climb up onto his back.
"What are you doing?" Val asked.
"Let's go have an adventure," said Kurt. "We can start with finding food. I'm starving."
They set out. Kurt still had to press himself down against Val as they went along the cliffside, but as soon as they were down in the woods Kurt was sitting up and looking around happily. The day was beautiful and he whistled at the birds as Val padded by.
At one point they emerged from the trees and came out onto a long grassy slope that overlooked the valley below and a long curved road. Kurt looked down at it and saw that it was dotted all over with orange.
"Cloudberries," said Kurt, jumping down from Val's back. He rushed over and plucked one of the fat orange berries off its stem before popping it into his mouth. It burst inside his mouth making him hum contentedly before reaching for another one.
"You look like you haven't eaten in days," said Val, his voice full of amusement as he walked around in front of Kurt.
"Just one day," said Kurt. "I don't eat well when I'm upset." Kurt saw guilt appear across Val's features and he hastened to make him forget about the whole thing. "Here," he held out a handful of berries he'd just picked.
Val sniffed them, then lapped them up with his tongue, chewing them awkwardly with teeth that were meant for other things.
"It's been so long since I had those," he said licking stray juice that had dribbled out on his snout. Kurt laughed and ate more himself enjoying the delicious tart flavor. He gorged himself on them until he could feel his taste buds get sore.
Then they lay together on the grass, and soaked in the summer sun. After a while Kurt scooted up to lay back against Val's side. His fur was so soft and warm, and there was something soothing about feeling the wolf's sides rise and fall beneath him. Kurt felt like he could drift right off into a nice nap.
But then Val's head snapped up, looking down into the valley. Kurt followed his gaze and stiffened when he saw what was coming around the bend.
One large carriage was being pulled along by horses. It had bars on its windows. All around it, ahead and behind, were half a dozen Jotunn.
They were taking away humans to use them as slaves. Kurt had seen this before many times. Several of his own neighbors had been taken from their homes and thrown in those monstrous carriages never to be heard from again. The sight made his insides boil.
Val stood and growled low and dangerous. Kurt turned to him.
"We have to do something," he said. "Val."
The wolf's eyes snapped to him and he seemed to be thinking. Kurt had a feeling he was weighing the danger. "I'll go. Stay here and-"
"No way," said Kurt. He looked down at the Jotunn. How he wished he had a bow on him. They were still far off but he thought he could still kill a couple of them from this distance if he just had a weapon. Even so, he could still be of use. "Just take care of the giants. I'll work on freeing them. You can't do that."
"Fine. Just please be careful."
Kurt turned back and smiled at Val. "I promise." He grabbed onto Val's fur and jumped up onto his back just before the wolf began sprinting down the slope to the road.
They were going so fast that the breeze whipped around them and Kurt's heart pounded with exhilaration. Val let out a long howl and Kurt was delighted to see the Jotunn looked up with startled expressions.
Before the giants could react Val was bearing down on the first of them. He threw his whole weight against him and pinned him to the ground before sinking his teeth into his neck.
Two more shouted and charged at Val and Kurt held on tight as Val snarled and raced around them until he could attack again. He caught the second Jotunn by the arm and hurled him down as he screamed in pain.
Meanwhile, Kurt leapt from the wolf's back and darted around towards the carriage. With the Jotunn preoccupied he was hoping to reach the door without any problems. But it seemed one of the giants had stayed behind to guard it. He held aloft a huge spiked mace before swinging it down at Kurt.
Kurt rolled out of the way again and again as the Jotunn bore down on him swinging the mace wildly. In desperation Kurt kicked out and tried to trip up the giant. It worked. Their legs tangled and the Jotunn pitched forward into the ground.
Kurt scrambled up and wrenched the mace from the giants hand. The Jotunn was getting up. Kurt had no time to think so with all the strength he had he brought the heavy mace down on the Jotunn's head.
The action was so satisfying. Finally, after all this time, Kurt was fighting back. He could take out all the anger, despair, and frustration he'd built up against these creatures. It felt so good he was disgusted with himself.
But he'd have to wait until later to sort out these feelings. Now he jumped over the prone body of the Jotunn he'd just brought down and ran for the door of the carriage. Many voices pleading to him from inside, begging to be freed. Any conflict he'd felt over smashing the Jotunn's skull in vanished at the sound of them.
To his relief it was not locked. Apparently the Jotunn had seen no need to do so. It took only a few seconds for Kurt to undo the latch. Before opening the door he looked back towards Val. Bodies were strewn on the road and the only two remaining slavers were running for the woods with the wolf hot on their trail.
So Kurt stepped aside and let the door open. Men, women, and a few children poured out. Some of them were crying in relief. Others began kicking the dead bodies of the Jotunn. All cheered and praised Kurt.
It took a long time for him to make himself heard over them.
"How far are you from home?" he asked.
Several voices answered him but there seemed to be an agreement that the captives' village was not too far away.
Val came back, blood all over his face. Everyone backed away nervously, but Kurt assured them that the wolf was harmless to them.
It took only a few hours to escort the group back home. When they were close Kurt had them stop.
"Wait here for now," he told them. "Don't enter the village until it's dark. Then sneak in in twos and threes. That's the best way you'll go unnoticed." Kurt was thankful that they seemed willing to take this advice. He wished them luck and then Kurt jumped back up on Val's back and they set off on their own.
"Thank you," said Kurt, once they were alone again.
"You must have been waiting to do that for years," said Val.
"It's scary. I've killed animals before. But I've never killed a person."
"He was a slave trader, Kurt. He would have killed you without sparing a thought."
"I know," said Kurt, "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't be bothered by it, right? I mean, that's what makes me different?"
Val stopped walking and turned his head to look at Kurt with one amber colored eye. "Yeah," he said. "You are right. Are you okay?"
"I will be," Kurt replied quietly, laying himself down against Val's neck. "Take me back now? To the palace? And don't leave me alone in the dark too long tonight?"
"Okay," he promised.
