Chapter: Aught Else
Rating: K+ in this chapter for hints of romance.
Pairings: Very very mild Jon/Zahir.
Warnings: The lightest shading of slash.
Art thou aught else but place, degree and form,
Creating awe and fear in other men?
"Zahir, I have a question."
"Hm?"
"And I want an honest answer."
"Of course."
"Good. Well . . . if you took away all the trappings—crown, robes, throne, servants, jewels, everything—what would I be left with? What would I be?"
The Bazhir youth glanced up, startled. His ruler, usually so domineering, looked oddly small and lost, staring out the window into the middle distance. Zahir stood, made his way across the room, and wrapped his arms around his knight-master, resting his chin on the king's shoulder.
"You'd be Jon," he murmured. "And I, for one, would be perfectly fine with that."