Adolin had found a room. Since it had been nearly impossible to just wander off alone he'd taken Teft with him, telling him he wanted to explore more of the tower. He dropped a small gemstone on the floor in front of the room while Teft was focussed on inspecting an intersection. That way Kaladin would know where to find him. And he would have to ask Shallan to soulcast some furniture. He continued down the hallway and after another hour they had inspected ten more rooms. One of them had some sort of built-in mechanism. Adolin knew that Navani would love to examine the device but he wasn't going to tell her about it just yet. "I'll report our findings to the queen. Thank you for assisting me, Teft. You can leave. Rock will never forgive me if I make you late for dinner."

Teft smiled. He liked the Highprince. "Probably not, Brightlord." He gave a short nod and headed back to his quarters.

Adolin went to find Shallan to tell her about the room. She promised him she would disguise herself and go up to the room to soulcast the furniture. As she was sure that Kaladin's spren knew what was going on, she told Pattern to find Syl and give her a message for Kaladin.

…..

Teft sat down next to Drehy. "So when are you going to fill me in?"

Drehy tried to look innocent. "About what?"

"I'm not blind. Lopen may be an idiot but I'm starting to think he might be onto something. And I get the feeling that you and Rock think he isn't completely delusional either."

Drehy shifted in his seat and glanced at Rock who was handing out the stew. "You're talking about Lopen. The man is as good in making up stories as Rock is in making stew."

"Agreed. At first I thought he was insane for suggesting that Kaladin would be attracted to the Highprince. But I'm not so sure anymore."

"Why?" Drehy managed to catch Rock's attention and he gave him a short nod, indicating to the Horneater to join them.

"I don't know," Teft shrugged. "I've been thinking about that night when they met outside. And the more I do the more I'm convinced that maybe it wasn't just a hug for comfort. But then again….It is Lopen we're talking about."

Rock sat down across the table. "Why are you talking about Lopen?"

Drehy leaned over the table. He didn't want anyone else listening in. "Teft thinks that maybe Lopen isn't completely crazy for thinking that Kaladin likes the Highprince."

Rock let out a deep breath. He exchanged a look with Drehy and decided that Teft deserved to know the truth. "He's not crazy. At least not in this specific situation. All the other times? Definitely crazy."

Teft stared at him. "So it's true? How do you know?"

Rock told him about what had happened that morning.

"Storms," Teft said, a little baffled. "But they don't stand a chance, do they?"

Drehy shook his head. "Not as long as the Highprince is married. But what I don't understand is that I know Kal likes Radiant Shallan. And I'm sure he doesn't want to betray her."

Teft raised an eyebrow. "Assuming what you told me is true, that ship has definitely set sail this morning."

Rock nodded. "True. But Drehy is right. it doesn't make sense. Kal is an honorable man. So is the Highprince." It bothered Rock. He felt a deep affection for his captain but he found it hard to accept that the man would betray a fellow Radiant. "It is none of our business," he decided. And Lopen might mean well but he is only complicating things." He leaned back. "I think we should stay out of this."

Teft frowned. "I'd love to. Really. But do you honestly think we can?"

Drehy shrugged. "As long as we make sure Lopen doesn't pull another stunt like this then we might."

Teft sighed. "That's like asking the Everstorm to turn into a gentle breeze."

Rock groaned. "I know. But we have to try."

…

Syl passed on the message from Pattern, and Kaladin wasn't so sure that he liked the fact that even Shallan's spren seemed to know what was going on. But then again Syl knew practically everything that was going on with him so it was to be expected that Pattern was aware of everything that happened in Shallan's life. And knowing that he was going to spend the night with Adolin made him quickly forget about the spren. He felt both excited as well as anxious. It was like preparing for battle. Only this battle would involve a very different and much more enjoyable kind of close contact.

He managed to suppress his nerves until it was time for everybody to turn in. Kaladin got up. "I'm going to check on the guards outside. One of them is new and I want to be sure he knows what to do in case of an attack."

Teft glanced at Drehy who immediately turned to Lopen. But Lopen was caught up in a discussion with Rock and didn't even seem to notice that Kaladin was leaving.

Drehy shrugged as he looked at Teft. Maybe Kal really wanted to talk to the guard. It wasn't unlike him to make sure that everybody knew exactly what was expected of them.

Teft nodded. No need to get suspicious about every move their captain made.

…

Kaladin felt his heart pound in his chest as he made his way to the higher floor. It didn't take him long to find the tiny glowing gemstone. He took a deep breath before opening the door.

Adolin was already there, sitting on the edge of a very big and very comfortable bed. He looked up when Kaladin stepped in. It was clear he was nervous too. He gave Kaladin a hesitant smile as he got up. "Glad you could make it."

"So am I," Kaladin said before pulling Adolin in his arms and kissing him. "Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"Spend a night with you?" Adolin grinned. "Never been so sure of anything in my life."

"But…"

Adolin interrupted him by giving him another kiss. "We'll talk later. Now I just want to enjoy being alone with you."

Kaladin chuckled. "Can't argue with that." He stepped over to the bed and pulled Adolin with him. "I'm about to mess up your very fashionable outfit. Do I have your permission, Brightlord?"

Adolin nodded as his hands were already busy unlacing Kaladin's pants. "Permission granted."

A few minutes later their clothes were piled up on the floor and Kaladin gently pushed Adolin onto the mattress. "You're beautiful," he whispered and began to leave a trail of kisses on the man's chest. Adolin let out a soft moan as he buried his hands in Kaladin's hair. Having Kaladin's hands on him had been incredibly good but when he felt the man's mouth on him he let out a loud gasp of pleasure. It sent a shiver through every nerve in his system.

Kaladin had never imagined doing this to a man but now it felt so natural to him. He wanted Adolin to squirm in pleasure. Pleasing him seemed like the most important thing in the world right now. And it made his own body react as well.

When he finally pulled off, Adolin was panting in utter bliss and covered in a thin layer of sweat. Kaladin leaned in to kiss him. "Was that to your satisfaction?"

"Almighty, yes," Adolin grinned. He managed to heave himself upright. "Now please, let me return the favor."

Kaladin chuckled and fell back on the mattress. "Who am I to deny a request from the Highprince?"

Adolin kissed him passionately before making his way down. He loved the sounds coming from Kaladin as he satisfied the man. He had always been an attentive lover but it had never given him such an immense feeling of satisfaction to please his partner.

Kaladin cried out Adolin's name as he reached his climax and after taking a moment to recover he pulled Adolin in his arms. "I never knew it could feel this way," Kaladin whispered as he wrapped the man in his hold.

Adolin smiled lazily as he rested his head on Kaladin's chest. "Neither did I."

They laid in silence, coming down from their high and enjoying the feeling of being so close.

"You do realize that there is more that we can do, don't you?" Adolin asked after a while.

"I do," Kaldin smiled. "But maybe we should figure out the logistics of that first."

Adolin chuckled and lifted his head to look at Kaladin. "I outrank you."

Kaladin raised an eyebrow. "Nice try. But I'm a Radiant."

Adolin smiled and gave Kaladin a gentle kiss on his lips. "True. I guess I'm willing to accept that."

Kaladin caressed Adolin's face. "I know this can't last. And as much as I would love to do that with you I'm not sure we should."

"Why not?"

"Because," Kaladin hesitated. "Because I really like you. And doing that...it means a lot to me. And I'm not sure we're ready for it."

Adolin frowned and sat upright. "We're alone. No one will bother us. Why wouldn't we be ready?"

Kaldin smiled. "First of all, I need some time to recover." But then his look turned serious. "And because you're still married."

Adolin's frown deepened. "That didn't seem to bother you ten minutes ago."

"I know. It's just… It's different. It would feel like I would make you mine. And you're not."

Adolin was quiet for awhile. He let his fingers trail over Kaladin's chest. "My marriage isn't real. We both know that. Shallan knows that."

Kaldin took Adolin's hand and placed a gentle kiss on it. "But the rest of the world doesn't know. And I doubt your father will let you annul the marriage."

Adolin nodded sadly. "I've tried. He won't give in."

Kaldin let out a sigh. "And he's not going to change his mind."

"But that doesn't change the fact that I want to be with you."

"Maybe not. But how do you think it will make me feel to sleep with you and stand guard the next day when you and Shallan entertain guests, pretending to be a happily married couple?"

Adolin groaned in frustration and fell back on the mattress. "My father can't dictate how I feel."

"No, he can't," Kaladin said softly as he rolled to his side and pulled Adolin back in his arms. "But he can dictate who you spend your life with."

Adolin looked at Kaladin with determination in his eyes. "I'm not giving up on you. I'll accept that you're not ready for more yet. But only for now. I'm not willing to let you go."

Kaladin smiled and kissed him. "Then I won't give up either. But now I want to sleep with you in my arms."

Adolin let out a soft sigh. "We'll find a way," he promised before closing his eyes.

"I really hope so," Kaladin whispered.

Within minutes they drifted off into sleep. Shallan's drawing had come to life.