Isfet, stood at the door in a robe, undid the wooden lock latched over the door. He shut the door behind him leaving Ma'at still chained to the bed, the sheet he'd placed over him the only bit of cloth he had.

Seeing the Innkeeper he walked to the desk and asked, "Where can I wash garments at?"

"Why isn't your," they frowned, "Beta," grimaced, "asking this. That's Omega's work."

"Because I care about my," he searched for a word to call him. Just referring to him as Beta didn't sound right. Nor did he want to reveal Ma'at as a prince, "Partner. If one isn't willing to do their fair share of work, then they must not care for them as much as one thinks they do."

The Alpha Innkeeper's wife looked up, wide-eyed from her spot in a corner where she was sewing.

Hearing the growl from the Innkeeper he leaned in, growling louder.

The innkeeper's wife stood up and placed a hand on her husband's bicep. "My alpha, please don't fight with the customer."

Taking a deep breath the innkeeper nodded to his Omega. "If he wants to know where to wash garments, he can pay for the information."

Well, he should have known. There were even Alpha's like these ones, as there always had been, and doubtless always would be. But they were still an Alpha and as long as they weren't going to start shit he could calm down.

"Is that enough?" He took a couple of gold pieces from the pouch he had tied to his side.

When the Innkeeper still frowned he added a couple more.

"Just who are you?" The other Alpha took the pieces and placed them on his desk.

"That's for my partner to divulge. But first I need to wash up our garments before we continue on our way."

"The river is just behind the town, beside two trees."

"Thank you. That's all I needed to know." He turned back and headed for the room where he'd left Prince Ma'at.

With a smirk, he opened the door, grinned at the glare in those beautiful blue eyes. Like the center of the hottest flame flickering.

"What's wrong, Bat?" He couldn't have anyone listening in and hearing the prince's true name. Not in a place where there were only Alpha's and Omega's. Even if the village was beyond the borders of the kingdom, just.

"When are you going to unshackle me?"

"Forget who you're talking to?" He took a step toward the bed.

A patch of color rose to Ma'at's cheeks. "No, Master Joktar." Which each word he stepped closer and closer to the disheveled prince.

"Who is it that left their scent inside you?" He knelt over the prince and tossed aside the sheet to reveal his naked body beneath, legs still shackled apart, and cum dried to his thighs and the sheets that had oozed from his ass having filled him up so many times earlier until his knot had abated.

Their gazes locked.

"You did, Master." His lips and knees trembled as he spoke what he desired to hear.

"I'd fuck you right here, right now, again, if we had the time, my Bat," he lowered his head to brush a kiss across his slightly parted lips.

Ma'at shivered, eyes half-closed, "You're quite a tease, Master Joktar."

He smirked at him. Moved off the bed to grab the key that Ma'at wouldn't have been able to reach had he tried.

He frowned as he knelt on the end of the bed to undo one shackle at a time. Took each ankle in hand to lift to his lips and press a firm kiss to each of them one by one. "I don't trust the Innkeeper," he whispered to Ma'at, "otherwise I'd leave you shackled here until I returned from the river with our garments."

"Why would you leave me shackled, Master?"

"Having you helpless with my scent caught inside you, on you, makes me hard," he took one of Ma'at's hands and placed it against his crotch over the material of the robes he donned.

"Oh!" Color rushed to Ma'at's cheeks again.

"I can't risk knotting you again while we're here." He had to protect what was his, who was his – and being stuck together as they were earlier would only hinder them should the need to escape arise.

Lifting the prince into his arms he carried him to the water of their earlier soak. The water had cooled, but it wasn't freezing as he set Ma'at inside it.

"You didn't have to carry me."

"I'm just thinking of all the punishment I'll need to inflict on you for forgetting to call me as I told you."

"I'm not used to calling you Master, Master Joktar."

"I'll make sure you remember, again and again, ingrain it into the fabric of your very soul, my Bat." He picked up a cloth to help wash away the cum, and unfortunately his scent, from the prince.

"Will I, be ingrained into your soul too, Master?"

"You can try, my Bat, you can try."


Bruce didn't want to be stuck here again. Unable to say anything, or do anything, other than just watch and feel the stir of emotions emanating from the long-gone Prince Ma'at.

Couldn't bring himself to believe that this Isfet Khaba Joktar could be so gentle, not when they were The Joker.

Yet his heartfelt as if it were being squeezed and then released, an ache in the center of his chest.


The Joker frowned at the scene before him. He'd thought the memories had finished replaying. But they continued, as if a movie reel playing as they once had over and over again. It seemed he'd not been entirely able to drown out the sound of Ma'at's voice, to forget his existence. Because he wasn't at his side, he couldn't hold him close, could not even have a conversation with him.

He simultaneously wanted to electrocute his brain, which Arkham was good for, and stay trapped in the memories, because then at least he'd always see him.


Once Isfet had finished washing him up, he helped him to stand back up and step out of the water.

"Stay by my side, Bat."

"I will, Master." He could tell Isfet, enjoyed him referring to him by that title. Each time he said it, the man's pupils widened for a moment.

Perhaps, the way to his heart was to better understand him, as well as love him, and follow his lead in their new dynamic.

"Let's head for the river," he picked up their garments, "after you put on a robe. No one is allowed to see you naked."

He found a clean robe, reserved for guests of the inn, and followed him outside the room and then out of the inn itself.

There were those who stared at them, but he kept his gaze down, for he didn't wish to start anything with any of them. But he could feel their glares, disdain, even the heat of their hatred. Because they believed him to be a Beta.

Just what had Beta's done to them anyway, he pondered as he trailed just behind Isfet on their way to the river.

Someone stood in their path.

Isfet and he stopped and glanced down at the frowning Omega.

"Why are you with a Beta? There are Omega's here, you know?" In their hand, they held a rock.

Isfet growled, "You'd better not throw that. That's not proper behavior in an Omega, is it?"

They took a step back, their handshaking. "The Beta has put a spell on you." Their hand flung into the air, drew back, and swung forward, releasing the rock. It hurtled toward Ma'at's head.

Ma'at ducked and the rock hit the side of a building.

Isfet dropped their garments and grabbed hold of the Omega by their neck, lifting them almost off the ground with a growl. "Don't try that again, you mean spirited urchin."

The Omega held Isfet's arm and struggled to get free.

Ma'at stepped closer, placed an arm on Isfet's shoulder, "Master, please let them go."

Isfet let go, the Omega dropping to their knees and holding their neck with a cough.

"Be thankful my pet is merciful, or I may have crushed your throat in."

Ma'at picked up their garments and shook his head. "The river still, Master?"

"Of course, my Bat," he placed a hand on his back, only a few inches above his ass. They managed to get to the river without any more incident. Where they could wash away the grime of the past three days travel.

Kneeling at the bank of the running water, Ma'at glanced at Isfet, who he had come to realize within less than a day that he wanted him to call him Master, always. "Master..."

"Yes?" He too knelt on the bank, to wash their clothing. Two sets of hands were better than one when they were pressed for time.

"You don't think we should recruit them, do you Master, for the army?"

His brows furrowed, mouth pursued into a thin line. "No. I do not. Many of them are too hostile toward you. I cannot say I blame them, for what Beta's have done."

"All Beta's?"

He exhaled, "No. But enough of them that it's not something easy to get past."

"I think we should still try. Maybe they'd be less hostile if they knew that half the kingdom would be going to an Alpha." He wasn't sure how they'd feel about having an Omega as their one-true-king. Not that these were any of his kingdom's subjects. Unless they had been and simply left for the more dangerous uncharted territories that one typically avoided crossing.

"I should command you to not do so, as your Master, but because of who and what you are, I cannot do so. If you want to try your hand at recruiting them, so be it. But only after we've got everything ready to make a run for it. We can't stay long anyway. Remember?"

He nodded, "I do, Master." There were bound to be other assassins on their tails. If they stayed anywhere for too long it would give them too great an opportunity to catch up.

Each of them lifted their soaking garments, the dirt now washed away by the water and the beating of their hands.

"Once these are dry, we're dressed, and have our mounts ready, we'll be on our way, won't we, Master?"

"Yes, my Bat."

Together they stood up and returned to the inn. Both more alert than before due to the hostilities toward Ma'at.

Yet to reveal the truth of himself would reveal what he didn't want his Master to know. Not yet.