He had wanted distraction, but found none. Everything was quiet, which left Marth alone with his thoughts on the subject of war.



On reaching his rooms, Marth found a hot supper waiting for him. He sat down and began to eat slowly, still thinking. Like most everything else he did, he usually ate alone. Since the war, there had been no banquets, no parties, and no dancing. Marth's soul was too broken to dance anyway.



He felt something brush against his leg. Looking down at the source, Marth saw a large hound looking up at him expectantly and wagging its tail. "Hey, you've already had your supper. Let me eat mine," he mock-scolded the dog. The hound put on a 'pathetic puppy' face and continued to stare at Marth, tail thumping against the ground. "Oh all right," Marth told the dog. "Take this and stop acting neglected." He handed the dog a bit of bread crust, which it immediately devoured.



Marth's thoughts returned to war. Why did people forget to see their enemies as fellow human beings? Is that what made soldiers feel they had the right to murder innocent people? Battles were bad enough, but when civilians were being unmercifully massacred, that was too much. It was this hated mentality that had taken Nadia from him. Things like this made Marth wish to die, to be away from this corrupted world. If it weren't for his duties as a prince, he would likely have taken his own life long ago.



Once he'd finished eating, Marth felt the dog's head resting on his knee, which pulled him away from the dark depths of his mind. He absently patted the canine's head, then placed his empty plate on the floor. "Is that what you want?" he asked. As if in answer, the hound began licking the plate greedily. Greedily, Marth thought, the same way corrupt leaders try to conquer everything they can. Like hungry dogs, their armies devour everything in their path. For such rulers, there was no 'enough,' and certainly no 'too much'. They conquered until it killed them. Marth wondered if a dog could kill itself by eating.



Marth yawned. All this fretting made him sleepy. Yet knowing his usual sleeping troubles, he headed straight for the small table beside his bed and placed a key in the lock on its single drawer. Turning the key, he slid the drawer open and reached inside, pulling out a small vial. He then proceeded to pour a small amount of its contents in his cup, mixing it with the wine that still remained. Swallowing it, Marth grimaced at the bitter taste. He had began taking this sleeping drug shortly after Nadia's death not only as an insomnia remedy, but to provide an escape whenever his problems became too much. Nightmares were merely a risk he would have to take.



A few minutes passed. Marth felt his eyelids grow heavy as the effects of the sleeping drug sank in. Yawning and blinking, he pulled off his tunic and breeches, then crawled into bed. He fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

*****



Koryth sighed heavily as he pushed open the heavy door to the prince's chambers. He knew what was about to come over him, but not why. It hadn't always been like this. He'd been Marth's servant for nearly three years and never felt anything, so why now? He sighed again and entered.



He found, to his surprise, the young prince already in bed, a beam of moonlight shining through the window onto his sleeping form. For once, Koryth thought, he looked peaceful. Prince Marth's concealment of his feelings may have everyone else fooled, but he knew better.

It was obvious to Koryth how he suffered.



Perhaps it was his pity for the prince that brought about this new and somewhat disturbing change in himself. One day, he suddenly realized the urge to take Marth into his arms and comfort him, to tell him everything would be all right. Of course, he could hardly act upon this urge, and it had led to longing. Without warning, the longing to comfort became the longing to touch as well.



This longing came into play once again as Koryth stared at the sleeping prince. He seemed so beautiful bathed in the softly glowing moonlight. For a few moments, Koryth stood, watching Marth's quiet breathing. He couldn't stand it any longer. He had to be near Marth. Silently and cautiously, Koryth approached the prince's bedside.



"Are you awake?" he asked softly. There was no answer. Koryth knew of the sleeping potion Marth often used and figured he'd probably taken some that night. He also knew that it was a very strong drug, and Marth would be difficult to wake.



Koryth gazed longingly at Marth. He wore only a brief pair of undershorts, leaving most of his athletic form fully visible, as he'd not pulled the covers past his knees. How he yearned to touch Marth's soft-looking skin. Then, a realization struck him. Why couldn't he, just this once, give in to his yearning? No one would find out. Shaking, he placed a finger on Marth's cheek, gently stroking it. His skin was even softer than Koryth had imagined. He slowly let his finger trail from Marth's cheek to his neck, then placed his entire palm on the prince's chest. He left it there, feeling his heartbeat and breathing, which was somehow comforting.



He wanted to get even closer, to snuggle close to Marth and keep the lonely prince company. If he held him close and nuzzled his neck, would it soothe his pain, or would he be frightened? Perhaps that was too much, at least for now. Instead, he let his eyes focus on Marth's slightly parted lips. Should I, Koryth thought. Would it do any harm? Gathering his courage, he placed a tender kiss on the desired location. Marth didn't stir.



Koryth was a bit shocked at what he'd just done. He stood, motionless except for a few quick glances around the room, fearful he'd somehow be caught. Once he calmed down, he focused his attention back on the sleeping prince. He looked innocent, completely unaware of what had happened. Koryth sighed, knowing it would be best to leave now. Before exiting, he paused, whispering, "You're not as alone as you think. I don't know how or why, but I love you, Prince Marth." With that, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

*****

A few notes from the author: Koryth was the unnamed servant from the first chapter. Yes, it appears he's got a crush on Marth. Should I remove the second half of this chapter? Oh, and I promise the plot of this story will speed up shortly. I accredit the idea to put some mild shounen-ai in this partly to some of the other authors, namely xan-vallen.