Anger had consumed Dynast from the moment he entered his game room to discover that his beloved possession was being a brat again. This kind of childish behavior was not what Dynast expected from Xelloss. He had told the boy exactly what was at stake for him. Dynast had let him know very clearly what his position was supposed to be in this game. As he threw the table to the floor, Dynast sent the chess pieces flying. Xelloss toppled over in his chair with the same sweep of the Supreme King's hand.
The punishment was sweet in its satisfaction, but bitter in its reality. Xelloss wasn't learning. He was supposed to be a good boy for Dynast. That's what he was, after all, Dynast's obedient and humble servant. The King wiped a drop of blood away from his knuckles and drew a small knife from the pocket of his smoky blue duster. Xelloss just needed a little reminding, that was all.
Surely the boy would eventually realize that deep down he wanted this all along. It was just taking so much time. Why couldn't everyone see reason like Dynast did?
This was so difficult. Xelloss was so stubborn that Dynast couldn't just let him off easy. He had to be especially brutal just to get any reaction from Xelloss at all. So what if he was being cruel? It was better that Xelloss scream from his ministrations than stay silent and inattentive. Dynast wanted some attention. Even a blow made in anger was precious. It had been so long...ages and ages before he could touch Xelloss, even like this. The mazoku had always stayed just out of his reach, barely dodging Dynast's secret advances in movements that were seemingly accidental. This chess game had stretched on for thousands of years. So many days Dynast invited the boy over just to see him, just for that all-too-rare chance to win him. But Xelloss always evaded, making his annoying gambits, dragging the game into some sort of farce. He played as if he really thought Dynast had called him over simply to experience the joy of chess. He never acknowledged the King's hints, even when Dynast moved far beyond the bounds of subtlety. He just played his stupid game while Dynast looked on with tortured desire.
Dynast shrugged his pinstriped shoulder cloak off to avoid the risk of marring it with copper streaks. Xelloss had to have known. How could the boy not know what Dynast wanted? If he was such a brilliant servant, then why did he have to be so utterly dull around the Supreme King? He must have known. He must have known!
...But Dynast didn't want that. He didn't want to believe that Xelloss had strung him along for thousands of years without even being kind enough to return his advances. If Xelloss knew that Dynast wanted him, then his ignorance was really all just cruel taunting. He couldn't have been knowlingly torturing Dynast all that time. Xelloss wouldn't be that mean to him. No, Xelloss was just sadly oblivious of Dynast's true feelings, just as the priest was ignorant of his own feelings for the Supreme King. That was the only possible explanation for his actions.
But after last night, the priest should have understood his place in Dynast's court. There was no excuse for him now. He was just being rebellious for no good reason. Such behavior had to be corrected harshly.
"You're such a bad boy," Dynast stroked Xelloss' cheek, pausing as his fingertips felt damp skin. Were these tears?
"I'm sorry," Xelloss whispered, his voice cracking with what seemed like genuine regret. As he opened his mouth to speak again, Xelloss shivered under Dynast's hand, his words freezing in his throat.
Dynast stared at Xelloss' face as if he had just now laid eyes upon it. His hand rested against the boy's cheek for a long time before he slid to the floor and gently turned Xelloss' body to the side. He felt his servant's shivers halt as the weight was taken off of the knife in his back.
In stunned silence, Dynast numbly braced himself against the fallen table and stood up. He righted the table, dragging the chairs into place as his thoughts sank into a tangle of confusion. Was Xelloss...did he just hear...the priest cried for him? He leaned on the table, steadying his mind. As Dynast tried to find reason in what he'd just witnessed, something brushed his thigh. He turned in surprise.
Xelloss had dragged himself towards his King and was carefully placing the board on the table. As Dynast watched in stunned amazement, the boy picked up the scattered chess pieces and meticulously arranged them in their proper positions on the scarred mahogany. After he nudged the last pawn onto its square, Xelloss pulled himself before Dynast's feet. His legs twisted behind him, the muscles in them frozen and numb. "I am sorry, my King," Xelloss lowered his head in shame, "I cannot kneel."
Dynast pushed away the increasing urge to rejoice. After all, this was no real indication of Xelloss' true intentions. How could the priest be so agreeable all of a sudden? He was a clever trickster, after all. Maybe he had finally gotten so desparate that he was willing to take traumatic blows to his own ego. Yes, perhaps this was just brilliant acting on his servant's part. Dynast's voice was calm, but edged with suspicion. "Your commendable change in manners is very sudden, Xelloss."
"Master, I'm sor-" A shudder ran through Xelloss' body, his arms shaking under his weight. "I..." He fell to the floor as Dynast watched him intently. The frozen King felt pain wash over him, ebbing from wounds that he had carved into Xelloss himself only minutes before. Dynast let his senses shift around, trading the visual for the astral to examine Xelloss on a level that was impossible to lie on.
Speech retreated beyond Xelloss' reach as ragged breaths invaded his lungs. The gulps came faster and faster, assaulting Xelloss while Dynast watched the priest's emotions broil.
Yes, there was a great deal of pain here. Dynast winced. He usually tried to ignore the true depth of Xelloss' suffering out of kindness to himself. Why torture himself with guilt when Xelloss was to blame for this? The agony was diverse, flowing through Xelloss in many currents. The knife was much stronger than him now, piercing his soul with bitter frost. And behind that were more subtle aches: grief for his former mistress and guilt for his former girlfriend. But these were merely aftertastes to Xelloss' pain. The wounds and contusions that Dynast had dealt were much stronger in aroma. However...Dynast frowned. Xelloss' mind wasn't preoccupied with pain. The mazoku's thoughts were almost entirely centered on fear. He blinked away his astral vision, focusing his eyes on Xelloss' shadowed face. The King sank down, sitting beside his servant to brush locks of violet out of his eyes.
Should I let myself be so kind? Dynast watched as Xelloss shuddered from another wave of pain, the priest hyperventilating as panic wrapped around him. He can't fake that. I can feel the terror. I can't torture him beyond what fear itself is doing to him. And...I don't want to. Dynast slid his hand over Xelloss' cheek, warming the chilled flesh. I can reassure him now. I'll know if he really is sincere if I can feel his panic die down. "It's okay, my servant. I understand how hard this is for you. Take your time."
Relief flooded over Xelloss, his breath growing slower and less ragged. Dynast slid his hand to rest against the priest's side, distinctly feeling his ribs under cloth and skin. He really is too pale. The King let the observation slide for now, his thoughts focused on his servant's emotional spectrum. Sure enough, Xelloss slid out of panic and into a tentative calm. His chest stopped heaving and his breathing almost stopped entirely. The mazoku opened his eyes. Xelloss glanced up at Dynast's face for only a second, his gaze darting away in a flicker of fear.
Dynast stared. Was Xelloss showing modesty? "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, sir." Xelloss winced and his eyes lost focus for a moment. He closed them. "I'm sorry, my King. It...it all hurts so much."
Dynast spread his palm over Xelloss' chest, allowing energy from his vast stores to rush into his servant's wounds. A sigh of relief escaped Xelloss' lips as his body started to heal. Dynast smiled. "I'm glad you're feeling better." His voice remained warm and consoling, not giving away his suspicions. "What were you so afraid of?"
Xelloss looked up with nervous eyes, timidly meeting the King's gaze. Dynast resisted the urge to chuckle at the priest's shyness. He smoothed his servant's hair back as Xelloss began to speak.
"I...I've always been uncomfortable around you, my King. Every time I came here to play chess, I felt myself drawn to your presence. You have a natural charisma about you that just pulled me back every time I was away. It was hard to fight it. It didn't feel right to resist you. But I felt so strange around you, and my feelings led me to such confusion that I fled. I pretended nothing was going on because I was so afraid of you. I was afraid of merely being around you. I...I was terrified. Terrified that my facade might slip and give me away. It was so difficult to stay composed in your presence. I...I'm so sorry, my King. When I found Firia, the dragon girl, I could ignore my confusion. Dragons are such intoxicating creatures, and it was bad of me to fall so deeply into one of their trances. But she bewitched me into loving her! I can't change it! She made me so happy, and...and I love her so much. It must have been easy for her to entrance me, since I was so obsessed with my feelings for you already..." Xelloss curled into Dynast's arms. "...Reason was beyond me, my King. Please don't be mad. I was trying so hard to find solace from my confusion. I should have found it in you." He blinked away the foggy blindness of tears. "Please don't kill her. Please. I still love her. You can make me so much happier, but I couldn't bear her death. After losing Zelas, I don't think I could live with that. Please just take me into your service." Xelloss squeezed his eyes shut. "You can make me forget about her."
The realization fell around Dynast like a warm blanket. I've won.
"It's okay, Xelloss. I would never hurt you. From now on there'll be no more worries, no more games, no more confusion. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'll protect you."
"Oh, thank you, my King. Thank you so much."
"I'd do anything for you, you know."
"I've always known that."
The punishment was sweet in its satisfaction, but bitter in its reality. Xelloss wasn't learning. He was supposed to be a good boy for Dynast. That's what he was, after all, Dynast's obedient and humble servant. The King wiped a drop of blood away from his knuckles and drew a small knife from the pocket of his smoky blue duster. Xelloss just needed a little reminding, that was all.
Surely the boy would eventually realize that deep down he wanted this all along. It was just taking so much time. Why couldn't everyone see reason like Dynast did?
This was so difficult. Xelloss was so stubborn that Dynast couldn't just let him off easy. He had to be especially brutal just to get any reaction from Xelloss at all. So what if he was being cruel? It was better that Xelloss scream from his ministrations than stay silent and inattentive. Dynast wanted some attention. Even a blow made in anger was precious. It had been so long...ages and ages before he could touch Xelloss, even like this. The mazoku had always stayed just out of his reach, barely dodging Dynast's secret advances in movements that were seemingly accidental. This chess game had stretched on for thousands of years. So many days Dynast invited the boy over just to see him, just for that all-too-rare chance to win him. But Xelloss always evaded, making his annoying gambits, dragging the game into some sort of farce. He played as if he really thought Dynast had called him over simply to experience the joy of chess. He never acknowledged the King's hints, even when Dynast moved far beyond the bounds of subtlety. He just played his stupid game while Dynast looked on with tortured desire.
Dynast shrugged his pinstriped shoulder cloak off to avoid the risk of marring it with copper streaks. Xelloss had to have known. How could the boy not know what Dynast wanted? If he was such a brilliant servant, then why did he have to be so utterly dull around the Supreme King? He must have known. He must have known!
...But Dynast didn't want that. He didn't want to believe that Xelloss had strung him along for thousands of years without even being kind enough to return his advances. If Xelloss knew that Dynast wanted him, then his ignorance was really all just cruel taunting. He couldn't have been knowlingly torturing Dynast all that time. Xelloss wouldn't be that mean to him. No, Xelloss was just sadly oblivious of Dynast's true feelings, just as the priest was ignorant of his own feelings for the Supreme King. That was the only possible explanation for his actions.
But after last night, the priest should have understood his place in Dynast's court. There was no excuse for him now. He was just being rebellious for no good reason. Such behavior had to be corrected harshly.
"You're such a bad boy," Dynast stroked Xelloss' cheek, pausing as his fingertips felt damp skin. Were these tears?
"I'm sorry," Xelloss whispered, his voice cracking with what seemed like genuine regret. As he opened his mouth to speak again, Xelloss shivered under Dynast's hand, his words freezing in his throat.
Dynast stared at Xelloss' face as if he had just now laid eyes upon it. His hand rested against the boy's cheek for a long time before he slid to the floor and gently turned Xelloss' body to the side. He felt his servant's shivers halt as the weight was taken off of the knife in his back.
In stunned silence, Dynast numbly braced himself against the fallen table and stood up. He righted the table, dragging the chairs into place as his thoughts sank into a tangle of confusion. Was Xelloss...did he just hear...the priest cried for him? He leaned on the table, steadying his mind. As Dynast tried to find reason in what he'd just witnessed, something brushed his thigh. He turned in surprise.
Xelloss had dragged himself towards his King and was carefully placing the board on the table. As Dynast watched in stunned amazement, the boy picked up the scattered chess pieces and meticulously arranged them in their proper positions on the scarred mahogany. After he nudged the last pawn onto its square, Xelloss pulled himself before Dynast's feet. His legs twisted behind him, the muscles in them frozen and numb. "I am sorry, my King," Xelloss lowered his head in shame, "I cannot kneel."
Dynast pushed away the increasing urge to rejoice. After all, this was no real indication of Xelloss' true intentions. How could the priest be so agreeable all of a sudden? He was a clever trickster, after all. Maybe he had finally gotten so desparate that he was willing to take traumatic blows to his own ego. Yes, perhaps this was just brilliant acting on his servant's part. Dynast's voice was calm, but edged with suspicion. "Your commendable change in manners is very sudden, Xelloss."
"Master, I'm sor-" A shudder ran through Xelloss' body, his arms shaking under his weight. "I..." He fell to the floor as Dynast watched him intently. The frozen King felt pain wash over him, ebbing from wounds that he had carved into Xelloss himself only minutes before. Dynast let his senses shift around, trading the visual for the astral to examine Xelloss on a level that was impossible to lie on.
Speech retreated beyond Xelloss' reach as ragged breaths invaded his lungs. The gulps came faster and faster, assaulting Xelloss while Dynast watched the priest's emotions broil.
Yes, there was a great deal of pain here. Dynast winced. He usually tried to ignore the true depth of Xelloss' suffering out of kindness to himself. Why torture himself with guilt when Xelloss was to blame for this? The agony was diverse, flowing through Xelloss in many currents. The knife was much stronger than him now, piercing his soul with bitter frost. And behind that were more subtle aches: grief for his former mistress and guilt for his former girlfriend. But these were merely aftertastes to Xelloss' pain. The wounds and contusions that Dynast had dealt were much stronger in aroma. However...Dynast frowned. Xelloss' mind wasn't preoccupied with pain. The mazoku's thoughts were almost entirely centered on fear. He blinked away his astral vision, focusing his eyes on Xelloss' shadowed face. The King sank down, sitting beside his servant to brush locks of violet out of his eyes.
Should I let myself be so kind? Dynast watched as Xelloss shuddered from another wave of pain, the priest hyperventilating as panic wrapped around him. He can't fake that. I can feel the terror. I can't torture him beyond what fear itself is doing to him. And...I don't want to. Dynast slid his hand over Xelloss' cheek, warming the chilled flesh. I can reassure him now. I'll know if he really is sincere if I can feel his panic die down. "It's okay, my servant. I understand how hard this is for you. Take your time."
Relief flooded over Xelloss, his breath growing slower and less ragged. Dynast slid his hand to rest against the priest's side, distinctly feeling his ribs under cloth and skin. He really is too pale. The King let the observation slide for now, his thoughts focused on his servant's emotional spectrum. Sure enough, Xelloss slid out of panic and into a tentative calm. His chest stopped heaving and his breathing almost stopped entirely. The mazoku opened his eyes. Xelloss glanced up at Dynast's face for only a second, his gaze darting away in a flicker of fear.
Dynast stared. Was Xelloss showing modesty? "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, sir." Xelloss winced and his eyes lost focus for a moment. He closed them. "I'm sorry, my King. It...it all hurts so much."
Dynast spread his palm over Xelloss' chest, allowing energy from his vast stores to rush into his servant's wounds. A sigh of relief escaped Xelloss' lips as his body started to heal. Dynast smiled. "I'm glad you're feeling better." His voice remained warm and consoling, not giving away his suspicions. "What were you so afraid of?"
Xelloss looked up with nervous eyes, timidly meeting the King's gaze. Dynast resisted the urge to chuckle at the priest's shyness. He smoothed his servant's hair back as Xelloss began to speak.
"I...I've always been uncomfortable around you, my King. Every time I came here to play chess, I felt myself drawn to your presence. You have a natural charisma about you that just pulled me back every time I was away. It was hard to fight it. It didn't feel right to resist you. But I felt so strange around you, and my feelings led me to such confusion that I fled. I pretended nothing was going on because I was so afraid of you. I was afraid of merely being around you. I...I was terrified. Terrified that my facade might slip and give me away. It was so difficult to stay composed in your presence. I...I'm so sorry, my King. When I found Firia, the dragon girl, I could ignore my confusion. Dragons are such intoxicating creatures, and it was bad of me to fall so deeply into one of their trances. But she bewitched me into loving her! I can't change it! She made me so happy, and...and I love her so much. It must have been easy for her to entrance me, since I was so obsessed with my feelings for you already..." Xelloss curled into Dynast's arms. "...Reason was beyond me, my King. Please don't be mad. I was trying so hard to find solace from my confusion. I should have found it in you." He blinked away the foggy blindness of tears. "Please don't kill her. Please. I still love her. You can make me so much happier, but I couldn't bear her death. After losing Zelas, I don't think I could live with that. Please just take me into your service." Xelloss squeezed his eyes shut. "You can make me forget about her."
The realization fell around Dynast like a warm blanket. I've won.
"It's okay, Xelloss. I would never hurt you. From now on there'll be no more worries, no more games, no more confusion. You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'll protect you."
"Oh, thank you, my King. Thank you so much."
"I'd do anything for you, you know."
"I've always known that."