Candle in the window

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Chapter 12

"Lord Lykouleon please focus." Alfeegi scolded him. "I need you to review these documents for repairs on the western green house."

"Oh, that one hasn't been used for a while right?" He picked up some papers only to put them down again.

"That's right." the strawberry blond nodded. "It's a resource we could be utilizing." he sighed. "And we're going to need it after Miss Arden over runs the eastern green house with all of the rare birds she's been breeding to release..." The white dragon officer watched Lykouleon's green eyes wander to the window as he spoke. "She didn't release any into the garden." he added bitterly.

"Huh?" Lykouleon blinked. "What?" Green eyes snapped back to crystaline copper.

"What's wrong?" Alfeegi asked the blond lord, holding some papers under crossed arms.

"Excuse me?" the dragon lord blinked, his hand floating from his chin to rest on the table top.

"You've been distracted," Alfeegi spelled it out to the lord, "more than usual, these past two days."

"I'm not sure what you mean." he let a fake smile touch his lips. "Where were we?" the blond lord rustled papers.

"Is it about Kai-Stern?" The white dragon officer ignored Lykouleon's attempts to change the subject. Green eyes grew wide before he let his blond bangs hide his expression.

"Am I so transparent?" the dragon lord's tone was aggressive.

"What?" the strawberry blond asked under his breath. He was surprised to hear such harsh tones. His lord really was bothered by something and that something had to do with Kai-Stern. "I just wanted to know..."

"What's the matter, Alfeegi?" the lord stood his green eyes challenged crystaline copper. "I thought you could see through me? Read me like an open book." He spread his arms. "Tell me who I am and how to live me life."

"..." The white dragon officer gathered the documents he had brought with him and headed for the door. He wasn't about to encourage this childish outburst. He heard a sigh from his lord as he opened the door.

"Alfeegi, wait." Lykouleon pleaded.

"Are you ready to discuss this like adults?" The crystaline copper eyed dragon turned around, his hand still on the door handle.

"I'm sorry." Green eyes apologized. "I wasn't thinking. You're right." His hand combed through his blond hair. "Something is bothering me."

"I'd be willing to listen." the white dragon officer shut the door and came back to some chairs in the center of the room. Lykouleon joined him.

"I'm sure you've noticed, even before Kai-Stern came back...I haven't been myself lately." Green eyes couldn't seem to connect Alfeegi's gaze.

"Yes." strawberry blond hair bounced as he nodded.

"Several weeks ago, a medicine woman from the far nothern mountains met secretly with Raseleane." He explained.

"So that's why she was gone." the white dragon officer had been curious. "It was only a few hours, but she normaly doesn't have a need to go into town."

"She loves this place." Lykouleon looked around. He sighed before he got back on the subject. "It was that evening I told her that the council had given me a ultimatum. 'You have a month,' they told me, 'to find a way to produce an heir with Raseleane.'"

"Or what?" Alfeegi was scared to ask.

"Or they would find me another queen." Green eyes looked into startled crystaline copper.

"That's proposterous." The white dragon officer was shocked and disgusted at the same time.

"That's the only way they know to continue my line." The lord defended them. The council was made up of good people, Lykouleon made sure of that. This was a serious matter for the furture of the kingdom. The dragon lord understood, but he didn't like it one bit.

"What did Raseleane say about all this?" Alfeegi asked, assuming she must be hurt.

"After Nadil took her dragon eyes," Lykouleon was still lamenting that. "She refuses to oppose their decision."

"No." Alfeegi's jaw would have hit the floor if he hadn't covered his mouth.

"Yes." he leaned back, looking very tired. "But she did offer an alternative to another queen."

"What's that?" Alfeegi sat forward in his chair, while retaining his perfect posture.

"The medicine woman had some how heard of Nadil's treachery and how it effected Raseleane." Lykouleon explained. "She knows the old woman some how, so she trusts her. Anyway, the medicine woman offered her a pouch containing a fine powder. She was instructed to mix it into a drink to be shared between three in order to birth my child."

"Three?" This made the white dragon officer suspicious.

"This is were it gets complicated." the dragon lord prepared his companion. "The medicine, she called it, is supposed to 'bridge' the gap that divides Raseleane and me. Therefore a 'bridge' had to be inducted."

"You don't mean?" Alfeegi stared at his lord in horror. The blond nodded.

"A third person is required as a kind of conduit for me." Lykouleon explained the best he could.

"Like a threesome." Alfeegi wanted to clarify, he was slowly letting the shock sink in.

"Basically." The lord almost shrugged it off.

"And you agreed?" The strawberry blond asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"What else could I do?" the blond defended his decision. "I don't want another queen. Raseleane is everything I could hope for and she wants so badly to be the mother of my child. How could I refuse?"

"I guess you're right." Alfeegi answered quietly, sitting back.

"See?" Lykouleon pointed out the only real choice.

"But then, the third person..." Alfeegi considered. Suddenly two and two made four and, "You asked Kai-Stern to be your conduit...didn't you?" That would explain a lot.

"Uh," The lord blushed. "It had to be some one we trusted and Ruwalk is my best friend, but he's more like a brother to me than anything and Tethis..." Green eyes blinked as he shook his head. "I can't even imagine looking at his naked body."

"We thought about asking you Alfeegi but you're always so busy." Lykouleon told him. The white dragon officer was crimson, thankful he didn't have to refuse them. Because he would have. "Then Kai-Stern came to mind and we both really like him and he does have the closest coloring to me," he pinched a strand of blond hair for emphasis. "So just incase the potion didn't work..."

"Oh my Lord." Alfeegi covered his face. They planned for everything. That was proof in itself that they are serious about it. The white dragon officer was exauhsted just hearing about this dilema.

"Yes?" Green eyes blinked. The strawberry blond sat forward in his chair trying to focus.

"So that's why you and Kai-Stern have been avoiding each other?" Crystaline copper eyes asked green.

"Maybe." the lord chewed on his fingernail.

"What?" Alfeegi assumed they were ultimately discussing Kai-Stern. That had to be the reason Kai-Stern has been so dispondent lately but, "Didn't you ask him?"

"I did," Lykouleon told him flatly. "but that was before he left for Luwa. I wanted to give him time to think about it."

"Think about it? How's he supposed to focus on his mission while he's considering whether or not to join his lord and lady in a threesome to conceive an heir to the throne of Draqueen?!"

"Well if you say it like that." Lykouleon frowned. Alfeegi sighed.

"When he came back he must have given you his answer. Is that why..."

"Well," The blond lord scratched his cheek, "no. We're still waiting for him to give us an answer."

"Then What?" How is Kai-Stern connected to this current problem that lord Lykouleon is having such difficulty with?

"I...don't want to talk about it." the lord was blushing. All of that talk and he never got around to the real issue. How? The white dragon officer felt his will crawling away from him.

"I think that's enough for today." Alfeegi waved a hand idolly.

"Are you okay?" Lykouleon asked his exhausted friend.

"Oh, yes." Crystaline copper eyes didn't focus on anything in particular.

"I feel so much better getting that off my chest. Thank you Alfeegi." The blond stood and nearly pranced out of the room.

"No problem. Any time." The white dragon officer covered his face and heaved a sigh.