Chapter Six

Climbing onto the broom in front of Draco was one of the hardest things that Theo had ever had to do, not because he was afraid of heights but because the other man touched him. Theo had never been touched before that he could recall. His father usually hit him with things. He supposed Pips had probably fed him when he was a baby, but he didn't recall any of that.

The blond's arm wrapped around Theo's waist pulling his back against the other man's chest. Theo, not expecting the closeness, flinched.

"Easy Theo. Just don't look down alright? I'll have you safe on the ground in no time at all." Draco's breath brushed across Theo's neck and it was difficult to hide the shiver that went through his body. The image of Draco's hand holding onto Theo was enough to make Theo's body feel tight and tense. And the way that the man smelled, it was incredible, herbs and sweat and Theo wasn't sure whether to hold his breath or breathe it in.

Theo settled for breathing normally, as Draco said, "just stay still. Here we go."

The moment that Draco's broom came to rest at the bottom of the tower, Theo couldn't believe his luck. He was finally free. He held his breath as his feet touched the earth for the very first time that he could ever remember. He didn't think he had been born in the tower, but he might as well have been for all the memories that he had outside of it which was to say none.

The water rushing over the stones of the brook was so much louder than Theo had ever imagined. And the bird song was far more varied. The falcons often nested on the tower, keeping the smaller songbirds away. All in all the world was noisy and Theo adored it.

His excitement must have shown on his face, because Draco was looking at him quizzically, "Have you never left before?"

"Never," Theo exhaled, biting his lip. Draco's eyes flickered to Theo's lips for a moment and then he shook his head.

"I'm going back up to grab Hermione. Hopefully she hasn't packed the entirety of your library into her bag."

"She's certainly welcome to whatever she'd like," Theo replied affably.

"Gods, don't tell her that. Are you going to be alright down here alone for a couple of minutes?" At Theo's nod, Draco quickly floated upward on his broom disappearing back into the window. Looking up, it was disconcerting how high up Theo had been all his life. He looked out towards the clearing, the flowing water, where their horses were tethered to a huge oak tree on the edge of the woods. Theo knew one hundred twenty six types of trees and could identify nineteen different bird songs, but he'd never seen a map nor did he have any idea where the tower was in relation to the rest of the world.

He sighed and felt more aware that his education had been lacking than ever.

As Draco and Hermione lowered themselves on his flying broom, a breeze caused Hermione's skirts to flip a bit, allowing Theo a tantalising glimpse of the calves that he's seen wrapped around Draco's waist in his dreams. Theo wondered if they were already lovers or if that had yet to happen.

The careful way that Draco helped Hermione off of his broom, and the gentle way that he touched her seemed to answer Theo's question in the affirmative. He blushed and looked away towards their horses.

What was he doing? He didn't even know these people…why would they want him to travel with him? Were they even offering that? He hadn't bothered to ask.

"We have another four months to travel to the Kingdom of Belar Berdea," Draco said, coming up behind Theo and placing his hand on Theo's shoulder. "We'll be there for a while, perhaps as many months as half a year depending on how things work out. Then another five months back to my own kingdom's capital city where my father's palace sits. You can stay with us as long as you like."

Theo turned to look in those storm cloud grey eyes. He thought that he could get lost in them. The prince was more beautiful than any man that Theo had ever seen in one of his books. He'd introduced himself so informally, but Theo knew from his dreams that this man was royalty. Hermione always called him "my prince," although they hadn't done that yet in front of him.

"You don't," Draco looked at him questioningly, "Have anywhere to go, do you?"

"No," Theo breathed. "My father is the one who kept me in the tower. I have no other family that I know of."

"Then you are my responsibility," Draco smiled reassuringly, charm oozing from every windswept pore. "I won't let you be unprotected in the world, Theo - not ever."

"But don't I owe a life debt to you for you saving me from the tower?" Theo asked, confused.

"I don't think the life debt is activated unless you were in immediate danger of death," Draco said thoughtfully, tapping his finger on his lip. "Were you in immediate danger?"

"I don't think so?" Theo replied, unsure.

"Well then that settles it," Draco smiled widely, "You'll be my attendant and I'll make sure you're safe and maybe I can give you a fancy title when we return to my father's palace for something." The blond winked at him, heading towards the horses.

Hermione came behind Theo and took her arm. "He's used to getting his way," she supplied, "But don't feel as though you have to do whatever he wants. You aren't tied to us if you don't want to be. You're arent indentured to Draco."

Theo shook his head, "I really don't have anywhere to go, or money or anything." Hermione nodded and Theo left the final part unsaid.

I have been dreaming of you two for weeks as you travelled towards me, Theo thought. Why would I ever leave the two of you willingly?

Something about these two was part of his fate and Theo would meet that fate. He'd never felt more excitement about anything in his young life.

Travelling with Draco and Hermione was easier than Theo ever could have supposed. Theo walked for a while because there was no horse for him, Draco promised to purchase him one in the next sign of human habitation that they came to.

Theo turned his head again and again until the tower disappeared from view. He basked in the little sensations, in the smells and the way the wind felt upon his face. Being outside the tower was more than any of the books he had read or his dreams had ever led him to believe.

And Draco looked like an illustration of a prince from one of Theo's books as he rode. His pale hair ruffled in the breeze and his silver eyes sparkled. Theo didn't know that eyes could come in the colour of metal, but then Hermione's eyes were the colour of amber. His father had a ring with a big piece that had a scorpion frozen forever in time. Theo would never forget it, especially considering that it had cut his lip open on more than one occasion when Theo had been younger.

The colour of the sky as Theo looked up was different from the tower window. He wondered how long it would be before he wasn't staring with awe at everything that the three of them came across.

They stopped periodically for water, to gather berries or apples, which Hermione shrunk with her magic and put into her saddle bags. Theo was constantly amazed at what the sorceress was able to do. Draco caught Theo's wide-eyed stares more than once and smiled widely.

"I think she's amazing too," Draco whispered into Theo's ear. "But you can't let her know all the time. She'll get far too full of herself." Theo almost laughed aloud, but swallowed it when Hermione turned a suspicious glare in their direction.

Theo was trying to sleep, he really was, but he'd never been so cold before. The slowly dying fire offered only the memory of warmth and the blankets seemed to just magnify the cold. He started to wonder if he should not have left his tower. At least he had been warm there. Maybe this had all been a mistake. He'd never done a single spontaneous thing in his life.

"Theo, are you cold?" Draco's voice broke the quiet. Hermione was somewhere in the woods around them, casting protection spells or gathering night blooming magical herbs or somesuch, so the two men were alone.

Theo peeked out of his bedding and nodded.

"Come here," Draco commanded.

Confused, Theo sat up. "What?"

"Come here," Draco repeated. "Bring your blankets." Still confused, Theo did as he was told. Sitting up, Draco took the blankets from him and laid them over his own and then scooted within the bedding. He patted the space next to him. Theo gulped. A dozen dreams of Draco and Hermione rolling together in those blankets swirled through his mind. Theo hoped the night hid the blush that warmed his cheeks. Involuntarily he shivered, but Theo wasn't sure that it was from the cold.

"I won't bite," Draco's smile wasn't as reassuring as Theo thought that he was trying to make it, but he swallowed his nerves and crawled into the bedding next to the prince. Draco adjusted the blankets around both of them and then pulled Theo closer with an arm around his waist. Theo couldn't remember ever having been held like this. His back was against Draco's chest and the man's hand was relaxed against his stomach. "There now, isn't that better?"

Theo could only nod, he didn't think his voice would work.

"Good," Draco whispered, his breath warm on the shell of Theo's ear. "Now sleep. You need your rest." Theo wasn't sure how he was supposed to sleep surrounded by the smell that was Draco, herbs, sweat and the earthy scent that Theo had learned came from riding a horse all day, but once his heart stopped pounding at Draco's proximity and his body warmed up, Theo fell into a deep slumber.

Theo dreamt of his dream journal and his father's hands flipping through the pages. He knew his father's hands, the scar that ran across the top of the right one, the gnarled knuckles, the rings. There was no doubt that it was his father looking at his drawings. One finger flipped open a page to Theo's drawing of Draco and Hermione. It was one of the last things that he had drawn before they had appeared at the Tower.

"You can run from me, but you can't hide, boy." His father's vice put ice in Theo's veins.

Theo sat upright in the bedding, Draco still asleep next to him, as the sun had not yet risen. Hermione was asleep in the next bedroll, close to Draco's side.

His heart sank with dread. His father had discovered that he was gone and knew who he was with. Panic engulfed him and he pulled up his knees and gripped them tightly to his chest. He didn't know what to do. He was endangering Draco and Hermione by being with them. He should never have left his tower. If they were hurt it was his fault. Tears ran down his cheeks.

Strong arms pulled him close to a strong chest. Draco's silk shirt was soft against Theo's cheek.

"Shhhh," Draco whispered. "It's alright."

Theo cried harder. It wasn't alright, but he wasn't sure how to tell Draco that.

He'd put them in so much danger.

What was he going to do?