Thank you Raina! She's the best ^_^

and to my readers~

Here you go~

Kismet

Chapter Eighteen: Lizeth and Christian

"L-Lovino?" Lovino's eyes shot open and he looked over. Bright green eyes blinked confused, "W-why are you crying?" The Illonian wrapped his arms around him tightly.

"Damn you you fucking bastard!" he shouted, hitting Antonio in the arm, "Don't you ever fucking scare me like that again or so god fucking help you, I'll rip your god damned balls off and kill you myself!" he kissed him.

Antonio kissed back.

"It seems you were just in time, Lovino." Lukas muttered, putting his things away, "I'd stay away from here, if I were you. The dragons are migrating this way and can be dangerous. I think I have some tests to run on that healing potion …"

The Sverran growled, sitting up. His leg was completely healed, as well as his cuts and other burns, "I can't believe they've been slipping right in under my nose like this! I'm sorry, Lovi~ but we have cut this vacation short a day. I need to get more men down here."

Lovino nodded, not caring. He was just overjoyed to have Antonio back.

They bid good-bye and a much deserved thanks to the elves and even a small payment for their help. The two gathered their things and headed straight back up to the beach house. While Antonio gathered his guards, Lovino stood in the bed room slowly putting their things up.

His fingers brushed over his seashell collection and he dropped it into his bag and moved to clothing. Lovino grabbed a handful of Antonio's shirts and vests and looked down at his trembling hands. Images of Antonio's mangled body kept creeping into his mind and as much as he tried to tell himself that king, his lover, was okay, but nothing helped.

Lovino flung the clothing to the ground and kicked the dresser. He sat down and gripped his hair and growled in frustration. He was so confused, like usual. However this time it was all because of nearly losing Antonio and his himself, all because of his stupidity!

The door to the room opened and he felt hands resting on his shoulders. His eyes trailed up and his met a worried Antonio, "Lovi~? What's wrong?"

He just glared at the Sverran and pushed him away, "Nothing! I'm fine, I was just taking a break!" Lovino quickly began gathering up the fallen clothing and shoving it into Antonio's bag. He emptied all of the other drawers and when he was done, he attacked the choker. His finger fumbled in their trembling state to pull it off.

"Stupid … fucking … GAH!" he slammed his head into the bed post out of frustration.

Antonio rose from the bed and carefully untied the knots of the choker, letting it fall to the floor. He sadly picked it up and slipped it into his lover's pocket.

"Lovi … please tell me why you're so tense …" he pressed his fingers into Lovino's back and began massaging the tight muscles. Lovino let out a soft sigh, but otherwise stood in silence while Antonio rubbed his back.

His mind became blank and he turned to wrap his arms around Antonio's middle. He waited for the king to hold him back before speaking, "You almost died because of me, bastard. Now you're acting like nothing happened while I'm a nervous wreck."

Antonio kissed the top of his head gently, "I'm okay, Lovi~ it wasn't your fault and you saved me just in time."

"I didn't save you! Lukas and the others did!" he yelled, glaring up at the king. Lovino's mind began racing again with the images. He almost hadn't given Antonio the potion on time!

"Look, Lovi~" he grabbed his lover's hand and pressed it to his chest where he heart laid underneath. Lovino blushed, feeling the light beating. "My heart still beats." he moved Lovino's hand to his cheek, "Blood still pumps through my veins." he took the hand in between both of his and placed a series of kisses on Lovino's knuckles and fingers, "I'm still alive. I'm right here and there is nothing wrong now. We won't be facing any more dragons and even if we did, I am prepared now. I can handle anything else. I won't leave you alone. Ever~! I'll always be by your side, my love." he pulled on Lovino's hand, bringing the younger man into his arms, before placing a kiss on his lips, "I love you~"

Lovino blushed and looked away, feeling much better, though he still couldn't shake the horrifying images, "Love you, too, bastard." he reached up and placed his hand on the knots of the choker and carefully pulled it off of Antonio's neck. The skin looked too bare and foreign to Lovino and he didn't like it. "You sure you can't wear this?"

Antonio gave him a chaste kiss and nodded, "I want to, I really do, but some one might steal it!" Lovino frowned and tucked the choker into Antonio's pocket. Antonio rarely lied to him, but when he did, it could be painfully obvious, especially when he had something to hide. For awhile now, he'd let it slide that that was the only reason, but now it was starting to eat away at him. He would force Antonio to tell him why it was too wrong for him to wear the choker in public.

The two grabbed their things, double checking the house for any missed items. Antonio loaded up their things and helped Lovino into the carriage. The Vargas took a seat across from Antonio, but Antonio wasn't going to let him sit over there alone, still thinking about their run in with the dragon earlier. Lovino took one last look out to the sandy beach and saw the waves had nearly washed away their castle. He turned away and swallowed hard.

With night fall coming soon, no one would notice the two cuddled up together, and the cool air would allow the king to drawn the curtains closed. Lovino looked over at Antonio, who was pulling the curtains shut against the setting sun, then in the dim light, he patted the seat beside him. A blush spread across his cheeks, but he shook his head, "I don't think so, bastard. I'm fine where I am."

Antonio pouted, but Lovino was glad for the dim lighting. He couldn't be guilt tripped into sitting over there.

A little bit of time passed and Antonio shifted restlessly. The carriage was darker than before, but a little bit of moon light shined in from a small break in between the curtains. The light splashed against his Lovi's face, illuminating it, making it glow. Lovi looked lost in thought, but not a good one. His brows were furrowed and he stared over at the break in the curtains, probably at the moon or stars.

He wanted to take his mind off of things, but Lovi liked to hold onto the past and let it tear him apart. Antonio sighed, not knowing what to do. Well … there was one thing, but the carriage driver was too close for comfort.

The king scooted forward in his seat, however, while he may not be able to take his lover the way he wanted, he could settle for something a little less. There was something he could try for his Lovi~

Antonio quickly rushed forward and pressed his lips against Lovi's in a soft, loving kiss. His Lovi kissed back hesitantly, but he was sure he could change that. His hand reached up to assault his Lovi's weakest spot: the curl.

Lovi let out a small gasp and moaned. Antonio cut off the noises with his lips and let go of the curl, "Try and be quiet, my love."

"W-what are you doing, bastard!" he hissed, regaining his composure.

Antonio kissed and nibbled his neck, "I'm going to take your mind off of things~" his hand slid down Lovi's chest and landed on the stiffened member underneath the pants. His Lovi took in a sharp breath, but bit his lip to stop from making noise.

"Good Lovi~" he kissed his neck again and let his hand massage his lover over the clothing. His hand left him, much to Lovi's disappointment, but Antonio was no where near done with him.

He grabbed the laced up cording, keeping Lovino's pants tied and slowly pulled them back.

"What-" he kissed him to keep him quiet, "Shh, and let me make you feel good."

Lovi trembled in anticipation and let his head fall back against the plush cushioning. Antonio's hand wrapped around Lovi and began pumping at an agonizingly slow pace.

"Damn it …" Lovi whispered under his breath, thrusting his hips into Antonio's palm.

"Do you want more, my love?" Antonio whispered huskily into Lovi's ear. Lovi nodded vigorously, not trusting his voice when Antonio sped up.

Then, without warning, Antonio let go. Lovi groaned and made a move to grab himself, but the king held his hands back before sinking to his knees in front of Lovi.

The Illonian looked at him confused, until Antonio grabbed the base and ran his tongue up the underside.

Lovino sucked in his breath and bit his lip, wondering how Antonio was expecting him to keep quiet now. Antonio swirled his tongue over the head and finally let Lovino slide all the way to the back of his throat. Lovino whimpered softly, trying to keep from calling out Antonio's name.

Antonio continued pleasuring his lover, relishing in the way Lovi clamped his fingers into the dark curly locks. The king knew when he'd done something Lovi liked when Lovi pulled his hair lightly or bucked his hips.

His fingers lightly massaged the base, causing his Lovi to whimper again. He smiled to himself.

"A-Anto … gah … I'm a-about to-"

Antonio felt a stream of the sticky, white fluid burst into his mouth and he swallowed, pulling off his lover with a satisfied 'pop' and licked up the remaining drops.

He re-laced the pants up and sat down next to Lovi, who leaned on him, trying to catch his breath. Neither said a word as his Lovi drifted into a peaceful sleep, which is what Antonio wanted.

The king wrapped his arm around the younger man's shoulder and rubbed his thumb in small circles.

Sometime later, the carriage pulled into the streets of the marketplace. He could see his castle growing closer and he let the curtain fall back into place. He would be up late preparing to send able bodied fighters to slay the dragons trying to move in on his land. His people were counting on him. But it meant he wouldn't be sleeping with his Lovi that night.

He gently shook the Illonian awake and muttered about them being there and he reluctantly shifted to the opposite seat, but not before giving Lovi a sweet loving kiss. The carriage pulled to a stop and the door swung open. Antonio stepped out, followed by Lovi.

"Go spend the night at Tessa and Femke's," Antonio spoke, "I won't be in my room until tomorrow. Take tomorrow off." he instructed. Lovino frowned lightly, but was too tired to fight him so he waved and walked into the castle. Antonio let out a sigh and stormed straight to his study, letting his fingers graze his choker in the pocket, before starting his work up. After going through his father's more recent notes on the locations of soldiers, he began drafting a notice for those soldiers to ready themselves for the battle against these beasts.

Another notice was written up for newer, able-bodied men who could fight. After that was done, he handed them off to a servant who would take them to be re written and copied to be sent out and hung up.

His next objective was to find a way to create a magic barrier or something to make Sverran invisible to this species. It would be difficult and he frowned, realizing he would probably have to go north to Evenna and ask their king for help. Antonio absolutely did NOT want to do that unless it was absolutely necessary.

He shifted through many other options and found that posting more soldiers at the southern most borders would be the best bet. The king hated thinking that he would be moving families down into dangerous territory, so he made a note to make it voluntary and if no one stepped up to the plate, he'd have to pick single, or married without children to send.

Putting children in that kind of situation would be horrible and he loved kids and had dreamed of having some of his own one day. While those dreams were gone, he was still happy with his choice. Maybe he would evacuate problem areas until they became safe again.

The door to his study opened and he tiredly looked up to see his mother, "I see you're back from vacation early … you didn't even have time to stop by and talk to your mother about the trip?"

"Sorry, mama." he frowned, reading over another passage in the notes, "I'm back early because we were attacked by a dragon and her baby. I almost lost my life."

She frowned, "The only dragons we have hear aren't big enough to do damage to a trained fighter."

"It wasn't a small dragon. They were from far south. The same kind that have been slowly overtaking Illonia." he explained, closing one tome and picking up another.

"I see." her voice was bitter, "And they are coming into our land now?"

"Yes. I'm doubling the men down there and I'm hoping it will deter them from Sverran." Isabella sighed and kissed his forehead, "Don't stay up too late. You do need your rest." with that, she retired to her chambers.

Lovino stumbled down the halls sleepily and made his way to Tessa's. He knocked on the door and was surprised to see Femke opening the door, "Lovi? What are you doing here? And why do you look like shit?"

"Haha, very funny … I was wondering if I could sleep here tonight." he muttered. Femke nodded and let him in, "What happened? You really don't look good."

"I'm just sleepy and stressed." he dropped into a chair in the kitchenette. Femke started boiling water for some hot chocolate.

"What are you doing back? I thought you two weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow afternoon?" she asked, sitting down beside him.

He rubbed his eyes, sleepily and yawned, "We were supposed to, but a fucking dragon came out of nowhere and attacks me. Antonio goes to fight it off, but gets hurt killing it. And just when I thought it was finally over, its mother comes along." his hands began to tremble, "It … it knocked Antonio into a wall … nearly killing him and then instead of going to help him, I took on the dragon. While I was faster than Antonio, I was still … a friend saved me and healed Antonio. He said we had to come back early because he needed to start working on ridding Sverran of the beasts."

Femke covered her hand with her mouth, "Thank the heavens you two are safe!" she threw her arms around her friend, "How about we lighten the mood, huh? How was the rest of your trip?" she stood to pour the hot water into a cup and dip a few broken pieces of chocolate inside to melt it.

She handed him a cup and sat down to drink her own.

"Good … getting there was hell. The heat was unbearable, but the festival was nice. I won a new knife, and a few cool potions. And I got to meet several elves from far up north." he sipped the scalding liquid, "I made … friends (?) with them and now if I need help with any potion needs, Lukas said he'd give me a discount."

"Wow, that sounds so cool! I wonder if Daan can make potions … he mentioned a special herb he's taken a liking to, but not much about anything else. Mama just wishes he would settle down and start a family!"

They talked about Tessa for a little bit, but Lovino was dozing off, so Femke put him in her bed. She had somewhere to be, anyway.

Lovino awoke the next morning to the familiar buzzing in his ears and groaned to himself, already missing the peace of getting to sleep in and cuddle up to Antonio. He rolled over and sighed. Was Antonio still working or had he finally gone to bed? If he had gone to bed, did he sleep as badly as Lovino had?

The Illonian rose from the bed and straightened the blankets before making his way into the little kitchenette where Tessa was sitting. "Good morning, Lovino," she smiled sleepily, "How did you sleep?"

"Horribly. Nightmare." he sat down across from her.

She set down her cup, "Really? You haven't had a nightmare in years … not since your trip to sea. Did something happen? I wasn't expecting you this early, much less to be sleeping here."

He nodded and recounted the story of their trouble.

"That's troubling news, but I'm sure Antonio can handle it. He would probably fight them all himself if it meant keeping you … and the rest of the kingdom … safe." she smiled softly, "Just be thankful he isn't going to fight them. I know it sounds morbid, but it could be worse for you, my dear."

Lovino nodded and jumped when the door shut. Femke walked in and looked up shocked, "Oh … you're up!"

Tessa crossed her arms and frowned, "Yes. I forgot about having to wake up early to keep working on the dress. Imagine my surprise to find you weren't here."

The blonde girl bit here lip, "I went out for a walk."

Her mother sighed, "Femke, I know you. You never wake up before noon on your days off."

Femke sighed, "I … I was out with a friend." Tessa shook her head, but let it slide.

"A friend. Well, today is Lovino's day off as well, so why don't you two get out of my hair for awhile. I have some sewing to do!"

Femke let out a sigh of relief and grabbed Lovino's arm, dragging him out the door, "Okay~ bye bye mama!"

Lovino stared at his friend weird as she looked around nervously, "Okay, so I met a boy~ he's a noble boy from another part of Sverran. He's here with his older sister and father on a business meeting with the king. I was assigned to their rooms, and while the sister is mean and rude, Christian is so sweet~!" she blushed, laughing lightly, "Last night he invited me to the gardens with him, where we just talked all night. Unfortunately, we fell asleep and the gardener woke us up." she laughed, "But how about we go to the pond like old times? It's been forever since we had a day off together!"

Lovino agreed and the two sat by the water, skipping stones and talking about how Christian kissed her cheek and how his sister, Lizeth, was horribly rude and prissy.

"I have no idea what her problem is! She likes to make life hard for me, I swear. I think she's just jealous because I can walk in the rain and not drown." Femke make a mock pose of Lizeth, with her nose pointed straight up.

"What are they doing here anyway?" Lovino asked, tossing a rock into the water.

Femke just shrugged, "The old queen welcomed them quickly and has been putting them up in the guest wing for a few days now. She told us to treat them like we would her or Antonio. She's been constantly with the father and so I've been catering to Christian and Lizeth." she picked a flower and peeled the petals away, "I haven't asked Christian much, but he says they may be staying for some time, since their father supposedly packed up a lot. And trust me, they did."

She began to ramble about how it was possible to color code all gowns by the slightest shade, "I'm beginning to believe she thinks she's a princess or something!" Femke and Lovino laughed.

Then their conversation went where Lovino had hoped to stay away from, "So~ you never said if the vacation went as well as I'd hoped~ did you and Toni do the deed?" his face became tomato red and he crossed his arms.

"Even if we had! Why would I tell you something like that?" he hissed. She laughed, "Oh my god! You did! Was it good? Did you like it?"

"What! No … I mean yes … I mean … what?"

"I can't believe you actually lost your innocence!" she laughed, hitting the sputtering man's back, "I'm so proud of my little Lovi~!"

He hid his face in his hands out of embarrassment, "Drop it!"

"Drop what, might I ask?" a soft male's voice cut in. Lovino looked up to see a tall man about their age with short light brown hair and blue eyes. His skin was lightly tanned.

"Oh, just my friend here losing his vir-" Lovino clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Not a word!" he growled.

"You must be Lovino Vargas! The king's personal servant?" the man sat down beside Femke. Femke nodded and mumbled through Lovino's hand before licking his palm, causing him to rip his hand away.

"Ugh! No matter how many times you do that, it's still sick!" Lovino growled, wiping his hand on his pants, "And yeah. That's who I am, nosy bastard. Who the fuck are you?"

Femke laughed, "Don't mind him, Christian, that's how he talks to everyone but the passing pretty face."

Lovino scowled. He looked at the nobleman, Christian.

Christian licked his lip nervously, "It's nice to meet you." Lovino rolled his eyes, "What ever." Femke rolled her eyes as well, ignoring her friend's behavior, "So, Christian, I thought your family was going into the market today."

"We were, but father heard his majesty was back sooner than planned, so he and Lizeth are trying to gain an audience with him."

"Impossible. An-his majesty is busy preparing to rid the kingdom of those fucking overgrown lizards." Lovino growled, not liking the way these stupid nobles were pestering his Antonio.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure they'll be turned away then. I heard the king would be leaving soon again on a trip to an old allies coronation?" Christian looked at Lovino.

"Not that it's any of your fucking business, but yes he is. Maybe going farther up north will get people off his fucking back and give him a break."

"Wasn't he just on vacation?"

Lovino's glare turned to him, "What is with you and being so fucking nosy? Do I ask you forty questions about your family? You should leave my king alone and stop being so fucking intrusive!"

Christian looked slightly hurt, "I'm sorry, Lovino. I didn't mean to insult you or his majesty …"

Femke hit Lovino's arm lightly, "Lovi~! Be nice! Once again, I'm sorry. He's had a rough week …"

The nobleman nodded, "Serving a king by yourself must be awful, especially if he's on vacation. If I were a king and on vacation, I'd never want to do anything … maybe just lay around all day."

Lovino glared, wishing his look could kill … or at the very least severely maim. "Don't talk about the king as if you know him. He's not a lazy bastard who can't do anything on his own!"

Femke rested her hand on Lovino's arm, "I'm sorry, Christian, I'll see you later." the nobleman looked a bit taken aback, but nodded, "Bye, Femke."

She dragged Lovino away, "Lovi … what's wrong? You're going to give your relationship away by being so protective of Toni …"

"I … just … I have a bad feeling about that family … not really him so much as the other two … That and I had a nightmare last night about what happened yesterday …" She hugged him close, "It's okay, Lovi~ would it make you feel better if we sneaked into Toni's office and saw him for a few minutes. I'm sure seeing you would brighten his day~"

And that's why this girl was his best friend. He nodded and they slipped into the kitchen with a bogus order from the king for some silly little snack. The chefs made the food and passed it onto Lovino, who walked with Femke down the halls. They stopped in front of the office doors, which were opened. The two stepped in and Lovino's heart fell.

Antonio was dozing off on his arm, his hand still gripping the papers in his hand. "Take your time, I'll just be over here, okay?" Lovino walked over and set the tray down. Antonio jumped with a start and looked up, dazed, "Lovi~?"

Lovino sighed, "You're a mess … did you even go to sleep, yet?"

The king shook his head, "No … I … I have to finish this work and I have several meetings later with some nobles, my mother and the court … I'm just looking forward to tonight, though …" he smiled grabbing Lovino's hand and pressing a kiss into it.

Lovino became red when he heard a muffled 'aw' from the back of the room. Leave it to Antonio to make him forget Femke was watching them. He shot her a glare and she laughed lightly, turning away to give them some sort of privacy.

He turned back to Antonio and leaned down to kiss him softly, "At least take a nap …" Antonio nodded, "Thanks for coming to visit me, love."

"What ever, Antonio … just get some rest … don't want you falling asleep on the nobles." Lovino would actually laugh if Antonio fell asleep on those pestering nobles.

Antonio kissed Lovino again and nodded, "Okay, okay. I love you~"

Lovino blushed, "I love you, too …" he muttered, hoping Femke hadn't heard, but no such luck. She squealed.

He scowled in her direction, "I'll see you later, bastard."

The king chuckled and nodded, "Bye bye, my Lovi~!"

The two left him to his work, "Not a word." he mumbled to her. Femke just pressed her lips together to stop from giggling. He growled and just walked with her through the halls.

"Oh, it's you, boy." He stopped and looked over to see the old queen walking down another hallway. "I thought you had the day off." he didn't answer, "Well, since you don't, I have something more important for you two to do." Femke exchanged glances with Lovino.

"I need for you two to go and help Lady Lizeth with her dressing. You should know where her room is." she looked at Femke and walked down the hall.

When she was out of sight, Lovino scowled, "I don't technically have to listen to her …"

"Yeah, but I do, so you'd better come … please! She's a living nightmare!" Femke begged. Lovino sighed, "Fine … but you owe me!"

She nodded and dragged him to the guest wing, a place he'd never had the need to go before. It wasn't much different from the royal wing, though decorations seemed to be in different colors, and less expensive. Femke led him to a door with a sign hanging on a hook, letting servants know who was in the room. The blonde knocked lightly and waited for a feminine voice to call them in.

A woman sat in front of a mirror with long light brown hair, matching that of Christian's. It was hanging loosely around her shoulders. Lovino blushed lightly that she was only wearing a thin dress.

"Ah, it's you Femmie." her eyes darted to Lovino through the mirror, "Who is this? Too poorly dressed to be his majesty, yet better off than you."

Femke frowned, and Lovino knew she wanted to go over and slap the girl. "He is Lovino, Lady Lizeth. He ca-"

"Can he not answer himself? Who are you, boy?"

Lovino scowled, "My name is Lovino."

Her eyes narrowed, seemingly waiting for something. When it didn't come she spoke, "Fine. Femmie, go grab the green dress from the bed. I hear that is the king's favorite color, so I shall wear it to make a good impression on his majesty."

Lovino raised a brow. His favorite color was green. Antonio's favorite color was red … because that was the color Lovino turned when he was embarrassed … he thought, looking over to Femke.

"LoLo, on the dresser is a bag. Bring it to me." Lovino growled lightly. Even Antonio said please!

He stomped over to the thing and grabbed it, then tossed it on the vanity in front of her. She jumped and gave him a dirty look through the mirror, "Are you trying to get me killed?"

As if that would – he was tempted to scream that it was what he was trying, but Femke would probably get in trouble. Lizeth pulled a brush from the bag and held it up, "Brush my hair. Be more careful with that than with my bag."

Lovino rolled his eyes and grabbed the brush and a lock of her long hair and began dragging it through, carefully working out the knots.

Femke bit her lip lightly while working the laces on the dress, "Okay, Lady Lizeth, the dress is ready."

Lizeth rose, dismissing Lovino with a hand gesture, "Well? Help me into it!" Femke nodded, hiding a glare as she helped the woman into the dress and laced up the back tightly.

"LoLo, my hair needs to be finished." she sat back down. Lovino gave Femke a 'kill me' look before returning to brushing the woman's hair.

A few moments passed before Femke spoke, "Um, Lady Lizeth, I don't mean to pry, but what are you and your family doing here at the castle anyway?" she asked

Lizeth smiled softly for the first time, "Oh? That?" Lovino frowned, not caring why she was here. He just wanted her to leave and never come back, "I'm here to be courted by his majesty, King Antonio."

Lovino gripped her hair tightly and she yelped in pain, "Watch what you're doing, you imbecile! Ugh! Both of you leave! I can do the rest myself!" Lovino stood in anger and shock until Femke muttered something he didn't hear and dragged him from the room.

TBC

Christian and Lizeth are ocs ... however, Christian is an oc for Andorra while Lizeth is just a bitch ...

Not anyone by that name, just this character ... oh well ... wouldn't you agree?

~Lady Pyrien