Prince Re was awoken by his bodily needs before the sun had risen. His head ached rather severely, and he needed to get up for the chamber pot, but he lingered in the warmth of his bed. Moonlight poured in through the large window, casting the room in a silvery glow. It made Ka look more pale than usual as he lay nestled against the pillow. Re smiled, lifting a hand to brush the scribe’s hair off his forehead.

Ka sighed slightly in his sleep and only snuggled towards Re more. The prince’s smile grew. He let his hand trail down the man’s chest and arm, then tugged him a bit closer. His pet was complicated, full of contradictions and interesting. He was also quite handsome and Re could hardly contain his desire for the man. He wanted to learn the feel of his body and the sound of his moans, but it was true Re didn’t enjoy taking that by force. He wanted to make his partner want it, wanted them to ask for it. He had never been denied long, soon Ka would snuggle into his arms in his waking hours. Until then Re would enjoy this stolen moment.

And it was stolen. Slowly that fact grew to fill the prince’s thoughts and his smile faded away. Ka was still soundly asleep, happily smiling himself, leaning comfortably into Re’s side. It wasn’t the prince he dreamed of though, this tenderness was reserved only for his lost wife. Slowly Re pulled his hand back, sitting up and away from the other. He moved to relieve himself, then stood for a few moments just watching his pet. Ka still smiled in the warm bedding, one hand stretching out to where the prince had lain. Re was still frowning and he turned, striding out of the room with a huff.

Harim was in the hall, the young guard asleep where he leaned. Re just rolled his eyes and left him, traveling the dark halls with confidence. The guard at the harem bowed deeply as the prince let himself into the large room. At this time of night it was mostly quiet, but there were still several people awake. They noticed the prince and all came to greet him with smiles and calls of ‘welcome back’. Re’s eyes were on one of them instantly, singling out one of the men.

His expression lit with delight as Re stepped close. The prince guided him away from the others and each of them expressed regret that they weren’t being invited. Re had a fairly specific desire right now however and he only needed one to fulfill it. He didn’t bother with words, pressing the man gently into the wall with a kiss. This man was bigger than Ka, but gentle in a way that made that size irrelevant. Re kept his eyes mostly closed, imagining it was his pet that moaned against his lips.

Re didn’t pull away until the other man swooned slightly. He finally let him catch his breath as the prince moved down to nip and kiss his neck. Re slid one hand down the man’s bare chest, his fingers tracing the smooth planes of his stomach. He undid the tie of the man’s pants and the garment was quickly kicked away. The other man’s arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him close. He was moaning low in his throat and slid his hands slowly down Re’s back before removing the prince’s pants as well.

“Your highness, the couch-” the man tried to draw Re’s attention to an unoccupied couch or the cushions around it.

Re cut him off with another kiss. “Hush,” he said as he pulled back again. He did move for the couch though, eagerly pinning the other man to the cushions. He shut his eyes again and focused on the man beneath him. One hand moved up and into his long hair, pulling to elicit more groans of pleasure. The prince’s other hand slid low, finding his erection and wrapping tightly around the hot flesh. The man pressed up into the touch and Re moaned in pleasure himself. He pumped his hand a few times, speeding the pace quickly before stopping again. The man moaned in protest this time and the prince did it again.

“Please-” the man gasped and Re hushed him again. The prince snapped his fingers gently and another concubine was quick to provide oil. Beneath the prince, the man squirmed and moaned again. Eyes on the oil bottle he murmured again, “Please, my lord.”

“Yes?” Re asked as if confirming the man’s choice as he coated his fingers.

“Yes,” was the emphatic reply. Then the man could only moan as Re pressed one long finger into him. He added a second finger and spent a moment preparing the man before pulling his hands away again. The man let out a low groan and another almost desperate plea and finally Re pressed into him slowly.

Re’s eyes rolled back slightly and he began to move with a steady rhythm. He groaned loudly, his voice mingling with the man beneath him. The prince’s eyes were shut again, one hand on the man’s shoulder and Ka’s image still held in his mind. The man grunted with each thrust, tense with his own pleasure. His hands were on the prince’s chest, nails digging into flesh as he was pushed to his limit.

Re’s other hand pulled down, dragging his nails along the other’s stomach. Then he wrapped long fingers around the man’s erection again, holding tight. His thrusts gained power, rocking his hand at the same speed. The man beneath him cried out, muttering incoherently with pleas for more. Re’s thrusts were becoming more erratic as well as they both neared the peak. Re gave a few final thrusts and the man cried out again, his whole body tensing with the release. Re gasped as he was pushed over the edge and shuddered in bliss.

Prince Re fluttered his eyes open to look at his partner. The man’s cheeks were flushed, his brown eyes dark with pleasure. Re returned the contented smile with one of his own. “Wonderful,” he said and the man’s smile grew at the compliment. Then the prince yawned widely as sleep crept up on him once more. He stood and cleaned off with a cool cloth brought by a young girl. The man began to stand, but Re was quick to catch his arm. “No, stay. I don’t want to leave.”

The man settled again, still smiling. “I would be honored if you stayed with me tonight, your highness.” He held an arm out and Re sat beside him before leaning into his side. The man lay back and Re got comfortable against him. The prince yawned again, quickly dropping back into slumber for the rest of the night.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Ka spent the night deeply asleep. He was more comfortable than he’d been in months, safe and warm and happy as he dreamed. He dreamed of Mei and his old life. When he woke alone, he cried.

The moment passed quickly and Ka collected himself again. He looked around for the prince only to find he was truly alone. With a frown he turned his eyes to the door and called out. “Elia?” There was no response and Ka sat up more in bed before calling again. This time there was a small bump and a soft cursing. Ka was suddenly less certain, asking once more, “Elia?”

“Guess again. It’s Harim,” came a male voice as a guard pushed the door open to enter. The young man focused on Ka, but then suddenly jerked his eyes around the room. “Shit!” he cursed and quickly spun, racing out the door again. Ka heard him grumble, “Tamul is going to to be so pissed!”

Ka didn’t move, just blinking at the door for a long moment. He recognized the guard’s voice from his night in the cold, but he didn’t know what to think beyond that. Ka wondered where the prince had gone and as his stomach growled he wondered when he would be given food. He had nothing to do but wait, so with a sigh he simply lay back down.

It was a while before Ka could hear annoyed voices in the hall. In moments the door was pushed open to admit the small group of Re and the two guards. Tamul was haranguing Harim, who was hunched down apologetically. “You will be punished for this, you know!”

“Enough!” Re snapped abruptly. He sliced a hand through the air to silence them and end the ongoing lecture. “He was asleep. Punish him and shut up.”

“And why did you not wake him?!” Tamul demanded, anger focusing on the redhead. “We discussed this! You cannot wander without your guard!”

“I can do whatever I desire!” Re suddenly yelled.

Tamul’s eyes widened and he went pale as he remembered who he spoke to. Quickly he bowed in half and almost begged, “I’m so sorry, my lord. Please forgive me.”

The prince glared for a moment in silence. Finally he took a deep breath and turned his attention on Harim. “You will post again now. Stay here and help him,” he gestured towards Ka on the bed. Then he turned on Tamul with a huff. “Stop that. Get up. You’ll be with me.”

“Thank you, my prince.” Tamul let out a sigh of relief as he straightened. He wasn’t in uniform, he was wearing just loose pants and tunic. He rubbed his own aching head and turned on Harim with another glare. “Go get his breakfast,” he snapped and the younger guard was quick to bow and leave.

Still in only pants himself, Re was at his mirror fixing his hair. He found Tamul’s reflection and asked, “Have you considered any more guards?”

A glare settled on the guard’s features. “Between yesterday’s drinking with you and a night much shorter than I’d been planning on, no. I haven’t been able to think of anyone else.” Re turned to return the glare and Tamul sighed and looked away. “I will find them, new recruits like Harim maybe. I just need you to be patient a while longer, my prince.”

“We can discuss it today,” Re conceded tiredly. “Go get dressed.”

Tamul sighed again. “When Harim returns.”

“I thought you did not want to become your father,” the prince jabbed.

Tamul groaned and rubbed his head again. “That’s a really low blow. I’m not well enough to defend myself properly.”

“Then I will go easy on you for a while,” Re told him. He was changing now, pulling on a clean cream-colored tunic to accent the dark onyx jewels he had chosen.

“And perhaps no wine today,” the guard suggested.

The prince scoffed slightly. “Perhaps for you.” The two smiled at each other, still friends despite the annoyance of the morning. Before long Harim was back with food, the tray carried in by a servant girl before she left. Tamul left as well to prepare for his day and get food of his own. Harim received a glare from him and another from the prince and so, hungry without a meal himself, he retook his place in the hall.

As the guards left it was like Ka faded into existence once again. The prince looked at him for the first time and the acknowledgment actually startled the scribe. He felt he should speak, if for no other reason than so as not to disappear. “What was all that about? Where were you?”

The prince looked his way again, glaring slightly this time. He didn’t answer and instead went to the table and the food that had been brought. He lifted Re’s bowl of meat and turned to hand it to the scribe. “How is your knee?”

“It does not hurt,” Ka said flatly. He was focused on the plain meal, disappointed not to be sharing the prince’s food again. Clearly the redhead was done feeling sorry for him. “I’m sure I would be fine on the floor.”

The prince turned on him again, staring for a long time in silence. “No,” he finally declared and turned his back, returning to his meal. “You’ll stay in bed another day.” He said this like a decree, with an authority that made Ka hesitant to defy him.

Ka focused on his own meal. “I’ll stay here,” he promised as he ate. He wanted to ask for some entertainment, but he held his tongue. He didn’t want to anger the redhead and it seemed any wrong word could set him off.

The prince finished his meal in silence and then stood. Then as if confirming Ka’s worries, Re turned to him again and his expression was pulled into a frown. “Harim will tell me if you do not stay put. I’ll be gone all day again.”

“I will stay here,” Ka promised again, still uneasy. It didn’t look as if Re believed him. The prince was still frowning as he stepped towards the foot of the bed. Ka followed his gaze to the bedpost where the cold iron chain was attached. Panic flashed in Ka’s mind at the idea of being chained again – it was terrible and it wasn’t necessary. “Master Re,” he said plaintively and was grateful when the prince turned to him again. “I will not leave,” Ka told him firmly.

The prince was still for a moment. Slowly he pursed his lips and nodded. “Very well. I will return later.” He didn’t give any actual parting, just turned abruptly and strode from the room. Ka was left alone, staring after the royal. With a sigh he leaned back against the pillows to finish his meat and spend the day waiting for the prince’s return.