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Surprisingly, Aspen wasn’t afraid of the male presence being so close, but Vima had clearly never wanted to fuck him. Fucking was just something he did for those that had the coin to pay, and he’d aided Aspen in the early days.
“I was wrong,” continued Vima. “The Crown Prince loved a street whore. But you’re not really a whore now, huh?”
“Captain Kalani made me the King of the whores.”
Vima snorted. “You weren’t fit for street life. Not really. I just wanted to see you with my own eyes before you all leave and get on with taking the Kingdom back.”
“Do you want to come with us?”
“As a hole or a sword? I’m not good with a sword. I’d probably stick myself by accident.”
“Not as a hole,” said Aspen. “The soldiers can fuck each other if they need to blow off some steam. I mean…as something else. I’m sure there’s a job you could do.”
“I don’t need saving.”
Aspen had said those words to Oriel once, and he could see why. “If you want more choices, you can have them. Like someone offered me.”
Vima sighed. “Eh, I can’t think of nothing. I’m not really keen on spending ages on ships that might get sunk since you’re about to be at war and all that. At least in Lork, nobody is fighting right now, and I can’t run away on a ship.”
“True. But if you change your mind, send a note to wherever we live. Technically, I owe you a lot, so consider that.”
“I’ll think about it. You’re not staying here later?”
“I don’t think Oriel will want to.” Aspen figured that and couldn’t even stomach stepping into the place where he’d seen his loved ones die.
Vima stood. “I better get going, but it was good seeing you, Aspen. Stay with the Prince you snagged, you lucky bastard. He’s cute.”
Aspen managed to tack on some semblance of a smile. “He’s so much more than cute.”
“Like I said, lucky bastard.”
Vima left. Aspen hadn’t expected tears, hugs, or anything like that, and this had been good enough. Each knew the other was alive, and Vima wasn’t somebody he’d forget. Not when Aspen had been a lowly street whore living in a shed and trying to make his way. Maybe they’d see each other again. Or not.
Now that was done, he just had to pry himself off the ship. Simply being here made his stomach twist and sicken, and he thought he’d throw up when Kalani accompanied him through the streets. He said she could go back when they approached the Castle, and he let her have the horse he’d ridden.
It took every ounce of willpower to force himself through the gate. Beyond those walls, he’d grown to love the younger triplets and the King, and then, it all had been ripped from him. Oriel had lost his family too.
But they had gained each other. Oriel sat on the steps while his horse wandered several feet away and grazed. The proper King looked small as he hunched over some items, and he looked up in surprise at Aspen who sat next to him.
“I’m not going in. Now that we're actually here, I don’t think I can live here either, Oriel.”
“We’ll pick a new place. I can’t either. Here.” Oriel stuck two soft bears in Aspen’s lap. “Mother sewed these for us when we were little. If you want me to go in and find something of Father’s, I can. I know you loved them each in your own way, and they loved you. I figured you’d want something of Kard and Zale. Most of the stuff was stolen, but nobody wanted our old toys.”
Aspen clutched the bears to his chest. “This is fine.”
Oriel crushed his own to his chest. “I want Father’s sword, but I don’t know where it is.”
“I’m sorry.” Aspen inched closer and let himself lean on him. When Oriel put his arm around him, he nestled in further.
Now that he’d come out, he couldn’t leave Oriel and go back when the bodies were brought. They’d been placed into coffins before they were carried into the city. Soldiers said the encampment nearby had held plenty of men who seemed to have grown lazy with nothing to do. They were all dead except for two.
Two men had been sent to pick a spot for a new Castle so King Taven could have a place to stay if we wished to visit this area since his Kingdom had doubled in size. They would have planned the building based on the terrain, and they had some basic plans drawn up. Oriel told them there would be no home for King Taven now, and he let them go.
The two seemed quite happy to get the hell away.
The underground tomb where more current members of the family were buried was two days away. Dragging the army two days over land and back was a bad idea, so a proper burial would have to wait.
Nobody was supposed to be dug up or touched at all once they were buried in Ymir’s Earth. Elira said so, and all fairies followed this rule even if they had some varying customs for death, but the Royal Family's graves hadn’t been proper. Mages from the Temple had moved the bodies.
