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“You are perfect just the way you are. No part of you was ever a mistake. Understand that, Sebastian. It does not matter what your mother said, or what your father hid. That part of the world has been erased. Who you are now, and what you become, that is up to you.”
Seb clung to him like a sailor clings to driftwood in an ocean storm. Lucan held him tight, because that was what he needed and for once it was something he could give him.
He could not restore Sebastian’s family or his throne. His kingdom was lost, though his life had been saved. But Lucan could give the prince some measure of comfort, and that would have to be enough for the moment.
“Now,” he said, when Sebastian's sobs had slowed. “It is time we made shelter, and a fire, and indulged in some of these provisions. You must be starving.”
“I don’t eat that much,” Sebastian said, sniffing slightly.
That was probably true. Sebastian was slender in build, but he was also young, and he had lived a life without much in the way of either meat or exercise. He would need to eat more to survive the wilds and the inevitable combat.
“Shelter first,” Lucan said, turning to the first of the tasks. “If you pitch the skins just so, water will run off them. They are oiled, and that means they repel liquid. But they must be taut and at an angle so water does not pool in them. If that happens, they are prone to collapsing in the night and dousing their inhabitants.”
Sebastian appeared to be listening, though it was hard to tell how much he was taking in. He truly had no practical skills whatsoever. Lucan tried to teach him how to tie a knot, but even the efforts of a single day’s ride had left the prince’s skin welted. He was soft, and though it broke some part of Lucan to realize it, he was going to have to make Sebastian harder.
“Now, when we light a fire, flint struck against steel will make a spark that can be used to ignite dried moss. If you can’t find anything dry, because of recent rain, it may be possible to find a stick that has not been entirely soaked through. When you find such a stick, you can take a knife, peel the bark back and then continue to peel until you find the dry wood at the center. Peel that into very small shavings, and you will have something that can take light from flint.”
Boys and girls of just a few years of age knew all of this where Lucan was from, but Sebastian only knew how to demand things from servants.
“Here,” Lucan said, handing Sebastian one of the knives he had picked up in Greenbelt. It was a sharp, good utility knife, suitable for everything from skinning rabbits to working firewood. He’d picked up two of them, and so far had kept them both to himself out of concern for Seb’s ability to handle such a tool.
“You try.”
He handed Sebastian a suitable stick and waited to see what would happen. There was a chance the prince would know what to do. Perhaps he could follow directions. He had to start doing something sometime, after all.
Lucan then watched as Sebastian handled the knife so awkwardly, he was genuinely concerned the prince was going to cut his hand off.
Sebastian felt Lucan’s arms wrap around him as the knight reached around him to take hold of the hand holding the knife and guide it over the wood. He had been struggling with what he imagined would be a simple task. He felt clumsy and had been starting to feel quite embarrassed by his inability to carry out what seemed to be a very easy activity. But the moment Lucan’s body was closer to his, Lucan’s big, rough hands helping manipulate the knife and the wood. Now, instead of jabbing the blade awkwardly into the bark, he found himself peeling it away. The jerky, awkward actions became smooth and effective.
"You are incredible,” he breathed. “All the things you can do, while I can do nothing. You must think me such a helpless, useless creature.”
“You have power,” Lucan said, his beard rough on the back of Sebastian’s neck for a moment as he moved from one side to the other. “And we will bring it out of you, just like we will find suitable tinder for our flame. An unlikely package can hide incredibly important and valuable treasures.”
Sebastian drew in a deep breath and tried to keep himself under control. Lucan’s touch, Lucan’s scent, Lucan’s fucking presence was driving him crazy. Even if he hadn’t been too nervous to do what Lucan asked him to do with the knife and the stick, he might very well have pretended to be inept just for this closeness.
