Scribbles and Drabbles

Notebook Drabble 12

Ryane looked at the man in horror as the Emperor of New Gaia squared up against him in his face and slammed a fist into the wall next to him. He'd seen that look before. Both in this life and his previous, this was the look of Leif on the edge of insanity. When if things weren't done rightly, he could do truly terrible things. He swallowed and trembled, the man shaking with his own emotions.

"Amsiel," Leif growled. "You broke your promise,"

"I... I am not Amsiel," Ryane commented unable to meet the man's eyes, deeply scared at this point. They weren't in a public place. Leif could hurt him here and there was nothing he could do. But he wasn't going to let Leif call him by that name freely. "And I did not," he added firmly. "You're the one who said you were not going to take that deal in a million years. I have received no clues that you had changed your mind. I wasn't going to do something that would endanger myself, your Imperial Majesty."

"Am... Ryane," Leif corrected himself, his voice still angry but not beginning to calm. His other hand came down to rest on Ryane's chest, Ryane suddenly aware Leif could likely feel how fast his heart was racing right now. "Ryane," he repeated, almost like he was trying to fix it in his mind. "Are you tell me you received no message that I expected you to fulfil the deal?"

"No, Sir" Ryane said softly, meeting Leif's eyes. "I have received messages from you, yes, but no one saying you wanted to take the deal I offered. I made sure I would be able too. I even filled out the application to the New Gaia Science Academy but ..."

"Science?" Leif frowned. "No, you will join the Military Academy," he said firmly.

"But," Ryane bit his lip as Leif looked at him again with those dark eyes ready to strike and hurt him, underage or not. Leif didn't care about what Ryane wanted, only what was useful to him. It didn't matter to Leif that Ryane had skills in Science, only that Amsiel was an excellent tactician and Ryane would be able to use those skills again if he was properly natured to do so. The fact Ryane didn't want to was either here or there. He was forever going to live in Amsiel's shadow and the chains he should have been able to escape by death.

Leif exhaled and leant back slightly, the hand on Ryane's chest staying but Leif lifted his other hand to his ear, activating his commlink. Ryane stood still dutifully as Leif connected his husbands. "Bo, my darling. Did you send Ryane the message I asked you about his future and excepting the deal?" Leif asked, his eyes still narrowed in mistrust.

"Of course I ..." Bo started confidant but then trailed off as something occurred to him. "Didn't," he admitted at the end, sounding a touch constipated. "Sorry! I forgot. I got distracted by ..."

"You never sent the message," Leif cut in sharply, closing his eyes. "You never sent the message and let me storm all the way to Muloo?" he growled.

"Ah. Right. That's where you went. Hi Rayne," Bo called. "Sorry, um. Please tell me you didn't go too far before realising?" Bo pleaded, sounding intensely embrassessed and very concerned. "We aren't going to have to go to war with Muloo because you did something drastic?"

"Not yet," Rayne croaked after a moment of silence as Leif was clearly trying to pull himself together. "Just scared me more than anything else," he offered weakly. It was true Leif had basically kidnapped him but he hadn't actually hurt him yet. Or done anything particularly humiliating.

The hand on his chest pressing slightly before Leif opened his eyes and leant forward, kissing Rayne on the forehead. "Bo. My love. We are going to talk about this when I get back," Leif warned darkly, wrapping his arms around Rayne and hugging him close. Rayne swallowed but hugged back lightly, his trembling starting to get worse now. He wanted to go find his brothers and be shielded from the Emperor and his maniac moods. He wanted to go tell his own Emperor that Leif had been claiming domain over him but that wouldn't help now. Leif would only get angry again.

"I know. Don't be too mean to Rayne," Bo pleaded. "It's my fault, not his."

"I won't be mean," Leif said softly before cutting off the commlink. He was silent for a moment, holding Rayne close. Rayne realised at one moment that Leif was actually holding him up, his body had gone numb, his heart racing and horrible sounds were starting to come from his mouth as something in him snapped and lost control. Leif made gentle sounds and picked him up, taking him over to a sofa and lying him down with Leif still holding him.

It took a little while to calm down after that. Leif had him laying down with his shoulders and head in his lap. The Emperor stroking his side softly. He lifted a hand a wiped his face. "Sorry," he whispered.

"It's fine," Leif said sounding rather calm all things considered. "It's not like you don't have cause to be scared and you are only seventeen, technically," he said almost begrudgingly. He was quiet for another moment, his eyes looking down on Rayne's face but Rayne didn't look at him, still feeling the terror of having Leif leaning over him run through his system. "So. Science. That's your thing this time?" Leif asked lightly.

"I think so," Rayne nodded. "First time, but I actually understand science this time. So far. I'm no prodigy but my test scores are high and the Muloo academy has been courting me for joining them," he murmured.

A/N: I mean universe wise, this was a thing I had been contemplating writing but decided against in the end like with the 12 novel saga I plan in my spare time. The simple explanation is, Rayne is immortal, sorta. He and his people a few thousand years ago did a ritual and now every time they die, remember their past lives when they are reborn. (Typically 20-50 years after their death). Not really a problem when human numbers were small but when you get to out generation, that's a lot of people they could potentially be born into. Hit space age and there is a huge war where lots of people die and humanity is pretty shitty because we always are at some point or another.

Amsiel has a pretty shitty time of it. Abusive father + war and picking the wrong side leaves him deaf, mute and crippled (can't walk easily). His rival, Leif, wins the war an while not horrible to him, doesn't try to help him either. Leif and his comrades become immortal through some space-age shit. One of Amsiel's people find him and kill him, knowing he'll return in twenty years or so anyway. Skip forward to Rayne, who at 13 accidentally reveals himself to be Amsiel reincarnated. Leif wants him under his control for reasons (mostly to keep his own skin safe), but Rayne is the son of an important figure in another nation. As a teen, Rayne is safe but he knows once he's an adult things won't be as easy. He tries to make a deal so have some safety but assumes its rejected. Hense this drabble.  

I assume Rayne will enter Leif's harem once he's an adult and there would be some awkward interactions with Amsiel's children who now have a father who is younger than them. Not entirely sure what the ending for such a story would be, however. I could portray Leif as evil as fuck and the ending being Rayne's freedom and independence, but I like the complicated dynamic that their relationship would entail. For one Rayne is still young so Leif can't court him in the traditional way. Even as an adult, there is a weird balance to be had between the two. So yeah, the story didn't go anywhere but have the drabble and my explanation of what was behind it lol.