The King's New Toy - (Part 1 of the Ignaius-Saga)

First Days, First Night

Over the next few days, some of the girls would be invited to spent time with the king. Usually the girls left in the evening and came back the next morning. And what happened between them and the king was the topic of a lot of gossip, although it was no secret at all that the main reason for them to be here at this point was to be bedded by the king. Still the curiosity amongst the girls for details was remarkable, even if for slightly different reasons. Some were scared, some were excited by the prospect, some even didn't care that much, one way of the other.

While the girls tried to kill time while waiting, Tanier realized more with every passing day and every girl that he took to bed that the one person he really wanted to meet was the boy. After a week he felt he had done enough to not make it look like he gave him special treatment, if he summoned him and as a result Variel received a small card, informing him that the king requested his presence after dinner.

Variel was grateful to have gotten his own room, though he spent the majority of his time in the library over the next week. He barely spoke to anyone save for when it was expected of him - he was a polite boy after all, just not very social. As the days passed and he enjoyed the collection of books, he began to wonder if he was only here as a formality. It was entirely possible that the king would never call upon him. The man had a girl to take to bed every night and likely had no interest in men at all. Variel knew his own interests were relatively rare; many people actually looked down on people like him or pretended they did not exist.

His father had been one of them for most of his life. A high- ranking officer in the military, his father had not been pleased to discover how bookish and uninterested in combat training his youngest son had been. He had been even more displeased to find Variel showing more interest in boys - and older men - than girls, even though he'd never actually persued anyone before. However, it seemed that - without a daughter to hand over - his father had realized the potential in Variel's 'affliction' and had decided to make use of it.

The king had accepted, but Variel suspected it was merely for ceremony.

Thus, he was a bit surprised when he received the summons. He bit the inside of his lip as he read the card, feeling a bit of anxiety sink in. What would this meeting involve? Would it just be to talk, or was the king really interested in bedding him like the girls?

After dinner, Variel bathed and groomed thoroughly, wanting to be presentable and prepared for whatever this encounter would entail. His dark gray hair was neatly combed and parted in the center of his forehead, oiled to a shine which made it look almost silver. Scented soap gave his pale skin a delightful aroma, and he was relieved that no blemishes had appeared on his finely-chiseled face.

When the time came, a manservant guided him to a nicely decorated and rather cozy drawing room. A settee and a few armchairs looked rather inviting and a few pieces of art provided some distraction. A few books and a bowl with fruits stood on a table right next to the settee.

"You may take a seat and make yourself comfortable, his majesty will join you when his time permits," the servant explained. Then he left. Variel was alone now.

When he was left alone in the drawing room, he took hold of one of the books in hopes of distracting himself from the anxiety festering in his gut. He was finding it difficult to focus, so he began moving his lips as he read in an attempt to keep his place and force himself to register the words. He'd barely eaten during the evening meal, but he made no move to take any of the fruit; his worry didn't leave him with much of an appetite.

Suddenly the door opened. The king entered the room. And just him. No entourage of any kind, no lord in waiting, no chamberlain, not even a single page. Just the king. He wore a bright red dress uniform and probaby had come here from whatever function he had attended to. He moved swiftly and Variel had barely time to stand up to greet him. He placed both his hands on Variel's arms and smiled at him, a friendly and open smile that extended to his eyes. It seemed he was genuinely happy to see him, although they had barely met before.