Bound By Chains (MxM)

Chapter Twenty

Terry admittedly was a very difficult individual to get alone. I mean, after Cayden was...well, fed, I had made my way back to the camp in order to talk with him about possibly freeing Cayden as an ally, but when I had walked up to his tent, I was stopped by a large half-elf, who stared down at me with intimidating topaz-colored eyes.

"Terry is not seeing anyone at this time. Come back later."

I nibbled at my bottom lip and attempted to peek around him, only for him to move into my field of vision. "I-I apologize, but I-I need to speak to him about my companion. I-if I could just have a moment of his time, I would-"

"I told you, he isn't seeing anyone." The half-elf practically growled at me, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, come back later."

I wasn't about to anger someone who could probably crush me just with his arms alone, so I apologized for wasting his time and meandered back towards my tent, my eyes on the ground as I walked. I wondered what Terry was doing. I mean, why no one was allowed to see him? What was he even doing? Was he planning on another invasion? Would he remain "unavailable" if something detrimental happened? Then again, he didn't seem like the type to hide if anything went awry. At least, that was what I got from him upon our brief conversation yesterday.

I sighed and stopped in front of my assigned tent, nibbling at the inside of my cheek as guilt pooled in my gut. Gosh, I had promised Cayden I would talk to Terry, yet here I was, wasting time and doing nothing. I needed to figure out a way to talk to Terry, so I could convince him to let Cayden go. But how? His "bodyguard" said he wasn't seeing anyone, and it wasn't like I could get past a man who was easily ten times my weight in just his arms alone. I definitely wouldn't stand a chance against that guy.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Yeah, this wasn't going to work. I needed to just...wait until Terry was available. I mean, I really didn't want to be kicked out, or put in that cell with Cayden for causing a scene or getting on Terry's nerves. It was better for me to be patient. I mean, how long was Terry's...tent was going to be off limits? Surely not all day, right?

Hours later, I began wondering if Terry was ever going to let anyone see him. I mean, it had been about six hours since I had tried to approach him and yet, I hadn't even seen him come out of his tent yet. What the heck was he doing? Surely, whatever it was, wouldn't have taken six hours...right? Was he even there?

Huffing, I finished helping an elf stack the last box of rations into the food tent and began making my way back to where Terry was "hiding", the large half-elf straightening his massive posture as he crossed his arms back over his chest and gave me a droll stare. When I was standing in front of the other man, I mimicked his posture in a moment of surprising confidence and met his gaze head on. "I need to talk to Terry. Please. It's important."

The half-elf moved closer to me, causing me to bend my neck back to maintain eye contact with the gargantuan man. "He's not available."

I huffed. "You said that six hours ago. Surely whatever he's doing in there, is not something that should take so long. So whatever it is, I'm sure he could spare two minutes."

The half-elf leaned forward, nearly getting in my face, but before he could say anything, the flap to Terry's tent opened, revealing the fae himself. "Let him in, Ilikas." He said before disappearing inside.

Deciding to indulge my childish side, I stuck my tongue out at this "Ilikas" and sauntered my way into the tent, feeling incredibly smug in this moment. The first thing I noticed when I was inside, was the multitude of maps that laid on every flat surface in the tent, leading me to believe he had been looking for another place to ambush, or even another place to move the camp. Or maybe it was something else entirely and I was just making up strange conspiracies.

I nibbled at the inside of my cheek as I watched Terry run his pale hand through his hair, before he moved a map off of his desk and sat down, violet eyes on me as he gestured for me to sit down. Feeling awkward, I sat down quietly and settled my hands in my lap, suddenly nervous now that I had Terry's attention. I mean, why the heck was I so nervous, anyway? I've been trying to get a moment to speak with him for hours now, so why am I suddenly wishing for this to be over with?

"So, what do you need to discuss with me, Davian?" Terry wondered, tilting his head as his violet gaze searched mine. "Ilikas claims you've been trying to talk to me for a while, so I assume it's something of importance." He leaned back in his chair and gestured towards me. "So? What do you need?"

I cleared my throat and awkwardly shifted my weight in my chair, nibbling at my bottom lip before I scratched the side of my nose and began. "As you know, ah, my companion has been placed in a...confining manor, and I was just wondering if there was any way you could...let him out? I know you believe him to be just like every pureblood out there, but I assure you, he's not. He's been kind to me. And sure, he wasn't always that way towards me in the past...but he's trying to change for the better. And I believe that. He wants to abolish slavery just like you do. He's an ally, not an enemy, and if you let him go, he'll be able to help."

Terry studied me in silence for a few, tense moments, he frowned and leaned forward in his seat, clasping his hands together over the metal table. "You truly believe him to be a good person? You truly believe that the first chance he has, that he won't run back to his father and inform him where we are located? He's a liability, Davian."

"He saved my life," I spoke adamantly as I leaned forward in my seat. "Look, I understand why you feel weary to let him go, after all, you just attacked his home, and I could see why you wouldn't want him to get lose to run and tell Alton where you're at. But when we first washed up on shore after jumping off of that cliff...Terry, I couldn't even walk on my own. My leg was mangled and yet, Cayden didn't leave me. If he didn't care about slaves like you seem to think, then why didn't he leave me to die? Why did he carry me on his back for hours on end, exhausting himself to the point where I had to force him to stop?" I nibbled at my bottom lip, wringing my hands together. "Look, you can assign a bodyguard or something to watch him and make sure he doesn't run if you're that worried. I just...I don't feel right having him locked up when he genuinely wants the same thing this rebellion does."

Terry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like a mix between "done with life" and annoyance, but slowly his expression began morphing into something akin to "reluctant acceptance" and before I could add anything else to my little spiel, he dropped his hand onto the desk, nearly causing me to jump at the sudden loud noise. "You're not going to let this go until I do as you ask, aren't you?"

"I'm very adamant about it, yes. I just don't feel right having him locked away like some dog."

Terry pursed his lips. "You're stubborn. Makes me wonder if there's more to why you want him freed." He then sighed and stood up, crossing his arms over his lithe chest as he stared at me intensely, almost as if he were reading my soul, and I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that. "Fine. I'll let him go. However, I will only do so on one condition."

Hope blossomed in my chest as I sat up straighter in my seat. "Of course, what's the condition?"

I tried to ignore the faint smirk that formed on the fae's face as he sat on the edge of his desk, tilting his head in a way that was almost...creepy. "If I let your little prince go..." he leaned forward, his smirk morphing into a smile, "he'll be required to wear a collar. Specifically, a slave's collar. And we'll see then if he is truly on our side, or if you've been conned like a naive child."