Ekleipsis (Fantasy Romance - LGBT, manXman)

6.6.

Either the guards had been warned to expect him, or the ripped manly men were a common sight at these gates, but Kintaro was brought to the Commander of the Guards straight away. The job interview had been an obvious formality. Kintaro barreled through his made-up biography, the Commander equally sped through the duties of a palace guard, and then, free at last, they got on the subject of horse breeds. The Commander turned out to be half-Verlown, and an avid horseman. His obvious sorrow at having to let the new acquaintance go testified to how dull the guarding job was. But it did not put Kintaro off. He was past the age of youthful curiosity but he still found many things in Arislan fascinating. Even if he rarely permitted himself to display it, choosing to appear unmoved most of the time.

As Kintaro passed through the palace, flanked by two guards, he barely looked around. Few could have guessed that he was taking in every detail. The Essanti did not care about the architecture or the decor, instead he was keenly aware of whatever arms were borne by the men, the servants' conduct, the placement of the guards and the location of the doors.

He wasn't surprised at how many white-skinned Northerners, swarthy nomads and deeply tanned men from around the FalkhidSea were all over the place. He knew from Chevalier Ahayrre that the Arislani rulers had always elected to hire foreigners who did not belong to the Arislani complicated familial network. It was unlikely that any scion of the numerous Arislani clans would ever place his loyalty to the Khalid or his love of money above the blood ties. With the constant strife for power amid the clans and the rather vague rules of succession, a faithful army was the only way to ensure the Khalid's safety.

The court mage came next. His reception room was set up to bowl over the simpler visitors: there was the ceiling emblazoned with stars and runes, a skeleton of an odd beclawed creature, thick volumes in strange tongues strewn about, multiple artifacts of unknown purpose glittering with silver and crystal, a couple of dusty human skulls and other sundry tools of the trade.

The mage interested Kintaro much more than all the bric-a-brac. This was the first mage Kintaro had ever met. The mage wore a long loose robe, covered with mysterious symbols, and a funny pointy hat. Smooth-faced and arrogant, the mage delivered a pompous speech about magic's omnipotence and its ability to peer at the darkest vices hidden within the soul of man. Eventually, he deigned to explain that Kintaro was to undergo a magical test of his mindset.

"Do you agree to have the purity of your intentions towards the Khaliddin assessed by me?" asked the mage archly.

"Sure." Kintaro nearly sniggered. Looked like his guarding would be over before it even started.

How did it go, in the Arislani sodomy laws? "Lecherous acts performed in relation to persons of the male gender," was it? Not that it said anything about lecherous thoughts. So far, no legal system on the continent had thought to punish solely for intentions. Not that his intentions in relation to the Khaliddin were going to get him a pat on the back... or on anything else... He'll so get kicked out of the palace!

In the meantime, the mage was starting a fire in the small brazier, throwing herbs on the flames, setting out his amulets, books, and a mirror in a gold frame. Kintaro amused himself by imagining the mage stripped of his mantle. Would he look as much of a pompous ass in bed? Figuring he had nothing to lose, the chief thought he'd go for it full speed.

"Hey, hotcakes, whatcha doing tonight?" he asked and pinched the mage's bottom for good measure.

"How dare you! Brute!" squealed the mage, nearly knocking over the table and instantly losing all his airs.

Some piece-of-shit mage, that, Kintaro thought and grinned. Nice ass, though.

"Quit twitching, I'm just asking," Kintaro generously reassured the mage, since he was so obviously nervous.