Undorn: The Beginning

Part Thirteen

Maxin, The Fort

His body was shaking, but it wasn't just with pain.

Orgon had defended him. Orgon had defended him from a prince! Although Maxin had no idea what Orgon had said to the boy once he dragged him out of the room, Maxin couldn't help but feel absolutely honored. Even if Orgon was just protecting his property, Maxin still felt every ounce of his body purr with joy. Orgon had defended him!

As soon as he came back into the room, Orgon locked all three of the locks on his door. Maxin was trembling, but in a good way. In an exciting way. His body was on an Orgon-protecting-him induced high.

Without saying a word, Orgon strode over to Maxin. He paused in front of him, then gently reached a hand out to his face. With a touch so delicate, Orgon's fingers ran across his cheek and under his chin like velvet. Maxin watched as Orgon's whole face contorted into a frown, concentrating on the movement of his fingers on Maxin's cheek. This was the first time Orgon had ever touched him.

And then, Orgon was hugging him. He was gripping him so hard Maxin had a hard time taking a breath. Maxin had no idea what to do. He had never been touched by Orgon before minutes ago, let alone hugged by him!

"Maxin," Orgon's voice was strong. "You know you can hug me back." He didn't wait for Maxin to respond. Instead, he broke away slightly, then grabbed each of Maxin's hands and wrapped them around his torso. Then, he enveloped the boy once more.

In all his life, Maxin had never felt so cared for. This wasn't Orgon protecting his property. Not at all.

Orgon pulled away from him first. "I have something that will cheer you up."

Maxin's skin broke out in goosebumps. By now, he had completely forgotten about how horrible his headache was. All he could think about was how warm Orgon's touch felt.

Orgon had disappeared into the living room, so Maxin sat on the edge of his bed, his foot tapping the plush carpeted floor anxiously.

Orgon's voice flooded into the main room. "Are you ready for this?" Maxin bit his smiling lip.

"Whatever this is, I guess so!" He called back.

And then, all at once, Maxin was consumed by something he never thought he'd experience in his life.

Music.

It was something slow and soulful. It was a man's voice singing. His voice was soft, yet powerful. The only instrument Maxin recognized was a guitar, being steadily strummed in the background.

All Maxin could do was stare straight ahead, making sure he heard every last syllable the man sang and took in every last note of the strumming guitar. He had heard tall tales about the beauty of music and freely crafted lyrics, but never in his life did he think he would get to experience it himself.

And then all at once, it ended.

Slowly, Maxin turned towards the living room where Orgon had gone. Except Orgon was right next to him, standing there, hovering over him, staring at him expectantly. Maxin hadn't even noticed.

"You enjoyed it."

All Maxin could do was nod dumbly. "That was..." Maxin couldn't even find the words.

Orgon's lips turned up into a smile. He was holding two glasses in his hands now. He gave one to Maxin, who took it absentmindedly.

"Pretty cool, right?"

"Pretty cool? Sir, the only music I've ever heard is outside on the streets. Old men playing old guitars... the occasional woman singing a hymnal. I used to think that was beautiful. This, this is out of this world."