FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

I was still wound up, making my way through the palace. In all honesty, I did not know where I was going. No one told me where Caspius was and part of me didn't care. If I ran away, would anyone know? Would anyone care?

I continued to make my way down the hallway until I finally came to the courtyard. I did not even realize how much time had passed. The Cornua night was in full swing. The open roof of the courtyard allowed beautiful lightning bugs to streak in and out. Their lights were a light blue, the chemicals in their abdomen burning for a small moment before disappearing back into the backdrop of the night sky.

Stars twinkled above and I had the feeling the Gods were watching me in my time of strife. I felt as though I could see them, dining in the Hall of Relishing and pouring out wine and merrily discussing the latest celestial gossip or getting into heavenly flings. The jealousy I had towards the Gods above was surreal. My legs moved of their own accord and I hopped over the barrier that separated me from the courtyard. The sandstone was cold to the touch. Even in the summer, there was almost an otherworldly quality to how well the rock stayed cool.

Perhaps, I could learn not to break under the elements much like the rock.

When I made it out into the courtyard, I was surrounded by flora. Species that have stood amongst the tallest of trees and survived the harshest of seasons now domesticated into neat rows and ornate pots. Each one was trimmed to perfection, my father guaranteeing to have the best gardeners and florists to help maintain the non-native plants. The star shards glowed a cobalt blue in the moon's light, their petals shining brilliantly from Vigilia; our moon. Olive trees from down in the more arid south grew up in the direction the sun came up from, their branches extending like fingers raised to the sky.

The stars above were so numerous and uncountable that I lost any interest in the rest of the flowers. It was the divine's canvas and stretched across the heavens. Part of me wished I could be out among the universe just so I would be as far away from the palace as possible. I took a long breath of my previous home's air, savoring the water that was blown on the wind. The oceans were close by along the cliffside and I closed my eyes. I could hear them crash against the rocks. Perhaps before tomorrow, I could visit them one more time. After all, I did not know when I would return.

I heard footfalls behind me.

"I found you..."

It was Caspius. His voice sounded ragged and he was panting.

"Hello," I said, only lazily looking over my shoulder. He watched me carefully, moving closer. His eyes flicked to my hand. He was looking at the knife in my hand and I quickly moved it closer to my right hip to hide the blade. He had no reaction, his muzzle tight in a frown.

Caspius was in a casual loincloth, the dress customary for bulls. His nose ring was still in and bobbing back and forth at the end of his muzzle and his hands were at his sides. His chest was practically heaving. He must have been running. I was touched at his urgency. He appeared much more muscular since his clothes were removed. His pecs were broad along with his shoulders. His abs were buried underneath a layer of fat but he certainly had muscle underneath and his ankles had decorative ankle bracelets. A necklace with a golden band ended in a light blue sapphire. The jewel matched his eyes.

"I didn't know I was being searched for," I replied before turning around. Caspius was sweating, his chocolate brown fur caked in it and I could smell a slight musk coming up off of him. It rose above his perfume and soaps.

"I was just concerned when you didn't come back from my father's chambers. I was afraid that..."

He looked away for a moment, his brown eyes looking distant for a moment. When I looked into them, they immediately snapped back as if nothing happened.

My eyebrow cocked. "I wouldn't worry too much about me, Caspius. I can take care of myself."

Caspius huffed and shook his head. "I know. My father is always concerned about people who are not reliant on him."

There was a short pause between us. It seemed that Sandor had a bit of a mistrust problem. I took a mental note.

"Caspius, I used to be a Prince. I find it difficult to rely on anyone that isn't myself."

The bull frowned. "I figured but know that he will make your life more difficult if you do not obey."

Should I tell him my run in with his father? I knew firsthand the way he controlled the people around him. I was used to bending my knee to nobility.

"I know. I was not the most pleasant company on my first meeting with him."

Caspius's eyes went wide, and he stomped forward. "What did you do?!"

He raised his voice to the same intensity as Sandor and with the same pitch and I instinctively gripped my knife harder. I had to steady myself in order to slow my heartbeat.

"It is none of your concern..." I whispered.

"It is my concern, Arietes," Caspius and walked forward. I started to have deja vu from earlier when I was back in Sandor's room and I brought the knife forward for a moment. The moonlight shined down on the blade but Caspius took no notice of its shimmering.

I stepped back away from him to give me some distance. "Why did you come out here?"

Caspius's eyes went back to the knife in my hand and he looked visibly hurt. I was gripping the handle, my hand digging into the antler handle and glaring at him. I knew that perhaps I was being irrational, but his father had nearly throttled me during our little meeting. If Caspius had the same temperament, I did not know if I would get lucky a second time.

He held up his hands and he took a step back. I still watched him carefully.

"My father talks to all the servants that he puts under my control," Caspius said quickly.

I looked for any signs of a lie but Caspius stood still and calm. He looked at me carefully.

"I.."

There was something about him that made me let down my guard a bit. The fatigue that came from this whole day started to sneak up on me. My shoulders had been so tense all day that I could feel them seizing up and a sharp, stiff pain shot across my body. I did not notice it, the adrenaline in me coursing through my veins.

"I know you are overwhelmed, but you are safe and I won't do anything to you. I promise," Caspius said gently.

I did not realize I had the knife out in front of me now and he reached forward to place his hand on the tip of it. He slowly started to bring it down until it was against my side and he just stared right into my eyes. I shivered and looked away, my face burning with shame.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded.

"I'm sorry. Your father tried to see if I was an assassin in a very...strange way."

Giving an audible sigh, Caspius stepped back. He looked so regal, the way he stood and I was just so tired from everything that I was hunched. It was as if we were from two opposite worlds.

"What happened?"

I told him everything. How I got my sacred knife back and how Sandor had tested my resolve. Caspius stayed quiet, listening to me. He was the only one who had just listened to me the whole evening and he did not say a word. When I finished with Waden being talked to by his father, Caspius pondered for a moment.

"You certainly never gave me the impression that you were a spy," Caspius said off-handedly. "But I do understand his concern."

"So, do you think I could be a spy?"

"Well, you almost stabbed my father..." Caspius said with a joking grin.

I glared at him and he held up his hands once again.

"But you didn't!"

He said it in an almost sing-songy voice and shook his hands.

My composure broke and I laughed audibly. Everything was so ridiculous. If only we had a bard to compose something. Part of me wondered if this was all just a figment of my imagination and I would wake up in my own room once again and go down to the balcony where I was sold off for an army to an early breakfast.

With the thought, I felt an immense need to just go to sleep and get my dismissal underway.

When there was a small pause, I took a chance.

"So, why _did_you search for me? Please, tell me the truth."

Caspius frowned, the joy from before buried underneath a sour expression as if he bit into something unenjoyable.

"I thought that maybe you were a spy and Sandor had thrown you into the dungeons. I...would have preferred that outcome."

My mouth opened but no words came out. I was more curious at the comment than angry. I was too exhausted to feel any rage at the moment. It might have been better on Caspius's conscience if I wasn't under his servitude but...alas....

What happened to him that made him so reluctant to take on a lowly slave? Most bull nobles probably clamored to have one such as myself as their property. Or so I told myself.

"Plus, I couldn't sleep."

Caspius noticed my composure changing and he quickly interjected.

"And I don't say that as in I don't want you....I mean...it's not that I do want you either. Like at least not in this situation but..."

He blushed, rubbing the back of his head and his tail flicked nervously behind him. He was actually quite adorable when he was flustered. Like he got caught by his parents doing something naughty.

"I understand."

"You do?"

He looked at me, confusion on his face but also remorse.

"I'm...sorry," he said quietly.

I was taken aback by the sudden change in tone and kept quiet. I wanted to hear what he had to say.

When he noted that he had the floor, Caspius continued.

"You don't deserve to have your own father pawn you off for an army. Nor do you deserve this fate."

I was still silent, my heart starting to beat in my chest as Caspius looked into my eyes. They sparkled brilliantly.

"Do you wish to escape, Arietes?"

Now, I was genuinely struck silent. I pondered the idea for just a mere moment.

"Where would I go?"

Caspius reached forward to grab my left hand and pulled me close. I could smell his breath and it reeked of wine.

"I.."

He paused, his eyes getting misty but he blinked and the resolve was back.

"A slave before you escaped my care after two years of service. I know the route to help you leave. I know where you can go. I'll give you what you need. There is a sanctuary for people like yourself. They'll take you in..."

My mind started to quickly go through scenarios. I went back to when Waden escorted me into Sandor's personal chambers. I remembered Sandor yelling at Caspius before the meeting and how emotional it had gotten. The sensation of Caspius squeezing my hand brought me back to my senses.

"Just say the word and I will-"

"No."

It was as if I had plunged a sword deep into the bull's heart.

"No?"

"I need to stay. I cannot gather power against my father as a refugee," I said with a somber tone to my voice. "As much as I wish to be free, I can at least be comfortable among you."

Caspius's expressions changed from confusion, to anger, and then finally to understanding. Caspius gave a sigh. His hand was still clutching mine, but just a little softer.

"You need to go."

"I will not. Again, I have much that I can do here."

Truthfully, I did not know exactly what I had to do. I no longer had advisors to speak to or courts to win favor from. There was not a set objective or a lecture from a priest divined from the Gods.

Lowly Princes turned slaves getting vengeance on their fathers wasn't exactly told in legends often and my father was strategic in the fact that he was sending me off to a foreign land full of people that were still sour about war. I had little allies to rely upon. It was why the hand around my own felt so comforting. At least my new "Master" was sympathetic to my plight.

"I find that hard to believe," Caspius said gently as if the words itself would plummet him down into a trap.

"Then you have no faith," I said but gave a small smile. "My family is strong and I have their blood. Just stand by my side and I will stand by yours. I promise that you do not have to weigh your conscience with my bondage."

Even though it was probably the second formal meeting I had with Caspius, there was something that was drawing me towards him. His determined expression only strengthened the fire in my soul and his eyes burned with a mystical intensity.

"I will make sure that you are a slave only in name."

He stood up straight and proud and he practically dwarfed me. His pose was swollen and filled with vigor. He seemed to almost look like he had some sort of resolution. He smiled at me and I felt a warmth melt its way through me that I didn't expect to be there.

And for some strange reason, there was a brief glimmer of hope. Perhaps I could use Caspius as a shield of sorts. The bull may have been my Master but there was something about him that was calming for me. He held onto my hand and I felt my heart fluttering.

"_It's just been a long day..." _

_ _ "Why don't we head back to the room? I think you'll find the arrangement comfortable."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Anything would be more comfortable than what I have gone through today."

He led me out of the courtyard, holding my hand all the way out. It was getting so late now that the hallways were pretty much empty. Servants shuffled from room to room, trays filled with delicate fruits or wines. The revelry from before was in full swing now with laughter and jovial tones being the most prevalent. As Caspius led me down the hallway, my sensitive hearing picked up something I wished it didn't.

"Yes, with one Prince now turned slave, the family will not have a leech on their resources."

There was an airy chuckle from a woman inside.

"I heard the exchange was for soldiers and peace. Flos will put the bulls to good use. After all, we do have insurgencies within our own capital to vanquish."

"And where did you hear that from, dear?"

There was a pause and the woman giggled. "Why, from a bull slave. He was young enough that a few coins looked far too appetizing in exchange for some information..."

"Oh, you are a minx."

I did not recognize the voices. They were nobility just by the arrogance leaking out between their teeth. I should have assumed that the servants around had more than one Master if the coin was right. The various business partners and aristocrats that my father enjoyed keeping close were of great influence but at a cost of personality.

Caspius must have heard them too and looked over his right shoulder at me. The smile that he had on before was replaced with a frown.

"Ignore them. They know nothing."

"I am aware," I replied back with venom seeping into my words and we continued onward. Part of me knows that if the two knew I was standing outside of the door, it would still have meant nothing. Even by word of mouth, the story of my fate was spreading.

We continued onward. Further down the hall until eventually reaching a room towards the end of the hallway. A curtain covered the doorway and it was one stitched with care and consideration. Clearly, it was not one from my ilk and it had a depiction of a bull holding a spear up to the heavens and roaring out.

Ever observant, Caspius said, "The design was made by my Grandmother. Supposedly, it is to keep evil out and cast them away."

"I hope it works. There is plenty of evil in this palace to go around," I grumbled and Caspius snickered at the joke.

"Nobility are a different form of demon, aren't they?"

"Unfortunately, we are more related to them then we care to believe."

I walked through the curtain and Caspius followed after. The room was well-decorated and a large bed fit for two sat off to my right. Throw pillows of various sizes were thrown around the bed and an empty goblet sat on a nightstand nearby. When my eyes glanced over the slight mess, Caspius blushed and walked forward to begin picking up the throw pillows and blocked the goblet with his body.

I continued to explore the room. I could hear waves crashing against the shore; the walls opening up to a balcony that could easily be walked out onto. I could smell the sea and hear the chirping of the gulls outside. At least my last night would be a pleasant one. A shame that I would be leaving so early in the morning and would probably not get a chance to be out on the balcony and take in the sea for a full moment.

My feet brushed against the soft rug that was at my feet as I explored the room and there were several decorations hung up that were symbols of my own family. Our crest, a bow with a hand wrapped around the handle of it, was displayed proudly above the bed. I did not know what artist came up with such a design but its simple elegance was recognizable. Several other crests came before it; four in fact. Each one was of a different royal family. I was far too tired to care about the details of the past and made my way over to my bed for the night.

I started to take off my silks that I had worn. The transparent material was the only thing covering my form and it did little to hide anything. Caspius watched for a moment as if hypnotized. I felt no shame. Our culture taught that the male body was something that needed to be constantly maintained and mine was not any exception to the rule. Since I was in a high class, it was expected.

My body was all for Caspius now. After all, I was his to command. However, the bull was soft. Perhaps Sandor was right earlier; I was lucky to have landed with him. I made sure to push that thought down into my subconscious. I did not wish to think if I was not with him.

"I always wondered if deer looked any different naked..."

He gave a sheepish smile.

I chuckled and made my way over to the bed before laying down on it. The silk sheets were as soft as my clothes and I practically melted into it. The emotions of the day had caught up with him and sunk into my very physical being. I was belly down, my backside visible to Caspius whose eyes curiously wondered.

"So, do I look like what you expected?" I joked as I rolled over on my side and placed a hand on my cheek and one on my hip.

"Yes and no," Caspius said as he crawled up into bed. He was far enough apart from me that our bodies did not touch. He laid on his side as well and his chest faced me. I could tell he was a bit nervous and his chest was starting to move faster.

"You can wear clothes if you are more comfortable that way. You do not have to wait for my command."

He pointed a finger to a dresser nearby, the cherry wood glistening in the moonlight. Seemed everything in the room was polished to perfection.

"I sleep naked but if you are more comfortable with me being clothed..."

"No, you can be however you feel like. I do not mind."

His hand reached forward tentatively to my chest and squeezed. The touch was gentle. I did not pull away. At first, I was confused as to why he was touching me in the first place and then I remembered....

"Caspius, we do not have to cement our new relationship if you do not want to..."

Immediately, Caspius recoiled.

"Thank the heavens!"

There was a momentary pause as the shock of the reaction set in for me before I started to laugh.

"Why, am I not THAT desirable?" I teased. I knew full well why he did not want to, but I wanted to hear it from him. And maybe make him squirm a bit.

"N-no!"

It worked.

He blushed, his tail flicking and he looked away for a moment. His blue eyes flicked nervously from my naked form down to the sheets and back again.

"You are quite beautiful and I must admit that I would not despise it but..."

"I understand, Caspius," I said gently and reached forward to place my hand on his shoulder. "Your father said we do not have to follow such traditions. Did he not tell you?"

Casipus's muzzle turned into a snarl and he glared.

"No, the bastard didn't."

Before the now angry bull could get out of bed, I gripped his shoulder.

"Do not worry about it. We shall settle such matters in the morning."

"I could have...done something..."

He was clearly upset and it appeared that he was more shaken by it than I was. In a way, I was touched by it. I reached up to his cheek and stroked it gently. I knew that everything was going so fast but I needed Caspius to trust me and I needed him to know I was okay.

"You did not know. Please, Caspius. I just want to sleep."

He started to calm down then, his body relaxing, and his tail flicking began to slow. He watched me closely and looked for any signs that I was lying.

"Very well."

He turned around, his broad back now the only thing I could see and he gave a huff. It looked as if the wind was taken out from under his sails.

He seemed much more relaxed now and I rubbed down his back. His fur was soft and there was a scent that lingered. It reminded me of the sea as if the salt from it kissed his skin and then rolled itself along his fur.

"And Caspius..."

"Yes?" He said, his voice raising for a moment and I could see the

"You are quite handsome yourself. Don't take it as an insult that we did not consummate."

Caspius snorted, his tail flicking until it caught my ankle. I felt it gently brush against it.

"I appreciate it, Arietes. We should get some rest. We have a long journey."

I wholeheartedly agreed.

We both went silent. The soft sounds of the waves crashing against the shore and onto the rocks was all that I concentrated on. I did not pull myself under the sheets. I wanted the last thing I felt on my last night at my palace to be the sea's wind.

I closed my eyes, imagining myself up above the cliffs and watching the ocean crash itself into the side of the cliff again and again. Each pull of the tide back out into the sea only pulled my consciousness deeper into oblivion. My heartbeat started to slow and the light snores from Caspius were unheard of as the roaring waves filled my thoughts. With a few more breaths in and out, I was gone and carried away to my dreams like a small boat amidst the unyielding ocean.