Sword of Kings
Chapter 19 – A Brief Reunion

by Bill W

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Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. 
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.
Don’t read this story if:
**You’re not 18 or over,    
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don’t want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author’s permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with this chapter.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other ‘constructive’ comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

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“It was my fault Selvaggio died,” the teen admitted, bitterly. “If he hadn’t volunteered to go on this mission or stayed behind to protect me in the Murky Marshes, then that thing would never have got him and he’d be alive now.” Unable to hold back his emotions any longer, he openly broke down and began to weep. The wizard, however, was focused more upon the lad’s words.

“What thing?” Beraut asked, confused.

“The Serpent Colossus,” Kieren sobbed in reply. This news sent the mage’s mind reeling. He thought back to the vague vision he had seen of something rearing up where the party was supposed to be and, suddenly, it all began to make sense. How could he have been so blind as to not recognize that sooner? However, he had to put those thoughts behind him and help Kieren come to grips with his feelings.

“Kieren,” Beraut started, consolingly, “Selvaggio was there to protect you. He felt it an honor to be able to do so, even if it meant he would have to sacrifice himself in order to keep you safe. If he were still here, he would not blame you or fault you in any way.” Hearing this, Kieren lifted his head and looked toward the wizard, but his inner conflict was still evident and could be seen through his now reddened eyes. Beraut felt the youth’s pain and even shared his feelings of responsibility for Selvaggio’s death. After all, he had selected the route the group had taken.

“I’m so sorry you had such a bad time of it,” the enchanter offered soothingly, as he gave Kieren’s shoulder a little squeeze. “I was hoping it would go much more smoothly than it did.” The wizard paused, before continuing. Even he was beginning to get a little emotional now, as he watched Kieren struggle with his feelings. “I hope the entire trip wasn’t that bad,” Beraut added, trying to move Kieren’s thoughts away from the loss of the knight.

“Not all of it, but there were a lot of other problems too,” the young man admitted. “Way back, when I found out I was leaving Wildoness, I thought I was just going to get to see other parts of Tarolia and do things I’d only dreamed about. Instead, most of what’s happened has been bad. I never expected there would be times when I’d have to run for my life or watch others die.” Kieren exclaimed, before he paused, seemingly lost in his thoughts for the next minute or so. Beraut let him have this time to himself and then almost as abruptly as he had stopped, Kieren started speaking again. “But we did find a strange little creature in Briarwood,” he added, cracking a slight grin. Seeing the boy smile relieved the wizard’s deep concern that possibly his recent experiences had been too much for him to handle.

“Indeed. You must tell me more about your discovery,” the enchanter urged him, and soon Kieren was filling him in about finding Qaim and the less stressful moments of their journey. This worked to Beraut’s advantage, as the teen managed to find a way to distract himself from dwelling on the more traumatic events of their trip. However, that abatement didn’t last long enough for either of them and they reached the point where the wizard had to break more bad news to him.

Beraut no longer wished to proceed with what he came here to do in the first place, but he knew he had to. After swallowing hard, he began to speak. “Kieren, although I understand this is a bad time to spring this on you, I have little choice. I came here to inform you about another matter. It’s something that troubles me even more greatly now, than it did before you told me about your journey here.” Beraut paused again, so he could study the young man’s face. He wanted to see if could tell by Kieren’s expression how he should continue.

“I’m certain you’re not going to be thrilled by my news,” the wizard admitted, “but I feel you have the right to know this.”

“Beraut, what’s wrong?” Kieren pleaded, his concern very evident on his face. “I don’t understand.” Beraut knew it was necessary for him to continue now, but he just wasn’t sure HOW he should break the news. Finally, he just decided to tell the teen, straight out.

“Kieren,” he began, tentatively, “I will not be able to accompany you the entire time it takes you to locate the sword and confront Madumda. I will only be able to take you as far as the rear entrance to Treblanc and make sure you’re safely inside. From that point on, it will be up to you and your protectors to do the rest.” Kieren flushed upon hearing the news and began to stutter out his response.

“B-b-but why can’t you stay with me? W-w-why are you going to leave me alone?” The teen looked panicked now, just as he had on the day they were confronted by the Serpent Colossus. Beraut saw the fright in his eyes and knew he would have to explain his reasons.

“You see, my boy, I am also required to lead our army into battle and I can’t be in two places at same time. Therefore, I had to decide which duty requires my talents the most.” He thought this information might make Kieren see his predicament, but it didn’t work that way.

“Why can’t someone else lead the army?” Kieren snapped back. “Isn’t helping me defeat Madumda more important than going into battle? I thought you said what I’m doing is the most important task of all, so how can you leave me to do it all alone?” Kieren had rattled this off so quickly that it was almost hard to understand, but his confusion and panic was evident.

“Yes, my boy, your mission is of supreme importance,” the mage assured him, “but you will not be alone and this will not be a typical battle. This war will not be just a clash between two armies, for if Madumda is there, his magic will wreak a havoc that only I can counter.”

“So you’ll sacrifice me instead?” Kieren asked, perplexed and upset. The teen’s blood was quickly coming to a boil and he was on the verge of losing his temper completely. “Then I’m not going!” he screamed out. “I won’t go, just so I can be killed!”

The wizard had expected a reaction from the boy, just not this one. He was prepared for the lad to whine, complain and possibly even throw a temper tantrum, but he did not anticipate his refusal to continue on. Worse yet, Beraut could not believe his ward would think he’d let any harm come to him. He had to explain this to him and make him understand.

“Kieren, I would not send you on this mission if I thought you did not have a chance or that you would definitely be killed.” Beraut tried to say this in his most soothing tone, in an effort to calm his young charge. “I’m not sending you off by yourself. You’ll still have the others to guide, assist and protect you along the way.”

“But they don’t have any magic!” Kieren spat back. “What good will they do, if Madumda is still there? They won’t be able to protect me from him,” he continued, trying to make his fears known.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Madumda leaves his fortress and is not there to confront you, when the time comes. I’m convinced that if he senses I’m with our army, he will come out to meet me on the battlefield, for the exact same reasons I can’t be with you. We are the only ones who could hope to counter the other’s supernatural powers. Otherwise, the one who was there could destroy most of the opposing army by just using his magic. No, he will have no more choice than I do in the matter. He will have to come out to face me on the battlefield, leaving you safe to find the Sword and confront him later.”

“No! I’m not going to go and you can’t make me!” Kieren shouted, still unconvinced by his mentor’s argument. “I only agreed to do this because I thought you were going to be there to help me. There’s no way I can do this alone.” Out of frustration, Kieren ripped the quilt from his bed and threw it across the room. Before the bed covering had even come to rest, the teen grabbed a pillow and slammed it against the wall, before flinging the other pillow at Beraut’s head. The wizard ducked it easily.

“Kieren, you will do just fine and you won’t be alone,” Beraut uttered, in his softest, most gentle voice. “The others will be by your side to help defend you and for companionship. Trust in them, as you would in me. You WILL succeed. Remember, it is foretold in the prophecy.” Again, the wizard thought this reminder would soothe the boy’s troubled mind, but once again he had miscalculated.

“If the prophecy is so accurate, then why didn’t it give my name too?” Kieren demanded. “It’s because it’s not true. It’s just a bunch of words and doesn’t mean a thing,” he concluded, while turning his back on the wizard.

“That’s not true and things may yet change,” Beraut countered, still hoping to reassure him. “Sometimes solutions turn up when and where we least expect them, so please don’t quit on me now.”

Still frustrated, Kieren hurled his body onto the bed and buried his face into the mattress. Every so often he would pound one of his fists into the bedding, just beside his head. The wizard chose not to interfere. Instead, he decided to wait the lad out and watch from a distance, knowing it was best to let him work through this emotional outburst on his own. After several long minutes, Kieren became frustrated, when he found his actions weren’t making him feel any better. It was not giving him the catharsis he so desperately sought, so he rolled onto his back and just lay there, staring at the ceiling.

“Did you get it out of your system yet?” Beraut wanted to know, which only earned him another look of disgust from the teen. The enchanter chose to ignore his disdain.

“Why don’t you finish getting dressed,” the mage advised him, “so you can go with the others to eat. Hopefully, that will make you feel better and I’ll see what I can work out before we come together again.” Kieren still did not agree with what the wizard wanted him to do, but he had to admit he was hungry and going without eating would not improve his situation. Reluctantly, he did as he was told.

Kieren slowly rolled off the bed, grabbed his shirt and put it on. Half-heartedly, he stood in front of the looking glass, analyzing his altered appearance. No matter how distraught he was, Kieren still wanted to look presentable when he met up with the others. He turned, first one way and then the other, examining his reflection and studying how this new attire looked on him. After this careful inspection, he judged his raiment acceptable and stepped out into the hallway, followed by Beraut.

As Kieren moved through the doorway, he almost literally ran into his dwarf guide, who’d been sent there to show him to the dining area. “Kieren, I’ll meet up with you shortly,” the wizard informed him, while nudging him along. “You go eat with your friends and I’ll see you in a little while.”

Kieren nodded his understanding and watched the enchanter disappear down the hallway, before the dwarf encouraged the youth to follow him. The teen was then led to a large reception area, which was located at the end of the hallway. It was filled with a collection of overstuffed chairs, most of which were occupied by his friends. Qaim was the first to notice his young protector’s arrival and the furry creature bolted across the waiting room to stand beside him. Now that Kieren had arrived, the others rose from their comfortable seats and followed the guide too.

The small procession traveled down a series of well-lit passages until they stood before another magnificent stairway, this one leading even farther down into the depths of the mountain. This new structure was a truly grandiose sight; even more spectacular than the staircase they had first traversed upon entering the dwarf kingdom. The railings and steps were constructed from black marble, with thin veins of gold running through it. The walls, which ran along either side of this magnificent structure, stood a short distance from each handrail and were covered with beautifully carved stone murals. These delicately etched masterpieces depicted some of the most important events in the history of the dwarven people, but Kieren was still too upset and preoccupied to appreciate it. In fact, he had come to a stop and would have remained at the top of the stairs, except Romaric gently nudged him and got him moving again. Slowly, he followed the others, as they continued on toward their destination.

As he trailed behind their guide, Kieren started to let go of some of the frustration that had been building up inside of him. In its place, he began to focus on the other things around him. As he made his descent down the rich staircase, the young man became fascinated by the simple elegance of the ebony colored marble that was used in its construction. Looking above him, he discovered the brilliance that illuminated the area emanated came from a series of candelabras, which lined the ceiling of the expansive stairwell. These light sources not only filled the expanse with a delicate amber glow, but they were also another artistic wonder for both visitors and inhabitants to admire.

Once they reached the bottom of the lengthy stairway, they continued going straight ahead, following the corridor that extended from its base. They followed this hallway and bypassed several intersecting passageways, until they stood before a large set of double doors. The companions soon discovered these doors opened into an elaborate banquet hall, which now stood invitingly before them. Looking into the interior of the room, Kieren judged this place served a similar function as the Great Hall at Leander. He concluded it was here that the dwarfs entertained their visiting dignitaries and high-ranking officials. Yes, he was certain this was the room in which all the large, stately gatherings took place and he wanted to study it more closely.

To that end, Kieren paused, so he could absorb the sheer elegance of this new chamber and carefully examine the beautiful adornments that filled it. He visually inspected every square centimeter of this wondrous chamber, from the delicately crafted golden sculptures, to the fine hardwood tables and chairs, with cushioned seats. He was intensely fascinated by the sparkling crystal chandeliers that hung suspended from the ceiling and contained a seemingly infinite number of candles in each, which helped to illuminate the spacious area. The oblong crystalline baubles, which dangled from the various levels of each fixture, appeared to serve a dual role. Not only did they add to the splendor of the chandelier, but each crystal also seemed to magnify the intensity of the candles’ glow.

The young man now focused on the many immense banquet tables that occupied the vast majority of the floor space available. Kieren’s thoughts were interrupted, though, when Garreth suddenly bumped into him. The elf had been so consumed with the sights in the hall that he didn’t see his friend was standing still and ended up crashing into his backside. This, in turn, caused Kieren to collide with a table and bang his knee, which sent sharp pain impulses radiating throughout his leg.

“Hey, watch where you’re going and try to be a little more careful,” Kieren snapped at his friend, inadvertently taking some of his frustration with Beraut out on Garreth.

“Sorry,” the elf apologized, embarrassed by his blunder.

“Well, pay more attention to what you’re doing,” Kieren retorted, which really shocked the elf. Garreth had never known Kieren to get so upset over such a little thing.

Once the situation had settled down, the boys were directed to a table at the far end of the room. It had been generously set with food of all descriptions and the aroma of the different items silently beckoned them forward. “Ahhhh, munchies,” Qaim sighed, dreamily. When the scent of food reached his nostrils, Qaim’s eyes snapped opened, as wide as saucers, as he strained to see the items that had already been set on the table. Enthusiastically, Qaim grabbed Kieren’s hand and began to drag him forward, because he wanted to get there as soon as he could.

The others followed their lead and moved quickly toward the table, but Qaim suddenly released Kieren’s hand and jumped on the table, grabbing food and shoving it in his mouth. “What are you doing?” Romaric screamed, causing Qaim to look at him as if he were a bit daft.

“Qaim eat munchies,” he responded, wondering why the elf was asking such an obvious, and apparently stupid, question.

“WE don’t jump on tables to eat,” Romaric advised him. “We sit in chairs and act civilized.” The elf seemed exasperated with Qaim’s actions, but Kieren quickly understood that all of this was totally unfamiliar to their newest friend.

“Qaim, get down from there,” Kieren suggested, “and I’ll show you what you’re supposed to do.” While Qaim flashed him a look of confusion, Kieren patiently pulled out a chair and showed their furry guide how to sit in it. After that, the young man demonstrated how to take portions of food, put in on a plate and then set it in front of where you are sitting, before you start to eat.

“That take too long. That not fill Qaim’s tummy,” he countered, looking at the boys confused. “Why you no want Qaim to eat like he do in his home?”

“Qaim,” Kieren tried to explain, “here there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. I just showed you the right way and that is what you need to do.” He studied Qaim now, to see if he understood it better, but Qaim soon answered that question for him.

“Qaim still think that take too long, but Qaim do what young master want,” he stated, obediently, and then tried very hard to duplicate everything Kieren was doing.

Once Qaim had settled down, the others seated themselves and greedily attacked the delicacies set out for them. It had been a while since they had last eaten and their basic need for nourishment took control of their actions. When they had consumed enough to satisfy their previously empty stomachs, they pushed their chairs away from the table and began to relax. Some of the warriors even eagerly accepted the pipes that were being offered to them, so they could enjoy an after dinner smoke, while they allowed their now stuffed bellies a chance to digest the meal. They hadn’t been relaxing for very long when the chamberlain arrived and announced he was there to guide them to the Royal Audience Hall.

Once again, they were led down a profusion of crisscrossing passageways; although these were much more expansive than the ones they had traveled over earlier. Eventually, they came to a halt in front of a pair of gigantic golden doors, intricately etched with vines and leaves. The three dwarfs were already there, waiting for them, and Kieren couldn’t help but notice how much better they looked.

“I hope you were treated well and had plenty to eat,” Doenilio told them, interrupting the young man’s thoughts.

“Oh, yes,” Rhys responded, before Kieren could. “We were given a chance to bathe, provided with clean clothes to wear and served plenty of good food to eat.”

“Yes,” Garreth added. “I think even Qaim is full now.” At this moment, everyone’s attention turned toward their little furry friend, but Qaim didn’t like being the center of attention. He tried to slide behind Kieren again, but the others didn’t pay much attention to him after that, other than to acknowledge it was one of the few times Qaim wasn’t begging for food.

“Do you feel better now?” Romaric asked Qaim, but Qaim didn’t have an opportunity to answer, before the doors swung noiselessly inward. They opened into the royal hall, although no one but the dwarfs realized it at that time. The refreshed group of travelers strolled forward. As they passed through the prodigious archway, they suddenly found themselves standing in another marvelous chamber.

The floor of this splendid room was completely surfaced with more of the highly polished, black marble slabs, which reflected the likeness of everything in the room. At the end opposite from where the guests had entered, stood two very plain gray rock seats, upon which sat two dwarfs, one male and the other female. Kieren recognized the Dwarf King from having seen him at Leander, so he focused upon his queen. Even though it is hard to apprize the beauty of dwarf women, as judged by normal standards, Kieren thought she would be considered quite beautiful among her kind.

As Kieren was thinking about the Dwarf Queen, he also happened to notice Beraut was there. Even though the wizard had been standing to the right of the King and looking down at the group as they entered, the teen hadn’t really noticed his presence. Why would Beraut be a part of this official greeting? Even more amazing, the royal pair rose as the party neared, until the companions finally stopped and knelt before them. As Kieren chanced to glance up at them, he scanned all three faces and noticed they each wore a very broad grin.

“Hail and welcome, my noble friends,” the King greeted them. “I am well-pleased to receive you into my kingdom and extend to you the hospitality of my people. I promised Beraut that I would be brief, so I will say no more. Instead, I will turn this reunion over to my ancient friend.”

The wizard stood, beaming as he glanced from face to face. “Kieren has already apprised me about your journey here and I was greatly saddened when he told me about the loss of Selvaggio. He also mentioned you had found a guide, after you were chased into Briarwood, but I did not realize, until now, the importance of your discovery. Kieren, would you please introduce your new companion to me?” Kieren was shocked by this request, but he knew he should do as he was asked. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward to introduce their enigmatic friend.

“This is Qaim,” he stated, not following the customary practice of making a formal announcement of this fact. He should have said, ‘Your highnesses and Beraut, I am pleased to introduce Qaim to you.’ However, no one corrected his error, so he continued on. “Qaim, that is King Brolin, his queen and Beraut,” he added. Beraut paused and stroked his flowing beard, as he stared at Qaim, and the small creature was growing exceedingly uneasy under the magician’s astute gaze.

“I am pleased to meet you,” the mage told Qaim, “and I wish to thank you for assisting my friends in finding their way here.” Qaim seemed confused and didn’t respond, so the wizard just continued his comments. “I shan’t go into all the details now, but your discovery has more significance than you can possibly imagine. I will tell you that this creature is a member of a nearly extinct race called aignx. They had been under the protection of the Council of Wizards, before Madumda took control of Treblanc, and I have not seen one in years.” Kieren was afraid that Beraut thought Qaim was a threat to them and an ally of Madumda, so he felt compelled to set him straight.

“If you are worried about Qaim, he is harmless,” he advised the sage.

“Indeed, harmless he is,” came Beraut’s reply, “but we’ll discuss that in more detail later.” Over the next several minutes, Beraut quizzed each member of the party about various aspects of their journey. He asked them detailed questions about the parties of warriors they had encountered, including what information they had been able to extract from the conversations they overheard from Sedain’s captors. He was trying to determine if the effectiveness of their mission had been compromised. After analyzing all the information he had gleaned from them, the wizard spoke once more.

“I don’t think your contact with those patrols creates a need for undue alarm or would cause Madumda to suspect something is amiss. Run-ins of this nature are to be expected, so I don’t suspect he’ll give it more weight than it is due. However, you did arrive late and much has happened since we parted. There are some things I’d like to share with you, but I think it best for you to get some rest now, before the next stage of our journey begins. So, it’s off to bed for all of you. We shall meet again in the morning and you must be prepared to travel at that time. We shall set out as soon as I am able to inform you about the next part of this venture. King Brolin has informed me that one of his servants will show you back to your rooms now, so pleasant dreams to you all.”

There was some bustle in the room, as one of the well-dressed servants approached them. Everyone did as they were told, but Kieren was hesitant about following his dwarf guide. He had many questions he wished to ask the seer, but he concluded this was neither the time nor the place to do so. He knew he’d be rebuked if he challenged the enchanter’s instructions to go to his room, so he grudgingly went along with the others. Once he stepped inside his bedchamber, he realized he was not alone, for the aignx was standing right beside him.

“Didn’t they give you your own room?” Kieren asked him.

“Yes, but Qaim no like being alone in home of little people.” Kieren immediately understood Qaim’s uneasiness and decided it would be best to accommodate him.

“Okay, I guess you can spend the night here with me then,” he told him, “but I have a lot on my mind, so I won’t be very good company.”

“That all right,” Qaim replied. “Qaim no want to be by himself.”

Those words had barely escaped Qaim’s lips, before Garreth and Romaric came bursting into the room. “We didn’t want you to have to be alone tonight,” Garreth blurted out, before coming to a halt, “so we came to keep you company.” Kieren just looked at his two friends and shook his head.

“Not tonight,” he informed them. “I already have company.” Having said that, Kieren stepped aside, so the two elves could see Qaim standing behind him. Turning back toward his two friends, Kieren made a face, which showed he hadn’t planned this and wasn’t entirely pleased about it either. “You two can stay with each other tonight,” he added, “and I’ll see you again in the morning. All right?”

The elves reluctantly gave a weak nod of agreement and left, although they weren’t entirely happy with the way things turned out. Slowly, they left Kieren’s room and went back into the hall. “That was pretty rude,” Romaric observed.

“We could have all stayed in there together,” Garreth added. “I don’t know what his problem is.”

“Yeah, I don’t like being brushed off like that,” Romaric countered, summing up his feelings.

“Why do you think Kieren let Qaim stay with him and not us?” Garreth asked.

“I don’t know, but if that’s what he wants, it’s fine with me,” Romaric spat out, and Garreth could tell this bothered his friend even more than it did him. Even though both elves were upset by this turn of events, they needn’t have been, because it wasn’t exactly what Kieren wanted either. Back in his room, Kieren was feeling he’d been backed into a corner, having to share a room with the aignx for the night, so he felt he had to set Qaim straight about a few things.

“I really didn’t want company tonight, but I realize you’re not comfortable being here and don’t want to be alone. I suppose you can sleep in the bed with me,” he informed Qaim, “as long as you stay on your own side.”

“No, bed too soft,” Qaim explained. “Qaim sleep here,” he stated, pointing toward an animal skin rug on the floor.

“Suit yourself,” Kieren countered, before getting undressed and hopping under the covers. The teen did not immediately go to sleep, as there was still too much on his mind, but after many minutes of wrestling with his problems, he eventually dosed off. A short time later, Beraut popped his head into the room, to check on his ward. The wizard was quite shocked that he didn’t to find the two elves in with him, but he was even more puzzled when he saw Qaim curled up on the floor, beside Kieren’s bed. Shaking his head in disbelief and confusion, he quietly shut the door and went off to his own chamber.