Sword of Kings
Chapter 20 – Dwarfish Hospitality

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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Qaim awoke long before Kieren did the following morning, but he stayed where he was. The aignx continued to lie quietly on the rug, while waiting for his young master to awaken. Before long, the teenager began to stir. Slowly, Kieren rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched every muscle in his body, in an unconscious attempt to get the blood circulating again. Kieren hadn’t quite finished his morning ritual when there was a knock at the door. He immediately jumped out of bed, so he could inquire as to who was there.

Kieren soon discovered it was a servant, who had been sent to assist him. Qaim stood up too and moved over beside Kieren, as the teen opened the door. The servant was young, much younger than Kieren expected. However, he did not have long to ponder the point. The boy quickly advised them that another attendant was waiting to help Qaim, but that servant was in the room the aignx had been assigned to. After a little coaxing from Kieren, the aignx reluctantly returned to his own chamber.

The young valet looked to be about twelve, possibly thirteen, years old and he stood there looking Kieren over before he spoke, “I was told to advise you that you are requested to dine with King Brolin in an hour. Would you like for me to prepare a bath for you first?”

“Yes, please. That would be very nice,” Kieren responded, all the while thinking the lad looked far too young to be doing such hard physical labor, such as drawing buckets of water for a bath. Regardless of what Kieren thought of his abilities or age, the boy pressed on with his duties. He moved continually in and out of the room as he fetched the many buckets of water, both hot and cold, that were needed to fill the tub. Even though Kieren was troubled by how hard this boy labored, he was looking forward to this small treat. He realized it might be quite some time before he could enjoy this simple pleasure again.

Kieren started to undress, while the young dwarf brought the final buckets of hot water to warm the bath. As the boy emptied the last container into the tub, Kieren stepped into it and gradually lowered himself downward, into its relaxing touch. The young dwarf stood by the head of the tub, waiting to see what Kieren wanted him to do next. After standing patiently like this for a few minutes, the boy finally spoke up. “Would you like me to wash your back, sir?”

Kieren was somewhat surprised and uncomfortable with the boy calling him ‘sir’. “My name is Kieren,” he told the young dwarf. “I’d like it if you to use my name and please don’t call me ‘sir’.” The youngster nodded his head in understanding.

“Is that part of your job,” Kieren asked his attendant, “to wash my back?”

“Yes, sir…Kieren. It is. Would you like me to do that now?” Since the boy didn’t seem to have a problem with the thought of doing this, Kieren decided it would be acceptable, so he nodded his consent.

“By the way, what should I call you?” Kieren asked, trying to make this less formal and friendlier. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Hoby, sir.” The dwarf kept his eyes averted from Kieren’s intensive gaze, as if it were impolite to look his temporary master in the eye. Kieren sensed that he had been instructed to avoid such contact, as only one’s peers were allowed that privilege, so Kieren decided to address the problem before it grew worse.

“Hoby, let’s just pretend we’re friends, okay?”

“But that wouldn’t be right, sir. I have to remember my place. I’ve been told that many times.” The young dwarf looked almost terrified now, as if he was expecting a reprisal of some sort.

“Well, you can do that when you take care of others, but I prefer we just be friends. I promise I won’t tell anyone, so you won’t get into trouble.” Hoby thought about this briefly, and then he released a weak smile, letting Kieren know he was going to give in.

“You’re nicer than most of the guests I have to help,” Hoby informed him, while his smile became more natural and pronounced with each second that passed. Kieren appreciated the compliment and the sincerity it was offered in.

“Thank you. I’m glad you think so. How old are you, Hoby?”

“I am eleven, sir,” the dwarf announced. This bothered Kieren immensely. He had been sure the boy was much older than that, so this just added to the sympathy he felt for Hoby and increased Kieren’s sense of remorse that the young man was forced to endure such a hard life.

“Will you please drop the sir, Hoby? How long have you been doing this?”

“For over two years now, si…Kieren.” A wave of compassion swept over Kieren.

“Why do you have to work like this?”

“My family needs the extra money, so I had to find a job. I need to help pay for some of the things my brothers, sisters, and I require.” Kieren wondered what types of things he meant, but he did not wish to pry further into Hoby’s personal business and possibly embarrass the lad.

“How many brothers and sisters do you have, Hoby?”

“I have five older and eight younger than myself.” This amazed Kieren even more, seeing he was an only child and none of the elfin families he knew had more than five or six children in total. Yet, here was a dwarf who claimed his parents had more than a dozen offspring.

“That’s quite a large family,” Kieren observed.

“Yes, it is. People say my mother is lucky because she’s so fertile. Two of my mother’s friends have not been able to have any babies, so they come over and help take care of the younger ones.” Kieren thought it was nice that his mother had friends who would help her take care of all her children.

“Do your other brothers and sisters have to work too?”

“Yes, si…Kieren, they do. I have three older brothers and two older sisters who work as well, and my next younger brother will be starting his job soon.”

“So, all of you to have to work?”

“Yes, sir, I mean, Kieren. We’ve all taken jobs because we felt we had to, otherwise there would be hardly enough money for food and clothes.”

“Well, Hoby, maybe it won’t always be this way.”

“How will it change, sir? There are just too many of us for my parents to provide for.” Hoby looked down after saying this, almost as if he were embarrassed about being part of such a large family.

“Well, maybe your family will come into some money,” Kieren suggested.

“I’m afraid there is no one who would do something like that for us,” the dwarf responded, sounding dejected.

“Maybe a benefactor will come to your rescue,” Kieren hinted, trying to give the boy some hope. “He might provide enough money so that you and your siblings will not have to work any longer.”

“I doubt that, sir, but it would be a nice dream.” Hoby seemed to be momentarily lost in this thoughts, as he considered that possibility, but then his expression changed again. He had concluded it was silly to even think about something like that happening, because there was no one who would want to help them in that way.

Hoby had finished washing Kieren’s back, so he slid around to the front of Kieren and began washing the teen’s chest. This surprised Kieren, but he didn’t say anything, until the boy’s hand dropped below the surface of the water and began to rub over his genitals. “Ah…what are you doing?” Kieren asked, in a gentle tone. He wanted to find out why the young dwarf was up to, without hurting his feelings or scaring him.

“You’ve been so nice,” Hoby informed him, “that I’d thought I’d like to do something special for you.” He gave Kieren a rather shy grin as he said this, but the older boy could tell the younger lad was not uncomfortable with what he was doing. Slowly, Hoby stroked him to an erection.

“Do you do this for every visitor?” Kieren asked him, as a means of clarifying what was happening.

“Oh, no, sir. You are the first guest I’ve ever done this for.” Hoby looked a bit shocked and embarrassed now. “Am I doing it wrong? Don’t you enjoy it?” the dwarf asked, concerned.

“Oh, you are doing it very well, but if you don’t do this for others, how did you know this would be something I might like?” Kieren looked thoughtfully, yet reassuringly, at the lad and Hoby’s face lit up in understanding.

“When I was practicing to take this job,” the diminutive helper began, “I would bathe my older brothers, to make sure I was doing it right. Well, once in a while they would ask me to do this for them, and seeing they really seemed to like it when I did it, I thought you might too. Do you like this?” he continued, wanting to make certain Kieren wanted him to continue.

“Oh, yes. It’s very nice,” Kieren advised him, encouragingly, seeing he really didn’t want the boy to stop. This caused Hoby to flash him a rather large grin, before he continued to enthusiastically pump on Kieren’s shaft. The boy had a remarkably deft touch, as he brought Kieren closer and closer to orgasm, and Kieren leaned back in the tub, closed his eyes, and focused on enjoying this ‘helping hand.’ Before long, Kieren began to feel that tingling beginning deep in his gut and he started breathing more rapidly, almost in a pant. The feeling he was experiencing this time was a little different than what he was used to, seeing it was happening underwater and the movement of the bathwater provided another unique set of sensations, including floating his testicles.

Hoby kept stroking the teen’s rigid love muscle, picking up his pace slightly, and Kieren could sense his seed getting ready to rise up his turgid member. Kieren could feel every part of Hoby’s tiny hand, as it wrapped around his penis, gripping it securely, but not so hard that it wouldn’t slide easily up and down the length of his erection. Kieren was reaching that magical moment when his hot juices would explode from the tiny slit, and instinctively he arched his back, lifting his midsection slightly above the water line, before the white-hot lava spewed from the sheathed tip and began to splatter upon his chest. Hoby never stopped jerking on Kieren’s firm member, even as it began to release its creamy offering, and the youth kept going until Kieren reached down and wrapped his own hand over Hoby’s. He did this because his penis was becoming overly sensitive now, and this made the dwarf’s hand relax slightly and cease moving, although the lad didn’t completely release his hold on the fleshy appendage. After Kieren caught his breath again, he turned his flushed face toward Hoby and began to speak.

“Thank you very much for that,” he offered, nearly breathless. “It was much needed and greatly appreciated.”

The boy didn’t respond in words, but merely nodded to the older youth, before he began to clean up the mess he had helped to make. Once his job was completed, he waited for Kieren to make the next move, and that only happened because the bath water was beginning to grow cold and Kieren body began to react to the change in temperature. As the goose bumps began to form on his skin and he started to shiver visibly, the teen lifted himself up and stepped from the tub. This caused Hoby to rush and grab a towel, so he could help Kieren dry off. “I have laid out your garments on the bed for you,” Hoby advised him, changing the subject. “I was told that is what you should wear today,” he added.

“Thank you for your help,” Kieren told him, while looking over what he was to wear. To his surprise, sturdy traveling clothes lay on his bed, rather than the light, silky attire of the previous day.

“You’re welcome, sir…Kieren,” the young dwarf comment, breaking Kieren’s train of thought. “You are very nice.” Hoby started to leave the room and then he turned to face the young man again. “I almost forgot to tell you something,” he apologized. “You are to wait here and one of the King’s valets will arrive for you shortly. Fare-thee-well, Kieren, and have a safe journey.” Hoby smiled, waved, and started for the door.

“May the gods watch over you, Hoby,” Kieren bid him, as he smiled back, and the young dwarf was gone.

Within a short time there was a knock on his door and Kieren opened it to find a well-dressed, middle-aged dwarf. The valet asked the young man to follow him, which Kieren did. Kieren was right on the dwarf’s heels as they started out, but they soon stopped to collect Qaim. The aignx was happy to see his protector again and quickly moved to stand beside Kieren.

“Young master come back for Qaim,” Kieren’s furry friend announced.

“Yes, Qaim,” Kieren answered, “I told you I would.” This caused the aignx to rub his head against Kieren’s arm, like a kitten might do to show its affection.

“Come on, Qaim, we have to get going,” Kieren advised him, as he and the valet started down the hallway again.

Next, they stopped outside the door of the room the two elves had shared. Kieren was happy to see his friends again, but they didn’t seem very thrilled that he was there. Once they saw him, they both flashed him icy-cold stares, before turning and whispering to each other. Kieren had never felt uncomfortable while he was around them before, but that was beginning to change. Garreth and Romaric’s body language even oozed their temporary contempt and dislike for him and they continued whispering back and forth. Kieren could only guess as to what was being said.

Kieren was not alone in eliciting this reaction, as the elves glanced at Qaim occasionally too, dragging him into this baseless feud. Kieren wasn’t sure he understood why they were doing this, and for a brief time he even thought he might be reading too much into their reactions, but that ended when they turned away from him and gave him the cold shoulder. Kieren thought maybe if he could speak to them, then possibly they would begin to get over their problem, so he tried to think of something innocuous to begin the conversation. “Did you sleep well,” he asked. Romaric stayed turned away from Kieren, but Garreth did respond.
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“We slept fine,” Garreth stated, with a tinge of sarcasm to his voice, “although I’m not sure why you care.”

Kieren stared at his friends for a moment, before he continued. “What’s wrong with you?” he wanted to know, confused by this attitude.

“Oh, nothing,” Garreth answered, though not convincingly. “We’re fine.” Kieren looked at him and it finally dawned on him why they were upset.

“Aren’t you two being a bit childish about this?” Kieren confronted the elves. “I just needed to be alone last night.” It was obvious his response began to rile the elves again.

“Young sirs,” the dwarf stated, trying to get their attention, “we need to get going, so if you will please follow me.” However, no one paid attention to the valet or even acknowledged they had heard him. They merely went on with their discussion.

“Oh, yeah, you needed to be alone,” Romaric snapped back, caustically. This caused Kieren to recoil and, automatically, he responded to this perceived affront.

“Maybe you two should grow up and not be so sensitive.” Even though he hadn’t meant to offend them, that’s exactly what he had done, and now the two elves were so livid they could barely speak.

During this momentary pause, Garreth and Romaric tried to think about how to respond to Kieren’s comment, but neither of them had stopped glaring at him. “Maybe YOU’RE the one who needs to grow up,” Garreth eventually countered, drawing a nod of agreement from Romaric as he did so.

Kieren was stung by his comment, but fought to hold back the tears he felt welling up in his eyes. Their attitude reminded him about all of the teasing he had endured from others, before these two had come into his life, so it hurt him even more to see them turning on him like this. His heart was beating faster and louder, yet the world around him seemed to be frozen in time. He was hurt and wanted to hurt them back. He had never demanded they spend all their time with him and he didn’t feel he’d done anything wrong.

“Gentlemen, the others are waiting for us,” the Valet stated, taking the temporary silence as his opportunity to try to urge the boys to follow him. “We must be on our way.” Once again, no one paid any attention to the dwarf and he was becoming very frustrated.

“I don’t remember anyone telling either of you that you had to join me,” Kieren spat back, in a malicious tone. “I never asked for you two to follow me around all of the time.”

Kieren hadn’t meant to say that aloud, but the words had just seemed to spill out of his mouth. The effect was immediate and devastating, as judged by the looks he saw on Garreth and Romaric’s faces. He knew instantly that the elves had been offended by what he had said, but he wasn’t about to take it back. He wasn’t about to give them the satisfaction of admitting he was wrong, especially when they didn’t seem ready to apologize for treating him so unfairly. They just stared at him for a few more moments, as they fought to deal with Kieren’s seeming callousness to their feelings, until Garreth decided to turn his back to him. He didn’t even want to look at Kieren any more. However, Romaric wasn’t about to surrender that easily.

“I guess our blood oath didn’t mean as much to you as it did to us,” he challenged, venomously, choking out his words. This comment hurt Kieren deeply, but he wasn’t about to let his friends see how badly it had wounded him. Fortunately, the dwarf spoke again and this time his comment temporarily broke their focus on one another.

“Excuse me, young sirs,” the valet began again, “but we must get moving. I’m sure the others have already arrived and are awaiting you.” Kieren decided to bite his tongue for now, at least where Garreth and Romaric were concerned, but he knew this was far from over.

“Fine,” he barked at the dwarf, causing the others to also turn and follow the valet down the corridor. Kieren dropped in behind them and they all scurried to catch up to their rapidly moving guide. Hurriedly, they made their way down a series of corridors, until they reached a small, yet formal, dining hall. As they entered, Kieren discovered the warriors were already there, along with the Dwarf King, Queen and the wizard. The boys bowed toward Their Majesties and the mage, before joining the others at the long table they were seated around. There were four seats left open for them, so they quickly moved to them and sat down.

Garreth and Romaric took two seats on the far side of the table, leaving Kieren the open seat next to Qaim, and they continued to avoid looking at their friend. That was fine with Kieren, so he decided to ignore them as well. The three of them focused entirely on their meal instead. An unbearable tension hung over the table, which continued to distract them and made it difficult for any of them to enjoy their food. They were only about halfway through their breakfast when Beraut came to his feet.

“I know you’re probably all curious as to what is going to happen next,” Beraut began, “ so I will give you a little of this information now, before we depart this hall. It is imperative we leave Thorold as quickly as we can, if you are to reach Treblanc before our forces engage the enemy in battle. However, I think it is important for you to be aware of some of the obstacles you will face along the way.” There was a collective groan from the warriors, as they thought about how much they had already endured, before having to consider there was even more they would have to face. The boys, however, were more focused on their growing rift and didn’t audibly react. Reluctantly, everyone turned his attention back to the enchanter, to see what he had to say next.

“Thorold has long been the home of the dwarf ruling family, but it has not always been the only community of dwarven people. There was once a fairly large agricultural settlement called Thorley, which was located in a bountiful meadowland, called Peaceful Vale. The dwarfs who lived there, and in the farming areas that surrounded it, produced harvests that met not only the needs of their own people, but also left enough for other purposes. They would use the excess to barter for goods made by the men and elves.”

The wizard was scanning the faces before him, to see how they were reacting to this information. When he looked at the three youths, he was shocked to see they weren’t really paying any attention at all. Beraut scowled, before admonishing them. “Kieren, Garreth and Romaric,” he began, causing the trio to respond in unison to the mention of their names, “I think you would be well advised to pay attention to what I have to say, rather than sitting there daydreaming.” The boys were upset by this public rebuke, but they reluctantly turned their attention to the enchanter.

“During this time of great prosperity for the dwarfs,” Beraut continued, “Madumda had gained his immense powers and was establishing himself at Treblanc. While the Dark Lord was becoming comfortable with his new position, the dwarfs of Thorley were preparing for their Festival of Thanksgiving. This event was held every year after the fields were gleaned, on the night of the Harvest Moon. On this occasion, the village was always filled to overflowing with visitors from all over Tarolia and beyond. Men, elves, dwarfs and for a while even gnomes, came to enjoy this festival. It was considered one of the best celebrations of the year.”

“I remember hearing tales of those times and those who had attended spoke very highly about them,” Doenilio interjected, not realizing he had irritated the wizard by doing so. However, when the wizard cleared his throat, Doenilio acknowledged his faux pas and turned slightly red, before sitting back quietly, so Beraut could continue.

“This particular year was to be no exception,” the wizard went on. “For three days before the festival began, strangers started pouring into Thorley, seeking lodgings and beginning their merrymaking. However, they were just getting warmed up for what was yet to come. At last, the night of the celebration arrived and the activities got under way. Booths and bazaars were set up on both sides of the main thoroughfare and along many of the side streets. They contained games, activities and every kind of entertainment imaginable, as well as stalls to sell all varieties of food, drink and crafts. It was on this night, one of the most joyous days of the year, when Madumda struck another devastating blow.

“Madumda sat in his stronghold and conjured up a spell to summon the Specter of Death. He ordered that remorseless apparition to perform a task of such enormity that it would forever live in the annals of Tarolian history. That evening the Dark Lord sent this grim reaper from Treblanc and into the Peaceful Vale. Once there, it slid over the land, at the height of the merriment, and slaughtered everyone and everything in its path. By the following morning, every living thing that had been in that lush, emerald valley – from the plentiful plant life to the large hordes of people – had been destroyed.”

“I recall hearing stories about that,” Rhys admitted. “It affected my people as well.”

“I’m sure it did,” the wizard acknowledged. “Bodies were strewn over the entire area, laying exactly where they had fallen. However, their souls were now bound to the land, condemned to haunt the area until justice could be extracted against Madumda and their deaths could be avenged. This, and only this, will allow their spirits to be released to their eternal unrest.” Beraut paused and scanned their faces at this point, to see if they were beginning to understand what was coming next.

When he came to Kieren, he could see the tension building in the youth’s slender body, as his muscles stiffened in response to what he heard. Kieren’s face was growing redder, due to the excessive amount of blood his racing heart was pumping throughout his body, and little beads of perspiration were collecting on his forehead, while his teeth visibly ground against each other in his fury. Beraut was concerned that his young ward was taking this too personally, but he knew how strongly Kieren felt about certain things and just assumed this was one of those times. The wizard didn’t want to embarrass the lad by saying anything to him about this in front of the others, so he ignored how he was taking this for now. Beraut might have reacted differently, though, if he had also known about what was going on between Kieren and his friends.

The silence in the hall was deafening and the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, but Beraut knew he must continue this tale. “It has been many, many years since this foul deed happened and throughout that time those restless souls have drifted across Peaceful Vale, emitting their cries of anguish and seeking revenge. This place has now been appropriately renamed the Valley of the Dead and anyone trying to cross that accursed place is soon driven insane from the wails of those souls begging for justice.

“You may wonder why I am telling you this tale of horror,” the enchanter continued, “and rightfully so. I am trying to prepare you for something no man has the right to request of another. I am asking you to travel with me, through this deadly place, on your way to your final destination.”

Expressions of concern, and even fright, were now registering on the faces of the companions, as they fought to accept the magnitude of what the old conjurer had just told them. How could he ask them to journey through this place, which he had just told them would drive them insane?

“I feel we must use this route,” Beraut explained, trying to answer their unspoken questions, “precisely because it will be the one least protected. Therefore, it is the path that would most likely help us gain admittance into Treblanc without being detected.”

The volunteers began to glance furtively from one face to another, trying to gage each other’s reaction. Beraut had paused briefly, to give this warning time to sink in, but before he thought they’d had sufficient time to do so, Kieren broke the silence.

“So we HAVE to do this?” he choked out, voicing everyone’s concern.

“I believe it is our best chance,” he mentor responded, soothingly, “so I feel it is something we need to do.”

“But what about Qaim?” he asked Beraut. “Are we taking him with us? If not, what’s going to happen to him now?”

“He will be fine,” the wizard assured him. “I have spoken with the king about letting him remain here, until all of this is over and done with.”

“NO! Qaim no stay here,” a frightened voice squeaked up. “Qaim no like being in hole in the ground. Qaim stay with young master.”

Beraut studied the aignx for a few seconds, before responding. “If Qaim wishes to go,” he began, breaking the uneasy silence, “I see nothing wrong with it. In fact, he may even solve a problem for me, but that is neither here nor there,” he added. The others were puzzled by the enchanter’s latest statement, but felt he would have explained what he meant, if he thought they should know what he was thinking. Therefore, they chose not to pry further and got back to the matters at hand.

“The hour is getting late and we must get going,” Beraut advised them. “If you will all follow me, we’ll begin our journey. You’ll be able to pick up your belongings along the way.”

The others rose from their seats, bid the King and Queen an appropriate farewell, and prepared to leave the hall, uncertain as to what awaited them next. Romaric held back at the table, as the rest of the group moved off without him. When Garreth got near the door, he noticed Romaric had not followed, so he went back to see why his friend had stayed behind. “What are you doing?” Garreth asked.

“I’ve decided I don’t want to go any farther,” Romaric told him, quite bluntly.

Garreth’s eyes met with his friend’s, and after a few seconds, he quietly took a seat next to Romaric. “Well, if you’re not going, then neither am I,” he stated, trying to console his mate.

When Beraut noticed the two elves weren’t with them, he went back into the room to find out what was wrong. The wizard discovered them still seated at the table, so he walked over to them. “We have to get going now, so you two better hurry up,” he advised them.

“Would you mind if we just stayed here?” Romaric asked him.

The wizard was confused by his question. “You mean you don’t plan to go with Kieren?”

“No!” Romaric answered, resolutely, while Garreth sat next to him, looking utterly dejected. “We’ll just stay here, if it’s not a problem,” Romaric added. Beraut knew there was more going on than what met the eye, but he didn’t know if he had time to unravel the problem.

“Are you sure?” he asked them once again. Garreth and Romaric merely nodded in reply.