Rasnake(12)

Tallant shrugged. "If I'm going into battle, may as well have the best flik in the country bound to me."

Rolling his eyes, Milton punched his arm, then said, "Let's go before he yells at us for being slow again."

"Say we were gossiping about him," Tallant said, smirking. "He'll shut up in a hurry."

Milton laughed, and they trudged back to the castle.





Chapter Five





They were met at the gate by Henry. "I've got rooms ready for you, if you'd like to settle in and refresh before supper."

Tallant laughed. "You mean it's not standard practice to bathe naked in the middle of the southern courtyard?"

Henry lifted his eyes to the sky. "I'm afraid Lord Cecil has picked up more than a few uncouth habits from his friends, one of them being a general lack of modesty."

"I can fix—oof—" Tallant held a hand to his stomach and shot Milton a wounded look.

Milton just glared at him, and hissed, "Behave."

"Yes, mother," Tallant replied.

Henry rolled his eyes and snorted briefly in amusement. "This way, lads." Leading them across the main yard and into the castle, he went up a set of stairs to the right of the great hall, then down the hall to a single room of moderate size.

"A room," Milton said, shaking his head. "Far cry from when I was growing up, and I slept either in the great hall or the stable."

Henry chuckled. "Aye, those were the days. It was a devil of a time trying to pin you down."

Milton laughed. "I was good at being elusive. Only Cecil and Irene could ever find me."

"Only because one or both was usually with you," Henry said dryly. "There's a bathing tub just there. Let me know if you require anything else."

Tallant shook his head. "We should be fine, thank you. Please let us know if we can help with anything." Henry nodded, and closed the door, leaving them alone. Tallant looked around the room. A single window, currently open to let in light, the tapestry that normally covered it rolled up and set beneath the window. Two beds, one on each side, with chests at the foot of each and a small table alongside the head of each. Someone had fetched their belongings from downstairs and set them atop the chests.

The room was simple, plain, but far more than Tallant had expected. Like Milton, he'd simply assumed they'd bed down in the great hall or the stable. Castle life was not glamorous, or even easy. A private room was a luxury. More than willing to enjoy the luxury while it lasted, Tallant strode to the large wooden tub filled with water and knelt beside it. Calling up his magic, he heated the water until it was nicely steaming.

Standing, he pulled off his gear, tossing weapons on the bed and the rest to the floor. The armor was quickly joined by his clothes, and the he slid into the tub with a groan. "I swear I have never met a man as enamored of bathing as you," Milton said, stripping off his own armor.

Tallant shrugged. "You did not see the baths I left behind. They are the only thing I miss about my homeland."

Milton shook his head. "I'm going to take our things for cleaning. Don't sit in there too long; I have no desire to bathe in the courtyard."

"Yes, yes," Tallant said, waving him off and sinking deeper into the water. For several minutes, he did nothing but sit, more than happy to be lazy after the days of hard travel, the dragon, and the upheaval of their arrival. He really could not wait to crawl into bed and stay there for a long time.

Eventually, he stood up and fetched soap, then began to scrub himself top to bottom. The soap was rough, abrasive, but it rid him of all the stench of travel and dragon that had lingered and left him the cleanest he had in weeks—

The door banged open and he turned to make some jest to Milton, and stopped short to see Cecil. He smiled, slow and taunting and maybe a little bit flirty. It was completely the wrong time and place, but he could not resist teasing, pushing, just a little bit. "Were you looking for Milton, or did you want a closer look at my tattoos?" He spread his arms, facing Cecil directly, putting every last bit of himself on display. Cecil was not the only one who lacked modesty.

"I didn't know you were back," Cecil blurted, and threw down the extra blankets he'd obviously been bringing to them. His voice was strained, as he obviously tried not to let his eyes go where they shouldn't. He whirled away, fleeing, slamming the door shut behind him hard enough that Tallant was surprised the castle didn't shake.

Tallant shouldn't be amused, he really shouldn't—but as tough and hardened as Cecil was, it was rather adorable how easily flustered he was by being attracted to someone. Of course, it probably wasn't laughing matter to Cecil. Tallant's amusement died. Furious and hurt where Milton was concerned, Cecil did not need the further complications of being attracted to his estranged brother's sworn brother. Never mind that Cecil was married to the woman Milton loved.

Whether Cecil proved to be just a dalliance, or Tallant's fate, it was not the time for either. So he really needed to knock it off with the childish behavior and focus on the important matters. If Cecil was his destiny, that would come to pass in its own time. He'd already waited this long, he could wait a little longer.

So far as what he should be worrying about, he suspected he was the only real magic user on the premises. Magic had never had a strong presence in this kingdom. It had flared up briefly, when the Great Sorcerers had come and erected the wards that kept out the dragons and made the country safe. Once people felt safe again, though, interest in magic had waned.