FicWad

Ryan galloped into the stable yard, flanked by two of his father’s officials. His eyes were immediately drawn to the boy giving treats to a chestnut mare near one of the largest stables. The young man whispered kind words to the horse as he fed her an apple. The lad in question was not much younger than Ryan himself, though he seemed several years his junior due to the innocence that showed in his eyes and even in his movements. His dark brown hair fell just into his eyes, laced with sweat from his hard labor. Chocolate eyes peered from under his scruffy bangs; a mouth far too big for his face seemed to be constantly smiling.

“Boy!” yelled one of the noblemen beside him.

The stable boy glanced up and hurried towards Ryan. “Your majesty,” he said bowing as low as seemed humanly possible. “Please allow me to take your horse.”

Ryan dismounted gracefully and passed the boy his reins. As the raggedy youth took them, their hands touched ever so slightly. Ryan felt his heart race, and the stable boy glanced up, surprised, and met the young prince’s eyes. Ryan gazed into beautiful chocolate eyes, lost for a moment, before the stable boy seemed to realize what he was doing and glanced back down at the ground. With a final bow, he scampered off to the stable to care for Ryan’s horse.

"Sir George," Ryan uttered, looking dazed and off in a cloud of thoughts.
"Yes, my liege?" One of the noblemen came up to the side of the prince, curls flopping as he walked in pace.
"Might I ask who that young fellow attending to the horses was?"
"Ah, of course, your majesty. That one? The one behind?" He motioned with a thumb point to the back, earning a nod from the young man next to him. "That is the new stable boy, so I presume. You have not met him because your long absence has kept you from much knowledge of the changes that have occurred this past year....Many....Many changes...." Sir George bit out the last part with exasperation as they came closer towards the entrance of the building.
Bright, shining leaves of gold entwined the edges of the doorway, sparkling and glistening in the afternoon sun. Fresh, new looking orbs of an array of hues stood embedded into the cherry wood. All in all, the door no longer looked like the entrance to a king's home, but more like a passageway to a king's heaven.

"I see.." Ryan stood dumbfounded at the stunning piece.
"Oh, and this is just the beginning..." the older man added with a heavy smirk only to regain his composure with one glance to his distracted companion.

Ryan continued down the excessively ornate hallway, becoming more and more sickened with his father’s wastefulness with every step. Everything was either gold plated or diamond crusted; it was all just so unnecessary! The only sound was the tapping of Ryan's expensive black boots as the handsome noble led him to the royal chamber. The royal chamber was the room where Ryan's parents, the monarchs, spoke with the many nobles, merchants, and ambassadors that met with them each day. Sir George opened the heavy door with ease and politely held it open for the dark haired prince. "Ah, my son!" the king's deep, self-assured voice greeted Ryan as he entered the room.



He was clad in rich colorful clothes made with only the finest materials. The crown he was perched upon was as grand as his outfit, colorful and expensive looking. Ryan's mother sat with an elegance that women everywhere envied. Her queenly elegance was offset by the icy feeling that seemed to emit from her clear blue eyes. The queen’s sharp voice pierced the silence of the chamber, "Ryan, you're nearly grown and it's about time we found you a suitable bride.” Blunt as always. “Your marriage could form important alliances with some of the nations who have been restless in the past few years. Your father and I have selected a few choices for you to meet. We shall make the decision before the New Year is in."



Ryan's heart sank at his mother's words. He didn't think much of marriage or love in general. He'd never felt anything for girls and considered relationships to be a bit mediocre. He'd known since birth that it was his responsibility to marry for the good of his kingdom, but it didn't mean he had to be happy about it. Now that he thought about it, the only traces of lust in Ryan's life had been when he looked at men. Of course, he knew that loving men was a terrible sin and crime punishable by death. He couldn’t help but remember looking into the stable boy’s eyes and seeing so much innocence and love. He found it hard to believe that something that beautiful could be such a horrendous sin. Suddenly, the young prince was very confused. He was hardly aware of his mother and father droning on in the background about their potential candidates for queen. The stable boy had been really cute.. Shaking his head, Ryan turned on his heel and walked out of the door. "Ryan!" his mother shouted, her shrill voice hurting his ears, but he was already out of the door.



Thoughts tumbled through Ryan's brain; he was too busy thinking to notice where his feet were taking him. Suddenly he was out in the open air in the palace training grounds. A single figure could be seen in the whole area. The man was average height but seemed taller by the way he stood, shoulders thrown proudly back. Ryan walked up until he was a few yards behind man. The noble lifted his bow and let fly an arrow, right on target, before turning to face the prince. "Hello Ryan," Davey said the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled whole heartedly at the young man.



"Hey Davey," Ryan replied, far less enthusiastically than the older man.



Ryan had known Davey since he was a very small child learning the basics of archery. Being the best shot in the palace, the responsibility of teaching the prince had fallen to him. Over the years, Davey had grown fond of the boy and they often spent time together practicing archery or simply talking. The future king raised his bow and shot, missing the center of the target by several inches. Ryan cursed under his breath. "Calm down," Davey soothed. "Patience, Ryan."



Ryan set another arrow onto the bow and took a deep breath. With a sharp twang the arrow soared through the air and hit right on target. "Nice work," Davey congratulated with a kind smile.



The two stood practicing for several hours before they could no longer see by the light of the setting sun. "Come back to my room, we can have some tea," Davey suggested.



Ryan followed without complaint. Davey's rooms were inviting, in a messy sort of way. Davey shoved some clothes off his table with a wry smile and gestured for his former student to sit. Ryan stared down at a knot in the wood as Davey fixed them a pot of tea. After a few minutes, the older man returned and placed two cups on the table. Taking a seat himself he calmly asked, "So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong yet?"



Ryan looked up, surprised. "What," Davey laughed, "you think you can still get anything by me? I've known you since you were a foot tall, kid."



Ryan smiled slightly; it was true, Davey knew him better than anyone else. "My mother and father have decided its time for me to marry. I know it's my responsibility, but I can't help but dread it. Love isn't worth the trouble."



Davey raised his eyebrows. "Lad, if you think so then you haven't ever experienced love."



Ryan blushed. He didn't know much in the way of romance; he was never one for flirting with the court ladies. "Are the princesses their majesties have picked out not pretty enough for you?" Davey joked, attempting to brighten his prince's spirits.

"Davey I um.. I don't think I like girls all that much." He earned another eyebrow raise from his mentor. "Actually, I think I might.. like boys."



Ryan immediately glanced back down at the floor, red as a cherry and expecting to be screamed at. Davey was the only one in the world he would ever trust with that revelation, but it was still a disgusting sin! Davey observed the young man thoughtfully. "Ryan honestly I think the sodomy laws are pointless; love is love no matter who it is that’s involved. But the fact remains that the laws exist and there would be hell to pay if anyone found out about your.. preferences. I don't want you to get hurt, so please, promise me you'll ignore whatever urges you may have." Davey slipped his fingers under the boys chin forcing him to look up. Ryan stared into Davey's kind eyes and knew he was right, as usual. He would just have to resist those feelings. "I promise," he whispered.