FicWad

Title: Unexpected Places
Author: MakaiKitty
Rating: PG-13/R
Category: Original Fantasy, "Unexpected Places" storyline
Pairing: Garrett/Kinder, slight Aviann/Lisbet
Warnings: Slash, M/M, angst, H/C, daemons, language, implied (past) violence/child abuse, implied (past) Non-con
Distribution: My website, My LJ and any LJs I choose to post at, AFF.net, FicWad, and DeviantArt. All of my accounts are under the user name MakaiKitty. If you'd like to use it just let me know.
Disclaimer: The characters, daemon realms, and situations in this story are all original and belong solely to MakaiKitty. Please don't steal, borrow, take, or otherwise use anything from my fics.
Updates: Just join my YahooGroup to be informed of any updates to this or any of my other fics - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/makaikittyfics
Word Count: 18,979 words
Status: Complete

Author's Notes: Here it is, the final chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!

Unexpected Places

The skies were once again bright and sunny, not even a hint of the storms that Garrett had so recently been prisoner to left in the heavens, and as he rode through the gates of his desert village the day was as beautiful as any that Garrett could remember having ever seen. The sun rode high, the abundant sands had a golden glow to them, and the various plants and trees were healthy and green and covered with many brightly hued flowers that trumpeted the coming of the spring harvest seasons. The blond haired warrior noticed little of this, however.

/Did I do the right thing?/, Garrett questioned himself for the hundredth time that day. The entire ride from the mountains to the land of the Mandurians had found him lost in thought, turning his choice over in his mind again and again, questioning himself and his every action over the past weeks. His heart had been heavy when he had first left on his journey, and he had not expected his final decision to be an easy one, but the feeling was nothing compared to what he felt now.

Garrett wanted nothing more than to turn Sabbien towards the direction of the great eastern sea, spur the beast forward, and never stop riding. Of course, he had never been the type of man to run in the face of adversity, let alone duty, and he wouldn't begin now that his people needed him. He couldn't. He /wouldn't/. But, all the same, he was sorely tempted.

"Garrett!" Despite the blinding sun in his eyes that made shadows of the rapidly approaching figure, the tell-tale limp identified the familiar form just as easily as the oft-heard voice. His mood may have been heavy, but the greeting brought a small smile to his lips none the less. "Garrett, you're back! You're finally back!"

Even before he could dismount he was pulled into a warm embrace, one hand grasping his own while the other clasped him on the back. "Aviann." He let himself linger in the arms of his oldest friend, wanting to postpone the inevitable as long as possible. It was so much easier to relax into the well-known touch than it would be to do what he knew he was about to do. Reality, however, would not be postponed, and his restless mind soon forced him to return to the world that he had now created. "Where's Lisbet? I thought I told you to get her out of here."

"We both knew that you would be back."

One golden brow rose high, a critical eye appraising the other kanarian before his lips finally stretched into a wide grin. "So, in other words, my sister wouldn't do as she was told and refused to go with you?"

Aviann hung his head behind a curtain of straight black hair and refused to look at his friend.

"I should have expected as much of her." Garrett chuckled. Then, only partially joking, he asked, "are you okay my friend? She didn't hurt you too badly, did she?"

The grumbled reply might have been, "I'll heal," but Garrett wasn't entirely certain. For the sake of their friendship he did not pursue it further.

They were silent for a moment, each full of questions but unable to ask them, until at last crimson eyes flicked towards the back of Garrett's mount and Aviann asked, "Is that the verzacht?"

Garrett nodded, not sure what to say, when they were interrupted by a litany of raised voices and he was spared the need or the ability to answer verbally. Japheth lead the way, but it seemed like the entire village was pouring out of their homes to witness the return of their wayward hunter. The expressions on some of their faces as they looked at the burden that shared Garrett's saddle made him strongly reconsider his decision not to ride off in the opposite direction and never return.

"Welcome back, Garrett."

"Japheth."

"Is that the verzacht?"

He couldn't tell what the other man was thinking from the tone in his voice, nor from the expression on his ageless face, so Garrett treaded lightly as he answered. "Yes."

"He's not dead."

"Very observant of you, Japheth."

The elder did not respond to the sarcastic remark, not that Garrett had really expected him to, so he chose instead to busy himself with getting both himself and his companion off of their charger and onto their own feet.

He leapt down onto the ground without looking directly at the village elder, or any of the other assembled daemons, turning with raised arms to help Kinder down instead. Kinder grasp him tightly as he was lifted off of the saddle, and he landed somewhat shakily when his feet hit the sand, but he quickly steadied himself with a tight-griped hold on Garrett's strong arms. Kinder had never been riding before, and Garrett knew that the journey back to the desert had been hard on him. He wanted nothing more than to hold the other man in his arms in that moment and tell him how proud he was for having done so well his first time out. Garrett knew that he couldn't do that, however, and instead he settled for holding the other close against his chest while he looked once again into the faces of those who surrounded them.

"Go ahead, say it, you were right and I was wrong. I didn't do what I set out to do and now the village will suffer for it. I wasn't strong enough to do what I promised. To claim my kingship. I failed." Then, just to make things implicitly clear, Garrett tightened his arms protectively around Kinder and said firmly, "I did not, and will not, kill him."

Japheth was laughing loudly by the time that Garrett had finished his self-depreciating litany, his body doubled over as he shook with the strength of his mirth, unable to even look at Garrett without bursting into an all new fit. It left Garrett both confused and angry, even more so when Kinder tensed in his arms as they watched this unexpected display. It was not the reaction that he had expected.

"What in the seven hells is so damn funny, old man?" Garrett all but growled, actually snarling when this only made the older daemon laugh even harder.

"Who said that you had failed?"

"I was sent to kill a verzacht in order to make a potion out of his bones and instead I come riding home with one on the back of my mount." Garrett was seriously wondering if age had not finally addled Japheth's mind. It happened sometimes with the very old, even amongst the immortal races. "How, exactly, do you not see that as a failure?"

Japheth sobered at these words, his dark eyes suddenly serious, his attention full on the young men before him. "Do you truly think that the Sand Wyrm would have accepted a king who would kill another in cold blood simply to bring himself false strength?"

"But... you..." He sputtered as he fought to find the right words. There was no doubt in Garrett's mind now, Japheth had most certainly lost his mind! "You told me to go out and kill a verzacht. You said that it was the only way!"

"Yes, well, a king should be strong enough to make his own decisions and to know what is right when the time to chose comes." Then, his expression stern and his bearing serious, Japheth stared Garrett directly in the eyes and said, "Do you really think that we would have followed a man who not only could not find the strength within himself to do what he knows is right, who was so brash that he would follow my orders so blindly, but a king that would take the life of another in the quest for power because he was not strong enough to stand on his own?"

Realization was quick in dawning, and Garrett soon allowed his face to break into a grin that matched the one that Japheth had worn moments earlier. His body shook with a mixture of long-held tensions and laughter, and although he knew that he should be furious with the elders for having mislead him, he couldn't find it in himself to be angry as he buried his face in Kinder's satiny hair to hide his sudden relief. He had not failed. There was hope yet. For himself. For Kinder. And for his people.

"From the looks of it I'd say that you have more than succeeded, my king."

"My king?" Garrett mumbled, his face now buried against the side of Kinder's neck. "That'll take some getting used to."

"You're not mad at him for bringing me into your village?" Kinder had remained still and mute throughout the entire exchange, trying his best to remain invisible, but he now broke his silence with a quiet and timid question. His hands clenched nervously around Garrett's forearm, unable to look Japheth in the eye, but there was truth in his words despite his evident fear. "I won't harm this village, would not dare to bring it shame, so if you want me to leave-"

"I've told you already that you're not going anywhere." Garrett's tone was harsh, brokering no argument, the debate that they'd started back at the cave trying the new king's patience yet again. His arms tightened almost painfully around Kinder, as though afraid that the other would bolt at any moment, but he whispered quietly in his ear to sooth the sting of his earlier words. "You're mine now."

His sister chose that moment to make her appearance, her dark green eyes sparkling with happiness at her sibling's safe return, but instead of leaping into her brother's arms she chose to glare at the older daemon instead. She obviously didn't approve of the abrupt way that he was talking to the haggard looking daemon with the fearful eyes that he held in his arms.

Garrett chose not to speak as Lisbet folded her arms across her ample chest, her foot tapping out a familiar rhythm, her gaze unwavering. Her brother eventually folded under the scrutiny and relented, sighing in defeat before speaking once again to Kinder, this time much more calmly.

"I told you before that I want you at my side and that I'm going to take care of you from now on. You're not going anywhere. This village is your home and these people your family now." Then, with a playful glare at Lisbet, "although some of them you may want to stay clear of."

"Garrett!" Lisbet didn't find him at all amusing, and she showed her displeasure by punching her brother in the shoulder with a fair amount of strength. They didn't hold back with each other. She was pleased to see him wince, and even happier to see the protective way that he shielded the smaller man with his body almost by instinct. She'd long thought that he needed someone, and it was obvious to her that he had at last found what he desired.

"See, she's insane." Garrett mock-whispered in Kinder's ear. "But, not to worry, I'll protect you. I know how to deal with her kind." To prove this fact Garrett reached out with lightening fast speed and grabbed his sister in a one-armed embrace that caused her to squeal with delighted indignation, all the while maintaining his hold on Kinder with the other arm.

He looked thoughtfully at the golden haired beauty who squirmed ineffectually against him, then to the crowd that surrounded them, nodding suddenly as if he had come to a conclusion. "If I can keep this devil in line then I'm sure to be able to face the wyrm with no problem."

Aviann watched all this with curiosity as he finally allowed himself to relax for the first time in months. He had been so close to losing the two most important people in his life, and with the wyrm yet to be delt with he still might loose his best friend, but he was thankful all the more to have this moment of brevity to lighten all of their moods.

"Catch!" When Lisbet was thrust unceremoniously into his arms Aviann nearly stumbled, but he and the laughing kanarian woman held each other fast until they had balanced each other out, clutching each other's arms as they pretended to glare angrily at Garrett.

When it should have been time for her to pull away Aviann let his arms linger around Lisbet's waist for a moment, more than a little surprised when she let him do it, but when he looked back at Garrett he was even more shocked to see that they were now mirror images of each other. He knew what the one in his arms meant to him, so that only left one question in regards to the unknown daemon that Garrett had yet to let go of.

"Are you going to explain?" Aviann nodded his head towards Kinder, tensing and then relaxing when Lisbet pulled his arms more tightly around herself while echoing his question. "Yes, big brother, who's the cuttie?"

"This is Kinder." He said nothing else, knowing full well that it would infuriate his sister. He knew that darkness lay ahead of him, possibly them all, and he was grateful to have this moment of happiness before his great trials. Besides, he did not want to tell his sister that he had thrown the other male unceremoniously over his saddle and dragged him back to their home when the other had been too afraid of cursing the village to go with him willingly. A wyrm, yes, but to face his sister's anger would be more than he could bear as a new king.

Aviann and Lisbet both saw the look of possessive pride that Garrett displayed when he spoke Kinder's name, and neither had to ask what had happened between the two to know that Garrett spoke true when he said that Kinder was now a part of their family. It made them both very happy. The gray daemon would be good for him. They could tell.

Lisbet was about to tease her brother about his newfound love, attempt to make the stoic warrior blush as only she could, but they were all interrupted by the sudden sound of a great wind approaching. The villagers gathered more tightly around their new king, various weapons appearing in their hands, but nothing approached save for the wind. The tight funnel of air flew through the entrance to the village, making a direct line for the mass of people that had assembled, until at last it came to a stop in front of Garrett. Then, as suddenly as it had started, the wind died down and a small bundle at the king's feet was all that was left.

Pushing Kinder protectively behind him, Garrett approached with caution and kicked hesitantly at the small package. When nothing happened he kicked it again. Then, with tentative hands that he refused to allow to shake, Garrett reached out and picked up the simple brown package. Kinder grabbed at his hand, afraid of what might be contained in the linen wrapped parcel that still glowed with faint magicks, but Garrett opened the package anyway.

His brows knitted together in confusion when Garrett saw that there was only a simple white scroll and a small white handkerchief in the sack that he held. Japheth held out his hand for the items, and Garrett handed over the sack after taking out the scroll. He unrolled it with apprehension, the unfamiliar script covering the parchment causing his scowl to grow with each passing second. Then, finally unable to take it any longer, he shoved the paper at Japheth as well and shouted, "What the hell kind of trick is this supposed to be?!"

Japheth was much calmer as he read the words over, completely ignoring Garrett's continued exclamations, until at long last he rolled the scroll up with a nod and said, "I had suspected as much. I must say that I am happy to have been proven correct."

"You can't honestly believe what is written on that scroll?"

"Eazhannt has never been known as a liar. The old ones never are, really, and with wyrms that is especially true. You can belive what is written here, for it is the truth."

"What does it say?" Lisbet wanted to know. "Is it from the sand wyrm?"

"Eazhannt says that the women of our village, the past sacrifices, are all well and unharmed. They have been his servants, not his meals, over the past years. In fact, he says that he has been keeping them for their own protection, what with the poor quality of our recent lords and masters." He smiled a little wistfully, past memories filling his ancient mind. "He always did have a soft spot for pretty girls, and I see that time has not changed that."

"He doesn't eat the sacrifices?" There was confusion and disbelief in the voices of the villagers as they pushed closer for a chance to read the letter for themselves. "Will he return them to us?" And, from a few, there were tears to be had as well as questions. "Will my daughter be returned to me? Where is my child?"

"Calm down." Japheth soothed, raising his hand for silence as he held out the remaining contents of the package to Garrett. "He says that he will return the sacrifices when our new and rightful king comes to fetch them. He wants to see with his own eyes that Garrett will be a fit leader."

Garrett reached into the sack and pulled out a simple silver ringlet, not completely understanding the shocked awe that greeted the item's appearance. He turned the delicate silver crown in his hands, showing it to Kinder, who only shrugged his shoulders. He was not of this village, so it meant even less to him than to Garrett.

"That is the crown of our one and true king." Japheth whispered to the two boys, not wanting to make their king look a fool in front of his people before he had even been crowned. "It was lost to us when our last real king was killed and it has not been seen since. I always suspected that Eazhannt had taken it, holding it in trust until the time was right, but I never had any proof."

"Oh." Garrett wasn't sure what to say. Was it really going to be this easy? Did he simply put on the silver ring, ride off to retrieve his women, and make peace for the village without sacrifice? It somehow didn't seem right.

"He has but one request."

Garrett had known that there had to be a catch. It had just seemed too /easy/.

"He wants you to bring your new mate. He thinks that the boy will be the key to making you a good king and that he'll mellow you enough to give you a level head." Japheth gave his new king an appraising look, smiling as he caught Kinder's eye. "Can't say that I disagree, either. You aren't the same brash child that went off in search of the verzacht and I can only assume that it's due to that young man in your ams."

The villagers all cheered at the news that the wyrm's only request was such an easily accomplished one, happy that their people would no longer be subject to either cruel rulers or the whims of an ancient beast, and only the two young men at the center of the celebration seemed unable to find happiness in the situation. Kinder's eyes had grown impossibly wide at the wyrm's use of the word mate to describe his relationship to Garrett, while Garrett growled angrily about having obviously been watched the entire time that they had been in the cave.

"Relax children." Japheth finally took pity on the two young men who were lost in a sea of cheering voices, patting them both on the shoulders as he smiled at them knowingly. "The ancients know best, always have, always will, and it is wisest not to fight them on matters such as this."

"But..."

"Yes?" One dark brow was raised, a look of serious consideration on his face, but Garrett knew well the look of mischief in the elder's eyes. He almost pitied Kinder for having caught the older daemon's attention.

"There has been a mistake, this wyrm misunderstands, I am not fit to be the mate of your king." He kept his voice low, looking around at the other villagers with concern, not wanting to draw any of their attentions towards himself. Then, his eyes alighting on Garrett's handsome face, he blushed and looked hurriedly down at the ground. His gray skin was tinged pink, his wounded midnight eyes filled with apprehension. "And besides, Garrett does not..."

"The hells with it." Garrett had thought it was cute when Kinder had faltered under Japheth's gaze, and the blushing had been adorable, but now he saw the genuine pain in the other's face and it tore at him. He had tried to make the other daemon understand his feelings during the ride back to the village, but they had both been so worried about the wyrm and the village's reaction to his bringing the verzacht back alive that he hadn't been terribly successful. Besides, he had told the other man that he was a man of actions, not words, and the stressful ride had proven that most certainly. Looking at Kinder he decided that it might not be as much of a hindrance as he'd often thought, and although he vowed to have a long and heartfelt discussion with Kinder once things had calmed down a bit, Garrett decided that right now actions might just speak louder than words.

Taking a deep breath, a rakish smile firmly in place, Garrett grabbed Kinder by the shoulders and pulled him flush against his body before he could make any further protests towards Japheth. One calloused hand resting tenderly on Kinder's gray cheek, the other planted at the small of Kinder's back, Garrett looked deeply into the other daemon's fearful eyes before bringing their lips together in the gentlest of kisses.

It started as the mere brushing of lips, meant to calm Kinder and assure him of the king's intentions, but the taste of Kinder's sweet mouth was more than Garrett had been expecting and he soon found himself greedily plundering the other man's mouth even as he felt him tensing against him. Garrett pressed on, his tongue sliding against sun parched lips, demanding entrance until Kinder at last relented with a groan. The submission only spurred Garrett on and, as the villagers quieted around them and then broke into cheers and good natured jests for their new king and the man who would obviously be at his side, Garrett devoured his new mate until they at last had to part for fear of suffocation.

Garrett was grinning like a madman, Kinder still held firmly in his arms, exhilarated by the feeling of holding Kinder so close and of having finally tasted the other daemon. If he was honest with himself Garrett had to admit that he had wanted to kiss the verzacht almost from the first day that they had met, and now that he knew the taste of the other man he knew that he would never tire of the exquisite sweetness that was Kinder.

In fact, before he had even caught his breath properly, he felt himself pulled towards the other daemon once again. Garrett leaned into the smaller man to steal another kiss, planning to make it clear to all present that Kinder was his and that the outsider wasn't going anywhere, but the pure panic that he found in Kinder's face caused him to stop dead in his tracks with scant breaths between them.

"You kissed me." Garret heard the soft voice almost as a whimper, the terror wafting off of Kinder quickening his heart, the small hands that had a death grip on his shoulders nearly causing him to loose his hold on the other man as he tried to fathom what he had done wrong. "You kissed me."

"I..." He couldn't bring himself to apologize, but all the same he felt like he ought to, but then Kinder beat him to it.

"I'm so sorry, Garrett." His midnight eyes begged for forgiveness, but for what, Garrett could not even begin to guess. "I'm sorry."

When the two men stopped talking, simply staring at each other with mirrored pain in their eyes, Japheth decided to be kind and take pity on the two young daemons. He placed a hand on their shoulders, one on each, and provided helpfully, "I think that he's worried about the old legends about a verzacht's first kiss."

"Legends?" Garrett pulled his eyes away from Kinder long enough to look at Japheth. "What legends?"

Kinder pleaded wordlessly for the elder not to continue, but Japheth pressed on with slight amusement in his voice. "Apparently, and I'm not sure if it's true or not, a verzacht is life-bound with the first daemon he kisses. Steal his first kiss and he's yours for eternity."

Garrett looked down at the frightened daemon in his arms, his expression pensive, staring at Kinder until the other man opened eyes that he hadn't even been aware of squeezing shut. The king continued to stare, his thoughts his own, long after Kinder began trying to pull away, until at last the smaller man exhausted himself and lay panting in Garrett's arms. Only then did Garrett ask his questions. "Is it true? Are you really mine for good now?"

"I tried to warn you." It had been a nice dream, Kinder thought forlornly, the brief moment of thinking that he'd have a village to call his very own. A place where no one wanted him dead because they thought him unlucky. A place to belong. And, even more importantly, a place where someone wanted him. Now, he thought, it would all be over. "I told you that you didn't want to find out what would happen to you if you kissed me."

"Well," Garrett brought his face closer to Kinder's, not at all liking the forlorn look that he found there, "just ask Japheth, I don't listen very well." Then he leaned in and kissed Kinder again, to make sure that his meaning was not lost on the smaller man... and just because he wanted to.

When Kinder at last put his arms around his neck and sighed into the kiss, after what seemed like an eternity, Garrett knew that everything would be all right. The wyrm. The momentous task of leading his people. Watching over his sister. All of it could be accomplished with Kinder at his side.

***

Later that night, after much raucous celebration, Aviann found himself stumbling back to his house with uneven steps. Maybe I shouldn't have had that last drink?/, he wondered as he stumbled over a pebble in the road, /Or the one before that either. He had somehow managed to tuck Lisbet safely into her bed before heading for home, and he only felt slightly guilty for the kiss that he had stolen before leaving the beautiful young woman. Then again, if she had meant even half of what she had whispered in his ear during her brother's celebration party then he didn't have very much to feel guilty for. In fact, he had much to look forward to when the sun finally rose. And, if the sounds that he heard passing from their new king's windows were any indication, he wasn't the only one who had a suddenly brighter future ahead of him.

As Aviann at long last pushed his way through his front door he did his best to make his way to his bedroom, immediately falling face first onto the crisp sheets of his bed, still fully dressed. In his drunken state sleep almost immediately claimed him. As he fell off to sleep Aviann, who had long contemplated becoming a bard, drifted off into dreams with plans of writing the grand tale of the king who had been born with bravery in his heart, but who had found his soul in the darkness of a cave.

The End