Royal Touch

Orestes, King of Attica, slouched in one of the chairs decorating his bedchamber, studying Hector, his personal guard and man-at-arms. Short, silver-grey hair implied an older man than the trim, muscular figure who paced the chamber, checking every crevice and corner against the possibility of intruders. The strong jaw was set with determination, pale eyes scanning quickly and intently as he moved with definite purpose.

“You were attracted to him, weren’t you?” burst out of Orestes before he could stop it.

“Sire, it’s not my place,” Hector knew immediately who Orestes was talking about; the golden hunter Iolaus. The distant cousin who had so recently played King-For-A-Day.

“Hector, what was it you saw? In him.” Orestes couldn’t meet his guard’s eyes. That you don’t see in me, hung unspoken in the air between them.

Hector paused a moment to look at his King. So alike and yet so different. Golden hair shone in the flickering candlelight, straight where his cousin’s curled. Sadness, and resignation filling the blue eyes instead of laughter. Silks and soft, pampered skin as opposed to leather and work-roughened hands. “I saw a wise king; strong, yet caring and compassionate. A man of courage and honour who put his duty and the welfare of your people first.” Hector watched his King’s shoulder’s slumping further. He paused. “I saw in him, everything you could be, Highness.”

“Hector?” Incredulous, Orestes stood, eyes flying to meet those watching him so intently. Hope blazed within him.

A slow flush crept over Hector’s cheeks, but his voice betrayed no emotion. “Your Majesty, I must go. I’ll be guarding your door tonight. It is my duty. As yours is with Queen Niobe.”

“Hector,” Orestes dropped a hand on Hector’s arm, stopping his flight, “I will do my duty by my Queen and Our kingdom. But does it follow that I must spend the rest of my life alone?”

“Sire,” Hector groaned, shaking his head, “I must...”

Hesitantly, Orestes reached up. Suddenly he was sliding his fingers along Hector’s rough jaw, cupping the strong chin and turning Hector’s face toward his own. “Niobe was raised to a life of royalty. She understands Our duty as well as I. I know I’m not the man she loves.” Orestes pulled a deep breath into his lungs. “And Niobe knows she’s not,” he paused, looking up to meet Hector’s eyes, “the man I love.”

“Highness,” Hector gasped.

“Call me Orestes,” he whispered, before leaning in to press a soft, closed kiss against surprised lips.

“Oh,” Hector sighed.

“C’mon,” Orestes pulled Hector forward for another kiss, licking softly while running his fingers along the older man’s sides under the heavy armour, loosening the straps until it dropped to the floor.“Oh,” was the moaned response.

“You can do it,” Orestes let his own silken robe fall as he pulled Hector forward again.

“Orestes,” Hector groaned, clutching the naked body close as he pressed his face into Orestes’ neck, nuzzling aside the soft blond hair.

Orestes let his hands slide around the guard, up his back to clutch at his neck, pulling Hector’s lips tighter against his own throat. “Yes,” he moaned, arching against the hard-muscled form in his arms. Pulling back slightly, he smoothed a trail down across Hector’s collarbone, tickling through the softly crinkling hair peppering the broad chest. He leaned forward in the embrace, resting his cheek against Hector momentarily before flicking his tongue out to tease at one flat nipple while his fingers plucked at the other.

“Gods!” Hector burst out, before clutching at Orestes’ hair, bringing his lips up for another bruising kiss.

A wave of dizziness passed over Orestes and he slumped slightly in his guard’s arms.

“Majesty, you should be resting.”

“I’m fine.”

Ignoring his King’s protestations, Hector swept Orestes up into his arms. “You need your rest, Sire.”

“Hector, don’t be a mother hen.”

“Highness!” He protested, laying Orestes down among the soft cushions.

Orestes held his arm, preventing Hector from pulling back to leave. “I suppose, Hector, you’ll just have to make sure I’m relaxed enough to get a good night’s sleep.”

“Sire,” Hector began, shaking his head.

“I’m your King, remember. Do I have to order you?” Orestes challenged, eyes twinkling with mirth in a way Hector had not seen in more years than he cared to remember. Breath-taking was all that popped into his head for several seconds.

“Would you really?” he finally teased back, when he could find his voice again.

“Will I have to?” The teasing note was fading and Hector couldn’t bear to see the sadness creep back in.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” he paused, blushing with embarrassment, but willing to provide whatever reassurance his self-conscious love might need, “O-Orestes.”

An incandescent smile broke over Orestes features then, moisture shining brightly in his eyes. “Oh, Hector,” he gasped, “my love.” He pulled himself up to tease several soft kisses along Hector’s jaw.

Hector pulled away, pushing Orestes to lay gently back against the cushions.

“Hector?” Orestes questioned.

“One moment,” Hector muttered, stripping quickly out of his remaining clothes. After settling them into a neat pile on the floor, he turned back toward the bed and stood there, suddenly awkward with indecision.

Orestes let his eyes feast briefly on the sight of the trim, well-muscled figure standing hesitantly at the side of his bed. Long, strong arms and legs; broad, lightly furred chest; tight, well-defined abs. His eyes drifted lower, widening slightly as they came to rest on the impressive organ resting in its nest of pale curls. He lifted his head, smiled into Hector’s uncertain eyes, and opened his arms for the guard to join him on the wide bed.

Hector fell into the warm welcome, letting his own hands slide over Orestes’ lean hips as he pressed soft butterfly kisses along a smooth slope of shoulder. His other hand tangled into soft golden strands, Hector leaned closer, pressing his hot length against Orestes’ thigh.

Orestes sighed, opening his thighs to wrap them around Hector, pressing their heated groins together. He pulled Hector’s mouth toward his own, nuzzling open lips together, exploring the warm cavity of Hector’s mouth, brushing across teeth, then sucking Hector’s probing tongue back between his own lips. Sliding wet kisses across Hector’s cheek, Orestes moved his oral exploration slowly toward Hector’s ear, sucking and nipping sharply at the lobe. At the same time, he let his fingers brush lower, fondling Hector’s cock.

Hector groaned, pulling back slightly. “Majesty, stop.” He smiled into the puzzled blue eyes looking up at him. “You are supposed to be resting. Let me take care of you.” His own hand slid down to grasp Orestes’ lengthening organ as he began to trail wet kisses down the smooth chest. He paused only briefly to tease at flat brown nipples, before sliding lower. Orestes’ gasps and groans music to his ears, he continued lower, teasing around the quivering navel, tickling, invading with his tongue, nibbling around the edges. Hands pushing him to move lower, caused him to lift his head instead. “Sire, everything in its own time... you’re relaxing, remember?” he winked.

Orestes moaned, “Hector!” but still moved his grasping hands away from Hector’s head to clutch at the silk sheets on either side of his own.

“Now, isn’t that better, Sire?” Hector teased, before sliding his lips back to continue their teasing torment. A shuddering moan was his only answer. Letting his tantalising nibbles move lower, he brushed tormenting lips along soft inner thighs, slid his tongue around sharp hips, nuzzled the tight ball sac, exploring with free rein every part of Orestes except the now throbbing length that craved his attention most.

Orestes groaned, squirming wildly against Hector. “Please, please, please,” was all he could murmur.

Hector slid lower, rasping his tongue across the sensitive skin behind Orestes’ sac. He paused a moment, waiting for Orestes to meet his eyes. Not breaking eye contact, he flicked his tongue across Orestes’ clenched anus.

Orestes gasped, throwing his head back against the pillows, fists clenched desperately in the twisted silk.

Hector hummed a laugh, continuing to nibble and probe at Orestes’ opening until he could feel the fine trembling in his lover’s limbs, and enough relaxation for a pair of fingers to join his tongue. He looked again at Orestes. The golden head was thrashing wildly against silk pillows, panting breath rasped in and out. Hector let his tongue glide slowly up the full length of Orestes’ cock, flicking gently at the tip of the weeping organ. Waiting once more for Orestes to meet his eyes, Hector swallowed the full length of lover’s cock in one smooth motion, pressing two fingers deep against Orestes’ prostate at the same moment.

Orestes screamed his orgasm, arching up, shuddering in Hector’s tight grip. Latching his mouth onto Hector’s shoulder, he bit, hard, to prevent any further outburst. The last thing they needed was to bring the whole castle down on them.

Hector continued to swallow, milking Orestes’ pulsing organ while his fingers maintained a flickering rhythm deep inside his throbbing ass. When it was finished, Hector gave Orestes one last soft lick, before falling with a sigh to lay beside the exhausted young King.

“Not yet, Hector,” Orestes rolled into his arms, wrapping his fingers tightly around Hector’s still aching cock. Hector, already at the brink, groaned quickly in release, shooting over Orestes’ thigh.

Hector lay there for a moment, catching his breath. And wishing that just for now he had no more responsibility in the world than to stay in this man’s bed. But duty and responsibility urged him up, that and a new desperate need to make sure this man was protected at any cost. Orestes’ safety was no longer just a job, not that it ever really had been, he acknowledged to himself. It was the only thing that mattered now... to keep his King safe, and happy. Hector sighed, stretching and sitting up in the bed.

“Hector, stay.”

“Majesty, I must go. I’m to guard your door tonight.”

“You mean me.”

“Sire?”

“You’re to guard me. Not my door, me.”

“Well, yes, your Highness.”

“I think you’ll best do that duty from right here.”

“Sire...”

“Please, Hector.”

Sighing, “As you wish, High-...”

“Orestes.” He interrupted firmly.

Blushing, “Orestes.”

Orestes ran light fingers over the bright mark he’d left on Hector’s shoulder. “I’ve marked you now. You’re mine,” he mumbled, already starting to drift off to sleep.

“I always was, Sire.” Hector whispered, then kissed the sleeping man, curling him tight against his side. “I always was.”