Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 22:51:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: Corrinne S <quasito_cat@yahoo.com>
Subject: Dark Wishes Installment 24: Part 4 Chapters 19-21

Note: This is a gay themed fantasy novel about kings
and magic, love and war.  Although I will often allude
to sexual encounters, there are no scenes of sexual
acts for this is, by and large, a love story.  This
author claims exclusive copyright to the characters,
settings, and plot.

Dark Wishes

M.C. Gordon

Part Four: Devlin

Chapter Nineteen:

     The journey to Aolane took several weeks for the
rain continued and the road became treacherous.  All
but two of the wagons were abandoned and the two
carried those who had been severely injured.  The
horses tired after hours of plodding through deep mud
and soon carried only the children.

     "Something must be done to improve the roads,"
Devlin said to Trelaine as he led Brindle through the
muck.  "Packed earth is ineffective.  More might have
survived had their passage not been impeded by thick
mud."

     "I agree," Trelaine replied.  "But I do not know
how."  The King had been withdrawn since the day he
had regained consciousness.

     "There must be an answer in the archives," Devlin
continued.  "I will ask permission to search the most
ancient scrolls for any knowledge of ancient times."

     "Those scrolls were never recovered," Trelaine
told him.  "When we are home and my people tended to,
I will meet with you, Dulva, and Kuyo.  Their
knowledge of masonry and mathematics is strong and I
will place you in charge of the project."

     Devlin raised an eyebrow in disbelief.  "Me?" he
asked, "why me?"

     "Because you take an interest in alleviating a
problem I had never before considered.  Karandal and
Fanna both aided me, each in his own way.  If you are
to become my lover, you will also help to administer
Elanen."

     Devlin was not sure he was hearing correctly.
This was a side of himself the High King had not shown
in four hundred years.

     "I will move you and your friends from the
student area to an apartment near my own.  The three
of you will have more privacy in which to consider the
solution to this problem.  Katya will be with you, and
I ask that you take one, possibly two, of the other
children from your hamlet."

     Devlin nodded his agreement and walked in
silence.  Much about the King had changed in the past
few days.  Trelaine carried himself more regally than
he had before.  His eyes burned with a deeper
intensity and an invisible cloak of authority had
settled about his shoulders.

 . . .

     Trelaine himself was unsure of the cause for the
sudden change in himself.  His mind, whether sleeping
or awake, was assailed with memories that could only
be those of his one-time enemies, the ancient Qell.
Yet he sensed no threat from them now, no danger to
mankind.  He felt curiosity and an odd peace of mind
as bits and pieces of Ilafrain and Resnaron made
themselves known to him.  Miralen's memories he had
lived with for many years and had long since put fear
of them behind him, knowing that he could look back on
the short time with Xoachin without the anger at his
death.  Such was the legacy Karandal and Fanna had
given him: that death is inevitable and those who
remain behind must celebrate life.

 . . .

     Kings Jodel of Endril and Claren of Tilben sent
aid to Trelaine for his people in food and medical
supplies.  Jodel also sent word that Glencoe Village
was available if the survivors of Blaneau Ffestein
wished to settle there.  It had remained uninhabited
since the massacre, before Endril and Tilben had
forged a treaty of everlasting peace in the time of
Llewelyn and Karandal.

     The fifty orphans of Caern Arvis were welcomed
with open hearts and homes in Aolane.  Sondred and
Belen opened their home to any who wished to become
part of their family and increased their children by
five.

     "I did not carry them to term," Sondred said,
"but I deliver five at one time, per your request that
I be responsible our next child."

     Gelemar, with Frit's absolute love and support,
found himself the father of four siblings.  Dermont's
wife pleaded with him until he relented and three
teenaged boys joined his own two young sons in their
home.  Ven returned to his small cottage with two
boys, ages five and nine, and a seven year old girl.
Pistach, finding one three-year old boy weeping
silently, looked at Shanklen and the guardsman, who
found children bothersome, nodded his head in
acceptance of his lover's decision.

     Devlin took his cousins, Mut's two sons and
daughter, to be a family with himself and his sister.
Dulva and Kuyo, both of whom were courting young
ladies, decided that they could handle the
responsibility of a child each if the ladies would
also.  The apartment that was to be a place of quiet
deliberation quickly became too crowded and noisy and
the young men were only able to concentrate on the
High King's project when the children were sent to
their studies.

 . . .

     "The problem is this, Majesty," Dulva said.
"Stone and rock would suffice but be no better in
times of flood or mudslides.  The ground needs to be
excavated to the bedrock and several layers of
material used to build roads with a hard enough
surface to withstand the weather."

     "And there are inclines and declines in the
topography of the land to be held in consideration,"
Kuyo added, "as well as fact that many of the mountain
passes are subject to winter snows and ice."

     Trelaine studied the drawings and figures the two
presented him and shook his head in dismay, unable to
fathom their reasoning.  His knowledge was vast, his
memories growing daily, but he could make no rhyme or
reason of Dulva's careful annotations or Kuyo's
complicated mathematics.

     "Present your proposal to the Archive masters.
If they believe this to be feasible I will decree that
the roads of Elanen be done according to your
instructions.  It is obvious that it will take many
years to complete and is best that we begin as soon as
possible."

     Devlin presented the proposal to the Masters the
following morning.  After great discussion and hours
of studying the scrolls outlining the results of a
year spent in desperate search for a way to improve
the roads, the Masters agreed that it was a remarkable
solution.  Receiving word, the High King immediately
issued a request for men willing to perform the
physical labor required.  Since many of the refugees
had no skills other than farming or herding, many
offered their services and were sent off to begin the
initial excavation of the roads nearest Aolane.
Trelaine sent couriers out to the rest of his kingdom
offering the same employment to any who might be
interested.

 . . .

     As the year had passed, Trelaine often invited
Devlin and the children in his care to dine or ride
with him.  Devlin was aware that the King was paying
courtship to him, something he had not been known to
do before.  Devlin knew that Trelaine loved him, and
he had fallen deeply in love with his king.  But
Devlin refused to pursue his sovereign lord.  He had
no intention of refusing an offer to spend his life in
the heart and bed of the High King but was determined
that Trelaine would have to ask.

     "Can you leave the children in the care of Dulva
and Kuyo for several days?" Trelaine asked one
afternoon.

     "Perhaps," Devlin replied, not at all sure why
Trelaine asked.  "They are beginning to feel more
comfortable and at home now, and consider Dulva and
Kuyo part of their family.  One or other still has the
odd nightmare now and again of the catastrophe, but if
I tell them I must be away because their King requires
it they will understand."

     "We will be less than a seven-day," Trelaine
said.  "Pack a saddlebag and I will request provisions
from Cook."

     Devlin watched Trelaine walk toward the castle
kitchen, and his right eyebrow raised itself in
wonder.

     Three days later Trelaine called Devlin aside and
left his guard at the edge of a large copse of trees.
"That which I seek lies here," he said to Devlin.

     "And what might that be, Majesty?" Devlin asked.

     "You know that I am not the same since the day I
attempted to hold back that which it is natural for
the world to do.  I knew I was dying and was prepared
to do so for I have lived a long and full life.  But
the people summoned all the magic they could touch and
poured it into me openly and with great love.  In
their attempt, they revived the dormant Qell and now
the three are alive and awake in me.  Certain memories
of Resnaron and Ilafrain led me to this place and I
wanted you with me, for within these trees lie the
graves of Frayne and Nels.  It is my desire to remove
them to the castle garden and place their remains near
Xoachin.  I ask that you agree I do so because I will
not if it will jeopardize the love I believe you feel
for me."

     Devlin was speechless for several moments as the
realization dawned that Trelaine loved him so much
that he would put aside a request that could only have
come from Resnaron and Ilafrain.

     "My Lord," he replied, "never would I nay say you
of anything your heart desired.  If that ancient part
of you wishes those once deeply loved to be nearer,
how could I deny that?  Was it not Fanna himself who
believed Xoachin should be where you could spend time
in quiet reflection with him?  I am not, and never
will be, your Consort, Sire.  But if you ask, I will
become your lover.  And I hold the memories of all you
were and are today dear to my heart.  If you desire
that long departed loves be in a place where you may
tend their graves and feel their spirits near you,
then I not only agree but also encourage you to do
this."

 . . .

     The day after Trelaine and Devlin returned to
Aolane an old woman presented herself to the castle
guards and requested an audience with the High King.
"  `Im and the one w'at's Ticid's kin," she said.

     Sondred was slightly amused at the woman's
attitude for she was shabbily dressed in the muted
colors of one of the forest dwellers and her dialect
was one of great antiquity.

     "Which of Ticid's lineage do you wish,
Grandmother?" he asked.  "My brother and I are both of
her line.  Do you seek one of us?"

     "Not ye," she respond, "the young'n from Caern
Arvis, but ye can stay."  She felt an immediate liking
for this young man who gifted her with the respected
title.

     Sondred sent a guard to summon Devlin and offered
the crone his arm.  "I will escort you to His
Majesty," he told her.

     Trelaine was busy overseeing the work being done
in the castle garden where Frayne and Nels would soon
lie when Sondred approached him.

     "Majesty," Sondred said, "this lady wishes to
speak with you and Devlin."

     Trelaine studied the woman closely.  She was
indeed old, her skin akin to the bark of gnarled trees
in the primordial forest.  Her hair might once have
been black but was now white and woven into a thousand
long, slender plaits and she leaned heavily on a
walking stick, her back hunched and misshapen.  He
took her hand graciously and led her to the place he
sat when he sought the memories of those he had loved.

     "Sit, Grandmother, and tell me what you desire of
me."

     "When t'other is here," she replied.

     "She requested Devlin's presence," Sondred
explained.

     Devlin was but a moment behind them and filled
with great curiosity.  The guard had simply said that
he was needed immediately.  Devlin left the children
to the guard's care and hastened to see what could
possibly be of such importance.

     "I sees `em in ye," the woman said as Devlin
joined them.

     "See who, Grandmother?" Trelaine asked.

     "Frayne and Nels," she replied.  Turning to face
Trelaine she said, "I know ye be High King Trelaine.
By yon wall are those ye loved.  Why do ye wish to
take Frayne and Nels from their blood kin?"

     "What blood kin, Grandmother?" Trelaine asked.
"There would have been no issue between them for no
magic can gift a man of a child by another man."

     Lura exhaled a deep breath and shook her head.  "
`O course not," she replied, surprised that the King
could not see the most practical of details.  "When t'
old Qell died, the world became a dangerous place.
Frayne and Nels sought out their brothers, sisters,
and their families and brought them deep in `t forest
for safety.  Others who stood by `t memory of t' Qell
joined `em.  There be many in t' old forest w'at came
from those bloodlines.  We tend their graves."

     "Then I will leave them where they are," Trelaine
said, sadness settling into his heart.  "I will not
take them from others who love them as we once did."

     Lura rose from her seat and strained to look the
King in the eye.  Turning more swiftly than her age
should have allowed she caught Devlin's eyes and
studied the golden orbs that gazed at her with
curiosity.

     "Tell me," she suddenly demanded of Devlin, "who
is this High King?"

     "He is Trelaine, Grandmother," Devlin replied.
"He is also Miralen, Resnaron, and Ilafrain.  He meant
no disrespect toward the memory of Frayne Nels, but
desired only that they rest near Xoachin and his own
heart."

     Lura closed her eyes and stood quietly.  "Summon
all who are kin to Ticid," she suddenly demanded and
Sondred immediately reacted for the power in her voice
could not be denied.

     When Sondred returned he had with him his
brother, Gelemar, and his twins who were held by
Mercatroid.  Devlin's sister and cousins were escorted
by the guard who had quickly summoned another to watch
over Dulva's and Kuyo's children.  Ten other young
children of Caern Arvis slowly joined them, hovered
over by concerned adoptive parents.

     "Is this all?" Lura asked.

     "All that survived the destruction of the
mountains," Devlin told her.

     "Is enough," she said.  "Know ye that Ticid was
from a line begun by one of Nels's brothers and
Frayne's sisters, as are myself and t' rest of t'
forest grandmothers.  Before their deaths, Resnaron
and Ilafrain passed a part of their magic to Frayne
and Nels.  While they lived, they passed t' magic to
each newborn child by holding it at birth.  `Tis known
to ye as the sight."

     "Then we are also of their bloodline?" Devlin
asked.

     "Yes," Lurah responded.  "And enough are here to
be keepers of t' graves.  Ye may take them, King
Trelaine, for so long as one of their line lives and
is loved by Qell, they will rest in peace."

Chapter Twenty

     Trelaine waited one month after Frayne and Nels
were laid to rest in Aolane.  He could wait no longer.
 The road improvements were well under way.  Dulva and
Kuyo had both decided it was time to marry their young
ladies and would be moving to newly built cottages.
The children Devlin had taken to raise were
progressing well under his care and had adjusted
easily to life in the castle.  The King had, in fact,
welcomed one frightened child into his own apartments
under his care: King Narcedar's only surviving
brother, Dari, who had finally been brought to Aolane.


     Trelaine surmised that the time had come for him
to ask Devlin to join him.  They had spent much time
together since the destruction of most of the Chennai
Mountain range both dealing with the road project and
in private.  He knew that Devlin loved him and the
children had indicated that they would be pleased with
a union between the two of them.  Indeed Katya,
outspoken for a child of seven, had even asked
Trelaine if he ever intended to kiss her brother.

     The High King quietly made arrangements.  Dulva
and Kuyo were joined with Milicent and Tatia by
Trelaine to the joy of everyone in the castle.  He had
masons remove a wall between his apartments and the
one adjoining it to add to available room.  Frit, who
had impeccable taste, was asked to find the time to
see that furnishings were acquired suitable to the
needs of the young.

     Katya greatly enjoyed going to the market with
Frit and selecting materials for her own room since
she currently shared one with her cousin Ninia.  The
two of them spent hours bartering with cloth and
furniture merchants selecting each piece and color
with great care, replying only that Frit understood
shopping when Devlin asked why the two had suddenly
become such close friends.

     Almost everyone who lived in Aolane was privy to
Trelaine's intentions and all guarded the secret well
for Devlin was completely unaware of what was
happening around him.

 . . .

     "Walk with me?" Trelaine asked Devlin one evening
when the castle was quiet.  "The guards will watch the
children.  "I need your advice regarding something I
must do."

     Devlin had discovered that he greatly enjoyed
Trelaine's company beyond the fact that he was deeply
in love with his King, more so now that the other Qell
were part of him and Devlin found himself falling in
love with all of them.  He knew that he was being
courted by Resnaron for Trelaine/Miralen waited for
their lovers to seek them out and Ilafrain had never
believed in courtship.  That Qell Lord had always gone
directly for any man he wanted.

     "I would enjoy walking with you," Devlin replied.

     "I often sit here," Trelaine told Devlin as they
reached the castle garden and the resting places of
those that all of him had loved before.  "They are
long gone, but their spirits linger.  And I must ask
their permission for something I very much wish to do.
 Do you think I should?" he asked.

     "I would suppose it depends on what you wish to
ask them, Sire," Devlin replied.

     "I wish to ask them if they would approve of a
union between the two of us."


     Devlin smiled.  "It has taken you long enough,"
he said.  "Ask, but I think you know that they would
approve, as I think they know that I wish the same."

     The distance between them was swiftly breached as
Trelaine took Devlin into his arms and kissed him
deeply, pouring all the love of all he was into the
kiss.  With Devlin's acceptance of that love, Ilafrain
emerged and swept Devlin from his feet.  "Then tonight
we shall consummate our love," he said.

     They spent the night in the long abandoned
apartment Trelaine had shared with Karandal and Fanna,
away from the hurried and full life of the castle.
Asking once again for Frit's assistance, Trelaine had
seen that the rooms were cleaned and filled with
flowers from the garden.  A hot bath waited and the
fireplace was lit.

     Toward morning, before sunrise, Trelaine rose
from the bed and blew out all of the candles.  "I no
longer need them," he explained as he took Devlin in
his arms yet again.

 . . .

     "Well, this took time and secrecy," Devlin said
as Trelaine led him and the children to their new
apartments.

     "You are the only one who did not know," Katya
told him.  "Everyone else did, even Dulva."

     "Dulva?" Devlin asked.

     "It was he I asked to take charge of joining the
two apartments," Trelaine responded.  "His designs for
this and the road project were so well done that he
will soon be granted title of Master Mason.  Several
commissions await him from other kingdoms."

     The two men joined the children as each
discovered the room done for them, Frit's handiwork
evident.  Katya and Ninia, the only two females, were
not surprised for they had each had a hand in their
own choices.  Ninia's brothers, Bertram and Regober,
were excited as they explored their rooms which Frit
had insisted have hide-a-ways and cubby holes for the
myriad things that young boys tended to collect: from
oddly shaped pebbles to unusual bits and pieces of
nothing in particular that they found as they explored
dusty parts of attic and tunnel.

     Young Dari, who had thrown together his own
collection of treasures before Narcedar thrust him
into the arms of a ship's captain, gave Bertram and
Regober each a shell from the shores of Pompeni.  The
boy already had his own room and Frit had offered to
make suggestions for changes, but Dari was content
with things as they were, happy at the knowledge that
his friends would now be his brothers and he was no
longer alone.  Katya and Ninia were only girls who had
to be tolerated.

     "How can I thank you enough for the love you show
the children and myself?" Devlin asked that night as
he lay in Trelaine's arms.

     "It is not your gratitude I seek," Trelaine
replied, "only your love.  Long have I wanted to hold
you and show you the love I have for you.  I hesitated
because of who I was, and who I have become.  I was
unsure that you would truly accept that I am pure
Qell, joined now by those I was before.  It was
difficult for me to put behind myself those memories
of Miralen that have haunted me for centuries.  I was
willing to repeat his act when Karandal and Fanna were
in danger.  But now Resnaron and Ilafrain remind me
that Frayne and Nels ..."

     His words were cut short as Devlin's lips met his
and the High King of ten kingdoms, King of Elanen
alone by his own choice, Qell Lord, lost himself in
the body and love of the descendant of an exiled child
and blood of former lovers.

Chapter Twenty One:

     "I shan't marry him, Dari," Katya said as she
cried on his shoulder.  "They will not force me to for
all that they betrothed me to him when I was thirteen
years old.  I will not marry a man I have never met.
What if he is ugly with warts on his nose and his eyes
are crossed?"  For ten years Katya had confided in
Dari, her adopted step-brother.

     "Then do not marry him," Dari advised.  "Trelaine
is giving me the wildlife refuge as my province and I
begin my journey there within the month.  Come with me
and we will choose our own husbands from the
inhabitants of southern Elanen."

     "I do not trust you," Katya replied smiling, "for
you would choose the most desirable of the men and I
would have to be content with warts."

     "Perhaps we would find a man who would love both
of us," Dari added.

     Katya laughed and swung a pillow at him.  "I will
not marry the man who goes to your bed," she said.
"You will sap his strength and there would be nothing
left of him for me."

     Dari of Pompeni had arrived in Aolane the last of
his family and King of a land now covered by volcanic
lava and ash.  He had been raised as a royal prince
and the High King had promised him a province when he
attained manhood.  The survivors among his people who
had settled in Aolane were going with him to the
animal sanctuary, themselves an endangered race for
they were few.

     He and Katya had become unexpected friends and
confidants for Katya quickly discovered that he had a
good heart, a level head, and an excellent eye for
young men.  They were more comfortable with each other
than anyone else for they could be themselves when
they were together.

     "When is he coming?" Dari finally asked.

     "He is to arrive tomorrow with his parents and
one of the princes of Endril who was fostered at
Enworthy."

     "Katya," Dari finally said, taking her hands and
forcing her to look at him, "perhaps he is not so bad.
 Trelaine and Devlin would not choose a man who would
not be good to you.  He is descended from Karandal's
sister, Selmaris."

     "I know," she sighed, "but these are modern times
and a girl should be allowed to choose her own husband
even if she is both the King's step-daughter and
step-sister."

 . . .

     "I do not understand her," Devlin said to
Trelaine after Katya had announced her refusal to even
meet young Frieden.  "We have only her future
happiness in mind and Frieden is a good choice for a
girl who could once expect nothing more than a
goatherder as a husband."

     "The fault is mine," Trelaine responded.  "I
encouraged her independent spirit.  I will not force
the issue if she truly does not like him, but I will
insist that she at least meet him out of courtesy and
respect for his family."

     So it was that Katya found herself standing on
the steps leading to the entrance of the castle when
her betrothed arrived with his family and entourage.
For all of her refusals the day before, she understood
her duty and had agreed to at least meet and spend a
little time with him.  Dari stood by her side in
friendship and support.

     "Oh, my dear, he is absolutely ravishing!" he
remarked as the visitors dismounted.  "If you are not
interested, give me permission to whisk him away for
hours of lascivious pleasure."

     "Which do you mean?" she asked for she found
herself looking at two very tall, handsome men barely
in their twenties.

     "That one," Dari said as he indicated the shorter
of the two, an aristocratic looking blonde with cobalt
blue eyes.  Short and sturdy with curling black hair,
Dari had always been attracted to blondes.

     Trelaine indicated that he wanted her presence
and Katya went to stand beside him.  She had asked her
maids to do their best to make her presentable for her
usual choice was to wear her hair pulled back and
loose fitting garments.  Her light brown hair had been
properly curled and tucked behind her ears, falling
forward across her shoulders and framing her round
face.  Her deep rose dress added a hint of color to
her face and brought out her light grey eyes.

     "Allow me to present Katya," the High King said.
"Katya, these are Duke Mihal and Dutchess Auren of
Enworthy and their son Frieden."

     Katya curtsied and whispered, "Honored," before
she actually looked at Frieden.  Her body froze and
her heart stopped beating as bent his head to
acknowledge her and gallantly kissed the back of her
hand.  He smiled and she saw perfect teeth and
kindness in his dark green eyes.

    "I am most pleased to finally make your
acquaintance, Lady Katya," he said, passing his left
hand through his dark brown hair.  "Allow me to
present my foster-brother, Prince Non, who comes with
us from Endril to represent King Jodel on this
occasion."

     Non also bowed and kissed her hand and Katya
noticed Dari inching closer.
"It is an honor to meet all of you," she said.  "Allow
me the pleasure of introducing King Trelaine's adopted
son, Dari."

     Trelaine later wondered how Dari managed to keep
his composure when introduced to Non because the lad
had almost whimpered as Non shook his hand.

     "What do you think?" Devlin asked him that night
when the household was asleep and they were relaxing
after making love.  "Did we do the right thing for the
children?"

     "I think Katya and Frieden will soon realize that
the match is perfect for both of them," Trelaine
replied.  "Did you see the look on Dari's face?  I had
not thought to match-make for him but when Jodel asked
me if I could find a mate for Non, none but Dari came
to mind.  Dari is a king by bloodline and should have
a prince as his lover."

     "But you have never taken a prince as a lover,"
Devlin said.

     "I was never raised as a prince in a royal
household," Trelaine replied.  "I was never a child.
For these who have become my children I wanted to find
those who will love and honor them.  Dari is a king
without a kingdom and he will never sire an heir.  He
is still due the honor of a royal consort, befitting
of his heritage."

 . . .

     A picnic was planned for the next day and all of
their closest friends were invited: Sondred and Belen,
Frit and Gelemar, Dermont and his wife, Dulva and
Kuyo.  The castle garden was too small to accommodate
the number so Trelaine arranged for it to be held in a
small forest surrounding a meadow to the east of the
fortress.  Many of the children were of an age to be
married or betrothed and the parents watched to see
who would be most suitable to whom and decide if they
should look elsewhere.

     Katya sat on a blanket and listened to Frieden
plead his case with her.  He was as intelligent as he
was handsome and whispered to her that he would never
choose who his sons or daughters would marry.  They
lived in a modern world that now had reliable roads
and aqueducts to bring the melting mountain snows to
parched lands.  As the youngest son he had no
inheritance in Enworthy and hoped to find a position
where he could be instrumental in helping to increase
the output of crops to feed the growing populations,
for all of the kingdoms faced the same concern.

     They were interrupted when Trelaine walked to
them and asked, "Have you seen Dari?"

     "I believe I saw him heading in that direction,"
Frieden answered and indicated some oak trees.

     Trelaine expressed his thanks and went in search
of his adopted son for he wanted to make the formal
announcement that the animal sanctuary was to be given
to him.  He quickly revised that plan when he saw Dari
against an aging oak, Non's body pressed against him
and the two engaged in a passionate kiss.

     "This much is settled then," he thought.  "Non
will not return to Endril."

To be continued.

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