Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 23:24:28 EDT
From: Double A
Subject: Chronicles Of Whiteshadow Isle

Disclaimer:

Okay, my name is Double A and this is my epic, so listen up! This story
contains lots of hot gay sex between teenage boys and between a teenage boy
and a preteen boy. If that kind of stuff bugs you, than stop reading this
and and go watch Teletubbies or something!

This thing took almost a year to write, believe it or not.

Now, let's get to it!....

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

     The land of Whiteshadow Isle was noisy with activity on the 3rd day of
Falcon's Eye, especially in the capital city of Dawson. The heir to the
throne of Whiteshadow, Prince Shawn, had turned 15 and, therefore, today
was a day of celebration throughout the Isle. Most important, however, was
the event that was to take place after the celebration at Whiteshadow
Palace; Something that made his 15th birthday different from every
other. It was time for him to undergo an ancient Whiteshadow Isle ritual
known as "The Choosing."

     Throughout the day and into the evening, men, and boys from all over
the land poured through the open gates of the palace and into an enormous
ballroom. Only the older ones had ever been inside the palace, this being
the first time since the celebration of the birth of Shawn. Some of the men
were nobility or sons of nobles, but most were simple peasants. They spent
their time dancing to joyous music, eating delicious food, and, of course,
preparing themselves for what was to happen later that night. Women, of
course, were not invited to the celebration, but were content to remain in
the temples around the land, and pray for a good harvest, which was fast
approaching.

     The celebration went on for several hours, the ballroom filled with
the noise of musicians playing, feet stomping, and laughter ringing
throughout the halls. As the sun began to set however, the party slowly
began to calm down. Some of the younger boys leaned in their chairs with
droopy eyes, while others were snoring quietly on the tables. Groups of
some of the older boys sat in corners joking to each other and drinking
ale, which their bodies were not mature enough to handle. Consequently, the
corners sounded with abnormal laughter and the occasional sound of a body
falling out of a chair, which resulted in more laughter from the rest of
the group. The men also sat in their groups, but didn't touch the alcohol
and talked only about what Shawn might look like. Nobody outside the palace
had ever seen more than a quick glimpse of him since he'd been born. He so
seldom went out in public and when he did, it was with a heavy escort who
hit anybody who came too close. They all argued as to which of their sons
would be chosen.

All sounds quickly quieted down, as people saw the two kings of Whiteshadow
Isle make their way over to the balcony overlooking the ballroom. Two
flights of stairs came down from the balcony, leading into the ballroom,
and each king stood next to one. King Luke smiled down at the crowd below,
his short black hair shining as if freshly washed, and said in a gravelly,
but pleasant sounding voice, "Thank you all for coming. Most of you, I'm
sure, have never been to the palace and I hope that you all enjoy the
extravagance that it has and the luxury that it's sure to offer. I say
this, of course, because one of you will be living here from now on."

The crowd of men below looked at each other and smiled, while others were
too busy waking up and composing their children to hear much of what he
said. King Brett looked on, brushing his long red hair from his face with
his fingers, and quickly took care of this by clearing his throat and
announcing in a loud voice of command, absent of much emotion, "The time of
the Choosing is very near! All those who wish to be a part of it, please
get ready, and have all your sons stand straight backed against the east
wall while you stand next to them! Once the Choosing is complete, all must
leave and be content with the Prince's choice! Any dispute should be taken
up with Colonel Garrett or any other member of the Royal Army! They know
how to deal with complainers!"

 As soon as the gruff commands of King Brett were complete, men and boys
alike rushed around the room while guards cleared away the food from the
tables and cleaned up the vomit from the older boys. Within minutes,
thousands of men and boys, some as old as fifty and some as young as two,
were standing totally naked against the east wall. Their clothes were
sitting in small piles around the room. Both kings overlooked the sight
with smiles; Some of the bodies below would be a fine catch for any
men. Some of them looked so clean, they almost sparkled, while others
looked like they just came from cleaning the royal stables. Some wore hair
down to the middle their backs, while others had shaven heads. Some looked
stoned face, ready for the ritual, while others, mostly the very young
boys, looked around uneasily and nervously as if they didn't know why there
were here and if they did, they didn't want to be here. Some penises were
totally flaccid while others were already erect and throbbing. Some men
were circumcised while others were not.  Some men were short and fat and
others were tall and skinny, while the little boys were mostly short and
skinny with small penises. The sheer sight of it all, caused both kings to
become erect underneath their silk trousers, but they both smiled, knowing
that the problem would be fixed later on, when Brett and Luke could be
alone. Luke still thought it seemed pointless for the fathers of the boys
to undress, but tradition stated that the condition of the father's body
was a good indication of how the child would turn out and, thus, was a
major factor in Choosing.

Since everybody seemed ready and the room was cleared, Brett looked down at
the masses and smiled, "Since you are all ready, I'd like to introduce the
Prince."

     He turned around and called, "Shawn! It is time!"

     A voice responded from somewhere in the castle, "I don't wanna!"

     Luke smiled slightly and called back, "It's tradition, son! I'm sure
there are some guys here who would please you!"

     "It's a stupid tradition and I don't want a guy! Besides, these
clothes you gave me are so funny looking!" came the response.

     Brett shook his head and laughed, "Shawn! Centuries of tradition
cannot be defiled because you don't like your father's and my fashion
sense! If you don't come down and choose right this instant, you will
collapse our kingdom!"

     There was a pause and then, "Oh, all right! But I still think it's a
stupid tradition!"

     Luke turned back to the anticipating crowd and shrugged, "Kids . . . "

Part of the crowd laughed, but the majority wanted to get this over with.

     After a few minutes, Luke and Brett turned around briefly than looked
at the crowd and proclaimed, "We now present Prince Shawn of Whiteshadow
Isle!"

     The crowd all snaked their necks to look upward and held their breath
in anticipation.

     A boy appeared at the stairway closest to Luke and stood next to him
with a sour look on his face. The boy had long black hair tied back in a
ponytail with a purple velvet ribbon, brown eyes and was fairly tall and
thin. His face was pale, as if he was kept out of the sun, and didn't have
a single blemish or freckle on it, only a small cleft in his chin. He had a
mature look to his face, but stood very close to Luke and kept looking at
him in impatience, like a child might if forced to attend an adult
function. Added to his shyness, was his clothing . . . or lack thereof. He
wore only a navy blue tube top that just barely covered his slightly
muscled chest and totally revealed his almost flat stomach, and a pair of
black jean shorts that were cut so short that they ended just above his
thighs. He was also barefoot and looked terribly uncomfortable as he stood
next to Luke with a red tinge to his face and neck. He looked so much like
a commoner that except for a ring of solid gold on his right hand, you'd
never know he was anything more than a peasant.

     The crowd stared at Prince Shawn in infatuation, though. Despite his
shyness and obvious disgust, they found him a beautiful boy and someone who
most of the crowd longed to fuck.

     Shawn stared up at Luke and whined, "Dad . . . Do I have to?"

     Luke nodded, "All princes of Whiteshadow must undergo the Choosing on
the day of their fifteenth birthday. Now . . . Go down there and select the
guy who shall reign beside you when Brett or I pass into the spiritual
world."

     Shawn began to pout, looking even more like a child, "Oh, dad
. . . Brett . . . This is so stupid!"

     Brett looked over at young Shawn and smiled sympathetically, "It's
time, boy. Go down and choose a male just as your father chose me, many
years ago."

     Shawn looked at Luke and Brett with a desperate look on his face, but
seeing no way of getting out of it, he slowly walked downstairs. Reaching
the ballroom, he blushed brighter and looked at the ground when he saw so
many thousands of men were staring at him in expectation, making little
gestures to come over and appraise their children. "Such crap . . . "
thought Shawn to himself, "All these people desire, are their kids to be
the next king! A bunch of snobbish fathers with children who think they are
king shit."

     A man raced forward and grabbed Shawn's wrist. The guards quickly left
their post and tackled him before he could reach Shawn, however, he heard
the man yell as he was being lifted up and escorted toward the door, "Pick
my boy! He has a nice cock and would love to play with you!"

     Shawn shook his head at the scene and blushed even more as he saw a
boy, who must have been the man's son, staring at him intently with a look
that begged for attention. It sickened Shawn to his stomach to have this
ritual take place at all. He liked boys and all, enjoying playing with the
sons of visiting nobility, but to have such blatant displays going on. What
really made Shawn mad was that some of the boys were dressed so smartly,
yet had bruises on their face, evidence of their father's desire for them
to be king. Shawn kept staring back at his father, who only looked at him
and motioned with his head for him to pick someone.

     Shawn walked up and down the room, peering at the sickening displays
trying to win his favor: The silk clothing, styled hair and sweet-smelling
colognes. Suddenly, there was a great crash as one of the tables collapsed
to the ground. A small boy scurried away from the rubble and, seeing the
intruder, the guards took off after him, swords drawn. Shawn saw the boy
run past him, his hands and face covered in jam and crumbs of bread and
holding a small piece of cake that was crumbling in his hands. The guards
chased the child around until Colonel Garrett, a large, well armored, and
powerful looking man, dove and tackled the small child to the ground. His
heavy armor totally hiding the boy from view until the Colonel stood up,
pulling the boy up by his arm, and threw him against the wall, "Think you
can sneak into our ritual and steal our food, do you?!"  he growled.

With a quick movement, he slapped the boy across his cheek, turning it red
and causing him to fall down. The small boy began to cry loudly, covering
up the noise of all the men and boys against the wall murmuring to each
other about what effect this would have on the ritual. Shawn quickly ran
over and grabbed Colonel Garrett's wrist just before he was about to hit
the sobbing child again. Garrett turned and sneered at Shawn; If he wanted
to hit the child again, Shawn's feeble hands could not restrain him. "Go
back to your Choosing, my prince. I will deal with this beggar boy and
quickly exonerate him from our palace."

 Shawn peered down at the boy, his filthy face buried in his grimy hands
and his whole body shaking as he sobbed loudly. He looked no older than
nine or 10 and was awfully thin and very dirty. Shawn peered back at the
crowd of people, who seemed now to be talking about what their prince was
doing stopping a soldier from evicting a beggar boy, and then back at
Colonel Garrett.

He summoned up his most commanding voice and ordered, "Don't you dare lay a
hand on the second heir to the Whiteshadow throne!"

He said it loud enough that everyone in the room could hear, and they
immediately exploded into a raucous of argument and disbelief. Colonel
Garrett stared at Shawn as if he'd lost his mind, but did not fight when
Shawn gently lifted the boy to his feet and whispered to him, "Don't worry.
Everything's gonna be fine. Just stay close to me and nobody here will
touch you."

When the boy took his hands from his face, some of the dirt from them had
wiped off onto it, making it even dirtier. The boy sniffled, his eyes still
puffy from crying and his cheek still red, visible even through the
gunk. He looked up at Shawn and smiled shyly, taking his hand when he
offered it. Together, they walked to the center of the room and Shawn
looked up at his father, "I've made my choice." He said simply.

The people were in an uproar. A man yelled to nobody in particular, "How
can this be?! How can he pick a vagabond over my son, son of the Baron of
Levesque?!" Another man yelled at Shawn, "You ungrateful little bastard!
How could you condemn our kingdom to be ruled by an ass and a beggar?!" Yet
another yelled at King Luke, "Your son is not allowed to do that?! Explain
to him the ritual and have him choose again!"

Shawn backed away from the angered masses, the beggar boy huddling behind
him. King Luke loudly cleared his throat and held his arms up for
silence. When that didn't work, Colonel Garrett and the rest of the
soldiers drew their swords and the crowd finally quieted down. King Luke
lowered his hands and spoke to the masses, but stared at Shawn, "The ritual
states that on the fifteenth birthday of a Prince of Whiteshadow Isle, he
must choose a boy to rule beside him as king, when his time comes. The boy
must be chosen of the prince's own free will, and he must be a citizen of
Whiteshadow Isle. Since this boy looks in no condition to have made the
trip all the way from Opal Bay harbor, I'm assuming that he was born
here. As well, my son *did* choose him of his own free will. It says
nothing in the scriptures about the boy having to come from a certain
lineage. There is nothing I can do, but citizens of Whiteshadow Isle
. . . The prince has chosen his mate. Now, guards, please help everybody
out."

The soldiers advanced on the people, who visibly seething, took their
children and were led out of the palace.

In a few minutes, everybody had left, but Shawn remained in a corner of the
room, sitting on the floor huddling with the dirty boy. Luke and Brett
walked down the stairs and slowly approached the prince. Shawn sat in the
corner, the boy sitting beside him looking confused and occasionally
licking his fingers, trying to get the residual food off them. Tears ran
down Shawn's face as Luke and Brett arrived at the far corner where he
sat. Shawn looked up at them and began to sob, "Why . . . Why were all the
people so mean to me? Why did I have to do this damn ritual!?"

Luke knelt down beside Shawn and gently undid the ribbon that tied his
hair, letting his long black mane hang loosely down his back. He leaned
forward, kissed his son softly on the cheek, and put his arm around him,
hugging him gently. He looked at Shawn and said, "They're just commoners,
most of them. You pay them no heed, my son. I must inquire, however, as to
why you chose . . .  ummm . . . " Luke's voice trailed off as he stared at
the small boy next to Shawn, now looking around nervously as he began to
realize that the party was over and people were beginning to notice him.

Shawn shrugged, "I don't know. Everybody seemed so fake . . . It was the
only way I could stop Garrett."

Luke nodded, but looked solemn, "Be that as it may, ritual states that once
a Prince has made his choice, it is unbreakable. Regardless of your
reasons, this boy is now stuck with you until he dies and he will be king
alongside you."

Shawn nodded, "Everybody else was so fake . . . "

Luke stood up and, for a moment, simply stared at the boy as he huddled in
the corner and tried to remain inconspicuous. Finally, he said, "So, what's
your name, squire?"

The boy didn't answer, and Shawn reached down and rubbed his hand through
the boy's grimy hair. The boy looked up at Shawn with a start and Shawn
smiled and said, "What's your name?"

The boy looked down and his face scrunched up, as he seemed to be thinking
hard. After almost a minute, he said in a high-pitched, musical sounding
voice, "Carter."

Shawn smiled up at his father and Brett and then looked back down at the
boy, "So, where is your dad, Carter?"

He shrugged, "Died in a shipwreck a while ago. Been living in the streets."

"And how old are you, Carter?" asked Luke

"Nine . . . I think. Before my daddy died, I was six and that was about
three years ago. Can I go back to the streets?"

Luke smirked, "Nine. Youngest boy chosen in the history of the land of
Whiteshadow Isle." He thought to himself.

Shawn shook his head, "No, Carter, you live here now. I'm going to take
care of you."

Carter's face lit up upon hearing that, "Here? Wow! This place is keen! Can
I have some of that good bread and jam?"

Shawn laughed and said, "You can have whatever you want. Right now, though,
you're gonna get a good bath."

Carter cocked his head, "Bath? Cool! I haven't had one of those since daddy
died!"

Luke nodded, "That's good. Take Carter upstairs and bathe him
thoroughly. Since he's yours, he'll sleep with you from now on. Brett and I
will see you tomorrow morning for breakfast."

With that, Luke put his arm around Brett and they both walked back toward
the stairs. Shawn stood up and wiped the rest of the tears from his
face. Carter stood up too and wiped his face as well, which didn't do much
good.

"Come on." Shawn said and walked off toward the stairs as his father and
Brett had. Carter skipped along beside him, giggling as he looked around
the huge room. "Is all this mine?" he asked Shawn. Shawn nodded, "It's all
yours, but you have to share it with everybody else who lives here.  Plus,
you have to stay with me."

Carter nodded and smiled, "You're nice!"

Shawn smirked and he and Carter walked up the stairs, down a long hallway,
up another flight of stairs, down another hallway, through a door and then
they were in Shawn's room. Carter's eyes were as wide as saucers as he
looked around at the enormous room. "Is this my room?" Carter giggled.

Shawn nodded, "And mine. However, before you touch anything, we're going to
clean you up."

Shawn ushered Carter through the enormous room and into an equally enormous
bathroom. In the center, was a round tub, big enough for ten boys Carter's
size. Shawn was hoping to bathe with Carter soon, but right now, the boy
needed one alone. The boy was covered in dirt, but looked pretty cute
anyway.

"Okay, take off your clothes and get in the water." Shawn said.

Carter was wearing a torn shirt, black with dirt, and all sorts of other
gunk, causing it to stick to him. He was also wearing breeches, which were
also filthy. Carter quickly peeled off his shirt and pants and jumped into
the tub. Shawn gingerly picked up the pile of disgusting clothes and tossed
them into the garbage slot at the far end of the bathroom. He went back
over and saw Carter happily splashing in the water, "Mmm . . . This is so
warm! All the water on the street is freezing cold!" Shawn smiled and
pressed a button on the wall of the bathroom. The water began to churn as
jets began to swirl the water around. Carter jumped as one of the jets
behind him started, and swam to the other end of the tub, the only part
visible now through the churning tub was his filthy face. He squealed,
"Ooh! That tickles!"

"Dunk your head underwater quickly."

Carter looked hesitant, so Shawn went over to him, "Let me help. Hold your
breath." Carter took a deep breath and Shawn pushed him under the water for
a few seconds. When he surfaced, Shawn gasped. The powerful jets seemed to
have scrubbed some of the dirt off his face and, though he couldn't see due
to the churning water, his body. Shawn could see now that Carter had long
honey blond hair and blue eyes. When he surfaced, he opened his eyes and
started giggling again and Shawn could see cute dimples in both cheeks when
he smiled. He had a small nose and, except for a small freckle on his right
cheek, his face was totally unblemished. Even though not totally clean,
Shawn knew right away that he loved this boy. He was so happy and excited,
but very adorable.  Having a boy who needed a home, like Carter, was much
better than having a greedy bastard like the other boys.

Shawn grabbed a bar of soap from the counter and proceeded to soap up
Carter, washing his hands, face, and body. Carter giggled loudly as Shawn
soaped up his hairless armpits and tummy.  Shawn couldn't help laughing
along with him. Carter was very thin, but he had a small pot belly of
babyfat that made his stomach not totally flat and Shawn found this just
delicious. The soap was good quality and got the dirt off very well. Shawn
smiled and took a deep breath as he decided on his next cleaning
spot. "Carter, stand up." Carter stood up and Shawn could not get over how
cute this kid was. He may have been six years younger than Shawn, but that
didn't stop him from wanting this boy's prepubescent body in every possible
way. Case and point, Carter stood up and Shawn rubbed soap all over his own
hands and proceeded to wash Carter's thighs and legs.

Gradually, his hands moved over to Carter's crotch. His penis was
circumcised and only about a half an inch long in its limp state. His ball
sack was small and round, no definition at all as to what was inside. Shawn
soaped his hands more and rubbed them all over Carter's tiny prick and
scrotum, being very gentle. Carter let out high-pitched giggles and begged
Shawn to quit tickling him. This only caused Shawn's 15-year-old cock to
become rigid in his shorts, but he didn't care if Carter noticed. After
all, he was going to be seeing it a lot over the many years that they had
to spend together. Shawn's horny mind wondered what Carter's small pricklet
would look like erect.  He was sure that a nine-year-old could get erect,
and wanted to see. He soaped his hand more and, handling the small organ
gently between his thumb, forefinger, and middle finger, he stroked it,
effectively masturbating the young child. The giggles began to get louder
and more frequent as Shawn stroked the little boy meat quicker. Suddenly,
just as he began to feel a stiffening in it, Carter stopped giggling and
quickly sank under the water, a blush coming over his face. "What's wrong?"
Shawn asked smiling.

Carter looked into the now black water, avoiding Shawn's gaze, as he said,
"My penis is getting hard . . . "

Shawn nodded, "It's okay. It's supposed to."

Carter looked up at Shawn, "Why?"

Shawn smiled, "Because I was rubbing it and I wanted it to get hard."

Carter looked confused, "Why?"

"Because a boy is able to feel really good and I wanted to help you feel
good."

Carter nodded in apparent understanding, "Do you ever feel good?"

Shawn laughed, "When you get to be my age, you want to feel good all the
time. When you're done your bath, I'll make you feel really, really good."

Carter giggled, "Okay. I wanna be done now!"

Shawn nodded, "Okay, just one more place to clean and we'll be done. Now
stand up and turn around."

Carter smiled and quickly stood up and turned around, eager to finish the
bath. His little penis now stood about one and some half inches in full
erect glory. Shawn really wanted to finish this bath soon! Shawn soaped up
his hands again and gently began to rub them along Carter's butt cheeks.
He slowly parted them, revealing his tiny asshole. Shawn's index finger was
covered in soap already, so he gently placed it over the little hole and
slowly twisted it in a bit. Carter giggled loudly and almost jumped up and
down. "Does that feel good, Carter?" Shawn asked as he slowly pushed his
finger a little deeper inside.

"Sorta. Feels kind of funny, but . . . neat, I guess."

Shawn nodded and finished soaping up his bum, then told Carter to sit down
again. The jets and soap had scrubbed his body of all the dirt and Shawn
gently lifted Carter out of the tub and rubbed him dry with his towel. When
he was done, Shawn put the towel back on the rack and him and Carter left
the bathroom. Carter blushed as he looked up at Shawn, "I feel kinda weird
walking around naked."

Shawn shook his head, "Don't. You can do that all the time here. I do
sometimes too." And with that, Shawn took off the tube top and shorts and
stood naked as well in front of the still glistening Carter. Carter's eyes
opened wide as they saw Shawn's erection, in full six inch fury, throbbing
madly and surrounded by a small bush of dark curly hair. This was in
delightful contrast to Carter's hairless body. Shawn smiled, "I know what
you're thinking. Don't worry, you'll look like this in a few years."

Carter continued to stare but smiled, "Your penis is hard, but mine is hard
too!" he reached down and took his tiny erection in between his fingers,
showing it to Shawn. The sight almost caused Shawn to cum right there.

Shawn looked down at Carter, his cock throbbing madly in response to the
cuteness of the adorable boy in front of him. The little boy's erect prick
sat between his fingers as he proudly showed it to the prince. Carter was
still blushing and seeming a bit embarrassed by the hardness of his little
pricklet, but seeing Shawn proudly displaying his throbbing boyhood must
have made him feel more comfortable.

Smiling, he knelt down and looked at the prepubescent cock in little
Carter's hand. It was so small, but so beautiful . . . and so delicious
looking. It gave Shawn great pleasure to simply stare at the beauty of the
boy's body, to imagine that it would look almost the same for the next
three years.  Until Puberty ravaged Carter's body, making his smooth skin
hard with muscle and covered in hair, and his adorable little penis and
balls grow to greater proportions, taking away their innocent childishness,
Shawn was going to make sure he spent as much time as possible with him.

"It's not as big as yours . . . " he heard Carter say.

He realized that, through his daydreaming, he was still staring at Carter's
penis. Looking up at the boy's slightly embarrassed face, he smiled and
said, "It doesn't matter. I love it anyway!"

Carter giggled and dropped his penis from his fingers, "Why would you love
my penis?"

Shawn stood up and, since he stood over a foot taller than Carter, looked
down at him and, still smiling, said, "You may not understand right now,
but soon you will learn to love boys' penises too."

Carter seemed confused, but Shawn expected that. He gently took Carter's
hand and led him over to the big bed on the far wall. Carter looked up at
Shawn and whined, "Wait! I don't wanna go to bed yet! You promised you'd
make me feel really good first!"

Shawn nodded, "I know. That's why we're going to the bed."

Carter's face showed he was confused, but Shawn's warm hand on his naked
shoulder made him feel really good already, so he obediently walked with
him. When they got to the bed, Shawn suddenly scooped Carter up and tossed
him onto it. He hit the soft bed with a thump and bounced up and down,
giggling after getting over the primary shock. Shawn jumped on it too, and
for a few seconds, they bounced up and down, Shawn and Carter laughing as
they rolled around.  Eventually, Shawn stopped bouncing and simply lay
there; Carter mimicked him and lay next to him.

Carter jumped when he felt Shawn's hand reach over and lightly rub over his
little prick. Carter must have thought it was an accident, because he
calmed down until he felt Shawn's hand reach over again, this time, Shawn's
body turned onto its side and he grabbed the once-again flaccid little
boyhood in his thumb and forefinger. Carter urgently looked over at Shawn
and gulped, "What are you doing?"

Shawn got on to his knees and used the hand not holding the little boy's
pricklet to gently stroke Carter's hair. He cooed and shushed the boy as if
he was a baby and softly said, "It's gonna be all right. Just close your
eyes and relax and remember that I love you."

He continued to stroke Carter's little dick, being so gentle as if it was
made of brittle glass. His fingers lightly touched it as he masturbated the
9-year-old boy, but only lightly. Carter whimpered and seemed to purr as
Shawn lightly rubbed the boy's small penis, still soft due to the minimal
contact it was getting from Shawn's hand. When his boyhood finally hardened
again to its full one-and-a-half inches, he panted loudly and seemed to cry
as he whispered in his prepubescent, high-pitched voice, "No . . . Please
. . . please stop . . . "

     However, Shawn didn't stop; If anything, he rubbed it faster, still
being extremely gentle and only barely touching it. Carter continued to
whimper his pleas, but they sounded so faraway and hollow, like the refusal
of a piece of pie that you desperately want. As Shawn continued to
masturbate the child, his hand went from stroking his hair to running his
hands down Carter's body. His fingers felt the velvet soft skin of the
freshly washed boy, felt his flat chest as it quickly rose and fell with
each of his pants. His skin was so smooth, so perfect, not like Shawn's own
chest, which had begun to harden with Puberty into something that, in a
year or so, would begin to sprout hair. His two tiny nipples, small dots on
his chest that stuck out into mini points with his growing arousal. Shawn
contemplated running his tongue up and down Carter's little chest and
seeing if his skin tasted as good as it looked. He didn't, however, for
fear that it would be too much for the small boy. The boy was already
tensing and shuddering, whimpering like a puppy; Getting closer and closer
to his very first orgasm.

Shawn's hand roamed farther down until it brushed over Carter's
tummy. Shawn's hand gently rubbed over his baby soft skin and Carter
giggled through his whimpers and arched his back.  Shawn smiled down at him
and rubbed Carter's little boyhood even faster, causing tears to come to
Carter's eyes as he started to quietly cry at the feelings that were
shooting through his little prick.  Shawn's other hand stroked down
Carter's little tummy, squishy with baby-fat, and rubbed his finger around
his bellybutton. Carter cried louder and his small hips began gently
thrusting up instinctively toward Shawn's stroking fingers.

Shawn's fingers then slowly brushed down to stroke around Carter's hairless
crotch. The area around Carter's swollen little pricklet was smooth and
soft. No hair would grow there for the next two or three year and it was
like silk.

Suddenly, Carter let out a loud cry and Shawn could feel all the muscles in
Carter's crotch and tummy rippling as orgasm washed over the
nine-year-old. Carter's tiny penis spasmed against Shawn's fingers,
desperately trying to squirt sperm that the young boy was far too young to
have.  Tears ran down Carter face as, for a full ten seconds, his whole
body shook as his boyish orgasm ran its course.

Shawn was so proud of Carter's introduction to sex, that he totally forgot
about his own erection, which was still hard. However, Carter lay asleep,
his young body tired out from his orgasm and Shawn was too tired himself to
do anything about it. He collapsed beside Carter and wrapped his arm around
the 9-year-old, hugging him gently as he slowly fell asleep.

Both boys, totally naked, lay asleep on top of the bed as the moon sunk
below the emerald hills.

     The next morning, Shawn was woken up early by the gentle shakes of
Carter. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the naked child hunching over
him, quietly calling his name. When he saw that Shawn was awake, he bent
down and kissed him on the cheek. Shawn looked up, grinning hugely, and
laughed, "What was *that* for?"

     Carter giggled and said, "For not stopping when I told you to. That
was soooo good! What was that?"

     Shawn sat up, "That was called an orgasm. You liked it, eh?"

     Carter giggled, "Yeah!"

     Shawn put his arm around Carter and hugged him, saying, "What a good
boy. You're such a good boy, Carter . . . "

     Carter smiled and, gazing down, said, "Do you want an orgasm now?"

     Shawn looked down and saw that Carter had noticed his typical morning
erection, a trait of most pubescent boys. Shawn looked at Carter and,
seeing that his smiling face was serious, he smiled back, "Yeah. Do you
wanna do it?"

     Carter's smile faded and he blushed and looked at his feet, "I don't
know how."

     Shawn squeezed Carter's shoulder and said, "Don't worry! I'll show
you."

     Shawn took Carter's shoulders and guided him down onto his
stomach. Patting Carter's head, he instructed, "Now, just take my penis in
your mouth and suck on it like a lollipop."

     The calmness of how he said it surprised Carter as he looked up and
exclaimed, "You want me to suck on your *dick*?!"

     Shawn laughed, "It's not bad! I'll do it to you later, I promise!"

     That lit up Carter's eyes, "You'll suck on mine? Cool!" and he took a
deep breath and bent down and slowly sunk his little mouth over the head of
Shawn's prick. Upon feeling the moist wetness of Carter's baby mouth on his
circumcised dick, Shawn leaned back and groaned, "Oh God!"

     Carter smiled as best he could with Shawn's 15-year-old cock in his
mouth, and sucked it just like Shawn had told him. He could only fit about
an inch in his mouth, but just like a lollipop, he licked and sucked all
around it. As Carter knelt between his legs licking, Shawn reached
underneath Carter's lithe body and took his tiny boyhood between his
fingers, stroking it gently, and feeling it hardening in boyish erection.

     For Carter's inexperience, Shawn found sheer pleasure in just having
his small body close to him. His naked skin was so soft and hairless and
so, so innocent. His teenage prick throbbed in Carter's mouth as he got
closer and closer to relieving the pressure that builds in the bodies of
young boys - A sexual pressure that can only be relieved in one way. Shawn
may have gotten the same innocence and purity from some other boy, but
nobody there was nearly as cute as little Carter. He wasn't trying to give
Carter another orgasm . . . He just loved the boy's small pricklet and
loved touching it.

Shawn's daydreaming slowly faded into another sort of dream as Shawn's
muscles stated tensing.  Carter's cute little tongue worked around Shawn's
manhood, drawing up tiny drops of clear precum. Carter either didn't notice
or didn't mind, but Shawn's grunts and groans amplified as his stomach
muscles tensed and his vision went all blurry until the only feelings he
had, was the cool mattress underneath him and the adorable little boy, not
even in double digits yet, sucking on his prick and getting his pubescent
hormones zooming around his pale body.

Shawn loudly groaned, "OH GOD!" and his stomach muscles rippled as orgasm
struck him hard.  His prick began spasming as Carter's had, only Shawn
*had* sperm and every time his prick spasmed, it shot another stream of
teenage cum into Carter's small mouth. After four shots of Shawn's boy
juice, Shawn's orgasm finally peaked and left him. He could have remained
kneeling there, holding Carter's prick between his fingers, all day, but
Carter let Shawn's now half-erect prick fall from his lips and straightened
up. Seeing Carter caused Shawn to drop the boy's prick.

Shawn had realized, too late, that Carter would probably be taken by
surprise when he came, but couldn't help giggling a little as he saw Carter
kneeling in front of him, his mouth slightly agape and cum dripping from
it.

"Swallow it!" Shawn laughed.

"A gig ba ish koo mukh!" was the response.

Shawn found it pretty sexy to see his own cum dripping from Carter's mouth,
down his chest and onto his stomach. He didn't want to dirty the bed,
though, so he quickly leaned over to Carter's body and licked all around,
drinking up the pools of his semen all over Carter's small body as Carter
giggled and squirmed around.

He licked all around his soft tummy, then ran his tongue up his chest,
getting all the goo from there, stopping to lick his nipples just for good
measure. They were as delicious as he thought and Carter moaned a little
and his prick became instantly erect at the contact. From there, Shawn
licked around and up Carter's neck until he finally reached his face. Shawn
smiled and quickly leaned in, opening his mouth and kissing the 9-year-old,
running his tongue all around the boy's mouth and drinking up the semen
that remained in there. After a few seconds, Shawn was surprised to find
Carter's baby tongue in his mouth too. They remained kissing for several
seconds until Shawn gently broke the contact and giggled at Carter. "I love
you so much!" He grinned. Carter giggled back and wrapped his skinny arms
around Shawn, hugging him tight, his little stiffy pressing against Shawn's
skin, "Thanks for making me feel so good. It was so horrible on the
street."

Shawn nodded and picked up Carter in his arms, bringing him across the room
to a large chest of drawers. He put Carter down and opened up one of the
drawers, pulling out a bunch of clothes and handing them to Carter with a
quick, "Here, put these one!" before closing it and opening another drawer
and getting garments for himself.

Carter brought the clothes he was given over to the bed and looked at them:
They consisted of a white silk shirt, purple velvet breeches, soft socks
and leather boots. Carter marveled at how nice the clothes felt and was
still examining them when Prince Shawn came over and laid a pile of clothes
beside him.

"Come on. Dad and Brett are probably already up and waiting. We have to
take a quick bath and get dressed. I have to show you off today."

He took Carter's hand and they went to the bathroom. Shawn gently lifted
Carter into the tub and than climbed in himself. He soaped Carter up first
and turned on the jets, than soaped himself up.  When all the soap was off,
Shawn quickly took Carter out and got out himself. Carter seemed sad about
not being able to stay in the warm water for very long, but Shawn rushed
him back into the room and helped Carter get dressed, than got dressed
himself. Shawn was wearing almost the same clothes as Carter except he had
a blue silk shirt and red velvet breeches, as well as a long cape with some
coat-of-arms on the back. After they were dressed, Shawn sat Carter on the
bed and knelt down in front of him. He quickly hugged him, "I'm sorry for
rushing you, but because we played with each other this morning, we're now
sort of late for breakfast. About what I said earlier, today we're going to
go in the royal carriage and drive around town so the townspeople of Dawson
can see you. They all hate you, because I chose you instead of their
children, but it's a stupid ritual."

Carter nodded, even though he wasn't totally clear on everything. Looking
over Carter and making last minute tucks and pulls, he was amazed at how
Carter looked; It was impossible to know that only yesterday, the
nine-year-old had been raiding garbage cans for food. They quickly left the
room and scurried downstairs where, as expected, Luke and Brett were
waiting at the breakfast table.

Seeing him approach, Brett looked up and smiled, "Ah, Shawn! So good of you
to find the time!"

Luke looked across the table at his lover, "Now, Brett . . . Shawn probably
wanted a few minutes this morning to play with his boy. Need I remind you
that when I chose you, we almost missed the Displaying all together."

Brett laughed and replied, "Yes, quite right. I assume though, young
prince, that you found the time to explain to Carter the Rules."

Shawn found a seat across from his father and Brett and Carter sat next to
him. In response to Brett's inquiry, though, Shawn shook his head, "I spent
much time washing him and we were too tired after playing to get into it."

Luke hadn't examined Carter very closely since he arrived, plus the fact
that he tagged quite close to Shawn, in shyness. Seeing him now, though,
made Luke smile hugely, "My my, Shawn! You certainly did a good job of
cleaning him. He's really a beautiful boy, despite being so young. Isn't he
a beautiful boy, Brett?"

Brett nodded, "Yes, he certainly is quite an attractive young lad, though I
emphasize the word 'young.' I really think he should be explained the rules
though."

Luke nodded, "Yes, I agree." He turned to look at Carter and said, "Now,
boy, you must realize that there are some rules that you must obey and
obligations that you must carry out and follow, are you clear?"

Carter blushed and nodded shyly, "Y..Yes sir."

Shawn turned to Carter and said, "Don't call him sir, Carter. First rule,
is on addressing my father and Brett. When no other guests are here, you
are allowed to call them Luke and Brett if you want. However, when guests
are staying with us, especially other royalty, you must refer to them,
respectively, as 'Your Highness', 'Your Majesty', or 'King Luke' and 'King
Brett'."

Luke nodded, "Next rule, is that until your fifteenth birthday, you are the
property of Shawn. You will follow Shawn everywhere and will not leave his
sight unless he gives you permission to. You will do whatever he tells you
to do, except for sex. It is your choice as to what you want to do with
Shawn and if you don't wish to do something Shawn asks you to do, you can
refuse and that will be that. This only applies to sex, though."

Shawn blushed and looked at Carter who looked back and giggled, whispering,
"I'll do anything you want me to do, as long as it feels as good as the
other stuff."

Brett continued, "The final rule, boy, only applies in rare cases and I
wouldn't worry about it, but in the event that Shawn is deemed unfit to be
an heir or in the event that he dies before he becomes king, your life will
be forfeit."

Carter leaned over and whispered, "What does that mean?"

Shawn quickly shook his head, "You don't worry about it. Just stick close
to me at all times and act polite in front of guests and you'll be cool."

Luke's face, emotionless during the saying of the rules, smiled now as he
said, "Now, here are your obligations and rights. First, keep in mind that
you are now a member of royalty. You must act like it in front of people,
especially townsfolk. If a townsperson ever bothers you, you simply tell
one of the guards who will be with you at all times when out of the palace,
and they will deal with them. Secondly, after us and Shawn, you have
authority in the Palace. If you want something to eat, ask for it and the
royal chef will make it for you at all hours. If you want a toy to play
with, ask for it and our best toy-maker will create it for you. Nobody can
boss you around and if anybody in the palace, other than us or Shawn,
treats you with disrespect, tell us or a guard and they will be dealt
with. Well, that's all. Now, let's enjoy breakfast."

Luke, Brett, Shawn, and Carter had just begun to eat when a messenger ran
into the room. Out of breath, he whispered something in Luke's ear and
handed him a piece of paper then ran off. Luke looked at the paper and his
face grew grave.

"What's wrong, Luke?" asked Brett, as worried look on his face.

When he didn't answer, Shawn asked, "Father . . . What's wrong?"

Luke looked up and announced solemnly,

"The Women have declared war on us."

Hearing this, Brett took a deep breath and pushed his plate aside, then
stood up and left the room.  Two of the guards followed after him, as Shawn
and Carter remained at the table staring at a worried Luke, who also
remained at the table and reread the message.

     Carter kept staring at Shawn in confusion, too shy to ask Luke
himself. Shawn had no answers, however, and looked up at Luke and said,
"Dad . . . What are 'Women'? And why are we at war with them?"

     Luke nodded slowly at the message, then looked up at the confused
prince and his boy lover and said, "Yes . . . I keep forgetting that you've
been kept so sheltered. It's time I told you about the history of
Whiteshadow Isle . . . "

     Luke pushed his plate aside and wiped his face and hands with a
napkin, then leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat, Shawn and
Carter both leaning forward in interest.

     "My son, you have been brought up believing that everything has always
been perfect. It hasn't, of course . . . Far from it. The world was once in
a state of great war, not in Brett's time, or mine but in the time of our
fathers. You see, long ago, both men and women lived in harmony.  The world
was divided up into the Northlands, the Southlands, Woodgrove to the east,
and Mountain Ridge to the West. There were equal rights, equal jobs, equal
pay, and equal opportunities. There was also a small group of women who
thought that all that wasn't good enough; That they still needed more. They
were called the Women's Liberation Movement or WLM. We men scoffed at it,
because there was no real point to liberating a group that already was
equal. One day, however, the WLM, for no reason ever known, gathered a
large group and raided an armory. Armed with swords, shields and bows, they
stormed Woodgrove castle. There were so many of them that the guards were
overwhelmed and the royal family was massacred. They refused to give up the
castle and, when the Northlands sent an army to reclaim the castle, all the
women villagers from the cities of Woodgrove banded together and drove them
off. Over the next few months, Woodgrove became a land of great
sorrow. Wives left their husbands and sons and took their daughters,
claiming menfolk were holding them back. Women from all over moved to
Woodgrove. Soon the queen of the Southlands killed her own husband, the
king, and took over.  The Southlands became a new haven for women. They
were too strong for the small armies to handle, so the men from all over
the world joined the armies of Mountain Ridge and Northlands and tried to
calm down the female rebels by use of force. The women fought fiercely,
though, and soon the goal was not to quell a revolt, but to destroy a
gender. The war lasted for thirty years, ending only when my grandfather
was slightly younger than Carter was. Now, at the southern tip of Mountain
Ridge was a huge island off the mainland, bigger than any other one that
anybody had ever seen. It was so big and had so many resources, but
everybody was too busy claiming the mainland to worry about an island. One
day, twenty boys sailed across the ocean on a raft, hoping to find the
island that nobody had time for. One of the boys, Eric, was the son of the
now-dead king of Woodgrove and one, Jonah, was a peasant boy who the young
prince had fallen in love with. They were both 15 at the time. When they
arrived, they saw its beauty, and both claimed it and declared themselves
king. The rest of the boys, happy to be simple servants of the boys, spent
their time playing with each other. It became a boyloving paradise. In a
few years, people finally started coming over and, seeing so many other
boys there and so much beauty, encouraged others to come. Men, young and
old, flocked to the new land and the soldiers brought with them several
female prisoners. The prince king of the land got the idea to use the women
to populate the island, so it was done. The first child born was the son of
the prince king; That baby was your grandfather and that island became
known as Whiteshadow Isle, where we live. By the end of the war, the world
had split into 12 countries: Six of them, masculine and six, feminine. The
masculine countries are ruled by two men, using the example of your
great-grandfather and his lover: One from royal decent and one chosen of
non-royal decent who is chosen by him of his fifteenth birthday. Everything
else was also carried down, which became the traditions that you seem to
dislike. Boy sex is always encouraged from an early age, so as to relieve
the pressures of day-to-day living, especially during the time of
Puberty. The showing of the new chosen king, to follow the lead of Eric,
who was so proud of Jonah that he used to show him off to everybody who
lived on the island. Circumcision is practiced, simply because Eric and
Jonah were circumcised. Fifteen became a special age for the royalty of the
masculine countries, again, because Eric and Jonah were that age when they
landed. It's all simple tradition that holds our kingdom together. The
feminine countries are much different, though. They are ruled by a single
queen, but with great power given to the female church. Girl sex is banned
and in its place is strict physical training. Men . . . men are looked upon
like cattle there. There are members of the opposite gender that live in
either country, those who have chosen to stay and be second-class citizens
or have been captured and must stay. In the masculine countries, they only
serve as our religious figureheads, which is not very important since
religion isn't that crucial, and for making children. In the feminine
countries, they are only slaves or sperm factories. Truly sad. In the
masculine countries, when a male wants to have a child, he chooses a woman
who has sex with him, bares his child, then goes away and leaves the man to
bring up the child as he wants. If it is a boy, it is kept and revered. If
it is a girl, it is either killed, sold into slavery, sent to live in a
religious order, or sent to the feminine countries. If the woman refuses to
have sex with the man, she is killed on the spot. The war ended in a truce
simply to agree that everybody keeps his or her own territory. There have
been minor conflicts between the masculines and the feminines occasionally,
but nothing ever serious. I'm sure this won't be anything to worry
about. My only concern is the Displaying. People must see Carter so they
can be assured that tradition is being kept in mind.  Although, since
Carter isn't a townsperson or a member of royalty, I suppose they would
have reason to be mad. Then again, they are always mad, simply because
their child wasn't chosen. No matter, everything will be fine and the
people who can simply accept that the prince's decision is final, will see
what a beautiful and sweet young boy Carter is."

     Carter and Shawn listened with interest at the story and, when he was
finished, Carter meekly said, "S...so, w...what do we do now, si . . . I
mean, Luke?"

     Luke smiled, despite his worried face, and said, "We will carry on
with the Displaying as normal. If any attacks happen during that time, we
will get word to you and you will be kept totally safe, I assure you."

     Luke turned to Shawn, "You must make a good showing of Carter, even
though you will most likely get jeered and booed. Make sure Carter doesn't
leave your side, either. Until the hostility is quelled, Carter's and your
life must be protected at all cost! Those damn bitch women would love to
kidnap one or both heirs to the throne of a masculine country . . . Or
worse, they might even try to kill you. You will be protected as best we
can, but until danger is present, everything will go on as normal, but with
a measure of extra security."

     Shawn nodded in understanding and stood up and motioned for Carter to
stand up as well.  He did, and together they walked across the room and
out. As they left, seven guards started walking behind them. Carter kept
looking behind him and Shawn smiled at him and said, "They follow me
whenever I leave the palace. They'll follow you too. Don't worry."

     They continued walking until they reached the outside of the palace
where a carriage awaited. Shawn helped Carter into it, purposely putting
his hand over Carter's little butt and rubbing it as he pushed him in, then
he got in himself.

     Carter still looked confused and asked Shawn, "What's going on,
again?"

     Shawn smiled, "Nothing. Some stupid war with inferiors, I think. Extra
guards are going to come with us, but if they aren't enough and we have to
bail, just make sure and come with me.  Never, ever leave my sight for even
a second. He leaned down and kissed Carter on the cheek.  Carter giggled
boyishly and smiled sweetly, little dimples appearing in his cheeks.

     After a few minutes, both boys were startled as the carriage gave a
lurch and moved slowly down the path leading into the city. As Carter was
looking out the window as the castle began to move into the distance, Shawn
leaned over and put his hand on Carter's shoulder. Carter turned around and
giggled. Shawn giggled back and said, "You're so cute . . . I just can't
keep my hands off of you!" Carter giggled even more as Shawn's hand moved
down from Carter's shoulder and rubbed across his little chest. "I love you
so much . . . " Shawn moaned, the front of his dress pants tenting out with
his growing hard-on. Carter giggled and whispered, "What if people see?
What will they say? Aren't they mad at you?"

     Shawn straightened up suddenly and stared down at Carter with a look
of anger. He said loudly, "To hell with what people say! Ever since last
week, I've been preparing for that damn ceremony! My father and Brett
warned me about the fuss that it always caused and how, since thousands of
people would be there, almost all of them would leave angry with me! As if
I'd done something bad! I don't even believe in the fucking rituals that my
great-grandfather started!" He grabbed Carter's shoulders tightly and
pulled him close to his face, "Remember, Carter, that I chose you! I fell
in love with you the first time I saw you and I chose you! Nobody will ever
take you away or make you do something you don't like! If anyone even looks
at you meanly, so help me, I'll tear their throat out with my bare hands!
So what if the people hate me! So what if they think I'm a young fool! I
don't care, because I love you! I don't care . . . "

     Shawn let go of Carter and fell back against his seat, looking out the
other window. Carter had been frozen in shock when Shawn had grabbed him,
but now he simply stared at Shawn with curiosity. He heard Shawn sniffling
and knew that he must be crying. Carter's little hand slowly reached across
and touched the prince's leg. Shawn slowly turned around and looked at
Carter sadly, sniffling and his eyes were red. Tears slowly welled up in
Carter's eyes and flowed down his cheeks as he lunged forward and wrapped
his arms around Shawn, hugging him tightly. "I love you too!" you said in
between sobs. They remained like that throughout the rest of the ride from
the palace and on into the city of Dawson. As soon as the carriage entered
the town gates, the people, knowing the purpose of it, started cursing and
jeering it. Carter's little body sat in Shawn's lap, his arms wrapped
tightly around his body and his head lying on his chest. Tears began to
flow anew from Shawn's eyes as all the townsfolk cursed him and his
choice. Shawn bit his lower lip in thought, then leaned out the window, and
yelled to the driver, "Stop the carriage! I have something I want to say to
the townspeople! Stop it now!"

     A voice muffled by the jeering townsfolk responded, "Yes, your
highness!"

     The carriage began to slow, then finally came to a stop. Shawn pushed
open the door and quickly jumped out. Seeing the young prince, a large
group of townsfolk ran toward the carriage.  Immediately, four guards
jumped from the carriage and surrounded Shawn.

     Shawn cleared his throat, "Look at all of you! You insult me and
. . . " He was suddenly cut off as five of the townspeople suddenly yelled
and fell to the ground with flaming arrows sticking out of their back. The
street filled with screams, crying, and hooves clacking against the
cobblestone. Thirty women on horseback raced through the crowd toward Shawn
and Carter. "Get the princes!" yelled one of them. Several guards ran down
the street and started fighting with the women, but they outnumbered them
and the streets soon rang with the yells of stabbed guardsmen. Carter
hugged Shawn in fear as the horses drew closer and closer.

     Seeing the guards falling, Shawn filled with fear as well. He quickly
lifted Carter up in his muscular arms and ran away from the carriage and
guards as fast as he could, dropping his heavy cape which kept getting
under his feet. He ran and ran, Carter sobbing in his arms and tears of
fear running down his own cheeks. He kept running until there was not a
sound anywhere. In his fear, he had simply run all over and now he didn't
know where he was.

     He gently set Carter down and looked around. He was in a dark alley
and nobody was around. He'd never been to this part of town before, and it
scared him. The only sound was the crackling of a fire at the very end of
the alley, evidence of inhabitants. Everything around him looked dirty and
unkempt. On the up side, there were no more sounds of screaming or
horses. He slowly sank down to the ground, wrapped his arms around his
knees, pulling them close, and began to cry. Carter sat down beside him and
put his hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Shawn .  . . "

     Shawn looked up and sobbed, "Don't worry?! I ran away from my people
in their time of need and now those damn Women have invaded my town!
They're probably on their way to the palace right now!"

     Carter frowned and looked down at his feet, "You protected *me*
. . . "

     Shawn sniffled and looked up at Carter, smiling. "I know. I just wish
I knew where we were."

     Carter smiled, "I know where we are! One of my friends lives near
here!'

     Shawn laughed, "Oh ya! That's right! You used to live on the
streets. Why don't we go to your friends. Maybe they can help us get back
to the palace."

     Carter quickly stood up and took Shawn's hand, saying, "Let's go
then!"

     It was nice to see Carter so happy, and Shawn quickly stood up with
him and followed as Carter led him down the alley and out into the street a
few blocks.

     They finally arrived at what Shawn guessed was formerly a hotel, but
was now abandoned, or so he thought. The door was warped and looked very
dirty. Aaron walked up the two steps leading to the door and knocked
loudly. After a few seconds, a young boy, looking about Shawn's age, opened
the door. He wore torn and dirty clothes and his face and bare feet were
pretty dirty as well. He had long brown hair down to the bottom of his neck
and brown eyes that stared through the dusty face at him and
Carter. Despite the adorable little boy standing beside him, Shawn began to
feel a pang of attraction toward this new guy. There was something familiar
about him, though . . .

     Seeing Carter standing there, the boy grinned hugely and ran from the
doorway, grabbing and hugging Carter tightly. When the moment passed and
the boy let him go, he exclaimed, "Carter! Damn, boy, it's been too long!
It's so good to see you again!"

     Carter nodded and smiled, "It's good to see you too, Bryan, but right
now we need your help."

     Bryan looked up at Shawn, upon hearing the word 'we', and his face
changed. Bryan's smile dropped and he squinted at Shawn intently, then
whispered, "Well I'll be . . . " He extended his hand and motioned Shawn to
take it. Shawn's look of confusion as he slowly shook Bryan's hand was
enough to make Bryan smile again, "Get inside, you two. Shawn, I've got to
talk to you."

     Bryan moved out of the way to let Carter in. Shawn hesitated in the
doorway and stared at Bryan, "How do you know my name? Do I know you?
Something about you seems . . . well . . .  familiar."

     Bryan nodded and pushed Shawn inside, "In good time, Prince . . . In
good time."

     The door was shut behind them and Shawn looked around. It was a
one-floor hotel with a long hallway lined with doors. To the right of the
entranceway was an arch that led into a kitchen.  To the left, was another
arch leading into a living room area. The inside was slightly cleaner than
the outside, but not by much. Carter walked through the left arch with
another boy, one who looked only slightly older than Carter did. The boy
had long blond hair like Carter, but had green eyes. He was covered in
dirt, but still looked pretty cute. The two boys walked up to Shawn and
Carter smiled and said, "This is my friend, Mike. Mike.  I'd like you to
meet Shawn, a really good friend."

     Mike giggled up at Shawn, "Is it true you're a prince?"

     Shawn smiled at the little boy and nodded, "Afraid so."

     Carter leaned forward and whispered something in the boy's ear. The
boy got a look of shock on his face and then he and Carter broke into loud
giggles and they ran off back into the living room.

     Shawn looked around and saw many other boys, none of which looked
older than 13. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned
around to find Bryan standing beside him.  Bryan smiled at Shawn, "Welcome
to *my* palace. All the young boys in the city who don't want to live under
oppressive adults can come here for refuge. Most of them are street
children, but some live here full-time."

     Shawn looked around again and turned back to Bryan, "It's sort of
dirty . . . "

     Bryan laughed and squeezed Shawn's shoulder and said, "Well, I'm sorry
I couldn't get a maid to come and clean up every week. We're more concerned
with keeping places to sleep and things to eat. I do my best, but the
palace doesn't make it very easy on kids like us."

     Shawn noticed the way Bryan was looking at him, and felt sort of
uncomfortable despite himself. He shrugged Bryan's hand off his shoulder
and took a few steps forward, "We have to get back to the palace." He said,
changing the subject.

     Bryan nodded, "I could help you with that, but there's still a lot of
fighting going on outside. It's probably best if you stay here for the
night. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we'll go."

     Shawn was about to open his mouth to protest, but Bryan smiled and put
his hand back on Shawn's shoulder, "Let's go to the kitchen. I think we
should talk now."

     Shawn was going to resist, but decided to go with the boy into what
passed for a kitchen. It was basically a bare room with several cupboards,
and a fire at the far end of the room where a pot was boiling something
that smelled really good to Shawn. He realized that he hadn't had much
breakfast and his stomach growled. Bryan sat him down on a bench next to a
huge table and went over to a stack of bowls, got two, filled them with
what was in the pot, then went over and sat beside Shawn. Shawn, despite
feeling a bit of attraction for the boy, was getting pretty uncomfortable
about the closeness that he seemed to want with him. A pile of wooden
spoons sat on the table and Shawn gingerly took one and so did Bryan. Shawn
took a mouthful of the meaty soup in his bowl and swallowed it. It tasted
as good as it smelled. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bryan watching
him and smiling. He turned toward him and exclaimed, "What?! You treat me
as if you know me when I walk in! You put your hand on me when I'm standing
in the halls and now you're watching me eat and smiling! Are you going to
tell me what's up?"

     Bryan laughed and said, "You really don't remember me, do you
Shawnie?"

     "Shawnie . . . " Shawn whispered to himself and suddenly a memory
began to enter his mind. A memory of something long forgotten. Bryan smiled
as he saw the recognition begin to dawn upon Shawn's face.

     "Until you were almost thirteen, do you recall a boy who used to come
to the palace very often and play with you?"

     Shawn nodded slowly.

     "Do you remember the time that the boy and you went into your room
when you were about eleven and you and he had your first orgasm together?"

     Shawn blushed and nodded again, tears welling up in his eyes and
beginning to flow down his cheeks.

     "Do you remember the time twenty guards died in a battle?"

     Shawn began to shake his head, but suddenly he recalled a time when
his father and Brett had locked him in his room because, they had said, a
great poison was spreading throughout the palace. When he was allowed out,
they had said that the poison was quelled, but several of the guards who
used to be around the palace were gone. He nodded, his body beginning to
shake as sobs began to overwhelm his body at the realization of what was
happening.

     Bryan took a deep breath and said, "Do you remember how that boy never
used to come around anymore after that?"

     Shawn's body lunged forward as he wrapped his arms around the boy
beside him. His whole face red as he loudly cried on Bryan's shoulder, his
long black hair matted against his face.  Bryan shushed him and rocked back
and forth, holding Shawn as tightly as he was holding him.  "Do you
remember what I used to call you?" Bryan said in a voice that quivered as
tears flowed down his own face, washing away some of the dirt. Shawn sobbed
louder as he moaned, "Shawnie . . . "

     Bryan nodded against Shawn's body and loosened his grip from
him. Shawn cried louder as he whispered, "I thought you'd died! Nobody
talked about you and things were so busy . . . I just forgot about you, but
not totally."

     Bryan and Shawn were no longer hugging, but they sat close to one
another. Bryan nodded, "My dad never liked to be emotional, so I wouldn't
doubt he'd rather simply forget about me then deal with the pain."

     Shawn sniffled, but didn't stop crying as he said, "Your dad?"

     Bryan smiled, "Look into my eyes . . . "

     Shawn leaned in closer and stared at Bryan's green eyes, turned red
from crying, though it was hard because his own eyes were misted up with
his tears. It didn't take long to notice the look in Bryan's eyes or the
lines that formed in his face as he smiled. "Brett, right?"

     Bryan nodded, "My father wasn't of royal blood and when I was born, I
couldn't live in the palace, as a result, so I lived on the palace grounds
with a bunch of servants. There was a conflict between the women and the
men, but your father must have sheltered you from it. I was captured and,
thus, assumed dead. I escaped though, and found my way back. Nobody
recognized me at the palace when I returned, so I was forced to live on the
streets."

     Shawn smiled, "I can't believe it's really you . . . "

     Shawn slowly, almost instinctively, leaned forward and brushed his
lips against Bryan's.  Bryan smiled and returned the peck. At the same
time, they reached out and grabbed one another, pulling their faces
together and kissing fully and completely, their tongues dancing around
each other's mouth. When the moment of passion ended, they both stared at
each other and blushed. To change the subject, Bryan said, "So . . . You
chose Carter?"

     Shawn swallowed a mouthful of his saliva mixed with Bryan's and
nodded, "He sort of walked in on the ceremony and I kinda . . . well
. . . "

     "Fell in love with him . . . " Bryan finished, "Ya . . . Carter is
quite a cutie. He came around here a lot and I've always been wanted to ask
him if he wanted to fuck, but I was always too shy. Have you ever
. . . ummm"

     This time Shawn finished for him, "fucked him? No . . . I jerked him
off and he sucked me off, but that's it."

     Bryan nodded and looked at Shawn, smiling, "You're still as sexy as
always, Shawnie."

     Shawn smiled and nodded, noticing the lump in the front of Bryan's
pants, "So are you . . .  You're only fourteen, right?"

     Bryan nodded.

     The front of Shawn's own pants formed a tent as his prick
hardened. Bryan quickly got up and walked over to the cupboard. He opened
it and pulled out a jar of lard. He smiled suggestively over at Shawn and
said, "Wanna make up for lost time, Shawnie?"

     Shawn shifted uncomfortably as his pants grew increasingly tight. He
bit his upper lip and nodded, smiling. He quickly got up and the two boys
scurried out of the kitchen, past a group of boys and into a room at the
end of the hallway. It was fairly cleaner than the rest of the place and it
had a candle burning on the desk next to the big queen-sized bed, casting
an orange glow across the room. Bryan closed and locked the door behind
him, then turned back to Shawn. "Let's get undressed together. I wanna see
how much your body has changed since I last saw you."

     Shawn smiled and he slowly reached for his shirt, beginning to
unbutton it. Bryan waited until the last button was undone before pulling
off his own shirt. Bryan was considerably skinnier than Shawn and more
muscled, but Shawn was taller. Their nipples already stuck out like little
points and Shawn reach forward and rubbed his hands down Bryan's chest,
tanned brown and parts covered in dirt, and smiled, "Let's take off each
other's pants."

     Bryan giggled in excitement and reached down and grabbed the front of
Shawn's breeches, undoing the button fly. Shawn did the same to the button
fly on Bryan's shorts. When both flys were undone, the pants quickly fell
to the floor and the boys stepped out of them. Neither wore any sort of
underwear, so both now stood totally naked in front of one another. Shawn's
age gave him more pubic hair, but Bryan's penis looked slightly
bigger. Both were totally erect though.  Shawn sat down on the bed and
looked up at Bryan, his face flushed, as he said, "Please fuck me, Bryan. I
need to feel you inside of me."

     Bryan nodded and reached over and opened the jar of lard he'd put on
the counter.  Reaching into the gunk, he took out a generous dollop of it
and smeared it all over his stiff cock.  Once it was sufficiently greasy,
and walked over to were Shawn sat and whispered, "Turn around and get on
your knees"

     Shawn complied, spinning over on the soft mattress and getting on his
hands and knees. It had been quite a while since he'd been fucked up the
ass or fucked someone that way, so he was initially tense as he felt
Bryan's hands spreading apart his muscular ass cheeks and exposing his tiny
hole. Bryan placed the tip of his greasy prick against the hole and pushed,
but the muscles wouldn't give way. He whispered down at the prince, "You
have to relax, man. Just remember how good it used to feel when we did
this."

     Shawn took a deep breath and tried to relax. He took another one and
then another.  Finally, he felt the probing member against his butt hole
begin to slowly penetrate. Bryan groaned loudly as he said, "Oh damn
. . . I forgot how tight you were!"

     Shawn leaned back, trying to aid his renewed lover's efforts. The
greasy fat smeared on Bryan's cock helped a lot and soon he was halfway in
and then three-quarters. Finally, after several minutes of effort, Bryan's
sparse pubic hair was matted against Shawn's ass cheeks; He was fully in!

     Bryan pulled back, easing his prick out of the now greasy tunnel, then
thrust back in.  Shawn gasped as his body reveled in how good it felt to
make love to Bryan again. His prick throbbed and oozed precum as Bryan's
repeated thrusts massaged his prostate. Bryan groaned as well, and rubbed
his hands lovingly over Shawn's back as he gently thrust himself in and out
of the love of his life.

     "Oh god, I love you so much . . . I forgot how good you feel . . . "
Shawn groaned. Bryan picked up the pace a bit, reaching down and grabbing
Shawn's 15-year-old prick in his fist and started stroking it. Shawn could
feel the veins of Bryan's cock pulsating against his tight tunnel as it
thrust in and out. He loved the feeling of being filled up in such a
way. He couldn't concentrate very much, though, because as good as it must
have felt for Bryan to have his swollen prick fucked in and out of Shawn,
it felt just as good for Shawn. To have, not only the young teenage
pricklet of his friend stroking his prostate like a velvet hand, but also
to have that same friend lovingly rubbing his hands over his prick on the
outside. It was only a matter of time before one of the boys reached his
orgasm, and Bryan's came first.

     Shawn could feel Bryan's prick throbbing in his ass tunnel and his
body tense tightly. He groaned, "Oh shit! Here it comes!" and then Shawn
could feel a wetness begin to fill him up as spurt after spurt of Bryan's
boyish cum filled his passage. As Bryan rode through his orgasm, he stroked
Shawn's cock faster and Shawn's cock could only handle so much, and with an
equally loud moan, he arched his back and his cock began spasming. Each
time it tensed, a long string of white jizz squirted out of the tip,
covering Bryan's hand and the mattress underneath him. It spasmed and shot
a total of five times before Shawn's body collapsed onto the bed, lying in
a small pool of his own cum. Bryan's soft prick slowly pulled out of
Shawn's butt, a long stream of his cum oozing out with it. Bryan rolled
over to lie next to Shawn and he gasped, "That was fantastic!  I love you
Shawn. I love you so much."

     Shawn grinned as his eyes began to close and sleep began to enter his
worn body, even though it was only the middle of the day, "I love you too."

     Bryan's closed as well, and they both took a nap with their arms
around each other, hugging each other's body tightly.

Shawn's eyes opened slowly. The first thing he noticed was that he was
naked. The second thing he noticed was the boy lying next to him. Looking
over and seeing the long brown hair covering his face, though, made it all
start to flood back: The attack in town, the chase, meeting up with Bryan.

     His body slowly turned over and, looking up, he saw a window right
above the bed. Shawn got to his knees and looked out. Squinting his eyes
into the darkness outside, he tried to see if there was any sign of the
women anymore. He was so focused on looking out, that he yelped as he felt
something tight and slimy suddenly clamp around his dick. He looked down
and saw that Bryan had silently crawled over and stuck his hot mouth around
his prick. Bryan wrapped his hand around the shaft as he sucked on the head
of Shawn's prick. He had only had a semi when he woke up, but with Bryan's
expert mouth, it was now quickly hardening to its full six inches. He
leaned back against the wall and reveled as the pleasure from his penis
shot through him. Bryan pulled his mouth off Shawn's cock and continued to
rub it with one hand while his other hand reached down between his own legs
and rubbed his swollen meat as well.

     Shawn's throbbing prick glistened with Bryan's spit as Bryan stroked
it fiercely, trying to get Shawn off hard. Shawn could feel his own
resistance weakening as his breath left his body in short pants. He groaned
loudly and said, "Oh shit . . . I'm gonna . . . "

     Bryan smiled and quickly lowered himself onto his lover's prick only
seconds before it expanded in his mouth and began flexing, shooting stream
after stream of Shawn's boyish semen against the back of Bryan's
throat. Bryan swallowed every last drop, licking his lips to make sure none
leaked out...None had.

     Shawn continued to lean against the cold stone wall as Bryan suckled
on Shawn's prick like a mother's breast, drinking all the drops that leaked
out until none remained. When Bryan was finished, he slowly rolled over,
letting the now limp cock drop from his mouth, and stood up on the wood
floor next to the bed. Shawn's eyes slowly opened and, seeing Bryan
standing there, got off the bed too and stood beside him. Bryan stretched
and then looked over and smiled at Shawn and said, "I love you, Shawnie."

     Shawn smiled and leaned over and hugged Bryan tenderly, saying, "I
love you too. What time is it?"

     Bryan shrugged, "Around midnight, I think."

     Suddenly, something occurred to Shawn and he quickly looked up and
said, "Hey . . .  Where's Carter?"

     Bryan smiled, "I bet I know . . . "

     He opened the door and ran down the hall, his semierect cock waving
back and forth in front of him. Shawn blushed a bit at having to run naked
down a hallway where a bunch of strange boys lived, but quickly followed
his boyfriend.

     Bryan stopped in front of one of the doors and quietly opened
it. Since the whole house was still dark and the only light came from
candles from the windows in the houses next door, it was hard to
see. However, as he and Shawn stood there squinting into the darkness, they
could soon make out two small bodies lying in the bed. Bryan slowly
approached the bed, Shawn following quietly behind, and looked down.

     They smiled as they saw Carter and his little friend, Mike, lying
naked in bed together; Carter's arm was around the boy's body. Bryan smiled
at Shawn through the darkness and whispered, "You taught him well,
Shawnie!"

     Bryan wrapped his arm around Shawn as they both stared down at the two
nine-year-olds lying in bed. Shawn gently broke from Bryan's grasp and
advanced slowly toward the bed. He knelt down next to where Carter and Mike
were laying and stared at them. Their blond hair covered their eyes as
their small chests rose and fell in the comfortable waves of slumber. Their
faces, both so innocent and small, wore small grins of pleasure as their
bodies pressed against each other. Neither were old enough to have acquired
any distinct bodily features, so only the dirt on Mike's body allowed the
young Prince to tell the boys apart.

      Shawn's teenage hormones were ready for sex once more, and longed to
scoop the young child up in his arms and bring him back to Bryan's room
where he could enjoy Carter's innocent features once more. However,
watching the gentle sleep of both boys, Shawn couldn't bring himself to
disturb them. He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and turned around to
see Bryan standing behind him. Bryan was still smiling at the sight of the
two youngsters and was staring at them with the same look of love in his
eyes as Shawn.

      "They're so beautiful." Bryan whispered to nobody in particular.

     Shawn nodded and then turned to Bryan and whispered, "We should go
back to your room."

     Bryan nodded and slowly tiptoed out of the room with Shawn following
behind him. Once leaving the room, they quickly padded back down the
hallway into Bryan's room.

     Upon arriving, Bryan went over and sat down on the bed, a look of
glumness on his dusty face. Shawn sat down beside him and put his arm
around him. "What's the matter?" Shawn asked.

     Bryan shrugged and Shawn heard him sniffle as his eyes began to
glisten. Bryan quickly moved over, breaking himself from Shawn's grasp, and
quickly stood up and walked across the room, facing the wall. Shawn could
hear sniffles getting more frequent as Bryan's shoulders began to quiver.

     "Are you crying?" Shawn asked, remaining seated on the bed, although
he knew the answer.

     There was a long pause and then, without turning to face him, Bryan
said quietly, "Tomorrow morning, I'm not going to be here, so I'll tell you
how to get the castle now, okay?"

     Shawn cocked his head, "Where're you going?"

     Bryan's arms crossed across his chest and he stood there, trying not
to sob. After a few moments he said in almost a whisper, "Just now
. . . when I saw you kneeling down looking at the two boys in bed . . . it
occurred to me that tomorrow I'm going to lose you again. I just . . . I
just don't wanna be here . . . when you and Carter . . . well . . . I just
. . . " and he slowly sank to the floor and began sobbing.

     Shawn slowly got up and walked over to where Bryan was sitting and
sobbing, his face buried in his arms. He knelt down beside him and put his
hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm not going anywhere without you."

     Bryan's sobs increased as he said, "B...but...I...I...can't lea
. . . leave he...here, and...and...y...you nee . . . need to ge . . . get
ho . . . home!"

     Tears began to flow down Shawn's face as he leaned forward and kissed
the back of Bryan's neck, then hugged him tightly and said, "There must be
kids here who can take over. I'm not going back to the castle tomorrow
unless you come with me."

     Bryan's sobs slowly began to lessen as he turned around and looked at
Shawn intently, then smiled slightly and said, "I guess . . . the kids can
take care of themselves . . . " then leaned forward and pressed his lips
against Shawn's. Shawn returned the kiss and soon they sat on the floor,
kissing passionately with both tongues playing inside each other's
mouth. They remained holding until Bryan fell asleep in Shawn's arms, his
mouth resting against Shawn's cheek. Shawn gently eased him up onto the
bed, then lay down next to him, and he too soon sunk into slumber.

     Both boys were awakened, the next morning, by a loud, "WAKE UP!!!!!"
being shouted in their ears. Shawn and Bryan, who had been holding each
other while asleep, sprung awake and tumbled out of bed from the
shock. Looking up, they saw Carter and Mike standing there half- naked.
Carter in his dress pants and Mike in simple cloth shorts, and both were
laughing hysterically.

     Shawn and Bryan both began to fumble around on the ground for their
clothes, but Shawn got an idea. He turned to Bryan and yelled, "Grab em!"

     Bryan jumped forward and grabbed Mike around the waist, dragging him
down to the floor with them. Shawn grabbed Carter's little prick through
his thin velvet breeches. It was already half-erect, and it made for an
easy grasp. He smiled up at the child, "Come down with us . . . "

     Carter giggled and sunk to his knees. Copying Shawn's intentions,
Bryan slowly began to undo the button of Mike's shorts. Mike giggled, but
did nothing to stop him. Shawn began to unbutton Carter's breeches, but
suddenly there was a knock at the door and Bryan and Shawn scrambled to get
on their pants while Mike and Carter fixed their pants.

     The door opened and a boy of about twelve stood there. He was pretty
clean compared to the rest of the boys, and wore his black hair short. He
stared around the room at the blushing boys and stifled a smile, then
turned to Shawn and said, "Your Majesty, a silk cart bound for the palace
is coming down the block. You should probably catch it."

     Shawn nodded quickly, still pulling up his breeches, and turned to
Bryan, "Well . . . Are you coming or not?"

     Bryan stood silent for a few moments, then turned to the
twelve-year-old, "Phillip . . . I'm going with the Prince. You are in
charge now."

     The boy smiled and nodded, "We'll miss you." Then slowly closed the
door. Bryan was pulling on his shirt and Shawn reached down and took his,
then felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see the blond Mike
looking up at him with eyes filled with conflict. Shawn smiled, "Yes?"

     Mike blushed and looked down at his feet and said, "Well . . . umm
. . . I was kinda . . .  sorta . . . hoping that . . . I mean . . . "

     Carter stepped forward and smiled up at Shawn, "We were wondering if
Mike can come back with us. I mean, if it's okay and you don't mind and
. . . "

     Shawn stared thoughtfully at Carter and shrugged, "What will be his
post? My father may be a fair man, but Brett is a stickler for the ancient
laws. You are my lover and a future king of Whiteshadow Isle . . . Mike has
no place or title in the kingdom."

     Mike stared dejectedly at the floor and Carter looked confused, "Well,
what is Bryan's title?"

     Shawn looked at Bryan, who shrugged, then looked back at Carter,
"Shawn is Brett's son and, therefore, a Prince of Whiteshadow Isle, though
not as high as I since Brett isn't of royal birth."

     Carter stared at Bryan in disbelief at hearing this, then turned back
to Shawn and said, "Well, can't he choose Mike like you chose me?"

     Bryan laughed and stepped forward, cutting off Shawn's attempted
answer, and said, "Well, I can't for two reasons. Reason number one, is I'm
not fifteen yet. Reason number two, and most importantly of all, is since
you and Shawnie are going to be king, not me, there's no purpose for me to
choose a boy." His voice trailed off, and then he looked up at Shawn,
smiling, and said, "Wait a moment, Shawnie! I got it! I'll just say Mike is
*my* chosen, and tradition be damned!"

     Shawn nodded, "It doesn't much matter, Bryan. You're coming back with
me and that's that."

     Bryan looked at Mike, who was now crying in sadness, and then back at
Shawn, "I won't go unless Mike can come."

     Shawn laughed, "What the hell are we doing? We're standing here making
ultimatums and we're missing our ride home. Mike can come, but nobody else!
I'll answer for him in front of my father and Brett."

     Shawn quickly got his shirt on and he, Bryan, Carter, and Mike all
quickly walked down the hallway to the front door. Carter and Mike still
had no shirts, but they were quickly hustled out of the place and down the
alley. A cart had just passed by and Shawn and Bryan ran to catch up with
it. Carter and Mike couldn't keep up, so were promptly carried as the two
princes ran for the cart. Once close enough, they threw their boy-cargo
onto the soft piles of fabric and then jumped on themselves. Quickly, they
all hid underneath the pile, and waited.

     It was hard to talk over the noise of the wagon wheels on the
cobblestone, but Bryan assured Carter, Mike, and Shawn that they should be
at the palace in about an hour.

     Shawn kept waiting for the rapid sounds of hooves and the inevitable
attack by the women, but it never came.

As soon as he heard the sounds of hustle and bustle characteristic of the
main town, Shawn turned to Bryan and said, "We can walk from here." Without
waiting for an answer, he took Carter and Mike's hand, got out from
underneath the silk, and jumped onto the ground. Bryan quickly struggled
out himself and followed. They all stood in the main town square, as Shawn
had believed, and immediately everybody turned to look at them. The square
looked pleasant though, as if nothing had happened the day previous.

They were certainly quite a sight; Two half-naked children, one of them
covered in dirt, standing next to a teenager in disheveled, but still royal
looking clothes. Another teenager, covered in dirt, stood next to them. All
three were squinting in the sunlight.

People stopped what they were doing and looked over at the four, looks of
disgust, and some of disbelief. As people began to recognize Shawn, they
began to crowd in closer, but suddenly three armored guards ran up and
pushed through the crowd, all wearing the royal crest of Whiteshadow on the
front of their armor. They squinted down at the boys, but mostly focused on
Shawn. One of them finally said, "Prince Shawn?"

Shawn assumed his royal scowl and addressed the guards with a gruff, "Of
course, guardsman!  Who else would I be?!"

The guards began to smile and the one who addressed Shawn laughed and said,
"Oh, your highness! It's so good to see you are well! When the Choosing was
interrupted by that raid yesterday, we feared you'd be kidnaped . . . or
worse!"

Shawn tried to keep his mad composure going, but it soon deteriorated into
the relief of a child who'd been lost and found his home. Shawn suddenly
lunged forward and hugged the guardsman tightly. The guardsman smiled
warmly and put his gauntlet'ed hand on Shawn's back and said, "Don't worry,
majesty . . . You're safe now, but if you rust my armor with your tears, I
won't be able to bring you and Carter home." A guard leaned over and
ruffled Carter's hair and smiled at him, "How are you, Squire Carter?"

Carter smiled shyly and said, "Fine."

Shawn released the guard from his grasp and smiled, "My friends too, of
course."

For the first time, the guardsmen looked over and scrutinized the other two
boys, making them all blush with embarrassment. The first guard turned back
to Shawn and Carter and said, "And who might these two soiled beggars be?"

He was smiled as he said it, so Shawn didn't take much offense, and
answered, "The tall boy with the long brown hair is Prince Bryan and the
other one is . . . I guess . . . Prince Bryan's Chosen, Mike."

The guards looked over at Bryan, then back at Shawn and looked puzzled, The
first one said, "*Prince* Bryan? Of what country?"

Shawn smiled, "Of this one, of course! Bryan is King Brett's son."

At that, the guards look very surprised, they walked over to Bryan and
looked at him intently, so much so that Bryan turned away in shame. One of
the guards looked down at Bryan's blushing face and suddenly smiled, "By
the crystal waters of Ashra, it *is* you! After your capture so many years
ago, we thought you'd be a slave in the nether-realms by now, your
majesty!"

Upon hearing the royal address, he looked up slowly and suddenly smiled at
the guard, "I thought I recognized you, Killian! Well, the story of my
escape is a long one and something I wish not to think about. Suffice it to
say, however, that I am alive and well."

The guard called Killian smiled down at Bryan and then looked over at Shawn
again and said, "Well, as much as I'd love to hear all of your stories, we
should return. I'm sure His Royal Highness, King Brett, will be very
pleased to see his son is back."

Without another word, the guardsmen pushed through the crowd and began
walking through the square, toward the castle. As soon as they arrived at
the gate, they were waved in by the guards who immediately bowed their
heads at Shawn's passing.

Entering the main hallway, two of the three guards dispersed and the
remaining one quickly walked them through the center archway, past the
washing chambers, and into the dining room.  The guard told the boys to
wait by the arch, telling him that the announcement he had to make would be
one that he longed to do since sighting them back in the square.

He confidently entered the dining room where Luke and Brett were calmly
eating breakfast and conferring with their advisors. They stopped and
looked up as the guard entered. Brett stared sternly up at the guard,
"Guardsman, you know that we are not to be disturbed during our repasts
except for highly important matters!"

The guardsman nodded, "Yes, milord, but this is very important!"

Luke nodded and waved off Brett's retort and said, "Well . . . What is it?"

The guard smiled hugely and extended his arm toward the archway, "Your
Majesties . . . Allow me to bring in some people I found wandering around
the square a few moments ago!"

Slowly, the four boys entered the dining room. Upon seeing Shawn and
Carter, Luke jumped up and ran over to them. He hugged them both tightly
and said, "Oh Shawn! Carter! Where have you been? I feared for you!"

Shawn laughed, "Don't worry, father! We were fine . . . thanks to our
friends." He motioned toward the two dirty boys hanging back and looking
very shy.

Brett had made his way over to welcome back Shawn and Carter and when he
followed Shawn's indication, he squinted at the two boys. Bryan took a step
forward and smiled slightly at Brett.  They stared at each other for almost
two minutes before Brett finally broke into a slight smile, identical to
Bryan's, and said quietly, "Bryan . . . "

Bryan nodded and said, "Father . . . "

Brett motioned with his head over at Mike, "Who's that?"

Bryan said simply, "He's *my* Chosen."

Brett laughed, "You're both filthy."

Bryan nodded, "I know."

They stared at each other for a few more seconds, then, at the same time,
they reached forward and hugged tightly; Brett kissing Bryan's grimy face
and crying freely.

Shawn's naked body leaned back against the side of the tub and he let out a
loud sigh, as the warm water of the stone bath in his washroom bubbled and
gurgled around him. Its jets were scrubbing his body of the dirt that had
accumulated on it during the past day. Carter sat next to him and, across
from them, sat Mike and Bryan. Both Luke and Brett had insisted that,
before anything else, they were all to be washed.

     Almost all of the dirt had already been washed off Bryan and Mike from
the soap and water jets, so Shawn could see them a lot more clearly now.

     Bryan was even better looking without all the crud on his body. His
tanned and slightly muscled chest was light brown and bore several
scars. His belly was flat and thin, his ribcage visible. Bryan's chest was
still hairless, but his stomach had a very faint line of tiny hairs running
down towards his crotch. Through the water, Shawn could see Bryan's penis
hung limply as it gently floated in the water just above his loose,
hairless sack. The delicious thing looked about three inches long and was
about as thick as his thumb. It was circumcised, as all the boys in
Whiteshadow Isle tended to be, and was just as tanned as the rest of his
body. Bryan must have walked around naked a lot, which wasn't uncommon for
young boys. He only had small wisps of brown pubic hair around his penis
that weren't more than an inch and a half long. Bryan's eyes were slits, as
he lay back, like Shawn was, and let the jets scrub his body, but Shawn
knew them to be the most gorgeous shade of chocolate brown with long
eyelashes. Bryan's now clean, face was also gorgeous, with a faint cleft in
his chin and a tiny scar under his left eye. His nose was slightly large
and might be referred to, in certain places, as "Jewish." Bryan's clean
hair now shone in the light of the bathroom. It was brown, long, and very
thick as it hung down to just past the bottom of his neck, while several
strands hung in his face. Shawn's childhood love for Bryan was now fully
back with a powerful fury, and it wasn't simply sexual. Shawn loved Bryan
and, if they weren't members of royalty, he would definitely ask Bryan to
be his boyfriend. Though he didn't regret having Carter around for one
second, he longed for a long, drawn-out period, where he and Bryan could
just be alone to address the needs of their pubescent bodies. He knew that
Bryan longed for the same thing.

     Mike was very sweet looking, with long blond hair, almost white, that
hung down his neck like a mane. He had big green eyes that looked around
everywhere. Mike looked similar to Carter, in that they both had small
bodies with a small childish potbelly that would probably disappear as they
got older. His nine-year-old body, like Carter's, had not even come close
to beginning the changes of puberty. Not a single hair was anywhere on his
body, with the exception of his head.  Except for the odd scar, his skin
looked smooth and soft. Mike's tiny nipples were pale against his tanned
chest. His tiny penis, not even an inch long when limp, sat comfortably on
top of his tight, blemishless sack. If Shawn hadn't seen Mike and Carter
lying naked in bed last night, he never would have believed such a sweet,
innocent boy could even understand what the word "sex" meant. Shawn almost
envied Carter's contact with this little angel.

     Shawn's own body, being the oldest of the four, was more mature. His
chest was still hairless, but it was hard with muscle, though not very
defined muscle. His stomach had the same trail of hairs leading down to his
crotch as Bryan did, but Shawn's were darker. His pubic hair was also
darker and thicker, though not by much. Shawn's black hair was thick and
hung down to his shoulders. His dark brown eyes were half-closed as he
leaned back.

     Shawn saw Bryan slowly sit up, stretch, and then gently kick him on
the shin. Shawn quickly sat up and grinned, "I'm awake! What is it?"

     Carter and Mike both sat up to listen in. Bryan shrugged his
shoulders, groaning as he worked out a kink, then looked up at Shawn and
said, "Okay...Well, now what?"

     Shawn's look got confused as he replied, "What do you mean 'now what'?
We're home, aren't we?"

     Bryan nodded quickly, "Yes, I know, but...regarding those women who
attacked you and this war that I heard is going on. What are we going to
do? They're probably gonna try again, and the guards can only hold them off
for so long!"

     Shawn nodded grimly, "I'm aware of that, and after our bath, our
fathers said that they wanted to talk to us about what happened."

     Bryan leaned back and sighed, "They'll probably pat us on the head,
tell us not to worry, then lock us in a room until the thing is over. I
came back here because I love you, Shawn, but I refuse to be a pampered
priss and sit idly by while people are dying on the street!"

     Shawn stood up and gingerly stepped out of the tub, grabbing a towel
and wrapping it around his waist. He looked back, "Carter, Bryan and I are
going down to talk to our dads. You stay here and finish washing yourself
and Mike, then get out and get dressed. We may have to leave again."

     Carter nodded drowsily and scooted over next to Mike, as Bryan stepped
out and got a towel.

     Half-naked, with only towels to cover their nudity, they padded down
the hallway and down towards the eating chamber. Upon arriving, however,
they saw that their fathers were not there. Shawn called out at a woman
clearing the table who promptly looked up and, seeing Shawn collapsed to
her knees and averted her eyes. "Yes, milord?" she meekly asked.

     Bryan giggled and Shawn sighed, still not used to the lengths that
some people would go to show him respect. "Wench...Where is my father and
Brett?"

     The woman, sounding close to tears, quietly said, "They retired to
their chambers...They did say that they wished to speak with you and Bryan
immediately following your bath."

     Shawn stifled a laugh and quickly turned and scurried out of the room
before his presence caused the weak-minded female to suffer a stroke.

     His towel came undone as he climbed up the stairs and, after thinking
for a second, left it on the ground and called back, "Wench! Get my towel,
clean it, then put it in my room!"

     He heard a responding sob from the direction of the dining room. Bryan
removed his towel and yelled, "Mine too, bitch!"

     They laughed as they both, now naked and glistening with water, ran up
the remaining stairs and walked towards his father and Brett's room. As was
typical of their age, they kept grabbing each other's butt and crotch as
they walked down the hallway, so by the time they reached the large
chamber-door of the kings, they were both fully erect and pretty horny.

     Shawn gently knocked at the closed doors and heard the gravelly voice
of Luke respond, "Who is it?"

     Bryan giggled and responded, "It's us, Luke. Is my father in there
too?"

     The door suddenly opened up and Brett stood there smiling slyly down
at Shawn and Bryan. He was totally naked and smiled approvingly at their
nakedness as well. "Come in, boys."  He said, his long red hair tied back
in a ponytail and his face covered in sweat.

     Shawn and Bryan slowly entered and saw Luke standing by a large
cabinet pulling out clothes and tossing them on the bed, he smiled at
them. Brett walked up beside Bryan and smiled down at him, "You see what a
little soap and water can do?"

     Bryan blushed and smiled back at his father, "You seem in a good mood,
for someone who usually smiles as often as a woman feels mercy."

     Luke threw one more pile of clothing on to the bed and then closed the
cabinet. He walked over to Brett and put his arm around him, then looked
down at the boys and grinned, "We older men feel just as happy after sex as
you youngsters do. Besides that, we've made an important decision regarding
you two."

     Shawn smiled and, copying his dad, put his arm around Bryan and
smiled, "What decision?"

     Luke left Brett's side, went over to the bed, and put on a pair of
white shorts, throwing a similar pair to Brett, who put them on as
well. Shawn asked again, "What decision, dad?"

     Luke pulled his ring off his finger and tossed it to Shawn who,
instinctively, caught up.  Shawn turned the object around in his hand; It
was a solid gold ring that had "King Eric" imprinted on it. Shawn looked up
at his dad in confusion, "But, father...This is your ring! Only the Pure
King of Whiteshadow Isle is allowed to have it."

     Luke nodded and smiled at Shawn, responding to his confusion by
saying, "Son, this war could very well finish us off. The women have grown
strong over the years and there's talk that they're created weapons that
rival our own. Rumors of long metal tube that fire small shards. I have
made many contacts during my time as king. I know someone in the female
homeland of Woodgrove that may be willing to turn traitor and join us,
giving us much needed supplies. We may be able to use the women's own
weapons against them, but I need to make contact. As such, I'm going away
for a while and you will take my place."

     Bryan stood by in disbelief as Shawn shook his head and began crying,
"No! Father, you can't go! They'll butcher you! I don't know how to run a
kingdom!"

     Luke bent down and hugged Shawn, shushing him and saying, "It's gonna
be alright. My advisors will help you and besides, you'll have another king
to reign beside you."

     Shawn looked up, tears still running down his face even after the
reassurance, "Father, I'll mess the kingdom up. I don't know the first
thing about government and Carter doesn't even sit still at meals! What
good will he do?"

     Brett laughed, "Who said anything about Carter?"

     Shawn looked up at Luke and Brett in confusion, "If not Carter, then
who?"

     The kings eyes turned down to Bryan, who began to join Shawn in
shaking his head and backing away, "No. I lived on the street...What do I
know about royal affairs?"

     Brett raised his eyebrows, "From what you told us, you were the
sovereign of your own hostel."

     Bryan shook his head, "Yes, but our only concerns there was getting
food and beds. It can hardly compare to running a kingdom!"

     Brett laughed and shook his head, "I'm going with Luke and you and
Shawn will reign.  That is final." With that, he removed his own ring and
gave it to the still defiant Bryan.

     Seeing the steadfastness of his father's claims, Shawn stopped crying
and nodded solemnly.  He removed his Prince's ring and stared at the two
rings in his hand. Without looking up, he asked, "When do you leave?"

     Luke put on a shirt and threw one to Brett; the rest of the clothes
were packed in a large backpack. "In a few moments." was the answer from
Luke.

     Brett put his hands on Shawn and Bryan's shoulders and said, "I'm
sorry to do this at such short notice. We have little time to waste,
though. Carter may be the rightful heir to rule beside Shawn, but tradition
is one thing and common sense is another! Carter is not mature enough to
handle the affairs of the crown. You, two are! With you two as kings,
Carter and...Mike, was it?  Well, Carter and Mike will be the crowned
princes. You will give Mike your ring, Shawn. Bryan's Prince's ring is
already being worn by Carter."

     With the two kings dressed and the bag packed, Luke and Brett bent
down and hugged the two crying teenagers in their arms. They then stood
back up and said, "Alright, Kings Shawn and Bryan...We must go, and you
must report, with Carter and Mike, to the throne room for your briefing."

     With that, the two kings walked out of the room, leaving Bryan and
Shawn still standing there. Slowly, Shawn looked up at Bryan and gave a
half-smile, "Well, I guess...we're kings now."

     Bryan laughed, "I was just barely a Prince even when I *lived* here!
Now, I'm a king!"

     They stared at each other, their childish minds coming to the same
conclusion,

     "Cool!" they both said.

     They walked down the hallway, putting on their new rings. Both were a
little loose on their fingers, but they looked much bigger than their
Prince rings. They took turns strutting down the hallway, trying to look
royal. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Shawn looked up, his
sadness at his father's departure gone, and giggled, "After you, Your
Majesty!"

     Bryan laughed, "No! You first, Your Highness!"

     They looked around the main chambers and heard the sound of carriage
wheels from outside. Their fathers, no doubt. They ran around the main
hallway, still naked, until Shawn tripped over Bryan's parading feet and he
fell face first on to the carpeted floor.

     Bryan looked down and giggled. Shawn looked up and giggled too, "My
royal penis is so horny, I can't walk straight!"

     Bryan fell down next to Shawn and crawled on top of him, "Easily
helped..." he said as he lowered his lips on top of Shawn's. They lay on
top of each other in the middle of the floor and kissed, their hard,
pubescent pricks rubbed against each other. They panted as the friction
propelled both of their hormonal bodies towards orgasm.

     Suddenly, there was a loud sound of someone clearing their throat. The
two boys quickly separated and looked up, seeing the Royal Treasurer,
Fargo, looking down at them with a slight smile, "Your Majesties, we await
you and the two little ones in the throne room."

     Bryan scowled up at Fargo, "Can't the rulers of the freaking country
get some occasional fuck time?!"

     Fargo snorted in laughter and shook his head, "Your fathers left you
two in charge because they thought you were mature enough. As difficult as
it is for two boys of your age, I'm afraid you're going to have to put the
affairs of state ahead of your...*ahem*...fuck time."

     Shawn and Bryan kissed quickly before standing up. They scowled at
Fargo once again, though the effect was somewhat lessened by the precum
that oozed out of their pricks and made their circumcised heads
shine. Fargo nodded, "We await you in the throne room..."

     The two boy-kings ran down the hallway, up another flight of stairs,
and stopped in front of Shawn's door. The sounds of high-pitched grunting
came from behind the door and Shawn and Bryan counted to three, then burst
open the doors and yelled, "WAKE UP!!!!"

     Carter's mouth, which seemed to be firmly attached to Mike's little
dick before they burst in, flew off it and both boys jumped and fell out of
Shawn's bed in shock. Bryan and Shawn laughed as the two boys shone red
with exertion and blush as they tried, in vain, to cover themselves up.

     "If we can't make love, neither can you!" Shawn exclaimed with a
laugh.

     Mike looked up at Bryan and stuttered, "W...We...We...We weren't
m...make...making love!"

     Carter stood up and shoved Mike, "Oh shut up. I was sucking your dick
and you liked it, huh?!"

     The young Squire Carter then walked over to both kings and smiled
before grabbing a cock in each hand and gently stroking them with a
"Mmm..." escaping his lips. Bryan turned to Shawn and said, again, "You
taught him well, Shawnie."

     The boys reluctantly swatted Carter's hands away and Shawn smiled down
at them, "Later, we'll all have one big fuck-fest, I promise, but right now
we got some news. Y'all better get dressed and quick, because I'm itching
for a good cum and I want to get this stupid royal shit out of the way!"

     Bryan put his hand on Shawn's shoulder, "Calm down, Shawnie. Geez, you
really *are* horny!"

Carter, apparently in a hyper, euphoric mood as most prepubescents are
prone to every now and again, jumped over to the drawers, tossed out a pile
of clothing and yelled at Mike, "Okay, slave!  Get dressed!"

     Mike giggled and Carter and him raced to get dressed. Mike won, as
Carter still had a raging hardon, which wasn't that big, but still made it
difficult to get his pants on.

     Bryan and Shawn giggled as they watched the two boys dress. Amidst the
flurry of activity, Bryan turned to Shawn and said, "I hope our fathers
will be all right..."

     Shawn nodded, "So do I. We're gonna have to try our best to run things
in their absence, though."

     Bryan nodded, "I'm glad we could rule together. You're so beautiful,
Shawnie."

     Shawn smiled, "Not as beautiful as you. I still can't believe you're
back. I feel like crying with joy every time I look at your face."

     Shawn's hands reached up and stroked Bryan's cheek, brushing his hair
out of his face.  They stared into each other's eyes and Shawn leaned
forward and brushed his lips gently over Bryan's in a gentle angel-like
peck. A tear ran down Bryan's cheek as Bryan returned it with an equally
gentle peck. "I'm so in love with you." Bryan whispered as his hand reached
forward to stroke Shawn's cheek. Shawn leaned forward again, only this
time, he pressed his lips gently against Bryan's and kept them there. Their
mouths opened, their tongues touched and their saliva swished between each
other's mouth, while some drooled down their chins. Their noses were side
to side as their mouths were wide open and drooling over each other's face
as they were pressed together, their teeth touching. Each of their tongues
coated the inside of the other's mouth with the other's spit. Their faces
soon became a wet mess.

     They slowly drew apart as they noticed a now fully dressed Carter and
Mike watching them with a look of disgust on their face, "Do you mind?! Get
a room or something!"

     Shawn looked around and smiled, Bryan's saliva oozing off his lips and
chin, "I did. You're in it, dipshit."

     Carter looked at Mike and giggled, "Would *you* mind if I drooled on
you?"

     Mike blushed bright red and looked down embarrassed. Shawn could
easily see he had a crush on Carter and, despite being a bit older than
Carter, was still a bit uncomfortable with Carter's sexual advances.

     Bryan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and swallowed his
mouthful of saliva before saying, "Okay, guys, as we said, we got
news. Let's head down to the throne room and get it over with."

     Shawn and Bryan quickly tossed on a pair of simple jogging shorts and
no shirt, and then the four of them left the room, each with their arm
around the boy next to them. They walked down the stairs and stopped just
before the throne room. Carter and Mike were both wearing simple tank tops
and tight denim shorts that were similar to the ones Shawn wore on the day
of the Choosing. Hardly princely dressed, but it was just as unbecoming for
Kings to enter, what is said to be the nerve center of royal rules, wearing
workout shorts, no shirts, with both their faces glistening in spit.

     Regardless, after a bit of straightening of whatever clothes they had
on, the four advances through the archway and entered the throne room.

     It was a huge chamber only used for the weekly Royal Counsel meeting,
and, besides that, used only when guests came calling on the Kings. This
was rare in this time of harmony and peace where most had what they needed
and those that didn't, had good reasons for it.

     Eight thrones sat at the very end of the white-carpeted room. The
always-present two large ones were added to by six other ones that had,
apparently, been brought in for the meeting. The six were turned to face
the two major ones.

     Seated in the six thrones surrounding the two central ones, were:
Fargo the Treasurer, Jasper the Domestic Consultant, Calvin the Foreign
Advisor, Colonel Garrett the Head Guard, Wesley the Cartographer, and,
presiding over all of them, was Frost, the Chief Advisor and Vizier to
Whiteshadow Isle.

     When the four boys entered, Frost stood up quickly and pronounced,
"All rise for Kings Shawn and Bryan, as well as Princes Carter and Mike!"
All the other advisors rose.

     Carter looked up at Shawn, "King?"

     Shawn shushed him and whispered, "You'll see..." then quickly
announced, "Please...All be seated!"

     On his command, everybody except Frost and Garrett sat down
again. Frost motioned with his hand at the empty thrones. Carter and Mike
uncomfortably made their way over and sat down.  Bryan and Shawn, of
course, took their seats in the big thrones. A servant wench came back with
two simple chairs and Frost and Garrett sat back down.

     Once everybody was seated, Frost leaned over and whispered to Shawn
and Bryan, "Your clothes, Your Majesties?"

     Shawn shrugged, "Last minute notice of the meeting, Lord
Frost. Couldn't be helped."

     Frost nodded, smiled warmly, and said, "Fargo explained to me why you
are late. Now, I understand your teenage urges and respect the idea of
giving you boys time alone. However, things are no longer as simple as they
were when you were just Princes. You are now the Kings of this country,
however temporary it might be, and, as such, you must think clearly and
with your big head, not always with your little one. I understand your
dislike of some of our laws, but as ruler, you are now bound by them and
must uphold them. Finally, in the future, be more properly dressed when
walking around the palace and, especially, the throne room. If you do not
wish to wear your royal clothes, than at least wear a short-sleeved shirt
and long pants. Coming to the Counsel in jogging shorts with no top on not
proper for a sovereign. When you are in your room, behind closed doors, you
may do and wear what you want. Are we clear, boys?"

     Shawn and Bryan both nodded.

      Frost was an older man of about sixty or so, with long white hair, a
long gray beard, and shining green eyes. According to what Shawn had heard
from his father and Brett, Frost was once the head of the guards, with
Garrett as his top student. He had helped fight back occasional raids, but
his growing age weakened his reflexes. For his service to the crown,
however, he was taken up as Luke and Brett's Vizier when they took the
throne. Shawn remembered how Frost had taught him how to use a sword and
had been very patient as he struggled to learn the intricacies of
fencing. He loved Frost like a grandfather, and knew that Frost loved him a
lot too. Even though his position was much higher than that of a Lord,
Shawn thought 'Lord Frost' sounded better than 'Vizier Frost', so that's
what he was called.

     Frost looked around at his cohorts and cleared his throat, "Are we
ready to begin now, Your Majesties?"

     The two kings nodded and the Princes stood looking on.

     Frost picked out, from a folder he was carrying, a small pile of
paper, and began, "Very well, the first thing I felt the need to bring up
is whether or not Carter and Mike are aware of what's going on."

     Shawn shook his head, "No, Lord Frost. Because
of...ummm...the...well..."

     Bryan cut in, "What King Shawn is trying to say, Vizier, is that we
were too busy relieving those teenage urges to tell Carter and Mike about
the change of command."

     Shawn blushed and nodded.

     The audience of advisors all chuckled, except for Frost, who was now
steadfast on getting this meeting rolling. Frost raised his hand and the
advisors stopped laughing, then said, "Very well..." He turned towards Mike
and Carter, "Mike and Carter. Their Royal Majesties, Brett and Luke, have
both left on a mission. As such, Shawn is now king. It was decided,
however, that you were not mature enough to take the throne by his side, so
Bryan, son of Brett, was decided as being the other king. You are still
Shawn's Chosen, however, and this absence of Luke and Brett are temporary,
thus when Shawn officially takes the crown for good, you will be the other
king.  Meanwhile, Shawn and Bryan are Kings of this country, and you and
Mike are now at a Prince's status. All that means, is that you two are now
royalty and, should either of them no longer be worthy of being Kings, you
two will take over, but only then. In addition, the guards will watch over
both you like hawks. When Luke and Brett return, Shawn and Bryan will be
demoted back to Princes and Carter and Mike will be simple squires
again. Do you understand?"

     Carter and Mike, who did, in fact, listen to most of what Frost had
said, simply shrugged.

     Shawn smiled and leaned over to Carter and said, "Basically, Bryan and
I are kings, so you behave!"

     Carter and Mike giggled and nodded.

     Frost nodded, "Now second of all, as per tradition, I am now obligated
to tell you that you two boys are not ideal kings because you have not
received any royal training. We are not allowed to give you more than
simple advice, either, so if you choose to be kings, you will need to
handle all affairs, mostly, on your own. Therefore, since Colonel Garrett
and I are the two highest-ranking non-nobles in Whiteshadow Isle, perhaps
it would be best if you gave us the throne. That way, you two could
continue to run around naked and have all the orgasms your pubescent hearts
could desire."

     Shawn smiled and looked over at Bryan, then at the rings on their
fingers. After several seconds, Shawn turned back and said, "Thanks for
offer, but, as much as the idea appeals to us of having on the throne, a
burnt-out, old fart and a guy who can, on occasion, make Yurik the
Slaughterer look like a flower-child, I think we're going to have to ride
this one out for ourselves."

     Garrett and Frost couldn't help it and laughed.

     "Very well, then. Long Live King Bryan! Long Live King Shawn!" Frost
pronounced.

     The chant was repeated by each of the advisors as the kings and
princes looked on. After that, Frost passed the floor over to Fargo who
began the weekly reading of the financial situation of the kingdom...

"...And so, since silk trade with the Northlands accumulated less profit
than would have been preferred, I'm proposing that we either raise the
cost, per shipment, or start exporting them another commodity
entirely. What do you propose, Your Majesties?"

     Three hours later and the meeting was still going on as Calvin, the
Foreign Advisor, went over trade statistics. Calvin was a nice guy, Shawn
thought, but he took his job far too seriously.  Carter and Mike had
already been excused about an hour ago, when Mike fell asleep and collapsed
from his throne. Shawn's own eyes were droopy and Bryan seemed to yawn
every minute or so.  Shawn couldn't believe how his father and Brett put up
with this every week.

     "Shawn? Bryan? Are you paying attention?!" Calvin barked.

     "Huh?! What?" Bryan sat up straight with a start, and yawned. Shawn
smiled weakly and sat up as well, waving his hand in Calvin's direction and
saying, "Whatever you think is best, Calvin."

     The advisors looked at each other in disapproval and began mumbling to
each other. Frost began rearranging his papers and putting them back in his
folder, "I think perhaps our young sovereigns have had enough politics for
one day. What say we continue this meeting tomorrow?"

     Shawn quickly stiffened, "NO! Umm...I mean, no, I think we can
complete it. Calvin, you were talking about silk?"

     Frost finished re-arranging the papers and turned towards Shawn and
Bryan, "Your Majesties, perhaps it would be best if you let me, in my power
as Vizier, handle the day to day affairs of running a kingdom, and we'll
call on you if anything important needs to be discussed."

He was smiling, feeling sympathetic for the two pubescent boys who fidgeted
visibly in their oversized thrones. Shawn yawned and nodded, "Okay, but
make sure to let us know about anything that's more important than the day
to day affairs."

     Frost smiled and nodded, "Very well, Shawn. Well, you two may go
now. I'll handle the rest of the meeting. Make sure and be ready at all
times, though, because we may need to call on you."

     With that, Frost turned away from them and focused his attention on
Advisor Calvin who, once again, was talking about the silk. Shawn and Bryan
began to stand, when Shawn stopped himself and said, "Umm...Colonel
Garrett?"

     The advisors stopped talking and turned towards the two kings once
again; Colonel Garrett's gruff voice answering, "Yes, Your Highness?"

     Under the focused stare of the head of Whiteshadow Isle's army, Shawn
began to blush and stare at the floor, but stopped himself. Using all his
willpower, Shawn stared straight on into the emotionless, chilly stare of
Colonel "Bloody" Blade Garrett. "What is your men's situation regarding the
war efforts?"

     Garrett shrugged, "Simple patrols throughout the island. There are
twenty men in each patrol, all on horseback. They have orders to kill any
woman they see."

     Bryan shook his head, "Patrols aren't good enough. The women are far
too smart and will ambush your men, killing them like dogs. It would be
best to have your patrols on guard duty around Dawson, protecting the
capital city."

     Garrett turned towards Bryan, stood up and sneered, "You would have me
call my men out of the battlefield, men trained for the glory of seeking
out the enemy and destroying them, and have me waste their talents on
simple guard duty?!"

     Bryan backed off slightly and Shawn took over, "Your men's talents
would be better used protecting the center of our country, rather than
scattering around and looking for an enemy that, from what you've said, is
known for stealth tactics."

     Garrett stared at both boys in disgust, "What do you two children know
about military tactics?!"

     Frost and the other advisors looked on with interest as Shawn and
Bryan stood their ground. After a moment of thought, Bryan spoke up, "We
need know nothing, Colonel, but simple common sense. Attacking the enemy is
well and good, but a wise man once said that you should never start a fight
unless you're sure that you can win."

     Garrett nodded, "I'm familiar with that adage, and I am confident that
we will win, if only you give us a chance and stop interfering in places
you have no experience!"

     Shawn smiled and stepped closer to Garrett, "Colonel, you've been a
loyal protector of our kingdom for many years. You have obeyed my father
and Brett in their orders without question.  You have protected me from the
horrors of the outside world. Now, both as your friend and, most
importantly, as your king, I ask you to please carry out our orders."

     Garrett stepped back and his face was a mixture of emotion. He looked
over at Bryan, who simply nodded, then back at Shawn. After almost a
minute, he gave a shallow bow and said, quietly, "As you wish, Your
Majesties. I will keep you updated on the guard duty's status." then he
went back to his throne and sat down. Frost gave a slight smile up at the
two boys, and winked.

     With that, Shawn and Bryan quickly scurried out of the throne room. As
soon as the doors shut behind them, they both burst out laughing.

     "What do two children know about military tactics?!" Bryan imitated.

     Shawn giggled and exclaimed, "Damn, was that boring!"

     Bryan nodded, "But, now we can go back to your room and you can make
good on your promise."

     Shawn smiled at him, "Doesn't your body ever tire?"

     "But I want to make love to you!" Bryan whined and, with that, he
jumped at Shawn, tackling him to the floor.

     Bryan grinned down at Shawn as he lay on top of him, the front of his
jogging shorts tented out, "Come on, Shawnie! Rock my world!"

     Shawn laughed and tried to shove Bryan off of him, but Bryan wrapped
his arms tight around Shawn's body and wouldn't let go. Shawn finally
stopped struggling after several seconds, and said, "Okay...I guess I'm
getting horny again too. Remember what we doing before?"

     Bryan giggled, "How could I forget, Shawnie?" and he reached down and
pulled off his jogging shorts. His cock now stuck out at its full five
inches as it hung between Bryan's legs, the slit at the end flaring with
the need to expel his pubescent cum. It was already drooling precum, making
the circumcised head shiny and wet. Sweat matted his sparse pubic hair down
around his prick.

     Shawn reached down and pulled off his own shorts and Bryan gasped as
Shawn's hard six inches sprung out and smacked his stomach. It now looked
almost as desperate as Bryan's and Shawn could feel his hormones surging as
they begged him for an orgasm.

     With both of their shorts lying in a pile beside them, Bryan moved
forward a bit, until both of their cocks lay on top of each other. Bryan
pulled Shawn's body tighter against him, and pressed his lips against Shawn
with a passionate fury. Their faces soon began to get covered in saliva
again as their open mouths and wet tongues roamed all over each other's
face. They began thrusting against each other. They didn't move quickly,
despite both of their needs, and were content to prolong the feelings of
their cocks rubbing, letting the feelings build.

     They kissed and licked each others face as long as possible until,
both short of breath, they had to bend their heads away and gasp. They
didn't say a word to each other, though their eyes and smiles told
everything that the other needed to know.

     Shawn soon felt Bryan's movements increase, and he knew that his
orgasm must be approaching. He tried to quicken his own movement and cum
around the same time as his lover.

     Ten seconds later, Bryan groaned loudly and gave one final, hard
thrust against Shawn's boyhood, then began making quick, irregular
ones. Shawn could feel Bryan's stomach tighten and his dick expand against
his own and looked down in time to be hit in the face by the first squirt
of Bryan's boyish juices. The second squirt sprayed droplets of his cum
across Shawn's chest.

     As soon as he was hit on the face by Bryan's warm cum, he felt his own
pleasure peak and he groaned as he felt all his muscles tensing. As soon as
Bryan's second squirt sprayed his torso, Shawn returned of volley of his
own cum, as it spurted four times, all over Bryan's neck and chest.

     Both their orgasms through, Bryan collapsed on top of Shawn and
sighed. They could both feel the sticky wetness between them and Shawn
giggled weakly as he said, "I think we might need another bath."

     Bryan rolled off Shawn and grinned, "Oh, I'll give you a bath!"

     Shawn giggled as Bryan got on all fours and bent over Shawn. Starting
at his softening prick, he gently licked the shaft and circumcised head of
all remnants of Shawn's salty/sweet juices. Shawn stiffened and groaned,
but his worn cock didn't stiffen any. Bryan's wet tongue licked all the way
down, sliding gently over Shawn's balls. Bryan giggled as he took one
gently in his mouth. Shawn groaned and said, "I don't think there's any
down there!"

     Bryan let the testicle out of his mouth and looked up grinning, "Every
little part of you tastes so good, Shawnie!"

     Shawn giggled, "Get all your jizz off me before it hardens. There's a
whole bunch on my face." Shawn licked his lips, drinking up some of the
semen on his face.

     Bryan laughed, "I'm coming! Hold on!"

     "I thought you just did!" Shawn retorted with a grin.

     Bryan's tongue quickly swept a path of drool back up Shawn's crotch,
over his matted pubic hair, and up his stomach. Bryan seemed to purr as he
licked up the thin spray of his own cum that had landed on Shawn's belly
and Shawn giggled, "Stop! You're tickling me!"

     Bryan ignored his pleas and ran his tongue up and around his innie
bellybutton, drinking up a small pool of cum that had found its way in
there. Once finished there, Bryan's wandering tongue left a trail up to
Shawn's chest rubbing around his nipples. As his tongue passed over each of
the stiffening nubs, Shawn's body stiffened and he groaned. Bryan looked
down and giggled, "My dear king, I do believe you're getting hard again!"

     Shawn's prick was, once again, stiffening into erection as Bryan
smiled down at it. "It looks so delicious, Shawnie...I don't think I can
help myself!"

     Shawn giggled, "I don't know what it is about you that makes me so
horny when I'm with you. Tell you what: finish licking this crap off me and
I'll think about it."

     Bryan gave a joking salute and quickly bent down and whipped his
tongue all over Shawn's neck and face, slurping up what ever semen was
still left on him. He finished it off by rubbing his tongue over Shawn's
lips. They graciously parted and Shawn and Bryan kissed once again, Shawn
tasting Bryan's juices once again."

     Suddenly, Shawn gave a hard shove and Bryan fell over on to his back
with a thud. He looked up, surprised, at Shawn, "What the hell was that
for?!"

     Shawn giggled down at him, "My turn!"

     With that, Shawn bent down and began licking all over Bryan's dick and
balls, drinking up whatever cum had leaked out. During the course of
Bryan's tongue bath on him, Bryan's cock had hardened once again and Shawn
had to control himself to stop from sucking on it.

     His tongue traveled quickly up Bryan stomach and chest, stopping on
his neck to drink up pools of his own cum. He made loud slurping sounds as
he drank up his sex juices, which caused both of their hard cocks to throb
with renewed sexual desire. Shawn's tongue traveled over Bryan's chin and
over his lips and cheeks. Once again, Shawn stopped to kiss Bryan tenderly.

     Once all the cum was gone from their bodies and, in it's place, drying
trails of each other's spit, Shawn collapsed off of Bryan and they lay next
to each other, panting and grinning.

     Suddenly, they heard a small high-pitched voice above them say, "Hey,
isn't Shawn supposed to be bound to me or something?"

     They both looked up to see Carter standing there naked, looking down
at them. His hairless little pricklet stood erect and throbbing as he
smiled at the two kings.

     Shawn sat up and grinned at Carter, "Sort of. Why do you ask?"

     Carter sat down on the floor beside Shawn and Bryan and giggled,
blushing, "Don't you think you've been cheating on me just a bit?"

     Shawn reached over and grabbed the nine-year-old in a tight headlock,
"You're pretty smart for a toddler!"

     Carter struggled and yelled, "Ouch! Hey, I give! I give!"

     Shawn let him go, giggling, "I'm not cheating on you. It's just that
Bryan and I are old friends who enjoy tasting each other's passion."

     "I wanna taste some passion, too!" Carter exclaimed.

     Shawn and Bryan looked at each other and at the renewed vigor in they
pubescent pricks, "You think we should share ourselves with the baby?"

     Carter jumped at Shawn, tackling him and pinning him to the ground,
"You promised you'd suck my penis! Remember?"

     Shawn giggled, "Yes...I remember. Let's go do that right now!"

     Carter got off Shawn and they both stood up. Shawn turned to Bryan,
"Why don't you leave us two alone for a while. I kinda owe Carter some
quality time."

     Bryan nodded, "Sure thing, sexy. Where's Mike, by the way?"

     Carter grinned, "Gonna play with *your* Chosen, too?"

     Bryan nodded, "I'm gonna try."

     "He's in the dining room eating dinner."

     Bryan nodded and he scurried off in one direction as Shawn and Carter
went off in another.

     Shawn and Carter entered Shawn's room and Shawn closed and locked the
door behind them. He turned around to see Carter's little face staring up
at him, blushing and giggling, and his little boner standing stiffly erect
and throbbing with his heartbeat. Shawn shook his head, "You know, you're
pretty horny for a boy who's not even in puberty yet."

     Carter giggled and said, "What does 'horny' mean?"

     Shawn blushed and giggled too, "Well...umm...It's like...Hey, how much
do you actually know about sex?"

     Carter shrugged, "I know that what you did to me yesterday felt really
good and what Mike and I did last night and today also felt really good."

     Shawn sighed, "I think it's time I explained to you about sex and
stuff." He walked over to the bed and sat down. He patted the spot next to
him and motioned for Carter to come over.

     Carter frowned, "Aren't you gonna suck my penis? And what does 'horny'
mean?"

     Shawn smiled, "I would like nothing better than to suck your little
cock, but first I want to explain to you all about that and other stuff
too."

     Carter's face began to pout, "Aww...I don't wanna listen to another
talk!"

     Shawn giggled, "Okay, how about if I masturbate you as I talk?"

     Carter got confused again, "What's 'masturbate'?"

     Shawn blushed and said, "What I did to you two nights ago."

     A smile flew across Carter's face and he quickly bounced over, "Okay!"

     He jumped on the bed next to Shawn and sat down close to him. True to
his word, Shawn reached over to Carter's stiff little pricklet and, using
his first three fingers, began to gently rub Carter's prepubescent little
penis.

     He began, "Well, a boy's body is a wonderful thing and it has many
things on it that feel very good when they're touched and rubbed..."

Meanwhile, Bryan managed to find the huge dining room and smiled at he saw
the little naked blond-haired-boy picking at what looked like a plate of
spaghetti. He walked up beside Mike and put his hand on his shoulder. Mike
jumped and quickly turned around, but smiled when he saw it was Bryan.

     "How ya doing, sport?" Bryan asked, stroking Mike's shoulder.

     Mike shrugged, "Food tastes strange..."

     Bryan laughed and pulled up a chair next to him, "It's different than
the garbage you're used to eating, isn't it?"

     Mike shrugged, "I dunno..."

     Bryan leaned back in his chair, trying to think of what to say next,
then turned to look at Mike, "So, what have you and Carter been doing?"

     A blush passed over Mike's face and he looked down at his food and
said meekly, "Nothing..."

     Bryan reached over, took Mike's face gently in his fingers, and turned
it towards him.  Mike's face was terribly red and he looked so embarrassed,
Bryan thought he might begin to cry.  Bryan smiled and said softly, "It's
okay. Shawn and I do it all the time. You don't need to be ashamed of it."

     He gently let Mike's face go and Mike went back to staring at his
plate. He said softly, "I didn't know what was going on. Carter just told
me that he wanted to show me some things that Shawn taught him. Then, he
started rubbing my penis and it felt really good, but than something felt
like it was going to happen and I got mad at Carter and told him to stop,
so he did. Then he said that he was going to kiss it and make it better and
he actually put his mouth on my penis! But something weird happened and I
got all funny in my tummy and then...I don't know...It felt good though..."

     Mike's mumbling made Bryan smile and he gently put his arm around Mike
and hugged him against him, whispering, "It's okay, sweetie...It's okay."

     Mike stood up and walked away from Bryan. Bryan stood up and followed
him. They both stopped in the center of the room and Mike turned around and
giggled suddenly, "What do you and Shawn do?" he asked, his green eyes
gleaming.

     Bryan giggled too, "Anything you could think of!"

     "Have you ever...sucked on his penis?"

     Bryan licked his lips, "Yum!"

     Mike giggled and said, "What's it like?"

     Bryan shrugged, "It's like...well...I dunno. It's really good,
though."

     Mike blushed, "Carter wants me to do it to him, but...I don't really
know...I mean..."

     Bryan nodded, "You're sort of nervous, because you don't know if
you'll like it, right?"

     Mike nodded and sighed, "I mean, I really like him, and he showed me
how to...you know...rub on it, but I don't know about putting my mouth on
it..."

     Bryan shrugged, "Well, you could always try it on me. If you don't
like it, then you don't have to do it and I won't be mad and you won't
embarrass yourself in front of Carter."

     Mike looked down at Bryan's tanned prick and then looked back up at
him, "Carter's is littler and doesn't have hair, though. Won't it be
different?"

     Bryan nodded, "Kinda, but if you don't like mine, than you probably
won't like Carter's."

     Mike nodded, "Okay..."

     Bryan looked at him expectantly after a few seconds, and Mike's eyes
widened, "You mean, right now?"

     Bryan giggled, "It's as good a place as any..."

     Mike shuffled his feet uncomfortably and Bryan nodded, "It's okay if
you don't wanna..."

     Mike shook his head, "No! I do! I mean, I'd like to try, but...just
give me a second."

     Mike slowly walked up to Bryan and looked down at Bryan's hardening
prick, while biting his lower lip.

     "Get on your knees..." Bryan offered.

     Mike nodded and slowly sunk to his knees. His eyes widened as he
stared at the five-inch prick in his face. Bryan reached down and ran his
hands through Mike's soft hair, "Just do what Carter does." Bryan said
gently.

     Mike nodded and stared at Bryan's prick for several more seconds,
before opening his mouth and quickly licking across the head. Bryan tilted
his head back and inhaled sharply through clenched teeth as a sharp bolt of
pleasure shot through his body. Mike quickly looked up, "What's wrong?"

     Bryan shook his head and gasped, "Nothing! Just...just keep doing what
you're doing."

     Mike smiled, "Did I do good?"

     Bryan nodded quickly, "Yes, you did great...Just don't stop!"

     Mike giggled, "Doesn't taste so bad..." and quickly licked across the
mushroom head again, his wet tongue leaving a moist trail.

     Bryan gasped again and a small drop of precum oozed out through the
tip.

     Mike stared at the new development and said, "What's that?"

     Bryan, seeing that there would probably be many pauses like this,
gathered his patience and smiled, "It's called precum. It comes out when
you make a boy feel good."

     Mike giggled, "Will Carter have precum, too?"

     Bryan shook his head, "No, and neither do you. Only older boys have
it."

     Mike shrugged, "But why do only older boys have it?"

     Bryan thought for the best way to tell him and came up with, "Well,
because little boys don't have sperm yet. Only boys with sperm have
precum."

     The logical answer for Mike was, "What's sperm?"

     Bryan smiled, "Keep doing what you're doing to my penis, and you'll
see!"

     Mike's tongue, once again, whipped out and licked across the
now-painfully hard prick.  Bryan was beginning to think about instructing
Mike on the next step, when he saw Mike take it.  Mike's little head slowly
moved forward and he opened his mouth and took two inches of Bryan's dick
in his mouth. He didn't move, just licked around the part in his mouth with
his tongue. His eyes looked up at Bryan for approval, but Bryan's own eyes
were closed and his lips were slightly parted. Mike took the lack of
complaint to mean that he was doing well, and, remembering what Carter did
to him, slowly began to move his mouth up and down on the part he had in
his mouth.  His other hand reached up and held the part he didn't have,
steady. Mike's little hand couldn't reach all around it, but he held it
pretty still as his wet, boyish mouth sucked on Bryan's pubescent prick.

     Bryan gasped down occasional instructions like, "Don't use your
teeth!" or "Don't go so fast!", but he kept mostly silent except for
constant panting and the occasional groan.

     All in all, Bryan thought Mike wasn't doing that awful a job and
didn't seem to mind the taste, obviously. It wasn't too long before Bryan
began to feel the familiar tightness in his stomach.

     He gasped down quickly, "I'm gonna cum! Just try and swallow whatever
comes out!"

     Mike started to say, "Wha..." but was cut off by a quick intake of
breath from Bryan and, suddenly, he felt the penis in his mouth begin to
expand and spray a liquid all over the back of his throat. Bryan withheld
the need to thrust, to avoid hurting the young boy. It wasn't a very strong
orgasm, so only one shot of sperm entered Mike's mouth. "This was probably
for the better, this being his first time." thought Bryan.

     Mike's face grimaced as he felt the cum shoot into his mouth, but
there wasn't much of it, so he easily swallowed it. Bryan pulled back,
taking his prick from Mike's mouth and grip, and sat down on the ground
next to Mike. "How was that?"

     Mike shrugged, "Not bad. It's sort of weird tasting."

     Bryan nodded, "You get used to it after a while. You're lucky you
sucked me off and not Shawn. Shawn's cum is a lot thicker than mine and
might have gotten caught in your throat."

     Mike smiled at Bryan, "Do you think Carter will like it if I do him
like I did you?"

     Bryan giggled, "If you do him like you did me, He'll pass out from
pleasure! Wanna know some other stuff you can do with him?"

     Mike got confused, "I already know about rubbing it..."

     Bryan smiled, "What about sticking your penis up his butt?"

     Mike's look turned to disgust, "Eww! Why would you do that?
Doesn't...you know...poo come from there?"

     Bryan laughed, "Ya, but after a bath, you get your butt nice and clean
so there's none in there, and than someone sticks their penis up
there. It's feels so good!"

     Mike giggled, "You mean you and Shawn do *that* too?"

     Bryan laughed, "All the time, dude!"

     Mike sat back to think about this then turned to Bryan, "Tell me more
about what you guys do!"

     Bryan smiled, "Well, there's..."

     Back in Shawn's room, Shawn was finishing up his "facts of life"
lecture for Carter.

     "...And that's why Bryan and I always want to play with each other."

     Carter was giggling like the young boy that he was, the entire
time. When Shawn was finally done, Carter reached down and grabbed his
stiff little pricklet in his fingers and said, "If you don't suck me right
now, I'm gonna jack myself off until I cum."

     Shawn laughed, "So, you *were* listening!"

     Carter giggled, "I mean it! I'm so horny!"

     Shawn reached over and put his hand on Carter's cheek, "God, you're so
cute."

     Shawn's prick stiffened into its full six inches as he rubbed his
hands across Carter's soft cheek. He slowly leaned forward and kissed
Carter gently on the lips, their long hair intertwining as Shawn's lips
pressed against Carter's lips. He decided not to go any further than that,
but was pleasantly surprised when he felt Carter's baby tongue press
against his teeth. He parted them and Carter's little tongue swished around
Shawn's mouth, rubbing his tongue and almost encouraging Shawn to return
the favor. Shawn gladly did, and soon Carter's body was held against
Shawn's by Shawn's arms as they tongue kissed.

     Pretty soon though, he felt Carter's body thrusting up against Shawn,
rubbing his pricklet against Shawn's flat belly. Their lip-lock broke and
Carter leaned his head back and panted, "Ah, ah, ah, ah..." as his little
boyhood rubbed against Shawn's soft skin.

     Shawn quickly broke contact with him and smiled down at Carter's
flushed face, "Now now, little one. I promised that I'd suck you off,
didn't I?"

     Carter giggled, "My dick tickles so bad, I can't stand it."

     Shawn grinned down at Carter's hairless little boyhood as it stood
glowing bright red with desire, its one and a half inches throbbing madly
with Carter's heartbeat. The tiny slit at the end flared open with
pressure, though it had no juices to squirt.

     Without a second thought, Shawn sunk his mouth down on the tender,
little morsel, it fitting easily in his mouth with plenty of room to
spare. Shawn didn't need to move his head and simply ran his tongue around
the stiff little thing and began a slow sucking motion with his lips, his
cheeks caving-in slightly. Carter lay back on the bed almost crying, his
body tensing madly as panted, "Oh, Oh, Oh damn! Oh God! Oh! Oh!"

     Shawn's tongue gently tickled over the slit at the end and Carter
squealed and quivered, his legs shaking underneath Shawn. Carter's
testicles, which were already tight against his body, due to his age,
pulled even tighter as he began to quick approach his childish orgasm.

     Shawn's own cock was throbbing against the mattress and drooling
precum into his sheets.  Just being around the nine-year-old satyr was
making Shawn hornier than he could remember and, unable to help it, he
reached down and wrapped his hand around his sticky prick and began
masturbating furiously.

     Only seconds after he begun pleasuring himself, Carter's high-pitched
cries turned into wails and Shawn could feel Carter's boyhood expand in his
mouth and begin spasming, desperate to squirt juices that didn't exist in
him yet. Carter's orgasm lasted quite a while, almost twenty seconds, and
it even seemed that he had another one right after the first. Shawn had
heard of such phenomena among boys who were too young to shoot. Carter's
little body tensed over and over again, until his orgasm finally peaked and
he gently settled back on to the bed, a sheen of sweat covering his
prepubescent body. Shawn sucked his dick right through the whole thing,
only stopping when Carter's body fully relaxed. He gently let the rapidly
shrinking organ from his mouth, and stared down at the now
resting-child. He soon became aware that he was still stroking his own cock
and had reached "the point of no return." He quickly crawled over to where
Carter was lying and, with a final thrust through his fist, his own orgasm
hit and he groaned loudly as he sprayed his white, teenage semen all over
Carter's chest, face and neck. When he was done and orgasm had left him, he
collapsed on the bed next to Carter.

Realizing his present duty, he turned back over and crawled on top of
Carter. Carter's eyes were slits as he stared up at Shawn, "Why did you cum
all over me?"

Shawn shrugged, "I didn't want to squirt all over my bed and I know you
don't want to swallow it."

Carter giggled, "I would have! I wanna try!"

Shawn laughed, "Next time, sweetie. For now...IT'S TICKLE TIME!!!!"

With that, Shawn pinned Carter to the bed with his hands around Carter's
wrists, and he ran his tongue all over his chest, neck and face, licking up
all his cum. Carter giggled uncontrollably and screamed, "Stop! I'm gonna
piss all over myself!"

When he was done cleaning off his spunk, he crawled up and kissed
Carter. He opened his mouth and let Carter's little tongue scoop up the
semen that remained in his mouth and swallow it. Carter smiled and
separated from Shawn, "Not bad...Shawnie!"

Shawn growled, "Hey! Only Bryan is allowed to call me that!" and he bounced
up on his knees and tried to pin Carter on the bed again, but the boy moved
and Shawn missed and fell out of the bed.

As Shawn regained his bearings, Carter screamed, "CARTER ATTACK!" and
pounced on Shawn, bowling him over. With Carter on top of Shawn, Shawn
smiled and said, "Okay. This time, you win!"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Shawn looked up and yelled, "Go
away! I'm busy!"

Bryan's voice from behind it answered back, "Shawnie! You better come
quick, there's another raid going on! Bring Carter with you!"

Hearing that, Shawn quickly crawled over to his cabinet and pulled two
pairs of jogging shorts out of the drawer. "Protocol be damned!" he mumbled
as he put on one pair and helped Carter into the other.

Opening the door, he saw Bryan and Mike standing there, out of breath as if
they'd ran, which they probably did.

"Just a few minutes ago. A small band of women, probably nothing to worry
about, but Garrett told me to get you and have all of us in the throne room
for an emergency meeting." Bryan briefed.

Nodding, Shawn and Carter followed Bryan and Mike as they bounded down the
stairs towards the throne room.

As the four boys burst into the throne room, they noticed immediately that
the usual cadre of advisors was absent. Instead, Colonel Garrett stood
between the two main thrones with a solemn look on his face.

     He noticed their arrival with a simple nod and waved them over to
him. If he noticed Shawn and Bryan's, once again, less than kingly
appearances, he made no indication.

     "Despite my less than positive belief that you are fit to rule this
kingdom, I decided to treat you like the kings that you are and call you
down to address this urgent matter." Garrett began.

     Bryan smiled, "Thanks for your confidence. Did you carry out the
orders that we requested?"

     Garrett nodded slowly, "I issued them, but our men in the field, have
yet to be informed."

     Shawn walked over and sat down on his throne. After looking pensive
for a few seconds, he looked up at Garrett, "Okay, so what's our guard
situation?"

     Garrett shrugged, "Standard. The Isle's forces can easily hold off
those mutants even *with* their advanced weapons, however our biggest
concern is that there might be a spy in Dawson, maybe even the palace, that
is providing the women with information. After all, the first raid came
when you and Carter were out in the open and vulnerable, and this second
one comes soon after your father and Brett have left."

     Bryan nodded solemnly, "It does seem more than a coincidence. What do
you propose, Colonel?"

     Garrett sat down on the other throne and shrugged, "Well, due to these
concerns, we must search, and fast. Therefore, I've decided that we need
someone to ask around on the streets of Dawson while the rest of us handle
the palace."

     Bryan stood up and shrugged, "I know the streets very well. I could
easily handle that job."

     Garrett quickly shook his head, "No. You and Shawn are the kings and,
as such, are not allowed to leave the palace. Carter and Mike also have
knowledge of the streets and, besides that, two young children will attract
less attention by being inquisitive than two teenagers will."

     Shawn and Bryan looked at Carter and Mike, and then back at Garrett,
"Colonel, the risks are far too great. What if they get hurt or captured?"

     Garrett smiled, "Don't worry. I will have two undercover guardsmen
tailing them at all times. They will be perfectly safe and all they'd need
to do is smile sweetly and ask 'Whatcha doing?' a whole lot."

     Shawn was about to protest again, but Carter put his hand on Shawn's
knee and smiled up at him, "I wanna help."

     Shawn still looked worried, "What about tradition, Garrett? As my
Chosen, Carter is never supposed to leave my sight!"

     Garrett nodded, "I'm aware, but tradition has already been broken to
allow Bryan to rule alongside you. Sometimes tradition needs to be broken
if necessity calls for it."

     Shawn smiled ryely, "Ironic that I now use the traditions I hate, as
excuses."

     Garrett smiled too and put his hand on Shawn's shoulder, "You will be
a glorious king one day and, on that day, Carter will rule beside you...I
swear it."

     Shawn nodded and smiled at Bryan, "More time for us, I guess."

     Garrett laughed, "I'll take that as an agreement. I can easily handle
the palace search myself. If any more concerns happen, we'll be sure to let
you know."

     An hour later, Shawn and Bryan stood looking out the window of Shawn's
bedroom, watching Carter and Mike, still clad in simple jogging shorts,
walked out of the palace grounds and back towards the town where they
originally came from. Bryan put his arm around Shawn's waist and hugged
him, "They're gonna be fine, Shawnie."

     Shawn nodded and said quietly, "I know."

     They both watched the boys go, until they disappeared into the crowds
of the town, then they turned away and sat down on Shawn's bed. They sat
there for a minute, just staring at each other and themselves. Still clad
in only jogging shorts, and their bodies still covered in a sheen of sweat
from their previous activities, the room was filled with a musky body odor
that pubescent boys are famous for. The pheromones in the air soon caused
both boys' penises to harden to their full erection, but sex was not on
their minds.

     "I finally come home after three years, and see my father, who thought
I was dead, and then he runs off. I'm assigned to rule a kingdom that I'm
just getting used to again, and now the two adorable children who I hoped
to spend time with are away for God knows how long...This is so confusing."
Bryan sighed.

     Shawn nodded, "Ya, I know. I never liked being a member of royalty,
isolated from the real world, and I never liked the stupid rules that bound
me in my, so called, 'birthright'. Now, here I am ruling a kingdom
alongside a person who I hardly remember. Plus, as you mentioned, I never
got a chance to do half the stuff I wanted to with Carter."

     They both nodded, trying to think of something else to say. After
several seconds, Shawn smiled and said, "Well, we stink pretty bad..."

     Bryan's face flushed slightly and he giggled, "You know, they say that
human sweat contains aphrodisiacs." He reached down and gently squeezed the
huge lump in the front of his shorts.

     Shawn giggled and his face flushed too, "Fuck, the smell of you makes
me so hot." And he leaned forward, his mouth open, towards Bryan.

     Bryan knew just how Shawn felt, and opened his mouth in time to
receive Shawn's tongue.  He moaned as his tongue slipped into Shawn's mouth
and droplets of sweat coursed down his face to mingle with Shawn's
sweat. They tongue-kissed passionately, wrapping their arms around each
other and pressing their horny bodies together.

     As they kissed, they were interrupted by a sharp knocking at the open
door and a gruff clearing of someone's throat.

     They slowly broke apart to see a blushing Fargo standing in the
doorway, "I'm sorry, Your Majesties. The door was open..."

     Bryan scowled, "About that fuck-time we requested, Fargo..."

     Fargo smirked, "No offense meant, Your Majesties, but you two really
have to learn to calm your hormones. We can't have another meeting starting
late because you two were horny."

     Shawn laughed, "Sometimes I think you were born as an old
party-pooper!"

     Fargo smiled, "Anyway, we await you for dinner in the dining
hall. Please dress in proper attire this time and, for God sakes, take a
bath first! You two stink!"

     With that, Fargo turned on his heels and walked away, leaving the two
boys there, sitting on their bed and giggling.

     After they heard his footsteps go down the stairs, Shawn smiled at
Bryan, and said, "I guess we'd better wash up. Besides, my royal penis is
tired from today!"

     Bryan laughed, "Ya, mine is too, believe it or not."

     They both removed their shorts, leaving them on the floor for the
wenches to pick up, and nakedly walked across the bedroom and into the
washroom. The water was constantly filtered and heated, so it was clean and
warm as Shawn and Bryan stepped in to it. They sighed contentedly, as they
sat down on the stone benches within the basin, sitting across from each
other. Shawn reached out and pushed the button on the side of the tub, and
powerful jets sprayed out and turned the water into a bubbling mass of
liquid. Shawn could see that neither him nor Bryan had any dirt on their
bodies, but he still loved the feel of the jets as they massaged his naked
teenage form.  Shawn could see that Bryan was equally enamored with the
jets, by his slitted eyes and huge smile.  Shawn lay back as well and
sighed, "Aren't you glad you returned with me, babe?"

     Bryan's eyes slowly opened and his smile lessened into a look of
simple contentment. He slowly stood up and, fighting against the jets,
walked across the basin and sat down on Shawn's bench beside him. Wrapping
his arm around Shawn, Bryan lay his head down on the part of Shawn's
shoulder that wasn't submerged.

"Of course I'm glad. I love you, Shawnie, and always have." Shawn heard him
say.

Bryan's head lifted up and Shawn's arm wrapped around his body, pulling it
against him and, for the first time in their entire relationship, they
simply hugged.

     After five minutes of hugging, Shawn finally reached out and grabbed a
bar of soap, lathering himself up. Bryan did the same with another bar of
soap that he took. Maybe it was all the sex they had that day, or maybe
they'd finally realized their royal duties, but as Bryan used his bar of
soap to lather up Shawn's back, his young dick remained limply hanging down
on his testicles and didn't harden. Shawn's didn't either as he stood
lathering Bryan's naked back and ass.  It got to the point where they were
both thinking the same thing, but Shawn said it first.

     As they both sat back down by the jets, letting the water rinse off
their bodies, Shawn looked over at Bryan and asked, "Bryan, if I told you
that I didn't want to have sex with you anymore, would you still love me?"

     Bryan got a queer look on his face and laughed, "What? Are you turning
straight or something?"

     Shawn smiled, "No! I just mean, without the suckjobs and jerking each
other off and ass fucking and tongue kissing and groin rubbing...Without
all that, would you still want to be with me forever?"

     Bryan shook his head and smiled, "Forever wouldn't be long
enough. Shawnie, I love you, not for your dick, but for the way you look
when you wake up in the morning. I love you for the way you laugh when I
tell a really dumb joke. I love you for the way you drool sometimes when
you eat chocolate. I love your eyes, your face, your lips, your hair...I
love you, Shawnie, and if I never got to take your cum inside my body ever
again, I'd still love you...I'll never stop loving you...Never."

     Tears flowed down both their faces to mingle with the water, and they
hugged again, tighter than ever. When they finally stopped, Bryan sniffled
and said, "Why would you ask such a thing?"

     Shawn shrugged, "I don't know...I just...wanted to be reassured, I
guess. All we seemed to do today is have sex and I wasn't sure if that's
all we would ever do!"

     Bryan nodded, "We *have* been having a lot of sex since we
reunited...I guess it's just because we're glad to see each other again."

     Shawn sighed, "Yeah, that's probably it. I'd love you even without the
sex too, by the way."

     Bryan put his hand on Shawn's knee and squeezed it affectionately, "I
know, Shawnie.  How about we try and keep our heads on straighter and not
act like a bunch of satyrs from now on?"

     Shawn smiled, "Deal. We can try..."

     "...But we're not guaranteeing anything." Bryan finished for him.

     They both giggled and stood up. They got out of the tub, turned off
the jets, grabbed a towel, and headed back into the bedroom to get dressed.

     Fargo had requested that they dress properly, so Shawn opened up the
drawer with all the silk and velvet clothing in it. Sifting around inside,
he tossed a pile of clothes on his bed, while Bryan sorted through them and
picked which ones he liked. In the end, Shawn and Bryan put on matching
outfits of loose blue silk boxers, white velvet breeches and orange silk
shirts. For effect, they both wore the long capes with the Whiteshadow Isle
insignia on the back, which were usually reserved for special
occasions. Looking like twins, they gave each other the once over before
leaving.

Smelling nice from the soap as well as some cologne that they put on, they
looked very mature, if not royal. The white breeches were a little tight in
the crotch, and the definitions of their penises were pretty evident if
your eyes happened to look in that direction. It didn't matter,
though...Shawn used to be able to come to the dinner table naked, so it was
not as if nobody hadn't seen what he had. Puberty had caused Shawn's face
to start growing the beginnings of facial hair, and having black hair made
it even more noticeable. He probably should start shaving, but opted not to
just yet. Bryan's face, however, was still clear of any hair. Neither was
unlucky enough to have suffered the teenage problem of acne, so their faces
were free of pimples. Shawn had a pretty defined Adam's apple, but it
wasn't overly large, while Bryan still didn't. Shawn could best be
described as "handsome", with his long, silky, black hair and bright brown
eyes with their long, almost feminine, eyelashes. His high cheekbones made
his face thin, but he still had a dimple in his right cheek when he
smiled. Bryan could be better described as "cute", with his big brown eyes
and long brown hair, with the small cleft in his chin. His face almost
looked like a girl's, with his almost elfish face and dainty looks. You
almost expected Bryan's ears to be pointed.

     After spending several seconds admiring each other, they kissed
quickly, no tongue this time, and walked together out of the bedroom and
down the stairs towards the dining area.

     All eyes turned to them, as they entered the room. Everybody was
there, from Frost and his advisors, to Garrett and his guards, to the
servant wenches, who got to eat with the men, as a special treat. They all
stood as the two boy-kings entered the room and Frost bowed his head and
smiled at Shawn and Bryan.

     "Please...Sit down." Shawn giggled, blushing slightly at the
attention.

     They both made their way to the head of the table and sat down, still
under every single person's gaze. Shawn looked around and noticed that
everybody was staring at him, as if expecting him to do or say
something. He looked at Bryan for help, but the fourteen-year-old was
equally uncomfortable by the situation and shrugged his shoulders.

     After a minute of total silence, Shawn smiled in embarrassment and,
looking at Frost, stuttered, "W...What?"

     Frost cleared his throat and whispered, "It is tradition at royal
dinners, for the kings to make an opening speech. Everybody is waiting for
it..."

     Shawn looked at Bryan, who stifled a giggle, and then they both slowly
stood up. Bryan began to say, "Welcome." But only got "Welc" out, before
his voice suddenly cracked. Everybody at the table, except for Shawn,
snickered, and Bryan, a crimson blush filling his tanned face, quickly sat
down again and put his face in his hands. Shawn smiled down at Bryan and
put his hand on his shoulder, then, looking back up at the masses, he said,
"Well, first of all, you'll excuse King Bryan. Puberty seems to have gotten
the best of him. I'd like to thank you all for making this dinner in our
honor. Now, I'm very hungry right now, since I have been busy with other
matters today..." he squeezed Bryan's shoulder in affection, feeling proud
to acknowledge his relationship with him, "And haven't had a chance to
eat. Therefore, bring out the food!"

     With that, Shawn sat back down and, leaning over, kissed Bryan's
cheek. He heard murmured, "Awww"'s as Bryan slowly looked up and smiled at
Shawn.

"I feel like such a goof." Bryan whimpered.

Shawn put his hand on Bryan's cheek, "You're not a goof, sweetie. It used
to happen to me all the time." Shawn said, as his fingers ran through
Bryan's hair.

They looked up suddenly as they heard a loud clearing of someone's
throat. Everybody at the table was smiling at them and Frost smiled across
to them, "In honor of this being your first night as the sovereigns of this
land, the meal tonight will be your choice."

Shawn smiled, "Our choice?"

Frost nodded. Shawn turned to Bryan and smiled. He whispered, "What would
you like?"

Bryan whispered back right away, "Pepperoni pizza!"

Shawn got a worried look and replied, "I want tacos, though."

The crowd looked on as the two teenagers huddled and whispered back and
forth for almost five minutes. Garrett finally cleared his throat and said,
"You know, we're all pretty hungry, Your Majesties..."

Shawn and Bryan broke their huddle and Bryan stood up, spoke softly to
himself for a few seconds to make sure his voice was going to hold out, and
said in his best royal tone, "We have decided that we would like pizza. The
pizza must have pepperoni, beef, lots of cheese, onions, green peppers and,
most importantly, lots and lots of chili peppers." Bryan's voice cracked
again as he said "pepperoni", but he kept going anyway.

All the people seated at the table immediately started talking at once,
discussing this strange request.

While they discussed it, Bryan reached across the table and grabbed a large
bottle of strong Whiteshadow wine and sat it down in front of him and
Shawn, smiling suggestively. Shawn giggled at Bryan's idea and, while the
adults disputed ever letting two teenagers choose the meal, Shawn and Bryan
started engaging in a drinking contest. By the time Frost turned towards
the two boys, the huge bottle was half-empty and both Shawn and Bryan were
giggling maniacally and babbling like three-year-olds.

"Boys, despite the fact that we'll probably have heartburn for a week,
we've decided to create your concoction." With that said, he waved a group
of women away and they quickly bowed and scurried off in the direction of
the kitchen.

Shawn and Bryan looked up as Frost spoke, "Sounds good, Frosty!" Shawn
said, with an exaggerated grin.

Bryan stared at Shawn, "Frosty?!" he exclaimed, than they both started
laughing at the joke, so hard that tears started streaming down their face.

Jasper, the Domestic Advisor, stood up and said, "Vizier Frost, in light of
the fact that Shawn and Bryan are now, if you'll excuse the expression,
'pissed out of their skulls', I'm requesting that we consider taking the
throne from them. They're obviously too immature to handle the
responsibility."

Frost gazed across the table at the two boys: Shawn was laying back in his
chair, giggling and drooling, while Bryan was asleep on the table, snoring
loudly.

Frost sighed, "I think it's time I had a talk with our young kings. Start
dinner without us."

Frost got up and walked around the table towards Shawn and Bryan. As he
passed them, he grabbed both of them by their hair, toppling over Shawn's
chair as he pulled him out of it, and pulled them, stumbling and
protesting, out of the room and into the main hallway.

He slammed the double-doors shut, and let the boys go. They both dropped to
the floor and looked around disoriented. Frost paced around the wide
hallway before turning towards the boys, "What the hell is wrong with you
two?!"

Shawn looked up at Frost, blinking, and stuttered, "We're...We're sorry..."

Frost sighed and sank down to the floor beside them. He put his arms around
Bryan and Shawn and pulled them both against him, "Listen boys, I accept
the fact that you are two young teenagers who's main focus is between your
legs. I accept the fact that you two want to be free to do whatever your
hearts desire. I accept the fact that you're entitled to your stupid little
games. I accept the fact that you like to eat a lot of junk food. I accept
the fact that you want to wear as few clothes as possible. Heck, I even
accept the fact that you are lovers and are not shy about showing your love
in front of the entire kingdom. However, you showed, back there, that even
after you dress up like kings, and are told, several times, to behave like
kings, you still act like children.  Shawn, you're fifteen! You may be a
man by Whiteshadow Isle standards, but you really aren't, and I accept
that, but Bryan here has only just turned fourteen. He's young and you need
to watch over him and be the more mature one. Am I making any sense?"

Shawn, though still pissed out of his skull, nodded shakily. Bryan tried to
nod too, but suddenly gagged and threw up all over himself. Frost and Shawn
quickly moved away from him, and Shawn started giggling drunkenly as Bryan
tried to wipe the chunks of vomit off himself.

Frost stood up and reached down to help Shawn and, reluctantly at first,
Bryan to their feet. "We'll bring dinner to your room, because I want you
two to go to sleep, with Bryan taking a bath first.  Tomorrow, though, we
will start official royal training."

Shawn nodded and Bryan burped.

Frost half-dragged both boys up to their bedroom. He tossed Shawn on the
bed, him promptly falling asleep, fully clothed, even before he hit the
mattress. Then, he took Bryan into the bathroom and gently removed his
clothes. Frost's eyebrows raised when he saw the fully naked
fourteen-year-old boy. Despite his old age, he'd, fortunately, not
succumbed to impotence and began to feel his penis stir within his pants.

"Bryan certainly has grown up to be a beautiful young man." Frost remarked
to himself as he gently lowered the boy into the tub and washed the puke
off him. After that, he just as gently dried him and lay his naked body
down next to Shawn's. As he left the room, he took one last gaze at the
boys, the light of the moon shining down on them.

"I gotta get me another lover." He thought aloud as he quietly shut the
bedroom door.

Even at night, Dawson was a city full of activity. Farmers were still
cleaning up their stands in the marketplace; even when the sun had set and
the moon had risen. The taverns had laughter and the clanging of glasses
ringing out for many blocks. Carter and Mike walked close to one another as
they walked down the street. Although they had both lived on the streets
for years, they had never been in the area where they currently walked. It
was nicknamed 'Bloodstain Row' for its well-known criminal activity. The
guards made occasional raids, but the criminals ruled around here. Garrett
had told the two boys that if there were any information about a spy, it
could be found here. Despite the fact that two guards followed behind them,
disguised as blind beggars, they felt scared and exposed. Wearing only
small shorts, with their small chests exposed, they blended in with the
rest of the serf children, moreso since they returned their princes' rings
before leaving, but Carter had the sneaking suspicion that someone would
know.

     A dirty man with three teeth sneered at the boys as they passed, and
Carter almost felt like crying. He looked over at Mike and saw a similar
look on his face. They huddled together as they walked down the street
towards their destination, a bar at the end of the street.

     As they approached it, they could already hear the sounds of
boisterous, drunken laughter coming from within. The idea seemed strange to
begin with, but obviously, Garrett knew what he was doing.

     As they walked in, though, and the eyes of the patrons began to fall
on them, the noise quieted down rather quickly. Considering that two
blond-haired nine-year-old boys with angelic faces, just walked into a
filthy, smoke-filled room in Bloodstain Row, filled with beer-swilling
drunkards laughing and puking all over the place, it wasn't too surprising
that they got such a reaction.

     The "blind" men were right behind them, walking quickly to a corner of
the bar and sitting down, fixing their canes and adjusting their robes to
make sure their scabbards weren't visible.

     Carter and Mike slowly advanced further into the tavern.

     "Hey!" one of the drunks yelled, "I'll pay you one hundred bucks each
if you'll sit on my lap and jack me off!"

     Another man yelled, "Two hundred!"

     Carter and Mike looked around fearfully and Carter said in his
toughest voice, "We're here to get something to drink!"

     Despite his tough expression, he let out a yelp and almost wet himself
as he felt a rough hand on his shoulder. He spun around to see the
bartender, a bloated looking worm with an expression of pure malice on his
face, "Eithers you're here to make some money, or you're in the wrong part
of town. We don't serve mother's milk in this place, so either you babies
take your pick or you're in trouble!"

     Mike saw that Carter was shivering with fear, and used his current
state to command, "We heard news of someone plotting with the women!"

     The bartender turned to Mike, "Now, you wouldn't be talking about
helping them bitches, are you? 'Cause if you are, than you're in some
serious trouble."

     The bartender grabbed both boys around the neck, his huge hands able
to surround them completely, "Now, unless you do what I tell you right now,
your daddy's are gonna find their dead boys on his doorstep by tomorrow
morning."

     Carter and Mike began crying, but that just made the bartender's hands
squeeze tighter around their little necks. They saw, out of the corner of
their eye, several men standing around them now. "Now, I want you both to
slowly take off your shorts."

     Carter sobbed, his face red from crying and his voice weak from lack
of air, "We're not wearing any underwear."

     The barkeep grinned sadistically and nodded, "I know. Now, take off
your shorts."

     He squeezed their necks a little harder. Their vision began to fuzz as
the blood supplies to their heads were cut off, but they remained
unmoving. "Fine. If you won't take off your shorts, than I'll do it."

     One of the men reached down towards their waistbands.

     "Touch their shorts, and you'll be prying your balls out of your
nostrils!"

     The men turned around and the bartender's grip loosened slightly. Not
enough for the boys to be let go, but they were able to breathe again, but
barely.

     The two guards had, apparently, seen enough and now held their steel
swords ready. A few of the men started laughing and the bartender laughed
too, "What are you two getting so mad about? We'll let you have a piece of
their little asses after we're through!"

     With a lightning fast movement, one of the guards lunged forward and
shoved his sword through the stomach of the bartender. A gush of blood
poured out of the wound, and he released the two boys, who quickly ran to
the sides of the guards. A wide stain of urine developed on the front of
his trousers and the sluggish bartender fell on to a table, breaking it and
hitting the floor.

     The other guard turned towards the rest of the crowd and snarled, "And
if anybody else wishes to touch any part of the Princes, they will suffer a
similar fate!"

     The men looked over at the bartender, who was now getting a sword
pulled out of his belly by the first guard.

     "Princes?! What do you want, you royal pain in the arse?" one of the
men said.

     "We want to know about the spy who's been feeding information to the
bitches!"

     The man laughed, "We may be criminal, but we're not stupid! The whores
wouldn't even *take* info from the likes of us!"

     The guard examined his face intently for a few seconds, before
growling and, a hand on the backs of the two youngsters, he gently pushed
them from the bar.

     "Well, so much for Garrett's plan..." one of the guards said.

     The guards' conversation was quickly ended as Carter and Mike wrapped
their little arms around a guard's waist and sobbed into their armor. The
guards smiled and patted the backs of the boys, "We're really sorry,
sweethearts. We would have helped you sooner, but we needed to make sure
that nobody was going to give us anything useful."

     Carter whole body shook with sobs and, though he tried to speak, he
couldn't get a word in. Mike was equally afflicted, so each guard gently
lifted up a boy into their arms and walked slowly back down the street.

     "So what now?" Guardsman Tom asked.

     Guardsman Del couldn't shrug because Carter was holding his shoulders
down, but his face betrayed his indecision.

     Tom nodded, "First the tavern by the docks, where Carter was almost
raped, then that place downtown, where I was spat on by a guy who,
apparently, didn't like blind men. Now this!  All in all, we've not
received a single stitch of information, save that the bitches wouldn't
tell men jack shit!"

     Saying that, Del stopped walking and turned to Tom, "That's it!"

     They quickly turned down an alley and started heading towards in the
direction of the temples. They stopped after a few blocks and Del put down
the boys and turned to them, "Listen guys...Garrett's plan has sort of
failed, because it's obvious that the spy isn't male. We can take it from
here, so why don't you two return to the palace. We'll meet you there
tomorrow." The two guards quickly walked off, leaving Carter and Mike
standing there.

      At that moment, he suddenly realized the near-death experience they
just had and how close he and Carter had come to breathing his last
breath. He felt deep pains stab him in his stomach and he began to feel
nauseous, with a shudder, he doubled over and vomited all over the ground
in front of him. Carter turned towards Mike, in shock, and when Mike
straightened back up, Carter asked, "What's wrong?"

     Mike didn't feel like telling him, so he shrugged and looked through
watery eyes at him, "Nothing...I just...I...umm..."

     Carter and Mike stepped away from the puddle of vomit and began
walking slowly in the direction of the palace, "You just what?" Carter
asked, smiling slightly.

     Mike swallowed back the tears and said, "I...I...I was thinking about
how, back at that bar, when the guy had his hands around our throats and we
couldn't breath...I just...I..."

     Carter nodded, "Ya, it was scary..."

     Mike nodded, "Ya, but I wasn't worried about me, though. The
only...the only thing...that I thought about..." he stopped walking and
took Carter's hand. Carter stopped walking and looked at Mike. Carter's
eyes were still red and puffy from crying, his face was streaked with dry
tears, his nose was running, and his hair was matted. "Carter?"

     "Yeah, Mike?"

     Mike took a deep breath and squeezed Carter's hand gently, tears
streaming anew from his eyes, "I kept thinking about you, when I was being
choked. I kept...thinking about how I'd never get to see you again. I used
to see you at Bryan's, but never for long
and...well...ummm...Carter...I...ummm...I...I guess I...well...love you. I
love you, Carter."

     Mike let go of Carter's hand and began crying again and a blush passed
over his face while he stared at the floor. He saw Carter's hand reach down
and pull up his face. Carter stared him right in the eyes as he said, "Why
are you crying?"

     Mike shrugged and sobbed, "I...I don't...don't know. You...you
don't...don't have to...love me too. I just...I just wanted to...say...it."

     Carter giggled and Mike looked up and sobbed, "Don't...don't laugh at
me!"

     Carter smiled, "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing
because...well...you know I love you too. I'm just so happy."

     Mike cocked his head and the tears stopped as he smiled. He almost
jumped forward and kissed Carter tenderly on his lips. It was a quick kiss,
and he pulled away and began giggling.  Carter giggled too and, within
minutes of their ordeal, they turned into the giggling children they
usually were. Carter lunged forward and kissed Mike too, only he held it
there, wrapping his arms around Mike, and pressing his tongue against
Mike's clenched teeth until they separated. Carter's tongue swirled around
Mike's mouth and Mike's tongue slowly entered Carter's mouth and did the
same. The warmth of their bodies grew greater as they stood squirming
against one another, their prepubescent hormones beginning to surge around
their bodies.

     "Get a room, you pieces of pedophile bait!"

     They sprang apart and fearfully turned around, but smiled hugely when
they saw who it was.

     A boy dressed in torn Jean shorts and a soiled white tank top stood
there smiling at them.  He looked about twelve or thirteen years old and
was quite feminine looking. He had short black hair and his big green eyes
and puggish nose made both Carter and Mike think he was just adorable.

     "Phillip! What the heck are you doing away from the base?!" Mike asked
with a giggle.

     Phillip shrugged, "The best time to go get supplies is at
night. Sometimes the merchants leave scraps lying about. So, what are you
two royals doing so far away from your prissy new life?"
     Carter shrugged, "We were on a mission for the head of the
army. Looking for a spy for the females. It sort of didn't work out,
though, so we're heading back to the palace."

     Phillip giggled and said, "Why head back to the palace tonight? Why
not come back to the hotel and we can fuck?"

     Mike and Carter both blushed bright red and said, in unison, "Pardon?"

     The twelve-year-old put his hand on Carter's naked shoulder and
stroked it gently, "You know how much I love playing with little boys'
dicks, don't you? Lets go back to the hotel and you can show me how much
you've learnt about how to make those little sausages between your legs
feel good!"

     Carter turned to Mike and smiled slightly, his hairless nine-year-old
pricklet surging with an immature erection. Mike simply shrugged and nodded
up at Phillip.

     Giggling, Phillip put a hand on the back of each of the little boys
and led them in the opposite direction, towards the base.

     Phillip seemed excited to have the two boys with them, and, upon
arriving at the base, told them to stop.

     "Wait here while I go inside and make sure everything is okay. I want
it to be perfect for us." Phillip quickly opened the door and ran
inside. Carter turned to Mike who shrugged in equal confusion.

     After several seconds, Phillip ran out and smiled, "Okay, come on in!"
He gently led Carter and Mike up the stairs and through the door. Once
inside, though, he gave them a hard shove, causing them to trip over
something, and he slammed the door shut and locked it.

Carter twisted his ankle and turned around to look at what he'd fallen
over...

     He let out a loud shriek as he saw he'd fallen over the dead body of a
young boy. The whole place was covered in blood and assorted guts. Turning
to Mike, he saw Mike had reached the second phase of his fear and was
throwing up all over himself. Carter screamed again and tried to get up,
but his hurt ankle wouldn't allow it and he slipped in a puddle of blood
and fell over another dead body. The room stank of death and, turning back,
he saw Phillip giggling evilly,

     "Your mission is a success. You found me! It's a shame you won't live
to gain reward from your triumph!"

     Phillip advanced on them, brandishing a large, bloody knife. He raised
it above his head and smacked the handle down on Carter's skull, knocking
him out. The last thing he remembered before passing out, was seeing Mike
jump up and jump through a window...

Then Blackness...

The scene played out as if it was written into a movie script...

     Mike ran up to the palace gates, screaming and sobbing. The guards
came close to mistaking him for a crazed lunatic until they saw his face
and recognized him. He kept screaming and sobbing right up until he entered
the palace and got stopped by Garrett. Garrett saw him and asked where the
guards and Carter were, and he simply shrieked and sobbed into Garrett's
armor.

     Garrett, however, was not a patient man, and slapped Mike across the
face and yelled at him to tell him what was wrong. Mike calmed down
slightly, but still couldn't talk properly...The words came in fragments in
between sobs,

"Carter!...Knife!....Oh
God!...Carter!...Spy!...Woman!...Carter!...Blood!...
Dead!...Bodies!...Carter!...No!...NO!!!!!...Shawn!...Where's Shawn!...
Bryan!...Help!!!"

     Garrett could see Mike was in terrible fear. His face was blood red
from crying and his entire body shook with sobs. His pants were soaked and
smelled of urine, as he had clearly wet his pants. He had various cuts and
scratches all over his arms and face and his clothes were covered in blood
too. No matter how hard Garrett tried, he couldn't get any answers from the
poor boy.  Thus, doing the only thing he could think of, he picked up the
hysterical boy in his arms and walked over to a guard, "Put the palace on
full alert. I'll go wake the kings. Oh, and get a doctor."

     The strong Colonel carried the small boy up the stairs and opened the
door to Shawn and Bryan's room. The sounds of the still sobbing boy were
enough to rouse both teenagers. Shawn groggily sat up and said,
"Wha...What's going on?"

     Bryan slowly moaned a mumbled sentence and rolled out of bed, yelping
as his naked body hit the floor. Garrett quickly reached over and, grabbing
the flint by the bed, lit the candle.  Shawn slapped his hand over his
mouth and gasped loudly as he saw Mike. Bryan looked up and did the same.

     Shawn's head snapped up and he commanded, "Leave us, Garrett!"

     Colonel Garrett was close to protesting, but reluctantly decided not
to, and simply put the bloody boy down on the floor next to the bed and
walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

     Bryan crawled over to where Mike sat and cried and Shawn slowly
climbed out of the bed and sat down beside him. There was an abrupt knock
at the door and a, "Doctor calling." called from the other side, but a
harsh, "Get the fuck away!" yelled by Shawn, made the person quickly leave.

     Shawn and Bryan crowded around the sobbing nine-year-old. Shawn put
his hand on Mike's shoulder, feeling the heat that his body radiated,
engulfed in hysterical fever. "It's okay..."  Shawn whispered, "It's
okay...You're home now."

     Seeing the adorable young boy in such emotional anguish was too much
for young Bryan, and he erupted in sobs of his own, his tears seeping
through his fingers as he covered his eyes with his hands. His body shook
as his cracking voice moaned, "Please...Don't...Don't cry!"

     Shawn kept squeezing Mike's shoulder and repeating, "It's
okay...You're home now.  Everything is gonna be okay."

     The alcohol in their systems could not hold back their emotions, and,
as Mike, screaming in anguish, finally wrapped his arms around Shawn and
hugged him tightly, Shawn finally began crying too, his tears creating a
wet spot on Mike's shoulder. They continued to cry loudly for several
minutes, before Mike's sobs lessened enough so he finally began becoming
understandable.

     "We...we found...spy! Got trapped in...base! Hotel! Me and
Carter!...Oh God, Carter! No!  No!! Carter! I told him...I just told him
how I... We...and...kissed...I love him! Carter was...and a knife...Blood!
No! NO!!!" and Mike erupted into a new flurry of sobs and anguished howls.

     Bryan could see the realization pass over Shawn's teary face as he
slowly go of the howling Mike. Bryan knew how much Shawn adored Carter, and
felt his pain as his skin drained of all color and he began
shivering. Shawn's face buried in his hands as he sobbed, "No!...Not
Carter!...Not my baby!...Please God No! He's only nine!...I promised I'd
look after him!...No!...Please No!"


Bryan sniffled and gently crawled over and put his arm around Shawn. Shawn
violently shrugged it off. Shawn looked up, his face covered in tears and
his nose running mucus down his face. He quickly stood up and literally
tore off his shirt and cape, leaving him bare-chested in only his pants and
boots. He turned to Bryan and growled,

"Get your fucking clothes on, right fucking now! We're going to leave the
fucking palace, find that fucking, goddamn spy shithead and I'm going to
fucking tear out his goddamn, fucking throat with my own fucking
fingernails!"

Bryan had never seen such rage in his boyfriend's face. The pampered prince
looked ready to do just what he promised! Bryan quickly grabbed a pair of
jogging shorts and tank top from the drawer and wiped his face, "Let's go,
then!" Bryan said, feeling rage himself for the treatment of the young
children.

Shawn flung open the door violently and yelled down the corridor, "Get the
fucking doctor here, right fucking now! Bryan and I are gonna go butcher
someone!"

Garrett ran down the hallway, "You're not going anywhere! I'll send guards
to the old hotel and they'll..." He was cut off as Shawn leveled back and
punched Garrett as hard as he could in the mouth. The sheer fury, combined
with the surprise, was enough to knock the powerful guard off his feet.

"That's for sending my baby off to die!" Shawn yelled back, still crying,
and he pulled Bryan with him down the hallway. Shawn's hand hurt like hell
and was probably broken, but he gritted his teeth and ran down the
stairs. Guards saw the two sobbing boys run past them, but made no effort
to stop them. They saw the determined look of their faces. Even Garrett
remained lying on the ground right where he fell, propped up on one elbow
and smiling uncharacteristically as he licked at a small stream of blood
that oozed from his lip. "I remember the first time Luke punched me...Like
father, like son." Garrett sighed.

Meanwhile, outside, Bryan was pulling back on Shawn's arm, "Slow down!
We'll get them. You don't need to rush!"

Shawn's pace began to slow and he turned to Bryan, his tears given way to
simple hatred, "You don't need to help. I'll get Carter myself, if you're
too afraid."

Bryan shook his head, "No way! I love Carter too! Besides, if that spy is
in the base, then most of the boys I was supposed to guard must already be
dead. I seek the same revenge that you do."

     Shawn nodded, "Okay, then let's go." And, with that, he ran off
again. Bryan followed close behind him, until Shawn suddenly slowed down
again and, turning to Bryan smiled slightly, "Ummm...I forgot...I
mean...Where..."

     Bryan nodded, "Follow me, dumbass." And he ran off towards the hotel.

     About fifteen minutes later, they entered the dimly lit area where the
hotel was located.  Bryan and Shawn had jogged all the way there, so their
bodies were covered in sweat, and they stood there, out of breath. Shawn's
chest moved up and down quickly and his long hair was matted to his sweaty
face and scalp. Bryan looked similarly tired, but both were determined.

     The boys took several cautious steps towards the rundown
building. Bryan thought it looked just as when he had left it, except one
of the windows was shattered. There was a very powerful odor permeating
from the building; The smell of death. Shawn began to seethe again, despite
his run, and he turned to Bryan and, through clenched teeth, said, "Let's
go in and get the bastard!"

     Bryan nodded and he and Shawn slowly walked to the door. Standing dead
quiet, they listened for any noise. Nothing...Not a single sound came from
inside the hotel. Shawn slowly pushed open the door a bit and peered
inside.

     He had anticipated what he saw, upon looking down the hallway, but
seeing the corpses of children, some as young as three, littering the
corridors was too much for Shawn and he turned away quickly and
gasped. Bryan slowly opened the door fully and peered inside next. His
reaction was of shock too, but also of intense anger. "That bastard!" Bryan
said, louder than he should have.

     Suddenly, the door leading to Bryan's bedroom swung open and Phillip
emerged clutching Carter tightly.

     Phillip's body was streaked in fresh blood and Bryan and Shawn charged
forward as they saw where it had come from. The body of Carter was pale and
covered in slashes that dripped blood. Carter look only half conscious and
Phillip laughed, "Come get the baby, you piles of horse shit!"

Ignoring the bodies on the floor, though, they tripped over the dead corpse
of a young five year old and fell to the floor. They lay in a pool of
blood, stunned, before getting to their feet. They barely were able to
control their rage, but held back as they saw the bloody knife pressed
against Carter's neck. Phillip laughed again, "Make a move, and I will make
the final cut that will kill your poor baby!"

Shawn and Bryan stood there, stiff as a board, and almost growled as
Phillips chuckled in sadistic glee and Carter softly whined, his energy
drained away with his young blood.

"How could you do such a thing? How could you betray your own gender, kill
children? How, dammit?!" Bryan growled.

Phillip smiled and clutched Carter tighter, "Bryan, you foolish boy, we
need equally among the genders! We need peace and the only way for peace,
is for the women to rule, as they rightfully should. I'm not like you two
faggots! I like...even love girls and women. I want to have children the
natural way! I don't want to play with my penis with another boy!"

Shawn growled, "You're a sick, hetero girl fucker! You're a murdering,
pussy loving bastard!  You're a baby killer!"

Phillip's smile faded and, with authority, he tossed the drained body of
Carter to the ground and yelled, "If you want a piece of me, you piece of
shit prince, then come get some!"

Shawn advanced quickly on Phillip, but was intercepted by Bryan, who lunged
at Phillip, catching both him and Shawn off guard. Bryan and Phillip fell
to the ground, the knife clattering on the floor and sliding out of
reach. Bryan reared back and punched the boy solidly on the chin saying,
"You murdering traitor!"

Phillip struggled and wriggled out from Bryan grasp, pushing him over and
slugging him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of Bryan.

Shawn, meanwhile, ran over and grabbed Carter, pulling his limp body into
one of the rooms. He knelt down beside him, almost oblivious to the sounds
of fighting so close by, and held his blond head in his hands, "Carter!
Carter speak to me, please! Please!"

Carter's body was still bleeding slightly, but was totally limp in Shawn's
arms, his skin so clammy and cold. "Please...Please don't die!" Shawn
sobbed frantically into Carter's hair, "No...Don't die!  No, I love you,
baby! Don't die, baby! Don't die! Please wake up!"

Carter's eyes were closed and his breathing was so faint. Shawn totally
forgot what had happened and why he was here. He sobbed and gently shook
Carter's body, desperate to rouse him.

Suddenly, he was forcibly thrown back. He looked around in surprise, his
eyes almost blinded with tears, and saw a bloody Phillip looming over
him. Phillip reached down, burning hatred in his eyes, and threw Shawn into
the wall. Shawn's flew into a wooden bureau, sliding over its surface, and
slammed into the brick wall, head first. His vision fuzzed and he felt
blood starting to drip from his scalp, but he fought to keep
conscious. Phillip reached forward to grab him and Shawn swung his feet up
at him, kicking the traitorous boy in the stomach, doubling him over. Shawn
dizzily got to his feet and swung his fist. The same hand that had probably
broken on Garrett's face hit Phillip right in the nose. With a sickening
snap, Shawn felt all feeling in his hand suddenly disappear and he squeezed
his eyes closed and winced at the rush of pain that racked his whole
body. At the same time, Phillip's nose bent to the side and he yelped in
pain and clutched it, backing away from the swaggering Shawn. Suddenly,
Phillip's body was flung back into the opposite wall. Shawn turned to see
Bryan walk in, clutching his stomach. Bryan jumped at Phillip, grabbing his
tank top, using it to catapult him out the door, and landing on his face in
the kitchen. Bryan quickly ran through the door, followed slowly by Shawn,
and reached down and grabbed Phillip.

Phillip's arms flailed as he swung around to break free, he smacked Bryan
in the chin, and Bryan fell back against the counter. Phillip swung forward
to punch him, but Bryan ducked and Phillip smashed his fist through the
pile of bowls. The clay things smashed and Phillip pulled his now bleeding
fist back in pain and clutched it. Shawn's rage peaked and he rushed
forward passed Bryan and tackled Phillip to the ground. "You faggot-fucking
son of a bitch!" Phillip grunted as his body smacked to the ground. Shawn
ignored the pain from his crippled hand as he smacked it and his other fist
repeatedly against Phillip's body and face. Bryan coughed and a mixture of
vomit and blood sprayed from his mouth and dropped in a puddle to the
floor, as he fell to the ground beside Shawn and started punching at
Phillip. Phillip reached back and smashed Shawn hard in the chest.  Shawn
felt a sharp rush of pain, and he looked down briefly to see a clay bowl
shard sticking out of his chest. He had trouble breathing and was easy for
Phillip to hit once again, causing him to roll across the floor and lay
there in a crumpled heap of broken bones and bruised skin. Bryan's
concentration was lapsed by Shawn's injury and Phillip took advantage of
it, and punched Bryan hard in the chest. There was a sickening snap of
broken bones as Phillip's hand and some of Bryan's ribs cracked with the
blow. Bryan crawled, dripping blood from his mouth, across the floor,
desperate for a weapon.

He made it as far as Shawn's broken body, before he felt something wrap
around his ankle and yank him hard. Flailing wildly with his arms, he
grabbed on to Shawn's body. His grip tore off Shawn's dress pants as he was
pulled back. He kicked with his feet, looking back to see his foot connect
with Phillip's face, bending his nose even more and throwing him back into
the fire-pit. As soon as he hit the smoldering coals, he screamed and shot
back from it, hitting his head on a stool.  Bryan looked with a half-smile
in his hands, as he saw the injured body of Shawn was now bottomless. He
noticed he now held the heavy, silver, belt buckle from the pants, and he
painfully turned and crawled towards Phillip.

Phillip had struggled to his feet and grabbed a knife from the table, in
his good hand. He looked down with a cruel smile, through a river of blood
that flowed from his mouth and dripped to the floor, and croaked, "You
faggot fuck...I never liked you. You were always so helpful and fucking
sweet!"

"Phillip!" came a weak voice from the doorway. Everybody turned to see
Carter slowly crawl in, "Leave my friends alone!"

Bryan saw his opportunity and, rearing back as hard as he could, he swung
the belt at Phillip. The buckle connected against Phillip's cheek with full
force. The weight and force of the buckle, caused his head to snap to the
side hard and, with the snap of his neck, he collapsed against a cabinet
and wheezed one long exhale...then lay still. Blood oozed from his left eye
socket, among other places.

Bryan lay on the floor next to the fire-pit, his mouth drooling saliva and
blood. He panted quickly and assessed his damage...

He was bleeding internally, for sure. His nose was broken. Two fingers on
his left hand were bent in ways that no finger should ever be bent. His
left ankle was twisted. Besides that and the numerous cuts and scratches
all over his body, he was still alive.

With great pain, he crawled over to Shawn. He shook him gently,
"Shawnie...Shawnie, you still here, guy?"

He heard Shawn groan loudly. He then slowly crawled across the floor
towards Carter. The nine-year-old was pale as a ghost and was cut up very
badly. Bryan gently shook him, "Carter?  Baby, you gonna be alright?"
Carter weakly lifted his head up, "I feel so cold, Bryan..."

Bryan nodded, his eyes filling with tears, and pulled Carter towards him
with one arm, weakly hugging him, "It's gonna be alright, baby. You're
gonna be fine."

Carter coughed meekly and shivered, "Did we win?"

Bryan nodded, "Yeah...We got him. We should be fine now...No more spy. You
saved the day, baby."

Carter coughed again, "I saved you. Is Mike..."

Bryan shook his head, "No, don't talk...Yeah, Mike will be fine."

There was a groan and Bryan looked over to see Shawn slowly crawl over. He
looked up, his face covered in blood, "Carter...Baby, you alright?"

Carter coughed and blood drooled from his mouth, "I saved the day, Shawn. I
saved you like you saved me."

Shawn smiled weakly, "Yeah, you sure did."

Shawn crawled closer and put his arm around Carter, "I love you, baby."

There was suddenly a lot of commotion outside, and the sound of the door
opening. Many footsteps walked in, "Shawn? Bryan? You alright?"

Bryan recognized that voice, "Dad! We're in here!"

Within seconds, Brett and Luke ran in the room followed by Garrett and
several guards.

Luke looked around critically, "Everybody except the bad guy alright?"

Shawn nodded weakly, "I'm fine. Bryan, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. Carter, you okay?"

"..."

"Carter?"

"..."

"Carter?!"

"..."

-------------------

It was a beautiful day on the morning of Carter's funeral. The sky was
bright blue without a single cloud. It was warm, but with a breeze that
made it comfortably so.

Children were outside playing.

Adults were working in their shops or in the fields.

Some people even had a smile on their face while they went about their
daily business.

At the top of a hill, overlooking the ocean, Vizier Frost began his solemn
speech, his old eyes filled with tears, "This morning, on the second day of
Tiger's Eye, we've gathered here to say goodbye to Heir Carter...He was
only nine-years-old."

As he spoke, a white ivory casket slowly lowered into a grave next to
him. The casket had a small gold plaque on it, that read, "Carter: Chosen
of Prince Shawn, Heir to the throne of Whiteshadow Isle"

"...I didn't know Carter very well. He spent most of his short time in the
palace, with Shawn or Mike. He seemed a very sweet boy, with long blond
hair and shining blue eyes. He was such a playful child. To speak on him
further, I'd like to call forth his Chosen mate...Prince Shawn."

Tears ran down Frost's face as he slowly stepped away from the grave.

Shawn slowly stepped up to where he stood. Dressed in a regal white
longshirt, purple silk breeches, shined leather boots, and a long purple
cape with the emblem of Whiteshadow Isle on it.  Shawn's hair was tied back
with a silk white ribbon. His arm was in a cast and his foot was bandaged,
but the greatest pain was displayed on his face. His normally blemishless
face was red and streaked with tears, his eyes were puffy, and his whole
body shook as he stood in front of the gathered crowd, by the grave, which
now contained the body of Carter. He stood there and sobbed uncontrollably,
not even bothering to try and hide his grief. For a whole two minutes, he
simply stood there and cried while everybody watched, he seemed to be
trying to say something every few seconds, but nothing was understandable
through his tears. Finally, he swallowed hard a few times, sniffled, and
began,

"I...I hadn't known Carter for long. I Chose him because I couldn't stand
watching him be hurt...and I wanted to save him. He...he was such a cute
boy. He was so sweet...He was my baby...and...and..." With that, Shawn's
body shook and he exploded in tears again. Suddenly, he fell to his knees
and reached down into the grave, "Oh God! No! Why, God, why?! I loved him!
Carter! Please come back to me, baby!"

With tears in their own eyes, Frost and Luke gently took Shawn's shoulders
and dragged him away. "No! Get off me! I wanna die, too! I wish I were
dead! I want Carter! I WANT CARTER!"  Shawn screamed, struggling and
bawling, as he was dragged away from the gravesite. Luke pulled Shawn to
his feet and hugged him tightly, saying, "It's okay, Shawn. Calm down. He's
gone, Shawn. Nobody can bring him back. He's gone."

Luke held Shawn tightly, hugging the pitifully sobbing teenager against
him, as Frost slowly went back to the gravesite. "As is obvious, the loss
of Carter, despite his short stay with us, has affected us all in a very
deep way. Prince Bryan, would you like to speak?"

The only response from Bryan were his sobs as his good arm was wrapped
around Brett's waist as he cried into his chest. Brett softly patted
Bryan's back and held his son tight against him, shaking his head at Frost.

Luke and Brett both cried too, but not as hard as their sons did. Frost
looked at them, nodded, and said, "Very well. The person, who killed
Carter, as well as all the other boys in the hotel, was pronounced dead at
the scene, so Carter's death is avenged. Colonel Garrett...Colonel Garrett
has been stripped of his rank and banished from the Isle forever. Because
of the passing of the Chosen, Shawn's heir has been chosen, to keep things
simple, as Prince Bryan. May they reign supreme when their time comes."

With that said, Frost nodded to the two men standing in the crowd, and they
went over with their shovels and started covering the grave.

Frost slowly walked from the grave and said, "May God be able to handle
Carter's playful attitude and may he enjoy that sweet blond-haired,
blue-eyed boy that we lost so suddenly. Carter...We are all going to miss
your smile, your giggles of delight, and your loving, cherubic demeanor.
Goodbye, Carter."

Everybody nodded in agreement, except for Bryan and Shawn who were still
hysterically sobbing and incoherent to anything going on.

     With that, everybody turned and slowly walked away from the
site. Brett and Luke almost had to drag their sons away.

     Carter wasn't anybody special to the kingdom, so as the funeral
carriages made their way through Dawson, nobody seemed to care. The loud
crying of Shawn and Bryan could be heard from within, but nobody really
liked Shawn or Bryan, so nobody really cared.

     The carriage soon returned to the palace and everybody slowly got
out. Shawn and Bryan were a bit more calmed as they slowly walked out of
the carriage with their fathers. Both kings had their arms on their sons
and gently stroked their chests in affection. "You are both relieved of
your princely obligations for today. Go to your room and talk to Mike."
Luke said to both boys.

     Shawn still cried, but nodded and slowly walked into the palace. Bryan
followed close behind.

     As Shawn approached his room, he could still hear the sobbing from
within. He stopped and took a deep breath, swallowing back his tears, and
opened the door. Mike sat on Shawn's bed, naked except for bandages that
covered his back, and stared out the window, his face away from Shawn and
Bryan. However, his body shook and they could hear his sobs.

     It had been determined, beforehand, that Mike not be at the
funeral. As badly as Shawn and Bryan had taken Carter's death, Mike had
cried so hard, he passed out.

     Shawn and Bryan were erupted in a new set of tears as they stood
beside each other, watching Mike in his distraught state. "We're back,
Mikey." Shawn said, sniffling.

     "Why'd...Why'd he have to die?" was Mike's sobbing response.

     Bryan walked forward and sat down on the bed beside Mike. The small
boy quickly turned as the bed shifted next to him and, seeing Bryan, he
quickly crawled over and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tightly
and crying harder. Bryan put his hand on the back of Mike's head and pulled
him tightly against him, "I don't know...I just don't know..." Bryan sobbed
into Mike's hair.

     Shawn walked over and sat down beside Bryan and Mike. He left the two
boys to their embrace and sat, looking out the window. From where he was,
he could see the whole countryside.

It was so beautiful, but he couldn't hold the tears back long enough to
enjoy it, so everything was seen through a misty haze. He felt a deep,
throbbing pain in his chest and stomach. The sun was rising up over the
horizon, starting a beautiful day; The first day of life without
Carter. Before his fifteenth birthday, he'd been a bratty kid who'd enjoyed
the stupidities of life. As much as he hated The Choosing, it made him take
responsibility and he had taken responsibility for one little, blond-haired
boy named Carter. After only a few minutes with him, he'd fallen helplessly
in love with his adorable personality. When they were walking up to Shawn's
room, he'd asked, "Is this all mine?" It was things like that, that made
Shawn love Carter. He'd learned about life and love through Carter's eyes
in only a short time.

Now...now, Carter was gone. He wasn't here to enjoy this beautiful day,
with its fresh smells and shining sunlight. When Shawn woke up tomorrow and
opened his eyes, he wouldn't be able to look at Carter's adorable face as
he slept. Shawn wouldn't be able to teach Carter about puberty as he went
through it. Most painfully of all, when Shawn became king, Carter wouldn't
reign beside him. It was like waking up on Christmas morning and getting an
adorable puppy; A puppy who licked you and whimpered and only seemed happy
when you cuddled it. That night, you slept with that puppy and it was
content to snuggle against you. You loved that puppy. The next day, you
took that puppy for a walk and a car hit it. You scooped it up and hugged
it, but it was too late.  The puppy was dead. The adorable puppy was
dead. Carter was that puppy...That adorable puppy.

Shawn's bottom lip quivered as he stared out the window at a day that
Carter wouldn't be able to enjoy, and he sobbed, his whole body and soul
filled with anguish. It was Garrett's fault, it was true, but it was those
awful women! Those infernal bitches, who'd had their spy murder Carter.
Shawn wished he could bring Phillip back from his grave so he could kill
him again and again and again; Torturous, painful deaths that took weeks to
carry out.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Bryan, clutching Mike
in his arms, looking at him, a deep pouting look on his face, "Shawnie...I
don't know how we'll be able to go on. It...It just seems too hard."

Shawn sniffled and shrugged, "I know...I can't stop missing him. I don't
think I'll ever stop missing him. I wish I'd died yesterday along with
him..."

Bryan was silent for a few seconds and then he said, "If you died too, I'd
throw myself out of this window. Losing Carter was just awful, but losing
you..." Bryan began sobbing again.

Shawn wrapped his arm around Bryan and Bryan gently let Mike go to do the
same. Though they only had one arm each that worked, they hugged as tightly
as they could. Shawn began crying again too, his head on Bryan's shoulder,
and Bryan's head on his. "Promise you won't die, Shawnie! Promise!" Bryan
sobbed.

Shawn stroked Bryan's back with his hand and said, "Only if you promise you
won't die either."

Bryan nodded against Shawn, "When we die, let's do it together, OK?"

Shawn sniffled and nodded.

"I won't die either, OK?"

They separated and looked down to see Mike kneeling beside them, looking up
at them with his streaked face and puppy-dog eyes.

"Promise?" Bryan said, looking down at the little boy.

Mike nodded emphatically, "What about Carter, though?"

Shawn sniffled and shrugged, "Carter...Carter will live on in our hearts,
but it's just us now and we have to be strong, I guess."

Bryan sniffled too, "Always remember, Mike, that Shawn and I love you. We
lost Carter...We're not gonna let the same thing happen to you!"

Mike hugged Bryan again and Bryan patted his back lovingly.

Shawn wiped his face with his good arm and pulled off his cape and shirt,
"Why don't we three take a hot bath? Maybe it'll make us feel a bit
better."

Bryan looked at Shawn and smiled slightly, "Yeah. Sounds good."

He let go of Mike and scooted closer to Shawn. "Shawnie?"

Shawn looked at Bryan's disheveled face and nodded, "Yeah?"

"I'm really going to miss Carter."

Shawn nodded, his eyes beginning to tear again, "Me too, Bryan. Me too."

Shawn and Bryan slowly leaned forward and kissed gently. They hands moved
up and began stroking the other's cheek. Their noses rubbed gently against
each other and they could feel the other's breath on their wet,
tear-streaked faces.

When they finally separated, Bryan looked sadly at Shawn and said, "Never
leave me, Shawnie."

Shawn shook his head, "Never."

Bryan slowly pulled off his cape and shirt, while Shawn pulled down his
pants and took off his boots. Once they were all naked, they took the
bandages off all their bodies, except for the casts on their arms, which
they wrapped in plastic, and walked into the bathroom.

They slowly climbed into the stone tub's warm water, with Shawn and Bryan
being careful not to wet their casts, and sat down. Shawn reached out
gingerly and turned on the jets. The powerful spray felt good against his
aching body and it made the cuts and gashes throb, but not too
painfully. The only real pain he felt anywhere in his body was in his
heart, and nothing but time could make it go away. Bryan had Mike in his
lap and was hugging him gently. Mike and Bryan seemed to have grown fairly
close and Shawn tried not to stare at them, simply because of the sadness
that it invoked as he recalled that Carter and him had been like that. He
wasn't jealous, though, because Bryan's other hand, despite being in a
cast, was behind Shawn's head, with the three fingers that protruded gently
tickling the back of Shawn's neck. Shawn scooted closer to Bryan, and
smiled sadly at him. Bryan smiled back and slowly put his head on Shawn's
shoulder, while Mike's head was on Bryan's shoulder. Shawn simply lay his
head back against the stone edge of the basin and sighed, tears flowing
down his cheeks. Damn, how he missed Carter...His sweet baby...His angel...

Thoughts that invoked more tears filled his head as he slowly dozed off...

Quite a bit happened in the week following Carter's funeral. Foremost, was
that Guardsman Lance was sworn in as the new Colonel. The ceremony was
attended by the entire compliment of the castle, minus Shawn, Bryan and
Mike, who made it clear that they weren't interested in any royal affairs
for a while.

     Bryan and Mike spent most of their time playing together, both
sexually and otherwise, while Shawn was simply content to go on long walks
through the palace gardens or swimming in the private lake on the
grounds. These distractions help them get over their grief. However, when
nightfall came, and all three boys took a bath together and went to sleep
together in the big bed in Shawn's room, they would sometimes lie awake for
hours. Tears glistened in their eyes, as they remembered the little
blond-haired boy that wasn't with them anymore.

     Bryan and Mike were still young and had energy to spend hours running
to and fro, playing hide-and-seek among the hedges on the palace grounds,
but Shawn could feel the maturity in his body pushing him towards more
introspective affairs. Puberty had hit its peak a year ago, and was now on
the decline, so Shawn didn't feel the abnormally high sexual need that
Bryan felt.  Thus, Shawn began to address matters beyond simple physical
need and his head was always filled with many thoughts as he went on his
daily walks. "Where am I headed in life?", "What are my plans for the
future?", "Where do I want to be in ten years?"

     A lot of those thoughts involved Bryan, because, since Carter's death,
Shawn began to feel an intense desire for closeness with Bryan. He
remembered, still with vague recollection, the past that Shawn and he had
experienced while growing up. That, coupled with their reunion over a week
ago and intensified by Carter's passing, made one huge question stand out
in Shawn's mind: "What is my future with Bryan?"

     Bryan was a bit over year younger than Shawn, having only turned
fourteen a day after he turned fifteen, so Shawn could understand Bryan's
bouncy attitude towards life and playfully sexual demeanor. He still didn't
feel at all jealous that Bryan spent more time with Mike than he did with
him. He also didn't want to bring up that fact to Bryan, because he knew
Bryan would just say, as he always did, "You know how I feel about you,
Shawnie! Mike and I play together because we spent a lot of time together
back in the hotel and, besides, you never want to play with us! I think
Mike is fun and cute and all and I do love him, but I don't love him in the
same way as I love you!"

     Still, during their daily royal lessons with Luke and Brett, Shawn had
been paying particular attention to certain aspects of Whiteshadow Isle
traditions. One such tradition stood out for Shawn, and he had done some
extra research on it.

     Apparently, in the olden days, when men and women had actually gotten
along, a lot of them underwent a ceremony to confirm their love for each
other. It was rarely practiced nowadays, because men had tried hard to
dispense with all the "Old School" traditions. However, Shawn liked the
mechanics and ceremonies involved with it and decided that the next time he
had a few moments of time alone with Bryan, he would bring it up.

     That time came on the fourth day of Moon's Wake, eleven days after
Carter's funeral.  Shawn was sitting on the edge of a fountain in the
middle of the garden, reading a book. The winter was coming quite soon, so
the air was cool and smelled of leaves and earth. Shawn liked this time of
year, as he didn't sweat like he did in the summer, and he didn't have to
worry about insects biting or stinging him. He clutched his cloak tighter
against him to ward off the cool breeze, his casted arm long since becoming
a great nuisance in such matters, and hunched over his book.

     Suddenly, from out of the bushes, sprang Bryan, letting out a great
shriek. Shawn yelped with a start, dropped his book and nearly lost his
balance and fell into the fountain, but managed to regain it in time. "Did
I scare ya, Shawnie?" Bryan asked, grinning.

     Shawn caught his breath and picked back up his book from the ground
and dusted it off, "Don't do that to me, ya shit! I nearly fell into the
water!"

     Bryan giggled and said, "Sorry. I'm bored, and Mike went inside
because he said it was getting too cold. Whatcha readin'?"

     Shawn finally smiled up at the boy, closed the book, stuffing it into
the pocket of his cloak, and shrugged, "Nothing, really. Just a biography
of King Allen of Fredericton."

     Bryan laughed, "When did you get to be such a bookworm?"

     Shawn shrugged and stood up, walking over to stand beside Bryan,
"Around the same time you decided to spend your days frolicking with Mike."

     Bryan put his hands on his hips and said, "Don't tell me you're
jealous! Now, I already told you..."

     Shawn put up his hand and shook his head, cutting Bryan off, "I know,
I know. I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately, that's all."

     Bryan giggled, "You? Thinking? That's a change!"

     Shawn put his good hand on Bryan's shoulder and got a serious look on
his face, "Bryan, could you be serious for a few minutes?! There's
something I'd like to discuss with you!"

     Bryan's face tried to assume a look of seriousness to match Shawn's,
"I'm sorry, Shawnie. I only act that crazily because..." Bryan's voice
trailed off and his eyes stared down at the ground.

     Shawn nodded, "Because it helps you keep from crying about Carter,
right?"

     Bryan nodded.

     Shawn stroked Bryan's shoulder with his hand and said softly, "Sit
down next to me."

     Shawn sat down on the edge of the fountain again and Bryan slowly
looked at him and sat down next to him.

     Bryan was wearing a heavy sweatshirt and jogging pants and his long
brown hair was tied back with a gray ribbon, so Shawn could see the
emotions for Carter still displayed in Bryan's big brown eyes as they
stared at Shawn.

     Both boys were silent for a few seconds before Shawn said, "Bryan, do
you remember that question I asked you in the hot tub about two weeks ago?
The one that you gave such a sweet answer to?"

     Bryan cocked his head, "You mean the one about whether I'd love you
even without the sex and stuff?"

     Shawn nodded, "Yeah. Well, we haven't had sex with each other since
than. I know you've been doing it with Mike, but I haven't even jacked off
since Carter died."

     Bryan smirked, "You must have a lot of self-control. I mean, I was sad
about Carter - still am - but after three or four days, my dick was almost
itching and I had to do something!"

     Shawn held his hand up again, trying to keep things serious, "My point
is, Bryan, that we haven't had sex with each other for almost half a
month. How do you feel about me, now?"

     Bryan cocked his head and got a look of mild annoyance, "Shawnie, you
know how I feel about you!"

     Shawn shook his head, "I need to hear you say exactly how you feel
about me in your own words. Also, try calling me just Shawn for the rest of
this conversation."

     Bryan shrugged and took a deep breath, then said, "Shawn...I love
you. Since the first second I saw you back when we were practically babies,
I knew I wanted to be your friend. When we began to get older and began to
become aware of our bodies, I wanted to hug you and kiss you and hold you
against me. When our bodies began to mature and become more sexually aware,
I knew that I wanted to make love to you. The first time I felt your naked
body against mine, I felt as if I'd died and gone to heaven. I wanted to be
with you every second of the day and not just because I wanted to have sex
with you; I wanted to be with you, because I loved you. I loved you as my
friend, because of the way you and I liked the same games and wanted to eat
the same food and stuff. I loved you as my lover, because I could think of
no better feeling than to feel your body against mine, engaged in anything
from a simple kiss to full-fledged penetration. Finally, I loved you as a
person, because nobody I've ever met laughs as sweetly as you do, or
blushes like you.  You're the sweetest, kindest, most adorable person I've
ever met. When I was taken away from the palace grounds by those evil
bitches - taken away from my life and my safety - the biggest concern I had
was that I might never get to see you again. When I escaped and came back
to the palace, and the guards didn't recognize me and sent me away, I cried
because of how close I came to seeing you again. All those boys that I took
care of at the hotel...They were my friends and I loved them, but not like
I loved you...Like I love you. I've never met anybody that I've loved more
than I love you. Just knowing that, whenever I feel like it, I can look at
you and hug you...Well...It's almost too good to be true. Whether you have
sex with me or not, or whether you even love me or not, I will always love
you and I will always want to be with you. I need to be with you, Shawn,
even if it's just to sit here and stare at you. If you die before I do, I
want to kill myself so we can be together in the afterlife. There! Are you
satisfied now?"

     Shawn nodded, "I love you too, Bryan. So, you want to spend your life
with me?"

     Bryan let out a small growl and nodded emphatically, "Shawnie...I
mean, Shawn...You know I do! Now, what is it?!"

     Shawn slowly slid off the edge of the fountain and on to the
ground. He got to one knee and took Bryan's good hand into his own. Bryan
giggled, "Shawn, what are you doing?"

     Shawn looked up at Bryan and said, "Bryan...Will you marry me?"

     Bryan laughed, "Marry you? What are you talking about?!"

     Shawn squeezed Bryan's hand into his own and smiled, "In the days when
men and women got along, two people would frequently engage in a fun
ceremony called 'Marriage'. They would declare their undying love for each
other in front of a large group of people and make it legal, signing a
contract. That way, the two people would not be able to break up without
having to go through another long ceremony, this one not so fun."

     Bryan nodded, "So, you basically want me to tell you the same thing I
just told you, only in front of a huge crowd?"

     Shawn nodded, "Yeah, but it's more than that. We'll never be able to
be in love with anyone in the same way. We'll have to do everything
together. Everybody in the whole kingdom will look at us as a
couple. Everything will be bound by a contract. And, we'll each get to wear
one of these..." Shawn reached into his cloak and pulled out a small velvet
box. Opening it, he showed it to Bryan. Inside, was a small, plain, golden
ring.

     Bryan stared at it and then looked down at Shawn and smiled, "I love
you Shawn. I don't mind telling people."

     Shawn smiled, "Well...there's one other thing..."

     Bryan shrugged, "Yeah?"

     Shawn blushed and said, "Ummm...According to tradition, if we got
married, we wouldn't be allowed to have sex with anybody else except each
other."

     Bryan nodded, "You know, if I didn't know you better, I'd think this
whole 'Marriage' thing was just a way of getting me to stop spending so
much time with Mike."

     Shawn shook his head, "No, no, it's nothing like that! You can still
play games with him and hug and kiss him and stuff. You just can't have sex
with him."

     Bryan sat there and looked thoughtful for a few seconds, then giggled
down at Shawn, "Doesn't it hurt to be on one knee like that for so long?"

     Shawn smiled and nodded, "My leg fell asleep a few seconds ago. So,
what do you think?"

     Bryan shrugged, "Well, you'd still have to explain how the whole thing
works..."

     Shawn nodded quickly, "Yeah, I'll tell you all about if you would like
to think about it some more..."

     Bryan shrugged, "Why bother thinking? Mike can jack off, can't he?"

     Shawn giggled, "Is that a yes, than?"

     Bryan slowly pulled his hand from Shawn's and helped Shawn to his
feet. Staring at him, they both smiled and Bryan said, "Of course I'll
marry you, Shawn!"

     Shawn smiled and put the ring back in his pocket, "Call me Shawnie."

     Bryan nodded, and they both leaned forward, wrapped their good arms
around each other, and kissed tenderly. For the first time since Carter's
death, they opened their mouths while kissing, their tongues playing a
slimy game of tag while rivulets of saliva drooled out of the corners of
their lips. They could feel each other's hot breath against the other's
face and they panted in ecstasy.  Their bodies pressed together and rubbed
almost rhythmically, their body temperatures rising as they felt their
stiff teenage cocks rubbing together through their pants. After a few
seconds, Shawn quickly pushed Bryan away and wiped his mouth with his
sleeve, gasping for air. "Fuck! I'm gonna cream myself if we keep doing
that!"

     Bryan nodded, gasping himself, "It's been too long for you, Shawnie,
and I gotta get off too. Can we? Please?!"

     Shawn giggled, "Wouldn't you rather wait for the honeymoon?"

     Bryan's face scrunched into a look of confusion, "Honey-what?!"

     Shawn shook his head, "Fuck it! Let's go! We'll tell our fathers the
good news of our engagement later!"

     With that, they both scurried off down the garden path and back
towards the palace.

There was never a time when two people regretted having casts on their arms
more than Shawn and Bryan did at that point. As they ran through the palace
doors, past a bunch of people, and up the stairs towards their room, it was
difficult to grab at each other like they wanted to, when they only had one
arm each.

     The previously serious Shawn had long since given that up, it being
hard to appear in control of affairs with a large, throbbing, lump at front
of one's trousers, and was chasing Bryan through the halls, giggling like a
child.

     As Bryan pushed open the door, Shawn caught up with him and, unable to
stop in time, hit him. Their awkward pubescent limbs tangled together and
they fell through the doorway and hit the floor with a *thump*. They lay
there giggling until they saw a pair of small feet in front of
them. Looking up, they saw Mike looking down at them smiling, his green
eyes shining with childish amusement. "If you want me to leave you two
alone, I can go to the playroom." Mike giggled.

     Bryan's giggles lessened and he looked at Shawn inquisitively. Shawn
shrugged his shoulders, but his big brown eyes betrayed his desire to be
alone with Bryan. They looked up and Mike, their eyes telling their desires
to the youngster. Mike nodded and slowly stepped over their prone bodies as
he left the room. They heard a sniffle as he scurried down the
hallway. Bryan quickly untangled himself and stood up, "Mike! Hey, Mike!
Come on! We're sorry! We just wanna be alone for a bit, that's all!"

     Shawn stood up next to Bryan and shrugged, "I don't know what we're
going to do about Mike."

     Bryan turned to Shawn, "What do you mean?"

     Shawn cocked his head and gave Bryan a look to indicate it was
obvious, "Bryan, regardless of how much you play with Mike, the fact is
that it isn't going to be the same. You and I are lovers, just like him and
Carter were. With Carter gone, Mike has been moping around and being very
irritable. Even I've noticed that, and I don't spend much time with him!"

     Bryan nodded, "Yeah, I know. I've been trying to spend time with him,
but I really want to be with you and I guess it shows."

     Shawn shook his head, "It isn't that, sweetie. It's just that Mike
really needs someone his own age to play with."

     "That's easy!" Bryan shrugged, "There are plenty of boys on the street
who know Mike.  We'll just invite one to come to the palace!"

     Shawn shook his head, "But we can't...The law forbids more than one
boy per Prince.  Keeping Mike here is even pushing it."

     Bryan turned to Shawn and frowned at his worried face, "So? What do
you propose we do, Oh Great Prince?" Bryan said sarcastically.

     Shawn frowned back and shrugged, "Not much we *can* do,
sweetie. Mike's young and can entertain himself, I guess. There's plenty of
stuff to do around the palace and we can still play with him."

     Bryan's face changed back to his usual giggling smile and he stared
affectionately at Shawn. Reaching up with his good hand, he brushed stray
bangs of Shawn's long, beautiful, black hair away from his face with his
fingers. "God, I love you..." Bryan whispered, giggling.

     Shawn reached up and took Bryan's hand away from his face, squeezing
it in to his own.  He rubbed his fingers between Bryan's, noticing the size
differences between them. Shawn's hand was slightly smaller than Bryan's,
his fingers more slender while Bryan's were stubbier. Bryan's hand was
slightly rough with remnant calluses of his street days and, bringing the
hand slowly up to his face, he could smell the scent of earth, meat, and
dried semen on it. He kissed Bryan's hand softly, his lips only brushing
against the back of his palm. Bryan giggled and pulled his hand away
quickly, "Stop it! You're tickling me!"

     Shawn giggled and quickly shot his hand out, gently reaching his hand
down the front of Bryan's jogging pants and grasping Bryan's semi-erect
penis, unconfined by any underwear. He stroked it with his slender fingers,
not jerking it off so much as simply petting it. A gasp of pleasure
released itself as a breath from Bryan's mouth as he closed his eyes and
moaned.

     "You don't seem to mind when I tickle you there..." Shawn giggled,
smiling as he continued to stroke Bryan's prick as it quickly grew to its
full five-inch length.

     Bryan smiled dreamily through slitted eyes, "Mmm...What about you,
though?"

     Shawn shook his head and giggled, his face flushing in arousal,
"Plenty of time for me, afterwards..."

     With that, his fingers lifted up from Bryan's cock and, with one quick
motion, he pulled his jogging pants down to his ankles. He quickly sunk to
his knees and grabbed Bryan's cock in his fist. He looked up at Bryan's
smiling face and growled, giggling in sexual giddiness, "Now, I'm gonna
jack your fucking cock off with my fist and I want you to cover my face in
your hot, gooey jizz!"

     Bryan growled back, "I love it when you talk dirty to me, baby!"

     Shawn stared down at Bryan's cock, standing straight out in stiff
glory, with its circumcised head purple and throbbing with horniness. He
hocked back, and spat a generous amount of saliva into his palm, than
wrapped his hand around the throbbing boyhood in front of him and began
stroking it. He jacked it quickly, rubbing his fist continuously over the
sensitive head. He looked up at Bryan and growled, "You like that, don't
you? Are you getting ready to cum, yet? Ya, you wanna shoot your fucking
sperm all over my face, don't you?"

     Bryan groaned and thrust his hips forward, pushing his cock forward to
meet Shawn's strokes. "Fuck yeah!" he hissed and bit his lower lip, his
chest heaving with his gasps.

     The slit at the end of Bryan's cock gaped open with the pressure of
its erection, looking primed to shoot his immature seed towards the
kneeling Prince. A drop of clear liquid oozed up from the slit, until it
was absorbed by the rest of the shiny saliva coating his prick.

Bryan's muscles began tightening as his orgasm neared and Shawn smiled and
began stroking quicker, the only sound in the room was Bryan's gasps and a
squishing sound as Shawn's hand flew back and forth across Bryan's boyhood.

     "You horny boy! You're about to cum, aren't you? You're gonna make my
face nice and sticky with your jizz, aren't you? Your hard cock is gonna
shoot your baby seeds all over me, isn't it? Come on! Cum for me, sweetie!
Shoot your fuck juice all over me! Make my face drip with your juices!"

     Bryan panted quickly as his muscles continued stiffening, looking
almost painful. "I'm gonna cum, Shawnie! I'm gonna shoot all over your
face, baby! Any minute now!" Bryan groaned.

     Shawnie licked his lips and continued jacking off his lover, his hand
flying back and forth across the whole surface of his prick. "Go ahead,
angel! Cum for me, baby! I love you so much!  Spray my face! Do it to me,
my sweet, horny baby! Cum all over me!"

     Bryan groaned louder, "You're so good at that, Shawnie! That's it! I'm
gonna fucking cum all over your face! Here is comes...Oh...OH GOD!!!"

Bryan's muscles suddenly stiffened, his eyes closed tightly, and his balls
pulled tightly against his body as his orgasm finally slammed in to him. He
quickly thrust his pulsing cock through Shawn's fist a few more times, his
body looking so stiff that it must have hurt. Shawn continued to stroke
Bryan's cock as his orgasm began, and felt it suddenly expand in his hand,
a stream of milky, white liquid shooting from the end and hitting him below
his right eye. A second squirt followed, spraying across the bridge of his
nose, and a third, hitting him on his chin. After that, a steady river of
jizz oozed out and coated Shawn's fist as Bryan slowly sunk to the ground.

Bryan's semen was, trademark of his young age, still very watery with not
much form to it, and steadily flowed down Shawn's face and dripped on to
his shirt and the floor. Shawn licked his lips, trying to drink up what
little he could.

Bryan released the breath that he'd been holding during his orgasm. His
eyes slowly opened and, despite Shawn's humorous appearance, he didn't
laugh or even smile. He simply leaned forward and kissed Shawn tenderly on
the lips, tasting droplets of his immature sex-juice. When he leaned back,
he smiled, "That...that was the best one ever, Shawnie. I love you so
much."

Shawn smiled, wiped the semen off his face with his hand, and wiped his
cummy hand on the carpet. "No problem, my love. You're so beautiful when
you cum." He leaned forward and brushed his lips over Bryan's, gently
taking Bryan's bottom lip between his teeth and sucking on it softly.

When he released it and leaned back, Bryan giggled and said, "So are you,
and speaking of which..."

Bryan leaned forward and, with Shawn's help, unbuttoned and unzipped his
jeans. Shawn kicked them off and, since he too wasn't wearing any
underwear, his cock sprang up, fully erect and throbbing with
horniness. The veins on all six inches of Shawn's throbbing boyhood pulsed
with blood, giving the circumcised head a purple tinge and pressing the
slit open, ready to erupt with semen.

Bryan leaned back on his haunches and pulled up his jogging pants, then
looked over at Shawn and smiled, "So, where would you like to spray your
cum, my sweet?"

Shawn blushed, and shrugged.

Bryan giggled, "Well, you know where I wanna feel it, don't ya?"

Shawn smiled, "Well, I'm sure it'll be a pleasant change to actually
*taste* something when you suck someone off!"

Bryan got a look of mock anger on his face, "Hey! That's not very nice!"

Shawn giggled, "Just suck me off, you horny son of a bitch!"

Bryan giggled, "Yeah, my father can be sort of a bitch, can't he..."

Shawn smiled, "Just suck me off, dammit!"

Bryan shrugged, "Okay..." and crawled over and, without hesitating and
second, sunk his mouth down over Shawn's cock.

His hot, slimy tongue moved repeatedly over the sensitive head of Shawn's
throbbing meat, eliciting a low groan of pleasure from Shawn.

Bryan wrapped his hand around the remainder of the shaft that wasn't in his
mouth and rubbed it gently, squeezing his balls gently whenever his hand
sunk low enough.

Shawn leaned back, his eyes closing to slits, and groaned, "Oh
fuck...That's it! Suck me off, baby!"

Bryan replied with something that was muffled by the penis in his mouth,
and continued quickly bobbing his head up and down on the dick in his
mouth. His moist tongue stroked the most sensitive areas of Shawn's purple
cock head.

Shawn's muscles tensed in pleasure and he bucked his hips against Bryan's
sucking mouth, "God damn! I'm gonna fucking cum, sweetie! I'm gonna squirt
my jizz down your throat!"

This kind of talk just egged on Bryan, who increased his speed and sucked
hard of Shawn's throbbing cock, drinking up the drops of precum that seeped
out from the slit at the end. He massaged Shawn's balls with greater
pressure, feeling them pulling up against Shawn's body. He knew it wouldn't
be long now.

Shawn's cock pulsed under the sweet stimulation of Bryan's hot mouth and
Shawn's body tensed as he felt the slimy tongue stroke over the gaping slit
at the end of his aching prick.

Shawn's body suddenly stiffened, "Oh FUCK!!! I'M GONNA...GONNA..."

Bryan felt the contractions in Shawn's balls begin as his cock expanded in
his mouth and the back of his throat was hit with the first spurt of
Shawn's thick juices. He gagged once, but quickly adapted as four more
spurts filled his mouth with about a teaspoon and a half of his salty/sweet
cum.

Shawn's whole body jerked as his orgasm shot through him and, when it
finally hit its peak and left him, his body lay still on the floor, his
breath leaving his nose in quick gasps.

Bryan let the softening dick fall from his mouth, and swallowed the tangy
juices in his mouth. He licked his lips to make sure he didn't miss any,
then leaned over and licked clean the flaccid cock between Shawn's legs,
and the small bush of pubic hair.

That done, he climbed on top of Shawn's body, straddling his waist, and
smiled down at him.  Shawn's eyes slowly opened and he gave Bryan a toothy
grin and said, "That was the best, baby."

Bryan leaned down and kissed Shawn passionately on the lips. Shawn and
Bryan eagerly let their tongues play in the other's mouth, Shawn tasting
his own semen mixed with Bryan's spit. Shawn's hand traveled down and
reached into Bryan's pants, running his fingers through his sparse pubic
hair and gently playing with his limp. Bryan's hand did the same to Shawn's
already exposed cock.  Neither got erect as they were being fondled, but
both boys were content to simply stroke the other's boyhood affectionately.

When the need for air got too great, they separated their mouths and
gasped, smiling.

"How much do you love me, Shawnie?" Bryan asked.

Shawn smiled, "I love you more than words can even begin to describe. I
love you more than the moon, the sun, the stars, the leaves, the trees, the
grass, and the sky combined. I need you more than I need air to breathe,
food to eat, or water to drink. I never have to worry about any sort of
afterlife, because when I'm with you, I'm already in heaven."

Bryan smiled, "Just checking." then leaned forward and kissed Shawn again.

After a few more seconds of passionate kissing, with occasional gropes,
Shawn finally shoved Bryan off him, giggling.

Bryan looked up, "What?!"

Shawn sat up and lifted his butt off the floor, pulling his jeans back
on. He then turned towards Bryan and said, "As much as I'd like to lie on
the floor, half-naked, kissing and fucking you all day, there are plans to
be made."

Bryan looked confused, "Plans?"

Shawn quickly got to his feet, straightened out his shirt and cloak, then
zipped up his fly, "Marriage plans, dumb-ass! I want the whole island to be
invited, so I can tell everybody how much I love you!"

Bryan jumped to his feet to face Shawn, "Oh. Well, you'll have to explain
it to me further on the way downstairs."

Now it was Shawn's turn to look confused, "Downstairs?"

Bryan slapped Shawn playfully upside the head and giggled, "To tell our
dads, shit-for-brains!"

Shawn growled and grabbed Bryan around the waist, dragging him to the
floor. They wrestled around for nearly ten minutes, before being
interrupted by a sharp knock on the open door. They both looked up and
groaned to see it was Fargo, the treasurer.

"This is getting to be a pattern with you, isn't it?" Bryan laughed.

Fargo laughed too, "Fuck time...right, Your Majesty?"

Shawn untangled himself from Bryan and stood up, shaking his head, "No, you
missed that, fortunately. Now, is there a purpose to your trek to my
quarters or are you just here to stare at my adorable face?"

Fargo laughed, "Actually, Your Humorousness, I have come to let you know
that your fathers have requested that you join them in their chambers...at
your convenience."

Bryan stood up next to Shawn and laughed, "At our convenience? It sounds
dreadfully important!  Something that was well worth interrupting us for!"

Fargo smiled, "Actually, Princes, your fathers wish to apologize for not
spending a lot of time with you lately, especially during your time of
grief, and wish to spend the rest of the day telling you about their trip
and...*ahem*...playing with you."

Shawn giggled, "Sounds fun, but I'm afraid great plans need to be made and
there is not much time for play."

Fargo laughed, "Oh? And what great plans would that be, Your Majesty?"

Shawn smiled hugely and said, "Within the next month, Bryan and I wish to
be married!"

Fargo's smile dropped, "M...m...married? Such a thing hasn't been done in
over a hundred years!"

Bryan smiled, "Yes, well it will be done and Shawn and I were just about
ready to let our fathers know."

Fargo shook his head, "They will be genuinely surprised, I can tell you!"

Bryan and Shawn shrugged and walked past the surprised advisor, into the
hallway and quickly jogged through the palace to the kings' private
quarters.

Upon arriving, Shawn knocked gently on the door.

Luke's voice from behind replied, "Come in!"

Shawn gently pushed the door open and he and Bryan entered the chambers.

Once inside, they were surprised to see Luke and Brett standing there,
dressed not in royal garb and kingly attire, but in simple tank tops and
faded blue jeans! Neither boy had ever seen their father dressed so simply,
and stood there looking at them with mouths slightly agape and a smile on
their faces.

Though they had both seen their fathers wearing nothing at all before, it
seemed like a genuine shock to see them dressed like mere peasants.

"I see you've noticed our informal dress!" Brett said, with an
uncharacteristic smile on his face.  Brett was not an old man, only 34
years of age, and the white tank top accentuated his toned chest and
muscular arms, and certainly brought out his long red hair, unconfined as
it was by a ponytail or anything. Brett's usually pale, solemn face was lit
up with a grin aimed towards both his son and Shawn that made even Bryan
admit that his father was, genuinely, a good-looking man...when he showed
emotion.

Luke had his arm around Brett's shoulders and, like Brett, directed a rye
smile towards the two boy-princes. His well groomed, short black hair was
meshed with shades of gray and his face showed lines of ages around his
mouth and eyes. His body, not quite as toned as Brett's, still showed
defined muscle beneath his tank top and jeans. Luke had always had a kind
face, with a warm smile, that made him beloved by all the Whiteshadow
Isle's people. He was 37 years of age, having Chosen Brett when Brett was
only 12.

Luke stared at Shawn and Bryan, seeing the sheen of sweat that covered both
their bodies, and his smiled grew, "It's good to see that you two are in
better moods."

Shawn nodded, "Yes, father. Bryan and I have re-affirmed our love for each
other. We have a request to make."

Luke smiled at Brett and said, "A request? How coincidental, because we
happen to have a request as well!"

Bryan giggled, "I believe that our request is a bit more important."

Brett stared at Luke in confusion and Luke's arm dropped from around his
waist. Brett assumed his typical grave facial expression once again, and
knelt down to eye level with his son, "You are aware that not even a Prince
can get away with demoting a King's request all the time, right?"

Shawn stepped forward and, assuming a royal tone that made Bryan stifle a
laugh, he announced, "I'm aware, Brett...father, but our request is that we
call forth an ancient tradition to be performed within the next month."

Luke nodded and smiled slightly, "Hmmm...My son, fighter of all traditions
in the kingdom, is invoking one?! Which one would that be, my princely
offspring?"

Shawn could not help but smile as he announced, "Father...Bryan and I wish
be married to each other."

Both kings blinked a few times, before Brett laughed, "Marriage? Surely,
you are aware of how unnecessary it is! Two males can easily live together
without that outdated tradition binding them with absurd laws!"

Shawn nodded, "Yes, Brett, I'm aware. However, it may not be so outdated as
you would think.  What is a wedding, but a public declaration of two
peoples' love for one another! It is a ceremony of binding affection! It
is..."

Brett cut him off, "It is a ceremony practiced between a man and a women!
Back in the old days, religious practices forbid two men from being wed!
They claimed it was unnatural and unmoral!  What right have we to re-engage
a tradition that was the main stumbling block in two men's relationships?!"

Bryan stepped forward, "The right of royalty, father! Shawn and I are in
love...Deeply in love! It is not enough that we will simply rule together
when our time comes! We wish to have the whole kingdom know how truly
betrothed Shawn and I are!"

Luke smiled, "But, Bryan...Are you not aware that the kingdom cares not for
royal affairs? The peasants simply do what they are told to do, without
question. Is it really necessary to invite a large group of people who will
probably ruin what was once a holy ceremony?"

Shawn and Bryan nodded emphatically and Shawn responded with, "Father, the
peasants of Whiteshadow Isle are stupid and ill-educated to daily
affairs. Inviting them to a royal ceremony where none are expected to do
anything except eat, drink and have fun, might encourage them to have more
respect for the royals!"

Brett sat down on the bed and nodded, "Very...very well. If it's a wedding
you two desire, then it's a wedding you two shall have! If you wish me to
invite all the men in the kingdom, then so be it!  We shall start the
preparations immediately!"

Shawn nodded, "There is one more detail that I'd like to ask of you two..."

Luke stepped forward and put his hand on his son's shoulder, "Shawn, you
and Bryan will have your wedding! Despite not being done in a long time,
both Brett and I are aware of how one should be performed!"

Shawn nodded, "Yes, but in old traditional ways, both parties had their
whole family invited to the affair."

Luke looked confused, "Your point?"

Shawn swallowed and said, "Father, I was wondering...umm...Could Bryan and
I...well...I mean...Could we...umm..."

Luke smiled, "What? What do you want, my son?"

Bryan stepped forward and shrugged, "Umm...What I think Shawn is trying to
ask, is...well...Could we invite our mothers?"

Luke slowly lifted his hand off his son's shoulder, "You...you want your
mother to come?"

Shawn blushed and nodded his head, then stepped back to stand beside Bryan.

Brett shook his head, "You know that no women are allowed at any royal
affairs...To invite any, would be the highest breach of royal tradition!"

Bryan shrugged, "Well, it kind of is a big deal for Shawn and I...I mean,
we have no other family that is still alive, besides you and our mothers,
so we were hoping they could come. Our mothers are still alive, aren't
they?"

Luke sat down on the bed beside Brett and nodded, "Yes...yes, your mothers
are most certainly still living...But...Well, boys, you know that we don't
put any regard on women bringing up children in the male countries. When a
man wants a child, he chooses a woman, gets her pregnant and, when the baby
is born and it's a boy, the father takes full control of it."

Shawn nodded, "Yes, but still...We do have mothers and we'd like it if they
could be at the ceremony...Even if it's just for a little while..."

Luke and Brett stared at their sons for almost a minute before Brett
nodded, "Very well...Both your mothers will be there...But..."

Shawn cocked his head, "But? But what?"

Luke and Brett stared at each other and Luke got up and said, "Well, when
you said you had no living relatives besides us and your mothers, you
weren't entirely correct."

Bryan smiled, "You mean, we have other living relatives?!"

Shawn smiled, "Well, who are they?!"

Brett took and deep breath and said, "Well, each of you have a brother..."

Shawn giggled, "A brother?! I've always wanted a brother! Where is he?"

Luke smiled, "Well, I'm pretty sure you already know where he is..."

Shawn and Bryan stared at their fathers for about two minutes, before the
realization of it dawned upon their faces and they slowly turned to face
each other. Without looking at his father, Bryan said, "You mean...Shawn
and I?"

Brett shrugged, "Well, I guess half-brothers would be more accurate. You
see, there's only one woman in the kingdom that Luke and I thought had
enough skills and knowledge to be worthy of having our children, so we both
planted our seed in her and...well...Shawn was born and then, a year and a
day later, Bryan was born. Maternal brothers...Same mother, different
father."

Bryan and Shawn continued to stare at each other, mouths agape, and smiling
in disbelief.

Luke interrupted their stare by saying, "So, do you two still want to get
married now that you know?"

Shawn and Bryan stared at each other for a few more seconds before Shawn
turned to face his father and said, "Yes...It makes no difference to me at
all. I still love Bryan unconditionally and want to marry him."

Brett turned to Bryan, "Son...Do you still wish to get married to your
half-brother?"

Bryan looked at his father and giggled, "I'd fuck him right now in front of
you, if it would prove my continued love for him!"

Brett and Luke both laughed and Luke said, "Very well...We shall begin the
preparations, than!  So, why don't we go outside and play a little soccer
now?"

Shawn and Bryan giggled and nodded and they got up and left the
room. Halfway down the hallway, Shawn exclaimed, "Wait! You didn't tell us
what happened when you left the palace!"

Brett laughed, "Not much to tell, really. We learned that the women were
doing point raids based on the spy's coordinates. With the spy dead, the
women are forced to regroup and, with the guard patrols surrounding all the
major cities, we should fend them off easily. Even with their new weapons,
they are no match for our forces...The women are defeated!"

Bryan giggled, "Damn bitches!"

The two brothers and their fathers continued down the hallway laughing and
talking, on their way to the garden to play a little soccer...

The next three weeks went by very quickly. At first, every morning, Shawn,
and Bryan would awaken at dawn and begin the daily task of creating
invitations for their upcoming wedding. They wanted the invitations to be
as personal as possible, and they insisted on signing each one
themselves. Unfortunately, there were close to one million people living on
Whiteshadow Isle, so this became quite a laborious task. After Shawn and
Bryan signed nearly one thousand individual invitations, Luke and Brett
finally convinced them that proclamations posted in all the major gathering
places all over the Isle, signed by them personally, would be just as
good. Thus, their workload decreased to only signing two hundred
proclamations, and the small paper invitations became a very fancy pad of
stationary for their room.

     Changes began to take shape throughout the palace, as decorations were
put up and the whole palace was cleaned. Settings were created, rooms were
set up, and food was decided.

     Personal changes took place as well, as Shawn began to become even
more interested in studying worldly affairs and royal protocol, much to the
pride of his father and Brett. Once the signings were finished, Shawn was
seen less and less around the palace. He spent more and more time sitting
in the outer gardens, the library, or by the lake, reading tomes of written
work created by his ancestors of yore.

Bryan, too, underwent many changes, most importantly of these, in his eyes
at least, was that his voice seemed to stop cracking so much, and stayed on
a more baritone pitch that he thought made him sound more mature. Bryan
showed interest in his royal studies too but, unlike Shawn, didn't put as
much importance in it, as he did to playing. Bryan took up refuge in the
royal gymnasium for most of the day, playing soccer or basketball with Mike
or, when no royal duties beckoned, his father. Brett and Bryan grew closer
as the wedding approached, spending much time together trying to make up
for the past few years.

Mike too underwent several changes. During the course of the preparations
for the wedding ceremony, Mike celebrated his tenth birthday. There was a
large party in the palace and even Shawn took his nose out of his book long
enough to participate in the dancing and other merriment. Mike, though, had
celebrated his eighth and ninth birthday with Carter, and so this day was
very sad for him and he spent a good deal of time sitting at the table,
crying. However, after that, he began to gain some of his childish joy
back. Bryan and, occasionally, Shawn would play games with him and his
depression lifted somewhat. Luke and Brett had officially given him the
title of Prince and, thus, promised him that, on his fifteenth birthday,
he'd be able to Choose his lifelong mate. However, since any children that
Shawn or Bryan had would take precedence over him for the ascension to the
throne, it was doubtful that he and his mate would ever rule. He was still
a year or two away from the onset of puberty, but he began to mature in
mind and, much to the thankfulness of everybody, took up learning to play
the lute. This gave him something to do with his time and helped to chase
away his blues.

Weather turned still colder, so less time was spent outdoors. All over the
Isle, people were hoarding food and spent more time indoors. On the
Twenty-eighth day of Mercury's Rest, the day before the royal wedding, the
winds began to blow gusts of sheer frost and, it began to snow.

     Shawn and Bryan hadn't seen each other for two weeks, sleeping in
separate rooms and eating at different times. They had both chosen to do
this so they could have the time to prepare themselves independently for
the event that approached. In addition, since they spent nearly every
moment together since they reunited, they wanted to see if it were, indeed,
possible to live without one another once again. It wasn't easy.

     On that particular day, Shawn was sitting in the library reading a
copy of a book from the old times, about sex. It had a strange name: "How
to please a woman and keep her coming back for more." Shawn had never taken
the time to learn much about women's bodies, and, now that he knew how to
please them, he didn't really see the point. "If God wanted women to have
sex, he wouldn't have hidden all their parts behind so much skin!" Shawn
thought aloud.

     "Don't say things like that when your mother gets here!" came a voice
from the doorway.

     Shawn quickly shut the book and looked up, startled. Luke stood there,
his hand supporting him as he leaned on the doorway, smiling at his
son. "You've spoken to her?!" Shawn exclaimed, smiling.

     Luke walked further into the room and nodded, "I must admit that she
was quite surprised to be invited to the palace and even more surprised to
learn why she was invited."

     Luke walked over beside Shawn, pulled up a chair, and sat down next to
him. He put his arm around Shawn and hugged him. "Shawn, my most precious
treasure...What a man you're becoming. You have your mother's beautiful
hair, your grandfather's attachment to the written word, and my expressive
brown eyes. I tried, all these years, to protect you from harm and misery,
but I realize now that harm and misery are what teach a man about
life. Tomorrow, when your mother sees how you've grown up to be such a
handsome, intelligent young man, she will surely be as proud of you as I
am."

     Shawn smiled and lay his head down on his father's chest. Without
looking up, he asked, "Dad, did you ever love my mother?"

     Luke simply shook his head, "No. When I saw your mother, I only saw
what attributes she could add to the son that I so desired. For a woman,
your mother was a kind soul, though. Even as I looked at her yesterday, I
could no more imagine her delicate hands harming anyone, than I could
imagine it when I first saw her. No, I never actually loved your mother,
but I did respect her humanity moreso than any other woman I've ever
known."

     Shawn nodded against his father's chest and said, "Do you think men
and women will ever get along again?"

     Luke shrugged and kissed his son's head, "Shawn, for as long as I've
been alive, women and men have hated each other with a fiery passion. The
women started this war, but one day, maybe not within your lifetime, but
one day, we men will finish it, one way or another."

     Shawn snuggled closer against his father and smiled, "Dad, do you love
Brett?"

     Luke laughed, "Of course! Brett and I are soul mates and I love him in
the same way that you love your half-brother, Bryan."

     Shawn looked up and shrugged, "Why don't you marry him, than?"

     Luke shrugged, "Shawn, you want to get married and that's fine. Brett
and I don't believe in that tradition, though. Men simply do not need a
ceremony to declare their love for one another.  I love Brett and I will
always love Brett, whether or not there's a contract somewhere that says
it."

     Suddenly, Shawn pulled up from his father and his look got serious,
"Father, I have one more question for you, and I was wondering if you could
answer honestly."

     Luke shrugged, "Anything for you, my precious."

     Shawn nodded, "Before or after me, did you have any other children?"

     Luke shook his head, "No, after you, there were no others."

     Shawn cocked his head, "Before?"

     Luke took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, "Shawn, you have no
other brothers and your only half-brother is Bryan."

     Shawn nodded, "Okay...What about sisters?"

     Luke smiled, "You're an inquisitive thing, aren't you? Very
well...Yes, before you were born, your mother gave birth to two girls."

     Shawn smiled, "So, I have two full-blood sisters?"

     Luke shook his head, "No. The first girl died of pneumonia at two
weeks of age."

     "So, I have one full-blood sister?"

     Luke nodded, "Yes, as is tradition, she lives with her mother in the
temple district."

     Shawn smiled larger, "I want her to come to the wedding tomorrow!"

     Luke stood up and sighed, "Shawn, you really seek to destroy every
tradition we hold dear, don't you?"

     Shawn shook his head, "No, but you said yourself that my mother is
harmless. My sister must be too, so I desire her at the wedding tomorrow."

     Luke nodded and grinned, "Very well, I'll send out word that she
should bring her.  Anything else, my gem?"

     Shawn nodded, "Yes, I want her to bring any of Bryan's sisters too."

     Luke frowned, "Brett wouldn't appreciate that. He doesn't like the
fact that his body could create girls, and Bryan has two twin sisters."

     Shawn shrugged, "I want them to be there anyway. If Brett asks, blame
it on me."

     Luke smiled, "You have your grandfather's tenacity...Very well, my
sweet Prince. You shall get your wish! Now, put away that book and come
with me to the kitchen. The chef isn't quite sure how to make that pizza
you requested."

     Shawn giggled and followed his father out of the room.

     Meanwhile, on the other side of the palace, Prince Bryan, clad in a
loose white tank top and cotton jogging shorts, was playing basketball with
Mike, equally dressed, in the palace gymnasium. The large gym echoed with
the noise of the ball bouncing off the polished wood floor, as Bryan
swished past Mike's small body and shot the ball at the basket. It hit the
backboard, swirled around the rim a few times, then fell through the net.

     "Two points! In your face, Mikey!" Bryan yelled as he ran away from
the basket, did a cartwheel, then spun around, bent down, and grabbed the
ball as it rolled back towards him. Bryan wiped his wrist across his
forehead, mopping up some of the sweat that dripped down his face and
covered his body. Mike smiled and doubled over, panting,
"You...You...You're...too...good for me."

     Bryan cradled the ball under one arm, walked over to Mike, and patted
him on the back, brushing his long brown hair out of his eyes with his
other hand. "Na...You're just tired today."

     Mike looked up and spat a large amount of saliva on the floor, then
wiped his mouth and said, "You...you can continue, but I'm
gonna...gonna...go practice my lute."

     With that, Mike trudged off towards the showers. "Hey," Bryan called
after him, "if you go, who will I play with?"

     As if on cue, Brett walked out of the showers and past Mike, his long
red hair tied back in long ponytail. "Why don't you try playing with
someone who might be able to beat you?!"

     Bryan smiled as his father approached, "You think you can beat me?
Let's see ya try, old man!" he challenged as he tossed the ball at his
father.

Brett caught the ball out of the air with one hand and wiggled a finger at
Bryan, "Better watch the 'old man' cracks or I'll start spanking you, as I
did when you were a toddler!" He tossed the ball back at Bryan, who caught
it after one bounce.

Brett walked under back until he was under the basket and Bryan started
dribbling the ball in place as he assessed the situation. From under the
basket, Brett called, "You know, son, you could really use a haircut before
tomorrow."

Bryan smirked at Brett and broke left with ball, Brett advanced quickly
and, as Bryan went to try a three-pointer, Brett snatched the ball out of
the air, turned with his waist, and shot. It swished right through the
basket with nothing but net. Brett strutted smugly back to the center and
yelled back, "It might also help you see better! Loser's ball!"

Bryan bent down to pick up the ball, but stopped and straightened back up,
then turned towards his father. "Dad?" Bryan asked, walking back towards
his father.

"Yeah? What's wrong, kiddo? Don't feel like playing anymore?" Brett
answered, standing there, watching as his son approached.

Bryan reached his father and looked up at him, "Did we ever play like this
before I got kidnaped?"

Brett sighed and motioned with his head over towards a pile of gym mats,
"Sit down, Bryan."

They walked over towards the gym mats and sat down next to each
other. Brett put his arm around Bryan's sweaty, teenage body and pulled him
close. He cleared his throat and said, "Bryan...Do you remember what I told
you when you were ten and you asked me why you couldn't live in the castle
with me?"

Bryan shook his head.

Brett sighed, "I told you that you couldn't live with me because you
weren't a true Prince, because I wasn't a born Royal. Luke wanted to
shelter Shawn while he was growing up...To prevent him from being exposed
to the evils of the world and not be distracted by other matters. He was
being prepared for the Choosing since the day he was born and, as a result,
he wasn't allowed to get attached to any one boy until the day he chose one
for himself. I set you up to live with the palace stable-keeper because I
wanted to keep you busy so you and Shawn didn't meet until much later in
life, but I refused to let you live anywhere outside the palace
grounds. Unfortunately, you were a very naughty youngster and also a very
horny one. I remember seeing you sneak around the palace looking for
Shawn. I couldn't bring myself to tell Luke, though, and I knew very well
what you were doing with him. You took his virginity and started him on the
road to impurity. Are you getting me so far?"

Bryan blushed and nodded, "But, you didn't answer my question!"

Brett snuggled Bryan closer to him and stroked his hair, "I'm getting to
that. Bryan, even though you and Shawn had already met, I had to pretend
like you didn't so, except for twice a week when I'd go 'observe the
horses', I didn't get to see you much. Consequently, we didn't get to play
much together. I'm saddened to admit that I wasn't a very good father..."

Bryan hugged his dad and shook his head, "I understand. But, why were you
always so emotionless and cold? I mean, I remember when you used to spank
me for looking out the window instead of talking to you when you came on
your visits!"

Brett shrugged, "Bryan, I was frustrated! Luke's chosen secrecy of you and
protection of Shawn was disagreeable for me! Imagine if *you* had a son and
were forced to deny his existence! I covered my depression by appearing
cold and emotionless because, truthfully, I always had a slight resentment
for Shawn. I mean, I loved, and still love, Luke, and I've grown to love
Shawn, but I was always very hurt that his son was brought up in riches,
whereas you were confined to a manure-filled hovel! When you were kidnaped,
I tried to convince myself that, with you out of the picture, the
resentment would stop. Instead, it just grew worse. I missed you every
single day that you were gone and, worse still, Luke only came to his
senses and decided to expose Shawn to the outside world more often, after
you were taken. My bitterness came out more, and I couldn't bring myself to
do much with Shawn, except remind him of his faults. I was mean, and I am
eternally sorry for that. On the day of the Choosing, not a moment went by,
that I didn't wish to every god that exists, that you were standing against
that wall, waiting to be Chosen."

Bryan smiled up at Brett and giggled, "Ironic that I fell in love with
Shawn, isn't it?"

Brett continued to stroke his son's sweaty hair and snuggle him as he
nodded, "Yes, it is a union between prince and pauper. I believe, however,
that you two were destined to be together."

Bryan looked up, "What about Carter?"

Brett sighed and shook his head, "Carter...Well, Carter was a sweet child
who, I guess, simply wasn't destined to reign beside Shawn as king of this
isle."

Bryan shrugged and looked up at his father, "Dad, what would you say if I
told you that I don't love Shawn and I have no interest in the throne?"

Brett stared at his son and smiled, "My son, I am no psychic, but I do
believe that you are thinking that I'm trying to get you on the throne
simply because I want to continue my blood-line in power.  Perhaps worse
still, because I'm trying to make up for your ill treatment in the past."

Bryan laughed, "Gee, you really *might* be a psychic! So? Is it true?"

Brett shook his head, "I've seen the way you look at Shawn and how Shawn
looks at you. You are my precious diamond, Bryan, and I want you to be
happy. I needn't be a psychic to know that you love Shawn. Thus, I want you
to be with Shawn, and I would still want you to be with Shawn, even if he
was in charge of palace waste disposal or didn't live in the palace at
all."

Bryan hugged his father, "Thanks, dad. I am really looking forward to
tomorrow."

Brett nodded, "I know you are, sweetheart. You must also be looking forward
to meeting your mother, eh?"

Bryan nodded and smiled, "I just want to see what she looks like, you know?
It doesn't mean I've forgiven what those women did to Carter, though!"

Brett squeezed his son in affection and sighed, "Oh, my precious of all the
kingdom's jewels...Perhaps in my growing age, I'm getting somewhat soft, or
maybe the joy of finally spending some father-son time with you is lowering
my resolve, but I'm beginning to think that this animosity between the
females and males seems to have gone on for far too long. The idea of
having your mother in the palace tomorrow morning might actually help
things settle down around here."

Bryan snuggled deeper into his father's grasp and sighed, "I really do love
Shawn and I miss him so much."

Brett nodded, "You'll see him tomorrow morning, my precious. Tomorrow, you
will go through that outdated ritual and declare to the whole Isle, that
you promise to stay with Shawn unconditionally until death. After which,
you two will be given a month to go wherever you please to spend your
honeymoon."

With that said, Brett let go of his son and pushed him up, "For now,
though, please go shower.  You smell like shit!"

Bryan laughed and stood up, "Yeah, well Shawn likes the way I smell!"

Brett stood up and ruffled Bryan's hair, "Well, Shawn also eats that
disgusting mess that you call a pizza!"

Bryan smirked and jogged off towards the shower-room.

Both boys completed their daily tasks, than went to bed to appear rested
for the next day.

The next morning, when the sun rose up over the horizon, snow had formed a
thick layer over the entire ground. Bryan and Shawn had woken up before the
sun rose, however, and were getting dressed and ready for, what they
believed to be, the most important day of their lives.

The whole staff of the palace was making last minute checks and
preparations of the rooms and other wedding necessities. Kings Luke and
Brett were preparing themselves as well and even Mike had gotten into the
wedding mood. Things were just about set at the palace.

The town of Dawson was packed to the gills with people from all over the
Isle who had come.  Like the boy-princes or not, everyone loved going to
the palace to spend a short while in the presence of total luxury. They had
brought baubles and gifts for the wedding, stuff that they were sure the
two princes would already have anyway. The old and the young were getting
ready in their most dressy clothes. The whole town was decorated and seemed
to call out all over that today was a special day. At precisely 7 am,
hundreds of chariots would ride down from the palace and personally pick up
all that were headed to the wedding. Everybody awaited the arrival of the
carriages, anxious, as they were to begin the festivities.

Everybody...except one woman and three teenage girls who were already in a
special carriage on its way up the path to the palace. Females were
forbidden from entering the main district of Dawson, never mind the palace,
but these were no ordinary females.

The woman was Shawn and Bryan's mother...

The girls were Shawn and Bryan's sisters...

All four of them were *very* anxious to meet the two boys who, until a
month ago, never knew they even existed.

It was estimated that only about thirty percent of Whiteshadow Isle's
population would show up at the wedding, but it seemed like a lot more. The
largest room in the entire palace, the Main Royal Address Chambers, had
been set aside for the event, because of its ability to hold close to half
a million people at maximum capacity, and it was packed to capacity. Men
from all over the kingdom were in the room, some as old as ninety, and as
some as young as three.

     The room was enormous, and if viewed from above, would resemble a sea
of people, separated only by an aisle that cut the two sections where the
people sat, in half. The room was made of highly receptive material, so
anything above a whisper would be echoed all the way around the room. That
cut out the need for microphones or loudspeakers. The floor of the entire
room was made of purple velvet, except for a long white carpet that
stretched from the entranceway, down the aisle, to the heart of the
room. The heart of the chamber was truly a sight to behold. A large
fountain gurgled clear, glittering water from a spring deep below the
ground. A large curtain was hung down from the ceiling, made of red velvet
with the Whiteshadow Isle crest.  The ceiling was so high and the curtain,
so long, that the crest was nearly fifteen stories tall. Truly a
magnificent thing to see. Words alone cannot adequately describe how
wonderfully breathtaking this room truly was, and if they could, it would
take several hundred pages. Just imagine a room that, alone, was built to
entertain thousands of honored guests, but now, was entertaining a ceremony
that is meant to be the pinnacle of utter contentment. Truly wondrous.

     Everybody sat in the room awaiting the event to start. It was fairly
cool in the room, due to the snow outside, so nobody was
complaining. Everybody in the room was a commoner, the minor royalty still
feeling spite for the young princes. Besides them, the room was filled with
several servants making last minute adjustments to the rooms decorations,
and a band composed entirely of bagpipes and drums, which stood off to the
side. Despite being a custom that only the very old had heard of, the room
still managed to look similar to the pictures of weddings in the history
books. Most were still unsure what a 'wedding' was, exactly, and had showed
up simply because the proclamation had deemed it an extremely important
royal event.

     The last carriage had only just dropped off its passengers, so nobody
except the very first people to arrive, had been waiting for longer than
half an hour. The mood was generally very happy. The castle looked festive
and it was a fairly nice day outside, so people were in a pretty good
mood. Everybody seemed to be dressed in their finest clothing, which
consisted of an only semi-soiled vests, cotton breeches, and spit-shined
leather boots. Several of the lesser class could not manage more than a
simple T-shirt and jeans, and one farmer wore a nice blazer, but grimy work
boots. At least they tried, though.

     The room was filled with much noise as people chatted amongst
themselves. The topic was, of course, what a 'wedding' was, exactly and,
second on the list, was what kind of food and drink would be served
afterwards. The majority of the people had been present for the Choosing
and knew Shawn, but not Bryan. The most interesting of the guests to watch,
were the teenagers between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. The majority
of them had been dragged to the wedding because their fathers and were apt
to muttering, under their breath, "When is this damn thing gonna begin?! I
wanna go home, already!"

     To this, their fathers would loudly shush them and say, "Stop your
complaining! Make sure to let any Royals present see how nicely you look
and act! Maybe they'll grant us some sort of favor!"

     A lot of men and boys were also extremely jealous. If they knew
anything about what a 'wedding' was, they knew that it had to do with
love. Since most of the kingdom's men were attracted to Prince Shawn,
everybody hated having the fact that he was about to declare his undying
love to another boy, rubbed in their faces.

     Then, there were the gifts. As the person entered the palace, he would
pass the gift that he had brought, on to Jasper, the Domestic
Consultant. The gifts ranged from something that the prince's would
genuinely enjoy, all the way down to something that prince's would have
absolutely no use for. In the last category, the obvious stupid gift was
money. What possible use would a Prince have for money? He could walk in to
any store on the entire island, show his ring, and they'd unload their
entire inventory on him, if he asked for it. Still, some of presents, like
books, bath oils, and weapons, seemed like things that the young Princes
would enjoy playing with.

     The room grew silent as the drummers began a quick staccato rhythm,
signaling the ceremony was about to begin. All women quickly scurried from
the room. After all sounds of conversation amongst the guests had ceased,
Colonel Tiberius Lance, head of the Royal Guards, and Prince Mike entered
the room. Lance was clad in shining chain mail, obviously freshly
polished. The headpiece was removed, so everybody had a clear view of
Colonel Lance's manicured mustache, thick eyebrows and warm, but stern,
green eyes. Mike was dressed in a white silk shirt and gray corduroys. They
briskly walked through the aisle separating the two sections of seats,
nodding occasionally to the people, as they passed them. Reaching the heart
of the room, they stood in front of the fountain, beside a small step that
led up to a podium, turned around to face the crowd, and Lance announced,
"All, please rise for the Royal Advisors!"

     The sound of, probably, three-hundred thousand people getting to their
feet was suddenly drowned out as the drums beat furiously and they and the
bagpipes began to play, "Mull of Kintyre"

     Over the echoing music, Colonel Lance shouted, "Gentlemen...Thomas
McDowell Frost, First Advisor of Whiteshadow Isle, Former Defender of our
Holy Lands, Keeper of the Kingdom Trust, and Vizier to the Royal Family!
Accompanying him, are Jasper, Keeper of Domestic Trust, Calvin, Keeper of
Foreign Trust, Fargo, Keeper of Kingdom Wealth, and Wesley, Holder of
Kingdom Maps."

     Vizier Frost made his way down the aisle followed by his advisors, all
clad in purple blazers and breeches, bright blue silk shirts, and polished
leather boots. His face bore a slight smile as people nodded their heads as
they passed.

     When they all reached the front of the room, the advisors took their
seats on thrones by the curtain, and Frost stood behind the podium. Colonel
Lance stepped up the step and walked over to stand in front of the
fountain. The music slowly trailed off and Vizier Frost cleared his throat
and said, "Loyal citizens, honored guests, and distinguished members of the
Holy Lands...Welcome to the first ever Royal Wedding!"

     There was a smattering of applause that quickly quieted down as Frost
raised his hand.  Once all noise had ceased once again, he continued, "As
most of you are unfamiliar with what a wedding is, exactly, I wish to
inform you at this time. A wedding is a ceremony that was performed back in
the Old Times, when two people, usually a male and a female, wished to
express their devoted love for each other by legal or religious
means. Thus, they would go before a minister or a Justice Of The Peace, and
sign a contract stating that they were to be bound to one another
forever. The ceremony that followed was a joyous one, filled with happiness
and music, food and dance, singing and merriment. Now, as the years have
gone by, women and men have grown apart and such traditions have mostly
been lost in the archives of history. A month previously, Prince Shawn
studied said archives, and decided that he desired a wedding. After initial
controversy on our part, we granted his request. Furthermore, from this day
forth, others may have wedding that will be blessed by the Royals and
considered as legally binding as it was in the old times. You people are
here today, to witness the joining of two young boys who have decided that,
in order to make their eventual ascension to the throne more binding, they
desire a legal contract that states that they shall never be untrue to the
other."

     Frost looked around the room and observed the reaction of the
crowd. There didn't appear to be much change. He cleared his throat and
looked out at the sea of people as he announced, "And now, would everybody
please get to your knees and acknowledge the entrance of your rulers..."

     With that, the drums began beating again and they and the bagpipes
began a playing of, "74th Farewell to Gibraltar"

     Yelling over the music, Colonel Lance shouted, "Gentlemen...Your
sovereigns...King Lucas Glazerman and King Brett Silverberg! Rulers of
Upper and Lower Whiteshadow Isle, Defenders of the Public Trust, Keepers of
the Peace, Conquerors of the Females."

     Everybody who was old enough to know what was going on, fell to one
knee and bowed their heads as Luke and Brett entered the room. The rest of
the small children either sat on the chairs, watching their fathers and
brothers, or stared at the two kings as they entered.

     Both kings were dressed in pure white shirts and dress pants, knee
high black leather boots, and long black capes with the emblem of
Whiteshadow Isle. Brett had cut his hair, so the red strands only hung down
to the middle of his neck and around his head, making him look much
nobler. Luke had grown a small mustache and beard and dyed both them and
his hair to get rid of any gray. The now jet-black mustache and beard
combined with the black bangs that hung slightly in his eyes, made his face
look sinister and somewhat evil. Both kings wore small white crowns,
decorated with pearls and diamonds, that they both only wore for the most
special occasions. They slowly walked down the aisle, both smiling at the
thousands of people who kneeled in their honor.  Despite the many
ceremonies they'd both hosted, they never really got tired of the lengths
people would go to show their respect. As they passed one peasant, he look
up briefly, reached into his pocket and pulled out a white rose, handing it
to Luke. Luke took the rose and nodded his head in thanks to the
man. Placing the rose under his belt, he and Brett continued walking until
they reached the center of the room and turned to face the crowd.

     The music quieted down as Luke raised his hand. When the noise of the
music ceased, Luke smiled through his new facial hair and said, "All of you
may be seated."

     The crowd slowly got up from their bow and sat back on their
chairs. This took several minutes and Luke waited patiently until all the
noise ceased, then cleared his throat and began, "Citizens of Whiteshadow
Isle...Welcome to our celebration. No doubt, Vizier Frost has already
explained to you what a wedding is supposed to be like. On this day, the
twenty-ninth day of Mercury's Rest, Prince Shawn and Prince Bryan are to be
married. To bear witness to this event, I've invited all the living members
of both of their families. This include...<Luke cleared his throat and
hesitated for a few seconds>...their mother..."

     Luke was cut off by a loud murmuring from the assembled crowd as they
spoke amongst themselves about this strange turn of events.

     Luke raised his hand and yelled, "Quiet!" several times before the
noise settled down. He then continued, "I'm aware at the traditions that
are being broken by inviting a woman into a royal ceremony, but, as King of
Whiteshadow Isle, I so decree that on this day, for this ceremony, not one,
but four women shall be present!"

     There was another murmur, and Brett leaned over beside Luke and
whispered, "Who are the other three women?"

     Luke smiled and responded, "Your daughters and mine."

     Brett pulled back and stared at Luke, "You didn't!" he exclaimed.

     Luke put his hand on Brett's shoulder, "My love, I do it for Shawn and
for Bryan. They have a right to know their family!"

     "Their mother, I allow, but the girls are...Well, they might be in the
army, for all we know!" Brett retorted.

     Luke pointed his finger in Brett's face and snapped, "You be nice,
Brett! You know as well as I that our daughters are in no such army! They
live with their mother at the temple and sing in the choir."

     Brett's face showed that he knew he wasn't going to win this argument,
yet he retorted half-heartedly, "I refuse to acknowledge them as children
of mine!"

     Luke waved his finger in Brett's face, "You will have to! For your
son's sake, Brett! Don't make me evict you!"

     Brett opened his mouth to complain, but slowly shut it and simply
nodded.

     With that argument done, Luke turned to the crowd, who had quieted
down upon seeing the quarrel between the kings, and laughed, "Simple
difference of opinion! You see, even your king can, sometimes, share an
opinion with the rest of you. As strange as this may be, I want you to
accept it as if it were normal. These four females mean us no harm and will
never mean us any harm. Accept them today...Or answer to me tomorrow!"

     He stepped back and motioned with his head for Brett to take
over. Brett sneered at him and cleared his throat and, turning to the band,
said, "Three Waltzes, please."

     The band leader nodded and, turning towards the band, started the
drums and broke into the opening chords of "Skye Boat Song".

     Over the music, Brett announced, "Gentlemen...Margaret Scott, Mother
of Prince Shawn Glazerman and Prince Bryan Silverberg, and Head of the
Scott Temple. Accompanying her, are...<Brett hesitated and than
sighed>...Rebecca Glazerman, and Anastasia and Sarah Silverberg."

     The whole crowd stared at the entranceway, as Margaret and her three
daughters made their way down the aisle. Margaret was dressed in a long,
flowing, pale blue priestess's robe, and white boots. Her daughters were
all dressed in pink, sleeveless summer dresses and running shoes.

     Margaret was a striking woman, with pale, white skin and dark, brown
eyes. Her most distinguished feature, was her long black hair. It seemed
totally out of place on a person of such pale skin, but it was long, thick
and identical to her son's, as Luke had mentioned. Her robes marked her as
a Head Priestess, but it could not have been a better match for someone of
her beauty. The pale blue matched her pale skin perfectly. Everything she
wore seemed to bring out how lovely she truly was.

     All three daughters were also fairly lovely. Rebecca, who had just
turned sixteen, was the oldest of them. She had long, thin black hair that
framed her pixie like face, with big brown eyes, an adorable turned-up nose
and a blushing smile. A splash of freckles across her nose brought out how
sweet looking she was, even more. Her dress clung to her chest, with two
small, half-grapefruit sized, lumps in the front that marked the beginnings
of her breasts. Her two sisters were identical twins. Both Anastasia and
Sarah were nearly fifteen-years-old, and had long brown hair like their
brother, and big brown eyes. They both blushed and giggled with attention
they were receiving.

     Of course, nobody noticed the beauty of these four, as they made their
way down the aisle, because everybody was too busy commenting on the sheer
audacity of having females in a royal ceremony.

     Margaret and her three daughter walked up to the center of the room,
dropped to one knee and bowed their heads before Luke and Brett. Luke shook
his head and reached down, saying, "No...Please don't."

     Margaret slowly took Luke's hand and got to her feet, her daughters
followed. Rebecca looked up at Luke and smiled, "Father...I mean, Your
Majesty."

     Luke smiled too and shook his said, then said, "No, for this ceremony,
'Father' is fine.  Rebecca...God, how you've grown...So like your
mother..."

     Margaret smiled at Luke and said, "Lucas...It's good to see once
more. You too, Brett."

     Luke smiled, but Brett simply nodded.

     Luke reached towards Margaret and said, "Please...Let all four of you
stand beside us."

     Margaret and her daughters stepped up to stand on the platform beside
the kings and Vizier Frost. Margaret and Rebecca stood beside Luke, while
Anastasia and Sarah stood beside Brett. Sarah looked up at Brett and said,
"You're my dad?"

     Brett looked down at the sweet girl and, after several seconds, he
smiled slightly and nodded. Sarah smiled and turned to her sister, who
giggled upon looking at Brett.

     Colonel Lance took a few steps forward from his post at the edge of
the fountain, and proclaimed, "Now, please rise for the entrance of the
princes!"

     Everybody in the room rose to their feet and Margaret stepped closer
to Luke in order to get a good view.

     The band struck up with a loud rendition of "The Gaelic March"

     Colonel Lance announced over the music, "Gentlemen...and Ladies,
Prince Bryan Silverberg, Heir to the throne of Whiteshadow Isle, Commoner
Prince Of Whiteshadow, Chosen of the Royal Prince."

     Bryan slowly entered. His long brown hair was cut to shoulder length
and tied back in a short ponytail with a white velvet ribbon. He wore a
white tuxedo jacket and pants with a dark blue puffy shirt and black dress
shoes. The neck of the shirt was simply kept open, with no tie or bow
binding it. His tanned face was soft with moisturizing lotion, his red lips
were accentuated with gloss, and his cheeks were reddened with both
artificial blush, as well as a natural blush. One that came over his face
as he saw everybody looking at him as he made his way down the aisle. He
moved somewhat stiffly, as the jacket was a size too small and constricted
his body. The crowd looked at him as he walked down the aisle. They had
never heard of Prince Bryan before, but, upon seeing him, were taken by his
beauty. Whiteshadow Isle was known for the attractiveness of their young
boys, after all.

     As he approached the center of the room, he smiled as he saw the woman
who must be his mother, and three young girls. He stood directly in front
of the podium where Vizier Frost stood.  Margaret smiled down at Bryan and
said, "Hello, Bryan."

     Bryan giggled and replied, "Hi...Mom."

     Anastasia and Sarah stepped forward and waved at Bryan. Bryan looked
up inquisitively at his father, who smiled slightly and said, "Bryan, these
two young girls are Anastasia and Sarah, your sisters."

     Bryan reached out his hands and each girl took one. He squeezed them
gently and then quickly pulled his hands away and slapped the hands of the
twins. Both girls giggled. Luke smiled down at Bryan, "There'll be plenty
of time to play with your sisters afterwards."

     Bryan nodded and winked at the girls, who just smiled back and
giggled. Luke looked at Brett, who just shrugged and shook his head.

     The music slowly changed into "When The Battle's O'er" and Colonel
Lance proclaimed, "Gentlemen and Ladies...Prince Shawn Glazerman, Heir to
the throne of Whiteshadow Isle, Royal Prince of Whiteshadow, Descendant of
the First King."

     The crowd all stared with anticipation at the entranceway as Prince
Shawn made his way slowly down the aisle.

     Shawn wore a black tuxedo jacket and pants, with an orange puffy
shirt, and white dress shoes. His long black hair was totally uncut, and
was tied back in a long ponytail. His pink lips shone with the same gloss
that Bryan's did, his cheeks were also accentuated by blush and softened by
lotion, and his face had a large smile as he made his way down the
aisle. He walked with shy embarrassment, proud of how the people liked him,
but still not used to knowing that thousands of people dreamed about having
sex with him.

     The assembled crowd could not take their eyes off the beautiful
prince, as he slowly walked down the aisle. A boy of about eighteen smiled
and winked at Shawn as he walked past him, and Shawn smiled back and waved
slightly, blushing and quickening his pace.

     Shawn finally reached the center of the room and the music slowly
quieted down. Shawn's eyes immediately fell to his mother and he smiled and
extended his hand up to her. She gently took it and kissed the back of his
palm lightly, than squeezed it gently.

     "It's good to finally meet you, mother." Shawn said.

     Margaret let go of Shawn's hand and seemed close to tears as she look
at his smiling face, "Shawn, as I stand here, I can hardly believe that two
boys as gorgeous as you and Bryan are actually my sons."

     Shawn turned to the girl standing next to her and said, "You must my
sister...What is your name?"

     Rebecca blushed fiercely under Shawn's gaze and stammered,
"R...R...R..."

     Margaret helped and said, giggling, "Her name is Rebecca, but
apparently she's having a bit of trouble speaking today."

     Rebecca elbowed her mother and giggled in embarrassment, "Mother!
I...I mean, yes...My name is Rebecca, but people in the Temples call me
Becky. You...You must be Shawn."

     Shawn nodded, "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be standing here getting
married. It's very nice to meet you...Becky."

     Rebecca giggled again and, her whole body red with embarrassment,
stepped back next to her mother.

     Shawn and Bryan than turned to face each other. After almost a month
of being apart, they could notice little change about the other. Bryan's
hair was slightly shorter than Shawn remembered it and he looked a bit more
muscular. Shawn's skin was a bit paler and he seemed to be slightly
thinner. Both their casts had been removed four days previously, but
otherwise, not much had changed.

     "Shall we?" Shawn said, with a half-smile.

     Bryan nodded, "Yes...Lets."

     They both walked towards the podium and looked up at Vizier
Frost. Frost nodded and cleared his throat,

     "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here on this morning to witness the
eternal union between Prince Shawn Glazerman and Prince Bryan
Silverberg. This union is sanctioned by the crown of Whiteshadow Isle, and
blessed thusly. As both Princes know more about this ceremony than I do,
they have volunteered to exchange their own vows."

     Shawn turned to face Bryan. He gently reached forward and took one of
Bryan's hands in his own. Bryan smiled and blushed and Shawn did the
same. Shawn cleared his throat, looked into Bryan's eyes and began,

     "My dear Bryan, love of my life, passion of my soul, reason of my
continued existence.  Since the first moment I set my eyes upon yours, I
knew I wanted to be your friend. As I grew up, I enjoyed many times where I
would lie awake at night and think of you. Eventually, there came a time
when I knew what the feelings I felt for you were...It was love. Soon
after, you disappeared and I was entertained with other matters. I almost
forgot about you, but something inside me wouldn't let that
happen. Somewhere, deep in my mind's eye, I saw you in every boy I ever
gazed upon, or for who had feelings. I underwent the traditional Choosing
and chose my mate, as unorthodox as it was. Life went on as normal, until
that faithful day when, encrusted in dirt and grime, you stood before me
again. It didn't take longer than a few minutes of coaxing, before my
passion for you was ignited anew. From the moment I heard you utter
'Shawnie' to me once more, I knew that I never again wanted to be away from
you. Soon after, we suffered a mutual heartache with the passing away of
Carter, my original Chosen. When I was sad, I had you to share my grief.
When I wanted to cry, I had your shoulder on which to weep. Together, we
gained strength from each others pain and slowly got over the worst parts
of it. As I look to the future, I can't imagine it without you by my
side. I want to share my grief, my joy, my love and, finally, my life with
you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I own and I swear to stand
by you through sickness, war, hunger and death. No matter how difficult the
future may be, I know that it will be less difficult, if I have you to go
through it with. I love you more today than I did yesterday and my love for
you will keep growing as the days go by, without ever waning. Today, in
front of thousands of Whiteshadow Isle's citizens, our parents, and our
siblings, I pledge my undying love for you and only you. Now and forever,
please say you'll be mine."

     As he said this, he squeezed Bryan's hand affectionately. As he
completed, he let go of his hand and stepped back. Several of the guests
were opening crying at this display of affection and even Vizier Frost had
a tear running down his cheek.

     Bryan looked close to tears himself, but swallowed them back and
smiled, saying, "I will, Shawnie. I promise."

     Then, he took Shawn's hand, looked into his eyes and began his vow,

     "Dear Shawnie, the love I feel for you, is brighter than the sun,
stronger than a hurricane, and as endless as the sky. As a young boy, I
knew you and liked you. You were my only friend, though I was forbidden
from seeing you. We sneaked around the palace, playing childish games and
preventing our fathers from seeing us. As we got older, our bodies began to
change and we soon discovered that our relationship was much deeper than
simple friendship. We experienced our first kiss, our first caress
and...well, we experienced a lot more firsts, all with each other. They say
that forbidden fruits are always the sweetest...Well, as fun as it was to
sneak around, I longed for the day when I could announce to everybody that
I was completely taken by you, my love. I would sit in the stables and
think of you. I would fall asleep and dream of you. Every single boy I ever
saw, I compared to you. There was, of course, no comparison. When I was
stolen away by the women and all hope seemed lost, my greatest fear was,
not for myself, but that I may never get to gaze upon your face again. The
tears I shed were all for you. I escaped and found a new hope amongst those
that had no home. I very nearly forgot about you, but somewhere in the back
of my mind, I knew that one day, we'd be together...somehow. The day that I
opened the door and saw you and Carter standing there, was the greatest day
of my life. I had to keep myself from crying, just so I wouldn't scare you
away. Shawnie, you're a great friend, a passionate lover, and a beautiful
person. With every single day, you become more great a friend, more
passionate a lover, and more beautiful a person. I love you more than mere
words can say and mere actions can demonstrate. If there's one thing I
learned, all those years when I was alone, it was that truly great things
don't happen very often, but when they do, it's in your best interest to
make sure they keep happening as often as possible. I want to wake up
tomorrow, the next day, the next month, in 20 years, in 40 years, and every
single day of every single month of every single year for the rest of my
life, and I still want to open my eyes and see you lying beside me. I will
be with you forever, Shawnie, because I lost you once, and I swear that
I'll never lose you again. Please, say that you'll be with me forever..."

     Bryan squeezed Shawn's hand and his words of love flowed out of him,
like music to Shawn's ears. When Bryan was finished, he gently let go of
Shawn's hand and awaited his response.

     Shawn wiped a tear from his eye, sniffled and said, "Forever isn't
nearly long enough, my sweet angel of a half-brother."

     Frost smiled, then announced, "I'll take that as a yes. Okay, the
Princes have pledged their love for each other. Now, who will give away
Prince Bryan?"

     Brett stepped forward and said, "I, King Brett Silverberg, father of
Prince Bryan, do gladly sanction my son's choice and allow him to give his
hand in marriage."

     Frost nodded, "Very well. And, who will give away Prince Shawn?"

     Taking his cue, Luke stepped forward and said, "I, King Lucas
Glazerman, father of Prince Shawn, accept my son's choice and allow him to
give his hand in marriage."

     Frost nodded again and said, "Fine. Now, if there is any man in this
room that believes that these two boys should not be joined in the bonds of
the marriage, let him speak now or forever hold his peace!"

     It was indubitable that there were, in fact, many people in this room
that didn't want this wedding taking place. Almost every father who had a
son. However, they knew better and kept their mouths shut.

     After a few token seconds, Frost said, "Okay, then can we have the
rings please?"

     Mike stepped forward and reached in to his pocket, pulling out two
identical gold rings. He stepped in between Shawn and Bryan and held his
hand out with the two rings. Each boy took one.

     Frost than turned to Shawn and said, "Please place the ring on Prince
Bryan's finger."

     Bryan held out his hand and Shawn gently took it and placed the ring
on Bryan's ring finger, his Prince's ring having been moved over to his
middle finger.

     Frost nodded and said, "Now repeat after me: With this ring, I thee
wed."

     Shawn smiled at Bryan and repeated, "With this ring, I thee wed."

     Frost continued, "I, Shawn, pledge to stand by you, Bryan, in sickness
and in health, for good and for bad, till death do us part."

     Shawn nodded at Frost and then turned once again to Bryan and
repeated, "I, Shawn, pledge to stand by you, Bryan, in sickness and in
health, for good and for bad, till death do us part."

     Bryan smiled back, his eyes staring affectionately at Shawn, as Shawn
released his hand.

     Frost than turned to Bryan and said, "Now Prince Bryan, place the ring
on Prince Shawn's finger."

     Shawn held out his hand and Bryan took it and placed the gold band on
Shawn's slender ring finger.

     Frost nodded and said, Now repeat after me: With this ring, I thee
wed."

     Bryan fought back his giggle of happiness and said, "With this ring, I
thee wed."

     Frost nodded and continued, "I, Bryan, pledge to stand by you, Shawn,
in sickness and in health, for good and for bad, till death do us part."

     Bryan never took his eyes off Shawn as he listened and than repeated,
"I, Bryan, pledge to stand by you, Shawn, in sickness and in health, for
good and for bad, till death do us part."

     Bryan than released his hand and bit his lower lip to contain his
giggle.

     Frost straightened up, smiling, announced, "Very well, I now pronounce
you husbands eternally bound in wedlock. You may now seal this pact with a
kiss."

     Two weeks of absence exploded from them as they rushed forward and
locked lips tightly, their arms holding each other in a passionate
embrace. Their tongues remained in their own mouths, for the sake of the
ceremony, but just being close again was enough.

     The crowd got to their feet and erupted in loud applause, causing the
room to roar with noise. Mike smiled at the kissing half-brothers and, with
a small pang of jealousy, walked over to stand beside Colonel Lance. Lance
smiled down at the young boy and stroked his hair with his gauntlet. Brett
and Luke both hugged, caught up in the moment of the ceremony, and Margaret
simply stood there, crying in happiness and holding Sarah and Anastasia
against her.

     Rebecca stared at her younger brother Shawn, in the arms of another
boy, and blushed fiercely. She'd never felt this way about another boy
before! True, this was her brother, but she never even knew of him until a
few days ago. She couldn't understand why she felt the way she did. She was
sixteen, for God sakes, and was training to be a High Priestess, and here
she was staring with longing at her own brother and wishing that it was her
lips that he was kissing instead of Bryan's. "Shut up, Becky!" she said to
herself, "What the heck is wrong with you?!"

     Shawn and Bryan finally stopped kissing and, over the roar of the
lasting applause and noise, they turned to their fathers and said, "Can we
go to the party now?"

     Luke nodded and, smiling at Margaret, stepped off the podium and
raised his hands. After about five minutes, the crowds shushed enough for
Luke to announce, "You are all invited to a party to be held right now! If
all of you who would like to attend this function, could please follow the
guards by the door down the hallway and in to our banquet hall, we can
begin the festivities!"

     Noise filled the room again, as thousands of people stood up and began
to walk out of the room, on their way to the party. Sarah, Anastasia,
Bryan, Rebecca and Shawn all followed behind their fathers and their mother
as they slowly walked out of the room.

     It was a very eventful day, and they could all tell that the night
would be very long and very loud. Still...love was in the air and it
existed in so many forms.

     Rebecca smiled shyly at Shawn as she walked beside him and Shawn
smiled back, blushing. They could both feel something between
them...however, they weren't quite sure what...

     Chaos. That was the only possible word for the party that followed the
wedding. Of the thousands of people that came to the ceremony, most had
left afterwards, unable to bear seeing their beloved prince walking around
with another boy, any further. There was still over a hundred people who
had stayed for the free food, good music and dancing, and royal
surroundings, so the main banquet hall was pretty packed.

     Observing all this, from the far table in a corner of the room away
from most of the crowds, was Shawn. Glass of wine in hand, he shook his
head at the gathered crowds, as they pranced around to the lively music
played by the fiddlers of the band.

     "What asses..." he thought to himself, "Decked up to the nines, they
prance around, with no thought at all to the reason they're here! The whole
declaration of love thing was, to them, just an hour and a half that kept
them from spending the night eating what we eat and being where we
live. They've learned no compassion! They've learned no morals! They're
still the same peasants, apathetic to the Crown, as they were before they
walked in the gates!"

     He sipped the last of the crimson liquid from the goblet, and refilled
it from the bottle on the table. He spotted Bryan hiding over by a pillar
at the east end of the room. A second later, one of the twins, Anastasia it
looked like, ran up and slapped him and he broke off after her, laughing
and yipping, with his long hair swaying back and forth.

     After arriving in the room, the band had began playing and, as was
expected, Bryan and Shawn shared the first slow-dance of the evening. It
didn't take long before both of them realized that they couldn't dance very
well, but for the sake of the people watching, they continued on, tripping
and stumbling every few seconds. After they finished, Shawn had been asked
to dance by several peasant boys, but had refused and parked himself over
at the table which he had been sitting at for the past two hours, draining
a huge bottle of strong Whiteshadow wine, and getting more and more
plastered. Bryan, ever the outgoing one, accepted a few peasant boys'
request for a dance and than went off, spotted his sisters, and began
playing childish games of "Tag" and "Hide And Go Seek" with them.

     Shawn smiled drunkenly as Bryan, running while looking in another
direction, knocked over a man holding a plate of food. The food spilled all
over the floor and the man began yelling until he saw Bryan, then shut up
quickly, bowed hastily and ran off.

     Shawn reached up, pulled the ribbon from his hair, then shook his hair
about until it all cascaded down his back and around his ears
again. Sighing, he clutched his and Bryan's jacket in his lap with one
hand, and took another sip from the goblet in his other hand. He knew he
was being a wet blanket at his own party, but he felt very shy around so
many people who, obvious at this point, were never going to get what he
hoped this ceremony would teach them. Nobody had even wished him
congratulations! The applause at the end of the wedding was probably
because they were glad they could leave!

     He felt the table shift and he turned around to see his sister,
Rebecca, now sitting across from him.

     She smiled at Shawn and, blushing, said, simply, "Hey."

     Shawn offered a weak smile and said, slightly slurred, "Hey yourself."

     She giggled, "Are you drunk?"

     He nodded slightly and said, "What else is there to do at this party?"

     She cocked her head and got a look of inquiry, "Not having fun?"

     Shawn shrugged and said, "The people don't seem to care whether or not
I have fun."

     "Well, what do you want from them?" Rebecca replied, "They just sat
through a ceremony for someone who they don't like and someone who they
don't know. They didn't come here for you, Shawn; They came here because
they like being in the palace."

     Shawn sighed and shook his head, "I don't know why they don't like me,
though. What have I ever done to them?"

     "It's not what you *have* done *to* them...It's what you *haven't*
done *for* them.  These people are looking for a quick answer to life and
they feel jealous that so much is given to one such as you and that so
little is given to people such as them."

     Shawn shrugged, "I never asked to be a prince. It's not my fault that
I grew up the way I did! I don't understand why these people can hate me
for what I have no control over!"

     Rebecca moved her chair over next to Shawn and put her hand on his
shoulder and said, "Shawn, the people don't hate you. Have you seen the way
they look at you? They all wish their sons could be in *Bryan's* position!
The people are just jealous of you and they show it by acting cold towards
you. Also, you should never second-guess your birthright. You're a prince
and you should be proud to be a prince!"

     Shawn shrugged again, "You're just a girl...What do you know about
birthrights and royalty?"

     Rebecca smiled and squeezed Shawn's shoulder under her remaining grip,
"Shawn, girls are not the beasts you were taught to believe we were. You
saw this to be true, because you were the one who invited me and my
half-sisters. Somewhere, deep within your brainwashed mind, you love me as
your sister, as I love you as my brother."

     Shawn looked up and shook his head, then slurred, "If I knew you were
going to be so logical, I probably wouldn't have invited you!"

     Rebecca smiled and took her hand off his shoulder, "Of course, you're
not about to ask me to go, are you? 'The love that follows us sometime is
our trouble, which we still thank as love.  Herein I teach you how you
shall bid God yield for your pains, and thank us for your trouble.' "

     Shawn's eyes lit up and he smiled, this time with genuine emotion,
"That's from Macbeth! I thought the only books that were *that* old, were
in the palace!"

     Rebecca laughed, "We manage to have a few in the temple and I read
them sometimes."

     Shawn laughed, "You can read?! I thought all females were illiterate!"

     Rebecca giggled, "Hardly! If they are, it's because you men deprive us
of that skill by not allowing us to learn it. There are actually very few
men and almost no young boys who care enough about the arts to actually
read Shakespeare. You probably surprised me more than I surprised you, by
actually knowing where that quote came from! However, do you know who said
it and to whom?"

     Shawn sat back and thought of a few seconds, then smugly crossed his
arms across his chest and said, "King Duncan to Lady Macbeth."

     "What act?" Rebecca retorted

     "First!"

     "Okay...ummm...What scene?"

     "Seventh...Wait! No! Sixth!"

     Rebecca crossed her arms across her chest, "Which one, little
brother?"

     Shawn thought for a second and said, "Sixth."

     Rebecca nodded, "Very good."

     Shawn smiled smugly and than uncrossed his arms and said, "Okay,
Becky, now can you tell me what Duncan meant when he said that?"

     Rebecca nodded, "Of course! Duncan was saying that, while he knew Lady
Macbeth was trouble, he still respected her and what she had to say."

     Shawn nodded, "You're pretty smart...for a girl."

     Rebecca smiled, "You're pretty well-read...for a boy."

     They sat in silence, unsure of what else there was to say. Shawn
blushed and said, finally, "Ummm...I like your hair. I wish mine was that
long."

     Rebecca smiled and said, blushing, "Thanks. I like yours too. I wish I
had thick hair like yours. Mine's long, but it's very thin."

     Shawn smiled and blushed. He looked down at the ground and giggled in
embarrassment, then began, "Ummm...Can I..." and trailed off.

     Rebecca looked down, trying to meet his gaze, "Can you what?"

     Shawn slowly looked up and said, "Ummm...Can I...like...kiss you?"

     Rebecca smiled hugely and giggled, "Ummm...well...Aren't you, like,
married now or something. Besides, I think it's forbidden for males and
females to do stuff like that with each other."

     Shawn shrugged, his ears bright red beneath his hair, "I dunno, I've
just been reading a lot about girls and stuff lately, and was always kinda
wondering what it would feel like to kiss a girl."

     Rebecca smiled, "Anything else you're curious about doing with a girl,
little brother?"

     Shawn's blush deepened and he shook his head, "Ummm...no....I
mean...no, a kiss is all I'm curious about."

     She smiled, "Okay..."

     They slowly leaned towards each other and kissed. Shawn's eyes were
closed and their noses blew hot gusts of air against the others' face. Her
lips were softer than Bryan's, the way she kissed was different too
somehow. Shawn could feel her small breasts pressing again his chest as
they kissed, making the feeling even stranger. Shawn wondered what it would
be like to tongue kiss a girl, so he opened his mouth and slowly slipped
his tongue inside her mouth. He heard her giggle and her tongue quickly
entered his mouth. Their tongue swirled around and Shawn giggled too as
their tongues began to playfully tag each other in between their
mouths. Suddenly, he felt something on his leg and his eyes gazed down and
he saw her hand slowly touch his crotch. In shock, he broke the kiss and
tried to move back and ended up tripping over his chair and, reaching to
grab something for support, he pulled the bottle of wine off the table and
it broke, with a loud smash, on the floor.

     The music stopped and everybody turned to face him and Rebecca. Shawn
slowly got up and waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry...I just fell out of
my chair."

     Hearing that, the music started up again and the people carried on as
if nothing had happened, while two serving wenches ran over to clean up the
mess. Shawn and Rebecca quickly walked away from the table. "I'm so
sorry..." Rebecca whispered.

     Shawn shook his head, "No...don't worry about it."

     Rebecca looked at the floor, "It's just that, usually, when two people
kiss with their tongues, it means..."

     Shawn shook his head and cut her off, "Ya, ya, I know...I know, it's
my fault...I wanted to see what it was like with a girl."

     Rebecca looked up and shrugged, "So, you're totally gay?"

     Shawn nodded.

     "Are all guys totally gay?"

     Shawn shook his head, "I've figured out that guys are just so used to
hating girls and having sex with other guys, it's just what they do out of
there being no other alternative, even though most guys are straight. I'm
not like that, though; I was born gay and I've always only liked other
guys."

     Rebecca smiled, "Bryan too?"

     Shawn shrugged, "I think so."

     Rebecca shrugged, "I'm not."

     Shawn smiled, "I figured as much."

     They reached the door of the palace and slowly walked outside into the
garden.

     Shawn took a deep breath of the cold air and let it out in a cloud of
condensation, and said, "Come with me...I wanna show you something."

     Rebecca shivered, "But, it's freezing out here!"

     Shawn realized he was still holding the two jackets, and he put his
own on and then said, "Turn around."

     She did and he draped Bryan's jacket across her shoulders. She turned
back around and smiled.

     Together, they trudged through the thin layer of snow on the ground
until they reached the center. The fountain had been shut off before it got
too cold, but the water that was in it had frozen to become a thick layer
of ice. The trees and ground surrounding them were covered in snow that
glittered in the sunlight.

     Shawn smiled at her as she gazed with awe around the garden, "Isn't it
beautiful? It's like everything is covered in millions of tiny diamonds."

     She looked at Shawn and smiled and he put his arm around her and held
her close. She put her head on his shoulder and hugged him, "It's gorgeous,
Shawn. Simply wonderful."

     Shawn nodded and said, "I proposed to Bryan right over by the
fountain."

     "You really love Bryan, don't you?"

     Shawn nodded, "More than anything in the entire world."

     Rebecca sighed and said, "I wish I could find someone who I love in
the same way."

     Shawn squeezed her shoulder in affection, "You will, don't worry."

     Rebecca lifted her head up and detached herself from Shawn, "How,
though? I'm not like you...I can't just another girl and fall in love with
her. I like other guys and, unless the world becomes different, I feel that
I'll be alone for the rest of my life."

     Shawn shrugged, "Well then, we'll have to change the way the world
thinks, won't we?"

     Rebecca laughed, "High hopes, little brother. We women made the choice
to no longer associate with men. It was our decision and nothing will ever
make things the way they were again.  This world fits the way you are
perfectly. The other world didn't. Why would you want the world any
different? You have happiness!"

     Shawn's features got emotionless and he spoke in a very serious voice
as he said, "Becky, my entire life, I've been told about tradition and
rules. I've been taught to hate women and only use them to have children
for the male gender. I have been taught things that, I know now, were all
lies! I was taught that I was male and much be proud to be male! I am
Shawn...I am not simply a gender! You are Rebecca and you are not simply a
gender either! *I* didn't choose to forbid men and women from associating
and *you* didn't start this war! I am who I am and you are who you are! The
oppression of the gays was as irrational in the old times as the oppression
of the straights are in this time! This thing has got to end! People should
be allowed to love whoever they want!"

     Rebecca smiled, "You have a good heart, Shawn, and good intentions,
but it'll take more than that to change the world."

     Shawn nodded, "I have more than that...I have the power of the Crown!"

     "You aren't king yet, little brother."

     Shawn was about to respond, when suddenly, Bryan raced around the
bushes and crouched down, hiding.

     Shawn smiled at Rebecca and than walked over to Bryan.

     "Bryan, we need to talk."

     Bryan waved his hand at Shawn, "Not now, Shawnie! I'm hiding!"

     Shawn reached down and grabbed Bryan's hair and pulled him up. "Hey!
What the hell are you doing?!" Bryan yelled.

     "We need to talk *now*, Bryan!"

     Within seconds, Sarah and Anastasia raced towards them, yelling, "We
found you! We found you!"

     When they reached them, Sarah slapped Bryan's arm and said, "Okay, now
your turn!"

     Shawn shook his head, "Please stay here, girls. We all need to talk."

     Anastasia got a questioning look and said, "About what?"

     Shawn turned to Bryan and said, "Bryan, do you like your sisters?"

     Bryan shrugged, "Sure! They're pretty cool, for girls."

     Shawn nodded, "That's what I wanted to say! You say 'for girls' like
they're not human or something! I don't think it's fair that men and women
can't associate."

     Bryan smiled, "Yeah, it's not fair, but you saw what they did to
Carter! What they tried to do to you! We have to protect ourselves against
them, or else they'll kill us all!"

     Rebecca retorted, "That's not true! My mother and I have been to the
female lands!  They're just as scared of attacks from the males! These
'punitive raids' by royal guards that take place sometimes are nothing more
than unwarranted attacks to kill innocent women and steal resources! They
wouldn't attack us if you didn't attack them!"

     "What about the WLM? Their attack on Woodgrove Castle was
unwarranted!" Shawn said

     Rebecca scoffed loudly, "What?! You call attempted genocide
unwarranted?!"

     Shawn got a look of shock, "Attempted genocide?! I never heard
anything about that!"

     Rebecca smiled, "I don't doubt it. The world, at that time, was a
terrible place to live! It was going through many months where people were
poor and in a state of famine. Woodgrove especially. The king of Woodgrove
was a horrible man whose wife was totally under his thumb and did whatever
he told her to do.  He was very unfair to the women in his kingdom. Still,
he was always sure never to do anything to upset her. One day she got very
sick and the women of the world, fearing that the rumours that the king of
Woodgrove, insanely blaming the current problems of the world on women,
wanted to wipe out all the women in the village, were true, banded together
to form a freedom fighting group in case anything like that was tried. In
the meantime, they made sure everything in the rest of the world was kept
equal. Sure enough, a month later she died and his soldiers went around
killing women in the cities. Knowing that nobody would believe such a thing
was possible, they raided the armoury and attacked Woodgrove to defend the
women!  Since nobody else in the world had known this, the Northlands came
to take back the palace. The women of the village, possessed by rage
because of the hatred the men had shown against them, rose against the army
and then left their husbands and sons. For some reason, other women simply
became puppets after that and followed suit."

     Bryan cocked his head, "So, you're telling me this whole damn conflict
started because of a mistake of communication?!"

     Sarah nodded, "It's Woodgrove's fault for being so mean to the women,
but the women acted very irrationally afterwards, so it's equally our
fault."

     Anger passed on to Bryan's face and he seethed, "Carter died for no
damn reason at all!  This whole thing was caused by too many people
becoming sheep, and Carter was killed for no reason but sheer stupidity."

     Anastasia turned to Bryan, "Who's Carter?"

     Shawn sighed, "Before I met Bryan again, I was in love with a sweet,
little 9-year-old boy who was killed by a male spy for the female
army. Something that didn't have to happen, obviously."

     Rebecca smirked, "Shawn...You were in love with a 9-year-old? So, are
you...I mean...like..."

     Shawn shrugged, "I don't know and I don't really think about it! This
is all so stupid! We have to do something about this war and we have to do
it now!"

     Bryan shrugged, "What can we do? I'm behind you all the way, whatever
you do."

     Shawn nodded, "Okay, I have a plan...We'll wait until the party's over
and everybody goes home. I'll tell Bryan about it while we pack our stuff
upstairs. Becky, Sarah and Anastasia...Don't mention a word of this
conversation to anybody, especially our mother."

     The girls nodded.

     Shawn nodded, "Okay, let's go back inside."

     Bryan and the girls nodded and they all walked back inside the
palace. Bryan was no longer in the mood to play, so he and Shawn sat down
at a table while the three girls went off to find their mother and spend
time with her, with Rebecca giving back Bryan's jacket first.

     As Shawn and Bryan sat at a table and observed the party-goers, Bryan
turned to Shawn and said, "Look, Shawnie, I just wanted to let you
know...no matter what you have up your sleeve for making everything right
again, I'm always going to stand behind you."

     Shawn put his hand on Bryan's shoulder and smiled, "I know you will,
but this is something that has to be done now, before things get any worse
than they already are. We know the truth now and, for Carter's sake and for
Phillip's sake and for the sake of every person who died because of this
pointless and stupid animosity between the men and the women of this world,
we have to fix it."

     Bryan shrugged, "So, are we going to cancel our honeymoon?"

     Shawn smiled wickedly, "No. In fact, we're going to use this month of
vacation as a bargaining tool to get what we want."

     Bryan cocked his head and smiled, "Just what are you cooking up in
that sexy little head of yours, Shawnie?"

     Shawn shook his head, "I'll tell you later."

     Changing the subject, Shawn squeezed Bryan's shoulder in affection and
said, "So, did you have a good time today?"

     Bryan smiled, "Of course! It was so great to stand there, in front of
so many people, and say that I loved you. Then, to go to the party
afterwards and play with my sisters while you...sort of...ummm...played
with yours."

     Shawn blushed and took his hand off Bryan's shoulder, "You saw that?"

     Bryan nodded, "Yeah. I saw you two kiss, but I didn't feel jealous or
anything, because I trust you, Shawnie, and I know that you had a good
reason for it. You did, didn't you?"

     Shawn nodded, "Yeah, I've always wanted to see what it feels like to
kiss a girl."

     Bryan smiled, "So, how was it?"

     Shawn shook his head, "Not as good as kissing you."

     Bryan purred playfully and said, "You wanna make sure, just in case?"

     They slowly leaned forward and kissed each other again, their lips
pressing together as they separated to let each other's tongue in to the
other's mouth. Their hands stroked and held the other's face as they gasped
against each other. Their cheeks grew hot under the other's hands and they
felt their pricks stir within their dress pants.

     They slowly separated again and stared at each other with longing as
their faces shone hot with blushing passion for the other.

     After a few seconds, Bryan gasped and laughed, "So, can that compare?"

     Shawn giggled, "Well, it was like kissing my brother."

     Bryan held his finger up and corrected, "Half-brother, actually. So?
Was I any good?"

     Shawn shrugged, "Half-brother or not, I still love your kisses more
than anybody else's in the world."

     Bryan smiled, "So, in between our saving the world, do you think we'll
have enough time, on our honeymoon, to actually spend a good deal of time
fucking our brains out?"

     Shawn shrugged and laughed, "I don't see why not."

     Bryan's look changed to inquisition, "So, where exactly are we going,
again?"

     Shawn sighed, "Oh ya, I never told you. Well, about a four hour boat
ride from Opal Bay Harbor, is a small group of islands called "The Isles Of
Purity". The main island, Shady Sands, is where we'll be headed. It's about
the size of Dawson and is totally uninhabited by any human.  There are
trees that grow fruit and a clear mountain river that will keep us
sustained for the month we spend there...unless you wanna go hunting and
kill something. The beach is covered in white sand, the odd palm tree, and
is surrounded by clear blue ocean. They'll be no guards, no parents, no
other people...Only a boat that'll come once a week to see if we have any
messages for the mainland."

     Bryan's eyes glistened in wonder, "It sounds beautiful, Shawnie."

     Shawn smiled, "It is, for I've read about it in books and people
assure me it's identical in real life. It is owned by the royal family,
though, so nobody is allowed there. Nobody, except us, of course. We'll
pack very few clothes, because I don't plan on wearing anything more than a
bathing suit at any given time."

     Bryan nodded, "Me neither. God, it'll be great to walk around a island
like that, wearing very few clothes, if any at all, and only having you to
keep me company."

     Shawn giggled, "Since we already know how much we love each other, I
don't see why this little trip has to be about anything but sex, do you?"

     Bryan giggled and shook his head, "Not at all..."

     They continued with the odd word of wisdom, for the next hour or
so. After which, King Luke and Brett stood up and raised their hands for
silence.

      King Luke smiled at the crowds and said, "Thank you all again for
attending our ceremony. However, it is now time to go. Please leave with as
much order as possible."

     The people, visibly upset, were escorted by the guards through the
palace gates to await the carriages.

     When the last of the people were outside, Brett and Luke walked over
to the table where Shawn and Bryan sat. Brett smiled, "So, children, do you
have fun today?"

     Bryan nodded, "Yes, we very much did."

     Shawn added, "But, after we are done packing for our trip, we would
like to speak with you in the throne room with all the advisors present."

     Brett and Luke looked at each other in confusion, then looked back at
the boys and Luke said, "Any particular reason for me to call counsel
together?"

     Shawn smiled, "Just please grant my request. I promise I have a good
reason which you will be told at that time."

     Brett looked at Shawn, "My, my...Perhaps this marriage of yours has
made you more mature...This better be important, though, as the counsel is
only drawn together on last-minute notice, during extremely important
affairs."

     Bryan nodded and he and Shawn stood up, "Let's go pack, Shawnie."

     With that, they walked past their fathers. As they reached the door,
Shawn said to Bryan, in a whisper, "First we pack, then it's show time!"

     Shawn and Bryan scurried up to their room and quickly pulled off their
royal clothes and walked, naked, into the bathroom. Blushing slightly as
they gazed at each other's naked, sweaty bodies, they walked over to the
sink and splashed water on their face, washing the makeup and lotion from
them.

     Suddenly, in mid-splash, Shawn ran over to the toilet and vomited
loudly, keeling over the bowl and shivering.

     Bryan walked over and patted him gently on the back, "Been hitting the
wine again, Shawnie?"

     Shawn nodded briefly, before gagging again and spewing another load
into the toilet.

     Bryan walked over and got a towel from the rack, then, wiping his own
face with it, lay it down beside the kneeling Shawn. Shawn lurched one more
time, than fell backwards on to his ass and lay there, gasping, his eyes
watering, as he regained his composure. Bryan picked the towel up and
gently patted Shawn's face and body with it.

     "Sorry you didn't have fun at our party..." Bryan said softly, as he
threw the towel down the laundry chute in the wall.

     Shawn coughed a few times, then slowly got to his feet and wiped his
eyes with his wrist.  Walking over to Bryan, he giggled and said, "I gotta
learn to hold my alcohol better."

     Bryan laughed and put his hand between Shawn's legs, playfully
squeezing his balls, "Why hold your alcohol when there are other things
that are much more fun to hold?"

     Shawn slapped his hand away and laughed, "Keep your hands to yourself,
you horny bastard! We gotta pack and then get down to the meeting I asked
for!"

     Bryan shrugged, "I'm actually not that horny. I just like touching
your equipment...If feels so soft and squishy."

     Shawn smirked and left the bathroom with Bryan following close behind,
their limp dicks swinging slightly as they scurried to the other end of the
room.

     Bryan went over to a closet next to the bed, and rummaged through it,
while Shawn opened up the clothing drawer and began searching for the
things he wanted to bring. Bryan tossed a duffel bag on to the bed, as well
as several Bermuda-style swimsuits, while Shawn threw a few sets of clothes
on to the bed. Shawn began packing all the stuff into the bag, Bryan stood
there and watched. After a few moments, Bryan said, "Well?"

     Shawn zipped up the bag and looked up at Bryan, "Well, what?"

     Bryan smiled, "Well, aren't you going to tell me what our plan is?"

     Shawn nodded, "Yeah, well we need Mike here first. He's part of this
plan too."

     Bryan smiled, "Simple enough."

     Putting on a pair of cotton jogging shorts, Bryan opened the bedroom
door and walked out into the hallway.

     "Serving girl!" he called.

     Within seconds, a young girl scurried up the stairs and knelt before
Bryan, saying, "Yes, Your Excellence?"

     Bryan stifled a giggle and said, "Please don't call me that...My name
is Bryan. Also, please don't kneel before me."

     She looked up and said, "But, I'll be beaten if I don't show you
respect and follow royal orders without question!"

     Bryan nodded, "Then, I order you to get to your feet and address me as
Bryan."

     She quickly stood up and, looking close to tears, said, "Yes, Prince
Bryan?"

     He was about to correct her, but stopped himself, "Please find Crowned
Prince Michael and have him come to our room immediately."

     She curtsied and said, "Yes, My Liege!" and ran off.

     "Bryan! Call me Bryan!" Bryan called after her, "I told you to...Ah,
forget it!"

     He walked back into the bedroom and Shawn was rolling on the floor,
convulsing in laughter.

     Bryan growled, "Shut up!" and sat on the bed, picked up his brush and
a ribbon, and started brushing his long brown hair back into a ponytail.

     Shawn finally stopped and, with tears running down his face, stood up
and shook his head at Bryan, saying, "That was the funniest thing I've ever
fucking seen!"

     "Fuck you." Bryan said simply, as he tied his hair back.

     Shawn put the bag on the ground and put on a pair of long blue
jeans. Bryan finished with his hair, and put on a similar pair. They were
both trying on sweatshirts when Mike walked in.

     Still dressed in the clothes he wore at the wedding, he walked over to
Shawn and Bryan and said, "You wanted to see me, guys?"

     Shawn smiled, "Ya, Bryan and I are going to do something quite
interesting, and we want you to be part of it because we love you and want
you to take part in the important things we do, more often."

     Mike smiled and giggled childishly, reminding Shawn of how young Mike
truly was. He almost cried as thoughts began to turn to Carter again and
the way he used to giggle too. As he gazed at Mike's happy, immature face,
full of affection and love for the two older boys, he was overcome with the
sudden desire that a combination of alcohol and boyloving lust brought out
in him.

     Shawn stood up and, suddenly, grabbed Mike in his arms and kissed him
passionately.  Bryan's eyes opened wide at the suddenness of Shawn's
actions. Mike looked surprised too, but Shawn's hands began rubbing all
over Mike's little body and he quickly began to quiet down and
pant. Shawn's tongue inched into Mike's baby mouth and he rubbed it all
over his teeth, in the many gaps where Mike had lost some baby teeth, and
back out over his lips.

     Bryan didn't know quite what to make of this, and Mike seemed totally
limp as his prepubescent body was rubbed all over by Shawn's big hands and
long fingers. Shawn's hands slowly rubbed over Mike's baby soft cheeks,
down his small, bony arms and, finally, one of Shawn's hands stroked over
Mike's butt, while his other stroked his young, immature cocklet, both
through his pants. Bryan could see both Shawn and Mike panting as their
bodies grinded against each other. Shawn's hands slowly moved forward and
unbuttoned and unzipped Mike's corduroys.  Suddenly, he lifted Mike up and
tossed him down on to the bed. Bryan quickly moved out of the way.

     Shawn stood up briefly to pull off Mike's pants and boxers, before
sinking down again and pressing his lips and tongue back over Mike's. Both
their breathing quickened further as Shawn's hand moved back down and
grasped Mike's small penis, now stiff and throbbing in two-and-a-half
inches of purple, boyish erection, and, using his first three fingers,
began pulling gently, but quickly at it, all the time sucking Mike's tongue
into his mouth and kissing him noisily, their spit swishing around between
their mouths.

     The desperation of Mike's bodily movements increased as his mouth
broke contact with Shawn's and he began crying out in high-pitched wails
of, "Uh..Ah..Ooh..Uh..Oh..Ah..."

     Bryan absentmindedly rubbed his own stiff cock through his jeans as he
watched the spectacle before him, watching this spectacle like it was
simply a good porno movie and not his husband obviously trying to give a
ten-year-old boy an orgasm.

     Shawn's other hand reached behind Mike and, pulling his pale
ass-cheeks apart, pressed his finger firmly against the young boy's tight
asshole, while he increased his masturbating of the preteen with his other
hand. His finger slowly pushed through and sank about an inch into Mike's
tight butthole, causing Mike's wails to increase in volume and
urgency. Shawn growled and, leaning his mouth close to Mike, began
whispering loudly in his ear, "Come on, baby! You know you wanna cum! Your
baby balls wanna try to squirt, even though they don't have anything yet!
Your body wants to quiver in orgasm, doesn't it?! Yeah, you horny little
motherfucker, you wanna fucking cum, don't ya?! Come on, you sweet
fucker...I wanna feel your body spasm and your little cock cumming against
my fingers! Come on! Cum, dammit!"

     Mike leaned his head back, his body tight as a board and wailed
loudly, "Oh fuck!...Oh fuck!...Oh ya!...Oh God!...Ooh ya!...Fuck ya!"

     His balls pulled tight against his little body as his hairless crotch
slammed against Shawn's hand, while his hips pushed Shawn's finger deeper
into his ass.

     Shawn seethed louder into Mike's ear, "Come on, you little fucker! I
wanna feel your baby body orgasm over and over! I wanna feel your ass
squeeze my finger as you cum! Cum, dammit!  Cum, you little, sweet,
adorable, baby! You know you want to!"

     Shawn's finger sunk deeper into Mike's ass and his fingers played
quickly over Mike's little cock as it swelled and shone bright red with
blood, the little slit at the end pressed open with pressure and ready to
squirt, should Mike be able to.

     Mike grunted and swore as his back arched over and over again, "Oh,
fuck! I'm gonna fucking cum! Oh God! Fuck!! FUCK! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!"

     Mike grit his teeth as his jaw clenched tightly, veins throbbing in
his face and neck, and his whole body seemed to become overcome by a
massive seizure. His ass squeezed Shawn's finger so tightly, it hurt, and
his whole body shook. His little cock expanded and spasmed again and again
in Shawn's fingers as Shawn continued to stroke it, trying so hard to
squirt something, but nothing came out.

     Shawn screamed loudly, "Fuck ya! Cum for me, baby! Fuck your little
dick through my fingers!"

     Mike seemed to go right from one orgasm on to another, his whole body
convulsing for a whole twenty seconds, although it seemed like an hour. His
little cock never stopped its futile effort to try to squirt something, and
continued to spasm against Shawn's fingers the whole time. Finally, his
body loosened and shivered in several residual spasms before settling
down. Shawn slowly rolled his body off him and stood back up. The front of
his jeans were dark with his own precum and tented out with his erection,
and his shirt had been torn by Mike's body.

     Bryan was keeled over on the ground and giggling. Shawn looked down
and saw the front of Bryan's jeans looked like he'd pee'ed in his pants,
but Shawn knew better.

     "Too much for ya, sport?" Shawn laughed.

     Bryan slowly got to his feet and laughed, "What the fuck did you do
*that* for?!"

     Bryan slowly pulled off his jeans and cum soaked boxers and Shawn
watched him with a huge grin. Shawn pulled off his own jeans and boxers and
put on a pair of jogging shorts, handing Bryan a similar pair.

     By the time both of them were composed again, Mike had slowly sat
up. He looked at Shawn and smiled, "What was that for?"

     Shawn shrugged, "I dunno. Something about the way you giggled made me
wanna watch you cum. Besides...You and I have never done anything together
yet."

     Bryan laughed, "What about that thing he told me about not being able
to fuck someone else, after you were married?"

     Shawn smiled, "I didn't fuck him. I simply got him off."

     Bryan giggled, "There was nothing simple about it! You didn't just get
his rocks *off*! You tossed them into *orbit*, Shawnie!"

     Mike stood up and, his legs collapsed from under him. He giggled as he
hit the floor and got to his knees, looked up at Shawn and smiled, "You got
that right! I think I passed out for a few seconds during that!"

     Shawn smiled, "Glad you enjoyed it."

     Bryan giggled, "Now, are you gonna tell us the plan or are you gonna
let me get a crack at Mike next?"

     Mike slowly got to his feet again, this time staying, and smiled,
"What plan?"

     Shawn sighed, "Okay, listen up..."

     In fifteen minutes, Shawn, Bryan and Mike all made their way down the
stairs and in to the throne room. Upon opening the doors, they saw Frost
and his cadre of advisors sitting there and, in the two main thrones, sat
Luke and Brett. They all stood up as the three Princes entered the room.

     "Ah, children...Maybe now we can find out what the emergency that
required calling the Royal Counsel together is!" Brett exclaimed.

     Shawn, Bryan and Mike were all clad in simple tank tops and blue
jeans, their faces still covered in sweat from the activities of
before. Shawn stepped forward and said, "Lord Frost, if you could, please
quote decree number seventeen in the Whiteshadow Isle Royal Declaration Of
Power."

     Frost nodded and, thinking for a second, said, "Umm...I believe that
one is: All Princes of Whiteshadow Isle, after their fifteenth birthday,
are allowed to choose, rather than reigning after their father, to lay
claim to a piece of land currently unruled by another, and become its new
king."

     Luke and Brett looked at each other and Luke turned to Shawn and said,
"Shawn...Are you choosing to become king of another land?"

     Shawn shrugged, "Perhaps. I have a request to ask of you, and if my
request is not granted, I will abdicate my claim to the throne of
Whiteshadow Isle and become king of another land."

     Luke crossed his arms across his chest and looked on with some degree
of annoyance.  Brett frowned and said, "Decree or no decree, it's still
considered quite rude to attempt blackmail of a sovereign."

     Luke shook his head and Brett and turned to Shawn, "Shawn, you know
that since you were born, I've granted you every request your heart
desired. When you wanted a rare toy, I sent my guards over wasteland to get
it for you. When you wanted a certain food, I sent servants to the most
remote islands to pick it for you. Recently, when you and Bryan requested
to get married, we allowed it. What is your request this time that could
possible warrant such tactics?"

     Shawn turned to Bryan and Bryan stepped forward and said,
"Father...Luke...royal cadre of advisors...Shawn and I desire that, within
a month's time, you call an international diplomatic assembly together of
the rulers of every single country in this world, and have them meet here,
at Whiteshadow Isle Palace."

     There was much talking amoungst the advisors and Brett and Luke looked
very concerned.  Brett looked at Bryan, then at Shawn, then at Bryan again,
and seeing that they didn't appear to be joking, he said, "Let me
understand this correctly...You wish us, the rulers of Whiteshadow Isle, to
call the rulers of every single country in the world together, and have a
diplomatic meeting, correct?"

     Shawn nodded, "And it must be held here."

     Luke held his hand up and nodded at Shawn, "And what, pray tell, will
be the topic of discussion, assuming that all the rulers are willing to
come here?"

     "Assuming the women are willing to attend without believing this to be
a trick on the males' part..." Brett quickly added.

     Shawn smiled, "Bryan and I wish to address the assembly of rulers on
the topic of revoking all gender related barriers and allowing for all
people, regardless of gender or sexual preference, to live together in
harmony once more."

     Frost looked at the advisors and then turned to Shawn and Bryan, then
looked at Luke and Brett. Grave expressions on all their faces.
     "You're drunk, yes?" Frost asked.

     Shawn and Bryan shook their heads.

     Luke collapsed into his throne and placed his chin in his hands. Brett
walked slowly over to the two boys and said, "Okay...So, you believe that
all the rulers of the world will simply toss away every single tradition
they've held dear for the past one hundred years, simply because two
hormonal teenagers desire it?"

     Shawn shrugged, "Let us worry about that. Your jobs are to get the
assembly to meet here."

     Luke smiled slightly, "Or, you'll leave Whiteshadow Isle, right?"

     Bryan nodded, "Right."

     Brett looked at Mike and said, "All of you will leave?"

     The small boy blushed hotly under the gaze of the adult sovereign and
meekly nodded his head.

     Luke stood up again, "Uh huh...So, my son, which country without a
ruler are you planning on taking over?"

     Shawn smiled, "Bryan and I will declare ourselves the new kings of the
Isles Of Purity."

     Brett and Luke burst out laughing and Luke said, "The Isles Of Purity
are uninhabited, Shawn. Who will be your subjects? The seagulls? And who
will be your advisors? The wild boars?"

     Bryan and Shawn kept straight faces and Shawn said seriously, "Bryan
and I are going on our honeymoon now. Mike will remain here. You have the
entire duration of our honeymoon, one whole month, to grant our
request. Mike will send word if you've agreed to do so. If, at the end of
the month, we have not heard from Mike, we will remain on those isles and
build our palace out of sand and palm leaves, if we need to, but it is
there that we will stay.

     Brett turned to Mike, "So, you're their spy now?"

     Mike looked at the ground and blushed.

     Shawn continued, "Mike will book charter on the last ship coming to
the isle, if you haven't agreed to grant our request by that time. He will
be our prince."

     Brett turned to Frost and laughed, "I can picture it now: On Mike's
fifteenth birthday, hundreds of monkeys, lobsters and warthogs line up to
see which one of them Mike will Choose as the next ruler of The Isles Of
Purity."

     Shawn looked at Luke and Brett and said, "If this is the last time we
see you, then goodbye father...and goodbye Brett. Lord Frost, it was a
pleasure to know you. Keep an eye on them, Mikey. Now...Come Bryan."

     And with that, Shawn and Bryan turned on their heel and marched out of
the throne room.  Mike scurried off after them and, when he got beside
them, he whispered, "What if they don't buy it?"

     Bryan turned to Mike, "Then I'm sure you'll have a fun time playing in
the sand for the rest of your life."

     Shady Sands was more beautiful than either Shawn or Bryan had imagined
it. As the boat pulled up to the shore and Shawn tossed the bags onto the
beach, Bryan stood by the boat's stern, clad in a light blue, buttoned down
shirt, and his big brown eyes glittered in the sunlight as he surveyed the
island, in complete awe.

     Shawn slowly stepped onto the sand, with Bryan following once he
gained enough awareness back to know what was going on, and the small
sailboat slowly re-entered the ocean and sailed off slowly into the
horizon, watched over by the shining sun.

     Standing on the sand by the ocean, right next to the love of his life,
watching the sun shining high over the water, Shawn's mind filled with
millions of different things he wanted to do, all so jumbled that he
couldn't do anything but stand there. Bryan was equally in awe of the utter
beauty of the whole situation, so both teenagers simply stood there on the
beach, not doing anything in particular.

     Shawn's head slowly turned to Bryan. Bryan's long brown hair was
hanging loosely around his face, his luscious, big, brown eyes staring off,
glazed over in equal indecisiveness, the small cleft in his chin, evident
as the sun shone on his face, and Bryan's shirt-covered chest heaving in
deep breaths. Shawn opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again,
as the words that he so wished to say, got jumbled up in many other things
he wanted to utter to the beautiful boy next to him.

     Bryan, younger and more outspoken, was not so afflicted, as he turned
to Shawn and said, "Shawnie? Can I tell you something?"

     Shawn turned to him and smiled, saying, "Yes, my love? What is it?"

     Bryan broke his gaze from Shawn and stared off into the horizon, as he
said, "Everything here is just so beautiful. The sun shines on the clear,
blue water, so strong, and the water so clear, that I can make out the
fishes as they swim along the reef. The white sand, glittering in the sun
like diamonds and gems, is only accentuating the paradise that is this
island. The quiet sounds in the bushes, of the animals that live here, but
don't seek to cause us any more harm than we seek to cause them. The trees,
bearing fruit that we shall eat but, meanwhile, show the fruitfulness of
this whole place. The distant sounds of the clear mountain streams are
gurgling in contentment of the endlessness of their bounties. All of this
exists here, on this island of total and complete perfection, but it can't
even begin to compare to the unparalleled beauty of the boy that stands
next to me right now. I love you so much, Shawnie, that it hurts to be
beside you and not do anything but share mere words."

     Shawn simply nodded, "I understand. I want to do so much with you. I
want to tear off these binding clothes and run around the island with you,
totally naked and stopping every few feet to roll around on the white sand
and make sweet, passionate love to you. I want to kiss every inch of your
body over and over again for the entire month that we are here. I want to
feel your creamy skin pressed against me in touches and movements as we
wrestle around on the beach. I want to scream as loud as I can, so that
every living thing on this island knows how much I love you. I can no
longer take simply staring at you, so beautiful and so unbelievably sexy as
you are. Right here, right now, let nothing stand in our way! I want to
touch your naked skin. I want to feel your hard penis in my hand. I want to
taste your spit in my mouth. Most of all, I want to fuck you, Bryan, and I
want to cum all over your body. "

     With that, Shawn pulled off his shirt and forcibly pulled off his
jeans and, rearing back, tossed them into the ocean as far as he could
throw the pile of clothes. He turned to Bryan and stood there naked, his
whole body blushing in passion and his manhood, lightly covered in teenage,
pubescent hair, standing stiffly erect in a virile testament to his
adoration for Bryan. His long black hair, cascading around his face and
down his neck, shining in the paradise sun, as he gazed into Bryan's
eyes. Not even bothering beginning the lifelong chore of shaving yet, his
face was now dusted in what passed for facial hair at his age; A faint
mustache and beard framing his pale, teenage complexion with comical adult
attributes of ruggedness and maturity. His chest, stomach, arms and legs,
covered in very faint hairs, evidence of his growing age and pubescent
development. Shawn stood in the island sun, naked and burning with desire,
while breathing in frantic passion as he awaited Bryan's reaction. With so
many things that he desired to do hinging on Bryan's reaction, he could do
no more than stand there, gazing in affection at Bryan, as his arms hung at
his sides and his body, flowing madly with gay hormones and lightly
speckled with droplets of sweet-smelling boy-sweat, was prepared for
several million things at once.

     Bryan, totally engulfed in both sexual and romantic passion, pulled
off his shirt and denim shorts and tossed them into the splashing tide. His
long brown hair hung around haphazardly in his face. His now-uncovered body
was slightly younger and slightly less mature, but just as overflowing with
passion as his older husband's was. His circumcised cock stood proudly
erect between his legs, lightly dusted with short brown pubic hair, and
pointing, throbbing, at the person from whom its passion was
directed. Besides that, Bryan's body was still otherwise hairless, except
for a faint trail of short brown hair that trailed their way down from his
semi-flat belly to where his penis hair began. His pale nipples stood erect
on his chest, caressed by the warm breeze, irritated by drops of sweat that
dripped down his pecs, and also eagerly aroused by the undressed boy in
front of him. His mouth hung slightly open and was made dry in passion for
Shawn. Beneath his overhanging bangs of hair, the nostrils of his slightly
oversized nose flared in quickened pants of air as he stared with longing
at his boy-lover. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and, those that
didn't get absorbed by his milk chocolate brown mane, ran around his nose
and collected on his cheeks and in the cleft of his chin.

     Both of their feet clenched their toes in the sand, digging shallow
holes underneath them, as they stood and could do nothing but stare at each
other. Their feet shuffled and they could hardly even blink. The sun shone
down on them, warming their teenage skin and making their eyes squint
slightly as they stood by the water, enraptured by each other. Shawn
swallowed hard, his prominent Adam's Apple moving in his neck like a
trapped gerbil. Bryan scrunched his nose as sweat collected beside it,
moving it slightly up on his face and back down.

     They were both handsome young boys to most. Bryan, more
innocent-looking and angelic, and Shawn, more matured and intensely
focused. They may not have been attractive to every person on Whiteshadow
Isle, but on Shady Sands, at that very moment, time stood still and they
could not remember their own parents or siblings, let alone any other
person on the Isle, the country, or in the whole world. All conversation of
the previous few days faded and all they could see anymore, was each
other's face in front of them . . . A face that, despite the many other
cute boys that they had seen in their lifetimes, made any other face in
this entire world seem disgusting, ugly and nauseating. At that very
moment, as the seconds seemed to slow to hours and the minutes seem to slow
to days, they stood there and could not remember anything . . . anything,
except each other and the burning love that they felt.

     Very rarely in this world, can you stare at a single person and, with
total honesty, tell yourself, "As long as I could spend my whole life
staring at this person, I would never need to see another human as long as
I lived." It is only once in a very rare while, when you find someone whom
you love so much and so utterly unconditionally, that they could stand
before you and tell you that they just raped your mother, killed your
father, kicked your dog and ran over your cat with their truck, and you
would still smile and tell them that it's all right . . . You didn't care
for those things much anyway. Very rarely in life, would you be willing to
suffer the pain of stabbing yourself repeatedly with a dull bottle-opener,
if only to see their face before you for a mere three seconds, before
having to do it all over again.

     As Shawn and Bryan stood, shadowed by the sun, with their pubescently
large, and lightly hair covered, bare feet covered in white sand, the whole
island around them was silent except for the occasional rustle of the
bushes, the far off tweet of a bird, and the gentle splashing of the
ocean. Trapped in a single moment of simply staring at each other, a
minute, an hour, a day, or even a whole month could have passed and they
wouldn't have noticed.

     The moment was slowly broken, as Shawn opened his mouth and said in a
whisper, almost inaudible by the gentle surrounding noises, "Bryan . . . "

     It was only three seconds later that Bryan responded, but it could
have been a year.  "Shawnie . . . "

     At the same time, they threw themselves on the other, arms extended,
and embraced. Their bodies pressed together, pulled tightly by their arms,
and their head rested on the other's shoulder.

     "We're finally alone." Bryan sighed, his arms around Shawn's upper
back, his hands feeling his lover's muscles tensing underneath his fingers.

     "Alone and together." Shawn elaborated, his hands clasped around the
back of Bryan's neck, underneath his hair, reveling in the unparalleled
feeling of having his husband's sweet- smelling breath hitting his right
shoulder and cheek in rhythmic puffs of air.

     Their teenage penises stood stiffly erect and pressed against each
other, as their bodies caressed, with each sporting a small droplet of
translucent fluid over the slit at the end. Their actions walked a fine
line between romantic adoration and sexual fury.

     The hot wind's caresses on their hot, adolescent bodies only increased
the heat growing within them. Slowly, their heads lifted from each other's
shoulder and their hands slowly moved upwards to rest on the other's
cheek. Shawn's mouth was slightly agape as his face stared forward into the
two most beautiful pools of brown he'd ever seen. Bryan's eyes glittered
under Shawn's gaze, while Bryan stared in Shawn's adoring eyes and nearly
forgot his own name, so enraptured as he was with Shawn.

     Their hands caressed the other's face, stroking their cheeks with
their warm touch. As Shawn's hands passed across Bryan's face, he
discovered that it was, in fact, not totally hairless.  Very fine peach
fuzz, covered Bryan's cheeks and chin, where real hair would grow within
the next year. It was soft and velvety, as was the rest of Bryan's skin,
and he smiled slightly as his finger traced a line across his cheek and
over his nose, back under it, and ended with his fingers passing over
Bryan's chin, his finger gently pressing into the small cleft.

     Bryan's hands could feel the slightly wiry, black hairs that lined
Shawn's face in a faint beard and mustache pattern. His fingers passed over
the puffiness of Shawn's moist lips, slightly parted as he breathed, and
Bryan's fingers slowly moved down and gently gripped his chin.  Moving a
few inches forward, he rubbed his lips over the left corner of Shawn's
mouth. He saw Shawn's eyes slowly close, as he stuck out his tongue and
rubbed it wetly over Shawn's lips, leaving a moist trail across the red
flesh, and slightly under them, matting a few black hairs on his
chin. Shawn opened his mouth and stuck his own tongue out, touching against
Bryan's in a slimy game of tag.

     Shawn's hands moved up Bryan's face to the back of his cheeks, his
long, slender pointer fingers hooking the backs of Bryan's ears. Using his
grip, he forcibly pulled Bryan's face against his own; Their tongues
briefly pressed between their faces, before they inched their way into the
other's mouth. Bryan hands inched down Shawn's body, until they wrapped
around Shawn's lower back, and pulled their bodies together. They firm
penises stuck stiffly between their bodies, receiving no immediate
attention to their urgency, except the friction of their rubbing forms.

     As their tongues danced inside the other's mouth and their faces held
together in a firm grip, Shawn's left hand slowly unhooked from the side of
Bryan's face, and reached down, snaking between them.His hand found its
desired location between Bryan's legs and began absentmindedly examining
the area while his mouth was still busy. He felt Bryan's body tense against
him as his slender fingers wrapped around Bryan's throbbing
boyhood. Bryan's hands squeezed tightly against Shawn's back as Shawn's
fingers gently petted Bryan's aching hardon. His mouth broke suction with
Shawn's face as it turned to the side, breaking Shawn's grasp on it. His
tongue continued to whip around Bryan's mouth and cheeks as the hand still
on his face began stroking Bryan's soft, long, brown hair.

     Bryan let out a loud groan and violently kissed Shawn's lips again and
again. After about five of those quick, passionate kisses, Bryan's hands
moved down Shawn's back to firmly squeeze his ass cheeks, while still
planting kisses all over his face.

     Shawn's hand continued a methodical petting motion around Bryan's
prick, feeling the blood coursing through the throbbing veins along the
sides and feeling his wrist beginning to get sticky with the droplets of
clear precum that oozed out of the piss-hole at the end.

     Soon, Bryan's mouth worked its way around Shawn's face and he stuck
his tongue in his ear before leaning in and gasping, "I . . . I can't take
it anymore! I need you to fuck me! Please!"

     He grinned and bit his lower lip, continuing only to gently pet the
length of Bryan's four-and-a-half inch penis.

     Bryan slowly licked around Shawn's ear and across the side of his
face, meanwhile, his hands squeezing Shawn's ass cheeks once more, before
moving around to the front and wrapping one of his hands around Shawn's
swollen prick.

     Shawn tensed and his grin disappeared, as his other hand, once again,
gripped the side of Bryan's face, turned it around, and pulled his own lips
against Bryan's again. After five seconds of a deep, slurping kiss, he
pulled away, a string of saliva connecting both their lips, leaned his head
back and groaned, "Ah fuck!" as Bryan began a similar petting motion on his
penis.

     As both their fingers gently tickled over the flesh of each other's
manhood, their bodies began to convulse and tense against each other as
little bits of their pent-up sexual pressure was released in tiny
bursts. Both their pricks were painfully rigid and red with pressure, their
cock slits pressed open and oozing with precum that was now tinged slightly
white. The cloudy liquid was dribbled around both their wrists, covering
their hands in moist stickiness.

     Shawn shivered with desire and felt almost nauseous. He'd never
carried on foreplay this long before, and his still young body didn't seem
to be able to handle much more. He slowly bent his head forward and saw
Bryan gently whimpering on his shoulder while thrusting his penis jerkily
into Shawn's hand, his whole face red with the blush of his arousal. He
gently lifted Bryan's head off his shoulder and, both his hands suddenly
shooting up, pushed Bryan down. In Bryan's highly aroused state, he was as
weak as a newborn kitten and went down fairly easily, landing, with a
splash, in the sand as the tide washed in.

     Before Bryan could get a chance to protest, Shawn sank quickly down on
top of him and, aligned his body, as best he could, with Bryan's. With
their teenage manhoods lying on top of each other, Shawn began to quickly
thrust his hips, the time for gentleness long past.

     Bryan was caught off guard by Shawn's violent action, but he had no
sooner figured out what had happened, before he was on top of him. Bryan
welcomed Shawn's hot body over his, and welcomed even more, the quick humps
of his body that propelled his already overstimulated teenage form toward
its much desired orgasm.

     Shawn gripped Bryan's shoulders tightly in his hands, arched his back
upwards, closed his eyes, and grunted with each jerk of his hips, as he
drove his penis against Bryan's own. His long black hair, hanging in his
face and waving back and forth with his movements, glistened with sweat in
the high afternoon sun. Beads of perspiration also dripped down his
forehead and around his face, collecting in the little hairs that lined his
cheeks and upper lip. His cheeks were flushed with exertion and his teenage
muscles clenched with each jerk of his feverish pace.

     Bryan, despite being pinned under Shawn's naked body, moved around
quite a bit, as his body was pushed by Shawn's. His hair fanned out in the
shallow water and wet sand, while some strands stuck to his moist face. It
was an amazing feeling to have the cool water and sand underneath him,
while intense heat radiated from the body on top of him. His hands were
gripped around Shawn's back as Bryan, counter-thrusting, pushed himself up
against his lover in equal urgency. His lips were slightly parted and
squealed a whining moan, each time their bodies pressed together. His red
lips sometimes pressed against Shawn's chest and he took the brief
opportunity to plant gentle angel-like kisses around Shawn's semi-defined
pectoral muscles, and pale nipples.

     As Shawn and Bryan lay in the shallow water, releasing their love for
each other in whimpering moans and passionate grunts, small forms started
to emerge from the jungles.  Cautiously, they crept toward the sounds of
the two copulating boys and, sitting several yards away, stood in silence,
their cocked heads watching with interest. They had seen many interesting
activities and animals on this island, but had never seen two creatures of
this type before, both emitting such a strange odour and doing such strange
things. They detected the smell of sex in the air too, which was even more
peculiar to the small creatures, as these two creatures appeared to be
male. They stared at each other, chittering quietly, as they watched the
show continue before them.

     Bryan felt a tickling sensation begin in his belly and work its way
around his entire body.  His body seemed to be tensing more often too, and,
almost violently, he thrust forward and a little to left, pushing Shawn
over. Using his own momentum, he completed the turn and now found his way
on top of his older lover. Taking over control, he forcefully thrust his
hips against Shawn's.  The tickling sensation began to grow greater and
seemed to focus intensely on his penis. As he began to feel his body
contracting, he began thrusting his penis as hard and as fast as possible
against Shawn's. With a few grunts of, "Oh . . . Oh . . . Oh . . . Oh
. . . ," he let out a loud yelp and, feeling all his muscles seeming to
pull his body in every direction at once, he began several manic
convulsions against Shawn's body.

     Bryan's prick erupted as a jet of his white sex juices sprayed across
Shawn's chest and neck, followed by three more spurts that created sticky
pools of semen all over Shawn's chest and neck. He continued grunting with
each wave of orgasm that passed over him, his tensing body rubbing wetly
against Shawn's.

     It was a beautiful sight to watch Bryan have his orgasm, but Shawn was
too busy with one of his own. The sight of his beautiful husband convulsing
in a powerful cum, set Shawn off and his eyes closed tightly. Seeing bright
lights flashing before his eyes, he could feel his whole body jerking and
tensing as waves of utter pleasure passed through him. His own jerking
prick sent jet after gooey jet of his hot sperm scattering across Bryan's
chest and chin, one jet even hitting him directly on his lips.

     Their orgasms peaked and left them at almost the same time, and they
continued to lie on top of each other, their pricks beginning to soften and
ooze remnants of their cum, and their bodies continuing to thrust
occasionally, wringing ever last once of pleasure out of the experience.
As they became aware of their surroundings once more, Shawn opened his eyes
and smiled as he saw Bryan on top of him, his brown-maned head laying
against his shoulder. He could feel and see the puddles of moisture all
over his and Bryan's body, last vestiges of the experience. He gently eased
Bryan off of him and rolled into the ocean. He shivered at the cold
temperature, but braced himself and crawled deeper under water, the waves
helping the clean his body off. He slowly got to his knees and, looking
back at the beach, saw Bryan beginning to weakly crawl over to the water.

     "Wait for me, Shawnie!" He called meekly.

     Shawn stood up, the water coming up to just below his waist, and
smiled at Bryan as, looking like a newborn foal, he tried to wobble his way
over to the ocean.

     Licking his lips of the droplets of semen that remained on them, Bryan
smiled at Shawn and moaned, "Mmm . . . You still make the best tasting
juice I've ever had, Shawnie."

     Shawn giggled and walked over to help Bryan. However, as he reached
him, Bryan lunged at him and both boys fell under water. Shawn's eyes were
closed to avoid being burnt by the salt water, but he could feel the
unmistakable caress of Bryan's lips as they pressed against his, under the
water. Their arms around each other, they got to their knees, bringing
their heads above the water.

     Shawn was the first to notice the new arrivals sitting on the beach,
watching them with interest. "Hi there, fellas. How long you been sitting
there?"

     Bryan turned around to look in the direction Shawn was looking, and,
when he saw what Shawn saw, he giggled and made generic animal noises at
them.

     Staring back at the partly submerged boys, were five, long, furry,
pink-nosed, masked creatures, only slightly smaller than a house-cat. Their
long claws dug playfully in the sand as they squeaked at the boys' sudden
attention to them.

     Bryan turned to Shawn and smiled, then asked, "What are they,
Shawnie?"

     Shawn shrugged and said, "I'm not really sure. I think they're weasels
or something."

     "Are they dangerous?"

     Shawn shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't gotten to the animal section
of the palace library yet. I was still on human anatomy when we left."

     Bryan turned back to the creatures, who were still watching the boys,
and, crouching down, made little squeaking noises with his mouth. The
animals cocked their heads and continued watching Bryan. Shawn took a slow
step forward and, reaching out cautiously, held his hand, palm down, in
front of the creatures. One of them stretched forward, cautiously sniffing
it. It quickly pulled back as Shawn's hand twitched a bit, but then, once
again leaned forward and sniffed Shawn's hand. After a few seconds, it
pulled back again and looked up at Shawn, a mixture of interest and remnant
distrust shown on its face. A few of the other creatures leaned forward and
took turns sniffing Shawn's still-extended palm. Bryan looked on with a
smile on his face, still crouching at watching the scene from the level of
the small animals.

     After a while, the animals lost interest in Shawn's hand and, seeing
no more strange behaviour from these two strange humans, turned around and
scurried off back toward the jungle.  Shawn turned around and saw Bryan
already standing up again. Still giggling at the memory of the small
animals, Bryan shrugged and said, "Well, it's not even evening yet. What do
you wanna do?"
      Shawn looked off toward the jungle and then, turning back to Bryan,
giggled and said, "Let's go see where those things ran off to!" And, not
waiting for a reply, ran out of the water, his wet, naked, teenage body
glistening in the sun, and ran off toward the jungle. Bryan quickly ran
after him, yelling, "Fuck! Wait up, dammit!"

     The rest of the day passed fairly quickly, as Shawn and Bryan explored
around the lush jungle of Shady Sands. They found several fruit trees,
discovered a beautiful waterfall cascading into a small lake, and chased
around several other small animals. After so much visual stimulation after
their physical stimulation, they soon became tired and, returning to the
site of the waterfall, Shawn lay down on a large rock and gazed up at the
sky, as the sun slowly began sinking into the horizon. The sky was so blue
and clear, and the warm rock felt so nice against his naked back.

     Bryan, who stood next to the rock, reached over and put his hand on
Shawn's thigh. He saw Shawn smile and his own hand moved up to rest on top
of Bryan's, gently squeezing it.

     Aimed at Shawn, but saying it also to himself, Bryan sighed and said,
"I wonder if our dads will be able to get the assembly meeting
together?..."

     Shawn took his hand off Bryan's, reached his arms out over his head,
and stretched. He turned to his side and said, "Do you really care?"

     Bryan nodded emphatically, "Don't you?"

     Shawn gently slid off the rock and, placing his hand on Bryan's
shoulder, leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Bryan, look around
you. There's everything we could ever want on this place.  Best of all,
there's you and there's me and we're together."

     Bryan turned to Shawn, a worried look on his face, and he said, "But,
Shawnie . . . This may be a nice place to visit, but do you really want to
live here?"

     Shawn nodded and waved his arm out in front of him, displaying, to
Bryan the waterfall and the surrounding jungle, and smiled, saying, "Yes,
because it's everything I could ever want!  Nobody bowing to me, nobody
telling me what to wear, nobody telling me to shut my mouth and let things
happen and, best of all, no more lies. You and me could walk around naked
and nobody would tell us that we were dressed inappropriately, and we could
have sex whenever we wanted, and nobody would tell us that we were too
horny! Wouldn't you like to spend the rest of your life with me in this
paradise?"

     Bryan opened his mouth to respond, but slowly closed it again. He knew
what he wanted to say, but he couldn't believe that he actually really
would have meant it. "Is Shawn serious?"  Bryan thought to himself, as his
toes pushed around a pile of dust on the path.

     "Well?" Shawn asked, taking his hand off Bryan's shoulder, "Aren't you
hoping we get to stay here, too?"

     Bryan slowly looked up and said, "What about Mike? If things don't
work out at home, you said he would come here to be with us. You and I have
each other, but there isn't another human on this island. Mike would go
insane with boredom!"

     Shawn sighed and nodded, "You're right, of course. Well, maybe we
could let Mike know that he should just stay in Whiteshadow Isle. He'll be
the new prince and grow up, Choose a mate, and then take over the crown."

     Bryan took a deep breath then, reached forward with his hands, he
grabbed Shawn's face.  As he pulled it towards his own, Shawn's eyes closed
in anticipation for a kiss. Bryan almost smiled, but didn't.

     "Shawn . . . Open your eyes! I'm not going to kiss you! I just want
you to hear me nice and clear."

     Shawn's eyes popped open and, his face now mere centimeters from
Bryan's, he smirked and said, "Geez . . . You called me 'Shawn'. This must
be important."

     Bryan nodded and said, "You are always telling me to be serious. Well,
now I'm telling *you* to be serious. First of all, I am sure that our
fathers can bring together the assembly.  They're smart and they are, after
all, the kings. Secondly, if they decide not to, or if they simply can't, I
think we should just stay at the palace and live with the continued women
hating, because things aren't going to be that easy with all three of us on
this island! There will be a lot of fighting and it will not be fair to
Mike. Finally, you are aware of how much I love you, right Shawn?"

     Shawn nodded.

     Bryan nodded too, then continued, "Well, as your friend, I'm telling
you that what you're thinking right now, is irrational. You're the supposed
to be the smart one . . . the bookworm! Don't you see that it would be hell
to live on this place?! We love it now and will probably keep loving it for
the month that we spend here, but if we have to spend the rest of our lives
here, it shouldn't take more than six months before we hate each other and
live on opposite sides of the island in a sort of native savage sort of
way. After all, 'Hell is being locked in a room with your friends.' I'm
telling you nicely now, but any more talk of how much you'd love to play
with ferrets and eat mango all day, and I'll personally tie your sexy self
to a tree and proceed to whip coconuts at you!"

     Shawn smiled, "Jean-Paul Sartre. I'm impressed, Bryan."

     Bryan smiled slightly, "Thanks. I spend some time in the library too
sometimes, and I'd like to spend even more time in the library. So, what do
you say? Are we going to go home after this month?"

     Shawn pulled Bryan's hands off his face and held them in his own
hands, looked into Bryan's eyes, and said, "I'm so sick of the women hating
though. I don't think I could just go home and live with things the way
they are, much longer. At the end of this month, if I do decide to stay
here, are you telling me that you'd choose to go back to the palace and
leave me here?"
     Bryan sighed, "Shawn, you know that I wouldn't! I can't live without
you anymore and I'd be a fool to try. That's why I'm begging you to come
back with me at the end of the month, regardless of what happens. Worse
case scenario, our dads can't do anything. So what? We go home, eat a bit
of crow for our 'ultimatum', then get on with our lives. We can still see
our sisters and mother sometimes."

     Shawn nodded, "And what would be the best case scenario?"

     Bryan smiled and squeezed his hands around Shawn's, "The best case
scenario, would be that our fathers call an assembly of all the world
leaders and we go in front of them to plead our case. If that happens, I
don't know what the fuck we're going to say!"

     Shawn shrugged, "Sweetheart, all we have to do is tell the truth. Once
they see how stupid this whole thing was, I'm sure they'll consider our
argument."

     Bryan laughed, "Yeah right! 'Hi, I just thought I'd let you know that
the way you've been living your life for the past one hundred years, is
totally stupid and wrong. I wish you'd reconsider!' Shawn, I'm not exactly
a scholar, but I do know that you can't change the way the entire world
thinks, simply through one meeting!"

     Shawn pulled his hands from Bryan's, walked over to the pool under the
waterfall, and, dipping his hands in, splashed a bit of water on his
face. Standing back up, he turned to Bryan and said, "Look . . . I'm not
expecting the entire world to change all because of me. I'm nothing but a
teenager who happens to know the truth. I want them to realize that sexism
is irrational, especially to the extent they've gone with it! I want them
to leave the meeting and understand what really happened! Things like that
don't fix overnight, but if I can get through to them, then maybe, at least
by the time you and I are kings, we can have a whole world that has,
hopefully, begun to forgive each other. We're all humans, after all, and we
shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves."

     Wiping his face with his hands, he sat back down on the rock and held
his hands, palm out in front of Bryan, in the accepted sign for 'what do
you want me to do?'

     Bryan smiled and said, "I take that to mean that you're coming back
with me?"

     Shawn nodded, "I couldn't stand doing something that made you unhappy,
my sweet."

     Bryan blushed and smiled, then walked over to the rock and sat beside
Shawn. They smiled at each other and Shawn put his arm around Bryan hugged
him. With his head on Shawn's should, Bryan asked, "So, what do you want to
do now?"

     Shawn shrugged and, after looking up at the sky, kissed Bryan's head
and said, "I don't know about you, angeldove, but I'm kinda hungry."

     Bryan lifted his head up and giggled, "Yeah, I'm kinda hungry too."

     Shawn stood up and, turning back to Bryan, smiled and said, "So, let's
go back to the beach, put on some clothes and then go find some supper."

     Bryan sighed, "Why clothes?"

     Shawn laughed, "Well, it's going to get pretty cool during the
night. I wager we should wear a little something."

     Bryan shook his head, "I don't wanna. I'll just snuggle with you
tonight."

     Shawn nodded, "Okay, but I'm gonna go put on some jeans and a
T-shirt."

     He began walking back down the path, then turned around after a few
steps when he saw that Bryan wasn't coming.

     To answer his questioning look, Bryan said, "I'm really tired
. . . We've been running and swimming all day and I'm still really drained
from this afternoon."

     Shawn stood there thinking for a few moments, before smiling and
walking back to the rock. Reaching it, he turned around and said, "Hop on."

     Bryan giggled, "*You* wanna give *me* a piggyback ride? You're a
skinny weakling, though!"

     Shawn turned his head and laughed, "Ya, we'll see! Just get the hell
on my back, dammit!"

     "Ooookay . . . " Bryan sighed, and slowly climbed onto Shawn's back,
wrapping his legs around Shawn's waist and his arms around Shawn's
neck. Bryan was a lot heavier than Shawn remembered and groaned as he
slowly stumbled down the path.

     "Shit! What the hell have you been eating, boy?" Shawn gasped as he
nearly tripped over a rock.

     Bryan smiled and pressed his dick harder against the small of Shawn's
back, "While you were in the library, reading and needing to be reminded
when it was time to eat, I was in the gym working out, eating protein, and
getting in shape. It looks like you could have used the muscle-building
too."

     Shawn nodded quickly and continued to stumble down the path. After
almost ten minutes, his muscles throbbing and aching, he reached the edge
of the jungle, where the trees met the beach. Once his foot his the sand,
he spun on his waist and did a martial arts flip, tossing Bryan over his
shoulder and right, smack, on his back. That done, he collapsed onto the
sand.

     Bryan lay on the sand, gasping as he sought to regain the wind that
landing like that, had knocked out of him. Lying on his back, sand sticking
to his moist body and creating an itchy blanket of white specks, he looked
up at the clear sky. It was then that he saw it: The sun was on the horizon
and beginning to set. He pushed himself into a sitting position and,
reaching over, shoved Shawn with his hands.

     "Shawnie! Sit up quickly! You've got to see this!"

     Shawn groaned and, groaning, sat up. "What?"

     Bryan pointed to the horizon and Shawn's head turned and his mouth
dropped open slightly as he saw it.

     The bright red sun was sinking below the mountains, far off in the
distance, and cast a purplish-green glow over the clear sky. It looked as
if a purple mist hung over them, making everything look shadowy and
calm. It was times like this, where, looking at the sky in a certain place,
you could probably make out Heaven itself if you tried. Shawn and Bryan sat
in the shadows of the trees and stared at it in awe.

     For several seconds, not a word was uttered, until Bryan, once again,
broke their silence by saying, "Isn't it the most beautiful thing you've
ever seen, Shawnie?"

     Shawn smiled and shook his head. Turning to Bryan he put his hand on
Bryan's knee and smiled at him, saying, "No. It's only the third most
beautiful thing I've ever seen. The second most beautiful thing I've ever
seen, is your face as you look at it. Your eyes are lit up in awe, the
corners of your lips are drawn up in a dreamy grin, and the shadows of the
trees add a darkness to your angelic face and pale complexion. However,
neither can compare to the way you look when you wake up in the morning. So
disoriented . . . so innocent . . . so adorable. You're amazing . . . Just
when I think that I can't possibly love you any more than I already do,
something happens and I fall in love with you all over again."

     Bryan blushed again and said, "Why are you so good with words? You
know that I can't control myself, whenever you talk to me this way!"

     Shawn leaned in closer and smiled, "Why talk, than?" Then moved
forward the extra few inches, his hands reaching up to hold the sides of
Bryan's face, and their lips press together.  They sat under a palm tree
and just kissed as the sun set before them. Shawn briefly pulled his lips
away, but only to stick out his tongue and run it up the length of the
faint cleft in Bryan's chin.

     After creating a most trail below Bryan's lips, he gazed into his
eyes, running his finger in a small circle around his temples, and
whispered, "Your face is more delicious than any food that exists, or could
ever have existed. To taste it, is to taste the product of God's greatest
creation, and if God truly does exist, and he truly is the model of utter
perfection, than you, Bryan, really *have* been created in the image of the
All Mighty."

     Bryan whimpered like a puppy and quickly grabbed Shawn's face in his
hands, and pulled it against his lips again, sucking Shawn's tongue into
his mouth and drinking down his sweet saliva.  Bryan's own tongue traveled
into Shawn's mouth where it was welcome with Shawn's teeth giving it a
gentle nip. They giggled and drooled against each other as they embraced.

     The night was so beautiful and the love they shared, so great, that
all thoughts of clothing retrieval and food, disappeared from their minds
and, after spending a passionate half-hour of kissing and licking each
other's face, stopping only to breathe, their bodies slowly began to relax
more and more. Soon, they slumped down in the sand in the shade of a palm
tree, their arms still around each other, and their faces so close, that
they breathed directly in the other's face, and they lapsed into a quietly
snoring slumber.

     Shawn was awakened, in the very early morning, by an animal that was
licking his face. It was still dark out, apparently too early for the
sunrise, so it was difficult to tell exactly what it was.  The tongue,
however, felt like sandpaper and he could feel his face getting quite
raw. In reflex, he rolled over and pushed the animal's face away from him
with his hand. In doing so, he pulled his arm off Bryan and, subsequently,
woke him up.

     The animal jumped back in surprise, seeing Shawn awake and
moving. Though he hadn't gotten to the animal section of the library yet,
he had once played with a kitten and this animal's tongue felt very
similar.

     "Mmm . . . What's going on?" Bryan groaned, sitting up slowly.

     "Shhh!" Shawn whispered, "There's some kind of animal next to me! I
think it's a cat or something."

     Bryan sat up and looked over at the creature, now hiding in the
shadows a few feet away.  It was small and had pointed ears, and did, in
fact, look like a cat. Bryan got into his hands and knees and, staring at
the animal, began making little *meow* sounds at it.

     Shawn turned to Bryan and whispered loudly, "What are you doing?! It
could be dangerous!"

     Bryan giggled at Shawn, "No . . . It looks like it wants to play!"

     The animal slowly walked towards them again, cautiously and with its
head, low to the ground. "Here, kitty, kitty!" Bryan squeaked at the
animal.

     In response. The animal began emitting a low growl. In response to
that, Bryan began to get a little bit worried and quickly crawled over to
Bryan. "I'm scared! What do we do?" he whispered.

     Shawn slowly shook his head and replied, "Just stay totally still
. . . Don't move and maybe it'll go away."

     Bryan hugged Shawn and said, "This isn't a bee, Shawn! It already sees
us!"

     The animal finally got close enough for them to see it: It was a
streamlined animal, with glowing orange eyes, a white, fur-covered mouth, a
big nose, long whiskers, and was covered in many black spots. It was about
as big as a Labrador Retriever.
     The animal continued to crawl forward until it was inches away from
Shawn's face. Shawn began to shiver in fear as the beast began sniffing
him. Its nose moved from Shawn's face, into his hair and slowly down his
chest. Shawn's eyes opened wide as its nose sank lower and lower on his
body until it was between his legs. Its growling stopped, as it began to
smell around Shawn's penis.  Shawn didn't know whether to try and crawl
away, close his legs, or just let it continue, but he was extremely
afraid. Bryan, who was huddling behind Shawn, stared at the fearfully
precarious situation and, despite his fear, began to get just a little bit
aroused by it and felt his penis stiffen up just a bit. I seemed just a bit
erotic to see his lover's most private area being sniffed by a large cat-
like creature. Shawn, however, didn't seem to agree with that, and did
nothing but pressed himself back against Bryan, and try to stay still. Not
even the cold, wet nose rubbing against his boy-flesh was enough to make
any sort of sexual thoughts enter his mind.

     However, if he thought for one moment that things couldn't get any
worse, he found he was quite wrong when he felt the same rough tongue that
licked his face only moments ago, now scraping against the circumcised head
of his teenage prick. This, however, was too much and, with a yelp, Shawn
whimpered, "S...Stop!" and pushed its head away. The animal looked up at
Shawn and, with a growl, pounced on top of him. With its weight crashing
into him, Bryan was thrown backwards and lay, stunned, in the sand, as
Shawn was now pinned underneath a very heavy animal. Shawn looked up in
fear as the animal's face lowered down and began sniffing around his
neck. Great gusts of air flowed past his neck and chin and he lay there,
too afraid to move away from the spotted creature. Suddenly, the animals
legs lowered and the creature lay down on top of Shawn with all its
weight. Almost unable to breathe, Shawn gasped, "Help me, Bryan!"

     Bryan slowly crawled over to where Shawn and the animal were
lying. The beast had its legs sprawled out behind it, and was gently
nuzzling Shawn's face.

     "Help you with what, Shawnie? I think you found a friend."

     Shawn gasped and wheezed, "I can't breathe!"

     Bryan nodded and, crawling over to the animal, began patting it and
saying, "Come on, kitty . . . Please get off my husband. If you kill him,
that would be bad."

     The animal looked up at Bryan and, apparently interested in the new
human, got back to its feet and got off Shawn. Shawn gasped, took a few
deep breaths and got up. Bryan was on his hands and knees and, pretending
to purr, was rubbing his face against the animal's.

     Shawn walked up behind Bryan and said, "It's a leopard."

     Bryan looked up, "A, what?"

     Shawn repeated, "It's a leopard. A big cat . . . and, from what I
gathered, it's a female."

     Bryan turned back to the leopard, who was now lying down in front of
Bryan. Bryan smiled and began petting its head and neck, "Are you sure he
isn't gay and looking for a bit of fun?" Bryan giggled.

     Shawn reached down and grabbed Bryan gently, pulling him up. Bryan
looked annoyed as he turned to Shawn and said, "What?! She wants to play
. . . Maybe she finally got away from her mate or whatever, and is looking
to meet new people . . . or something . . . "

     Shawn shook his head, "I finally figured it out. I mean, I haven't
read the animal books yet, but I've read some Whiteshadow Isle reports of
leopard activity on this island. This one's a kitten, around a year or so,
and, unfortunately, seems to have developed an attachment to me."

     Bryan giggled and, reaching down, pet the head of the leopard again,
who began to contentedly growl. Shawn continued, "Bryan, figure it out!
This is a kitten, which means that its mother is probably looking for it. I
don't think she'd appreciate us within the immediate vicinity."

     Bryan shrugged, "Who says we have to be? Lets just take her with us,
and get out of here."

     Shawn laughed, "Take her with us? Bryan, do you remember, yesterday,
when you said I was acting irrational? Well, the fact that you want us to
adopt a leopard who will, someday, grow up to be over five-hundred pounds
in weight, is, easily, as, if not more, irrational!"

     Bryan pet the leopard's head again and said, "Come on! The palace is
too stuffy. We need a pet!"

     Shawn laughed again, "That would be well-received by the palace staff
and, especially, our fathers! Bringing a large cat, and a female one at
that, back to Whiteshadow Isle, would hardly be something that is very
bright."

     Bryan smiled at the leopard, then at Shawn and giggled, "Oh, you're
just afraid that she'll lick your dick again!"

     Shawn smiled, "And speaking of which, what will happen when she goes
into heat, if she isn't already and she just might be after what she did to
me? I don't think there's a vet in the entire world that would spay a
leopard! What do you want to do, Bryan? Find a male leopard so they can
mate and have more potentially violent cats running around the palace?
Maybe you'd just to masturbate her yourself?"

     Bryan crossed his arms across his chest and said, "Shawnie . . . First
of all, I'm sure the vet that fixes all the horses would be able to do the
operation, and second of all, I think you're being just a bit mean to me!"

     Shawn stood there for a second and then, finally, nodded, "Okay
. . . Fine! Take the damn leopard! But we're getting off this beach right
now! Also, to avoid running into dear old momma, we're leaving on the next
supply ship that comes by."

     Bryan looked down at the leopard and said, "So, basically you're
asking me to choose between this leopard and our honeymoon?"

     Shawn nodded and put his hand on Bryan's shoulder, "I'm sorry,
Bryan. If you really want the leopard, we can take her, but I don't think
we should stay much longer after that. It's just not safe."

     Bryan sat down beside the leopard and it stuck its head in his lap and
he gently ruffled the fur on its neck. After a few seconds, he looked up
and said, "I want to stay here with you, Shawnie. Before we go home,
though, could we look for her, though?"

     Shawn laughed, "It would be very hard to find her, but sure! Now,
though, I think it's time to go."

     Bryan nodded and pet the large cat, "Sorry, girl . . . We gotta scoot
before your mom comes and turns into kitty kibble."

     Meanwhile, Shawn walked down the beach and retrieved their suitcases,
minus the clothes they had tossed into the water, of course, and when he
returned, Bryan was standing there, ready to leave.

     "So, where do we go now?" Bryan asked.

     Shawn shrugged and handed Bryan his bag, which he took. "I guess we
could go back to the waterfall pool."

     Bryan shook his head, "I have a better idea. Come with me." And, with
that, Bryan walked off down the beach. Shawn ran until he was beside him,
and then turned to him and asked, "Where are you going?"

     Bryan smiled, "I kinda like the beach, so I figured we'd walk down a
few yards until we were far away from that leopard, and then we could sit
down on the sand again and, maybe, watch the sun rise."

     Shawn nodded and turned around, looking back to see where the leopard
was. He didn't have to look far, though, because he saw that the large cat
was walking along close behind them.  He stopped and, turning to the
leopard and putting down his bag, waved his arms at it and said, "Shoo! Go
away! You're gonna get us eaten or something!"

     The cat simply emitted a low growl and pushed his against Shawn's
hands. Bryan had turned around to see why Shawn had stopped and laughed
when he saw what was going on.  Shawn turned to Bryan and snapped, "Don't
laugh! This thing is going to get us killed!"

     The leopard flipped over on the ground and looked expectantly up at
Shawn. Shawn shook his head at it, "No! I'm not going to pet you! Don't you
realize that you're getting us in trouble?  Don't you see?"

     Of course, the cat couldn't understand a word Shawn was saying, and
playfully swung its paw at him. Unfortunately, the paw hit him in a very
sensitive area, and he groaned, keeled over and collapsed on the
sand. Despite himself, Bryan burst out laughing and lay on the sand beside
Shawn and the leopard, and shook in hysterics. Shawn simply lay in the
fetal position and growled, "Fucking cat . . . "

     The leopard, seeing its beloved in distress, stood up and loomed over
him, then bent down and began licking his hair and across his face. Shawn
reached up and pushed its face away, finally laughing, then rolled out from
underneath her and got to his knees. He stared at the big cat for a few
seconds, before smiling and patting her on the head. The leopard seemed to
purr in contentment, and nuzzled its head against Shawn's chest. Shawn
kissed the back of her neck and, turning around, addressed the convulsing
Bryan with a harsh, "Shut the fuck up, you retard! Do you want the whole
damn island to hear you?!"

     Bryan's laughing slowly died down and he got to his knees and stuck
his tongue out at Shawn. Shawn laughed, then turned back to the leopard,
"So, we've been on honeymoon for not even one full day, and already we have
a big, spotted problem to deal with."

     Bryan smiled and shrugged, "Well, I don't think we can get rid of her
now. Maybe we'll get lucky and her mother will end up being dead or maybe
she was rejected or something."

     Shawn continued to pat the leopard while he smiled at Bryan and said,
"Wishful thinking.  Chances are, we'll probably be eaten before the month
is up."

     Bryan shrugged and giggled, "At least we'll be eaten together. Now,
how about we go watch the sun rise?"

     Shawn shook his head and said, "You go . . . Enjoy yourself! I'm gonna
go back to sleep.  My muscles still ache from yesterday."

     Bryan looked saddened, "I've never actually seen the sun rise
before. I was hoping we could watch it together."

     Shawn let go of the leopard and crawled over to Bryan. Taking Bryan's
face in his hand, he pulled it towards his own and kissed him. Upon pulling
back, he smiled and said, "Maybe some other morning, angel. Right now, I'm
tired."

     Bryan shrugged and said, "Okay, but I don't want to watch my first
sunrise by myself. I'll go back to sleep with you too."

     Shawn turned to the leopard and said, "So, girl, wanna be my pillow?"

     The big cat simply stretched its back and lay its head down on the
sand, growling softly.

     Shawn lay his head down on the leopard's chest and snuggled in close
to it. The leopard simply growled softly. In turn, Bryan lay his head down
on Shawn's chest.

     Shawn's last thought before drifting off to sleep, was, "This is going
to be a very interesting month . . . "

When Shawn awoke, it looked to be sometime in the afternoon, and he was all
alone. He lay on the sand, both bags beside him, and looked around. Neither
the leopard, nor Bryan, was anywhere to be seen, and Shawn was slightly
worried.

     Shawn stood up and looked around, listening for any sounds that would
give away his lover's location. He heard nothing except for the usual
sounds of the waves, the wind and the animals of the jungle. Shaking his
head at his apparent task, he reached into his bag and, pulling out a plain
white T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, he got dressed. Leaving the bags
where they were, he trudged off down the beach, intermittently calling out,
"Bryan! Where are you are?"

     There were too many footprints on the sand for him to be able to tell
which were Bryan's, so he simply walked down the beach, looked, and
listened. Soon he heard something, but not any sound that he hoped to
hear. Instead, he heard the crash of the sky above, and, within seconds,
the clouds gathered and a wall of water seemed to fall from the sky. Shawn
stood there, open-mouthed in surprise, his clothes getting rapidly soaked
with the powerful rain, and yelled, "Shit!"

     He quickly ran into the jungle, there being nothing to shelter him on
the open beach, and sat down underneath a tree. Water still fell and soaked
his clothes and body, but less so than out in the open.

     His back against the trunk, he leaned against the tree and wailed,
"Bryan, you little, no-good son of a bitch! Get your ass over here right
now, dammit!"

     There was a rustle in the bushes, and a naked Bryan walked down the
path, totally drenched, and giggled, "You rang, Shawnie?"

     Shawn got up and, after taking a step towards Bryan, slipped in a
muddy puddle and fell on his back, with a yelped, "Fuck!", further ruining
his clothes. Bryan walked over and looked down at his fallen
companion. Shawn held his fist up and growled, "Not a word!"

     Bryan giggled and, reaching down, helped Shawn up with a, "Who? Me?"
look on his face.

     Back on his feet, with mud and water soaked clothes stuck to his skin,
he looked at the equally soaked Bryan and said, "Now, would you mind
telling me where the heck you were?!"

     Bryan shrugged, "Just taking a bath in the lake. It's certainly
raining, isn't it?"

     Shawn nodded, "This is very inconvenient. I was hoping to get up early
and watch the sun rise with you. Now, I don't know if we'll even see the
sun for a while."

     Bryan looked around, then looked back at Shawn and, giggling, said,
"This is gonna seem like the corniest line ever, but, can I help you get
out of those wet clothes?"

     Shawn smiled, his anger at Bryan quickly diminishing, and said, "I do
declare, Mr. Silverberg, that you are coming on to me!"

     Bryan stepped up to Shawn and, putting his hands on his lover's chest,
looked up at his face.  He pushed some strands of hair out of Shawn's face
with his fingers and, looking deep into his eyes, said, "So what if I am,
Mr. Glazerman. There's just something about you being covered in itchy,
wet, muddy clothing that makes me want to tear them off and make soggy,
passionate love to you."

     Shawn smiled, reached forward and grabbed Bryan's ass cheeks in his
hands. Squeezing them gently, he looked down and saw Bryan's prick standing
stiffly erect from his body, dripping with water like the rest of his naked
body. He grabbed it in his hand, with a gasp from Bryan, and smiled at him,
then said, "You wanna fuck me, you wet, naughty, incredibly sexy boy, you?
Very well."

     Bryan bit his lower lip, closed his eyes, smiled, and nodded. Shawn
began to slide his fist along the length of Bryan's hard cock, slippery
with water, and he heard Bryan's breathing turn into high-pitched whimpers
of pleasure. Bryan's swollen prick, red with arousal and pressure,
throbbed, as Shawn stroked it with one hand, and rubbed over Bryan wet ass
cheeks with his other hand. Sounds of splashing water sounded all around
them as rain fell, wetting the vegetation and flooding the mud around them,
causing their feet to sink underneath it, and cascading down their bodies
in heavy streams.

     Bryan began moving his hips in time with Shawn's strokes, his feet
making squishing sounds as they moved in the soft mud. Shawn's body moved
forward and pressed against Bryan's, his lips meeting Bryan's in hungry
kisses and flicked tongues. Bryan's hand traveled underneath Shawn's soaked
shirt and petted across his belly, up to his chest. Shawn's body responded
with violent tensing as Bryan began to gently pinch his nipples, his finger
gently teasing the nubs as Shawn tongue lashed across his face.. Bryan's
other hand playfully rubbed across the mud soaked front of Shawn's jeans,
teasing the bulge of his prick that must have been aching to squeeze
through.

     Shawn lips hung in front of Bryan's, as their tongues stuck out and
tickled each other in midair with slimy touches, before their mouths sank
on top of each other's again. They were fiercely passionate, with both boys
moaning against the other's face, as water continued to pour from the sky
and drench the two lovers. Totally drenched in cool, tropical rain, their
whimpers of pleasure were rivaling the sounds of splashing water around
them.

     Water dripped from their bodies and their hair was matted down against
their heads, yet their passions could not be extinguished nor
weakened. Shawn's hand moved began to move faster, slipping and splashing
over Bryan's wet prick, stroking the thing so quickly, his hand was almost
a blur. Bryan's hand stroked Shawn's chest more forcefully now, kneading
the slight swells of his nipples until they stuck out like little pencil
erasers. His other hand slowly pulled down the zipper of Shawn's drenched
jeans, slowly unbuttoned the snap and peeled the corners of the jeans off
Shawn's crotch. Shawn's swollen prick sprung out, already moist in water
that had seeped through, and drooling a thin, white ooze from the tip, that
almost immediately washed away.  Bryan's hand began a slow rubbing of the
hard organ, gently rubbing his fingers around the soaked skin of Shawn's
hard prick, his thumb slowly stroking all around the circumcised head, over
the tip, causing Shawn to hiss in pleasure.

     Shawn suddenly sunk to his knees, causing Bryan's hands to fall from
his body and hang by his sides as he leaned against a tree, his body no
longer able to support his weight. Shawn's hand, no longer able to squeeze
Bryan's ass, as it was now against a tree, reached forward and began to
gently play with Bryan's balls. His other hand, though, continued a quick
motion of stroking Bryan's prick. He kneeled there in several inches of mud
and water, the sounds of the roaring waves from the beach, almost drowning
out any other sounds. The rain came down hard on the hot ground, causing a
mist of fog to form, making things very hard to see, but still Shawn
continued to masturbate his lover with passionate vigour.  Totally caught
up in it, he growled and whispered,

     "You tried make me horny, you bad boy! You naughty, sneaky boy! Well,
I'm gonna turn you on now and make you all hot and bothered! You like
getting your little cock rubbed, don't you?  Yeah, you like it when I make
it get all hard and itchy, because you're a horny boy who likes to play
horny games with his horny cock! Your naughty body wants to cum, doesn't
it? Ya, you want your itchy cock to shoot sticky sperm, don't you? You want
to shoot it all over me, don't you?  Yeah, you wanna shoot your slimy goo
all over my face! You can feel it in your tummy, can't you?  That tickle in
your tummy that means you're getting ready to cum! I can see it in your
cock, angel.  It's all swollen and looks ready to cream all over my
face. So, come on, you naughty, sexy, horny little boy...Cum for me!"

     Bryan leaned back harder, and, reaching forward, began petting Shawn's
soaking hair. He groaned and hissed, "If you keep doing that, I'm gonna
cover your fucking hair in my jizz! I'm gonna blast it all over your sexy
face! Oh God! You make me so fucking hot, Shawnie! I'm gonna spray my
fucking cum any second now! Oh damn, I'm gonna blast cum all over the
place!"

     Shawn giggled, "We would want that!" and he quickly sunk his mouth on
top of Bryan's prick, his other hand moving up and grasping the shaft as he
moved his head back and forth, licking around the dick in his mouth. With
the wet skin inside his mouth, Shawn stroked it, in and out, his tongue
flicking all over the most sensitive areas of his lover's cock. He could
taste the droplets of precum that seeped up from the slit at the end, as
his tongue playfully licked around the sensitive, circumcised head and
slit. Shawn could feel Bryan's balls pulled tight against his body and knew
that he was about to shoot down Shawn's throat.

     Bryan's panting increased in pitch, speed and volume, and his body
began tensing and jerking. He quickly shot his hand out and pushed Shawn's
face away. Looking down at Shawn, he shook his head and said, "No! I don't
want to cum here! I want to go on the beach! I want to roll around on the
wet sand with you!"

     Shawn looked up at Bryan's face, visibly flushed even through the
rain, and his eyes betrayed that he almost regretted pushing Shawn away
when he did.

     Shawn slowly stood up and smiled at Bryan, "Okay, my naughty, little
sex kitten, let's go to the beach. I bet you really need to cum now, eh?"

     Bryan's flushed face broke into a grin, and he smirked, "Fuck, ya!"

     Shawn walked down the muddy path towards the beach and Bryan, on
wobbly legs, followed him.

     Upon reaching the beach, Shawn and Bryan stood there for several
seconds, watching the waves crashing violently against the shore. It really
was beautiful to see the huge waves, stirred up by the storm, pounding on
the sand, and, despite both their over-aroused states, they could not help
but admire it for a few moments. Eventually, though, their heads turned to
face each other.

     "Beautiful, isn't it?" Shawn said.

     Water cascaded down Bryan's face, his hair matted against his face and
scalp, as he simply stared at Shawn with a slight smile for a few moments,
before spitting a stream of water at Shawn and giggling, "You can't fuck
the water, though."

     Shawn put his hands on his hips and said, smiling, "Our love isn't all
about sex, though."

     Bryan laughed and replied, "From the way you were talking to me, you
wouldn't know it!"

     Shawn smirked, "So, are you saying you don't want to fuck anymore?"

     Bryan, still smiling, walked up to Shawn and said, "No. I'm just
making an observation.  Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to make another
observation."

     With that, he reached out and grabbed the bottom of Shawn's shirt. He
pulled up upwards, peeling it off Shawn's stomach. Shawn gently pushed him
away and pulled his shirt up and over his head. He tossed the wet piece of
cloth onto the sand beside him.

     "Still wanna fuck me, baby?" Shawn yelled over the roar of the waves.

     Bryan advanced on him again, and, grabbing the sides the Shawn's
jeans, he peeled them down. Once down to Shawn's knees, Shawn kicked them
off. Now both naked, they grabbed at each other's bodies, pulling them
close, and kissed furiously. Shawn soon pushed Bryan away and, smiling,
shook his head and said, "Uh uh, my sweet, little sex-kitten. You better do
what I tell you to do, or else you'll be stuck masturbating today!"

     Bryan smiled and wiped his hair out of his face, along with some
water, "Yes, master! Just tell me what to do, master!"

     Shawn nodded and smiled, "Just stand right there, slave, and continue
looking hot. I'm gonna work you over so good and then I'll let you fuck
me."

     Bryan bit his lower lip and shivered in anticipation, as Shawn slowly
walked back towards him.

     Shawn leaned forward and gently took Bryan's right earlobe between his
teeth. Nibbling around it softly, he stuck his tongue out and flicked it
wetly,. the water that already covered his body making the saliva almost
non-existent. Bryan whimpered and sighed, his cheek pressed wetly against
Shawn's.

     Shawn's mouth slowly descended across Bryan's face, his tongue gently
licking over Bryan's red lips. Bryan's own tongue flicked out, brushing
across Shawn's. Shawn pulled back and shook his head, "Don't be naughty,
slaveboy! I didn't say you could tongue kiss me! Just for that, I'm going
to have to punish you."

     Shawn rubbed his hands over Bryan's stomach as he knelt down
slightly. His thumbs pressed gently into Bryan's bellybutton, while Shawn's
face lowered until he was staring at Bryan's stiff little
nipples. Suddenly, Shawn stuck his leg out and pushed Bryan down to the
ground. He hit the wet sand with a *splat*, but didn't look that
annoyed. Shawn loomed over him and smiled, saying, "Now you're gonna get
it, you sexy, little kitten!"

     He lowered his mouth down onto Bryan's left nipple and sucked it
gently, his teeth lightly nipping it. Bryan's body tensed suddenly, and he
cried out, "Oh God! I'm gonna fucking cum all over you, Shawnie!"

     Shawn lifted his face up, a thin trail of saliva still connecting him
to Bryan's nipple, and smirked, "You better hold it back, angel, or else
you won't last long enough to fuck me!"

     "I'm trying . . . " Bryan whimpered, "But, you make it so difficult!"

     Shawn could see that Bryan's balls were already pulled tight against
his body, and that too much stimulation would probably set him off.

     Shawn leaned forward again, and began running his tongue across
Bryan's chest, around his pecs, still a bit swollen in pubescent
breasts. Bryan's breath left his nose in stuttering pants as he tilted his
head back and closed his eyes.

     Shawn continued to slowly trace the pink surface of Bryan's areolas,
stopping occasionally to gently suck on the stiff, wet, little nubs of his
nipples. Bryan prick looked as hard as it could possibly get and throbbed
with his heartbeat. Small droplets of cloudy liquid occasionally oozed up
from the tip, but was quickly washed away by the rain. When it looked like
Bryan was balancing precariously on the edge of succumbing to a desperate
orgasm, Shawn quickly pulled away, leaving Bryan laying there, panting like
he'd jogged five miles, and let him slowly fall back from the brink. After
several seconds of no stimulation, Shawn sank down lower on Bryan's body,
slowly leaning forward and running his tongue all over Bryan's almost flat
belly. Bryan's breathing quickened once again, and his stomach muscles
began tensing as his sexual heat rose to a dangerous level. When Shawn's
tongue dipped into Bryan's bellybutton, and lazily swirled around it,
Bryan's back arched stiffly and a loud hiss of air passed from his
mouth. Shawn quickly pulled back and managed to prevent Bryan from cumming
once again. Bryan slowly relaxed down to the sand again, his hands reaching
forward and patting Shawn's matted, wet hair.

     "Sh...Shawnie . . . I gotta...gotta cum. You have to let me! I'm gonna
go crazy! My prick itches so bad, I can't take it anymore!" Bryan
whimpered.

     Shawn looked down at Bryan for a few more seconds, before crawling off
him and turning around.

     "I'm sorry, sweetheart. You can fuck me now, if you want." Shawn
cooed.

     Bryan slowly, dizzily sat up and said, with enthusiastic horniness in
his voice, "Really?! I can?! Oh, thank you so much, baby! I got the hots
for you so bad, Shawnie, baby!"

     Bryan crawled over to where Shawn knelt, got up onto his knees and
pulled apart Shawn's ass cheeks with his hands. Though the gushing rain
partially blinded him, he could easily make out the puckered hole that was
his throbbing hardon's target.

     "Be gentle, angel." Shawn whimpered back.

     While Bryan guided his prick with one hand, his other hand reached out
and stroked Shawn's wet back while he said, "Of course, sweetheart. I'd
never hurt you, don't you know that?"

     Shawn nodded and pushed gently back at Bryan. Bryan placed the tip of
his stiff boyhood against Shawn's ass hole and pushed hard. Shawn relaxed
himself as best he could, given that he was very tense with his own pent-up
sexual pressure, and, within about a minute, Bryan was buried halfway in
his ass, the continuously pouring rain acted sufficiently as a lube.

     Reaching around Shawn's body, Bryan gently grasped Shawn's cock. It
felt as hard as his, and was just as wet and sticky with rain and
precum. He began stroking it, slowly at first, but increasing
quicker. Meanwhile, he pulled his own dick back a bit, then pushed it
forward again, wetting the inside of Shawn's anal passage to allow for
better fucking.

     Soon, Bryan's thrusting got quicker and Shawn could feel the throbbing
pressure of his lover's cock inside of him, while his crotch slammed
against his ass.

     With his other hand, Bryan grasped Shawn's thigh, using it as leverage
to pull himself harder against him. Bryan thrust with his entire body,
slamming himself against Shawn, and he could feel a growing tingle in his
stomach beginning to spread throughout his body in powerful waves. He began
to stroke Shawn's prick faster and faster, turned on by the squishing,
splashing sounds his hand made as it slid effortlessly along the throbbing
boy-meat of his lover.


     He groaned down at Shawn, "Oh fuck, baby! I'm gonna fucking cum up
your ass! Any second, I'm gonna shoot my fuck juice up your butt!"

     Shawn rocked back and forth with Bryan's movement and yelled back, in
between grunts, "Oh yeah! Shoot your jizz up my butt! I wanna feel your cum
in my stomach, baby! I want it coating my insides! Cum for me, angeldove!
I'm gonna cum too, 'cause you're so good at fucking my ass and jacking my
cock off! That's it baby!"

     Bryan's resolve soon faded, and the tingle in his tummy spread
throughout his whole body.  He felt his orgasm, several times delayed,
begin to overtake him as he grunted against Shawn, his body's thrusts
quickening in jerking slams of his crotch against Shawn's ass.

     "Oh fuck! Oh damn! Here it fucking comes, Shawnie! OH GOD! OH MY
FUCKING, GODDAMN GOD, SHIT, FUCK!!!!!!" he grunted, his muscles tensing and
his jaw clenching as his orgasm quickly washed over his pubescent frame in
wave after wave of pleasurable spasming.

     Every time Bryan slammed his hot body against his, Shawn felt Bryan's
boyhood jerk inside him, and another stream of warm liquid squirt up his
ass, coating it in tingling pleasure, followed by a loud groan from Bryan.

     After the forth shot, Shawn could not take anymore and, before he
could even react, his own orgasm washed over him with authority and he
groaned, "Ah shit! I'm gonna . . . Oh damn, I'm gonna fucking cream all
over! OH FUCK!!!!!"

     His cock spasmed violently under Bryan's steady strokes and jets of
his thick, white cream coated Bryan's hand, while others collected in a
small pool in the sand underneath them.

     After six steady blasts of his watery, immature jizz, Bryan's orgasm
peaked and waned, leaving him exhausted. His rapidly softening prick fell
out of Shawn ass, releasing a steady stream of his cum, and Bryan collapsed
on top of Shawn. Shawn, meanwhile, shot only four jets of his cum, before
his orgasm left him and, his muscles giving way, he fell to his side, with
Bryan on top of him.

     They lay there, motionless, for several seconds, before Shawn finally
scooted over and wrapped his arms around Bryan's body. His eyes were
closed, but he knew where Bryan was, and leaned forward, kissing him on his
cheek. "I love you, angeldove." Shawn cooed.

     Bryan breath came out in shaky gasps that sounded like the sweet
purring of a kitten, and he snuggled tight against Shawn and giggled, "I
love you too, my sexy, sweet baby doll."

     They were only half aware of the less severe rain, as they made
passionate love, and now, as they heard bird in the jungle singing their
sweet songs, they became fully aware that the rain had stopped. They simply
dreamed of nothing more than taking a small nap in each others arms after
such good sex. Shawn's ass throbbed slightly, a bit of pain radiating from
it, but nothing to be concerned with.


     The sound of someone clearing their throat took them out of their
reverie. Bryan's eyes were still closed, but he knew that sound and
growled, "What the hell are you doing here?!"

     Shawn slowly opened his eyes and smiled slightly when he noticed the
boat at the shore and the tall, stout figure of Fargo, the Royal
Accountant, standing there.

     "Fuck time, right milords?" Fargo quipped, a smile on his face.

     Bryan slowly sat up and squinted up at Fargo, then said, "You are
aware that I'm going to kill you, right?" and with that, he stood up and
walked into the jungle mumbling, "Well, now . . . I need a big rock that
smash that fat head of his . . . "

     Shawn sat up and opened his eyes, then addressed Fargo with, "Well
now, to what do we owe this interruption of our honeymoon, and disruption
of the peacefulness of the island with your large form?"

     Fargo laughed and said, "Well, my prince, Prince Michael gave me a
letter that he said must reach you and Prince Bryan with the utmost
urgency." With that, Fargo reached into his cloak, pulled out an envelope
and handed it to Shawn. With it in his hands, Shawn smiled at Fargo and
said, "Well, since you are here, would you like to join us for a meal?"

     Fargo laughed and shook his head, "I think I better go before Bryan
proves to me that he's serious about killing me. Nice seeing you again,
Your Grace."

     Fargo then turned around and walked back towards the docked boat,
which contained guards that awaited instructions to take the royal advisor
back to the palace. After he reached the boat, he quickly stepped in,
directed the guards, and they were off back into the water.

     Shawn opened up the envelope, just as Bryan returned. "Where'd he go?"
Bryan asked, impatiently, with a large rock in his hands.

     Shawn motioned, with his head, towards the water, while he read the
note. Bryan stepped towards the beach and yelled to nobody in particular,
"Yeah! You better not come back, either."

     A smile passed over Shawn's face as he finished the letter.

     "Bryan?" he said, turning to him.

     Bryan walked back over to him and said, "Yeah?"

     Shawn let out a laugh of joy and proclaimed, "It looks like everything
will be A-O-K!"

     "Dear Shawn,

          I knew this couldn't wait another minute, so I decided to send
news of this right away.
     Luke and Brett are currently attempting to get together that assembly
that we wanted.
     Several couriers went out today to deliver invitations to each of the
leaders of every
     country. Your mother was asked, by them, to handle getting word to the
female leaders,
     personally. Hopefully, this means that your plan is coming true, which
is really cool. I'm
     glad they're listening to you.

          Anyway, the meeting is set to take place three days after you
guys come home, so maybe it
     would be a good idea to know what the heck you're going to say during
it.

          Well, just thought I'd tell you. I really miss you guys around
the palace, even though it's
     only been two days. I'm so bored! I hope you're having fun. I love you
guys.

     Love, Mike"

"Fourth day of Jackal's Gaze, four-thousand eighty second:

     The rest of the honeymoon was much more pleasant. It didn't rain again
for the rest of the time we were there. Bryan and I had sex several more
times, which is always fun. On the twenty- second day, Bryan had terrible
diarrhea and I couldn't even get within ten feet of him without gagging. No
sooner did that get better, than I became extremely sick with the flu. That
pretty much ended our honeymoon, as I spent the rest of the time, high on
flu tablets that the mail boat brought after I had asked for them on its
last visit. I only just began to feel better two days ago. We managed to
find the leopard before we left, though. We never did find out what
happened to its mother or any of its brothers or sisters. She stayed with
us until the ship came on the last day, to take us home. It was strange to
have to wear our heavy winter coats and pants again, after being naked for
most of the month. I'm really going to miss Shady Sands.  Fargo and Jasper
got very funny looks on their face, when we brought aboard the leopard. I
decided to let Bryan name her, which, looking back, probably was asking for
trouble to begin with, because we now have a leopard named Bitch. What an
ass, that Bryan is. Being an ass, though, is one of the things I love about
him. Bitch is now at the horse doctor, getting spayed. I can't say I don't
feel a bit sorry for her. As soon as we got home, we went to talk to our
dads, and they were glad to see us. They said that they were looking
forward to seeing us address the world leaders and hoped we knew what we
were doing. Speaking of which, the Assembly meets this afternoon, and I
still don't have a speech prepared. Since we arrived home two days ago,
I've been in the library, reading law books and political tomes, trying to
get some material for my argument. With my flu, I feel just nauseous,
having to concentrate on those books, and being all stuffed up and
feverish. Bryan's even been in the library with me sometimes, but . . . "

     Shawn looked up and stopped writing in his journal as he saw the door
to the library open.  Bryan walked in and, walking over to Shawn, put a
glass of water and a pill down in front of him, before pulling up a chair
and sitting down beside him.

     "I brought you something that'll make you feel better, Shawnie." Bryan
said, looking fondly at his lover.

     Shawn turned to Bryan and nodded, "Thanks, sweetie."

     Bryan put the back of his hand against Shawn's forehead, measuring his
temperature, and then pulled it away, shaking his head and tsk'ing. "You're
burning up, Shawnie. Why don't you go upstairs and take a nap?"

     Shawn stuck the pill in his mouth and gulped it down with the water,
then wearily shook his head and sniffled, "I can't. If I go to sleep now,
I'll be out for the day and I'll miss the assembly meeting."

     Bryan put his hand on Shawn's shoulder and squeezed it gently, then
said, "Okay, then can we, at least, go take a nice warm bath upstairs?
You're too sick to sit here reading and writing all day. You need to rest
more, baby."

     Shawn coughed and nodded his head, "Okay, a bath does, actually, sound
pretty good.  Keep in mind, though, that you are the one who keeps me awake
all those evenings"

     "I'm sorry about that . . . If I knew you were going to get so sick,
we would have rested more often. Since I did promise to stand by you in
sickness, though, I'm going to try and take care of you until you're all
better."

     Shawn leaned forward and kissed Bryan's cheek, before standing up,
closing his journal, and picking it up. Bryan stood up too and smiled,
"Shall we?"

     Shawn nodded, and, together, they left the library, leaving the still
half-full glass for the maid to clean up.

     On the way up the stairs, Bryan kept glancing worriedly over at Shawn,
noticing his unsteady walk and pale and sweaty pallour. Shawn had been
really sick and he was, only just now, beginning to get over it, however he
wasn't well, by any means.

     Finally reaching their room, Bryan pushed open the door for Shawn and
they entered the room. Mike was sitting on the bed, a huge, fluffy towel
wrapped around his waist. Seeing the two boys enter, Mike quickly got to
his feet and smiled at them.

     "How is he?" he asked Bryan, looking over at Shawn.

     Shawn cut off Bryan's reply by waving his hand and saying, "I'm fine
. . . really."

     "We're just gonna take a warm bath, Mikey. Would you mind leaving us
for about an hour?" Bryan said, smiling at Mike.

     Rather than take offense, Mike smiled back and nodded, "Sure thing. I
can see that you two should be alone."

     With that said, Mike opened the drawer, pulled out a pile of clothes,
and quickly scurried from the room to get dressed and get ready for the
meeting.

     Shawn began feverishly pulling at the buttons of his shirt, growling
in frustration when he was unable to undo them in his weak, dizzy
state. Bryan reached out and pulled Shawn's hands away from his shirt,
holding them in his own. Shawn looked up and seemed about to tell him that
he was capable to undoing his own shirt, but he could see the look in
Bryan's eyes - one of extreme worry - and let down his guard. Bryan
released Shawn's hands and, putting one on Shawn's chest, he gently
pushed/guided him over to the bed. Shawn obediently walked over to it and
sat down.

     Kneeling down in front of him, Bryan took the first button between his
thumb and forefinger and slowly undid it, peeling apart the collar a bit
and revealing a little of Shawn's chest. As he was undoing the second
button, Shawn looked down and said, "Bryan, would you ever make love to a
girl?"

     Bryan looked up at Shawn and giggled, blushing, "Shawnie . . . "

     Shawn smiled too and, sniffling, said, "Seriously, Bryan! Would you?"

     Bryan looked down at the ground and shrugged, "I dunno. I never really
thought about it."

     He giggled again, and went back to unbuttoning Shawn's shirt, undoing
the second button and pulling apart his shirt a bit more.

     Shawn was silent for a few seconds, and then said, "You mean, in your
entire life, you've never met a girl you wanted to have sex with?"

     Bryan let go of Shawn's third button and looked up at him, "Shawnie
. . . I spent the majority of my life living in a stable and being kept
hidden. The only person I ever had any sexual thoughts about, was you?"

     Shawn sighed and said, "You had the run of the town for a whole year
and a bit. Didn't you see a single girl that you wanted, sexually?"

     Bryan looked up, a stern gaze to his brown eyes, and said, "Shawn
. . . Why are you asking me this?"

     Shawn shrugged, "Just wondering, that's all."

     Bryan quickly undid the rest of Shawn's buttons and opened Shawn's
shirt, peeling it off Shawn's arms. Bryan knelt for several seconds, before
standing up, and then, reaching down, helping Shawn to his feet as well.

     "Shawn . . . You know I'm not going to leave this alone! Why did you
ask me what you did?" Bryan questioned as he knelt down again and undid the
button of Shawn's pants.

     Shawn sighed and said, "I'll talk to you about it when we're in the
bath."

     Bryan undid the button of Shawn's pants and slowly undid the
zipper. As usual, Shawn wore no underwear, so as soon as his zipper was
done, his penis came into view. Despite the possible sexual connotations of
his stripping, it was not erect and hung limply on top of his scrotum,
surrounded by a small bush of pubic hair.

     Having it at face level gave Bryan a few ideas, but he restrained
himself and simply pulled down Shawn's pants until they we at his knees,
whereupon Shawn stepped out of them, and stood there totally naked.

     Shawn's nose was red and runny, his face was pale and looked clammy,
and his whole body shivered with his fever, but Bryan had still never seen
a more desirable person in his entire life, Male or female.

     Bryan pulled his white tank top over his head, cringing a little bit
at the sunburn that covered most of his body. Shawn was similarly
afflicted, but that was the least of his problems.

     He undid the snap on his jeans and, as he undid his button fly, he
said, "You sure you don't want to let me know what's up, now?"

     Shawn sniffled and shook his head.

     After undoing his jeans and pulling them down, Bryan stepped out of
them and stood there in front of Shawn, blushing and naked. His penis was
half-erect, but red from a combination of the month's activities, combined
with the sunburn.

     Motioning with his hand, Bryan waved Shawn into the bathroom first,
and Bryan followed close behind, using a lot of willpower to keep from
staring at Shawn's ass. Inside, Bryan got a bar of soap from the sink, and
lay it on the wall of the tub. After testing to make sure it was still hot
- which it was - Bryan climbed over and sank into the bath, sighing as the
hot water caressed his teenage body with warmth. Reaching out, he took
Shawn's hands and steadied him as he, too, stepped into the tub and sat
down. The steam rising up from the water, swirled around in the air, and
got sucked into the nostrils of both boys as they took deep breaths.

     Bryan smiled as he saw Shawn lean back and groan contentedly. "You
really like this bathtub, don't you?" Bryan giggled.

     Shawn nodded and sighed, "Whenever life's troubles get me down, I know
that I always have this tub of liquid warmth to comfort me."

     Bryan nodded and said, "It certainly is pleasant. Now, about that
matter . . . "

     Shawn nodded and, leaning forward and looking into Bryan's concerned
eyes, he said, "First, you have to answer the question."

     Bryan's face became a mass of thought as he pondered the
question. After twenty or so seconds, he shrugged and said, "I don't really
know. It would depend upon the circumstances."

     Shawn cocked his head and smiled, "The circumstances? Well, how about
if a girl with a flat stomach, big breasts, a great ass, long blond hair,
and big blue eyes, went up to you and said 'Bryan, baby . . . You're so hot
and I want you so bad! I need you to fuck me.' Would you do it?"

     He used a high-pitched voice when he spoke for the girl, and that made
Bryan giggle. He shook his head and said, "I'd tell her to go fuck herself,
because I'm married!"

     Shawn frowned, "You know what I mean! Last year, before you and I got
back together, when you were living on the streets . . . What if a girl had
asked you, then?"

     Bryan leaned back and smirked, "Shawn, if you want to ask me a
question, then just ask me! Don't hide behind hypothetical situations! Now,
please . . . What are you trying to say?"

     Shawn leaned back, stretched out his arms along the wall of the tub,
and said, "Bryan, you're a smart guy. You know what I'm trying to ask you!"

     Bryan laughed, "This is a first! Shawn Glazerman is actually
embarrassed to say something to me!"

     Shawn got a stern look on his face and sighed, "Bryan . . . Don't make
this any more difficult than it already is."

     Bryan shrugged, "Shawnie . . . We're married, we're in love and
nothing you could ever ask or say, could change that!"

     Shawn nodded and said, "I know . . . It's just that I'm never good at
asking personal questions."

     Bryan leaned forward, pulled Shawn's arms off the tub and took his
hands into his own.  Looking at him, Bryan smiled and said, "You want to
ask if I'm gay, right?"

     Shawn nodded.

     Bryan shrugged, "Does it really matter that much to you?"

     Shawn nodded.

     Bryan sighed and said, "Shawnie . . . You're very sick and we're both
very sunburnt, otherwise I would show you what my preference is . . . or
should I say, *who* my preference is."

     Shawn shrugged, "Is that a yes?"

     Bryan took his hands away, letting Shawn's drop into the tub, and
said, "Listen, to be totally honest with you, I don't really know what I
am. Judging by how much I love you, I'd have to say that I'm not straight,
but there may have been the odd feeling for a certain girl in passing, here
and there."

     "So you're bi?"

     Bryan began to look slightly annoyed, "Shawn, what the heck is the
difference?! Here you are, and here I am, sitting in bathtub, with shiny
gold rings on our fingers, totally naked, with me in pain, not so much from
the sunburn, but from the fact that it would hurt both of us if I kissed
you.  Our sexual preferences should be pretty academic at this point!"

     Shawn finally smiled and said, "Since when did you become the rational
one and I become the irrational one?"

     Bryan smiled too and said, "I don't know, actually. Maybe I should
spend more time in the library and you should spend more time in the gym."

     Shawn opened his mouth to say something else, but shut it again, and
motioned with his head towards the soap. Bryan nodded and, reaching out and
turning on the jets, he swam over and began gently soaping up Shawn's chest
and neck, careful not to irritate Shawn's burnt skin. Shawn leaned back and
moaned, as the lather was simultaneously built by Bryan, and washed away by
the jets of water.

     "Close your eyes." Bryan instructed. Shawn did so, and Bryan lathered
soap all over Shawn's face.

     "You're going to look so pretty for the assembly today." Bryan cooed.

     Shawn gurgled back a response.

     Bryan pushed Shawn's head underwater briefly, and when it surfaced, it
was . . . the same, although now it was wet. The sunburnt pallour of
Shawn's face coincided beautifully with the redness of Shawn's
nose. Contrasting this, was a thin, black, pubescent beard and mustache
that Shawn had grown, from lack of shaving. His face was sunburnt and he
was fairly sick, so Bryan didn't want to attempt to shave his lover; Not
that he knew how to, anyway. He hoped it would be seen as distinguished,
instead of simply unkempt. At least, it might take attention away from
Shawn's sunburn.

      Bryan stood up and stepped out of the tub. Splashing across the room,
he opened up a cabinet on the far wall and pulled out a small
bottle. Walking back to the tub, he stepped back in, and smiled at Shawn's
confusion.

     "Gonna do your beautiful hair, now." Bryan said, simply.

     Shawn wearily stood up and turned around. Pouring a copious amount of
the flowery smelling gel into his hand, Bryan gently massaged it into
Shawn's long black hair.

     "So, you have a speech prepared yet?" Bryan asked.

     "No." Shawn replied, "I have a good idea of what I want to say,
though.

     "Hmmm . . . " Bryan pondered aloud, "You know that this could make or
break the kingdom."

     "Yup." Shawn replied, "However, I don't care. The worse that'll happen
is that nothing will change, I'll be disgraced, we won't be kings, and
we'll be exiled to a desert somewhere. At least we'll be together, though."

     Bryan nodded, even though Shawn couldn't see him. Shawn, seeing that
Bryan was done, sat back down and dunked his head underwater, where the
jets scrubbed the shampoo out of his hair. When he surfaced, Shawn's hair
looked beautiful and shiny. Bryan sat back down again too.

     "So, what do you want me to do?" Bryan asked.

     Shawn shrugged and said, "Well, I'm going to need your help, Mike's
help, and our sisters' help. I guess you just follow my lead and tell the
truth."

     Bryan nodded and smiled, "Well, I'm at your disposal for anything you
could possibly desire. For now, though, we better get dressed, as the
assembly meets in about an hour."

     Shawn nodded and he and Bryan stood up. Bryan stepped over the tub
wall and, with a bit of help, Shawn did too. Bryan grabbed a towel and
dried himself off, then dried Shawn. Together, they walked back into their
bedroom, and Bryan walked over to the dresser of drawers. Shawn went over
and sat down on the bed, watching his lover sort through the clothes.

     "What do you want to wear, Shawnie?"

     Shawn shrugged, "I guess . . . umm. . .something that will make people
take me seriously."

     Bryan sorted through the drawers a bit more, before looking up and
saying "Well, do you want dark colours or bright colours?"

     Shawn thought, and then said, "I guess, sort of in the middle. I want
to appear forceful, but still pure."

     Bryan giggled, "You lost your purity, three years ago."

     Shawn smirked.

     Bryan sorted through the clothes some more, then looked up again and
asked, "Formal, dressy, or casual?"

     "Huh?"

     Bryan laughed, "Do want to dress like you're getting married, hosting
a banquet, or painting a fence?"

     Shawn smiled, thought for a moment, then replied, "I guess, between
hosting and painting."


     Bryan sorted through the drawers a bit more. Shawn stood up and put
his hand on Bryan's shoulder. Bryan turned around, "What?"

     Shawn smiled, "You know...I'm feverish, not handicapped. Why don't you
find your clothes and let me pick out my own. That pill is beginning to
take effect, so I should be able to do things on my own."

     Bryan put his hand on Shawn's naked chest and stroked it lovingly,
"Are you sure you don't need my help in getting dressed or, better yet,
going to the bathroom?"

     Shawn took Bryan's hand from his chest and, squeezing it lovingly,
brought it up to his face and stroked his cheek with it, "You know, my
pet...There's a very fine line, between being a help and being a nuisance."

     Bryan smiled and pulled his hand away, "Point taken. I'll get
dressed."

     The two boys sorted through the drawers and pulled out various
articles of clothing, tossing them on the bed. Shawn settled on a black,
collared, button-down shirt, navy blue blazer and dress pants, and brown
suede shoes. Bryan chose a white, crew-neck shirt, with a navy blue, wool
vest, blue jeans, and black leather boots. Since this was a special
occasion, they also both decided to wear boxers, so they both chose white,
cotton ones, with a button fly.

     After both of them got dressed, they checked each other over. Both
laughed, because, with a pair of dark sunglasses, Shawn would look like a
jazz singer, and with a cowboy hat, Bryan would look like a country singer.

      "Well, partner, you look just jim dandy. Almost ready to ride off
into the sunset, cowboy?" Shawn quipped.

     Bryan smiled back and replied, "Yeah, that would be just swinging,
daddy-o! I'm almost ready to shuffle off with ya, man!"

     Bryan brushed his hair, while Shawn tied his up in a ponytail. After a
few sprays across their bodies, of a musky smelling deodorant, both nodded
at the other and they decided it was show time. Shawn blew his nose and
packed his pants pockets with tissue, in case he needed it.  Everything
done now, they both playfully curtsied to the other and Bryan opened the
door. He held it open for Shawn, and then went through it himself, and they
headed down towards the Main Royal Address Chambers; The same place where
they had gotten married.

     On the way down the hallway, Shawn looked over at Bryan and said, "You
know something...You would look real pretty with an earring or two,
cowboy."

     Bryan laughed and replied, "I'll pierce my ears when you shave your
head!"

     Shawn smiled back, "Is that a fact? Well, I happen to think I'd look
real stupid with no hair. You, on the other hand, would look adorable with
some studs in your ears."


     "Why would I need any more studs, when I got one as my husband?"

     Shawn smiled and, reaching into his pocket, pulled out some tissue and
blew his nose.

     Bryan's face changed to concern, "You sure you're all right, sweetie?"

     Shawn nodded and said, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

     They reached the doors of the royal address chambers, and the guards
standing by the doors saw them and opened them up. They both hesitated for
a moment, before stepping through the doorway and into the room holding
every single world leader and their family.

     The room was nicely decorated in the flags of all the countries of the
world, with Whiteshadow Isle's flag hung directly above the podium in the
middle of the room. The room hadn't been chosen so much because the
expected crowd was large, but because of the structure that allowed the
person at the center to be able to project his voice around the room
without speaking too loudly. The aisles were used as designated country
seating, with Whiteshadow Isle being right up front. From Shawn's first
glance, there looked to be just shy of one hundred people there, making the
crowd seem pitifully small, considering the room was built to house tens of
thousands.

     Currently at the podium, speaking about something which Shawn's
couldn't hear, was Calvin. As the advisor in charge of foreign trade and
relations, he was known by everybody in the world, as he frequently made
personal trips to other countries, so he was chosen to speak first, to help
get the assembled crowd comfortable. On either side of him, stood Luke and
Brett, both looking somewhat like a child who was forced to attend an adult
gathering for the first time. With both females and male leaders in the
room, they both expected a fight to break out any second.

     Spying Shawn and Bryan, Luke seemed to visibly relax, and he walked
over and whispered something to Calvin. Calvin gazed over in the boys'
direction and proclaimed, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the gathered assembly of
nations...At this time, I'd like to introduce to you our speaker for the
afternoon and the reason we had this meeting in the first place. Ladies and
Gentlemen... Prince Shawn Glazerman, royal prince of Whiteshadow Isle."

     The crowd turned around as Shawn and Bryan shyly made their way down
the aisle. Bryan blushed fiercely and stared at the ground, as he heard
murmurs of, "Look, it's the fag princes.", "Here comes the prince and his
bitch.", and, "I should have killed him when I had the chance."

     Shawn, however, put on his most determined face and walked down the
aisle, looking as proud and confident as he could, given his current health
and the atmosphere of the assembled crowd. Once they passed by the front
row, Bryan broke off from Shawn and, looking over the row, chose a seat
between Vizier Frost and Mike.

     Mike looked better than Bryan had ever remembered him looking. He had
cut his blond hair to a pageboy-type style, and he looked very regal in a
white button-down shirt, brown corduroys, and a purple, suede vest. He
seemed very mature compared the innocent nine-year-old that they had taken
from the hotel only a few months previously.

     Mike smiled at Bryan and whispered, "I hope everything goes alright."

     Bryan smiled back and, putting his hand on Mike's knee and squeezing
it affectionately, he replied, "So do I, kid...So do I."

     Shawn had stepped up to the podium at this time, and Calvin nodded and
walked down to the floor, taking his seat between Fargo, the treasurer, and
Wesley, the cartographer. Luke and Brett stood on either side of the
prince, and gazed off into the crowd, not making eye contact as he gazed up
at them, looking for some kind of signal to begin. He got the signal a few
moments later, when someone in the crowd yelled, "Well?! What the hell is
hold-up?! I had to put important matters of state, on hold, so I could be
here right now!"

     Shawn sighed and stared forward, leaning slightly on the podium, as he
cleared his throat and said, "Thank you for taking the time out of your
busy schedules to be here this afternoon. I assure you that there is a very
good reason that you were all called here, and..."

     Shawn was cut off abruptly, as a woman in the crowd yelled, "Get on
with it already, dammit! Why the hell are we all here?!"

     Shawn cleared his throat again, and sniffled. Getting some tissue from
his pocket, he blew his nose, then looked up at his dad and whispered,
"What do I do?"

     Luke finally looked down at his son and said, with a slightly annoyed
tone, "Shawn, you wanted to hold an assembly like a king, so do so! You are
officially a sovereign as you stand here now, so act like it!"

     Shawn nodded, then turned back to the crowd. Assuming a more focused
look to his face, he gazed out at the crowd and exclaimed, "Ladies and
Gentlemen, the purpose of the meeting is forthcoming. However, I will ask
you to please keep your inconsiderate comments to yourself.  You are in my
country now, and you will show me respect!"

     "Or what?!" was the reply from the crowd.

     Shawn sighed and said, "I'm trying to inform you today, of a matter
that is of the utmost urgency! It is very important that you listen to me
and give me your full attention! In your own countries, you may be revered
and treated like the royalty that most of you probably are, but in my
country, you are my guests, and as such, I advise you all to know your damn
roles and shut your fucking mouths! If you don't start listening to what I
have to say, I'm sure our guards can find the time to take some of you
aside, and teach you the Whiteshadow Isle meaning of respect!"

     There was a murmur of disbelief amoungst the crowd, at the matter in
which they were just addressed. Bryan and Mike sat there giggling almost
hysterically, trying to contain themselves.

     Shawn used the momentary shock of the audience, to take the time to
blow his mouth again. Completing that, he began again, "Now, honoured
guests of Whiteshadow Isle, this afternoon I'd like to address a matter
that has plagued us for many years. As most of you are well aware, men and
women have not gotten along very well for a long, long time. There have
been countless spats and quite a few wars. Population increase has
suffered. We've done away with traditions that, at one point, long ago,
were seen as sacred. Most of you men have heard the story about how this
conflict first started, correct?"

     There was a murmuring of positive answers, and one man shouted, "Those
bitches attacked Woodgrove!" which generated a negative response from the
female section. Soon, the room was caught up in screaming and yelling.

     "SHUT UP!" Shawn yelled, before breaking into a coughing fit.

     The assembly calmed down enough to see Shawn doubled over in coughing
and gagging.  Luke and Brett stepped over to see if he was alright. Shawn
pushed them away and stumbled back over to the podium. Reaching inside, he
took a glass of water and drank deeply. Looking back up at the crowd, he
wiped his eyes with his wrist and cleared his throat. "Ladies and
gentlemen...I'm getting over a very bad case of the flu. In the future,
please do not do things like that. I'm trying to speak, and your fighting
only stresses my system. You may comment, but only one at a time, and do
not say anything rude."

     The assembled crowd seem to nod and murmur apologies.

     Shawn nodded and smiled slightly, as he said, "Very well. Would the
person who just yelled out that comment about Woodgrove, please come up to
the podium and tell the assembly what the full story is?"

     After a few seconds, a man from the section devoted to Cargenon rose
up, and slowly made his way through the crowd, down the aisle, and up to
the stage. Stepping aside, Shawn waved towards the podium with his arm, and
the man took his place there. With a brief look of annoyance towards Shawn,
he turned to the crowd and announced, "About one hundred years ago, a group
of female freedom fighter attacked Woodgrove, massacring the king, killing
a bunch of guys, and taking over the castle. They used stolen weapons and
equipment, and won the women of the city over to their side. They repelled
all attempts to take back what was rightfully ours, and even turned down
the request, by the Northlands, for a peaceful assembly to discuss the
matter!  They killed us men, then brainwashed the other women of the world,
causing wives to murder their husbands and sons. There was much bloodshed,
and we graciously allowed them to have their own country. However, they
still raid our towns, kidnap our children and treat their male prisoners
like cattle, while we treat the females living in our country, like
citizens! They are all a bunch of ungrateful whores!"

     As expected, there was much ruckus from the crowd during his speech,
especially during the final part. The man stepped back from the podium, a
look of pride on his face, regally walked back to his place and sat down.

     Shawn nodded, and stepped forward again. Gazing over the crowd, he
said, "Yes, I've heard a very similar version of the story, but different
in respect to events and causes. For example, in my particular version of
it, I heard nothing about an attempted assembly called by the
Northlands. The fact that I've heard a different one, he's heard a
different one, and, I'm sure, most of you have added an attempted
reconciliation here, an act of arson there, and extra little goodies
everywhere. However, I come before you today, to exclaim that this story is
a lie!"

     There was an uproar from the crowd, and shouts of, "How dare you?!"
and "Who are you to second-guess this world's history?!"

     Shawn continued, despite the noise, and yelled, "Furthermore, all of
you people are so caught up in protecting yourself from the opposite
gender, that too much money is being funneled into the military and not
enough is being allocated to food and shelter. Your citizens are dying of
starvation and living on the streets, while your armies attack people who
mean you no harm!  Women didn't start this war! Both genders did! I can
tell you the truth, if you'd just listen..."

     The crowd noise got so loud, that Shawn could no longer even hear
himself and had to stop talking. He raised his hands and attempted to quiet
down the crowd, but people were standing up and beginning to leave,
shouting, "You are a brat who just wants attention! We will have no more of
your blasphemy and your lies!" and "You know nothing about what you say!
What does a faggot prince know about politics?!"

     Suddenly, a booming, "SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" sounded from behind
Shawn.  Everybody turned around, to see Luke looming over Shawn, gazing at
the crowd with malice.

     "MY SON SPEAKS, AND YOU WILL LISTEN!" Luke bellowed.

     "Your son speaks of what he does not know!" a man yelled back at Luke.

     Luke crossed his arms over his chest and said, in a lower voice, but
one still full of command, "Every one of you have exactly fifteen seconds
to take your seat, or you will be arrested and placed in the dungeon!"

     "On what charge?!" somebody yelled.

     Brett stepped forward and seethed, "Sir, in Whiteshadow Isle, to show
disrespect to a prince, is punishable by ten years in the dungeons. To show
disrespect to a king, however, is punishable by death. I advise you, and
everybody else, take your seat before king Luke feels that he's been
disrespected by your ignorance of his orders."

     The men hesitated, and slowly made their way back to their seats. The
women got some amount of joy out of seeing the men talked to in that
way. Kings of other countries, screamed at like they were mere peasants.

     Luke smiled down at Shawn and winked, then whispered, "That's how it's
done, my son."

     Both kings stepped back again, and Shawn walked back over to the
podium. He blew his nose again, and began, "Thank you for your silence. At
this time, I'd like to quickly ask Calvin, Whiteshadow's foreign state
advisor, a few questions. Calvin, would you please stand?"

     Calvin stood up, smoothed out his clothing with his hands, and nodded,
saying, "Yes, Shawn?"

     "Would you please tell me how much money we get from our trade routes
to the female countries? Let's say, Woodgrove."

     Calvin shook his head, "We don't get money for our goods sent to any
of the female countries. It's a barter system. We send varied supplies,
mostly sports equipment and books, as well as some food, and we get things
back in exchange."

     Shawn smiled, "Oh? So, what do we get in exchange for our goods sent
to Woodgrove?"

     Calvin shrugged, "It depends on the season. In the spring, we get work
animals, like chickens, pigs and cows. In the summer, we get mostly
foodstuffs, like jellies, honey, and preserved meats. In the autumn, we get
fruits and vegetables, like apples, plums, corn, pumpkins, and squash."

     Shawn cocked his head, "Nothing in the winter?"

     Calvin shook his head, "No, we don't get anything from them during the
winter."

     Shawn crossed his arms across his chest, "But do we send anything?"

     Calvin smiled slightly, and nodded, "Yes, we send just grain and
meat."

     Shawn smiled, "Thank you, Calvin." and Calvin nodded and sat down.

     The crowd murmured amoungst themselves, digesting the information they
had just received. Shawn gazed amoungst them, whispering, "Good, very
good."

     After about thirty seconds, Shawn sniffled, and continued with, "Next,
I'd like to call upon the queen of the New Grasbey Republic. If you could
please rise . . . "

     Queen Dahlia Oppenheim, the leader of the NGR, slowly stood up from
her country's row, and fixed her eyes on Shawn. Queen Dahlia looked to be
an elderly woman in her sixties, but had the air of someone quite
wise. "Yes, prince Shawn? What is it?" she asked, sounding slightly
impatient.

     Shawn gazed over at her and smiled, "Your country is just off mine,
isn't that correct?"

     Dahlia nodded slowly and replied, "Yes, I believe our capital city is
only fifteen-hundred or so kilometers off the northeastern tip of
Whiteshadow Isle proper."

     Shawn leaned forward on the podium and nodded, "And you were the
country who declared war on us, attempted to kidnap Carter and me, and then
had your spy kill Carter, right?"

     She shook her head, "While we did declare war on you, we never issued
orders to kidnap you and Carter! Furthermore, that spy was not paid by us!
He simply gave us information because he had a think against gay love
. . . or something."

     Shawn nodded, "Very well, I'll believe that . . . for now. Now,
explain to me why you declared war on us."

     At that, a muscular looking woman stood up and held her hand up at
Queen Dahlia, who nodded and sat down. She turned to Shawn and said,
"Colonel Laura Toby reporting. Permission to speak, prince?"

     Shawn nodded and said, "Knock yourself out."

     She smiled slightly and said, "Well, the winter was nearly two months
away and we had not received our monthly food supply from Whiteshadow
Isle. We asked about it, but only got ignored or shunned. As a result, we
had some starvation and no other choice but to raid some male stores for
supplies."

     Shawn stood up straight again and said, "So, you're telling me that
you'll starve without the food we send you?"

     She glared at Shawn, "You men beat us back into places where food is
scarce and difficult to grow. You bastards probably like knowing that we'll
all die without your help!"

     Loud yells of conflict began to brew throughout the room again, and
Shawn raised his arms and announced, "Quiet! Can I have quiet please?!"

     The protest began to die down, the people knowing the consequences,
and Shawn turned towards Colonel Toby and said, "I have no doubt that
you're correct in your assumption that the men are purposely holding you by
the . . . ummm . . . shoelaces."

     Turning towards the entire assembled crowd again, Shawn said, "So, you
see, ladies and gentlemen, that we males are putting the women in a very
difficult position, and then we wonder why they lash out at us. They can't
even feed themselves because of us! They have little supplies and are
driven to raid our outposts, just so they can survive on a day by day
basis. This is not a way to life, gentlemen! This is not a way for anybody
to live, least of all them. I refer you, now, towards a woman . . . any
woman, who can tell her version of how this conflict began. Anybody?"

     Several women stood up, so Shawn blindly picked one. She was wearing
High Priestess robes and walked with much grace. She climbed up to the
podium and nodded her head at Shawn, "Greetings, Your Highness. I am
priestess Anna of the Sacred Hearts temple, in Bismark."

     Shawn nodded back and said, "Greetings, priestess. Now, tell me
. . . Did you hear this story from your mother, or a friend, or a
colleague? Maybe you heard murmuring of it on the street?"

     She shook her head, "No, Your Eminence. It was recorded in the temple
archives back at Sacred Hearts, by one of the original women from the
Southlands. It is a well-known tale in the temples all over the world."

     Shawn nodded, "So, this would be the true story, then?"

     Anna nodded, "It was written at the time of the conflict. It details
exactly why everything happened, when it happened, and what the end result
was."

     There was much murmuring among the assembly, as people began to debate
whether this was legitimate and, if so, if they truly wanted to hear it.

     Shawn raised his hand to signal for silence, and smiled, saying "Well,
go ahead and tell us the truth, then."

     Anna nodded and began to tell the history of the war. She told about
the cruel wrath of Woodgrove's king. She told about the oppressed women all
over Woodgrove, who overreacted to their new freedom. She told about the
women all over the world, who misinterpreted the attack, as well as the
misinterpretation of the other countries. She explained how the whole thing
had snowballed from there, until the males and females were fighting
without even remembering why.

     The people listened intently, men and women alike, as the young
priestess told the story.  There were some murmurs of doubt and blasphemy
throughout the crowd, but most of the people finally seemed genuinely
interested in what was going on during this meeting.

     After almost an hour, Anna finally concluded the story with, "
. . . So you see, assembled leaders . . . This conflict began, because of
existing prejudice and sexism this world getting ignited by an isolated
incident, that gave everybody a reason to finally blame somebody for
everything.  You used to feel so guilty over the prejudice against races,
but now the focus is on gender, and you lap it up, because you have your
false stories and imagined tragedies to lead you down a corrupted path."

     Shawn stepped forward and put his hand on Anna's shoulder, "Thank you,
priestess."

     Anna nodded and stepped back down.

     The assembly was buzzing with intermingled conversation about what had
been just said.  Luke and Brett were standing behind Shawn, looks of pride
on their faces.

     Shawn smiled, blew his nose for the fiftieth time since the assembly
started, and gazed out over the crowd, then announced, "Gracious people of
the assembly, thank you for listening to the truth, for once. The priestess
tells a story that, I'm sure, all the temples all over the world know. Is
that correct? If this is the same story that other temples have written
down, would the priestesses of those temples please raise your hands?"


     The crowd noise quieted down, and four hands raised in the air; one
from each of the other temples of the world. As Shawn gazed out over the
raised hands, he saw the raised hand of the Whiteshadow Isle aisle, was
from his own mother, and seated beside her, was Rebecca, his sister. He
hadn't noticed them sitting there until now, and a large smile came over
his face. He looked out over the crowd and proclaimed,

     "For the past hundred years, we've been so enmeshed in conflict with
the female gender, that we've forgotten that we have female relatives and
siblings. At this time, I'd like to acknowledge that, seated in front of me
here today, is my mother, Margaret, and my sister, Rebecca. I'd like them
to please come up on stage right now . . . "

     He motioned with his hand towards his mother and sister. Rebecca
blushed fiercely, clad today in a beautiful flowing dress of black cloth,
with two red bows on the hips. Margaret took Rebecca's hand, and stood
up. Walking over to the stage, Margaret pulled Rebecca, who seemed a bit
reluctant, up the short flight of stairs. Standing beside Shawn, Margaret
leaned over and whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Shawn."

     Shawn smiled and nodded.

     Shawn looked over at the crowd, as they discussed the fact that a
prince of one of the male countries was acknowledging a woman as his
parent. He stood at the podium and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to
introduce to you, at this time, my female relatives. My mother is a
priestess at the Scott temple, and my sister is in training to be a
priestess. I acknowledge them as my relatives and love them deeply."

     With that, Shawn leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek. She
smiled and, after a nod from Shawn, kissed him back. Shawn then turned to
Rebecca, who was blushing fiercely at what seemed to be about to
happen. Shawn smiled and blushed too. Scratching his neck in embarrassment,
Shawn whispered, "This is stupid . . . What happened before is the
past. You're my sister and I love you. Why should we be so nervous about
kissing each other?"

     She seemed close to tears as she replied, "Maybe it's because you feel
the same way about me, as I do about you?"

     Shawn smiled and shook his head, "Becky, I love you as my sister, and
think that you're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen, but I
just don't feel the same way about girls, as you do about guys."

     She looked to the ground and whispered, "I saw you up here today, so
full of pride and fighting against people who disagreed with you, and I
just couldn't stop thinking about you. Why did you have to be so sweet, and
smart, and nice, and handsome, and funny?"

     Shawn laughed and shrugged, then whispered back, "I am what I am,
Becky. I'm sure that someday, especially with what I'm trying to do here,
you'll find someone who you feel the same way about, as you do about
me. Remember, though, that even if you can't have me the way you want to, I
will always be your brother and I'll always love you."

     Becky looked up and grinned, "Oh Shawn . . . "

     They both stepped forward, wrapped their arms around each other, and
hugged tightly, Rebecca burying her face into the shoulder of Shawn's
blazer.

     Margaret put her hand over her mouth to contain her grin, and Luke and
Brett both looked at each other and smiled, despite themselves. The
assembly had a mixed reaction, but there were a few sighs of, "Awww . . . "
from several of the female aisles and even a male aisle.

     Shawn broke his embrace, leaving Rebecca standing there somewhat sad,
and stepped back over to the podium, "Ladies and Gentlemen, my mother and
sister are two of the nicest women you're ever likely to meet. Priestess
Anna, of the Sacred Heart temple, is a woman who seems like she wouldn't
kill a fly, let alone another human being. Women are not the cold bitches
that we men are taught to believe, and neither are men the militant, blood
lustful, merciless killers that you women are taught to believe."

     Shawn turned around towards Brett, and said, "King Brett, would you
please tell us what you and your son did several times, the week before my
wedding to him?"

     Brett smiled and, stepping forward, he said looking over towards
Bryan, "Him and I played basketball, and one time, we played soccer. He
beat me once or twice, actually."

     Shawn spun around towards the crowd and announced, "Basketball?!
Soccer?! Are these the games played by merciless warriors who train their
sons to be nothing more than women killing, war machines?!"

     He looked down at Colonel Lance and inquired, "Colonel, I suppose that
spend every moment that you're not butchering women, training to be better
fighters, correct?"

     Lance burst out laughing, and stood up from his seat and said,
"Actually, prince Shawn, the guardsmen and myself spend a good deal of time
helping out with the harvests, and having fun by ourselves."

     Shawn leaned forward and got a look of mock distress on his face,
"But, Colonel...How do you have time for fun? What if the women attack?"

     Colonel Lance shrugged, "There are so many guards, Shawn, that there's
always enough to handle any disturbances."

     Shawn straightened up and gazed out at the crowd, "Isn't that
something? The guards of my country are so plentiful, that quite a few of
them can just laze around, and there will still be enough to fight in any
battle."

     He turned to Fargo and smiled, "My dear treasurer...Please tell the
assembly how much money goes into the army every year..."

     Fargo stood up, avoiding the gaze of Bryan, and said, "W..Well, there
is...ummm...I don't quite know, actually. I'd have to get my ledger and
check."

     Shawn nodded, "Okay, well, could you please tell the assembly if there
is more money going into the army or into food production, buying seeds,
hiring farmers, storing grains, and what have you...?"

     Fargo pondered for a moment and said, "Well, in that case, I'd have to
say that it would be the army..."

     Shawn nodded and said, turning towards Colonel Lance, "Very well. I'm
assuming that the huge amount of money that is invested in the army,
indicates that they have fought quite often over the last little while. Can
you tell me, Colonel, how many battles were fought over the last six
months?"

     Colonel thought for a second, and answered, "About thirty-seven,
Shawn."

     Shawn nodded, "Okay...How many of those, so-called, 'battles' involved
anything more than several women on horseback just trying to get supplies?"

     Lance smiled, 'Well...I guess...about five, then."

     Shawn nodded, "And how many of those battles were fought with any real
threat to our guards."

     Lance shrugged, "Well, just one, but many guards died."

     Shawn nodded and said, "Very well. You may sit down..."

     Fargo and Lance both sat down.

     He turned towards Rebecca, "Becky, you have a male slave working in
the temple, correct?"

     She nodded, blushing.

     He smiled and said, "So, when you're not beating him and forcing him
to eat his own feces, what exactly does he do?"

     Rebecca laughed and said, "Well, he helps organize the library, wash
the clothes, and prepare the meals. When I was young, though, he used to
help take care of me. His name is Albert, and I sort of think of him as
almost my father. No offense, dad..."

     Luke smiled and shook his head.


     Shawn cocked his head, "So, how would you say that you treat him?"

     Rebecca smiled, "Well, if we let him go home, I'm sure he would, but
we treat him pretty good. He sleeps on a pile of hay covered with a thick
sheet, and we give him a bunch of furs to sleep under when the weather is
cold. He eats well enough, and we treat him with respect."

     Shawn turned to the assembly and smiled, "It's amazing the kinds of
rumours that spread about the women, isn't it?"

     Shawn took a deep breath and said, "Bryan, please come up on stage
now..."

     Bryan smiled and stood up, walking up on to the stage and standing
beside Shawn. Shawn turned towards the assembly again, and said, "Ladies
and Gentlemen, Bryan and I engaged in a ceremony that used to be practiced
in the old times, called 'marriage'. Therefore, Bryan and I are
married. However, Bryan used to live on the streets, isn't that right,
Bryan?"

     Bryan smiled and nodded at Shawn.

     Shawn smiled back and said, "Now, my dear, would you be so kind as to
tell the assembly how life on the streets were?"

     Bryan nodded and, stepping up next to Shawn, at the podium, he said,
"Life was hard. We had to scavenge for food and clothes. We had to deal
with disease and hunger. It wasn't very pleasant, Shawn."

     Shawn nodded, "And what courtesies did the guardsmen offer you?"

     Bryan shrugged, "None, except the occasional shout to get out of their
way."

     Shawn looked out at the assembly and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, my
dear husband here created his own homeless shelter, unfunded by the royalty
of Whiteshadow Isle, and ran it very well. He dealt with getting the food,
clothing and other amenities that were necessary."

     He looked out at Fargo and said, "Fargo, are we scheduled to build any
homeless shelters, volunteer aid to the homeless, or, especially, work out
some kind of foster care for the young children on the streets?"

     Fargo shook his head without even standing up.

     "What was that, Fargo? I don't think we could hear you!"

     Fargo cleared his throat and said, softly, "N..no. No, we're not."

     Luke stepped up beside Shawn and Bryan and whispered to Shawn, "Please
stick to your point, Shawn. You seem to now be bordering on treason."

     Shawn leaned back and replied, "Bear with me, dad...I have a point."

     With the crowd now at his full attention, Shawn continued, "So, you
see, ladies and gentlemen, that the current conditions of things are not
very amicable. I know the same thing is happening in every kingdom! I know
that the women are the starving and the men are putting too much pressure
on building a huge army and not enough on helping its citizens. We've been
heading in a slow downward spiral for the last hundred years and this
cannot continue much longer!"

     Shawn looked over the assembly, watching them react in mixed emotion
to Shawn's statement. He cleared his throat and said, "Now, before I
continue, I'd like to open the floor to any questions that anybody might
have."

     A man from the aisle where Mountain Ride was seated, stood up and
pointed at Shawn, "How can you forgive the women that killed your supposed
heir?"

     Shawn shrugged and replied, "Queen Dahlia already answered that
question, sir. The women didn't kill Carter, a boy who chose to side with
her country did. Unfortunately, Carter was a casualty in a war that should
never have existed in the first place. All the more reason to end this
conflict, before any more innocent lives are lost."


     The man did not sit down, "What about the thousands of lives that were
lost?! The men that were brutally slaughtered without any reason!"

     Again, Shawn simply shrugged and said, "Casualties of war, sir. Don't
think for one second, that our soldiers did not slaughter just as many
women in the name of this foolish conflict!"

     The man opened his mouth to say something else, but sat down
instead. A few moments later, another man got to his feet from the Cargenon
aisle, and said, "How can your...*snort*...husband...actually forgive those
bitches after he was supposedly kidnaped and held against his will?!"

     Bryan stepped forward and said, "I'll answer that. The women who
captured me were cruel, it's true. However, what was I, but prisoner of
war? They were probably going to ransom me back for food or supplies or
something. It's like Shawn has been trying to say, mister...This war has
claimed too many lives for no real reason and it must be stopped!"

     The man snorted again and sat down.

     A woman from Woodgrove stood up and said, "High priestess Margaret,
how can you possibly stand beside those barbarian men and touch them like
nothing has happened? What about your female heritage? What about your
daughter's purity, if you let her put her hands on that fag?  Don't you
listen to the lies of them and their sympathizers!"

     Margaret marched forward so forcefully, that Shawn and Bryan almost
had to jump out of the way. She leaned over the podium and pointed her
finger straight at the woman, "You listen, here, you contemptuous cow!
These men are not barbarians! Those two boys who are imploring us to end
this stupid conflict, are my sons and you will address them in a
respectable manner, or you will answer to me! My daughter is fully capable
of handling herself among her brother and half-brother! They tell the truth
and the sympathizers are the people who have realized this! You have heard
Priestess Anna! You have to go no further then your own high priestess in
order to find out the truth for yourself! Finally, if you ever...EVER call
my son a fag again, I will pray to every god that exists, to strike down
you and your family in the most painful and torturous way!  Whiteshadow
Isle is a shining example of a kingdom which, though slowly, is finally
realizing that a hundred years of tradition are not worth a damn thing, if
you're killing and alienating innocent people because of it! Now, you...Sit
down and stop wasting my son's time!"

     The crowd was throughly shook up, not only by Margaret's rant, but
also by the way that she was defending males.

     Shawn stepped forward again and, blowing his nose and composing
himself, he asked, "Ar..Are there any other questions?"

     The assembly was dead silent.

     Shawn leaned back and said, "Dad, can I issue a decree?"


     Luke smiled slightly, and said, "Shawn, it's like I said...You're king
as long as you stand up there. If you want to make a law, then make
one. I've decided to support you, but please don't let me down."

     Shawn looked over at Brett, who simply shrugged and said, "Go for it,
Shawn."

     Shawn turned back around and said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, you've heard
the truth today.  You can now understand that no one gender means us any
harm unless we provoke it. Times will now change and, with them, the very
foundations of which most of our kingdoms are built on.  Change in this way
cannot happen too quickly, however, and today, at this very hour,
Whiteshadow Isle will take the first step, the first initiative on the path
to bringing both genders back into their own species! Men and women are
both equal, ladies and gentlemen, and in Whiteshadow Isle, they will be
treated as such, from this day forth!"

     There was much clamour amoungst the crowd, once again, as people
discussed what was just said. Over the noise, Shawn called out, "Vizier
Frost...Please rise."

     Frost slowly rose and said, "Yes, prince Shawn?"

     Shawn looked over at Bryan, then at his mother and sister, then turned
back to Frost and said in a commanding voice, "You will now record the
following statements, which, from this day forth, will be laws in
Whiteshadow Isle."


     Frost turned to Luke, who simply nodded and waved with his hand, an
indication to do what Shawn says.

     Shawn continued, "Number one: Whiteshadow Isle's temple is, from this
day forth, a part of the royal assembly. The high priestess will be part of
the Vizier's cabinet of advisors with equal say in royal affairs as all the
other advisors, and the temple will be moved, in its entirety, into the
palace. I believe we have a meeting hall that hasn't been used in many
years, so the temple will be moved in there."

     There was a loud commotion of debate as the people were amazed and, a
few, appalled by this decree. Luke and Brett seemed to take it well enough;
Luke's face scrunched up in thought, and Brett smirked slightly and shook
his head in a measure of disbelief. Margaret and Rebecca, however, were
quite pleased and smiled hugely at Shawn. From the second row of the first
aisle, Anastasia and Sarah giggled contentedly.

     Margaret leaned over and whispered, "Are you sure?"

     Shawn simply nodded, and raised his hand for silence. The crowd
quieted down quickly, if only to hear what else Shawn would say.

     Frost, meanwhile, took down the decree on a pad of paper from his
pocket.

     "Number two: As of this day forth, all women living in Whiteshadow
Isle will be regarded on equal ground with men. Women working in the
palace, as well as women working anywhere in this country, will now receive
wages and will be allowed to attend all royal functions, as well as eat
with men if they so wish. Women may live and shop wherever they want on
this isle. Marriage, dating, and dances between men and women will be
allowed and encouraged, as well as keeping female babies. Birth control
will be brought back.  Finally, all female slaves will be set free to do
whatever they want."

     The crowd exploded in loud debate, and Frost turned towards Luke and
Brett for support of this extremely drastic step. However, Luke simply
nodded his head and smiled, crossing his arms across his chest in
pride. Brett looked less sure of the situation, but sided with Luke in his
desire to let the matters continue.

     Frost shrugged and took down the decree.

     Shawn turned to Bryan and smiled. Bryan had a grin so large, it almost
split his entire face.  He leaned forward and whispered, "I could kiss you,
Shawnie, but I don't want to get sick..."

     Shawn wrapped his arm around Bryan and hugged him against his
hip. Turning back to the buzzing crowd, he held up his free arm for
silence. When it didn't come, he put two fingers in his mouth and let out a
piercing whistle. Everybody suddenly turned and regarded him, and he began
again,

     "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Now, the one matter of Whiteshadow
Isle that will continue to be strictly male-oriented, however, will be the
royalty. Men will continue to rule this country, at least for now, but
females can be chosen as advisors and even as the Vizier. Thus, the
Choosing will still take place as a strictly male oriented activity,
regardless of the orientation of the chooser. Now, I have one final law to
issue, and then my father and Brett will make the closing statements."

     Luke leaned in and said, "We will?"

     Shawn nodded and smiled, "You're still the kings, after all, and I'm
really beginning to feel sick, so I'm going to go to sleep after the
meeting and let you two handle the aftermath of my mess."

     Brett sighed and said, "You were very impressive today, Shawn,
although you must be aware that you are basically ending a century of
tradition simply on your say so."

     Bryan turned to his father and smiled, "Tradition is meant to be
broken, if a better tradition can be found."

     Shawn gazed out at the crowd, eagerly awaiting his final law. Shawn
cleared his throat, blew his nose, and said, "Finally, number three: All
foreign visitors will respect our new laws. No coming in to our country
with any slaves. All must respect gender equality. No showing any
disrespect to any gender. Failure to follow these new rules, will result in
immediate deportation."

     The crowd murmured amoungst themselves once again, but otherwise
seemed to be finally acting positive over this.

     Letting go of Bryan, he leaned forward and said, "At this time,
Whiteshadow Isle's kings would like to make some statements. I'd like to
thank you all for coming today, and listening to what I had to get
across. I urge all of you to follow my example and convince your citizens
that equality is the way to go. With the male strength and courage, and the
female ingenuity and rationality, the human race can only prosper. Thank
you very much."

     The assembly got to their feet and began applauding, some countries
louder than others.  Everybody applauded to some degree, however, except
for Cargenon, who simply sat there and spoke among themselves.

     Shawn stepped back, and stood between Bryan and Rebecca on stage. Luke
and Brett stepped forward. Luke gazed out at the crowd and, in his gruff,
commanding voice, began,

     "Assembly...I realize that today, some, if not all, of the things that
you've heard may be difficult to believe. However, my son is no liar and
none are any of the people who spoke today. I was brought up with a story
of what had happened; A story that, I know now, was mostly lies. It has
been a very difficult hundred years for this world. There has been much
war, much death, and much animosity. However, we are approaching the end of
the century and the time to look back at the past hundred years, and
reflect, is now here. There have been many things to be sorry for over the
last hundred years, but obviously none so sorrowful, then the error of our
ways regarding this gender conflict. True, this country might not have been
created, had it not been for my relative and his lover, fleeing the raging
hordes and settling here, but, just as he did long ago, we now have reached
a point where we will attempt to separate ourselves from conflict. Based on
what you have heard today, it would be in your best interest to end this
stupid tension, and institute gender equality. However, even if the war
continues to rage on for another hundred years, all over the world...IT
WILL NOT CONTINUE HERE!"

     The last seven syllables were loudly tapped out on the podium by
Luke's fingers. The crowd broke into a quiet smattering of applause, again
excluding Cargenon, as Luke stepped back and Brett stepped forward.

     "Ladies and Gentlemen...Few have spent the last many years hating the
females more than I. I sought to totally exterminate them. I thought they
were all evil. However, that changed on the day of my son's wedding. Before
I continue...Would my two daughters please come on stage?"

     Brett motioned with his hand towards his two girls and, getting up and
giggling, Sarah and Anastasia scurried up the stairs and on stage beside
their father.

     Brett gazed down at them and ruffled Sarah's hair with his hand, then
looked back up at the crowd and smiled,

     "I was loathe to admit that my body could produce the female race, but
then I saw my beautiful daughters look at me with such intrigue...such
wonder. To hear their giggles as they asked me if I was their
father...well, it made me stop and think. I spent too much of my life
feeling sorrow and pity. I pitied my son when he was confined to the
stables. I envied Shawn's good fortune to be living in the palace, while my
kin was sleeping next to a pile of horse manure every night. The lowest I
sank, however, was when I actually took out my frustration by being mean to
my step-son, Shawn. I envied the good fortune he had and wondered if, maybe
had things been different, my son would have been able to enjoy that good
fortune as well. I turned into a very bitter man, and I've always been
regarded as a man with little emotion. On the day I looked into my
daughters' eyes, I expected to have the hatred I felt for females magnified
by the fact that these females were mine. What I felt, however, was a lot
of joy. I had two little girls who called me their daddy, and I had a son
who had found true love. I spent too much of my life focusing on trying to
be bitter and serious, that I forgot that maybe things weren't so bad after
all. The innocence of the females children brought that out in me. Today, I
implore all of you...Go home and think long and hard about this! I'm sure
most of you men have daughters and most of you women have sons.  They are
your children and their example will show you just how stupid we are all
acting by fighting amoungst ourselves."

     With that, Brett crouched down and kissed his two daughters on the
cheek. They giggled and kissed their father back. Brett straightened up and
smiled, then looked back at the crowd and said, "Thank you all for your
time. If you'll make your way to the main hall, you will find refreshments
to partake of, before your trips home."

      The people, some breathing a sigh of relief, stood up and began
slowly filing out of the room. Luke and Brett put their hands on Shawn's
shoulder and Luke said, "You did good today, Shawn. I'm so proud of you."

     Brett nodded and said, "As am I. You'll make a wonderful king, when
the time comes."

     The two kings descended from the stage and walked off to entertain the
guests.

     Rebecca walked up to Shawn and smiled, blushing, "I'm so glad that
we'll be living under the same roof, from now on. I'm going to love waking
up in the morning and eating breakfast with you."

     Margaret smiled at Shawn and said, "You're so smart and you make me so
proud, Shawn.  I agree that it'll be great to see you all the time now."

     Rebecca and Margaret descended after Luke and Brett, with a final
blown kiss from Becky.

     There was a tap on his shoulder, and Shawn turned around to see Mike
standing there.

     "Did I do good, kiddo?" Shawn giggled.

     Mike responded by wrapping his arms around Shawn and hugging him
tightly. Shawn put his hand on Mike's back and said, "I'll take that to
mean that you're glad."

     Mike detached himself and looked up, smiling, and said, "You're the
coolest guy I know, Shawn!" and then he took off down the stairs.

     "Hey!" Bryan called after them, "What am I? Chopped liver?!"

     The noise gradually faded away as Shawn and Bryan were left alone on
the stage. They turned to face each other.

     "So, what did you think of this whole assembly thing?"

     Bryan smiled, "What do I think? Well, the first thought on my mind, is
that I don't give a crap anymore about getting sick!"

     With that, he grabbed Shawn's waist and pulled him towards his body,
then pressed his lips against Shawn's. They kissed deeply on the empty
stage, only inches away from the spot where they stood while getting
married. Bryan's hands reached up behind Shawn's head and pulled his
ponytail loose.

     Their lips separated and Shawn smiled, "I'm gonna go to bed now,
cowboy. Care to join me in dreamland?"

     Bryan smiled, "Giddy up!"

     With that, they walked hand in hand, down the stairs and out the doors
of the hall. Instead of turned left towards the party that was going on,
they turned right, going up another flight of stairs, and headed towards
their bedroom.

  The haziness of sleep passed from Bryan's head and he opened his eyes. He
felt puffs of hot air against his neck, and he turned his head to see the
still-sleeping form of Shawn lying beside him. He felt a slightly painful
emptiness in his stomach and, remembering that he hadn't eaten anything
since breakfast, he decided that he was hungry and would go get something
to eat. As quietly as possible, he slid from the bed and trudged across the
room. Still too tired to go searching, in the darkness, for some clothes to
put on, he simply grabbed a pair of boxers off the floor and put them
on. He wasn't sure whether they were his or Shawn's, but he guessed that it
probably didn't matter anyway.

     He tiptoed out of the room, and gently shut the door closed behind
him, then walked down the hallway and headed down towards the kitchen. The
whole palace was quiet, so Bryan guessed that everybody was asleep. He
couldn't blame them, though, because of the activities of the past week.

     As soon as the evening after Shawn's speech, the whole palace had
began the difficult task of venturing into town and explaining the new laws
to the citizens. Both the men and the women had been fairly suspicious at
first, but when they were explained the whole situation, they seemed to be
more acceptant; However, threats of arrest to those who showed any form of
active sexism also helped matters. Once a week, though, people were
assigned to go into all the cities of Whiteshadow Isle, and preach about
cohesion of the genders.

     As well, the entire compliment of the Scott temple had spent the last
few days moving most of the artifacts into the designated room of the
palace. The old temple remained open for the townsfolk, but it was run by
minor priestesses and was to be used mainly for day to day worship, while
the palace temple was to be used for the formal services and major
religious matters. A door was being built at the rear of the room, that led
to the outside, so worshipers could simply venture in to the temple from
the palace grounds, without trudging through the whole palace. On a more
local note, Shawn's flu had all but gone away.

     Bryan reached the bottom of the steps, and made his way down the
hallway, on the way to the kitchen. As he approached the dining room, he
heard the sounds of someone eating. He cautiously made his way around the
corner, and spotted Rebecca sitting alone at the table, eating.

     He walked towards the table and, waving, said, "Hey."

     She looked up with a start, and, when she saw Bryan, she smiled and
said, "Hey, yourself.  What are you doing up so late?"

     Bryan shrugged, "I fell asleep after the assembly, and didn't have
dinner, so I was going to get something to eat."


     She looked him over and smiled, "Nice get-up."

     He realized that he was only wearing his boxers, and they were also
the kind with the slit down the front. He clutched his arms at his waist,
and blushed.

     She waved her hand and giggled, "No, don't be embarrassed. Look what
I'm wearing!"

     With that, she stood up from the table and revealed that she was
wearing only a short, thin nightgown that only came down to just past her
hips.

     This didn't help matters for Bryan, and he stared at the floor,
smiling in shyness, and blushed even redder. She laughed and said, "Aww,
don't be like that! You were going to get something to eat, right?"

     He nodded quickly and scurried out of the room.

     Rebecca couldn't help staring at Bryan dreamily, as he scurried from
the room dressed only in skimpy boxer shorts. She sat down again, and
scolded herself at her behaviour as of late.  Had she been so desperate for
a male companion for so long, that she was attracted to every one she saw?
Not only any male, but first her own brother, and now her half-brother! It
seemed totally inappropriate for a girl who, only two months ago, was
training to be a priestess; A woman who totally devoted her life to worship
and serving the males. Now the males and females were equal, and despite
the fact that she could now have any male on the island she wanted, she did
not desire anyone else but her two siblings.

     "Isn't that sick? Isn't that weird? Isn't...Isn't that his penis
sticking out of the front of his boxers?"

     Bryan returned to the room carrying a plate with, what looked like, a
tuna sandwich on it.  Rebecca immediately turned to her own hotdog and ate
it with authority, trying to pretend like she didn't she her sexy
half-brother re-enter the room. He walked over and, after some brief
hesitation, took the seat next to her. They smiled at each other briefly,
before going back to their food. After a few moments, Rebecca said calmly
and without even looking up, "Your dick's sticking out."

     Food flew across the table from Bryan's mouth, and he scampered to his
feet and pushed his prick back inside his boxers. Rebecca couldn't help
laughing at his predicament, and he sat back down, turned to her, blushing
fiercely, and said in giggling annoyance, "Shut up!"

     She stopped laughing and, despite her strong desire for her mouth to
do just what he told it to do, she said, "You know, it was pretty
nice-looking..."

     "What was?" Bryan said without looking up, already knowing what the
answer was going to be.


     "Your penis." Rebecca answered, all the while her brain was screaming,
"Shut up, Becky!  Shut up!"

     Bryan shrugged, looking desperate to be elsewhere, and answered,
"Well...ummm...Thanks...I guess."

     Rebecca got some of her self-control back, and said quickly, "I'm
really sorry. It's late, I'm tired...I don't know what I'm saying anymore."

     Bryan finally looked up at her and shook his head, smiling, "You knew
exactly what you were saying, but it's alright. I was just taken by
surprise, that's all."

     She nodded and, after a moment of uncomfortable silence, both went
back to their food.

     After a few more minutes, Rebecca swallowed and, turning to Bryan,
said, "So, tell me about my brother."

     He swallowed his mouthful and looked up, confused, "What?"

     She shrugged, "Well, I only just met Shawn, but I know that you've
known him for quite a few years, so I was kind of hoping that you could
tell me a few things about him."

     He shrugged, "There's not much to tell, really. What exactly do you
want to know?"

     She smiled, "Well...ummm...Okay, what does he like to do for fun? I
mean, besides having sex with you."

     Bryan blushed, and smiled, "Well, he likes to read and learn about
stuff. Yeah, he's a real bookworm and spends a lot of time in the
library. He's trying to learn a lot about everything, so when he becomes
king, he'll be this total sage who knows all about everything and stuff."

     She giggled, "Yeah, I noticed that he seemed to be really
smart. Hmm...okay, what is his favorite book?"

     He shrugged, "I don't really know. He never really talks about it with
me, and I probably wouldn't care much anyway. He seems to like theatre
stuff, like Shakespeare, Sartre, Ibsen, and stuff like that. Sometimes,
when we're talking, he'll quote some play he read. That's about all I know
about what he reads."

     She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, during your wedding party, he quoted
"Macbeth" in a conversation we had. Okay, what's his favorite colour?"

     He smiled, "Blue...Same as mine. He likes dark blue, like the ocean,
and I like light blue, like a clear sky."


     She smiled, "That's so sweet that you know. Okay, so tell me...Is he
gay?"

     Bryan's smile faded, and he sighed and said with exasperation, "What
is everybody's obsession with sexual preference lately?! Before, we just
did stuff and nobody asked if we were gay, straight, bi...I'm so sick of
this labeling!"

     Rebecca nodded, "No, it's okay. Forget I even asked. I'll...I'll ask
something else. So, what is..."

     He cut her off, "Yes...Yes he is. Totally and completely a fag."

     Her next question faded into the back of her mind, as she took a deep
breath and looked down at the table and used her fork to push around a
small piece of her hotdog bun.

     She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see it was
his. His chair had been pushed right up against hers, and he regarded her
with a solemn, pensive look.

     "You like him, don't you? I mean, more than just a brother and a
friend."

     She sighed, "Am I that obvious?"

     He smirked and gripped her shoulder a bit tighter as he said, "I saw
the way you and him hesitated to kiss at the assembly. I saw the way you
blushed when you look at him. I remember back at the wedding, the way your
face flushed when you first saw him."

     Tears began to flow down her cheeks, and she sat there, sniffling and
crying. The last thing she said before breaking into a sob, was, "You're so
lucky, Bryan."

     Bryan lifted his hand off her shoulder and stood up, moving away from
the chair.  Reaching down, he took the sobbing girl's hand and helped her
to her feet.

     "Things will work out for you, Becky. Don't you worry!" He said, as he
wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. She hugged him back and cried
into his bare shoulder, "Why did he have to be so cute?!"

     He couldn't help laughing, "Don't flatter him like that. You'll make
him too full of himself."

     She hugged him tighter, her tears beginning to flow down Bryan's back,
and she sobbed, "I wish...I wish...I had...found somebody too!"

     Bryan stroked her back and shushed her, then said, "You will, but I
have a feeling it might happen sooner than you think..."

     She separated herself from Bryan, and looked up at his face, smiling
in delight, "What do you mean?!"

     He smiled back, "I mean, you might find someone tomorrow or the next
day who can make you feel the same way as Shawn does."

     Her face dropped, and she said, holding back another bout of tears,
"Oh...right. Of course."

     Seeing that she had stopped crying, Bryan separated himself from
Rebecca and said, "I know what you need. Sometimes, when I get down, I have
me some of this and the pain and depression just go away. I'll be right
back..."

     Bryan scurried off back in to the kitchen.

     Rebecca stood there, sniffling, and thought to herself, "You're such a
fool, Becky! Did you actually think that he meant *himself*, when he said
that you'd be meeting someone sooner than you think?! Why would he want me,
anyway?! Then again, why would I even want *him*!? He means well, but he's
not terribly smart, he's two years younger than me, and he's...well...he's
not Shawn."

     A few seconds later, Bryan skipped back into the room. In one hand,
was a large bottle of Whiteshadow Isle wine, and in his other hand, were
two glasses and a corkscrew. He set everything down on the table, and,
picking up the corkscrew, he pulled the cork out by sticking the bottle
between his legs. The cork popped out and a jet of wine sprayed across the
room, while some splashed on Bryan. He giggled and poured two glasses, then
handed one to Rebecca.

     "Aren't we a little young for alcohol...You especially?" Rebecca said
with a grin.

     Bryan smiled and tossed back the glass in one gulp. He gagged a few
times, then, his eyes now watering, he looked up at her and smiled, "What
nobody knows, can't hurt us!"

     She shrugged and tossed back her own glass. The burning in her chest
caused her to almost pass out, but she revived enough to cough, "Smooth..."

     Bryan quickly grabbed the bottle and refilled his glass. He gazed over
at Rebecca and motioned with his head towards the bottle. She sniffled and
nodded, so he refilled it again.

     Gulping down half his glass, he smiled dreamily and said, "You
know...Once, when Shawn and I drank this stuff, we got so drunk, we had to
be dragged out by our hair!"

     Rebecca laughed more than she should have, and took a mouthful of her
own glass. She gasped and said, "It is strong stuff, isn't it? Well, you're
right about one thing, kid...I'm feeling a lot better!"

     Bryan smiled at hearing that, tossed back the rest of his glass, and
said, putting his hand on Rebecca's shoulder, "Told ya! It always does the
trick for me."


     Without even asking this time, he refilled her glass, than refilled
his own and, holding up his goblet, he announced, "I propose a toast!"

     She smiled and held up her glass, "To what?"

     Bryan shrugged, "To the fact that we both have such low tolerance for
alcohol!"

     She giggled and nodded, then they both took a large gulp...

     Shawn woke up the next morning, as the sun hit his closed
eyelids. Upon opening them, the first thing he noticed, was that Bryan was
not in bed. Slipping out, Shawn looked around for something to
wear. Picking up a pair of cotton jogging shorts off the floor, he pulled
them on and sleepily trudged down the hallway towards the kitchen, where he
guessed Bryan was probably eating breakfast. It was still fairly early, but
everybody was generally up by this time, yet, except for a few maids, not
many people were around.

     Wearily, he walked down the stairs and headed down the hallway towards
the kitchen. On his way through the dining room, he noticed two people
lying on the floor, by the dining room table. He moved closer, filled with
curiosity, and found two wine goblets lying on the floor next to them,
obvious counterparts to the mostly empty bottle that was on the ground. He
felt a queasy feeling fill his stomach, though, as he realized that the the
two people on the floor were Bryan and his sister. Furthermore, they were
naked, with their clothes pinned underneath their entangled bodies.

     It was a funny thing, really. Bryan could have had sex with Mike, and
he wouldn't have been mad in the least. He could even have found some boy
in town to screw around with, and Shawn wouldn't have been terribly
upset. However, the fact that here was his husband and lover, Bryan,
obviously intimately clutching his sister in his arms...well...It made
Shawn feel angry. Not so much rage, as simple disappointment.

     He walked up close until he was standing over them, and sharply kicked
Bryan's head. It wasn't hard enough to hurt him, just give him a sharp jolt
back in to reality.

     Bryan jolted awake, and looked around with squinted eyes, like a
newborn calf.

     "Wha...What the hell was that for?!" Bryan exclaimed as he squinted
up, through the light, at Shawn.

     "Had fun last night, eh?" Shawn said, smirking.

     "Wha...What the heck are you..." Bryan started to say, but his voice
trailed off as he gained enough awareness to notice that there was someone
next to him.


     When he saw Rebecca, his face didn't register the full extent of his
actions, until he noticed that they were both without any clothes.

     "OH MY GOD.....AHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Bryan screeched as he scooted away from
her body and crawled behind Shawn.

     "Wha...What's going on?" Rebecca groaned as she began to wake up.

     Bryan got to his feet and, grabbing his boxers off the floor, quickly
pulled them on, then, looking down at Rebecca, he spouted, "Wha...Wha...I
mean, did...did we...we...we actually...ya know...ummm....do....stuff?....I
mean last night, did we...you know....You know what I mean! Did we?!"

     Rebecca got enough sense to wrap her discarded nightgown around body,
then stood up slowly and shrugged, "I don't...I mean...I'm not sure."

     "I swear I didn't mean anything! I mean, we were drinking, and she was
sad, and I was trying to make her feel better, and we drank wine, and
talked, and hugged, and she cried, and...I didn't mean anything! I love you
Shawn! I wouldn't do anything like this, you know me!"

     Shawn held up his hands and laughed grimly, "Hey...Don't make excuses
to me! It's not my problem if Becky gets pregnant!"

     All colour seemed to flush from Rebecca's face and Bryan's eyes almost
bugged out of his head and he sputtered, "PREGNANT?! What do you mean?! You
mean from us...and that...and we did...and...PREGNANT?!"

     Shawn shook his head and smiled, even though he didn't mean to, "Oh,
that's right...You never learned about women and pregnancy and stuff. I'm
also not in the mood to explain it.  Suffice it to say, that your first
concern, should be getting dressed before our parents wake up. If she is
pregnant, then we'll know soon enough."

     With that said, Shawn took the hand of the near-hysterical Bryan, and
half dragged him back towards the stairway leading upstairs. He heard a
voice call after him, "I'm so sorry, Shawn!"

     Without looking back, Shawn called, "Don't apologize, Becky, just get
dressed!"

     As Shawn dragged Bryan up the stairs, tears flowed down his face and
he sobbed, "I'm so sorry, Shawnie...I'm so sorry..."

     Shawn squeezed Bryan's hand tighter and said sharply, "Just...just
shut up! Shut up, okay?! I need to think this through!"

     Bryan sniffled, but continued to cry, "I...I didn't know! She was so
sad and I was...I mean, we drank and...Oh God! What if she's pregnant?!
What am I going to do?!"


     Shawn stopped near the top of the stairs, grabbed Bryan's shoulders,
and squeezed them tightly as he held him in front of him, "Don't make me
slap you! What you're going to do, is you're going to calm down and stop
crying, dammit! If she's pregnant, then we'll deal with it when we have to,
but not before!"

     "I...I didn't mean to do it, Shawnie! I didn't mean it!" Bryan
continued to babble through a mask of tears.

     Shawn stared at the pitiful figure of his Bryan crying before him. He
let go of Bryan's shoulders and took him in to his arms, hugging him
tightly.

     "I know you didn't mean, angel...I know you didn't. It's going to be
okay...You'll see."  Shawn cooed.

     Bryan hugged Shawn back extremely tightly and sobbed into Shawn's
shoulder, "I'm so sorry, Shawnie...I'm so sorry..."

     Shawn moved one of his hands up and ran his fingers through Bryan's
hair, "I know, Bryan...I know..."

     Necessity soon outweighed sympathy, and Shawn sadly broke his embrace
with Bryan.  Shawn motioned with his head and Bryan, swallowing hard and
wiping his eyes with his wrist, nodded. They quickly scurried down the
hallway and ducked into their bedroom.

     Bryan slowly walked over to the bed and plopped down on it, a look a
misery on his face.  Shawn, meanwhile, sifted through the drawers,
mumbling, "We have to clean out these drawers sometime..." and tossed a
pile of clothes on to the bed behind him.

     Closing the messy drawers, Shawn quickly scurried back to the bed to
see Bryan begin to pull on a T-shirt, seeming in slow-motion.

     "Lighten up, kid! It's a beautiful morning and it's going to be a
wonderful day!"

     Bryan sniffled and nodded, mumbling, "I don't see what's so wonderful
about it..."

     Shawn grinned hugely and said, "You'll see..."

     As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Shawn pulled up a black
tank top, and called, "Yes?"

     Fargo's voice called from the other side, "Your majesties? Am I
interrupting anything?"

     Bryan let out a snort of laughter, and small smile passed over his
face, before frowning again.

     "No...Not this time, Fargo. What is it?"


     "Kings Luke and Brett, as well as myself, request your presence in the
throne room ASAP."

     "Okay...We'll be right there!" Shawn called out.

     The sounds of footsteps passed away from the door, and Shawn turned to
Bryan with a knowing look on his face.

     "What did you do?" Bryan said, smirking.

     Shawn grinned and giggled, "Oh...You'll see! I'm sure it'll brighten
up your day. You see, I had a talk with our fathers and Fargo the other
day, regarding a certain matter, and I managed to convince them to agree
with me on it."

     Bryan pulled on a pair of jogging pants and asked, "What matter?"

     Shawn cocked his head and smiled, "Come on, and let's go see, eh?"

     Bryan forwent putting on socks, and jumped up, "Let's go see your
surprise, then."

     Shawn shrugged, faking indifference, and said, "All right, let's
go. Glad to see you're in better straits."

     Bryan shrugged, "Oh, I still feel like shit. I'm just really curious
to see what you've planned."

     Shawn nodded and held open the door, following Bryan through it.

     They walked down the stairs, and through the hallway towards the
throne room. It was if people suddenly materialized in the palace, because
suddenly there were tons of people hustling and bustling around the castle
hallways.

     Opening the doors to the throne room, they walked in to see Fargo, and
their fathers, standing there awaiting them.

     Luke smiled as he saw them, "You know, it's generally tradition to
dress fairly regally for a meeting in the throne room."

     Fargo turned to Luke and shrugged, "I tried to tell them that when you
were away, Your Grace, but they didn't seem to pay me any heed."

     Brett shrugged, "Perhaps they seek to change every single tradition in
the kingdom...", he glanced over at Shawn and finished with, "...However, I
doubt it would do us terribly badly if they did."

     Noticing Bryan red-rimmed eyes, Brett walked over to Bryan and said,
with concern, "Is something the matter, my son?"

     Bryan looked over at Shawn, then back at his father and shook his
head, "No...I just woke up and occasionally my eyes get puffy and red."

     Brett turned to Luke and favoured him with a look of concern, then
turned back towards Bryan and said, 'Very well. Let this meeting commence
then..."

     The five men walked back towards the five thrones that had been
arranged there beforehand, and sat down. Luke looked over at Bryan and
said, "I assume that you weren't informed beforehand about the subject of
our meeting."

     Bryan shook his head, "No, Luke...Your son was as vague as ever."

     Luke nodded and turned towards Fargo. Fargo nodded and said, "If it
would please Your Highness, I would ask you to take a look at page five of
my ledger and read out loud what it says under the highlighted portion."

     Fargo handed a leather bound book to Bryan. Bryan shot Fargo a
suspicious glance, before taking the ledger from him and opening it
up. Turning the pages, he stopped on one and read aloud,

     "On this day, the 4th day of Jackal's Rest, a new budget was written
to include the following items:

- Single payment of one hundred and fifty thousand crowns to the mason's
guild, for the renovation of the old Zardwar hotel.

- Monthly payment of fifty thousand crowns, to the 'Vagrants Fund.'

- Twenty-five percent cut to payment of maintaining the royal army.

     The aforementioned payments will be paid in full at the time required
and shall be instituted from henceforth until forevermore."

     Bryan looked up at the four other people favouring him with smiles.

     He was nearly speechless with joy, as he exclaimed, "You...you fixed
the hotel?  That's...that's...I mean, I don't know what to say! What's the
vagrant fund, though?"

     Shawn smiled, "It's a monthly fund devoted to building hostels for the
homeless, arranging employment for them so that they can take care of
themselves, and arranging adoption for the young children on the street."


     Bryan looked at each of the people seated around him with delight,
"This is the greatest thing anybody has ever done! Thanks all of you!"

     Luke smiled, "Don't thank us. It was Shawn's idea."

     Bryan stood up and, walking over to the throne where Shawn sat, he
hugged Shawn tightly and giggled, "Thank you, Shawnie!"

     Shawn hugged him back and smiled, "You're very welcome, my angel."

     Brett added., "This money was made available, by Shawn's decreasing of
the money allocated to our army."

     Bryan looked up and nodded, "Yeah, I noticed. Heck, we didn't need a
huge army after all!"

     "Not with the way things will soon be going with the world!" Shawn
added.

     Bryan sat back down and looked at his father, "So, the rest of the
world are following our example?"

     Brett shrugged, "I don't know. We haven't received much correspondence
from the other countries, but we *have* heard from the New Grasbey
Republic, and they said that they are implementing a plan to integrate
males into their mainstream society. True, it's fairly slow compared to
what we did, but it's a definite start. All of you kids have a lot to be
proud of."

     Bryan looked over at Shawn and smiled, "Yeah, thanks to Shawn, all of
us seem to be feeling better as of late."

     Shawn nodded knowingly and, turning to Luke, inquired, "Father, have
any male countries gave any sort of indication to whether or not they will
follow our example?"

     Luke's face got serious and he smirked slightly, "Shawn...Men can
sometimes be more stubborn than women. I'm sure that, with our example, the
other male countries will have more to think about. We will give them a
year to handle things on our own, before we send in our preachers to exert
our influence."

     Shawn nodded, but, a look of remnant confusion still on his face, he
inquired, "What about Cargenon? Of all the represented countries at the
assembly, they seemed the least agreeable to my proposals."

     Luke looked solemn as he said, "Shawn...Cargenon may be the hardest to
convince of all the other countries. If you know your geography, then
you'll know that the country borders on Woodgrove Proper. During the early
days, it suffered the brunt of a lot of the attacks. Many thousands of
males died; Some of them just infants. It will be slightly difficult to
convince them that women basically mean them no harm, when their history
books are filled with massacres and violence. We'll put more pressure on
them than the other countries, but their leaders are tricky and very
unpredictable. If we don't pressure them enough, they may not change and,
perhaps worse, they may continue to wage war on countries that mean them no
harm. However, if we put too much pressure on them, they may think us the
enemy."

     Brett nodded in agreement, "We will have to wait and see how things go
in Cargenon before we make any drastic plans on their behalf."

     Fargo gingerly took his ledger back from Bryan and, standing up, said,
"Well, I believe all matters regarding finance have been addressed, so I
shall take my leave now."

     Everybody nodded in acknowledgment, as Fargo walked down the carpet,
and out through the throne room doors. Bryan shouted after him, "Goodbye
Fargo...and thanks!"

     After the treasurer had left, they all sat there in silence, unsure
what else to say. After almost a minute, Luke sighed and said,
"So...Anything else?"

     Bryan turned to Shawn and looked at him in a way that Shawn knew what
Bryan wanted to say. Shawn shook his head at him, but Bryan turned around
and asked anyway.

     "Dad, how old were you when I was born?"

     Brett smiled, "You can figure it out, Bryan. I'm 34 now...You're 14,
right?"

     Brett nodded and almost immediately answered, "You were 20, then?"

     Brett nodded, "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

     Bryan blushed slightly and said, "Oh, no reason. Just simple
interest. So, the kingdoms are beginning to reform, homeless people are
getting treated better...That's just great."

     Luke looked over at Bryan, "Are you okay?"

     Bryan nodded quickly, but looked fairly tense, "Yeah, I'm fine. Shawn
and I have got to go now, though...We promised to help mom arrange the
scribe's shelf."

     Bryan stood up and looked desperately over at Shawn. Shawn took a deep
breath stood up too, saying, "Yeah, gotta go help mom."

     Luke and Brett looked at each other with a shared look of confusion.

     Luke and Brett stood up as Shawn and Bryan began to leave.

     They were both halfway to the door, when Brett called out, "Oh, Shawn?
Bryan?"



     Bryan froze and he felt his heart jump into his throat,

     "They knew!" He thought, "They knew what I did!"

     Shawn turned around, "Yeah?"

     "Before you head down to the temple, could you find Mike and Rebecca?
I'd like to tell them, briefly, what is happening."

     Bryan spun around, "Mike? Rebecca? Sure! No problem!"

     Bryan took Shawn's hand and they quickly ran out of the throne
room. When they were safely away from the doors, Shawn pulled back on Bryan
and stopped. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Shawn asked, almost
laughing.

     Bryan shrugged, the colour beginning to flow back in to his face, "I
dunno. I feel so nervous."

     Shawn patted Bryan on the back, "Well, don't! Everything is going to
be alright."

     On the way down the hall and right before the stairs, they happened to
spot Rebecca looking lost. When she saw them, she blushed.

     Not looking at Bryan, she turned to Shawn and asked, "Umm...Where's
the back door to that garden you showed be before? This place is so big, I
can't find my way around!"

     Shawn laughed and said, "I'll show you later. Right now, our fathers
want you and Mike in the throne room."

     She shot a look at Bryan and, blushing, said, "Oh...ummm...Do you know
what it's about?"

     Shawn got a look of semi-annoyance and he said, "Look, nobody knows
about what happened between you two and nobody is going to know unless you
tell them. Listen, Becky...It's about a few new laws that were just passed
in Whiteshadow Isle...Nothing big."

     She visibly relaxed as she said, "Oh."

     Shawn continued, "Could you go find Mike yourself, Bryan's sort of
uptight about the whole ordeal, so we're going to take a hot bath to help
soothe his spirit."

     She nodded, and walked off down the hall to find Mike. Shawn and Bryan
started up the stairs towards their room. Shawn called back, "Or maybe I
should just give him something to drink!"



     He heard Becky stop walking for a few seconds, as he continued up the
stairs, with Bryan scurrying behind him. When they reached the top of the
stairs, Bryan turned to Shawn and said, "That wasn't funny!"

     Shawn giggled, "I know, but I couldn't resist. Meanwhile, you and I
are going to take a nice, hot bath, and, afterwards, maybe we can snuggle."

     Bryan smiled, "Mmm...I'd like that."

     They reached the door to their room and Shawn held the door open for
him, and then went in himself. Shutting and locking the door, Bryan and him
began to undress. Shawn looked up, as he peeled off his shorts, and
quipped, "You know, I hear babies love to snuggle."

     "Shut up, Shawnie!" Bryan smiled.

     Shawn laughed and he and Bryan walked into the bathroom.

     "Sure thing...daddy!"

     Bryan turned around and pointed at Shawn menacingly, "Go to hell!"

     Shawn shrugged, "That's impossible. When I'm with you, it's sheer
heaven."

     Bryan lost his look of anger and blushed, "You know I can't stay mad
at you, sweetie."

     Shawn nodded, "I know."

     They both stepped into the tub and sat down. Bryan immediately scooted
over next to Shawn and snuggled his body against his husband's under the
water. Shawn wrapped one arm around his lover and, with his other, he
reached out and pressed the button on the side of the stone tub.

     They both sighed in contentment as the jets caused the warm water to
swirl around their naked bodies. Shawn squeezed Bryan tightly against him
and said, "I love you, kid."

     Bryan turned to look at Shawn, and they smiled. Moving their faces
together and they kissed.

     Meanwhile outside, a new day was starting. With a thin layer of snow
covering the roads of Dawson, people trudged back and forth, wrapped in
coats to keep out the cold. A man and a woman passed by each other in front
of the old bakery.

     "Good day." He said, in greeting.

     She smiled and said, "Isn't it, though?"

FIN