Madoc was sweating under his armor and layers of clothing. Fleetfire was also gleaming slightly with sweat. He looked around for signs of water.

"Thom, have you seen a stream nearby?" he asked.

The blond was staring off to the horizon with a bemused expression.

"Thom? Thom?"

"What?" he said, focussing on the voice.

"I said, `Have you seen a stream nearby?' We should water the horses. I guess you haven't seen much of anything. What were you thinking of?"

"Tonight," he replied with a devilish grin.

"Oh," he said, leering back. "How were we doing?"

Thom licked his lips seductively.

Madoc felt his saddle horn begin to get uncomfortable. "Oh," he repeated, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry I interrupted."

"Don't worry. It'll be better when you're actually there."

'What a beautiful thing to say,' he thought. Madoc's heart melted. "I love you. I'm so glad we're doing this together."

"I love you too. And I'll love you tonight."

Madoc wished they could stop right there and make love, but they both knew it had to wait. Fairly sure there was no one else on the road, Madoc manoeuvred Fleetfire closer to Warrigal and leaned in to give Thom a half-hug and a kiss on the lips. It would have to do for now.

Thom's fantasizing reminded Madoc of his own. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything. What?"

"What if... what if there was another man...."

"Yes?"

Madoc couldn't bring himself to say anything more.

"Is this about Lennox? Are you wondering what we might get up to?"

He hadn't even considered it. "Uh...."

"If it was you going off to find Lennox, and I went to meet Bastian, I don't think I'd mind if you two fooled around. We've done it before. Do you think differently?"

"No, I suppose not...."

"Then what is it?"

"I was actually thinking of someone we haven't... um...."

"That's a good question. I guess I'm still not used to the idea of not having that ring to keep me by your side. We're going to split up tomorrow and, sure as not, we will after that. It's bound to come up. Do you have any thoughts? It seems you've been agonizing over this."

Madoc thought a second. "I certainly don't regret our time with Lennox, and I don't think I could begrudge you spending more time with him if it should happen, but on the other hand, I don't think I'd like it if you made yourself open to anyone."

"That sounds reasonable. So some people we know are fine, but some unknown others aren't. That sounds like a pretty good rule right there: if it's possible that your mystery man is someone you think I'd be able to meet, and I'd feel the same way about him, then alright.

"So no chance encounters with strangers, because who knows when or if we'll ever see them again, but friends are fine. What do you say?"

Madoc smiled. "Alright."

Thom held out his hand and Madoc shook it. The former thief chuckled.

"But--"

"Yes, Madoc?"

"That's settled, but there was actually someone specific I had in... um, mind."

"Oh? Who is that?"

"Sir Trustan."

"Trustan, Trustan, why do I know-- oh, the one that lout of a palace guard picked a fight with."

Madoc nodded, then described his dream.

Thom shifted in his saddle. "Wow. You really think you could do that with the smallclothes without Weaseling them first?" he wondered.

"Without what?"

"Oh. Tying them so that they come loose ahead of time. Thief's word. Well. Ahem. That was a good one, but it was only a dream. Is that what worried you?"

Madoc nodded again sheepishly.

"My dear one, you are so sweet. You don't have any control over your dreams. Just try to make sure I'm with you in a few of them too." Thom winked.

"Believe me, you are." Madoc grinned, relieved that Thom was so understanding.

They continued riding south until sunset.

Thom dismounted quickly and rushed over to Fleetfire's side.

"Did you want to wait until dinner," Madoc asked, still in the saddle, "or did--"

"Now." Thom said and pulled on Madoc's arm.

Madoc wasn't to be budged from his stirrups so easily, though. He stood in them to dismount. He got his far leg over Fleetfire's rump when Thom yanked again, hard. The big man, now off-balance, pitched forward. He fell off the horse onto Thom, who in turn toppled backwards, landing flat on his back. Fleetfire whinnied and moved away. Madoc came to rest on all fours over Madoc's body.

Madoc laughed. "In a hurry, are we?"

Thom wrestled Madoc over until he was on top. The blond yanked Madoc's tabard out of his belt and pulled it over his head. Breathing heavily (from the exertion), Thom kissed his love - on the chin - in the darkness of the night. From there, he navigated to his mouth, at last tasting the sweet flesh of his lips and then his tongue.

Thom fiddled with the first buckle of the cuirass on the man beneath him. His attention was divided, though, and the fastener was unfamiliar to him and at a bad angle to boot. As his efforts grew more frantic, he grew frustrated and ended the kiss. Some part of the armor pinched Madoc, who tried to sit up suddenly. The two knights bumped heads. Madoc flopped backwards, fingering his forehead and seeing stars. Thom swore.

"Dammit, this isn't working."

"Why are you working so hard, Thom?"

He sighed. "I wanted to live my fantasy from this afternoon. I was looking forward to it."

"It was that good?"

"Oh-h-h-h, yes."

Madoc giggled. "Well, then, first let's rid ourselves of our armor before we kill ourselves. After that we can start a fire so that we might see, and then we can pick up where the dream left off. How does that sound?"

"Very wise." Thom tried to give Madoc an affectionate hug, but Madoc couldn't feel any of the warmth or tenderness in him that made the hug through their armor. "First things first."

They divested themselves of their leathers, conscientiously groomed their mounts and built a small fire.

Madoc lay back while Thom fed the blaze a few random sticks. He still wore the white shirt that had stirred his soul that morning, though it was slightly wilted from the day's ride. He was crouched over slightly, unselfconsciously pointing his ass in Madoc's direction.

"That looks great."

"Which? The fire, or me?"

"The fire, of course," he teased. "Now, what am I to do for your fantasy?"

"Just lie back, and let me do everything."

"That doesn't sound like much fun," Madoc remarked.

"Believe me, you'll have a ball. And I'll have two."

Madoc laughed and lay back, still wearing his loose cream-colored shirt and forest-green hose. Thom swaggered over, resting one knee between his legs.

"No stones under your back?"

"No," Madoc said.

"No spiky plants?"

"None. I looked."

"No poor, defenseless animals trapped beneath that big, beautiful body of yours?"

The dark man laughed and felt heat rise to his face. "I'm sure there aren't any. The only animal touching my body is you."

"Why, thank you." Thom got down on all fours and gazed into his eyes. "Then we can begin."

Madoc saw Thom lean in for their second kiss that evening. It was brief, but full of promise. Madoc closed his eyes and they began in earnest. Thom's tongue licked at Madoc's teeth and palate before getting more friendly with his own.

He could feel Thom untuck his blouse, then reach inside, running his hands up and down Madoc's chest. Thom brushed his lips against his cheekbone before investigating his ear. He took the lobe into his mouth, stimulating it with tongue and teeth.

The fair man's hands dragged his shirttail upward, bunching it in his armpits. Madoc lifted up carefully and Thom stopped long enough to take the tunic off.

Thom hunched down close over Madoc's body, guarding him from the chill of the evening. He ran his tongue into the hollowness behind his clavicle. The Guardsman felt the hot wetness cover all over the surface of his neck. Madoc steeled himself not to move.

When his love moved on to his chest, Madoc felt Thom's heat move straight to his nipple. Careful bites at this sensitive area made Madoc gasp.

He continued sampling, tasting, as if Madoc were some delicate dish presented to him. He mouthed along the edge of his rib cage, laved his taut stomach, lapped at his navel.

There was a brief pause when Thom did not touch him. Madoc peeked in time to see Thom come to collect another kiss. This time Madoc would not remain inactive. He sat up enough to contact Thom's body and wrapped his arms around Thom's neck. His kiss tried to express his gratitude for all the attention Thom was affording him and for just being here with him tonight.

Thom gently pushed Madoc back to the ground. He removed Madoc's boots, then stripped him of his hose and untied the knots on his smallclothes. Madoc couldn't help but notice that aside from his tabard and armor, Thom hadn't lost a stitch of clothing.

He lay there, exposed to the nighttime sky, while Thom studied him in the firelight. The moon and stars were witness to his nakedness, and his erection pointed up to touch them. The cool breezes that rustled the grasses, creating gossipy whispers all around him, also washed over his body, making him shudder.

Finally, Thom kneeled over his crotch. He licked at the insides of his thighs, mouthed at his balls, sucking each one in and fondling it juicily.

Thom gave Madoc's cock sloppy kisses all the way up its base. It reminded him of a flute player he'd seen once. The comparison made Madoc grin. When Thom made it to the end of his instrument, he let out a contented sigh.

He felt the suction drawing the cum from his balls, though it had a way to go yet. The heavy exhaling from Thom's nose as he worked penetrated through his hairs. Madoc's legs twitched. He groaned. He only hoped he did as good a job for Thom.

The former thief's tongue worked like a lockpick, exploring Thom's penis, teasing it, trying to get it to open up. Madoc writhed on the ground as his body acquiesced and his most private, precious treasure was released. Madoc gave all that he had, and Thom greedily took it all.

He lay back, catching his breath, while Thom kissed his now-oversensitive member, and sat back to wait. Soon enough, he sat up.

"Wow," he said.

"Thank you. I enjoyed it." Thom was wearing what Madoc thought of as his cat's grin. The orphanage where he'd grown up had had a mousing cat. Once the cat had gotten into the cream. The cook had chased it onto the cupboard and he just stared down at her, knowing that the human was aware of what he'd done, and not caring. Thom copied that expression exactly.

"Stay right there," Madoc said.

Thom stood with his back to the fire. Madoc stood and walked around to the side of him. The blond turned to face him. Madoc stepped up to him and undid two buttons of that white shirt. He looked even sexier with his chest half exposed like that.

The guard grabbed him about the back and kissed him. He could taste himself from just a minute before. He felt around Thom's back, feeling the bunches of muscle within.

Madoc broke the kiss and leered into Thom's bright, hazel eyes, like rarest marble. He pulled aside the shirt and, with tongue extended, licked at Thom's nipple. Madoc ran his hands sensually down Thom's sides. His hand dragged along his partner's body as Madoc walked behind him. He pressed his naked body against Thom's back and ass. He fondled Thom's chest while he gnawed playfully at his ear. His hands drifted downward to his hips and on to his thighs through the trousers he wore. Thom's ass pushed back to Madoc's dick, which was hardening again. The brunet nibbled at his love's neck as he groped his crotch and inner thighs through the cloth.

Reaching around, Madoc undid the catch of his love's new riding breeches. He reached inside and tugged at Thom's knots until the front panel of his underclothes fell forward out of the fly, his erect cock following after.

Madoc took it completely in his hands, gripping firmly but not squeezing. Thom thrust into them, rubbing his member against his palms and fingers. His head rolled back onto Madoc's shoulder, and the bigger man took the chance to lick at his neck again.

The fire crackled. Thom moaned. Madoc made wet sucking noises against his lover's flesh.

He released the blond's cock with the one hand and kissed his way around his body. The knight kneeled, naked, shining golden on one side, shadowy dark and blue on the other, and he directed his love's cock into his mouth.

He pulled off it several times, dragging his lips along its length while he sucked. Its head was teased by Madoc's dancing tongue, which tried occasionally to burrow inside.

Thom's balls hung out of his pants like fruit to be picked, and Madoc cupped them, running his fingers along the wrinkled, hairy skin, allowing the two precious eggs inside to slide around over his fingertips.

Thom was brushing his hands through Madoc's short hair and breathing heavily. His hips ground somewhat, tickling Madoc's nose with his ample golden bush of curls. The naked knight had a thought which he hoped Thom would enjoy even more.

Madoc let his hands venture right inside Thom's trousers and his fingers found the rosebud of his ass. The former thief gasped. "Yeees," he breathed. The brunet entered him with little difficulty.

Thom's knees gave slightly as he tried to sit more on Madoc's finger. He used his free hand to brace Thom up.

When Madoc finally reached that special spot inside Thom and stroked it just a few times, Thom could hold back no longer. Madoc was rewarded for his work with a spray of hot semen across his tongue and down his throat.

When at last Thom's cock quieted, yielding no more of his seed, Madoc gave it a final lick and extricated his hand. He rose, pressing his own cock into the gap his wrist left and hugged his lover.

Thom kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "That was fantastic, dear one. I've missed you so badly. I'm not hungry. Can we just lie together like we used to?"

Madoc's heart was lifted by the compliments. "Yes, of course. I don't want to let you go tonight. Let's get the blanket."

"You fetch it and I'll undress, but in a moment." He backed up to look Madoc up and down. "You're so beautiful, inside and out. I'm beside myself with joy. I love you with all my heart, Madoc."

Madoc felt his face flush. "Thank you. You mean so much to me. I love you too; I'd die if I lost you." He hugged Thom again and gave him tender, sweet kisses and held him tight. The blond's cock was hardening again.

"We'd better get the blanket or we'll be at this all night," he teased.

The two prepared for bed and wrapped themselves in Madoc's magic blanket. They lay, together once more, and talked a while before drifting to sleep.