by Pfantazm

	On the morning of the second day Thom and Madoc parted company once more, Thom to find Lennox, and Madoc to continue onward to Karelia to meet Sir Bastian. He tried very hard not to think that he'd never see Thom again. On his third day out from Aragon, Madoc passed through the town of Cairncross. A couple of people recognized him and waved hello. It seemed the town was still thriving even with the loss of their local wizard. He hoped the town would not suffer. It had only been two weeks, after all. Madoc was somewhat disappointed that neither Melydia nor any member of her family that he recognized was around. He had wanted to see how she was doing as well, but he could not tarry long. Though he had been making good time, he had an appointment to keep. He hied Fleetfire southward out of the town. That evening, just outside the tiny hamlet of Tartallon, which was even smaller than Cairncross, the knight came to an inn which was named the Thief's Ring. Madoc smiled and thought of Thom. It was getting dark, and with his new status as a knight-errant, he was entitled to stay at an inn. Why not? He drove Fleetfire to the stables where a young man took his horse and his armor, promising to deliver the latter to his room. He stepped inside the door. Five large tables filled the common room downstairs. A small bar lined the wall on his left and a staircase led up to the right. The fire was in the wall behind him and the door to the kitchens stood opposite the door he filled. The walk upstairs gave way to three or four rooms upstairs. There were not a lot of patrons around, but it was still early yet. The place seemed to have an excellent location: a whole number of days' ride from Aragon, and near the farmers of Cairncross. He sat down at a table and waited for a serving wench. She arrived and Madoc ordered any kind of fruit juice, if they had it, or otherwise watered wine. After a few minutes, a large man, taller than Madoc, approached him with a smile on his face. "Hadrian!" he bellowed. Oh, no. This must have been one of the servants from Tybalt's manse. Madoc began to explain. "I'm sorry, you've made a mistake--" "Oh, no mistake. I remember you quite well, Hadrian, sir." He gave Madoc a strong pat on the back. "It wasn't that long ago. How have you been? Where's your manservant, Thom?" Thom was certainly going to hear about this. "Really, sir, I'm not who you think I am. I'm a knight. I--" "I was just wondering about that," the tall stranger said. "You didn't join up with King Dunstan's army, did you, looking for adventure?" Madoc tried again. "My name is not Hadrian. I am--" "Here is your grape juice, Hadrian," said a female voice behind him. Madoc turned to this new misguided person. She was a young woman, not the mature girl that had taken his order. She had long dark hair, and a knowing twinkle in her eye. "Melydia!" he said with relief. He turned to the man. "And you're Rab. I knew you looked familiar but I couldn't place you. What are you doing here?" "This is our new inn. After you delivered the mirror to that scoundrel, Eleazar, my family came into a small windfall. That meant my father could hire help for the farms and Rab and I could start our new life." "The old owner passed away some months ago, and the place had been boarded up," Rab continued. "No one in Tartallon wanted it. They all have farms or businesses of their own. It was quite a stroke of luck." "And the name of the place," Madoc asked. "That's the ring I used on Thom, right?" Rab looked confused. Melydia leaned in. "That's it exactly, Sir Madoc," she said, patting his hand. "You've both been very good to us, getting us free of Tybalt. We figured it was the least we could do." "How has business been?" "Not bad so far," Rab said. "It's actually been rather slow tonight. You'd be surprised how many travellers come begging for a room because they don't notice this place is an inn again." "It's taken a lot of work," Melydia said, sitting down. "The Ring was in need of a lot of repairs. Rab did all the carpentry work." "Ah, but the place is a success because you know how to manage it," her fiance replied. He looked at Madoc. "I only know how to take care of horses." Madoc laughed. Melydia kissed Rab. "So if any of our guests turn into horses' asses, I know who to call upon," she said. "Of course, my love." Rab kissed her back. "I really should apologize, Sir Madoc. Melydia wanted to play that trick on you." "Oh," she said, and gave him a playful slap on the shoulder. "Only because it's so easy." She winked. "But truly, when Jinna brought an order for just grape juice, I figured something was odd. I hope it's alright. We got it for any travellers with little children." Madoc smiled. "It's fine." "Now that I think of it, I don't suppose any knights that may come by would take a stronger drink. And it would be better for the staff to drink it rather than wine. Perhaps we should keep a supply.... Pardon me. Sometimes I get to thinking about things and can't stop." "Where is Thom?" Rab asked, obviously hating to ask the question. "Is he--?" Madoc explained how the trial went behind closed doors, and about their current mission. "Is the king trying to kill you?" Melydia asked. "We don't think so. More a matter of proving our true worth if we're to work together... and to see if Thom is serious," Madoc added, compelled by honesty. "If he doesn't run from this assignment, he won't ever run." Melydia looked directly into Madoc's eyes. "You have complete confidence, don't you?" "Of course," the knight said. "Good. I don't think it's misplaced." "My love," Rab said, taking Melydia's hand, "could I speak to you alone?" "Of course, Rab. Jinna? Would you find out what Sir Madoc would take for dinner?" The girl came back to the table. "We'll be back shortly." The couple left. Jinna recited the evening's menu: steak or a thick stew. Madoc took the steak with vegetables. She left and Madoc sipped his juice. He wondered why Rab would ask to speak to Melydia so suddenly. He looked over to where they were conversing. Soon Rab noticed him staring and smiled at him. He blushed and ducked out the door to where the stables were. Melydia came back his way and sat down. She looked around. He copied her. There were no other patrons nearby. "Rab has a favor to ask of you, but he's shy about it to be asking himself." "What is it?" She sighed unsure of where to start. "Thom told me... that you and he... were like Rab and I in how you feel about each other. Yes?" "Er, yes," the knight said, keeping his voice low. "In feeling and... in body?" Madoc looked downwards and blushed. "So yes. I wouldn't worry, Sir Madoc. If the one is true, then the physical part is only natural, don't you think?" "I suppose...." "We'll leave that be for now. I told this to Rab - I was sure you wouldn't mind - and he's been thinking about you two. Quite a lot." Madoc thought he knew where this was heading. "Tonight, he's asked me if you and Thom would...." She lowered her voice considerably. "...Show him." "You mean, in front of him?" "No, with him. He wants to know what it's like. Would you two be able to come back sometime?" "I'm sure Thom would think that fine, but I don't know when we could. We have no way of knowing when we would be back this way. Kraid could be anywhere. And as you say, we may not survive." Melydia nodded solemnly. Madoc thought. His and Thom's conversation about other people was about situations like this. Thom had said anyone the other man could meet. Thom had already met Rab. That would mean he had permission. "Are you certain this will sit well with you, Melydia? It's a strange thing to ask." Melydia raised her eyebrows. "What, should I be jealous? He's spoken only to me about this, and you, I imagine, can only do things I can't really do. There are some things in common, to be sure, but it's still not the same." Madoc felt his face flush at the frank talk. "You are entirely too cute, Sir Madoc," she said, raising his chin again. "I can see why he wants to try it. I know that even if he enjoys himself, he won't look for anyone else. He knows he can trust you, and he can't trust anyone else that way. I also know that he very much enjoys laying with me. I'm not going to be losing him. I have nothing to worry about. "What's important is whether this is alright with you and Thom." "Right now," Madoc explained, "Thom is searching for a man who was a captive of the Marauders, and who... we have been with." The words came very hard for the knight. "We agreed that including friends was fine by us. Together or separately." Melydia looked surprised. "Do you mean to say...?" Madoc nodded. "There's the chance he won't get another time, as much as I hate to say it." "Huh," she said. "I'll go tell him." Melydia stroked his shoulder. "Thank you." She headed off to the stables. Madoc didn't see either of them until after he'd eaten his steak. The knight pulled out his seal and meal ticket for payment. Jinna was confused until Rab came over to explain. "This is better than coin, lass. This goes right against our taxes. I'll take that and set it aside. Consider the knight's meal and lodging paid for." Jinna curtsied and left. "The ticket is only for the food, you know," Madoc corrected. "I know. Melydia said naming this place after you was the least we could do. I refuse to stop at the least we can do. You and Thom can stay here as our friends whenever you're nearby, not as our guests, no matter what I decide about tonight." He grinned. "Are you certain? I don't want you to feel that you need to do anything tonight if you don't want to, if it's too sudden...." Rab looked tense, though he smiled. "I can always find some reason to put it off. I'll see how far I can go." He held up the ticket and went upstairs. Madoc nursed his juice while he thought. Thom had said that it was alright, and Melydia had no objections. Still Madoc couldn't help but feel that he was violating a trust somewhere. Madoc had no romantic feelings for Rab. He was still very much in love with Thom, and Rab certainly loved Melydia. This was just... curiosity. He also had no delusions about what Thom and Lennox would get up to if Thom found Lennox. They would probably fool around. It didn't bother him in the least. He just wished he could be there. It was his being with Rab that bothered him. It should be okay. He wanted it to be okay. But he had to keep telling himself it was okay. At this point, Madoc wasn't sure who would be more nervous tonight: himself or Rab.

back

turn page