by Pfantazm

	Thom and Madoc rode toward Cairncross once more. When they were almost 100 feet from the hut where Eleazar did his work, Thom dismounted gracelessly. "Are you sure you trust me to do this and not run off?" "Of course. I know you to be a good man." Madoc put the flat blue stone of the ring that had bound them to each other at all times for over a week to Thom's forehead. It left a red circle on his forehead that soon started to fade. The stone had also returned to its original red color. Thom was free. He began to take his breeches off. Since neither man could accept killing Eleazar then and there, they had to take his magic away before he did more harm. Aspasia had reminded them that a wizard must remain celibate all his or her life, otherwise he or she loses the ability to do magic. The only way to be sure that Eleazar lost his virginity is for him to fuck one of them. And Madoc was unable to accommodate anyone thus far. Thom would have to. Madoc greased him with custard pods while Thom put his boots back on - awkward, yes, but they had to hurry. Thom ran up to Eleazar's cottage and moved into position by the door. Madoc waited for the haze to come. When Thom reached the cottage, he peeked surreptitiously in through the window. Thom saw three mirrors, including the large one they'd supplied, and five spritestones. Aspasia had been right. Eleazar was breaking open sawgrass pods and grinding them up. Thom heard a faint cry. He looked over and saw a very pale baby in a basket. Thom crouched down and waited. He fingered himself occasionally to keep himself open. After about a half an hour of waiting, Madoc saw a change in the air. He could see a haze building up. Madoc took off his tabard and waved it in the air. The spell was under way. Thom peeked inside one last time to see where in the room Eleazar was. He had his arms out, and he was muttering words that Thom didn't recognize. Thom burst through the door and tackled Eleazar. As he fell to the floor, the wizard's eyes were wide, but he kept his arms out and he continued to mumble. Thom opened Eleazar's robe. Eleazar began to kick Thom away. Thom sat on Eleazar's legs and pulled down the protesting wizard's underwear. The man was erect! This might be easier than he thought. Eleazar stopped struggling. Thom hopped forward and sat on Eleazar's dick. The mage stopped in his cant. While Thom sank slowly onto the his prick, Eleazar reached down and felt around his cock, feeling the thief's ass gradually enveloping it. Thom pulled up off the wizard, who pushed back up into him. The two had fallen into a comfortable rhythm by the time Madoc appeared at the door, sweating and somewhat pale. Eleazar pumped into Thom once, twice more and cried out. He was coming. It was after all, his first time, and he could hardly be blamed. All things considered, it was for the best. He lay back on the floor and began to sob. Thom stood up. It hadn't taken long at all. Madoc said, "Eleazar, I arrest you in the name of the King for crimes of magic against the people of Cairncross. I also arrest you for endangering the life of this child and on suspicion of treason against the crown." Thom and Madoc helped the wizard to his feet. Madoc bound his hands behind his back with the rope and they led him toward Fleetfire and town, with Thom carrying the baby's basket. Sir Madoc had left the ring on Eleazar's workbench. They would not need it any longer. By the time Madoc had arrived in town, he was showing all the same symptoms as the other villagers. He was barely able to walk. Thom saw a man in a red tabard riding into town before them. Thom bellowed out to the other Guardsman, who redirected his bay steed to meet them. Sir Madoc and the newcomer greeted each other like old friends. "Sir Sayer, 'tis good to see you." "Sir Madoc, we were not sure what had become of you. We'd heard that you'd apprehended the Dark Rogue. You look not well." "I have Flavid Ague. Don't worry. It's not catching. It's a magical plague. He's responsible and he's under arrest." Sir Sayer dismounted. Thom saw Madoc falter on the other side of Fleetfire. Sir Sayer caught him. "Perhaps it would be best if Sir Madoc rode your horse through town until we can get him to a sick bed," Thom suggested. "He's too weak to ride without a saddle and easily too weak to walk much further." "And you are?" "Thom At-the-Well," the thief responded before Madoc could raise the energy to speak. "I've been helping Sir Madoc this past week in his efforts to save the people of Cairncross, afflicted similarly to the good knight." "Helping in what capacity?" "I was at Sir Madoc's side gathering the items that this knave claimed would cure Cairncross. But this is a long story to tell and we should deal with Sir Madoc first. There'll be time after that." Sir Sayer looked to Madoc, who nodded. Sayer protectively helped the ill knight in the bay's saddle. Thom could see the concern on Sayer's face. So suspicious, that one. Worried about Madoc certainly. "I shouldn't be concerned about the wizard. He's been defrocked. Still, why don't I take your horse's reins, while you take Fleetfire's. The criminal, I think, should be in your charge," Thom said amiably. "My thoughts exactly, goodman," Sayer said. Once they were under way, Thom asked Madoc, "You and Sir Sayer are good friends, then?" "I hardly know him," Madoc answered. "The way he was looking after you, I'd have thought you were closer than brothers." "It's like that among the High Guard. You never know whether you'll see the other man again. It makes you close, even if you don't know each other that well." Thom looked over at Sir Sayer and feared for Madoc again. It was asinine not to pair them up. If they did, they'd stay alive longer and they get more recruits. If Thom went to jail - or worse - Madoc would be fighting his battles alone. He wished there was something he could do. Suddenly, it came to Thom. He knew how he and Madoc could stay together. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "I think I've got it, Madoc. The answer to our problems. It's risky. If it doesn't work, it could be dangerous for us both. Do you trust me?" Sir Madoc nodded. "I won't do anything irrevocable until you're well enough to be clear- headed. I'll handle all the loose ends from Eleazar and Tybalt, or at least pass them over to Sir Sayer. Even if Sayer doesn't believe me, there's Aspasia coming soon and Melydia's in the area. They should convince him. And maybe Melydia can help us figure out whose child this is." Once Madoc had been laid in the church with the others, Sir Sayer demanded to hear the story of how the entire village came to be sick. Thom explained that when he and Sir Madoc came to town, they'd met Eleazar. The wizard had sent them off to fetch six items. (Thom showed him the list in Eleazar's hand.) They'd reovered most of them, including a silvered glass, which they had now identified as a stolen art object from the manse of the merchant Tybalt. They had a witness to these crimes who should be just outside town on the Coopersmith lands named Melydia. Tybalt was still awaiting arrest. They'd also encountered Kraid's Marauders while fetching the sawgrass pods and Thom had had to save Madoc's life with quick thinking and quicker legs. They had the idea of contacting another wizard to fetch the last of the items, since a wizard was more likely to have the items in stock rather than having to ride across the countryside two men to one tired horse. The wizard Aspasia had identified the ingredients not as a cure for the plague but a cause, borne out by the fact that Sir Madoc had succumbed while Aspasia would be able to verify that he was hale and hearty earlier that day, and she will be able to do so because she was at that moment preparing the real cure and would arrive on the morrow with it if Sir Sayer could spare the time to tarry and help minister the sick. No mention was made of how Thom and Madoc had come to meet, of precisely how the mirror or the spritestone were collected, or of romantic encounters of any kind. All the while, Sir Sayer listened to Thom's tale, seated on edge of Sir Madoc's sickbed, with Thom on the other side. Sir Sayer asked for confirmation of the story at intervals of Sir Madoc, who provided that confirmation and little other contribution since Thom seemed to be better at spinning a yarn than Sir Madoc could ever hope to be. Leave it to a con man to have a silver tongue. Several eavesdroppers applauded weakly when Thom was finished. Sir Sayer decided that his own business could wait until all was well in Cairncross. He would escort Eleazar to the nearby garrison and fetch a cart for the oversized mirror and dispatch a team of guards to arrest Tybalt now that they had both evidence and witness. Thom, meanwhile would fetch Melydia and do what he could for the villagers until Aspasia arrived. Once Sir Sayer had left, and having received directions from a helpful soul, Thom ran straight for the Coopersmiths because he needed Melydia's assistance with his own plan. Melydia was only one of a few people who could send it awry and she needed to be included in the scheme once again. To say nothing of the fact that he had no idea what to do about the baby. Melydia was only too thrilled to help once the baby was identified as her nephew Wynn, who had gone missing some days ago. Both Melydia and Tilda, her sister and Wynn's mother, came to town to care for the sick. When Melydia heard Thom's plan to allow the couple to remain together, she agreed and approved. Her part was primarily to forget that he and the Dark Rogue were the same person. Only she, Odilia, and Aspasia could be considered reliable people who could identify him as such. He asked Melydia also to say that she, or rather, her betrothed, who was Tybalt's stablemaster at the time, had found the cart that the "Dark Rogue" had used in his escape from Tybalt's manse the same night overturned in a ravine by the side of the road. "I'll do it, Thom, because I can see you have a good heart, though I still say that I can't understand what you feel for Sir Madoc." "You love your fiance? What's his name?" "Rab. And yes, I love him. Can you say the same?" "Yes. And I've told him as much." Melydia raised an eyebrow at him. "You weren't willing to say it the last time we met, were you?" "No, but I know it now. I'm willing to pay for my crimes, but I can't see how I could go on without him." "Then everything will be alright. You'll see. That kind of love is unbreakable. Go now and see to him while I fetch water for soup to feed these people. Rab will be by later with stock and vegetables. We'll see to these people." The Coopersmiths' farm hadn't been affected by the plague, but they'd suffered from loss of trade at the market and the grief of Wynn's disappearance. Now that all the tragedy was nearly at an end, they were pleased to be able to help. Sir Sayer returned with the cart, and without the wizard, ready to collect the mirror and Melydia. The latter declared that she wasn't going anywhere until everything was right in town, or at least until her soup was done. She offered to drive the cart to Eleazar's cottage, but Sir Sayer assured her he was capable. He and Thom went together to get the mirror. Once that was done, Sir Sayer dropped off Thom in Cairncross and continued on to the outpost, vowing to return the next day. The others were dispensing soup to the stricken villagers. At the end of the day, Melydia and her family returned to their homestead. Thom spent the night in the church at Madoc's side. Aspasia and Odilia arrived early the next morning with their remedy, which they called an elixir, to be specific. They instructed Thom in how to administer it. His first patient was Sir Madoc, of course. Soon enough, Melydia and Rab arrived, without Tilda, who stayed behind to tend to Wynn, and they also began to dole out the elixir. Thom met Rab. A massive man, burly and 6'6", with a pleasant, friendly face, square jaw, brown eyes and a shock of light brown hair, he was a good match for Melydia, with her own black hair tied up, strong, angular features and brown eyes. They made a good-looking couple. After about an hour, Sir Madoc was well enough to begin giving doses of the elixir himself. As discreetly as he could, Thom sketched out his plan for keeping them together. He did not want to act on it until Madoc was agreeable to it, since it could be argued he was risking more then Thom. On the other hand, Odilia seemed somewhat chatty and if she revealed his secret identity to Sir Sayer the game would be up before it ever started. Madoc heard Thom's plan. He said he had to think about it, but by all means tell Aspasia and Odilia to forget they'd ever met the Dark Rogue. Thom went to the wizard and her apprentice. He told them of his position, that the Dark Rogue would be retiring one way or the other, and it would be best if they forgot they'd ever heard the name. Aspasia turned to Odilia, who looked embarrassed. Apparently, this reminded her of a recent lecture about respecting the privacy of others. Odilia said she would help and she was sorry for reading his mind. Aspasia also agreed to his request and apologized for her apprentice's behavior. "She should not have read your mind in the first place. It matters not to me what you have done in the past. I'll keep your secret, Thom, but don't be surprised if I call you back for a favor one day." Thom accepted both and gave his thanks, but the idea of owing a debt to a wizard worried him deeply. Sir Sayer arrived some time later. The day starts earlier for country folk than some guardsmen, Thom mused. The knight brought word that Tybalt had been apprehended last night, and that he and Eleazar had already started their journey to Aragon. Since the medicine was mostly finished and nearly everyone had already recovered, Sir Sayer would be moving on to finish his business in Karelia. He and Sir Madoc exchanged fond farewells. He even risked shaking Thom's hand. Madoc also decided it was time to depart. Melydia saw them off and Madoc reminded her that she would be expected in Aragon to testify against Tybalt. She promised she would be there and wished them luck. Once out of town, Thom, seated in his usual position behind Madoc on Fleetfire's back, asked Madoc whether he had made a decision yet. "Give me the day," Sir Madoc replied. "There are some problems with your idea that I should try to work out before making up my mind. "Problems? With one of my ideas?" "Details about the workings of the Guard that you couldn't be expected to know about." Sir Madoc wouldn't say more than that. When they made camp for the night, and while dinner was cooking, Madoc discussed the plan. "Let me first be sure I have the original idea right. You want to petition the king to allow you to become my aide or assistant, or something, instead of serving your time. The extra hitch is that he will not be told that you are who you are. You will just be a concerned subject who wishes to serve." "That's it exactly. Now what's wrong with that?" "High Guardsmen don't have aides or attendants, and if you were to serve the King, you would simply enlist. It also does not solve the problem of how I explain that I'm returning without the Dark Rogue." "Did I not tell you that part?" Madoc shook his head. Thom told him his other plan. "I, the Dark Rogue, am your irrefutable source about the authenticity of the mirror's origins. This I said before I managed to escape your clutches. Using this clue, you tracked me to Tybalt's manse, where you saw me leaving the scene of the crime with Tybalt's cart, the mirror strapped thereon. You gave chase. I, tragically, crashed the cart, but the mirror had not a scratch. The same could not be said for me, more's the pity, and you buried the body nearby. With Melydia's and Thom's help, you recovered the mirror for Eleazar to use for his so-called cure, and to be used against Tybalt later. No Dark Rogue to worry about, the love of your life is still in the picture and all's well that ends well." "That could work. Still, you would not be able to work by my side if you made clear your intentions. If I were to become a knight-errant though, then I could go where I please, and you would simply accompany me. It would be even better if you were a knight-errant yourself, but that would take years." "That's fantastic! Are you saying that you just need to become a knight-errant and our troubles are over?" "I suppose I am. But no High Guardsman has ever become a knight-errant. I don't know how the king or Sir Rhys will take it." "Sir Rhys?" "The king's military advisor. My ultimate superior. But I am willing to try." "Oh, Madoc, thank you!" Thom cried as he came around the fire and embraced the knight, almost knocking him backwards to the ground. "If the king doesn't believe us in court, however, he will probably hang us both." "And you are still willing to do this?" Thom asked, looking him in the eye. "Either way, we will be together," Madoc said, completely serious. "I'd much rather we be together and alive," Thom said with no small irony. "We are alive tonight. As I will prove after dinner." Madoc smiled. Thom kissed him once before seeing to the duck, a gift from the people of Cairncross, roasting on their fire.

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