The Trial of the Sun - Chapter Four

[valiantfan.livejournal.com]

This is the next Chapter, gentle readers! As usual, not very long, so not too much of your precious time is wasted. Feedback gratefully received - I am a feedback junkie!


Title: - The Trial of the Sun
Chapter: -Four
Author: - Valiantfan
Pairing: - Orlando/Dominic/Elijah
Rating: - NC17 eventually
Warnings: - None.
Disclaimer: - Total fiction
Summary: - An AU fantasy. Orlando is a Gypsy outsider, Dominic is a 'pure blood' aristocrat,(and a hermaphrodite) and Elijah is an albino (temporarily) and the spanner in the works! I have taken liberties with spellings, just for effect, but I’m sure you’ll recognise everyone


“Poor old you!” said Ellija, when he heard the full story of my strange ‘illness’. He climbed onto the bed bedside me and threw his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. I sank into the unquestioning and unqualified warmth of affection that I had always had from my Elli.

I suppose the fact that we were both different and set apart had increased the closeness between us over the years. My oddity was out of sight, of course, whereas his startling white-blonde hair was only too obvious. His eyebrows were white, too, and combined with his enormous blue eyes this gave him a freakish ethereal appearance. (His eyelashes, strangely, were very dark, and it was much later before I discovered the reason for this.)

Children are often cruel, of course, and the many fights he got into because of his colouring earned my sweet-natured Elli the reputation of a bad-tempered wildcat. As he got older he learned to keep his fists to himself, and when he had enough of the teasing he would come to me for comfort.

“So, what did the doctor say?” he asked, pulling me closer until my head was on his chest.

“Well, I could have an operation, to remove my… my thing,” I shivered at this, “which would make me a proper girl...”

“Oooh!” murmured Elli, his hand moving to cover his own groin protectively.

“…but that could be dangerous.”

“Yes?”

“Or I could do nothing and see what happens, but…”

“But what?”

“He thinks both sides of me are developing, although he doesn’t know which would be strongest.”

“So you would be a man with… with breasts?”

I sighed. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“If that happens, can I…. can I hold them?”

“Ellija!”

“Well, I would like to! The girls will let me look, sometimes, but they won’t let me touch!” Ellija was quite precocious, and despite his odd looks the girls were very fond of him, and were willing to go with him into quiet corners of the garden. Naturally, this did not make him any more popular with the boys.

“Really, Elli, this is serious!”

“I am being serious!” His small mouth settled into a pout, but only for a few seconds, then he said “Sorry, Nik. Tell what the third choice is, please.”

“Apparently, Doctor Guy can get some special medicine, - very expensive, naturally! – which will…”

“What? Tell me!”

“I’m thinking of the word, Ell, be quiet! Oh yes, this medicine which will suppress the female side of me.”

“Oh!” I almost thought he sounded disappointed.

“But I will have to take it always and always, and there may be side-effects.”

“What are they?”

“That’s one of the things he doesn’t know.”

“Oh,” he said and went quiet for minute. “What will your mother do?”

“She says it’s my choice.”

“My mother would choose for me,” he sighed.

“I wish mine would,” I sniffed, pulling him closer until my face was buried in his neck.

********

Derren told me I had lost all my skills and that at this rate I would come last in the competition, never mind have a chance of winning.

“I’m sorry,” I scowled, having lost all my interest in archery in these last few days. “Can I go?”

“You’re in a hurry,” he smirked. “Someone to meet?”

“How did you know?” I was alarmed that I’d been seen, that someone knew, but then I saw he thought I had a girl waiting for me.

“Would explain your poor efforts this week, all right.” He sniffed. “The sooner you get her into bed and get back to normal, the better!”

“Er… yes!” I muttered, and left as quickly as I could. I ran all the way, but even so, I was later that the previous day, and by the time I entered the courtyard the light was going.

Orlahndo was sitting on the steps, spinning his glass ball in front of him so that colours flashed over his face. I wondered briefly where the colour came from, since there was so little light, but then he looked up at me and all sensible thoughts vanished.

“I’m sorry!” I gasped, trying to get my breath. “I didn’t mean to make you wait.”

“Apologies? From you? That’s something!”

“Yes, well, I…”

“Come here,” he said, and I went, without a word of argument, and sat beside him.

“You said this would be the last time! What did you mean?”

“I have to go. We are moving on.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t that what gypsies do?” He had his arm around me and was pulling me close.

”Yes, I suppose, but…” I had no chance for more speech. His mouth was pressed on mine with no pretence of gentleness or care. The sheer urgency of his attack swept me along with him, and this time when he forced my lips open I did not object. He moved so that he was straddling me, his knees on the cold steps to either side of my hips and his body held tightly against mine. I could feel that he was hard against me, and I was terrified.

Then he started to kiss my face, and my neck, and it was so wonderful, my whole body was on fire, but I knew I dared not let him go on. His hands were already roaming all over me and eventually…

“Stop! Please!” I gasped.

To my surprise, he did. I suppose I expected him to complain or argue but instead he laughed.

“Poor little virgin!” He grinned, moving back so he was sitting beside me.

“It’s not that!” I was blushing furiously as I spoke, so he must have realised that he had got it right. “It’s just that…” I was trying to regain some shred of dignity here, “this…this is not appropriate.”

He laughed again, which I was beginning to find profoundly irritating.
“Is it inappropriate because I am a wicked gypsy and you are an innocent bloodline child?” He picked up my hand and placed a tingling kiss on the palm. “Or because we are both men?”

“Both!” I snapped, and pulled my hand away.

“Ah,” he said, “I see.” He stopped smiling and became still and quiet.

“Any way,” I said, when the silence had grown too long. “I still don’t see why you have to keep moving. Why don’t you settle down somewhere? Get some proper work.”

“Work? I have been earning my own keep since I was 14 years old. Can you say the same, pampered child?”

“Yes, well, that’s as maybe!” I was nettled by the ‘pampered child’ jibe. “But why do you keep roaming around, causing trouble? You could get work… well… on a farm, for instance!”

“I could work for you mother, couldn’t I? She owns lots of farms. Perhaps you could put in a good word for me?”

“How did you know my mother has…?”

“But if my people stay in one place for too long, my sweet innocent, you know what happens?”

“Well, I suppose you get some kind of wanderlust. Is that what you mean?”

“Ha!” I almost moved away, there was such anger in his voice. “If we stay too long your soldiers come – do you know about your soldiers?”

“Yes! I am a soldier myself.”

“Ha! You!”

“Well, I’m… I’m training for the army.”

“Good! When you’re trained, you can join your fellow soldiers and come and burn down our tents if we overstay our welcome.”

“That’s a lie!”

“True. Sometimes they burn our wagons, too. But not often, because how then could we move on?”

“I… but…” I stammered. I had no idea what to say. “Why?”

He sighed. His anger seemed to have gone as quickly as it came. “Ask your father,” he murmured, and stood up and collected his bag. In the distance a horn sounded.
“Damm! They’re shutting the gates! I’ll have to run.”

“But… when will you be back?”

“Who knows?” he shrugged. “Will you miss me?”

“Why should I do that?” It was petulant, I know, but his talk of burning tents had upset me.

“Goodbye, then, stupid virgin!” he snapped and hurried away.

“Wait!” I shouted as he reached the corner.

“Yes?”

“I will miss you!”

He smiled, and waved, and was gone.


Other Chapters here-The Trial of the Sun