Page 26 of The Lost Art of Woodworking and Taking Risks
They spent a lot of time together, but Bennan promised he would never get upset if Chamis told him he needed a bit of space.
“I mean, if you announce it when I’m buried balls’ deep in you, I might be alittleannoyed, but—”
Chamis could only laugh, hug him, and promise he’d let him know in the unlikely event that occurred. Because his boyfriend was actually really good at judging when Chamis needed a bit of quiet, and there were times where they both sat in Chamis’s room while he was carving and Bennan read. Or they might cuddle in front of the fire and talk quietly about the past or their day or anything at all that struck their fancy.
They were combining all the parts of their lives together, and that meant parks, pastries, sex, carvings, words, meals, and… everything, really. Chamis got used to being asked if this tunic made Bennan look hot. (The answer was always yes, no matter what color it was.) Bennan got used to the fact that Chamis was a bit quieter in the morning and needed a little while to get started.
There was even an awkward—Bennan said it went fine but Chamis had been extremely embarrassed—conversation with the Captain where Bennan had asked if they could be assigned similar duties. The Captain had informed them that if they ever shirked their duties, they were going to be assigned to opposite ends of the castle if he was feeling generous, and if he wasn’t, then one of them was going to be stuck on patrol in the tenth district.
Both of them tookthatthreat seriously, but upon stating that, the Captain then clapped them on the shoulders, told them he was happy for them, and walked away.
Bennan had laughed when Chamis had said it was embarrassing that their captain knew what they did together.
“Do you think hedidn’tknow before?”
So, yes, they were now more likely to get to actually work together, which Chamis was never going to complain about. They were on their best behavior, because he was anxious to prove worthy of the Captain’s trust.
Chamis thought it was going extremely well, but when the next rotation went out for watch stations, Chamis’s heart caught and then began to thunder in his ears when he saw that he was listed for two months in the seventh district. While not quite as far away as the tenth district, the seventh through tenth districts were the furthest away from Royal City. It took at least eight days on horseback to get to those watch stations, making the full rotation more like two and a half months.
His vision was beginning to gray out on the edges, and he couldn’tthink.He’d been so careful, wasn’t aware of doinganythingwrong, and—
Only then Bennan was there, a hand warm on the small of his back even as his finger tapped on the paper where Bennan’s name was also listed as being on the same rotation.
Chamis still felt a little light-headed with relief as the Captain approached them.
“I received a suggestion that Warriors and Mage Warriors might be happier and therefore more effective if they could travel with those they cared about. You’re a test to ensure it’s feasible. Make sure you behave.”
“We absolutely will,” Bennan said, unusually serious.
Chamis worried at first that he was the only one concerned about the trip, but it soon became apparent that Bennan saw the importance of this, too.
“This is an opportunity,” he told Chamis, eyes intent, smile soft. “I want so much to travel with you, but I want others to be able to do the same. Imagine if we can prove that there can be more productive and more content Warriors because they aren’t lonely or pining for those they had to leave behind.
“I know it can be a drain on resources, but just think about it! If we show that we can do this, other Warriors will hopefully feel they can be open and can make a similar request. And if all goes well, they might even decide that non-Warriors could come, more like the live-in situation we have here at the castle. I’m sure there’s plenty that would need to be figured out for funding, and the stations couldn’t necessarily handle their occupancy size doubling or anything like that, but small steps will get us started.”
Chamis kissed him a lot and told him how proud he was of him.
It was true that it tended to be the younger Warriors who were more content with the rotations at the watch stations, because they were usually more eager to travel and less likely to be leaving anyone behind.
As Warriors had families and children, spending months away was less appealing. They did it because it was their duty, but they weren’t necessarily happy about it. And sometimes unhappy, distracted people made mistakes. As a Warrior, that could prove fatal.
Chamis loved that Bennan had thought of this idea. Chamis wasn’tentirelyexcited about the new routine and unknown people, but he knew it was an important part of being a Warrior. He’d always done best at the castle, and the Captain had known that, but he’d still been required over the years to take occasional rotations in the watch stations.
Besides, while it might be a different location, their duty was similar. They needed to keep watch, patrol, and support the Mage Warriors if they found any demons. (Or in very rare instances, intercede in human crimes, but usually the District Wardens handled that.)
Chamis was pretty sure he was as ready as he’d ever be, and he was very grateful that Bennan was going with him. That alone made it feel like a significant piece of “sameness”—the good kind, the kind that Chamis craved—was going with him wherever he went.
It was probably this feeling of contentment coupled with the certainty that Bennan was the best thing that had ever happened to him that was responsible for what else he did before he left. He’d needed permission—and help—from the Captain; the man had looked a little bit amused but had been very matter-of-fact in helping a tongue-tied Chamis. It was the sort of thing he would normally get Bennan to do for him, but this had been Chamis’s idea, and he wanted it to be a surprise.
On the sixth day of their riding for the seventh district—still warm and sunny, summer in full swing—Chamis nudged his horse and signaled to Bennan after lunch.
“This way.”
Bennan pointed at everyone else. “But they’re going that way.”
“I know. But we’re going this way.”
Bennan looked puzzled, but he gamely rode along beside Chamis.
