Page 127 of A Brat's Tale
“Fine. May I be excused? I want to go for a ride.” I am not generous. I’m growing agitated with everything; a witch wyrm hunt I’mnotpart of, talk of war with Aldrien I wantnopart in and a case of blue balls from the ninth realm of hell.
“It’s getting late.”
“I won’t be long.”
“Fine. You may go but I’m not removing your collar, Tristan.”
I touch the sturdy leather. It’s not the one from Corrik, it’s from him. I agreed to become Alrik’s submissive. For a moment I forget that I’m angry and stare at him with utter worship. “I wouldn’t wantyou to, Master.” Maybe in another life I would have minded but I love belonging to my men. It’s just better for their egos if I don’t belabor that point too often and make them work for it.
“So, you do remember how you’re meant to address me.” Yeah, I break the rules sometimes. Shocking, I know. “Go, make sure you’re back by curfew.” He lifts me and smacks my arse.
I glare at him. “I’d also like to sleep in my own bed if you don’t mind very much.”
He twists his lips in a way that says he does mind, but he is getting fed up with me. “Sleep in your own bed then, but you’d better have a new disposition by morning.”
I storm away equally fed up with him for no good reason.
I ride down to see Jagar and Aldagir, which is as far as I’m permitted to go without a guard though I wonder how long that will last. Alrik doesn’t care for it much. I drink mead and complain to them. It feels good to get stuff off my chest. “If there is a way we can help you with the war, Tristan, let us know. We’re happy to help as always. My army is at your service,” Jagar says.
I return to the palace, bathe and slip into bed, but I can’t sleep. I know Corrik’s on his way home, but I won’t sleep soundly on my own until he is. Now I’m going to have to eat crow, but I suck up my pride, slip on my robe and creep into Alrik’s chambers.
I’m the only one permitted by his guard without an invitation, so they let me in without question. I enter the anteroom and use my panther-like movements to go into the bedroom without waking him. Once I’m there, I stare at him for a few moments. The guard was quiet enough with the door, he’s still asleep. It’s about the only time he’s peaceful, the only time all the heaviness in his face disperses. I don’t want to disturb him, I have learned how much he does for the kingdom he loves, how much responsibility he bears. I know what it’s like to feel responsible for everything and everyone.
I should not have come here.
I turn to leave. “Come,” he says opening the covers for me.
I run to hop in with him and mold myself his much larger body where I cry. I’m silly for doing so. My problems are so smallcompared to his, but he’s just such a good rock to cry on. I never expected him to be, not with how unrelenting he was when we first met, but maybe there’s something to what Corrik says about my ability to open people up. He’s not soft by any definition of that word, but he’s softer with me than with anyone else.
“Now, now. Is your cock hurting you that bad? All you had to do was tell me.”
“Alrik,” I whisper-yell, laughing too.
He smirks, but it flips into a frown as he pulls me in by the nape of my neck to kiss my forehead. “I know you miss him, but please don’t cry anymore, Tristan. I don’t take it well. Zelphar’s tired of me taking out all his warriors in one afternoon.”
“I can try, Alrik.”
“I thought you wanted to sleep in your own bed tonight, hmmmm?”
“We both knew that was nonsense when I said it.” But a good example of letting the brat in me run free. He’s better at sensing that than he thinks he is but not as good as Corrik or Bayaden. Still, I love him every bit as much. We give each other different things. I squeeze him tighter as if he might disappear.
He hums in agreement. “Do you think you can sleep now?”
I nod, yawn, and shut my eyes. I sleep like a rock.
The next day Alrik informs me how things will be. “You will serve me today. You need it and frankly, so do I.”
I’m supposed to be a good little Elf and say, ‘yes sir’, but then I wouldn’t be me. “The whole day? No way. Half is all you’re getting.”
That isnothow one talks to Alrik, let me tell you.
He grips me hard by the hair at the nape of my neck. “You’re worse than I thought. Do you make the rules around here?” he asks, fire lighting his silver eyes.
“N-No, Master.”
“Better. On your knees, no I don’t care that you haven’t bathed yet.You don’t need to worry about things like that today. You worry about what I tell you to do and nothing else. Undress.”
I do undress, but I worry about a lot of things I’m not supposed to like, what if he takes me out there to serve him naked? I’m still shy about it. I also worry about how long I’ll have to kneel. Will it be for more than I can handle? There’s a list of stuff like that seven parchments long and it’s not what I’m meant to be thinking of. It’s distracting me from my much larger dilemmas, which is why I’m supposed to think about nothing save for pleasing Alrik.Focus on that one thing, Tristan.
