The Taurus Key

by Lady Tempest

****** Part 4

Sasha stared at the empty space left by the prince. The warmth of the water
soaking his skin and the chill of the air on his damp shoulders were
sensations far distant to his racing mind.

Was Issai insane? Or just plain cruel? Or worse yet, forced to behave as he
did? What rules did a Key have to follow? What punishments would they have
to endure if they didn’t? He knew none of the prince’s behavior could be
genuine. Not towards him. Though he wished, hoped... No ... that was
ridiculous, impossible. And he was a fool. So, instead he hoped for cruel.
He could understand cruel.

But the beautiful and so exotic prince’s touch still lingered on his cheek.
Warm and tingling. His heart ached at even the memory. Gentle, heavenly
fingertips and a sweet smile. Issai’s touches were the first beyond his
parents’ reluctant affections to ever glance his ghastly skin. The first.
The only. The first to promise caring and tenderness and hope... And all a
lie. They were the last. And he... he was beyond pathetic.

His head slumped against the tiled rim of the bath, the cold searing what
remained of Issai from his cheek. Issai. He clutched his head, his fingers
tightening in his hair.

Issai. Everything about him was everything Sasha longed for. The moment of
their first meeting he had known. And what captivated him wasn’t that the
prince was beautiful, though he was, very much so, but rather some
intangible thing that left a warm heaviness on Sasha’s heart.

He knew the true beauty of the prince was destined to be directed
elsewhere. As, he also knew, it should be. But that didn’t stop the want,
need, for touch, companionship, tenderness,... love, from burning his soul,
killing him slowly from deep within. Yet, he couldn’t dare wish for the
ultimate release from his agony, he had a duty that went beyond his
pathetic needs. And he must remember that, always.

While the sun’s light had dipped into darkness, the room had not. A faint
warming aura flickered against one corner of the ceiling and slowly spread
until he was bathed in fluttering shadows and pale amber.

Sasha lifted his weary head from the tiles, cold beads of water dripping
from his limp hair. His pale eyes wandered to the sky beyond the open shoji
screen. Dark blue-gray and dirty puffs of clouds. No moon. Bleak. It would
probably rain.

Turning so his back arched against the corner of the bath, he hung his
head, gilded white-gold tendrils sliding down his cheeks. His eyes
glittered wet and quivering, then slipped closed. He wept, silent tears
finding voice only in the ‘drip’ into the quiet bath.


******

Issai glanced absently from the comfort of silk pillows at the screen
between him and the shy man beyond. What was taking him so long? Dinner had
already been brought and was slowly cooling at the low table. Warm
candlelight flickered throughout the room, the sun having set completely
some time ago. Sasha would probably look absolutely magnificent in the soft
light, the amber glow on his pristine skin, glittering in his sinfully soft
hair, and sparkling gold in those dazzling azure eyes, like sunset on a
tranquil lagoon....

He sighed. What was it about this soldier? He barely knew anything about
him, had known him little more than an hour, and already he drove the
prince to distraction. Perhaps that was why. The unknown. He shifted on the
futon and returned to the book resting on his lap, ‘Culture and History of
the Illustrious Kingdom of Enkai‘.

He knew it would be awkward getting the answers to the many questions he
had from Sasha. At least not to the questions he wanted to ask. They would
sound like something other than was meant to the very sensitive younger
man.

However, there were other means to discover answers. Sasha wore an Enkai
uniform, so he was of that kingdom, though very doubtfully Enkai himself.
He was nothing like the stocky, dark-skinned, dark-haired people with their
coarse features, and thick limbs. Sasha was grace and light and statuesque,
like a spun-glass figurine, among barbarians. He reminded Issai of stories
of the Doitsujin of the far north, a long-gone people known for their
stunning beauty, strength, and fair features. An ethereal beauty that would
be anything but appreciated in Enkai society.

That much he had known before beginning the book. The Enkai were a very
closed people, foreigners were rarely welcome and when they were it, was as
inferior to the ‘Glory of the Enkai’. Though the writer‘s, a court
historian to the twenty-fourth, -fifth, and -sixth Dynasties, views were
blatantly biased in the Enkai‘s favor, Issai gleaned enough of a portrait
of these people to
suspect the degree of prejudice Sasha must have experienced.

Most curious, though, was that given their ethnocentric mindset, how could
someone like Sasha even dream of making it into the ranks of their army, no
less become an officer as his uniform indicated. And further, how could he
acquire the King’s favor.

Nothing he had read so far indicated that a foreigner ever had been
received with any degree of inclusion. Dakei Imo’s ‘...Illustrious
Kingdom..’ appeared to be painstakingly thorough in all it’s accounts.
Issai unconsciously shook his head. Biased, but still thorough.

He did find it odd that Dakei would choose to chronicle some of the
Dynasties out of order. Well, at least one. But considering the steadfast
notion of superiority that the Enkai held, he had no expectations of
discovering anything different when he did come to whichever chapter Dakei
had placed the remaining information on the seventh Dynasty.

A sudden cough interrupted his reading. His head spun to the noise and met
a breathtaking sight. He had been right, but even his imaginings couldn’t
do justice to Sasha in candlelight. Stunning. His hair shimmered like a
white-gold halo, the raven ends now shining an almost metallic faded-black,
and fell across much of his face. His radiant blue eyes, nearly hidden,
peered shyly at Issai as his elegant fingers fidgeted with the sleeves of a
loose silk shirt, the laces tied tightly up to his slender neck, baring
little of his lovely skin. That would need to be remedied.

Issai set the book aside on the nest of silks and shifted the rest of his
slender body to fully face the quiet soldier. “Yes?” he asked with a warm
smile.

Sasha’s cheeks faintly pinked. Clearing his throat, he spoke hesitantly,
“My helm?”

“Yes?” The prince tilted his head slightly and regarded the man before his
smoky green eyes with absolute patience and even faint curiosity.

“Where is it?”

“Oh. I sent it with your clothes to be cleaned and polished.”

“What?! But...” Sasha practically squeaked, his fingers tangling tightly in
the sapphire cloth of his shirt sleeves and his eyes a wide flashing blue.

“The servants will take good care of it, no need to worry.” Issai
interrupted with a casual smile.

“But... I need it!” The desperation in his voice was bordering on
hysterical.

“Whatever for? Your lovely head will come to no harm from me, dear Sasha.”

“I...” Sasha blinked. Pain grew in his clear blue eyes with each flicker of
silver-gold lashes. His breathing caught then trembled. “That’s ...not why.
I...”

“I’m sure the servants will bring it back soon enough.” Issai rose from his
bed of silks in one fluid motion. “Come, dinner will get cold,” he said
calmly and hooked his arm with Sasha’s. “Besides, you won’t be needing it
while we eat.” The adorable soldier didn’t really need it at all. Not here.
Not anywhere except a battlefield. The prince smiled and lead the flustered
young man towards the food-laden table.

Issai lifted the polished silver cover from a large platter at the center
of the lacquered table. A mixture of warm scents wafted into the air:
roasted duck in a lemon-honey glaze and already sliced in thick slabs;
potatoes peppered with exotic Tasir spices, sharp and tangy ; various
chopped, steamed vegetables; honey bread and a multitude of other foods,
more than enough to feed two.

“Eat. Take what you like. I’m sure you’re hungry after such a long
journey,” Issai said as he elegantly knelt onto a violet satin pillow
beside the table, gesturing with a subtle sweep of his hand for Sasha to do
the same. The blonde shifted nervously then sank onto a satiny pillow of
his own at the far side of the table. A faint frown quirked the prince’s
lips, however, he chose to refrain from comment.

Issai began gathering onto his gilded porcelain plate a little of
everything the platter offered. “So, did you enjoy your bath?”

The younger man nodded slowly. “Thank you,"  he replied softly, waiting
until the prince was finished before filling his own plate.

“Good.” The prince smiled, his eyes gleaming. He lifted an uncorked bottle
of wine, dripping with condensation, from a small container of ice. Dark
brows furrowed and his sensuous mouth bowed with displeasure as he peered
at the label.

“Bah! Enkaian wine. Likely Shion’s doing. Vulgar barbarian...” He slid his
intense, dusky green eyes across the table, in time to catch Sasha’s
flinch. Issai continued, quieter and muttering, but loud enough to be
overheard, keenly observing the other man, “... wouldn’t know good taste if
it bit him.”

The soldier stiffened and lowered his eyes, a slight frown playing on his
delicate lips. The prince pretended not to notice and glanced back at the
bottle. “I suppose it will have to do.” He smiled at Sasha. “Your glass,...
“ And he held out his graceful hand to the other man. “... shy angel.”

Sasha was hesitant. He lowered his head a moment then leaned forward, his
pale hand trembling, and passed the glass crystal goblet to the prince.
“Thank you.“ Issai’s smile danced in his eyes as he captured the soldier’s
timid gaze then began pouring the rich red wine into the glass. Once done,
he swirled the wine under his slender nose and he breathed in the
bittersweet aroma. “Passable. At least it’s been allowed to breathe.”

He returned the crystal wineglass, careful to not spill any of it’s
brimming contents, then quickly poured himself half as much. “A toast,” he
stated with a twinkle in his eye and he raised the goblet, waiting until
Sasha did likewise before continuing. “To the charm of your company and the
hope that I will have the pleasure of more of it.”

Sasha’s lashes lowered in a pale gold flutter and his skin blushed bright
pink. Even his hands showed a faint flush. Setting his glass on the jet
black table, he bowed his head, hiding behind the fine, soft fall of his
now dry hair.

“Oh, dear Sasha,” the prince said, his voice light and gentle, reaching
across the table and tenderly brushing the concealing strands of the
soldier’s platinum hair behind each delicate ear. “You are far too
beautiful to hide,” he breathed then sat back on his heels, satisfied.
“Though I must admit, your shyness is a beauty and a charm unto itself.”

Sasha glanced under pale lashes at the prince, his head still bowed, clear
azure eyes and silver brows narrowed in bewilderment. Issai’s smile
brightened, himself bewildered, but for an entirely different reason. In
time those questions would be answered, even if only bit by bit. “I noticed
the black of your hair has faded a little,” Issai commented with an absent
air.

Startled by the unexpected shift of topic, Sasha lifted his head. Silent.
He blinked then let his eyes wander to a tuft of silvery black hair falling
over his shoulder. Forcing a weak not-quite-grin, he turned his gaze back
to the prince. “I suppose I was a little too long in the bath.”

Issai chuckled. “I suppose so.”

“It washes away far too quickly at times.”

“Or doesn’t wash away quickly enough.” Issai countered, pleased that he
managed to draw Sasha into speaking again, and enjoying the soft, smooth
voice.

“I don’t know what I’ll do once it does. ” he added, sounding almost
desperate. “If Tansir doesn’t lift their trade embargo against Enkai...”
Pain, fear, clouded his sky-blue eyes. “... everyone will know!”

With a casual tone, the prince replied, “You do nothing. Your true color is
absolutely stunning. Particularly in this light. A treasure only a fool
would revile.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table,
elegantly propping his chin on his folded hands. “I would count it a great
honor if, later, you would allow me to brush it, perhaps?”

If it were possible for Sasha to blush any deeper pink, he did. “You don’t
understand!”

“I understand that the Enkai are a bunch of uncultured barbarians who have
no taste for true beauty.”

Sasha’s expression darkened.

“Present company partially excluded of course. You also, apparently, lack
awareness of true beauty when you see it.” Issai looked down, raising his
fork from his plate. “But then again, as you refuse to view your own image,
it is indeed a very rare occurrence for you.” He returned to eating,
savoring each taste as it met his lips, though not as much as he would have
liked and the exquisitely delicious meal deserved.

“I know you’re beautiful,” Sasha whispered.

“Pardon? ” The prince lifted his head, mild confusion wrinkling his brows.

“Nothing. Nevermind.”

Issai studied the blond soldier, seeing a shy stubbornness on the angelic
face. His shoulders lifted in an elegant shrug. “As you wish.”
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go on to Part Five
Return to Part Three
Return to the Zodiac Keys