“Yes, well done, little lion,” Verin murmured to his brother, the pride evident in his voice, and Leander flushed. He glanced at Jarryn, praying the prince had not heard that moniker from Verin and noticed the prince was working hard to keep his smile from breaking; the edges of Jarryn’s lips were trembling with the effort. Damn it.
He would never live that down.
“I think if we support those children who are suffering the most tonight and help the rest to sleep. That might be all we can do tonight. We have tomorrow as well.” Leander said quickly, trying to move the conversation on.
“Yes we will need to rest soon, lest we expend all of our energy,” Verin agreed. “Who next, Leander?”
The trio worked through the children as selected by Leander, achieving success with nine of the most traumatised, before Verin and Jarryn had exhausted their Aesthesic reserves and decided they were done for the night.
Leaving the children in the capable and grateful hands of their parents and caretakers, the three nobles left themayor’s manor and wound their way through the village, bracing themselves against the evening chill. They reached the tavern, where they were greeted by the keeper.
“My apologies, my lords, but Prince Lucien said you would not mind sharing. You see we are allowing people who are now homeless to stay here while we rebuild the village.”
Verin insisted that would not be a problem.
Despite discovering that they would be sharing a twin room, Leander and Jarryn took their cues from Verin, agreeing with him and putting the innkeeper at ease with the embarrassment he felt at being unable to suitably house four of the highest ranking individuals in the kingdom.
Up the stairs, Verin took the first door on the right and the other two continued on to open the second door just beyond. Entering the room, they were both pleased to find a bathtub filled with steaming water in the middle of the room, ready and more than a little welcoming.
Leander hesitated for a second, then said, “Do you want to go first?”
“Thank you, Leander,” Jarryn said with a confused smile. He began to remove layers and Leander made a show of busying himself with his belongings.
He couldn’t help surreptitious glances in Jarryn’s direction. In the gentle flicker of torchlight, each contour on the prince’s body was meticulously carved through discipline. His arms were like sculpted marble and they rippled as he removed his loosely fitting shirt, revealing a chiselled torso, each muscle a stroke in the masterpiece of Jarryn’s physique.
Leander couldn’t help but admire what he saw.Glancing up, he caught Jarryn staring at him. Leander’s face flushed scarlet. “Sorry. I… ah… I didn’t mean…”
Turning bodily away, he finished sorting his clothes for tomorrow and darted out of the room, leaving Jarryn to bathe in peace.
Leander needed a drink.
Chapter Fifteen
First to wake, Leander quietly threw on his clothes and made to exit the room he had shared with Jarryn.
“Leander?” Jarryn blinked blearily and rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“It’s not a problem. I should be getting up now anyway. Go, I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Leander nodded and closed the door behind him. The main room in the tavern was bustling with activity as Leander descended the stairs. Servers brought drinks and food to the tables while villagers chatted and filled their stomachs, readying themselves for another day of repairing what had been destroyed by the wyvern.
Seating himself at a table near the back of the room, Leander tapped his foot against the floor and waited. A serving girl approached in good time and Leander orderedtwo ales and two plates of bread and cheese, one for him and one for Jarryn.
The prince joined him before the food did and was surprised and grateful when a plate was placed in front of him.
“What time did you return to the room last night?” Jarryn asked as he tore off a piece of bread and popped it into his mouth. The prince had been asleep by the time Leander had staggered in. “I hope the bath was still warm for you.”
“Too late,” Leander replied, making a show of holding his head to shamefully admit he had a hangover. “I’m surprised at how deeply you sleep, I wasn’t quiet as I sloshed around the bathtub... which was at best lukewarm when I used it. Still smelled of rose petals though, so that was nice.”
Jarryn smiled. “Maybe you need a coffee rather than more ale. Better for hangovers.”
“If you say so,” Leander muttered and at the next opportunity ordered the hot drink from a passing serving girl. In the immortal realm, they had a cure-all drink for any ailments, including hangovers, but Leander doubted such a thing existed in this realm.
Jarryn observed Leander as he took his first sip and gasped at how hot it was. “Do you really think it was a good idea to be getting inebriated on the king’s time? Because that’s what’s happening around you, you know. The king sent us here to help these people and you’re not going to be much help if you’re wasted.”
“The reasons you are wrong are threefold, Your Highness.” Leander took another sip of his coffee. “First, wewere sent here not to help these people, but to make nicey-nice with each other. Second, I am not wasted now, I was wasted last night. I am more than capable of doing my job today.”
