Bound by faith : the rise of a rejected mate

"Such a great view," Arthur said patting Michael's revealed ass cheek.  Michael was swift to take something to cover himself.  His heart pounded in his chest. He thought he had locked the door.  How did the king get into the washroom?  Even at that how did he sneak up at him like this?  Was he so immersed in his thoughts that he had not heard his footsteps?

Arthur had that playful smirk on his face.  The smirk that used to melt all the girls in their school days.  It still melted them now as women. 

"My king. Do you need something?" He asked when he realized that he had been lost in his mind yet again. 

Arthur came to lift his chin.  Molding their lips together.  The king's lips were the only lips that had ever kissed Michael's. It shouldn't have been like that but to Michael it felt like he'd be betraying the king if he kissed anyone else.  As stupid as it sounded his mind and heart had accepted it. 

Michael resisted the urge to moan from the kiss and slightly started pushing the king away.  "I will go get ready."

He made to leave but Arthur wrapped his arms around him.  "Just stay with me like this. Just for a little while. "

Michael couldn't resist.  The king's warmth was too warm and comforting.  He wished he could stay right there in it forever.  

But everything in life had to have an end and even this comfort had to have an end soon enough. He couldn't stay like this with the king. Sure they were close and people wouldn't ask too many questions if they found them like this but there would always be other people who like himself would ask what kind of relationship did he really share with this king...was it friendship? Had to be more since he could stick his life for this man whether at war or anywhere else. This was not  just because of friendship or him being the king's knight. No it was so much more than just that. 

    

    

    He loved this man. 

    

    

    He just didn't know how to express that love or if he would be allowed by the king to even do such a thing. 

    

    Sure there was something between them. Even now that was very visible. But that was just that something they did in the darkness of a closed room. What about outside? Would they be allowed to do what they did in closed doors outside where the people of the kingdom could see and comment on their... relationship? 

    

    

    Michael cleared his throat after a while of them,him and the king just holding each other. "Uh... I really do have to get ready king. I have a training session to get to. And I think the king has some things to get to too. Don't you?" 

    

    

    Arthur looked slightly shocked and a bit hurt by this words as he let go of Michael freeing him from their warm embrace. "You are right." He pulled his more serious face before saying anything else to Michael who was still flustered by the whole thing. "Am I making you uncomfortable maybe?" He pushed the words out as if they'd hurt his entire soul to even utter them out. "If I am Michael do tell me. Do not let my crown force you to do things you do not wish to do. I fear maybe I have become comfortable in what we have." He waited in silence waiting for Michael's answer. 

    

    

    Michael who was shocked at the question. "Why would you ask that?" He nervously laughed holding his waist. "Do I look uncomfortable?" 

    

    

    "Well you're running from me now." 

    

    

    "I am not running. Arthur if I cared for your crown more than I cared about you as a person trust me sir I wouldn't be with you now." He breathed in deeply. "It's an insult to me actually. That you think of me as some loser who doesn't have a backbone. Trust me when and I know this will never happen. But when you do something I do not like, I do not want and I do not invite myself or welcome I will tell you directly to your face that I don't like it, that I don't want it and that I need you to stop. As of now everything is welcome." He stood up straight as he wrapped the towel he had on one of his free hands around his waist.  "I do have somewhere to be though at this moment. And if it were not important I wouldn't be going." 

    

    

    The king's mischievous smile came back on. "So I am not important?" 

    

    

    Michael pulled a smirk of his own. "As of this moment no. Not even the crown is more important than your life. I have to go train Arthur to make me and the other knights capable of protecting your life dear king." 

    

    

     "I agree. My crown is not important. What about my happiness then? Clearly my life can't be tied only to my physical health." He placed a hand on his chest. "My heart needs some protection too." 

    

    

    

    "Oh?" Michael smiled at this stalling tactic the king was making right now. "Then get a wife. So your heart will be protected. Why ask your knight that?" 

   

    

    The king's whole expression changed from playful to serious really quickly. "A wife?" He rolled his eyes. "My subjects say that. My council. My people who I rule say that. 'King get a wife they say.' But I never think that even you can say that to me. I mean most times I forget that you also my subject...and you remind now?" 

    

    

    Michael also changed his face to serious. "Am I not your subject?" He contoured the king's words. "What makes me different from the others?" 

    

    

    "You are different! You know that you are—" the king blinked a bit trying to find the right words to say at that moment but he couldn't seem to. And this caused a silence to reign in the dark washroom they were in. 

    

    

    After a few more minutes of painful silence Michael turned to walk to his clothes at the end of the room. He picked them up from a table there. 

    

    

    "So you have no idea what I am to you Arthur?" He looked at the king with intense emotions boiling out. "I think I really do have to go now. The question is who will get out of here first. Should I leave you here or should I wait until you go first?" 

    

    

    Arthur nodded. Seeing that he had lost the battle."I will go." He walked the distance to Michael. He raised his hand to touch Michael's shoulder but stopped midway. 

    

    "I don't struggle to pronounce what you are to me just because I am confused but because I know that words aren't capable of truly saying what you are to me." He turned to walk to the door he came from when he got in but he had something to say before he left. " Some might call it friendship but I know it's deeper than that Michael. I just do not possess the right words to know what to say." 

    

    With those last words the king left. 

    

    Leaving Michael to his own clouded mind. He thought about the words Arthur left him with. And he understood what they meant. 

    

    But he didn't share the same sentiment. Because he on the other hand knew exactly what he wanted to say. What Arthur was to him. But like always he didn't truly know if he could say that out. Maybe one day...if he dreamt hard enough. As of now he had a job to do. And that was to protect the king. And that responsibility came before anything else I'm the world. 

    

    Everything else would come last. 

    

    

    

    

---

    "Did you eat?" That was a question from a mysterious voice to an even more mysterious person who had a cloak covering their face. 

    

    "Have I eaten?" The cloaked one shot back with a gasp. "Do you think I am enjoying this?!" She shouted now out of anger that this person with her had asked her such a question. "Do you think I'm here to eat?!" 

    

    

    "I didn't mean to upset you." The voice said way too quickly. "I just asked because well for the mission to be very successful we would have to be full." He explained in a softer voice than that of his sister. "You truly cannot make any bad moves now. Sister when you were given this mission mother relied on you to have a better judgement than me. So please do have that." 

    

    

    "What makes you think that I don't?! Do you think I'm stupid little brother?!" 

    

    

    "I did not say so. But if you dared get out from our home without food then you truly stupid. Because you won't even get to do your mission there if you will be hungry for every prey you see and smell there." 

    

    

    The sister made a face. Trying to seem like she was in control of this. "Mother didn't say anything about eating you jerk!" 

    

    

    "Always with the yelling with you." Her brother shook his head. "Do you think our mom has time to tell you stupid nonsense like you must eat? Dear big sister you should know such things. No one has to tell you." 

    

    

    The sister bit her lip. Angered by the fact that her younger brother was already teasing and mocking her as he always did even before the mission started. 

    

    

    She turned her back from the palace gates they had both just been in front of. "There is still some time for this mission anyway." She walked faster than her brother leaving him to still stare into what was inside the palace. 

    

    

    He saw some knights getting ready for training walk past the gates. He was intrigued by one that looked directly at him. 

    

    This made him gasp in wonder and shock. He wasn't allowed to react more before his sister came to drag him away by the ear. "You little brat! So much trouble to me!" She seethed as she marched away with him. 

    

    

    

    The two siblings only stopped walking when they had gotten themselves on a nearby river. 

    

    That's when the brother curiously looked at his sister. "Could they see you before mother gave you the mission?" He asked this as he watched his older sister remove her cloak. To now see his sister's unamused face that looked at him with disgust. 

    

    

    "What are you on about?" 

    

    

    "I mean like...uh...you know could they see you even before mother made it possible?" 

    

    

    "What kind of nonsense are you on about?!" The sister was now really angry. "You want to be seen by them now?! So you can spoil my mission right?"

    

    "Not everything is about you sister." He looked away from his sister disappointed that he didn't get an answer from her but he knew there had to be something strange with the one that looked back at him. The image coming back to his mind made him feel excited. About what was to come.