NaraSeth: A Historic Romance (MxM)

Truth About Me

สุขไม่เป็นผลอันคนทำชั่วจะได้ง่ายเลย Never can an evil doer hope for happiness

As the beats changed and the pace increased, Narath tapped his foot, experimentally at first; but he picked up a sudden urge to match the proficient strokes on the leather hide heads of the drum. He swirled and raised his hands to match the rhythm forgetting the pair of eyes that watched his every move with eagerness and warmth. Melting in the thuds of the drum, he performed floating turns and leaps, coming to a stop as the hands that made the music left the membrane. Narath opened his eyes looking at Ayuseth who had rested his hands on his lap as he sat cross legged behind the drum. 

"Beautiful", he uttered in a daze, his gaze still fixated on Narath who smiled and stood awkwardly. He stood up, breaking the eye contact and got to keeping the taphone back in its place, upon a white cloth and a wooden structure. 

"That was incredible", Narath exclaimed clapping his hands while smiling. 

"Why did you learn to dance?" Ayuseth asked making Narath look at him straight faced. While he stood thinking of an answer for more than a minute, Ayu knew that it was going to be a lie. He walked to the window and pulled out something from a drawer, from beneath his books. 

"Don't think so hard, you will fry your brain. Here", he said handing over the handkerchief, a tiny red trident embroidered on it. 

"Oh I almost forgot. My father gave..", Narath stopped abruptly. 

"Since that just slipped out, I'm guessing that's the only truth you have spoken since arriving at the palace!" Ayuseth claimed. Narath looked down, indicating the veracity of the statement. 

"I wish I could afford to tell every truth there is about me, but.."

"You need to be careful telling things like that out loud. Don't trust me too much", Ayuseth spoke in a calm voice. Narath dropped his smile, a hint of doubt glinting off his eyes. He looked away and said as he got out the door, "you're right". 

...

Maybe I was being too friendly. He thought to himself as he walked through the paved path between two rows of trees bearing fruits and flowers.  An extension to the royal pavilion, it was a common ground for servants and palace guards to take a quiet walk. The sun had set below the horizon leaving darkness to remain. 

"The truth about me? To whom would I ever reveal everything to? A person to confide in? Impossi-", he turned around swiftly at the noise of crumbling leaves behind him. He frowned, narrowing his eyes as he struggled to make out any movements he could find in the dark. The rows of trees that consecutively lined the pavement didn't help at all. He turned around and ran not looking behind but he could faintly hear footsteps getting closer. He ran past the pavement reaching the bridge over a pond that stretched from one pavement to the other half a kilometre apart. The door to a part of the palace right behind it. Aimed for the door, he ran over the bridge and got down the stairs, into a square platform with low tables and seats, until he was stopped by hands that grabbed his wrists, "please let me go , I didn't-", he screamed but stopped as he got a look at the face of the person. He pulled back his hands and bowed down after kneeling down. Guards rushed from the sides of the platform and pulled him up until the person in the royal robe asked them to let go. 

"Leave us", he ordered. Narath looked at the man; the same man who had caught a whiff of his fake identity initially. The man who was creepy and sly yet commanded respect. Being a royal member, he wasn't disgusted from touching him despite knowing he might have nothing to do with the royal bloodline. 

"What brings you here, Nara?" Narath had expected him to be angry or at least reprimanding but he spoke in a calm voice with a smile on his face. 

"I...someone-", he spoke in between heavy panting and looked back, beads of sweat dribbling down his face. He almost fell back as the man pulled his hands forcing him to sit on one side of the table while the man sat on the opposite seat.