Liege

1 - The hostage

In the stables of the busy castle, hidden behind a large stack of hay, a 9 year-old boy is looking at his treasure. There's quite a lot of movement in the courtyard, with the army gathering up before setting off for battle. But the corner Jeff has chosen is quiet and the boy is almost invisible in the shadows.

In his hands there is a seasoned panpipe, a square piece of wood with holes at different depths. The edges are polished and the hardwood is shiny and soft to the touch. The kid brings it to his lips and clear notes, ABCDE, come out the small instrument, louder than he expected.

He likes to spend some time in places like these, daydreaming, away from adults.

When Jeff is about to get back to the castle, a conversation at the other side of the stack makes him freeze on the spot.

"You have to be strong, Bible. Your family is counting on you." Jeff can hear the deep voice of his favourite uncle, Jorun Jorvik.

Jeff moves silently around the haystack to see who is he talking to. A child, maybe a couple of years younger than him, is standing beside Jorun Jorvik. The kid looks incredibly sad, holding back tears, his shoulders and head drooping down.

Nevertheless, when Jorun Jorvik speaks, the boy nods imperceptibly.

"Good. You will bring peace to the realm, I'm certain." Jeff's uncle continues, putting a hand on the child's shoulder. "Now I have to go. Heil og sæl"

Jeff wants to speak to his uncle, but in an instant, the adult turns around, climbs up to his horse, which is saddled up and ready, and leaves.

Another man whom Jeff recognises as a servant of his father grabs the child's arm and drags him out of the stables.

Jeff follows them at a distance. He can feel the immense pain of the other kid. Where are they taking him and why is he so sad?

***

About an hour later, Jeff is called to the throne room. When he enters the imposing space, he perceives in his peripheral vision the child he saw at the stables, kneeled in front of the throne, his head down.

"This is my son, Jeff. From now on, your mission will be to protect him with your life" says Jeff's father, the king, in a loud, deep and formal tone of voice. "Fullfill your duty and make your family proud."

"Thank you, your majesty", says Bible quietly, without looking up.

The king turns his gaze towards Jeff.

"This is Bible. His family in the Eastern isles has sent him to live here with us from now on. He will study with you and train to be your personal guard." Jeff's father says to him, using a somewhat warmer voice.

Jeff knows that only a few minutes ago, the kid was desolate and about to cry, but, interestingly, now he shows no reaction at all.

***

A year has passed, and the two kids get along really well. Bible doesn't speak much, it's usually Jeff who does the talking, and they simply hang out, doing different things, almost in silence.

Bible excels in craftsmanship and warfare. He practices every day with the wooden sword and at his young age he is already an accomplished archer. He is also interested in knives. Sometimes he hangs out at the smithy and watches him working the iron to forge a sword or a dagger. His big eyes memorise every single detail.

Jeff excels in music and all the arts in general, and often sings or plays instruments in front of Bible. He tries to teach him how to sing, in the same way Bible spends hours trying to teach Jeff about swords and daggers.

Jeff is happy to have someone to play with, the relationship with his younger brother is not very good: Bodil always cries and calls their mother complaining about Jeff, or he becomes obsessed in having whatever Jeff has.

At the beginning, Jeff was trying to force Bible to do his homework and treated him a bit like a servant, but Bible stood his ground, which only made Jeff more insistent. Until his uncle Jorun Jorvik, who had developed fondness for the child he brought back with him in his last mission, gave Jeff a good scolding.

He explained Bible's position in the court:

"Bible is also a member of a ruling family, from one of our vasal estates in the Eastern Isles. He is a hostage, so his people will not attack us. Or we can exchange him by someone important to us in the future. Or we can create bonds between the two realms so there's no war, for example if he married a princess from our kingdom. The situation is tough for Bible, don't make things even more difficult for him."

Once he learned those facts, Jeff's attitude towards Bible changed drastically and Jeff is now ashamed of having wanted to take advantage of his status.

***

Eight years after his arrival, a teenage Bible finally honours the mission that was bestowed to him. He saves Jeff's life.

One of the most important skills they need in life is to be able to sail a ship. Jeff and Bible would get out regularly in longships, learning how to man them.

A day in early autumn, with bad weather suddenly coming upon them while at sea, a big wave knocks off Jeff, who falls overboard not far from the beach. Jeff of course is a good swimmer, but the sudden coldness of the water makes his muscles cramp. Bible jumps in the icy water a few seconds after Jeff, without a second thought, and carries him back to the shore.

Jeff, chattering his teeth, unable to speak, will only remember Bible's wet face looming over him, with a concerned expression.

Later he is told that Bible wouldn't let him out of his sight, until Jorun Jorvik and the royal doctor assured him he was out of danger.

That feat got Bible in the king's good books.

***

When Jeff reaches 20 years old he has become a very handsome young man. Maids at the castle blush when they cross his path.

But Jeff is bafflingly unbothered by that fact, he is focused mostly on his music, since recently a bard from a neighbouring country brought him a magnificent string instrument, a lyre made of rosewood, and he's spending all the spare time he has learning how to play.

A warm sunny morning in early spring Jeff is humming a tune, watching Bible exercise in the courtyard.

He has been wrestling earlier, and his bare chest and back are covered in oil, glistening in the sun. His movements with the sword are fluid and different muscles highlight seamlessly with every stroke.

Not far from him, in his seat, Jeff starts feeling hot, his cheeks getting warm and red.

Bible makes a pause and approaches him, drops of sweat traveling down his chest to his navel and disappearing below the waistband of his loose breeches.

Jeff follows the drops with his gaze and suddenly recognises a very masculine body reaction below his own waist. He's so embarrassed he ignores Bible calling him. He stands up in a hurry, almost running away.

***

After Jeff's realisation of his physical reaction to Bible, he starts avoiding him.

But since one cannot really avoid his own personal guard, he just tries to stop being alone with him, which is easier said than done. He's convinced the attraction he's experiencing is one sided and would only made Bible uncomfortable if he knew about it.

That's why, when Bible joins his first military campaign in the south a few weeks later, Jeff feels relieved.

But soon he realises how much he misses having Bible around. The castle is more inhospitable, people get on Jeff's nerves constantly and the young prince becomes more of an introvert.

The war in the southern part of the kingdom continues for many months. Messengers coming from the front are few and far between, and they cannot give any specific details about Bible, even if Jeff dared to ask, which he doesn't.

Then, when the wheat and barley are ready for the harvest, a little over two years after he left for war, Bible comes back.