A Crown of Lilies and Regrets (MxM)

Chapter 2

Nikolson quietly closed the door behind him.

"My lord!" Nikolson looked up and saw Jullian DeVilla, one of the Senian Knights. Jullian and his best friend, Peter Priscillian were two of the best knights in the order. They were loyal to a fault and masters in the battlefield. Nikolson trusted them, though they were an interesting pair.

"Yes, Jullian?" Nikolson acknowledged him. Jullian swiftly bowed to show his respect, then he continued.

"There is a letter from the king. It is on your desk in your office." Jullian informed the lord.

"Understood. Jullian, guard this door and do anything the young man requests, within reason of course." Nikolson ordered. It was strange for Jillian to watch Nikolson take care of someone other that his little sister.

"Yes, my lord." Jullian bowed again and stationed himself outside the door. Nikolson continued to his office.

He walked in and saw his head butler, Aaron Unger, standing in the room. Presumably waiting for him. Nikolson sat down at his desk before addressing him.

"Yes, Mr. Unger?" Aaron Unger is a humble man in his early sixties. He's been looking after Nikolson since he was thirteen. After the incident, Aaron has been loyal to Nikolson for the past eleven years. Aaron smiled at Nikolson.

"A letter from your uncle arrived earlier today." Nikolson groaned.

"I've just got back from a two year war and that old man needs something else already?"

"The letter is not marked as urgent, you have nothing to worry about, Lord Vallery."

"So it would seem." Nikolson murmured under his breath before opening the letter. He scanned over the letter before sighing again.

"Is everything alright?" Aaron asked with an inquiring look.

"Everything is fine. It seems that a month from now I will need to make a trip to Ahegotor (Ah•go•tore)." Nikolson informed.

Mikael sat on the bed in silence. He didn't have anything to do, it was weird for him to have nothing to do. He was always busy with something. He never experienced boredom before.

Mikael just curled into a ball, he never liked being stuck in his own thoughts.

With nothing better to do and not wanting to be in his own head, Mikael decided to sleep. He laid his head on the light as a cloud pillow and dozed off.

Mikael was always able to fall asleep easily, but he was also a light sleeper and was easily woken. He had to be, his life depended on it not too long ago.

Mikael opened his eyes and saw a figure he was all too familiar with. It smiled menacingly at Mikael and walked closer to him. Mikael wanted to run away, but his back hit a wall. Was that wall always there?

"NO! STAY BACK! I RAN! YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE! I RAN AWAY! GO! GO AWAY!" Mikael screamed.

He woke up to feel someone trying to pin him down.

"Please calm down!" The smell made Mikael want to vomit. He kicked and screamed.

Men are dangerous. Don't trust them. No, no, no, no.

Mikael kept struggling when he heard the door slam open.

"Jullian, unhand him at once." Mikael heard Nikolson's voice command.

"But he could hurt himself flailing like this!" The person Mikael assumed was Jillian answered.

"Unhand him." Nikolson repeated once more. Mikael was released and Mikael got into a ball and sobbed. He didn't listen to anything else that was said until he heard Nikolson softly call out his name. "Mikael." His voice was smooth and quiet. "Mikael, please come out and look at me."

Nikolson gently grabbed his tail which Mikael had tightly wrapped around himself. Mikael the tightly wrapped him tail around Nikolson's wrist.

"Mikael, I need you to look at me." Nikolson's gently ordered. Mikael slowly picked up his head and looked into Nikolson's deep purple eyes. "There we go." Nikolson said quietly and he sat next to Mikael on the bed. "Did somethinf happen while I was gone?" Mikael sniffled before responding.

"N-nothing important."

"Nothing important?" Nikolson rose an eyebrow. "Breaking down and screaming isn't typically 'nothing important'."

"I just had a bad dream..." Mikael whispered. Noticing that Mikael didn't want to talk about it, Nikolson dropped it.

"It's time for dinner." Mikael perked up at this. Nikolson gestured to his wrist that Mikael's tail was wrapped around. Mikael unwound his tail and Nikolson stood up.

Mikael raised himself from the comfy bed, sad to be leaving it but happy to be stretching his legs. He quietly followed Nikolson to the dinning hall, making sure to stay close to Nikolson to avoid unpleasant smells.

Nikolson was quiet, he didn't seem to be the kind to engage in small talk. He only talked to Mikael when answering a question or giving orders to him. Mikael felt a strange comfort in the silence.

They barely saw anyone while passing through the halls, and the few staff that theu did pass just bowed their heads then continued their work. Nikolson never acknowledged Mikael the entire trip to the dining hall. They reached the dinning hall and the tables were filled with food and drinks. The Senian Knights filled the tables, they were all enjoying their meals and being home after two long years.

The strong smells from the men overwhelm Mikael and his fight or flight response was triggered. He pressed himself closer into Nikolson. The lord looked down at the trembling demon.

"Is something wrong?" Mikael just stood there, Nikolson tried to urge him into the room, but Mikael tried to back away. Nikolson grabbed the boy's wrist and dragged him into the room. He sat Mikael in the seat next to his which was located at the head of one of the tables. All the knights stopped their conversations and watched with keen interest.

A plate of food was set down in front of Mikael and he just stared at it. It had more food on it than Mikael would eat in a week. It was loaded with chicken, roasted potatoes, broccoli, and a loaf of bread. A glass of red wine was set next to him. It all looked and smelled delicious.

"Mikael, eat something, won't you?" Nikolson said into the loud silence as he cut into some chicken. The demon snapped his head up to look at him. Mikael opened his mouth to say somthing before snapping it shut. "Why won't you eat?" Nikolson asked.

Everyone in the room was staring at them, Mikael shrunk into his seat. Nikolson glared at them and they all resumed their conversation from earlier, pretending they hadn't been listening. Nikolson turned back to Mikael and quirked an eyebrow as the young demon had yet to answer his question.

"I-it's just." There was a short pause, "there's too much food." Mikael mumbled.

"Too much?" Nikolson had a look of confusion before his expression smoothed. "you don't have to eat the whole plate. How about you eat half?" The lord suggested. Mikael still looked overwhelmed but nodded reluctantly.

Mikael stared at the plate a second more before picking up a piece of potato and popping it into his mouth. He chewed and a delighted look came into his eyes.

"Is it good?" Nikolson asked as the young demon happily grabbed some broccoli, still eating very small amounts. Mikael nodded his head and had a small sparkle in his eyes.

Nikolson noticed how Mikael never picked up his fork or any utensil.

He might not know how to use them. Nikolson shrugged this thought away, deciding to worry about it later. He wanted to enjoy the pleasant feeling the came from helping the young demon.