At Your Service

Untitled Part 4

Ilya curses when he was hit again and moves out of the way, "I was agreeing with you, you fool." He growls out and rests his hands on his hips, "They're going to think we're weak after the death of our queen and her first heir. But a counterstrike will certainly put them in their place." He paces slightly as he thinks, "They were cowards killing a defenseless woman. I would gladly bring you his head but I can't leave you defenseless. I'll pick a few of our best to carry out the mission." He says decisively as he thinks it out. Having been raised in the castle and trained amongst them he knew the level of skills among the different knights and already had a few in mind to send. "Oh." The King nodded and looked at him in consideration for a while. He trusted that Ilya could bring him his Mother's murderer's head.
"I couldnt even get a proper coronation..." He breathed more towards himself. "Irene was the one prepared and taught for life on the throne. I was always left with a loose leash. And now..." He looked again at the stones and then at his lap.
"I dont care who stays with me. I want his head. If you want, I will follow you into his bastardly chambers and snuff him out there." He promised to Ilya. "I do trust you with this.""You could still have a proper coronation if you would like. Go through the ceremony and all that." Ilya says. He then shakes his head quickly, "Im not letting you anywhere near them. And I made my vows to protect you. If I left you alone and anything happened..." He frowns deeply at the mere thought. "Im certainly not leaving you with that other guard. What was his name? Charles?" He was purposefully misremembering his name to be petty. "I'm not a measly little kid, Ilya. I can protect myself with a sword." No he couldn't. "Stoo fucking acting like you're my mother! I dont want to be under your protection!"
He folded his arms. "I'll have you know that Cornelius is a fine man of his duty." No he wasnt. "And that I trust him with my life as well. So I demand that you are the one that leads this siege and I command that it's you who presents it to my Mother." He points to the grave with his cane. "Objections?""Im not trying to be your mother. I'm your guard." Ilya growls out. He didn't care if he wanted him. He was stuck with him. His jaw clenched and his expression turns thunderous when he heard his order. He couldn't disobey something like this. He glares at him, "If I come back and you have got so much as a scratch on you I will make you regret it." He jabs a finger at him. He was not pleased about the idea of being sent away. "You are going to punish your King for hurting himself." Damion reiterated with both confusion and disbelief. "I am your King now. My command is obsolete. You can't do shit to me."
He smacked him with his cane again before standing up to meet his face.
"Speak to me with respect. Because my threats will no longer remain threats." He looked up at his blue eyes and searched for any emotion they felt towards him."Yes." Ilya says firmly, "If you send me away and you end up getting hurt then I will have failed in my duty to protect you and it will be your fault that I'm breaking my vow so there will be consequences." A knights honor was one of the most important things to them. As were their vows. It was a serious thing not to be taken lightly. And he'd be pissed if he came back to Damion hurt when he had not been here to protect him and therefore had broken his promise to protect him. But beneath that was also a level of fear. He helps when he gets smacked again and shoots him a furious glare, "Do it again and I'm breaking it."he grumbles furiously. He stares down at him, his jaw working as he considers everything. Almost unconsciously he steps closer until they were only a few inches apart. "Don't send me away." He says in a last attempt to convince him, his voice low. "If something happens..." he sucks in a small breath, "What if I return and it's your head I find?" He was still haunted with the what if's? He had no idea if his presence on the day of the attack would have made any difference, and likely it would have just ended with both him and Damion dead as well, but what if he had been able to save the queen or Irene or both? Damion smacked Ilya's leg again with his cane out of spite and then found his expression to soften as Ilya worked out his feelings.
"If that happens... Then you are free." He murmured, "and I have rested in peace with my family. I would have died and left the Royal Blood to run dry. The next one in line would naturally be your Mother."
Damion let out a shaky breath. "You're more scared of my death than yours. What if you get hurt in battle...?"
He smacked Ilya's leg again with his cane. "Selflessness isnt a good virtue. Remember that." and with that, he sat back down and rubbed his lower back.Ilya cursed when he was hit again and shoots a glare at him. He crosses his arms over his chest and is silent for a moment. He was scared that Damion might die. Despite what an asshole he could be they'd pretty much grown up together and contrary to belief he did care about him. Plus if he died Ilya had no idea what he would do then. His entire life had been dedicated to protecting him. He doesn't agree or disagree with his statement that he was more scared of Damion's death than his own though it was true. Ilya had trained his whole life with the knowledge that if it came down to it he would lie down his life for Damion's. When he gets smacked again he curses and snatched it from him. "Stop hitting me! I'm not your whipping boy." He snaps and points at him with it, "I disagree. Selflessness is the job of a knight. A virtue I'm sure you wouldn't understand you pampered princess." "Why not? You seemed to enjoy me hitting you last night. Why is now any different?" Damion taunted with a smug smile and reached out to snatch back his cane.
"Of course I don't understand it. But I understand that a life is precious. As King, I absolutely forbid you to toss away your life for me, capeesh?" He liked giving obsolete orders. This was something he could get used to.
He raised his legs and rests them on the table, sighing out in frustration.
"Now go. Bring back his head. I dont care how much money it costs or how much horses it takes. Kill his daughter in front of him, and then kill him." He frowned and shooed him off.Being reminded of last night shut him up for a moment. Ilya splutters, "Th-Thats different!" He proclaims as a blush creeps into his cheeks. He crosses his arms over his chest in annoyance at the latest command, "Im sorry, your Highness, but I made a vow to keep you safe even at the cost of my life and on my honor I cannot go back on that." He says firmly. He would die for him of he must. And if he did die, well he would be dead so there really couldn't be any repercussions against him by thay point. He frowns when he was still sent away but he doesn't argue any further. He just gives a nod, "I may not be back for a few fortnights. Try to stay out of trouble until I get back." With that he turns and strides off to begin preparations. It would take time to travel to the other kingdom and then it would take more time to discover their weaknesses well enough to sneak in and kill the man. He could be gone for a while. "No it's not. You like being slapped on the ass. You probably like it even more on the cheek. What? Let me guess. You are always control everywhere you go, so in bed, it breaks you into little pieces when you are under someone. When someone puts you in your place. When they punish you. You're a filthy whore, that's what you are." Damion didn't say it like an insult. In fact, he purred it out with a thick, luscious tone.
When Ilya turned around, he huffed. "Go now. I will stay safe for the measly time you go. By that time, I will have forgotten about how much you whine and moan in bed." He said it loud enough so the nearest servants heard. They looked at each other and held in laughter.
"I will miss your prettiness." He winked to Ilya and continued to stare out at the gardens.Ilya definitely didn't like the fact that Damion was analyzing him and had guessed so much correctly. He decided not to dignify his comments with a response and stalked off. He has a lot of preparing to do. Back at his room he chose a few knights to accompany him on the task. He knew he could have brought more but didnt want to leave Damion lacking in protection and also thought a smaller group may go unnoticed. He also established a full guard for Damion so that he would have more than just one pathetic knight protecting him in his absence. He packed his bags and weapons. Thr last thing he did was write a letter to his mother to inform her that he was leaving again and likely wouldn't be back for a couple months. He imagined she wouldn't be pleased by this. Once he was ready he collected the rest of his party of knights and headed out to the the stable to tack Nix so they could head out immediately. Damion smiled to himself as he sipped on his tea. For the while that his Knight was out packing and planning, Damion worried about Ilya. He hated him, yeah, but he would miss him. Ilya was hone for a year and Damion had been missing a big piece of him. Who would he annoy in Ilya's absence? Who will he give high blood pressure to? Who will he play pranks on? ... Who will he trust his life with?
He walked over yo the stables to see Ilya getting ready with the horses and frowned a little.
"Be safe." Damion murmured and walked over to Ilya with a little saddened tone.Ilya was honestly a bit surprised that Damion came to see him off. He paused with his hands on Nix's saddle as he'd finished adjusting it and turns to face his King. He raises an eyebrow. Was he... Sad? "I will do my best to do so." He says in response and quirks his lips up, "Don't the royals usually give their valiant knight a token of their regard before they go to war?" He asks a bit teasingly.Damion looked up at the Knight on the horse. At the time when Ilya had left for his year long training course, Damion's back prevented him from seeing him off. He woke up and found Cornelius in Ilya's place. Then he used Cornelius to his advantage.
"They do." He confirmed to Ilya and slowly unclipped his cape's pin, a golden Sun with with dangling stars, and handed it to Ilya. "Come back alive. If you die, I'll kill you." He cracked a smile to his Knight and stepped back to let him take off.Ilya smiles slightly and accepts the pin carefully. He pins it to his chest with nimble fingers and flashed a smile, "How does it look?" He smirks and then chuckles when Nix nudges Damion im the hope that he was bringing her more treats. "I will endeavor to do so." He vows and gives him a two finger salute. "Try not get into any trouble or I'll kick your ass." He then adds, "I've also adjusted your guard detail. You'll have three to protect you until I get back. Much better than that pathetic, Cooper." He was still purposefully getting his name wrong. "Mm.. It looks better on me." Damion huffed to him, folding his arms with his cape held with them.
His face dropped at the news and he was quick to smack Ilya's back with his hand.
"You did what now?! Oh come on, Cornelius wouldve been fine! UuggGgGgGhhhh! You are such a fuckin bitch!" He slapped him on the back again and huffed, looking over at the horse to give her a little pat.
"Mmm. Then I'll look forward to that." He replied to the threat. "Come back in one piece. I like my sneaky links to have all four- five limbs."Ilya snorts when he was smacked and gives a tug of the reins to cause Nix to dance a few steps away so he wouldn't get hit again. "It's for your safety." He tells him firmly. He then smirks, "I'll make sure to return with all five then." He winks. He decides not to waste more time and gestures for the other knights to follow him before taking off for the long ride. Damion gives me a firm nod and waves as Ilya rode away, disappointed that he hadnt making a riding joke at Ilya before he left.
He waves his little handkerchief off to the rest of the Knights and goes back once they crossed the Castle's grounds.
Then he continued on with his Kingly meetings and duties, trying his best to fill that gap that his Mother and Sister left him with.
He hoped Ilya would be okay.Ilya was gone for almost two months. It took time to travel to and back and it took more time to find the perfect oppurtunity to strike in which he would not be overly risking both himself and his men. They succeeded in their mission but not entirely unscathed. Ilya wound up with an assortment of injuries but the worst was a large stab wound in his left leg. Over the days it took to journey home it got worse as an infection set in and it was only through sheer determination that he managed the entire journey home. The other knights tried to help the best they could but there was only so much they could do. He was weak, and in pain, a fever flaming through him as his body tried to burn out the infection. When they got back to castle he limped into the throne room where he'd been told he would find Damion. In his hand he held a saddle bag that contained the severed head of their enemy (though after a few days of travel it was worse for wear and he would definitely not recommend opening it). He tosses it at Damion's feet. "As promised." He rasps as he sways on his feet. And then with his task complete he collapsed to the floor face first. He'd only made it this far through sheer stubborn will but even he could only go so far. Throughout the seven weeks that Ilya was gone, Damion was completely pestered by his new Knights. They babied him like a... A baby!
And because of Ilya's promise to beat his ass if anything happened, he snuck a knife with him into the bathroom and drew a nice cut onto his cheek. His attendants and Knights were horrified of his actions and tried their best to sedate Damion until the only knight who could tame him was back.
On the day of their arrival, Damion was sitting at his throne room, lounging around when Ilya walked in, looking like a dead person.
"Ilya-" Damion breathed when he saw the bag and smiled. When he saw him sway, he was one of the first people beside him. "Ilya!" He panicked and looked up at his servants. "What the fuck are you standing there for?! Grab a medic! Grab a fucking medic!" He cursed at all of them and patted Ilya's cheek. He was very useless when it came to skill, so all he did was follow worriedly while Ilya was carried by the medic into the infirmary. Because he was King, Damion was allowed to sit on the chair beside the bed as the Medic re-cut the wound and worked on it. He worriedly held Ilya's hand and watched them cauterize the wound instead of stitching it.
It took about an hour and a half until they were finished with the Knight. They had also changed him out of his armory and into some silk garments instead.
Damion at worriedly at the chair beside the bed and looked down at Ilya in guilt. "You're a good Knight. Thank you for that. You've avenged my Mother and my Sister." He murmured to the sleeping Knight and foxed his black hair a little.Ilya was completely out of it. His cheeks were flushed with fever, his hair damp with sweat so it clung to his face (in the weeks he'd been gone he still hadn't cut it out of spite so it had a little more length on it) and his body was racked with shivers. He didn't react at all to the shouting or movement and it wasn't until his wound was cut that he stirred at all with a low pathetic groan as he weakly shifted in the bed but stayed unconscious. A few hours later he stirred again, his eyes fluttering. His eyes were glazed over and it took him a moment to focus on Damion, "Come back to haunt me again?" He rasps, "Will it be the sweet whispers or cruel mockery this time?" He asks as his eyes threatened to fall closed, "Even when you're not here you harass me," he sounded like he was talking nonsense but the past few days as his fever had worsened he'd found himself hallucinating, imagining Damion in particular. So, he didn't actually think the King was here. The Medic had instructed the King to holler for him if Ilya's condition worsened, so Damion sat worriedly and paid attention to Ilya's breathing and his expressions.
He listened intently when his Knight spoke. "Which would you like from me?" Damion surprised himself with how soft his tone came out. "You must be so tired, huh? You poor thing. I'm here to take care of you."
He slowly ran a hand through Ilya's hair (his excuse was that it would help cool the Knight off) and ruffled it occasionally.
"How do you feel? Are you any better?" The King asked gently.Ilya certainly wasn't used to hearing Damion speak so soft to him so it just reinforced his idea that he was imagining him. He takes in a slow shuddering breath as he shivered. He kept his gaze locked on Damion as he struggled to keep from falling back unconscious, "I prefer when you're sweet like this." He whispers. He decided that his mind must like taunting him if this is what it conjured up. He was about to answer his next question but noticed the mark on the King's cheek. "What happened?" He asked with a frown and reached out with clumsy fingers to touch it. It was so horrible to see the poor Knight is such a state. Damion kept running a hand through his hair and listening carefully.
"...Yeah? Then I'll be nice to you if you want." He promised quietly, leaning down to let Ilya touch his fresh scar. "Oh, it's a very stupid accident. I'll tell you all about it once you've gotten all better and fought off that fever. Can you do that for me?" He looked down at him with a little smile. "I would prefer it if my favorite Knight was all better again."
He took Ilya's hand and held it in both of his. It was a little gesture to show his support and care.Ilya touches the scar carefully before dropping his hand again. He gives a small nod of agreement. He'd fought far worse than a fever. He could do that. If not his body was a coward for giving up on him. His eyes drifted closed again as exhaustion swamped him, "You're lucky you're not real or else I'd've kicked your ass for getting hurt," he threatens weakly. He found himself comforted by his hands holding his and ended up dozing back off. "Good boy." Damion praised, cocking his head to the side in confusion.
"But I am real, Ilya. See?" He patted Ilya's cheek and watched him drift off again. The poor Knight. He must have gone through a lot if he thought that Damion was a hallucination.
Three hours later, servants came to bring in both Damion and Ilya's food. The set up a table in the room and placed all the food on top. Damion grabbed a plate of everything and brought it over to Ilya's bedside to pat his cheek again. "Ilya. Ilyyaa." He whispered to him and tapped his lips with the spoon. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat? I'll feed you. All you have to do is say yes."Ilya slept on and his fever started to temper slightly. He stopped shivering quite so much though he tossed and turned restlessly in his sleep. His eyes flutter open when his cheek was pat and he looks back at him with a bit more awareness than the first time. He still wasn't entirely convinced this was real as he found it hard to imagine him catering to him at his sick bed. "Mmm?" He hums questioningly. He wasn't sure if he was hungry. He felt hallow but he didn't think that was quite the same thing. He didn't really have much appetite though he'd hardly eaten the past couple of days. "Water?" He requested instead. Damion was constantly making sure that Ilya at least look comfortable after each turn he made. He felt so fucking stupid and useless as the poor Knight battled his fever. At some point, a Medic slipped some sort of herbal tablet in Ilya's mouth and said "he'll swallow it eventually." And walked out.
Damion nodded. "Sure. I can get you some water." He spoke and held a glass of water to his lips. "Here, I'll hold it." The King slowly coaxed -or at least tried to- the Knight to drink all the water.When he brought over the water Ilya struggles into a propped up position so he could drink it. He appreciated him holding it for him, he wasnt sure his hands would be steady enough to do it himself. At least not without splashing himself with water. When he'd drunk most of it he sank back against the bed. "Thanks." He rasps before saying, "You make for a rather nice ministering angel. You're definitely pretty enough for it." "You're welcome." Damion set the glass down at the nightstand and turned to receive the compliment. "Thank you! And I know right? Can you imagine me saying fear not, human hehe." He snickered and took the plate from his lap and began to pick at the medley of roasted vegetables. He stabbed at a cute of sweet potato and moved it towards Ilya's mouth.
"Can you stomach some food right now? I won't force you, but you're pale. I wouldnt want you to wither away." He asked slowly. "You're too precious to wither away."Ilya gives a wan smile at his joke. He grimaces when he brought the sweet potato to his mouth. He really had no interest in food right now and just wanted to go back to sleep but the sweet words did make him want to please him. "If I eat that for you what do I get?" Ilya asks him and considers it before saying, "I want a kiss." What would it hurt to ask for one when he wasn't real? The King smirked. "Even when you're sick and fever-ridden, you're just as desperate as ever."
And because he was really worried for Ilya's wellbeing, he tried being as gentle as possible with everything.
"A kiss. Sure. I will give you a kiss if you eat enough." He agreed without a moment's hesitation. Who would hesitate? "Now eat."
He fed the man cubes of potatoes and meat and constantly asked if he felt full. "You're such a good boy." He praised Ilya every time he ate. One would think that Damion had a praise-giving kink. (And they would be right.) "Very good. You're amazing."For some reason Ilya really wanted to kiss him. They'd had sex before he left but he'd never actually kissed him and he really wanted to. When he agreed to the deal Ilya opens his mouth to accept the bite of sweet potato. He nibbled on the bites slowly and methodically. He did rather enjoy the praises so he took a few more bites than he actually wanted before finally turning his face away. "Now you." He prompts, indicating that he wanted his kiss. The King definitely felt something towards Ilya. It wasn't romance. But it was something. He didn't know what it was yet.
"Okay. Since you've been very good." He leaned over to Ilya's face and gave him a big, daring kiss. He purposely made sure it didnt last long.
"There you go."
He caressed Ilya's cheek. "You poor baby. Now. Go to sleep." Damion wanted to make Ilya eager for more, and in order to do that, he needed to keep the physical touch brief.Ilya tips his face up to him and gasps softly when he felt the brush of his lips against his. His eyes flutter closed as he kisses him and makes a low sound of complaint when Damion pulled away. "I'm not a baby."he mutters in protest but also leaned his face into his touch to nuzzle against him. He lets out a small sigh but was still quite tired so he didn't protest going back to sleep. His eyes drift closed and he passed out. "Yesh you are." The King cooed and continued to caress the Knight's cheek until he found that Ilya was out like a light.
"Sleep well." He tucked him with the blankets to make him snug and comfortable.
Damion kept their hands together and rested his head down on the bed. He fell asleep in less than five minutes.
Hopefully Ilya would be a bit better in the morning.The next morning Ilya woke back up in much better condition then he had been the night before. His fever had finally broke and he was on the mend. His leg would still take a while to heal fully but some of the swelling had gone down as the infection had mostly been drained out of it. He blinks drowsily and found himself staring at Damion asleep next to him, their hands locked together. Oh shit. The events of yesterday felt fuzzy in his mind but he recalled enough to immediately regret every word he'd said in his fevered stupor. Though... it also wasn't lost on him that the King had tended to him when he could easily have had a servant do it. And that he'd slept here with him all night holding his hand. While they both slept, the Medic dropped by and checked in on Ilya continuously. As General, he got top-of-the-line care done on him.
In the morning, the table of uneaten food was cleared and Damion's walking cane was placed beside him.
He was fast asleep, mouth slightly open. Damion wasn't the prettiest sleeper.
The man woke up with a big snore and sat up, a hand quickly going to hold his lower back.
"You're up! Bastard!" He frowned. "You had me worried about your dumbass!"There was something just a little endearing about how imperfect he looked as he slept. Ilya just blinks at him when he woke up. "Sorry to inconvenience you," he says dryly. He still felt like shit and was in pain but at least he wasn't about to keel over. He pushes himself into a sitting position with a grimace of pain and grabs a glass of water that had been left for him. He down it quickly before sitting the empty glass aside. He eyes the king, "I didn't take you for the type to fret over my bedside while I was sick." "There is no inconvenience done." Damion rubbed his face tiredly. He had a look of concern on his face while Ilya drank the water. He was looking much better than last night, but he wasn't cured.
"Do you feel any pain on your leg? I must let the Medic know that you're up." He slowly stood up, leaning on his cane dumbly.
"Oh. I am not the type to fret. Just like you arent the type to call me an angel and bargain for kisses." He smirked, flicking Ilya's forehead.Ilya noticed the look of concern on his face and for some reason knowing that he had been concerned over him warmed his heart some. When asked of his leg hurt he had to bite back the sarcastic remark, of of course it hurts. I was stabbed. Damion was being so nice though and he didn't want to ruin it by being a dick. "It's alright." He finally says instead. "It's feeling better than it did." Given that the sword had gone through the muscle in his thigh he was going to have to avoid walking on it for a bit. He blushes slightly had looks away when the king brought up what he had said last night, "I was completely out of it. I have no idea what you're talking about." He lies. "That's good. Medic! Oh Medic!" He yelled from where he stood and huffed, waiting for the man to arrive.
While he waited, he smirked to Ilya and leaned on his cane. "Yeah yeah. Whatever you say. And by the way, my Knights don't even know where I am right now. You really are the only guy who can track me down." He folded his arms.
When the Medic came, he inspected Ilya's leg and felt for his fever. His judgement was for Ilya to stay locked in bed for a week and was to swallow down three herbal tablets twice a day if the numbness to his leg wore off.
"Hahaha! You're imprisoned now." Damion laughed, "Maybe your leg will heal."Ilya just sighs at this news, "You really are a menace. Speaking of- what in the hell happened to your face?" He jabs a finger at the mark on his cheek that definitely wasn't there when he left. He was going to have a stern talking to to those knights and demand how they let that happen to Damion. Unbeknownst to him just yet, Damion had done it to himself. Ilya holds still as the medic examines his leg. A stormy expression crosses his face when he got the verdict. "Oh hell nah. I'll do what I want. I can't stay down for that long!" He would go insane stuck on bed all the time. He already thought standing still on guard was impossible.Damion allowed for Ilya to touch his cheek by leaning down for him.
"Oh. I was in town with my Knights and some guy mugged us and gave me this scar." He lied because he could. The King ironically liked attention, even if it came from Ilya. "It hurt really bad."
When Ilya refused his bed sentence, he frowned. "I'll order someone to tie you down with ropes if you try to get up. Only bathroom breaks." He frowned, this time not touching this injury. It looked too severe for him to be tapping it. "I'll keep you company?"A thunderous expression crossed Ilya's face, "A mugger did that? And what in the hell were your knights doing?" He was definitely having a chat with them once he was well enough to get up. It would be quite interesting when they all told him a completely different story that the King. Ilya focuses his stare on him when he told him that he'd tie him down if he tried to get up but then raises an eyebrow, "Oh really? So you'll entertain me and keep me company while I'm on bed rest? What about when you have duties to attend to?" "They ran away." Damion lied and smiled. "They were big chickens. And the Mugger... He choked me." He lied further and frowned, "and then he kicked my head. Oh, how I wished you were there to protect me."
He sat up straighter and leaned at an awkward position to his cane, man-spreading so that his back didnt hurt.
"Hmm, fuck them duties. I'll entertain you for a while."A look of anger flashed across Ilya's face and he abruptly shoves himself into a sitting position, "Did they catch him and punish him?" He demands and looked on the verge of leaping up and hunting down his imaginary assailant. He settles down some and huffs, "Okay." He says. He would accept his attempts to distract him. Damion smirked. He had overheard the Knights discussing within themselves about how annoying Damion was. They deserved this.
"No. They ran away and I limped all the way back after I hit the Mugger on the head." He lied further, very much enjoying that fact that Ilya was angry for him.
'He's so hot when he's like that.' He told himself and then shook his head. "Enough of that though. How about we play cards." He lifted a little stack of cards and shuffled them in a clumsy fashion. "You know, yesterday I was so happy to see you come back. I mean, sure, I was really happy to see that all of you were back and in one piece. You cant imagine how horrible it was to see you collapse in front of me like that..."Ilya glowers in annoyance at this news. He'd trusted those knights to take care of the King in his absence and they obviously had failed spectacularly. "I will be speaking to them as soon as I see them." He then gives a grudging nod as he distracted him with cards. He stared at him in surprise when he mentioned him collapsing, "I didn't... I didn't realize you would care or worry." He confessed. It was a strange feeling. He looked at Ilya and moved to prop more pillows behind the Knight before pushing him back gently on the chest. "Don't sit up for too long. Your fever broke, but it's still there, I can feel it." He pressed his palm to Ilya's cheek to feel his temperature.
Damion frowned a little after that. "I didnt know too. I mean, you're a big narc baby, and you're annoying as hell and you're a partypooper and a killjoy." He rambled, "but oh my god... When I saw you fall like that... I... I didnt know what to do! I had thought you died! And you were looking all pale and bloody and sweaty and... Man. I was really scared. I'm glad you're doing better now."Ilya lets himself be pushed back against the bed and tilts his face into the touch of his palm. He was rather enjoying be fussed over. "I am not." He pouts when he criticized him but then softened when he heard how worried he'd been, "It would take more than that to kill me." He says in a low voice. "Did you really think I would let you get away from me that easily?" When Ilya didnt struggle at being laid back down, Damion kept his hand on his chest and patted it. "Good boy."
He tilted his head to the side and couldnt figure outbif he was supposed to feel sad or happy at Ilya's answer. Ilya worked so hard for someone who poured tea on his lap and kicked his legs because he could.
"Well, I'm giving you a break. Okay? No objections. I am your King and I order that you are off duty for a while. Maybe a month. Maybe more. You are no position to move anyways. That wound looks nasty anyways." He frowned and rubbed little circles on his chest.
"Anyways... Do you still want to play cards?"Ilya found himself enjoying the praise and gently rests his hand over Damion's hand to keep it against his chest. He then frowns. He didn't at all like not being able to protect him but also he was on condition to, "Fine. But you have to have a few other knights still guarding you in the meantime." They might have allowed him to get hurt but they would still be better than nothing. He then nods, "Yeah, yeah, deal the cards." Damion looked down at their hands and felt his cheeks strangely heat up, but he played it cool.
"Good boy." He repeated when Ilya agreed to the break.
He pulled his hand away from Ilya's chest to divide the cards into three so they could play the Egyptian Ratscrew.
The King put the spare deck on Ilya's chest because he wanted to, then held his personal cards close to his face to see them. He put down his first card on the bed where Ilya could see and waited.
While they played, he would comment about random things. "Your hair's grown out too long. When will you cut it? I can practically make a ponytail out of that!"Ilya smiles at the praise. He accepts his cards and glances through them before following auot and playing his. They find an easy pattern as they play the cards and he did appreciate that ot helped distract him while he rested. He huffs at him, "Im not cutting it. I like it." He proclaims. In general he was indifferent to it but had just kept growing it out of spite. His auburn hair had gotten almost long enough to brush his jaw. "Oh come on! You look like a priest, cut it!" Damion frowned, but wasnt in the mood to make it into a heated argument.
"If you wont cut it, at least style it." He observed his hair and then slowly reached to tuck a strand behind Ilya's hair. "Long hair... Boobs... All you need now is a dress." Damion winked and put a card of his down on the deck."I do not." Ilya scoffs and runs his fingers through it to brush his hair back from his face. He then rolls his eyes, "I think you would like that too much." He teases. "Though I would look downright ridiculous." He felt like he was far too masculine and muscular to pull off a dress. Not to mention right now he had several days of facial hair growth dusting his sharp jawline. Damion laughed, agreeing that Ilya would indeed look rather unruly in a dress. Those hard working muscles would steal the show. Plus, he had a much more towering build. No gentleness was given from those mighty limbs. They were all too hot. Damion was far too aware of how thirsty both men and women got when Ilya was in the premises. And if they were thirsty, then Damion was starving.
"You take me for a pervert. I will not enjoy it if you wore a dress." He huffed and folded his arms. "But I would enjoy it if you wore lace."
Damion eyed Ilya's face for a moment and couldn't keep his hands to himself. He brushed his fingers over the stubble on Ilya's chin. "You are reeking of manliness. You make me look like a child."Ilya flashes him a grin, "I never claimed it was in a perverted manner but if that's how you interrupted it..." he lets it trail off. He then cocks an eyebrow at him, "Lace?" He repeats in disbelief before deciding to humor it by asking, "What sort of lace?" He also thought he would look quite ridiculous in something so delicate. He tosses a card down for his turn and then went still when he felt Damion's fingers on his stubble and his heart skipped slightly. His facial hair was a few shades redder than the red/brown of his hair. "Mmm... I wouldn't say you look like a child. You just look like a polished royal. All soft and pampered. I take the damage so you don't have to." For emphasis he takes Damon's hand so that they could compare them side to side- The King's was soft and blemish free while Ilya's was sun tanned, flecked with scars and had rough callouses along his fingers from constantly handling weapons. Damion looks insulted by Ilya's retort and decides not to answer it. He folds his arms and looks away.
The lace question makes him turn his head towards the Knight and then he slowly traces a circle on Damion's upper thigh. "Lace stockings." He answers simply.
He watches Ilya compare their hands with astonishment. Damion's hands were really pretty and taken care of. His nails were coated in a clear solution so that they wouldn't chip off, and all of his hand was soft and smooth. Ilya's hand was tired, but the stories it held were definitely something to be astonished about. Damion rubs over a little hardened spot. "Your hands are worn because of... Me..?" He frowns in sadness and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I was about to make a joke about how the servants gave you a sponge bath while you were out, but now I'm really..." He fidgeted and held Ilya's hand tightly. "I'm so sorry.""Lace stocking?" Ilya repeats with disbelief. He wasn't sure if this was something Damion really wanted or if he just thought Ilya would look like a fool on it and thought it would be funny. He holds his hand still as the King touched it. He then frowns at the mention of a sponge bath, "Wait they did?" He asks, sounding a little disturbed at the thought of being touched like that while he was unconscious. But he supposed to did feel a lot cleaner than he had been... and he smelled better... He blinks in surprise at Damion's apology, "What did you think being your knight entailed, your highness?" He asks him and was slightly distracted by him holding his hand, "If I'd know more this is what it would take for you to be nicer to me I'd have gotten myself nearly killed years ago." Damion let the lace stockings comments slide just because he didnt want to be exposed for being a kinky dumbass. Besides, he wasnt really interested about them for sex. How hot would it be to know that you're the only one aware that Ilya was wearing lace stockings beneath his armor?
"Yes. They gave you a bath. And I watched." He taunted. "Hehe, just kidding. They made me leave."
Ilya's comment made Damion slap him on the shoulder. "Fuck off! I'm being nice because I can. Don't make me get up and leave!" He warned, lifting his cane to further the threat.Ilya narrowed his eyes at him but did relax some when he reassured him that he was kidding. He still felt uncomfortable about being bathed without his knowledge but there wasn't much he could about that. "Ow." He complains when he was slapped, "Hitting a very injured sick man is not being nice." He says pouting. The hit hadn't really hurt but it was the point of the matter. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit suspicious as to what suddenly caused your change in behavior. Usually you down right abuse me." He got hit with his cane, thrown up on, drinks and food spilled on him, forced to watch him have sex with maids and many other unkind things. "Well then the very injured sick man shouldnt provoke me." Damion smacked his shoulder again and huffed. "I'll abuse you if you to be abused then." And he smacked his shoulder repeatedly, having advantage over the fact that Ilya wasnt in his armor at that moment.
"You dumbass." He breathed and pinched his cheek, aiming to pinch it really hard to give him a good teasing. "You're always asking for it. That's not what a good boy does. Good boys don't provoke their Kings."
Damion let go and set down his card and smirked, snatching the winning cards, "I got a point."Ilya swats at his hand when he smacked him again and grimaces when he pinched his cheek. "I'm not asking for it!" He scoffs and then grumbles, "Maybe I don't want to be good. Maybe I wanna be bad." He continues playing the game with him. He wasn't doing so well, but it was still a distraction from the monotony of laying in bed so he would take it. Damion rolled his eyes, "oh yeah. Of course. You like being punished. I forgot about that. If it makes you feel better, I purchased a little leather whip for you. It's a stick but the end has a little leather part tht stings the skin when you hit on it. You might like it." He taunted him, but it was true. He had purchased one with Ilya in mind.
He noticed how bad Ilya was losing and sighed. "You're ass at this game. How about we eat breakfast instead and I will tell you of all the things that we have to do in the next month?" He asked. "You didnt eat a lot last night. And im guessing you didnt eat well on your trip either."Ilya was left a little speechless at that but didn't deny it. He ended up blushing and just silently hoped that it would be mistaken for a feverish flush. He focused fixedly on the game instead. He then clears his throat, "Breakfast would be... nice." He still wasn't entirely hungry but was feeling well enough to attempt eating (without bribery). "We ate well enough to and during the trip. We had brought some provisions with us and had some money to purchase things we needed in town. But during the trip back I wasn't feeling well enough." He admits. It had been a few days since he'd eaten decently. He'd at least attempted to stay hydrated. "Yeah? Oi! Ooiii!" He called towards the door and a servant walked in. "Yes, Your Highness?"
"Get us some breakfast. Something easy on the stomach. No grease. No tomatoes." He didn't like tomatoes.
"Right away, Your Highness." The servant left and shut the door.
Damion turned back to look at Ilya. "Yeah... They told me that you werent having a good time on your trip back. That damned leg of yours..." He sighed, then shook his head. "That's okay! You're on the road to recovery!"
His hand reached over and ruffled Ilya's hair. "Good boy.""Yeah, it was alright the first couple days but then it got bad when the infection set in." Ilya wrinkles his nose. He was relived that it wasn't bad enough that they'd needed to amputate it. If he'd had to loose his leg... He wasn't sure what he would have done. He wouldn't have been able to be a knight any more and if he wasn't a knight he wasn't sure who he was. He blushes slightly when he was praised, "Yeah yeah, I am getting better. No worries." He then adds, "Can you have someone go find those knights I left to guard you? I want to have a word with them." He was still angry about them letting Damion get hurt. "Yes. I can only imagine how bad that would've been. I mean, I want to die when I get paper cuts." He snickered, keeping his hand on Ilya's head to fix the strands of hair that fell on his face from the ruffle.
"Uhhh, maybe later you can speak to them. Make them quit or something. They talked a whole lotta shit about me." He huffed and stroked his scar. "Hey. Doesnt this look cool though? Irene woulda been mortified." He laughed and gave him a little smile.
Their breakfast arrived and Damion was quick to take Ilya's plate and set it on his lap. "I'll feed you, okay?" He volunteered, but first he picked out the little blueberries on the pancakes and ate those himself before feeding Ilya a slice of pancake.Ilya frowns but let it go. Short of getting up himself and hunting down the Knights he couldnt do much about it at the moment. It would be better to confront them anyways when he had more energy for it he decided. He huffs at his question, "I suppose. Makes you look a little less like a dandy." The scar actually was cool. He then chuckles, "The King himself is going to feed me? Don't I feel special?" He noticed him steal the blueberries and rolls his eyes before taking a bite. "A dandy." The King repeated with an unamused expression and huffed in an insulted way.
At the man's reaction to being fed by the most powerful man in the region, Damion grumbled. "You are making a fool of me. I will go over there and call for Cornelius to feed you, if you would like." He threatened.
He went back and cut another piece of the pancakes but this time he ate it from the same fork. Yeah, Ilya was a bitch, but they also grew up together and he found nothing gross about drinking or eating from the same utensil.
The next slice of pancake went to Ilya, and the one after that was for Damion, and it went into a pattern like that.
While fed him, he observed his face. "You are much nicer when you're injured. I'll be sure to remember that.""Oh hell no. Keep Cheddar away from me." Ilya scoffs, referring to Cornelius because he was still pretending he didn't know the mans name even thought Damion had mentioned it right before. Ilya didn't mind them sharing a fork. They had grown up together, and well Damion had sucked his dick and they'd fucked so a little saliva was hardly anything. He accepts the bites as they were given to him and then huffs, "That sounds like a threat. You just gonna injure me every time you want me to be nicer?" He asks before adding in a grumble, "I'm only being nicer 'cause you're being nicer." He was ignoring the fact that in his dazed feverish state he'd also said he liked when Damion was sweet and had bargained for a kiss."Har-har-har." The King gave him an unamused laugh and shook his head. "Cor-ne-lius- you can say it." He huffed.
"And of course it's a threat. I'm gonna stab your leg every time you start being mean. Maybe then you'll be really nice to me." He raised a brow and fed Ilya some kore of the pancake, purposely not giving him the bacon because he intended to steal that from him.
"I was being nice because you weren't on my ass and being rude, so I was nice in return. I'm an easy person." He smirked.Ilya refuses to say his name. Poor Cornelius. He hadn't actually done anything to him but Ilya loathed him simply for being his replacement and being very bad at his job. "You can try." Ilya scoffs. He was used to fending off people in battle he was sure he could defend against Damion trying to stab him. He huffs, "So for you to like me I need to not be working and doing my job. Gotcha." He was often on his ass because he was trying to protect him and make sure he was alright. "Oh, don't worry, I will." Damion promised with a smirk, his eyes narrowing with determination. Would he actually try to? Yeah.
"Mmm... Maybe in a different life. When you arent destined to be my flesh shield, that maybe we could be friends. Maybe even best friends." He huffed. "But I cant be friends with someone who steps on my rolls of drugs that I work hard to get. It's just not fair. Ah! Now I can have them because I'm King!" He brightened up with the thought and ate some of the bacon while he thought."Best friends?" Ilya arches an eyebrow at him with a smirk. He then shakes his head, "Nope. I made a vow to protect you, even if that means from yourself. No drugs." He says firmly. He steals a piece of bacon from the plate for himself and chews on it. "How did you even get into drugs?? Oh wait, that's right, Clyde was terrible at his job and you decided to insane during my absence." "You're a bitch." Damion folded his arms. "Besides. I had my fill last month. Those bastards cant catch me, I'm like a worm in butter." He smiled proudly. "I have a stash in my room now. It helps take the edge off everything."
He found Ilya's petty forgetness to Cornelius's name to be really cute. "Oh. I think I saw someone do it while I was passing by in town. And then I asked for some and he gave it to me and I like how nice and floaty I felt. And so he's my dealer now" He shrugged. "Anyways, enough of that. Let's talk about how. Tell me everything. How did you slay that bastard's head?""Ah, but I'm your bitch." Ilya says cheekily before scowling at him. "You what?" He demands. That was another mark against the knights he'd left Damion with if they let him get more drugs. He completely ignores the rest of what the King said. He pushes the plate off his lap and swung his legs over the side of the bed with a grimace before pushing himself up to stand. His hurt leg buckled and he had to grab the head board to keep from falling. He pushes himself back up and starts awkwardly limping for the door. He was heading for the King's room so that he could hunt down the drugs he'd stashed. "Awww." Damion fluttered his eyelashes at Ilya in response to his sultry comment and wasnt even that surprised.
"Uhhhh... What do you think you're doing?!" Damion was up and already standing beside Ilya to try to block him from leaving the room.
"What the fuck! Get back onto your bed or I'm calling the Guards. Guards!" He called and couldn't kick or punch him because of him leg. Otherwise, he would have.
Two armored men walked in and were immediately on both of Ilya's sides holding him back from leaving. "Sit back down!" One of them hissed. "Your leg hasnt healed." Another jibed.
Damion frowned in concern and looked at Ilya.Ilya tried to push his way past Damion but then two guards intervened to stop him as well. He glares at all three of them in frustration. In his current state he knew he was no match for them. He was still weak and his injured leg was pretty much useless right now. "I was simply going to his Highnesses quarters. Apparently he had drugs and I'm concerned for his well-being." He sniffs but also makes no move to sit down. "And you will not walk into my bedchamber." The King ordered the Guards after they've set Ilya back onto the bed.
He huffed and walked over to sit on Ilya's un-injured leg to prevent him from getting up.
"Alright. So this quite ridiculous. You will not get up anymore. Maybe I'll give you another kiss if you be good. Can you do that? Yes you can. You're a very good boy." He cooed to him and patted his head with a thick and sweet tone to keep him still.Ilya grumbled and bitched as he was forced to sit back down but didn't really have much choice right now. He then shoots Damion a look. A kiss was very tempting bribery. The last one was when he was fucked up with a fever so he hadnt fully been able to appreciate it and he craved another. Also the praise definitely melted him some too. "Fine fine." He grumbled. "Good baby boy." The King sat comfortably on Ilya's leg as he played with his hair. "Just know that once you're all better, I won't baby you anymore."
He looked really unamused when Ilya agreed to the little bargain.
"You are so fucking horny. God damn. Do you not get any dick at all?" He spoke down at him and patted his chest. "You're pretty dumb."Ilya's eyes fall half closed as his hair was played with. He was such a sucker for it. "If that's so then you can quit babying me right this moment. I don't need it." Ilya informs him, "I don't need the pity." He then huffs and rolls his eyes, "I am not! I get plenty of dick when I want it!" He proclaims. It was just that Damion was also quite beautiful and he found himself ridiculously attracted to him even though that complicated things. "Im not dumb." He grumbles sounding offended. Damion was immediately aware of how Ilya was melting into his touch and found himself wanting to touch him more. He was like an oversized puppy.
He put both of his hands through the Knight's hair and grinned.
"Uh huh. Sure." He humored him and snickered. "I believe you." He mocked.
The King winked. "You're very smart. Mhm. Totally not dumb. Not dumb at all."Ilya really did melt then and found himself leaning into his touch without meaning to. He then narrows his eyes at him. "Shut up. I thought you were supposed to be nice to me cause Im hurt." He says in annoyance. To be honest Ilya had always been a bit sensitive when it came to his intelligence. While he'd had some of the best tutors growing up he'd always struggled due to a mix of dyslexia and ADHD. He was clever as hell and great on a battle field but did not have the attention span needed for academics. "Oh come on. You know I'm only teasing. Kind of." He smirked down at him and rubbed his cheek, feeling the scrub of his stubble.
"But yeah. I'll be nice. Until you're better." Damion promised. As a child, he was brutal and horrible to Ilya. When he heard of Ilya's complications, he would yell "stuuuupiiiidddd!" At him and laugh at him loudly, often asking for him to read in front of others to embarrass him.
"Did you finish your breakfast? Or would you like more?"

"You say that but you're being an asshole." Ilya snaps and moves away from his touch. He definitely didn't appreciate this kind of 'teasing'. He was rather sensitive about it though he'd done his best to pretend Damion's mockery didnt bother him over the years. "I'm fine. I don't want anymore." He says, his tone still holding a slight growley edge it. Damion quickly pulls her hands away and frowned. "Wait- I really hit a nerve, didnt I?" He frowned and slowly got up from his leg. "I didn't mean to. I was only joking. I really didn't mean to actually upset you."
The King looked down at him with confusion.
"You know, I wasnt talking about it seriously. I meant you're dumb because you bargain for kisses and whine about your hair, not because you know..."Ilya had turned his face away, his jaw tense but when he heard his apology he turns to look back at him distrustfully as he wasnt sure if the apology was earnest but then saw how confused he looked, "Oh." He says uncomfortably as he realized that he might have overreacted this time. It was just one of his major insecurities. "Well... Okay then." He says awkwardly. Damion was proper enough to not do that. He got his ass beaten enough that that air of disrespect kind of left him. He was still a bitch of course, but he wasnt an unkind motherfucker.
"Mm..." He shifted uncomfortably and sat back down on the bed, but this time not on Ilya's leg. "Uhh... I'm really sorry though. I didnt mean to push any buttons. Not this time." He admitted.
Then he looked over at the window and sighed. "I wanted to discuss something with you earlier..."Ilya crosses his arms over his chest and really didn't know how to make things comfortable again. He much preferred the light teasing they'd had when he first woke up. "Well. Thank you for apologizing." He tells him gruffly before raising an eyebrow, "Yeah? What is it?" He asks Damion felt really stupid for pestering Ilya. It was clear that Ilya was too tired and worn out to be dealing with all this teasing.
He looked at him and patted his stomach. "You're General now. That's a big thing. Just like me becoming King." He began. "And there's so much shit they want us to do! I mean, before I got a congratulations for becoming King, the whole group of advisers began yelling at me to go have an heir! I mean, come onnnn." He rambled, "and now I'm supposed to not pull out in a chick in less than a month! And guess what? They said the same for you! They said it's tradition that the King, Main Advisor, and General all have heirs. Isn't that fuckin stupid?"Ilya certainly didn't expect that, "What?" He practically choked and shot back up into a sitting position, "You cant be serious-" he says with wide eyes. "I always knew I was going to have to have an heir but they can't be serious. A month?" Given that he was eldest of his family it was expected in particular for him to produce heirs to continue on his family legacy and be the next protector(s) of the crown. It also made sense for Damion given that he needed to continue the Royal line. And perhaps his advisors were panicking given that if he died right now with no heir that would be the end of this line. But a month??? And to be honest Ilya wasnt sure, what bothered him more- having to find someone for himself or having Damion have to find someone to be the mother of his children. "I'm on bed rest. That's not even a possibility." Ilya scoffs, ignoring the fact that there were probably many young women who would eagerly come help out the handsome young general. "I know! I was pretty shocked too. It's really ridiculous. If I don't have one myself, they said they're gonna take matters into their own hands and I really dont wanna know what that means."
He stopped his rant to make a face at Ilya. "Uh, even on bed rest, it's really easy for someone to just, I dunno, sit on that dick? Thats not the point though. To be honest, I'm stumped. I dont like women like that. Sure, I'd love to have kids, but you know what that means, it means she'll be Queen. God. And I.... Never really thought about you getting married..." he Blushed and looked away.Ilya grimaces at that and then wrinkles his nose, "Yeah, yeah, but how am I supposed to find someone while I'm on bed rest?" He huffs. And to be honest he really wasn't into girls... He'd always found the other knights far more appealing. He then gives Damion a startled look, "Wait... But what about all the maids I've seen you fuck?" He demands and jabs a finger at him. He then raises an eyebrow, "Me?" He asks in surprise, "What does it bother you that I might have someone else in my life rather than trying to clean up your messes all day?" He says it teasingly though because it would be absurd to think the King might get jealous. "Yeah, I'll fuck with one, but I don't think I could actually love a woman. Sure, slender curves, gentle fingers, pretty facial structure is all cute, but god, muscles and height and facial hair and ugh- that's so much better!" He admitted.
"And yes, as a matter of fact, ut does bother me because that'll mean you'll have kids and I don't want mini-Ilya's walking around acting all heroic." He huffed at him. "And I... Never really thought about your life like that. Do you... Do you have eyes for someone?"Ilya flashes a grin, "Then I suppose that is one thing we can agree on." He found masculinity far more attractive. Which... Would make finding a wife so much more difficult for him. He then barks a laugh, "Are you kidding? Any child of mine would be a delight." He rakes a hand through his foxy red hair to push it out of his face, "Good to know you don't think about my life." He says dryly before shrugging and glancing away, "Not particularly not right now. When we were away for a year there was a guy I had a kind of friends-with-benefits relationship with but nothing more serious than that." He shrugs. // I- I thought his hair was black. Im so fucking dumb

Damion smirked right back at Ilya when they agreed on liking men. He breaks off the eye contact and looks down to place his hands on his lap politely.
"No tehy wont, and that's not what I meant. I meant I've never thought about your love life." He reiterated with a more precise manner.
The story of the guy that Ilya had supposedly crushed on made Damion feel something really strange. He didnt like that guy at all now. "Yeah? Why didnt it work out though?"(Lol nah its kind of a dark red/brown cx )

"Oh." Ilya hums, "I mean you've had no reason to think about it i suppose. Most of my time I spend watching out for you. I've seen guys but nothing too serious." His dating experience was usually stolen moments with cute boys when he wasn't training. He then shrugs, "Neither of us were serious about each other. It was just for fun. What about you? Anyone you're into?" He arches an eyebrow. // dfdaddyhhjoop

Damion was pretty surprised at how oblivious he was with that comment. He didnt know that Ilya has been seeing people period.
"Oh." He raised his brows and nodded. "Not necessarily. Maybe if you count Sir Eloise." The King admitted. Sir Eloise was one of the advisors. He was younger than all of his elderly partners and he had a really bubbly personality.
"But now we gotta find ladies. I'm trying to think..."Ilya had to fight to keep his expression blank. He felt an immediate dislike for the man Damion mentioned. He was also going to conveniently forget his name much like Clauds. He certainly wasn't jealous or anything. (Okay maybe Ilya was a little dumb). Ilya groans and falls back against the bed and throws an arm over face, "Im not marrying. At least not yet. I've got time." He knew it was going to have to happen one day but right now he had no prospects he would even consider.Damion fortunately didn't notice the man's struggle and continued on.
"Well, if they're gonna bully me about it, I'll make sure they bully you too, bitchboy." He frowned at him.
"Besides. Anyone would want you. Have you seen those thirsty ass people in the streets when we yo out the city? They'll lick your boots clean for you."Ilya groans, "Why are you so mean to me? Leave me out of this." He gripes. He then scoffs, "You shouldn't have any problem either. You're beautiful and a king. Any person would jump at that." He then smirks, "Maybe we should just marry each other. We're already stuck with each other and we can't marry anyone else if we're already married." He was more joking than anything. "I know." Damion flutters his eyelashes at him when he was complimented.
"Mmm, I mean, you're pretty annoying and shit. But I wouldve taken that offer if you could make babies. But you can't so nah, I wont be doing that." He snickered.
The King then hops to sit right back on Ilya's uninjured leg and looks down at him.
"Maybe we can marry a pretty set of twin ladies." He joked.Ilya just sticks his tongue out at him when he called him annoying. He arches an eyebrow when he sat back on his leg. "Mmm, Still doesn't help that those pretty twins would need to be women." He sighed. While he could appreciate that women wete aesthetically pretty the thought of trying to get intimate with one in any fashion grossed him out. "I guess." This was a pretty iffy problem. Damion always wanted to marry a man, but their traditions were strictly against that.
He huffed. "Damn. I dont wanna marry anyone at all. Period. But..."
It was getting cold as the year came to an end. The air got chilly and lovely, but would soon sting right down to the bone. Norwegian weather was something not to mess with.
"If you were forced to marry, what will you do?" He asked.Ilya just heaves a sigh, "I don't know, Damion. Right now I will refuse for as long as possible but no matter what I will be expected to one day to marry and have kids." He lets his eyes fall closed. "I suppose when it comes down to it I'll try to pick a woman who seems nice. Maybe we can even be friends." He says. Damion smirked. "You know, I could hook you up with a Princess. There's lots of Princesses who would benefit a lot out of marrying the King's General. You would be King. Maybe even Duke." He offered and looked at Ilya.
"And Cornelius could be my Knight after that. He would like it and I would be able to sniff some out while you're busy makin' babies." He smiled. "Speaking of which, have you really never done drugs before?"Ilya wrinkles his nose, "Even a princess wouldnt tempt me. Besides I could not do so and continue to be your knight and I made a vow that I intend to keep." He then sniffs, "I certainly won't be replaced by Chowder." The mere thought offended him. He then shakes his head, "Being under the influence of anything would muddle my mind and make me less skilled at my duties. The most I've done is gone drinking on my nights off." He would sometimes go drink and play cards with the other nights. "Wowww, so you're just a dead-set twink?" Damion asked genuinely but added heat to it. A playful notion, but he still liked to insult him. "You got it in the ass and never went back?"
He raised his brows and nodded. Yeah, drugs were for irresponsible, stupid people, but damn. "Only alcohol? You should try it sometime. The guy didnt tell me the name but ai have a drug that you sniff from your nostrils. It's pretty killer.""I am not a twink!" Ilya scoffs, "Twinks do not have these kind of muscles. And I do not always bottom. The only thing im set on is that I am only attracted to men." He then glares at him at the mention of drugs. "Hell no. Neither of us are doing drugs. We do not need a drug addict King." "That's what a twink would day." Damion cooed. He gave the man a big smug grin.
He dropped his grin and ran a hand through his own blonde hair. "I'm not addicted. I just do it from time to time. It makes my breath smell of drugs after it, so I limit myself. I have a lot of self control, thank you very much."
He patted Ilya's thigh. "You're just a boring twink boy who likes being choked. And now I'm here sitting on your lap, kind of. Ironic huh?"Ilya flips him off and then shoots him a look, "Everyone things they have control of it. That they can stop whenever they want. But drugs have no mercy or sympathy. They will hook hold of you and drag you down until you no longer recognize who you are any more." He then frowns at him, "You're more of a twink than me. Look at you and your soft hands." The man frowned at his Knight at the seriousness of his allegation.
"I'm not addicted..." He frowned slightly, his eyes dropping to look down at his hands instead. Sure, they were taken care of and soft, but still!
"Yeah? Well, this makes up for that." He pointed at the scar on his cheek. "I don't look like a twink anyways, I look like a King."
He folded his arms and laid down beside Ilya. It was still morning and he was still tired. "Besides. You cant say shit like that when you're a bottom.""It does no make up for it." Ilya scoffs and then rolls his eyes, "That's just because I let you top." Ilya says, "I don't often bottom." His pride usually kept him from it though he had admittedly enjoyed giving up control for a while. He grabs the front of Damion's shirt and tugs him closer until their faces were inches apart. "Wait until my leg is better and ill show you who us a twink." "No. You wanted to bottom so bad. You were basically begging for it." He smirked at him. "I gave you a choice and it seemed like you wanted me to fuck you, so I did."
When he was tugged down, the King only gave him a smug look in return.
"M'yeah? Well, I'll be sure to prove you wrong. Theres no better bottom than you." He purred, leaning lower to gently bite his lower lip."You did not give me a choice. You made it very clear you you had no intention of bottoming." Ilya contradicts. He felt a bit of warmth creep into his cheeks at what may have been some type of compliment, "Is that so?" He asks and then lets out a small gasp when he felt the bite of his teeth against his lip. Unable to resist he pulls Damion lower and kisses him hungrily. "And you could have made it clear that you didnt want to bottom. But you got it in the ass anyways." He smirked at him again.
When he was pulled down into the kiss, he gasped and quickly pulled away. "Hell no! That's cheating. I promised a kiss only if you stayed in your spot for the day, the day hasnt ended and thats cheating!" He claimed and cupped Ilya's mouth lazily. "You're pretty desperate, matey."Ilya just gives him a grin, "I've been here all day already though. Isnt that good enough?" He asks and flicks the tip of his nose, "You know I have hard time staying put and I could use an engaging distraction." He sighs and sinks back against the bed. He was already tired of being here and it hasn't even been a day. "Well, I'm not giving it until you stay there for the whole day, boy."
He yawned and laid beside Ilya. The man was pretty tired, but he could manage.
"Mmm. I could get you a wheelchair and we can go outside to the Gardens or the city if you'd like, but you must stay still. Will that be interesting for you?" He offered and gave him a little smile.Ilya grimaces at him and then huffs, "I guess a trip to the garden would be fine." He says grumpily. "Though I don't want to take a wheelchair. I dont want to feel like an invalid." He huffs. He hated feeling weak and defenseless and didn't particularly like tbe idea of being wheeled around. "Oh come on. It's not that bad." That was how they used to transport the Queen around. He ran a hand through Ilya's hair.
"If you don't cut this, I'll make a law that states that all men in the military and the Guard must be bald." He threatened and began to play with it, taking a small amount and carefully braiding it into a little plait.
"Though, I applaud you for keeping it in good health. It smells nice.""Yeah, but I'm supposed to be your guard and protect you. I'll look pathetic sitting in a wheelchair." Ilya gripes. He then gasps dramatically and reaches up to touch his hair protectively. "You wouldn't dare." He says, sounding absolutely appalled. He couldn't help thinking he would look awful with no hair and he was just vain enough to care. He used to keep it cropped short on the sides and back with more fluffy length on the top back before he left the first time. But then when you were on battle fields you had different priorities than keeping your hair trimmed so it had grown out some. And now since he knew it annoyed Damion he hadnt bothered to cut it. "Yes I would. And I'll be the knife that will cut it off. I'll even use expensive shaving cream for you." He winked and gave him a chuckle.
"Dont worry though, you'll look great bald." He snickered loudly (and obnoxiously).
"Come along then, we'll get Cornelius to guard us while we walk. Oi! Oooiii!" He called out again and when a servant walked in, he instructed for a wheelchair to be brought.
When the wheelchair was brought over, he got off the bed and held out his hands. "Come on, good boy."Ilya glares at him in a way that clearly said 'hell nah'. He then scoffs, "Nah, keep Cornwall away from me." He says with a glare. When the wheel chair came over he gave it a look but then decided that he preferred that to staying in bed. He accepts his hand and awkwardly lowers himself into it. "Alright, lets go." He says. "Cornwall!" Damion sorted in a very un-Kingly manner and covered his mouth as he laughed at the poor Knight.
Once the Knight was situated into the chair, Damion held the bars and slowly began to push him. He was pretty smooth with it, and avoided going over the more etched parts of the tile so it wouldnt bother Ilya. His Mother had been sick for as long as he could remember, and pushing her chair was second-nature to him.
He sighed slowly. "Do you wish for me to inform your family that you're all better? I sent a Messenger with news of your arrival and condition and I made sure to let them know that the Medic wont allow visitors." He spoke. "And then I want you to tell me how you killed him. Did you say a cool punchline or something?"Ilya smirks at Damion's reaction and was pleased by it. At this point he was going to see how many different names he could come up with for Cornelius- I mean that knight whose name he most definitely didnt remember. He tried to get comfortable in the chair but just felt awkward and uncomfortable. He squirms slightly and then lets out a groan when he mentioned his family, "You told them?? Oh god, mum is going to be worried sick. She's never going to let me live this down." He sighs. He could already imagine her scolding him for getting hurt and worrying her. "I suppose you should tell them." He sighs. He knew they would most definitely be showing up now. In fact his mother was probably already trying to figure out how to infiltrate even though the medic had told them he couldn't have visitors. He then quirks his lips at his next question, "It wasn't all that grand. We ambushed him when the cocky bastard went out on a hunting party. There was a fight which is how i got injured but we managed to subdue them and got him on his knees. I informed him his head was payment for that of our lost queens. He tried to bribe me and promised me anything I wanted if I let him go. Riches, land, women. I told him Death and Justice couldn't be bribed and then chopped off his head. Though you should have seen him sniveling and crying when he no longer had a castle and guards to hide behind. It was pathetic." "Yeah. Ma seemed very worried. The poor lady. I'll let her know." Damion agreed with the Knight as they continued walking through the castle. There was a Knight stationed beside each window and door. Security tightened dramatically after the attack, and since Damion had no heir, it tripled.
The King listened to Ilya's strategy with a satisfied smile.
"You will be rewarded handsomely, you and the Knights that left with you. But you all gotta heal before I publicly acknowledge your deeds." He ruffled Ilya's hair thankfully. "My Mother and Sister rest easy now that their murderer is killed. I appreciate every single one of you lot. And that sounded pretty cool. I wish I was there." He snickered.Ilya noticed the increased guard and supposed that made sense. It did make him feel a little better to see that Damion was more protected. He then shakes his head, "Its a good thing that you weren't there. You were back here where you were safe and I didnt have to fret over you nearly as much." He had worried some while he was away since he had no way of knowing how the King was but having him in danger would have been far worse. "You're a big stress-head." Damion rolled his eyes. He could fend for himself! Of course, he didn't have any self-defense training or hand-to-hand combat experience, but he knew how to aim a juicy slap to someone's face. That didnt count as self defense, but his tongue was worse. He could spit out twenty different insults without even looking at someone's face.
"Besides, you were busy getting stabbed. Maybe it was because your hair got in front of your eyes and you couldnt see. Either way, you're gonna cut it, Bearboy.""Yes and while I was getting stabbed someone else could have been stabbing you." Ilya says dryly. He was not at all impressed. He then huffs when the topic turned back to his hair, "Bearboy? What's that supposed to mean?" He asks as he tries to decide whether he should be offended by it or not.