How To Fall From Grace [MxM]

Step 26: Fall in place

A low, monotonous and tormented whine had resounded through Frey's mind all morning. It was his way of working through the pain of having to be forced out of bed and more or less dressed in his sleep before being dragged outside long before his day used to begin. It was a justified and understandable kind of whining, but since he'd promised Marius not to make a fuss about living on their own, he had to use his inside voice.

So he rubbed his eyes, slowly beginning to register their surroundings as they walked hand in hand down the road towards the Fjærhaugs' farm. While last night's clouds had given way for a clear, sunny sky, the rain had still done a number on the road and they had to swerve on multiple occasions to avoid thick mud and puddles.

"Don't think he should drive his cart through this," Frey barely uttered through his thick, still half asleep voice. "He'll get stuck."

"Ah, good morning," was Marius' reply to that. "I was beginning to think you would sleep through the whole day and I'd eventually have to carry you around."

"Is it too late for that?" Frey would not have minded. He had no desire to go to a farm full of animals, as if a stable wasn't unsanitary and loud enough, to do chores he'd never done before, and so early in the morning, too. "I can easily fall asleep again."

"You'll feel better soon enough," Marius promised him, and Frey couldn't be more certain he was lying. "You just need to find something to focus on."

"You know I never agreed to this, right?" Frey finally had to say it, even though he knew it made him sound like a first class ingrate. "I was going to live on my own, sure, and do chores around my house, but here you are, expecting me to help others with chores as well?"

Marius' eyes crinkled from his grimace, but seemed sympathetic enough.

"Just this once. As thanks for letting the horses stay there until our stable is clean."

Frey couldn't argue against that, and he hated it.

To his great relief the farm was smaller than he'd imagined. If he wasn't wrong, The Fjærhaugs had three children out of five who were capable of helping around the house and fields, so how much work could there possibly be left?

"This is a surprise." Vidar met up with them outside what seemed to be the stable. "I did not expect to see you here, Lord Clausson."

Frey sent Marius a look, hoping his disgruntlement shone through despite it not showing on his face.

"Well, I was under the impression, mainly because Marius outright told me so, that you needed help from both of us and since we're grateful for keeping my horses here for the time being, it's the least I could do."

"And we'd never turn down help, of course." Vidar grinned before turning to walk inside the stable while Frey grabbed Marius' arm to keep him from following.

"What was that?" He tried to keep his voice low and calm despite being plenty annoyed with the man in front of him. "They didn't think I'd come?"

Marius looked sheepish, but if Frey wasn't wrong there was that infuriating amusement in his eyes too.

"I didn't tell them in case you'd rather shoot me than having to come along, but if I'd told you that they weren't expecting you, you wouldn't have come."

"You tricked me." The inner whining wanted to come forward as Frey looked aghast. "You tricked me to come here and do servant chores even though I didn't have to."

"Don't be so dramatic." Marius looked reproachful, but gestured towards the house. "Just say hi to the horses and then head inside to ask Mrs. Fjærhaug if you can assist her there. At least you won't be cold."