Bird of a Flock (Bow 2)

Chapter 48

Morning broke and Ryraso had a new perspective on life. Noticeably anger had filled him, making the royal triad flinch away from him as it drifted over to them. Still, Dyn'ad and Nel'os went with him to pray. If nothing else, the previous day had proven Ryraso needed to follow the Goddess' desires to be worshipped properly. He would have dragged Tai'ray along, but someone needed to watch Fetmar. The younger man wasn't trusted yet.

They prayed with him and Ryraso felt the Goddess fill him with warmth. Whispers in his ears that she will keep her promises. Ryraso let it fill him and took a deep breath. Some of the anger dimmed but didn't fade.  What they had done... Ryraso shook his head and walked out of the room, unsurprised when Dyn'ad followed him.

"Ryraso," Dyn'ad called softly. "Please talk to me."

"Quite frankly Dyn'ad. I don't think you'd like what I have to say at the moment," Ryraso said curtly, pausing as Dyn'ad caught his arm to stop him. Dyn'ad's expression was almost unreadable. Ryraso wondered, darkly, what his expression had been that day as he had taken Tai'ray. Dyn'ad sometimes retreated into himself and it was almost impossible to tell what was going on behind his eyes. 

"I don't care if I'll like it or not. I care about you," Dyn'ad said neutrally. 

Ryraso shuddered and looked at Dyn'ad in the eyes. He was sincere. Dyn'ad cared. Ryraso shifted and rested his head on Dyn'ad's shoulder. Dyn'ad's grip on him changed and Dyn'ad was hugging close and tight. "I know," Ryraso promised. "But you lied to me," he said softly.

"We didn't lie to you," Dyn'ad argued, his lips rough against Ryraso's forehead.

"A lie by omission is still a lie. You always said the three of you fell in love," Ryraso pointed out, letting Dyn'ad rock him into a corner. This wasn't going to be fun. Still, he couldn't find it in himself to pull away. 

"We fell in love, eventually. We just had a rocky beginning," Dyn'ad admitted, leaning back and cupping Ryraso's face. "This was never going to be secret forever from you. I swear it. We would have told you sooner but things have been so hectic. Once you were in the bond you would have learned all of our secrets regardless."

"And been unable to leave if I did not like them,"  Ryraso challenged, pulling out of the hands on his face. "You know the sad thing Dyn'ad?" He looked the dominant k'nairi in the eyes. "I genuinely thought you were all truly in love and happy. I thought the damage within Tai'ray's mind was purely from the separation of so many caw from the flock. That this war caused it but now I see the underlying cause. He was damaged from you and Nel'os."

"He recovered from it. He's not broken. Fifty years is a long time," Dyn'ad defended, almost angrily at the idea Ryraso thought Tai'ray's mind was damaged beyond repair at what had happened. Tai'ray needed reeling in occasionally because he could be unstable sure, but he wasn't broken beyond repair. The war had harmed him far more than them.

"Clearly, he is not," Ryraso growled back, "You did not see his face Dyn'ad. You did not see the look in his eyes. No wonder he doesn't know how to court me properly. He has never been courted. Or had the chance."

"Ry, I love him. He Loves me. We love you and Nel'os. What happened, it was wrong what we did. But it's history. We have had fifty years together which have been happy, if not for the war," Dyn'ad said seriously.