The Siren

~Two~

Sia looked at William who was staring ahead. They had been on the road for a day now and should arrive in Tibin the next day. So far everything had gone according to plan. Except that William was a bit withdrawn since he woke up with Leopold and Sia in his bed on the day they had to leave. Sia remembered everything from that night, because he hadn't been drinking any alcohol. Being intoxicated wasn't something he enjoyed.

Leopold had been beautiful and wantonly shy. He hadn't been as drunk as William either. Sia was sure that Leopold remembered every kiss and touch as well.
William had been – surprising. William had been aggressive, but gentle too, he had kissed and sucked and put bruises all over their bodies. Sia could feel those bruises the next morning. Had traced some on Leopold's hips with his fingers. He looked at the young king again, and William feeling Sia's eyes on him, looked back.
Their eyes held for a moment before William looked away and stared ahead again.
Sia didn't understand. He had seen the attraction growing. Between Leopold and William, between himself and William. That night had been the natural conclusion to that building attraction, but it seemed that William had a problem with it.
Sia had to know why. Of course there was no way he could ask it right now. He had to wait for when they were back in the castle. Back in William's chambers.

He sighed and let it all go for the rest of the journey. There was nothing he could do about it now anyway.
His thoughts stayed with William for the rest of the journey anyway. He knew William had questions. Questions about his mother, about his heritage, about his abilities.
Sia didn't have that many answers for him, but he was determinate to figure it all out with William. It was only natural that William was curious about it, but it was also natural that he feared that non-human side of his.
Sia would have to be careful with it. Maybe he should start with stories about Selkies. Selkies were more or less the gentle ones when it came to their kind. Sirens could be vicious, so could mermaids, especially those that lived deep down where the sun hardly ever made it to the bottom of the ocean.
Did William fear his gentle Selkie side? Sia really hoped that William did not.

He let his eyes linger on the tall trees on either side of them and then thought back to the rocky coast of Brennia. Had the Selkie William's father married come from Brennia? It was possible. Mystical creatures weren't hunted down in Brennia. Normally, that was. He was a whole other bag of worms. Thinking back to his first encounter with Leopold, the way his pale hair shone in the sun, his dark eyes like rich earth and the wonder when he saw Sia...thinking back on that he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. He had loved the curiosity in Leopold's eyes. Had loved his tiny giggles when Sia had tickled him, had loved the softness of his hair and how his skin had smelled.
No, he thought again, he wouldn't have changed a thing, even now knowing what he knew about Leopold's father.

"You're smiling," William said, suddenly at his side.

"I was thinking about the first time I meet Leopold," Sia replied. "He was such a golden little pale ray of sunshine. I was bewitched from the very first second and loved him deeply once he opened his mouth and giggled."

"He loves you," William said matter of fact.

"I know," Sia replied, because he knew. Leopold had loved him from that very first encounter. That love had changed of course now. Matured like Leopold had, but it was still the same innocent wondrous thing.
William kept silent after that and Sia wondered if William was feeling that wondrous thing growing inside him too.

~+~
"If you're going to stay here, I think you need your own rooms," William said. There was no Ginger at his side and Sia knew it was a strange thing for William. Ginger had been at his side since they had been children. Now William had to call for other people to do his bidding.