STORY EXCERPT

In the middle of the ancient forest, unwalked by men, was a clearing. Cas looked around. A clearing surrounded by nine beech trees, just like the soothsayer had predicted. A tiny hut stood to one side of the space, and a recently harvested field took the rest of the clearing. Cas was rendered speechless. Whatever he had expected from the soothsayer’s advice, it was certainly not this. Casimir’s shocked staring was interrupted when the man he’d been chasing exited the hut. He’d put on some clothes, a plain shirt and pants, which clung to his body. Obviously, he hadn’t had time to dry himself properly. The man was braiding his hair as he walked towards Cas, his moves practiced and sure. Without missing a stride, he undid a thong from around his wrist with his teeth, then used it to tie the thick braid and tossed it over his shoulder. With a stormy expression he came to Cas and poked him in the chest. Casimir gasped in shock. He didn’t remember the last time someone had treated him with such obvious lack of respect! He was a duke, damn it, he did not get poked! Still, the man didn’t seem to know that, as he kept poking Cas and rumbling angrily. Casimir was surprised the man wasn’t ranting at him. He seemed like he wanted to rant.

“Would you stop that!” Cas finally snapped. “Don’t poke me!” he added when the man didn’t stop immediately. He grabbed the man’s finger on another poke and puffed up his chest. “Do you know who I am? You do not get to poke me!”

To his surprise the man was not cowed. He pulled his finger free and mocked him, pulling a face and making a talking hand gesture.

Casimir gasped in outrage. “How dare you!” he started. “I am not someone to be trifled with. I am…” But he stopped because the man rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, going back to the hut and waving Cas off over his shoulder.

Casimir just stood there gaping. He then took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. Okay, so maybe he’d been a bit rude. He had surprised the man in the bath and then chased after him through the trees like a barbarian. Maybe the man did have a point with his poking. Cas took another deep breath, released it, and then walked to the man, chagrined.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right, I was rude, and you had every right to tell me off.”

The man had faced Casimir with his hands on his hips and one foot tapping impatiently, but now relaxed slightly and dipped his head in a graceful acknowledgement.

“Once again, I apologise,” Cas continued. “We started off on the wrong foot. Shall we start over?”

The man smiled and nodded.

Casimir returned the smile. “My name is Casimir. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Cas bowed lowly in the best court fashion, and the man giggled, covering his mouth his eyes sparkling with mirth. Then the man straightened his face and presented a perfect curtsey. Casimir’s jaw nearly hit the floor at the display. The man giggled once more. While a proper bow was easy enough, a curtsey required much more grace than Cas had ever possessed. He had tried it once. He’d ended up sprawled on the floor in a heap. Casimir shook his head and grinned. “So, what’s your name then?” he asked. The man made a sad face and shook his head. “You can’t say?” Cas inquired, then had a sudden enlightenment. “You don’t speak, do you?”

The man shook his head, and Cas frowned.

“Hmm,” he hummed stroking his beard, “I’ll have to guess your name then, won’t I?”

The man grinned, and Cas couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Is it Boleslaw? No? Bronislaw? Stanislaw? Andrzey? Filip? Yanusz?” The man perked up at the last name but still shook his head no. “Not Yanusz but similar? Yan? Close? A variation of Yan?” Casimir was truly enjoying their game of charades. “I know! Yasko! Your name is Yasko! Yes?”

The blond man grinned brilliantly and gave Cas both thumbs up.

“Huh, Yasko, it suits you,” Cas decided.

Yasko gestured for Cas to follow him and led him to a table made from an overturned log with a cluster of smaller logs serving as stools. He pointed to it and waited for Casimir to sit. Then, he lifted his finger, and Cas took it as an order to wait. Yasko hurried into the cabin and soon emerged carrying a tray with a loaf of bread, some butter, and pickles. He set it down on the table and rushed into the house once more, coming out with a pitcher of water and two mugs. He put them on the table then took another chair and gestured for Cas to help himself. It was only then that Casimir felt how hungry he was. He thanked his host and dug in. They ate in companionable silence until they sated the first hunger.

After, Cas asked, “What is a beautiful man like you doing living in the middle of this gods forsaken forest?”

Yasko only shrugged and gestured to the field.

“You’re working this field?” Cas asked, and Yasko nodded. “But doesn’t it get lonely here, all by yourself?”

Yasko looked up, and his bright expression fell. For a moment he looked sad and nodded forlornly. But the next second he shrugged once more and smiled.

Cas sighed. It was weird having such a one-sided conversation, but Yasko was expressive enough. Hell, Cas chuckled to himself, the man had managed to scold him without using any words! He couldn’t wait to tell Conrad all about it. His second in command would never believe it! Casimir sobered. First, he needed to find his team though, and, as loathe as he was to admit it, he was utterly and hopelessly lost.

“Say, Yasko, you wouldn’t know how to get to a small stream south of the mountain with thunderclouds over it? I got separated from my team of warriors when we spotted and chased a herd of bison near there.”

Yasko nodded, and Cas dropped the piece off bread he was tearing into smaller pieces.

“You know where it is? Truly? Would you mind showing me?”

The man sitting across from him got a thoughtful expression on his face. He looked up and twisted his lips in a grimace. He pointed to the sky.

Cas gasped. For the first time he noticed the dark, heavy clouds rolling from the north. “Oh my…” he said. “It looks like a storm is on its way.”

Yasko nodded seriously. He lifted one finger again to get Casimir’s attention then lay his hand flat on the table and drummed his fingers on the surface very lightly.

Cas frowned, trying to guess the latest riddle. “Tapping…tapping…rain?” he asked, and Yasko nodded then started pounding his fingers much harder than before. “Um…heavy rain? No? Very heavy rain? Oh! Hail!” Casimir grimaced when Yasko nodded grimly. “It’s going to be a hailstorm?” At Yasko’s nod, Cas sighed. “I guess I need to wait through it? Well, damnation!” he swore.

His team was going to be worried about him, Conrad most of all. He took his position as the head of Casimir’s warriors very seriously.

“Ah, nothing to it.” Casimir finally waved it off. “But you’ll show me the way after the storm passes, right?”

Yasko nodded, smiling at him kindly.

“Very well then!” Cas rested his hands on the log table and pushed himself up. “I’ll go get my steed now. I must fashion him shelter for the storm.”

Yasko nodded again and shooed him with his hands. Cas chuckled and shook his head but kept walking.

This strange man he’d met in the forest was a breeze of fresh air, so very different from the snivelling little nobles hounding Casimir at his castle. While looking almost ethereal in his beauty, Yasko showed an incredible strength of character and was not in the least cowed by a strange man who happened upon him in the bath. The thought gave Cas pause, and he stopped in his tracks. He resumed walking, thoughts running furiously through his head.

ADULT EXCERPT

With his horse situated in the lean-to, Casimir shook himself off. He was unpleasantly sweaty, his clothes clinging to his overheated skin. He looked at Yasko who seemed to be much in the same predicament. Yasko returned his gaze, grimaced, pulling at his shirt, then waved Cas over. Casimir followed him obediently. It took him a surprisingly long moment to realise they were walking towards the pond where he’d first met Yasko. His inattention might have had something to do with his gaze resting on Yasko’s ass instead of his surroundings.

They reached the pond, and Yasko begun to undress. Cas stood there, stunned for a moment, then, when Yasko raised his eyebrows in question, he hurried to get naked, as well. In moments his clothes were on the floor, and he followed into the water, watching curiously as Yasko went to the other side of the small pond and snapped off some twigs from a nearby tree. Yasko dipped into the water up to his neck, then stood up and begun rubbing the twigs all over his body. Cas frowned, puzzled. Yasko saw him just standing there and rolled his eyes. He went to snag some more twigs and handed the handful to Cas.

“What?” Cas asked, holding the twigs up. “What do I do with it?”

Yasko rolled his eyes again then took the bunch of sticks from him and gestured for Casimir to dip himself into the water. Cas did so, and when he stood up was rewarded by Yasko approaching him and starting to rub the shoots over Casimir’s back.

Cas gasped and froze, the feeling of the other man’s hands on him startling him into silence. At first Yasko’s touch was impersonal, as if he was helping a family member, but slowly it began to change. Yasko’s hands gentled, his moves becoming more sensual. Casimir turned around, slowly, careful not to startle the man.

Yasko’s eyes were wide, his nostrils flaring, and he licked his lips hungrily. Cas put his hand on the man’s shoulder and let it slide down his arm until he held Yasko’s hand in his. He took some of the springs from Yasko’s grasp and returned the favour, rubbing them over the man’s chest. Yasko stood there and let him. His hand fell to his side, releasing the rest of the twigs from his slackening grasp. Cas rubbed over Yasko’s nipples, and the man gasped, then caught his bottom lip between his teeth, letting his eyes fall to half-mast. Casimir groaned in appreciation. He let go of the sticks altogether and put his hands flat on the beautiful man’s pectorals. He tweaked his nipples with his thumbs, then pinched them. Yasko moaned. Cas looked down. The water was only thigh high, and Yasko’s dick was clearly visible, standing proud from the nest of golden curls. Cas’s mouth watered. Without a thought he fell to his knees, the water covering him to the neck, and swallowed Yasko’s dick whole. Yasko mewled, a low, keening sound, and pumped his hips reflexively. Casimir grabbed the man’s hips, his fingers digging into the creamy flesh. Holding his lover firmly in place, Cas started bobbing his head. Yasko went wild, moaning loudly, but then, suddenly, he started pushing Casimir away. Cas let go and stood up, alarmed.

“What is it, pretty? What’s wrong?”

Yasko only shook his head.

“Did you not like it?”

Yasko shook his head again, then nodded.

Cas frowned. “You liked it?”

Another nod.

“Oh, you liked it too much.” Frantic nodding again, and Cas chuckled. “You were about to come in my mouth, weren’t you?”

Yasko groaned and grabbed for his dick, squeezing it tightly. Casimir knew he was right.

“Damn, pretty, I would have gladly swallowed your cum. I bet it tastes delicious, like the rest of you.”

Yasko groaned again and waved his finger at Cas. Casimir chuckled. He took the step separating them, hooked his hand behind Yasko’s neck, and pulled the beautiful man in for a kiss. The kiss was wet and sloppy and utterly perfect. Yasko tasted of wild strawberries they’d eaten earlier with a spicy undercurrent that must have been his own taste. Casimir moaned into the kiss, his own dick growing impossibly hard. He started thrusting against his man, Yasko humping him in return. Finally, the air became scarce and they had to pull apart.

“Damn, pretty, I want to bury my dick so deep in your ass. I want to fuck you hard and fast, and make you cry for more.”

Yasko’s eyes widened, and he licked his lips, nodding furiously.

Cas sighed and shook his head. “Unfortunately, as much as I want to drill your willing hole, I don’t have anything to ease the way.”

Yasko only blinked at him, those huge blue eyes wide but without comprehension.

Casimir groaned at his sudden realisation. “You’re a virgin, aren’t you?”

Yasko nodded, and Cas had to pinch his dick to stop himself from coming. He had never had much appreciation for virgins, but this time, with this man, it got him hotter than he’d ever been.

Casimir swallowed and proceeded to explain. “When two men fuck, they must use oil of some kind to lubricate the passage, lest the one getting fucked gets injured.”

Yasko’s mouth formed a perfect “oh,” then a shrewd expression crossed his face. He turned around and slipped, Cas’s quick reflexes saving him from a fall. But as Casimir caught him, Yasko’s butt rested against Casimir’s thighs, Cas’s dick nestling perfectly between those round, perfect buttocks. Casimir groaned and tightened his grip.

“Mmm, pretty, you’re killing me,” he pronounced, holding the beautiful man close and thrusting his leaking dick in the cleft of the man’s ass. Gods, he was so close to coming.

A sudden slap to his hip had Cas looking up into Yasko’s frowning face. The man wiggled his finger at Cas, then pointed to the grass where their clothes waited.

“What?” There was no blood left in Casimir’s brain.

Yasko rolled his eyes, pouted, then pointed to the clothes again.

“You want to go to your clothes?”

Yasko nodded and pointed once more.

With a sigh, Cas released him. He followed the man, trudging out of the pond. Despite the sun lowering over the horizon, the air was still warm. Cas stepped onto the grass and watched curiously as Yasko rummaged through his clothes. The man made a sound of triumph and lifted his hand in the air. He turned to Cas and beckoned him forward. Cas went obediently. Yasko took his hand and put something in his palm. Cas looked down and saw a small ceramic pot with a cloth tied over it.

“What is it?” he asked, looking up at Yasko with a frown.

The man grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

Cas’s breath caught. “Don’t say…it’s some kind of grease?”

Yasko nodded furiously, grinning wide. Then he just dropped to all fours, turning his tempting butt at Cas and wiggling it invitingly. Cas salivated.

“Damn, pretty, you are just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Yasko grinned over his shoulder and wiggled his butt some more. Casimir fell to his knees and ripped the cloth from the jar. The grease in it was thick and, when Cas sniffed it, odourless. Dipping his fingers in it, Cas scooped out a generous dollop. He put the jar aside within easy reach. Cas stroked his hand down Yasko’s ass cheeks, admiring the velvety softness of the man’s skin. He cupped the cheek and pulled it aside, uncovering the winking rosy pucker. Cas eagerly smeared the slick over the man’s opening. Yasko’s breath hitched, and Casimir grinned. He used his thumb to gently massage the wrinkled hole, then, without a warning, pushed it in to the knuckle. Yasko hissed, his passage tightening around Casimir’s thumb.

“Mmm, yes, pretty. I’m going to stretch you nice and wide,” he said, pumping his thumb in and out, then pulling it out completely and scooping some more grease on his fingers. “First, I’ll stretch you,” he said, thrusting two fingers right back in. Yasko mewled and rocked back on the invading digits. Cas guessed he succeeded in hitting the other man’s sweet spot. “Then,” he continued, all the while finger fucking his lover, “I’ll turn you around, spread your legs wide.” He emphasized each word with a hard thrust of his two fingers. “I’ll coat my hard dick with some more grease.” Another thrust of his fingers. “And I’ll fuck your tight virgin ass with it.”