A Match for the el Maiens Ch. 02

Copyright © 2015 Naoko Smith

This is a re-edited version of Chapter 2. I cut half of Chapter 1 and turned it into a new Chapter 3, so I've been obliged to put it in at the end of this chapter. (Chapter 3 is now Chapter 4, etc etc.)

Please leave comments for me. Thank you! (Diolch.)

"Thy time for my allegiance!" shouted a husky warm voice outside the tent.

Commander-Lord Vadya el Gaiel van H'las stirred one arm in the soapy water of the tin bathtub and sat up, his broad shoulders and muscular chest with the keloid scars across his brown ribs, his narrow hips surging out of the wash lapping down over his genitals. His big cock and balls floated softly in the water, flaccid against the clearly delineated muscles of his strong thigh. He reached out towards his manservant Batren, who was standing by with the towels.

He had recognised the voice as that of one of his Captains, Tashka Maien, and he shouted casually: "Enter!"

The entrance flap was gripped in thin scarred fingers which flung it back and a head of dark hair close-cropped in severe military style leaned into the tent. A tall muscular body was coming after with one long leg poised to step inside.

Slanted blue eyes in the clear tanned face of a ridiculously pretty young officer looked straight into Vadya's brown eyes. Tashka's gaze moved down Vadya's muscular brown legs sprawling out of the tin bathtub in the middle of the red and black carpets, then up to his chest with the scars and black hairs on it, then down to his balls and cock floating in the bath water. The blush went suddenly hot and red up his tanned cheeks, his rose-petal mouth bunched in a stutter. Tashka turned shyly downwards the exquisite blue eyes that cast a heartbreaking Northern beauty into his face.

'What a schoolgirl!' Vadya thought with a grin. He threw a wet flannel, catching Tashka round the head. Tashka jumped and looked up through his lashes at his naked soapy Commander with an embarrassed smirk. He muttered something about Lieutenant-Lord el Darien and an extra guard on the woods side of the camp and disappeared in such a rush that he barely stamped out the ritual steps of the junior leaving the senior H'las officer.

Vadya laughed and made imitation trumpet noises of retreat, lounging back in his bath.

He was not particularly handsome but he was a fit young man with broad shoulders and narrow hips. His sweetness of character showed in the kind smile that often came over his generous big mouth. He was a good prospect for any younger daughter of the high nobility, sprawled in the bathtub in his tent, the strength of his muscular shoulders and thighs offset by a gentle heart and courteous disposition.

In describing his virtues his father had not mentioned the magnitude of his masculinity. Vadya himself had never much considered it. He had not had many lovers. The main relationship of his life thus far had been with a woman who was not interested in the size of what she occasionally enjoyed so much as the gentle affection of his heart. A spirited young Lady of the high nobility with a bright reputation had once said to him: "da-arling, what an horse you are!" but the modest young Lord el Gaiel had only supposed she was trying to flatter him into more of her interesting activities.

He lay sniggering in the warm water, splashing with big weapons-hardened hands -- which were frequently admired for their delicate skill on the horses' reins -- so that the water flowed about his hips and his thighs and his flaccid cock and balls.

He felt vaguely surprised; Tashka Maien was infamous for the disgusting stories he would come out with on night-sentry duty by the fire.

The tent-flaps through which Tashka had departed so abruptly fluttered in a light breeze, Vadya stared lazily out. Beyond the troop on almost every side he saw the pale grassy plains stretched in shimmering waves to the milky blue of the horizon. The campsite Vadya had chosen was on a long shallow hillside, near some leafy green woods but not near enough that the woods could become a hazard. A small river flowed below, convenient for washing and for watering the horses. It made a pleasant constant babble behind the fluctuating level of the troop's noise. You heard it clearly in the still watches of the night, in the middle of practising some manoeuvre it might disappear in the jingle of harness and weaponry, the stamp of hoof and foot. Then it would be there again behind the shrill yells of the officers repeating orders to their men.

The guard-posts, baggage wagons, tents and picket-lines of horses were laid out in an orderly way. The troop was well-set to defend itself against an enemy attack, or, more likely in the Vail plains where they were practising light summer manoeuvres, a practice raid by a friendly troop seeking to win a few cases of wine and some glory.

There was another troop encamped nearby but unfortunately it was Ninth Vail, the play troop of the frivolous young Lordling of Vail, Pava el Jien. There would be no glory in springing a practice attack on Ninth Vail. Young Commander-Lord el Jien van Vail had been trained as an excellent field officer but these days he spent his time partying with visiting officer-aristocrats. He was Vadya's age and easy-going fun so Vadya was friends with him even though he had been an officer of Fourth Sietter, by the side of the el Maien van Sietter brothers.

It was Pava who had recommended Tashka Maien to Vadya's notice and Tashka had asked if he might spend a couple of days with Pava. They were only trotting round the Vail plains as a kind of holiday, Vadya readily granted his request even though Tashka was about to go on extended leave. He said he would ride over to Ninth Vail's encampment with Tashka.

By the time Tashka came back Vadya was outside his tent dressed in an elegant red silk doublet and breeches. He had tried to insist that jodhpurs and a plain shirt would be better for the ride over to Ninth Vail's encampment but his manservant Batren said, with that glazed obstinate expression that meant he would be willing to argue about it with you for a long time: "Captain Maien suggested you wear a suit." Vadya was sniffing at a bottle of wine, by his campaign table laid for dinner. He noticed that Tashka was looking particularly attractive in a dark blue silk that matched his eyes, with a lot of lace at the collar and cuffs of his cream silk shirt and a large pearl and diamond drop earring in his ear. Vadya felt an uncomfortable swelling in his underpants which he ignored (luckily his breeches were loose around the groin). He hoped with a qualm that nobody in Ninth Vail would mistake Tashka's elegance and offer him insulting attentions.

Tashka was apparently still embarrassed about having walked in on his commanding officer in the bath. He grumbled, "you have no shame," as he flung himself into a folding canvas chair. He set one black booted ankle on the other blue silk-clad knee, his lovely features crumpled in a frown.

Vadya burst out laughing. "Holy Angels!" he said. "What need has a soldier of shame?"

"Give me some of that Athagine," Tashka replied crossly.

Vadya thought of one particular story of Tashka's about a farmer's daughter and shook his head with a snigger.

He poured Tashka a bowl of deep red wine, almost purple, heavy waves lapping at the white inside of the beautifully painted clay bowl, one of a set Tashka had given him. Tashka took the bowl, stared intently at the colour of the wine, smelt it and sighed.

"My life for your banner," he said the casual toast slowly, looking warmly up into Vadya's brown eyes. Vadya knew he meant it. Tashka had risked his life to save Vadya's from a rearing horse. When they were caught in a disgusting little defile in the mountains in V'ta (which Vadya had insisted to lead them through although Tashka had said the steep cliff faces were a hazard), it was Tashka who broke out to fetch support from a nearby P'shan troop.

Vadya smiled and raised his own bowl, saying: "My life for yours, my friend." He added: "That ... is a very fine suit."

Tashka lifted his slanted blue eyes with a sparkling grin. "We cannot go and see el Jien wearing a dishcloth and the scrubbing brush," he sniggered. It was true that Pava el Jien van Vail was reputed to be particular about his wardrobe -- if not about his ladyfriends, but Vadya was surprised that a plain Captain Maien should be so familiar as to joke about it. Tashka was tilting his wine to and fro, laughing into it as if remembering ... what? el Jien van Vail had never been known to take a male lover that Vadya had heard of but Tashka was so pretty anyone could be excused casting a speculative eye on him. Except his senior officer, of course.

"Thy time for my allegiance," it was one of Tashka's Lieutenants, one of the two aristocrats entrusted to his tender care. He was very new and stuttered over the appeal to the senior officer, looking at Tashka with adoring brown eyes in his plump brown face. He was still wearing his black cotton uniform with the blue details, tightly buttoned up to his collar, although all the other officers would have changed into casual clothes for the evening.

Tashka straightened up in his chair and nodded. His eyes tightened up at the corners.

"I will hear you, Lieutenant."

Mada el Vaie van Soomara cast an anxious glance quickly at the Commander then looked at Tashka, soft and pleading like a puppy that only wants its ears tickled but it thinks it might get a kick instead. Tashka started to rise in his chair. Vadya had had his fill of the officers of the Second Quarter saying there was nothing wrong and yet always coming running to interrupt his dinners with Tashka, he cut in curtly: "Lieutenant, are you quite sure this is a matter requiring the Captain's attention." Tashka, poised halfway out of the chair, looked at him with that bland attentiveness which came over him when he had to submit to orders against his wishes.

el Vaie blushed and stuttered, shuffling his feet in the shining thigh-length black army boots which Tashka made his juniors keep polished to a standard the ceremonial First troop would have been proud of. "Well ... Hanya ... I mean Lieutenant Lein ... and Volka said,"

"Perhaps Lein and el Darien can help you resolve the matter," Vadya responded before Tashka could say anything. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his man-servant and a trooper standing with the trays of food in their hands. He felt that Tashka had eaten enough cold dinners and that the Lieutenants ought to have learned to manage by now.

"Yes sir," Mada said. He saluted with a crisp flick of the hand, his thigh-length black army boots stamped out the ritual dancing steps of the H'las junior officer leaving his seniors. He turned to walk slowly back towards Second Quarter, scuffing with his boot at tufts of grass as he went. He looked like a puppy that wishes it had had a kick at least.

"el Vaie is a butterfly-wits," Vadya grumbled. "I never should have asked for him."

"He is just new," Tashka said in a careless tone of voice. "You had to ask for him, it was good politics. You wanted to renew the tie with Soomara."

"Politics!" Vadya groaned, "and we are stuck with that butterfly-wits, never mind the letters off his sister demanding to know if we are keeping a sufficiently close eye over his honour. Maive el Vaie is in an affair with Pava el Jien, is she not?" He poured more wine into their bowls, keeping a close eye on Tashka.

Tashka sniggered. "Maive is an honourable slut, of course she broke the affair but Pava is still dangling after her," he said. "She will come after you too if she gets the sniff of a chance. She has had most of the oldest sons, she has a magnificent collection of their favours on her stocking top!"

Vadya blushed.

"Well, things could be worse," he said. "We may yet get the younger el Maien van Sietter placed with us! What a disgusting thought, eh."

Tashka stopped sniggering and gave Vadya a quick look from those slanted blue eyes in the face that had delicate bones and a heartbreaking Northern beauty.

"I'll not put him in your Quarter if we get young el Maien," Vadya said considerately, "although I have heard he is an excellent strategic mind. He was Pava el Jien's baby Lieutenant, is it not? Do you know him?"

"No," Tashka said.

"You have enough trouble with that arrogant horse el Darien and that butterfly-wits! You do not need an el Maien van Sietter to add to your woes," Vadya said.

"Mada is just new," Tashka insisted, "he needs time is all."

"Rather your time than mine," Vadya grunted.

"My time for his allegiance," Tashka said wittily and gave Vadya a suddenly brilliant grin. His blue eyes rolled and sparkled, his whole face lit up with his humour then it suddenly fell into strained lines. There was a haunted look to his eyes and he swung his gaze shyly at Vadya with a pout to his rose-petal mouth as if he feared some tragedy coming his way.

"Time for my allegiance!" A soldier shouted, running up to Tashka. "Sir! Lieutenant-Lord el Vaie and Lieutenant Lein are fighting, sir!"

"Holy Hell!" Tashka chucked his exquisite bowl of fine Athagine wine aside onto the turf, sprang out of his chair and ran off across the camp, leaping over weapons, cooking utensils and seated troopers in his way.

Vadya raced after Tashka across the mud and grass of the encampment, past troopers rising from the meals they were cooking to stare at them in astonishment. His muscular legs stretched out over the ground, he was desperately trying to catch up with the sprinting tall figure flying ahead of him. 'Angels of Hell!' he thought. 'Those stupid young cubs! I should have given him at the least of it one older Lieutenant. Papa said I ought to.'

Tashka had rushed up to a straggling crowd of troopers in casually unbuttoned black and blue cotton tunics and was elbowing and kicking a way between them. Vadya tunnelled in his wake, the troopers reluctantly shuffling away on either side of him. Tashka was already jumping on the two men sprawled over the ground at their centre.

The plump soft figure of Mada el Vaie, still in buttoned up summer uniform, was seated on top of a struggling big muscular figure in casual civilian gear. Hanya Lein was a battle-hardened young soldier who would ordinarily have had no difficulty in flooring the inexperienced el Vaie but as he came pushing past the bodies of the troopers, Vadya saw Mada el Vaie bring up a clenched right fist and send it smacking with rage into Hanya's butter blond head. Hanya's head jerked to the side, his big hands flying up to block Mada, reaching to try and grab at Mada at the same time. Mada's usually gentle brown face was staring with fury, his eyes wide and glaring. For the first time Vadya could see the military potential in him which had been promised by his letters of recommendation.

Tashka grabbed Mada by the collar of his black tunic, dragged him off Hanya and flung him kicking and yelling to one side. Hanya sprang up, fists ready to the defence, and saw Tashka. He sank back on his heels, his fair head, cropped short at the back and sides, turning suddenly away.

Vadya saw Flava Trait, the most experienced of Tashka's four Lieutenants, struggling to get through troopers who were half-heartedly impeding him. Volka el Darien was standing by with his arms ostentatiously folded on his thin chest, his face carefully expressionless. Flava gave a savage shove at one of the men blocking his way.

Mada el Vaie was already trying to come at Hanya again as if he had not realised who the tall figure in dark blue silk was, crouched to defend Hanya. Flava Trait and one of the soldiers had to seize him by the arms and pull him aside, kicking and struggling.

Tashka straightened up. Vadya saw the colour drain completely out of his face. His own heart had gone cold, he was remembering Tashka crouched to defend a fatally wounded young Lieutenant in that rocky defile in V'ta. Tashka's face went paler than the lace at his throat, it became a white-grey mask, his blue eyes blazed in it like lapis lazuli. Then the colour crept slowly back into his face, he turned round and faced Hanya Lein.

Hanya was kneeling in the grass, his breath heaving raggedly in his chest and blood trickling from a cut by his eye. The blue cotton shirt he was wearing was torn, the hard clearly delineated muscles of his chest showing through. He suddenly dropped his head and began to pick at the rip in his shirt, his fingers shaking with adrenaline, fear, fury.

Mada crumpled suddenly to the ground and started sobbing. Flava tried to put an arm around him but Mada beat his fellow Lieutenant's hand away, crying: "leave me be!"

Tashka stooped down and rested one hand on Hanya's broad shoulder and Hanya's blond head flicked up to face Tashka's, barely six inches away. Tashka said: "How dare you bring your filthy politics to a fight in my Quarter!"

Vadya gave an angry grunt. He looked past the troopers around him at Lieutenant-Lord Volka el Darien, who was staring away at the horizon, a satisfied set to his thin shoulders.

Hanya's head twisted from side to side as if to escape Tashka's cold blue glare then he said in a strained high-pitched voice: "He struck me with 's glove!"

Tashka straightened up and moved round to stand behind him, one hand still on his broad shoulder. "el Vaie!" his voice cracked out like ice breaking. Mada's dark close-curled head lifted and he struggled to stand up, his baby soft young face streaming with tears. "el Vaie," Tashka spoke slowly as if to someone who could barely understand. "Hanya is a merchant's son. His family are not in the habit of fighting duels."

"I ... I ... I never thought!" Mada sobbed. "He is ... the same to me as Volka! If Volka s-said, if Volka said ...!"

Tashka gripped his hand on Hanya's shoulder. Hanya looked up with pleading blue eyes into his Captain's cold blue eyes and said: "One of my men had some ... some pictures off one of his. I told him he ought to undertake an inspection of the troopers' bedding rolls, then el Darien said it was beneath his notice. I only said you would send him home to his sister if he were too lazy to do it."

"That is not all!" Mada cried out. "He said, my 'honourable' sister!"

Vadya screwed his face up. Tashka lifted his head to look into Vadya's eye in a brief blue flash of amusement. He turned back to Hanya and said, "Mada's sister's honour ... is shining bright." This was a somewhat loose account of the flamboyant Lady el Vaie van Soomara's reputation and the way he said it made this plain. "I will give the glove myself for the honour of young Lady van Soomara," he added sternly. Vadya could only imagine Lady el Vaie's delight and hilarity at this prospect, she would be bound to say she would rather have the favours of someone so gorgeous than his glove on behalf of her honour.

Hanya turned red with embarrassment. "I ... never meant," he stammered. "Of course not," Tashka interrupted, he swung his gaze back to Mada el Vaie, saying: "Angels' sake, do you honestly suppose Lein, your brother officer, would tease you about your family in such a way?" Hanya Lein had retained a sweetness of heart in spite of his active battle experience. Tashka had frequently commended him for his good natured support of the younger Lieutenants. Mada's tearfilled brown eyes fell before the appeal in Hanya's embarrassed soft blue eyes.

"You are a soldier now," Tashka said to Hanya. The stern note in his voice dissipated into the weary tone of someone bored with repeating the same thing over and over. "You cannot live by the politics of your family. el Vaie ought not to have offered you the glove, because he is your brother officer, but it was a matter of family honour so you ought to take it or submit."