Chapter 440: A Suprise To Behold.

Chapter 440: Chapter 440: A Suprise To Behold.

There aren’t any guards posted at the door, which is kind of weird.

In fact, the hallway seems almost eerily deserted; somewhat of a relief, in a way, because people trying not to stare was in its own way worse than people just outright staring.

And they would have stared, because while Khobi’s accustomed to Loac being up in his space or finding himself up in Loac’s and it isn’t so unusual for their shoulders to brush together, Loac still hasn’t let go of his hand.

​For what it’s worth Khobi hasn’t let go either. And suddenly he can’t quite look directly at him.

Weird how he can look him in the eye while he sucks him off but now of all times he can’t? It brings him comfort that Loac can’t seem to look at him either. In a way it feels like some strange kind of stalemate; neither of them wanting to acknowledge it yet neither wanting to be the first to pull away.

​Khobi hopes he doesn’t. He’s no stranger to Loac’s touch but like this his hand feels warm and a little bit clammy; his long fingers twining around Khobi’s with his thumb occasionally grazing the backs of his knuckles.

It feels...

​Nice .

​They walk in silence, neither of them looking at the other but neither making a move to pull away, and Khobi finds himself somewhat at a loss because this is something he’s...never really done before, and it’s as thrilling as it is confusing.

If anyone who didn’t know them were to catch a glimpse they’d look like lovers.

​It feels like it takes a long time to get to the usual chambers, and when Loac pushes the door open, Princess Xena and Montrel are already seated at the table with the king.

They’re clearly late, but Gurdet, for whatever reason, decides not to bring it up.

At the sound of the door opening, Montrel is the first to look up. One of his eyebrows immediately shoots up, and just like that the spell is broken; their hands both dropping at the same time and their gazes shooting in opposite directions.

​Khobi’s not sure why has face suddenly feels so hot.

​Well if Montrel saw, then everyone saw, and when he looks up again both the princess and her father are politely trying to keep their expressions neutral.

​Not Montrel though.

​He’s grinning like a goddamned shark. If he says a word Khobi is gonna drop him so fast he won’t know what hit him.

Montrel must know that, because he keeps his mouth shut and lets his shit-eating smirk do the talking for him.

​"Ah, you’re here," Gurdet greets, looking up from his tea like he’s only just now noticed them for the first time.

There’s a sly little glint in his eye that gives him away, and Khobi suddenly wishes he had another couple of layers on to better hide away from his piercing gaze.

At least a cloak. Maybe some armour.

"Wonderful. Join us, won’t you?"

​Khobi keeps his head held high and his eyes firmly off Loac as he sinks into one of the vacant seats that the servants have laid out.

​"Bongo still busy?" Loac drawls as he sinks down next to him, glancing around the empty hall.

Khobi immediately mimics him; also having expected to find him here. "’S hardly a family dinner without him standing in the corner."

​"Bongo has other business to attend to," Gurdet replies dismissively, as the servants materialise out of nowhere to start setting out plate after enormous plate of such delicious smelling food that Khobi’s mouth starts to water all on its own.

There’s got to be more food here than he’s ever seen in one room in his life, and he crashed an actual party some months ago.

"I’m sure he won’t mind if we eat without him." Khobi had not been trying to hide the fact that he’s salivating, and the king seems to have noticed. "I take it dinner is to your liking?"

​"...Looks good," is about all Khobi can croak, and it’s an enormous understatement. It looks amazing .

The cooks have seriously outdone themselves this time –there’s so much there that he’s never seen served down at the mess hall, and some smells he’s never even caught a whiff of while he’s been down at the kitchens.

How they managed to put this feast together without him catching wind of it while he was down there today he has no idea.

He’s gonna seriously have to make an effort to get his ass down there some more because whatever’s sitting on the table in front of them, he wants to learn how to make.

​"...What d’you mean other business ?" Loac snorts, sceptical but not enough so to turn down the wine being poured for him, "Doesn’t he just...follow you around all day?"

​" Loac ," the princess scolds, "I’m sure Bongo-san has a lot more important things to do as a Captain than just –"

​" –No, no, Loac’s right," Gurdet admits airily, raising his goblet of wine in toast to them all, "That’s most of his job these days.

Especially as someone else appears to have stepped in to lighten Drogger’s load in days of late."

There’s something meaningful about the way his gaze shifts towards Loac, but his nephew is obstinately refusing to look in his direction.

​"...Although who knows?" he hums offhandedly, and there’s something wry about the way he adds, "...Maybe we’ll be in need of a new captain some day."

​It’s honestly not the worst dinner Khobi’s ever attended. It’s definitely a little weird to be sitting there; something that he and Montrel agree upon under their breath.

They’re the ones who do much of the talking while the servants finish laying the table; bemoaning the new drill Drogger’s come up with or discussing their plans for Khobi’s next riding lesson.

To be perfectly honest though, Khobi’s mostly looking forward to getting a taste of everything on this table --although there are definitely a few things that he’s not really sure how to go about eating. Montrel’s not using his hands for once, so he figures he’s probably not meant to, but Loac’s already been helping himself so he’s kind of at a loss as to what the procedure here is.

Because if he’s learned anything from Montrel’s anecdotes about royal matters, there’s a procedure for everything.

​The servants have just finished laying out the last of the food (Khobi can’t believe there’s so much of it; even he’s not feeling confident they’re gonna eat it all but he absolutely won’t be letting it go to waste), when there’s a sharp knock on the door.

​"Ah, perhaps that’s Bongo now."

...

Oh, Gurdet does so love surprising his family. One might say it’s the thing in life that brings him the most joy.

And today he’s done quite a good job, if he does say so himself, because in all his life he’s never seen either Princess Xena nor Loac looking shellshocked beyond reckoning, and today he’s managed to render them both absolutely speechless.

​Because as he’d suspected, it is Bongo. And he’s not alone.

​With his back to the door, Khobi sees their expressions before he sees who’s interrupted their dinner.

In seeing the colour so abruptly fall from their faces, he himself whirls to face this new threat; half rising out of his seat until he too, catches sight of Bongo. And while the end of summer seems like a long time ago now and they’d last crossed paths by smoke and fire and moonlight, he’d know that shaggy black hair and those catlike eyes anywhere.

​But Khobi has little time to wonder at what business the Captain of Nahja has being back in Crade, because there behind him, clapped in irons; are none other than Mozry and Khojin Frost.