Nobody came.

It was the morning and Nikkol finally let himself relax just a bit. Maybe Setial didn't care enough to come after him.

"Where were you last night?" Edgal asked him as they ran next to each other.

"Went to bed early."

"Well Maryal and Sir Kethal were there again. We all missed you." Edgal bumped his shoulder into Nikkol's. "And you would not believe the woman I bedded, she was absolutely gorgeous."

Of course Edgal wanted to talk if his successes, but Nikkol knew to play along. "Oh, yeah?"

Edgal nodded enthusiastically. "So beautiful. I made plans to see her again tonight."

"Oh, has the infamous Edgal, bedder of women, fallen in love?"

"I just might've." Edgal's eyes looked off into the distance, a dreamy look on his face.

"What's her name?"

"Don't ask me."

Both laughed lightly, knowing Edgal's habit of breezing through women. "So what did you talk to Maryal and Sir Kethal about?"

"Well, about the King's new son and whatever you were up to and- oh, turns out you aren't the only one so you're probably not gonna get killed!" Edgal rambled out quickly.

"What?"

"You know your thing with," Edgal lowered his voice so Nikkol could barely hear, "the prince."

"What about it?" Nikkol asked very cautiously.

"He dragged Tommal into his room last night." Tommal was another palace guard, a few years younger than Nikkol who stood a few posts down from him... in the direction of Setial's room. A sinking feeling ate at Nikkol's gut. Was Setial done with him? Had he just moved on over what happened? Nikkol hated to admit it, but he had liked feeling special, feeling important, and the prince sharing his bed with someone else, it really made his chest hurt. "So hopefully that means he's done with you and you're hopefully safe now."

Nikkol gave his friend a half-hearted smile, knowing that Edgal was just trying to look out for him. "Hopefully."

He barely remembered the rest of training or the walk to his post, his head swimming and stomach twisting.

And he was very unaware of his surroundings, something that guards were never supposed to be, instead zoning out with his eyes still on the unchanging stone wall, imagining Setial walking by him again and again without a single glance his way.

He hated that so much. Being forced back into his life without the excitement of the prince started to sound like an even worse punishment than his death, even though he decided the opposite the day before. He craved the special attention, and deeply regretted giving any of it up, even if he probably only would've gotten a minute more before they were seen, reported, and he was killed.

He was so out of it, he almost didn't realize the pull on his arm until his feet were forced to move.

And before he knew it, his worst nightmare was proved untrue as Setial was dragging him back down the halls.

He knew there was a chance that Setial was going to punish him or get mad at him, but Nikkol was too relieved to care. The threat of not being a part of the exciting whirlwind that seemed to surround the prince all the time was enough to make him grateful for this moment.

When the door to his room closed behind them, Nikkol felt himself relax, the tension and trained stiffness leaving his body, not seeing Setial's eyes bearing into him while he did this.

The guard turned to the prince, waiting for him to make the first move, tenseness filling the air.

"Are you going to push me away this time?" Setial said after a moment.

Knowing that he wasn't in trouble and the prince wasn't looking to be done with him, Nikkol smiled and stepped forward, his lips finding those that had become almost familiar, savoring something he had feared he'd lost.

Setial responded, but after a second he stopped and pushed Nikkol away, which instantly mellowed Nikkol's good mood.

"Is this because you took someone else to your bed last night? Because I really don't mind," Nikkol minded, "I just want to enjoy this time with you."

Setial met his eyes and didn't say anything for a while, just looked at him. "Do you really not mind?"

The question made the guard uncomfortable, not knowing how to respond. If he said the truth then Setial might pull away, but if he continued with his lie then Setial might assume things about the guard that might backfire. Nikkol didn't want him sleeping around. It was only a question now on what was worse. "I'd rather you didn't, but you are free to make your own decisions." The second he said if he regretted it. He had absolutely no claim to the prince and what he said implied that he had some. Oh, he was surely to be punished now.

Setial didn't look mad though, more thoughtful. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said to me." Nikkol felt the dread in his stomach build up. "And perhaps I have been treating you a bit unfairly." He sighed. "I was mad at first, I'll admit. But when I took that other guard to my bed, it didn't feel right. He didn't have the same suppressed rebellion that you seem to have." He paused for a moment, clearly thinking very deeply. "I should have thought of you before acting impulsively." Nikkol blinked in surprise, that was more emotion—other than anger—that he'd heard from him and certainly wasn't where he saw the conversation going. "I don't want you to die."

Nikkol was in shock. That was almost an apology. From the prince. He had only ever seen him act in anger, and here he was telling him that he didn't want him to die. Perhaps he had gotten in his good side after all. He opened his mouth to speak, to question and request, but remembered at the last moment that he couldn't. He had spoken riskily enough that day and with his strange the prince was acting shouldn't push it. So he suppressed all of that curiosity and other emotions he didn't want to look into deep down and simply said, "Thank you."

Bad choice. Setial immediately threw his hands up, face twisting in annoyance. "After all that!" Nikkol felt he should be afraid, but he didn't. "Here: you are free to say whatever you want to in my presence! Will you now stop doing that!"

He was just given permission to say what he wanted. Nikkol was both very surprised and pleased, tingles of excitement growing stronger. Setial himself still looked a little annoyed and was looking at Nikkol, waiting. The guard didn't know what to say first, to ask him about some of what he said, to thank him for the permission, to change the topic entirely, he didn't know! What he did know was that Setial looked very nice at the moment and Nikkol was still turned on. "Take me."

Setial's eyes darkened in lust right after the words left his mouth. He'd never ordered or really asked the prince to do anything for him, was in no position to. Nikkol hadn't meant for it to slip, it just did, but Setial didn't seem to mind.

He didn't seem to mind at all.

Especially not when he was pushing Nikkol up against the bed, the prince's name leaving the guard's mouth freely.