Goodbye Hello

Miriel gave a shudder as a hand graced his neck, followed by a choked noise as he was lifted, sharing up at Marcus, his eyes wide as he gripped at the man's hand on instinct.

Those words and that expression caused a small whimper to escape from him.

At the order Sigil rose and strode forward, gripping onto the small Elf and hoisting him over his shoulder to take him back to Marcus' chamber.

Miriel cringed in pain and Sigil gave a small chuckle as he noticed the boy's backside, what a nice surprise for Marcus when they got back.

Marcus shook his head when Sigil lifted the boy.

"No. have him kneel." As an afterthought, he said. "And you, too. I want you both on your knees."

He wanted everyone to see who he had claimed as his slave. A nice bit of gossip for his mother to hear. He'd taken one of her loyal slaves.

"As you wish."

He replied, setting the writhing boy back down onto his feet, pulling him down onto his knees as he too knelt down.

Sigil kept a firm hand in Miriel's hair to keep him in position.

It seemed that the boy's initiation into being Marcus' slave would differ greatly from his own.

Marcus needed to make this a big event.

He needed his mother to find out about this quickly. This was all to piss off his mother. Everything he had done since he had been back in the country had been designed to piss her off.

Payback for the three weeks he had had to be in Kennedrick.

He wanted to piss her off so much she was seeing red. It would make for an interesting dinner date.

Marcus' hand stroked through the wild curls of his Elf gently. "You are free." His voice was soft but it carried. everyone around them would be able to hear. "In your freedom, pledge yourself to your country and pledge yourself to me, the ruler of the armies you will join."

A small smile graced his lips as Marcus' hand stroked through his curled hair. No one else in the room knew him well enough to see the hint of sadness in his eyes as he looked up at the Prince, his gaze unwavering.

"I pledge my service to Nalithia, which I will defend. I pledge my loyalty to you and all you rule, which I will protect, until the end of my days."

Pledging himself to Marcus was the only real commitment he could make to the man, he was the man's most loyal slave, now he would prove himself to be an even more loyal soldier.

There was a sadness ebhind the smile Marcus gave in response to the Elf's pledge.

He was gaining a soldier today, but he was losing something far more important. He was losing his first slave. It was enough to strike sadness into him.

Almost hesitantly, he drew the key from his clothing.

"With this key, I remove you from your bonds as a slave to the royalty of Nalithia. I give you your freedom." The key slid into the lock and with one swift turn, the lock opened for the first time.

Sigil didn't even glance at the key, he kept his eyes locked onto Marcus, this was definitely bittersweet, he just hoped that losing his collar was worth it, if he couldn't adjust to life as a soldier it would all be for nothing.

He swallowed thickly as the collar unlocked, after their time in Kenndrick his skin had tanned and the flesh beneath the collar was still a few shades lighter than the rest.

He stayed still, waiting for Marcus to remove the heavy metal from his neck for the first and only time in over 400 years.

He slid the key back into his jacket and laid his hands on the warm metal. It was hardly ever cold. Hardly ever anything but the same perfect hot temperature that Sigil himself was.

The ease in which he lifted the collar from Sigil's throat seemed wrong.

It shouldn't be this easy.

"You are free."

The words tasted wrong on his tongue. He didn't like them. No, it was beyond that. He hated them. He hated giving Sigil his freedom.

His collar felt heavier now then it ever had and as it was lifted from his neck he felt and unwelcome lightness.

Hesitantly his hand reached up and stroked over his now exposed neck.

When Marcus spoke his lips parted in reply but couldn't decide what he wanted to say.

Stop, put it back on. I don't want to leave. I don't know if I want this. Don't let me go.

"Thank you."

He replied, and unsure smile wavering on his lips.

He gripped Sigil's jaw tightly and drew him up into a deep, long kiss. An affair of teeth and tongue and desperate grasping at the Elf's skin and hair.

He didn't want to lose this.

He really didn't want to lose it.

"You are free," he whispered gently, pressing his forehead against the Elf's chest. Privately, where no one could hear his whisper, the words sounded like a fierce curse.

Sigil kissed him back with a fierce desperation, gripping onto the Prince more tightly than anyone else would ever dare to.

When Marcus spoke he felt it like a physical blow and it only served in provoking him to grip the man more tightly.

"I'll never be free."

He whispered back, this was their moment, no one elses.

"I'll always be chained to you, Marcus."

Doubt was filling his mind and heart, he could feel his will to be free fading quickly and his desire to being enslaved again rising.

The Vampire stayed silent.

He wanted the Elf to stay chained to him. He wanted Sigil to stay with him. He didnt want to lose his favourite Elf.

His hands gave Sigil's hair a sharp tug before his pale fingers slipped from the dark curls.

When the Vampire's hands slipped from his hair Sigil felt a profound sense of loss, that contact was the last thing holding them together.

"I can't give up my freedom..."

He muttered softly, his gaze turning to Marcus.

"If I did, I know I would feel regret later on and I would resent myself for it.
Take it from me Marcus, if it was you who denied me my freedom I could never resent you."

If the Prince didn't want him to be free then he had to take it away from him, if not, he would be joining the army and things between them would change.

For the first time Marcus' good was battling with his selfish desire.

He wanted Sigil to be his. He really didn't want to let go of Sigil; his Elf. But the elf had dreamed of his freedom and being in the armies for the best part of four hundred years.

He didn't know if he could take that away from him.

With a shaky breath and a longing glance, Marcus turned away from the Elf, repeating: "you are free." It left such a bitter taste in his mouth, being good. he preferred it when he was selfish.

But this was his Elf. He felt he owed it to him to be good. For once in his four hundred years, he felt he had to be good, even with the painfully obvious signs from Sigil that said that the Elf wanted him to be selfish.

I could never resent you

It was almost enough to make him crack.

Sigil was sure that Marcus would put the collar back on him in a heart beat, both of them were second guessing this decision and he didn't want to leave the Vampire's side.

When Marcus turned away from him, his heart dropped, as if it had suddenly turned to lead and sat heavily in his stomach weighing his whole body down.

You are free.

How funny it was that he had never felt any less free then he did right now.

His shoulders slumped slightly as he stood in place, his eyes cast upon the floor. His time by Marcus' side was over.

The Vampire had to grit his teeth together as he gazed down at the other Elf.

The mere sight disgusted him right now.

He was too blond. Too skinny. Too feminine.

Just not right. He wasn't Sigil and he never could be Sigil.

"Name," ine intoned monotonously.

"Miriel."

He muttered softly, not looking up at the man that stood before him, he had obediently stayed in his knelt position that he had been placed in.

If avoiding further punishment was possible he wanted to at least attempt to behave.

The elf was a few years older than Sigil but they couldn't be more opposite, Miriel had fair, pale skin where are Sigil's was rough and tanned. He looked like quite a fragile and gentle creature.

His eyes trailed slowly over Miriel.

"I can see why my mother finds pleasure in you."

His body may not compare to Sigil, but he did find the sight of it pleasing to some degree. It was a body he could have in his bed.

"Tell me, are you her favourite?"

A small shiver ran through him, even without looking up he could feel the Prince's eyes on him, inspecting him.

"One of her favourites."

There was a small group of them that she preferred over the others, she had to have a few of them because of their small bodies she had to rotate between them during feedings.

Miriel's neck still bore the marks of the Queen's fangs, he had only just gotten back from feeding her lunch.

"Excellent."

Nothing if not a little shit, Marcus would make sure he took one of his mothers favourites. Who better than the most recent feed?

"I claim you as mine." His voice carried again, for all to hear. "My blood slave to whom I can do as I please."

Miriel slinked back a little as Marcus claimed him, trying to withdraw from the situation and beside him Sigil stiffened, displeased with Marcus letting him go then calling someone else his.

"B-but...I belong to the Queen..."

The Queen had already claimed him, how could he be claimed again.

He didn't want to be owned by the Prince, Marcus scared him more than Cierra did, he had heard rumors about him, he was meant to be ruthless and blood thirsty, at least the Queen treated him kindly when he pleased her.

Ruthless and blood-thirsty indeed. Those were both phrases that had been used to describe him. Often times.

"The queen uses you," Marcus corrected.

He grinned a devilish grin as he leaned down. "If you were owned by her, you would be a live-in. Your presence here suggests that you are not a live-in." His lips parted in a smirk, showing off six sharp fangs. One part of him that had always instilled fear in people. Even Sigil had feared them at times.

"As primary heir to my mothers throne I am given my choice of any slave that does not belong to my mother."

He arched one thin, black brow. "Do you wish to challenge me again?"

Cierra didn't have any live-in Slaves, she kept them all at a distance.

As a Slave the notion of being used shouldn't be news but hearing it said out loud wasn't pleasant.

The small Elf's eyes widened in fear at the sight of the Prince's fangs, he had heard about them but had never seen them up close, he was terrified of those being anywhere near his skin.

Slowly Mikiel shook his head, there was no point challenging him now, he was trapped and unless the Queen intervened he was going to be taken by the Prince.

He stole a glance at Sigil, looking for assurance that everything would be alright, wondering how he had been treated in all his years of service and whether or not he would be treated the same. All he got from the larger Elf was a nasty little smirk that made his stomach churn.

"Sigil, come. We've to take you to the barracks."

Marcus would quite happily personally escort Sigil to the barracks, with Miriel following along behind them, scared out of his fine sheer robes.

"Come," he addressed the older Elf, glancing at him as he and Sigil began out of the pantry.

"We need to give the servants time to spread their wings."

By the time he and Miriel had gotten back from the barracks and cleaned up for dinner, his mother would have caught wing of it and would have a great opinion for them to chat about.

Sigil followed the Prince promptly, following after him toward the barracks, he hadn't been allowed to step foot in there before, probably because of readily available weapons.

"I'll need to gather my things from your chambers, if I'm allowed to keep them."

He had a few belongings, not much, just things that Marcus had given him, some clothes mostly.

He knew this transition was not going to be pleasant, Slaves didn't usually get set free and after being Marcus' for so long he knew he would have a target painted on him.

Miriel followed behind them timidly, clutching his robe, each step for them was two for him.