Knights, Dragons... and Smut

Posted: April 2003
Type: RPS
Author: Estella Greenleaf
Summary: See title
Rating: NC-17 (yeah, lots of sex. I even use the f-word. I can't believe it myself...)
Pairing, Viggo/Orlando, Karl/Dave (yup, just like everything else I write, hehe)
Warning: This is an alternate universe smut!
Author's Note/Warning 2: This fic is dedicated to a friend who is obsessed over a dragon and 'burmination'. It is written on April Fool's day and posted on fellow_shippers on livejournal, after reading two fabricated 'articles' about various things concerning Orli and ROTK. I take no responsibility for this story, it's all my friend's fault....
Besides, thought it would be good practice for love scenes in serious fics. Please let me know what you think. I did check minataur's site for reference, but I am not even a guy, so don't know what's possible...

*****

It would seem that there was never a good time to visit the sorcerer these days. Every single time Viggo came to call, he would stumble upon his two best friends in some compromising position. Hence, the knight had avoided coming to the castle for two months now, ever since he walked in on Dave on his knees, suckling Karl's manhood like his favorite piece of candy. But today, he had no choice but to come unannounced - the dragon of legends had awakened. Already, two towns at the foot of Mount Zion were in ruins; he needed the sorcerer's help now.

But unluckily for Viggo, today was no exception to the rule ever since his two best friends became a couple almost six months ago. And if the incident two months ago had not traumatized Viggo, a knight in the service of Inomata, goddess of chastity, for life, the scene before him now certainly did. The two lovers were in the midst of a 'passionate' tryst, with Dave naked, bent over his massive desk while Karl took him forcefully from behind. Quickly, the knight shut his eyes and stepped out into the corridor. He supposed he should have listened to the housekeeper when she said her master was 'occupied'. Well, it was too late now - all Viggo could do was to wait this out, speak with his friends before going to the temple to confess his accidental voyeurism.

*****

With a strained cry, Karl emptied his seeds into his trembling lover. His skilful hands had ascertained that Dave found release before he was consumed by the scorching ecstasy that surged through his entire being every time he buried his shaft deep inside the sorcerer's tight heat. Wanting more of the pleasure he had just experienced, Karl began to move his limp organ inside his lover, rotating and shifting his hips in slow, gentle thrusts, letting the delicious friction ready his shaft for a second round of 'serious' pounding.

"I don't think that's a good idea," sighed Dave in pleasure as his lover's manhood hardened and stroked his sweet spot.

"Why not?" whispered Karl as he bent down to nibble his lover's ear. Dave was too coherent for his liking. He wanted Dave to lose control, unraveled by his prowess in bed and reduced to a trembling mass underneath him. And usually, the knight of Anslasax, god of war, had been extremely successful at doing just that. But it would seem that today, even after a bout of passionate sex, Dave could still speak in complete sentences. That, of course, made Karl more determined to rectify the situation. With bolder strokes, the knight began to probe his lover's sweet spot in earnest.

"Vig...outside...ten minutes...important" was all Dave could manage in between moans of pleasure as his lover made him see stars. It was so difficult to keep a train of thought when Karl was doing such wonderful things to his body.

"Damn..." swore Karl, knowing that their best friend would not pay them an unplanned visit if the business was not urgent. As much as he would like to continue fucking Dave senseless, he would have to wait until they spoke to Viggo. Reluctantly, he pulled his organ out of his lover and stalked towards where his clothes lied.

*****

Ten minutes later, a decently dressed, but no less aroused Karl went to invite Viggo into the study. "Hi, Vig. Been a while since you visited," chuckled Karl as he remembered what happened on his friend's last visit. The younger knight always thought Viggo was too innocent for his own good. It was not right for a man close to forty to have never been in a sexual relationship with anyone. He knew the knight served Inomata, but those in the Order were only required to remain 'pure' until the age of thirty. After that, the knights were encouraged to marry and have children to take on the family name.

"Yes, almost two months now," replied Viggo, trying not to allow the returning image of the incident two months ago haunt him. The dark-haired knight knew he was free to take a lover if he wished, but he just did not have the desire to. It was difficult to want to bed someone when he was taught that lust was a base instinct in his entire youth. His best friends' insisted that Viggo just had not found the right person yet; but he doubted he ever would. He would probably remain celibate for the rest of his life.

"So what brings you here?" asked Dave with a sage smile, every bit the powerful, wise sorcerer of Valis, god of light. Despite his youth, the handsome blond man was one of the strongest wizards in their lands, in charge of counseling all the ruling knights of the northern parts of the kingdom.

"Shooting Star has awoken. He is now terrorizing my lands at the foot of Mount Zion," replied Viggo, hoping that the sorcerer would help him on this dragon hunt. With his protective magic, they would have a much better chance at slaying this fire-breathing malice with minimal casualties.

"Sorry, Vig. Hands are tied against that particular one," said Dave with a sigh of defeat. He wanted to help his best friend. But he could not. In fact, neither could Karl.

"Why?"

"Ancient rules of the Order, my friend. No sorcerer of Valis should ever raise a hand against the dragon of Mount Zion," explained Dave as he looked at Viggo with sympathy.

"Same here, Vig. Knights of Anslasax are also forbidden to touch Shooting Star," added Karl as he moved to sit beside his lover and held Dave's hand.

"I suppose that means I am on my own," commented Viggo. The knights of Inomata had very little experience fighting dragons. The Order of Valis and Anslasax were the dragon-slayers responsible for destroying any rogue beasts wrecking havoc on their lands. This was very bad news indeed. It was Viggo's first time leading a hunt, and it would be against a legendary creature.

"Don't worry, Vig. If you wait a few more days until the Hunter's moon, you will not have to fight at all," said the sorcerer cryptically. Dave did not know why he spoke those words; they just flowed from his lips without thought. It must be one of the prophecies of the god of light. Since never once had the words of Valis been wrong, Dave felt very much relieved. He would hate for his best friend to face danger alone.

Acknowledging the sorcerer's counsel, Viggo bid the couple goodnight before returning to his own castle to prepare his men. He sincerely hoped that Dave was right; else, the knight would likely be leading his soldiers to their doom.

*****

Being cursed into an ugly, fire-breathing lizard was not too bad. Being hunted by amateur dragon-slayers who sought some non- existent treasure was. And being hunted by a team of soldiers led by an experienced knight could ruin anyone's day. All Orlando did was retaliated against his would-be murderers by scorching the villages that housed them. The Immortal was certain he was within rights to do so. Perhaps he got a little carried away, but he was a dragon - breathing fire was the only thing he could do...

Orlando was a wood nymph once , a 'lower class immortal', leading a carefree life in the forest; until one night, his proud father got inebriated and boasted that his beauty surpassed even Atariel, the goddess of love, deemed most exquisite of all Immortals. Insulted, the goddess laid a curse upon the wood nymph, transforming his perfect form into that of a hideous beast.

But Orlando was not without admirers in high places. His large amber eyes, delicate features and lithe body exuded an androgynous allure that captivated many powerful gods of both genders. Though they could not interfere with Atariel's vengeance directly, they tampered with the curse to allow the nymph to regain his original form every Hunter's moon. If during that night, Orlando were able to find a knight of Inomata to offer him the gift of chastity, his curse would be broken.

It had been a thousand, twenty-two years, fifty-nine days, five hours and ten minutes since Orlando was first cursed. It would be justifiable to say the nymph had given up all hope of returning to his normal self. Everything had long fallen into a familiar routine and he had learned to 'enjoy' his life as a dragon, lounging in his lair, slumbering the years away like most dragons did. And every year, if he were awake, he would spend his one night of freedom to experience the thing he enjoyed the most as a nymph - bathing under the full moon.

Orlando knew the soldiers were camped near the only water source in the area. But he was not going to change his habit of a thousand years because of the mortals' presence. After a day of laborious exploration of the tunnels of his home, the men were probably exhausted and would most likely be asleep. Besides, men were filthy creatures who did not bathe as often as they should. The nymph was quite certain no one would be at the stream at this hour. And even if one of the warriors who hunted him were there, the man would not know Orlando was the Shooting Star. There was no reason to worry at all.

*****

What Orlando found at the stream was not quite what he expected. The leader of soldiers who hunted him earlier was at the stream, standing naked in waist-high water under the full moon. That fact in itself was not surprising; the shock was how mesmerized he was by the sight of the naked man. The nymph was accustomed to seeing perfect male beauty; after all, he had the privilege of being courted by Anslasax and Valis, the epitomes of masculinity. This man should not have the ability to fascinate him so.

Yet, as he watched the knight bathed, the nymph had this urge to feel the knight's weather-tanned skin and trace his tongue along the battle scars that marred the perfection of his desirable muscular body. This was highly unusual, since Orlando was not prone to lust, especially not for mortals; but he could not deny his rapidly growing arousal. He supposed a thousand years of forced celibacy would do that to anyone. Perhaps, his standards had dropped a tad too low for his taste. His silent appraisal, however, came to an abrupt end. "Who's there?"

The nymph did not answer. When the knight waded onto shore, his naked form fully revealed in all its glory, Orlando let out a hitched breath at how well endowed the man was. Of course, that sight fueled his lust-filled brain with even more inappropriate thoughts. All the nymph wanted to do was to approach the knight and tried to seduce him. But Orlando also knew no good would come in developing a relationship of any sort with a man who wanted him dead.

With all his will, the nymph managed to force his eyes closed and stopped staring at the object of his desire. The next thing Orlando knew was that he was tackled to the ground by a very large creature. When he opened his eyes, he found the handsome face of the knight only inches above his. They were so close that he could feel the man's warm breath on his face like a gentle caress, which promptly made his cock hardened to the point of pain.

"Who are you? Why are you watching me?" asked Viggo in whisper. The knight had found several fortune hunters lingering in the caves of Mount Zion. Those men were hardly friendly, seeing the soldiers as competition. He had no doubt they would not hesitate to ambush and harm him if given the opportunity. But this young man seemed a little bit too gorgeous to be the likes of those men. If Viggo was not feeling the warm, solid body below him, he would believe he had strayed into a dream and the exquisite creature was a nymph, a mythical beauty of legends.

The knight's voice sent lightning arching through Orlando's veins. Soft and airy, with a quiet intensity - the nymph's dysfunctional senses thought it sounded intimate, like a lover's whisper. Barely able to speak, the nymph answered shakily, "I am Orlando. I just came here for a bath."

The young man had a musical, lilting voice to match his perfect form. Having established that his 'visitor' was not a threat, Viggo began to notice the suggestive position they were in. In fact, the knight became aware that Orlando's arousal was pressed against his stomach, causing him to immediately jump off the young man. Though one would be blind to not notice how desirable Orlando was, the knight was not interested. Or at least, that's what Viggo kept telling himself. He was NOT going to develop an attraction to a complete stranger whom he had just met. The knight had been celibate for forty years; these little sparks that ran through his veins when Orlando was underneath him were just an anomaly. Nothing more. "It's okay. The stream is all yours."

"Thanks," muttered Orlando, disappointed that the knight was clearly not interested in him. It was for the better anyway. They would be engaged in a battle for survival soon enough. Forcing his mind to stop dwelling on what kind of lover the man would make, the nymph glided towards the water without a backwards glance. He was here to bathe; that was exactly what he intended to do. Well, maybe, with the addition of relieving his aching need with his nimble fingers.

*****

Viggo had to force himself to look away when the young man stripped. The knight had never been so interested in another person's body before. Slightly ashamed that he was unable to control the direction of his thoughts, Viggo finished dressing quickly and began to leave. But he was frozen in his retreat by a siren's song, the music of the night that enthralled and caressed him with a tale of love and longing.

Drawn to the lilting melody, the man turned to find a masterpiece of ethereal beauty before him. Orlando stood naked under the full moon, his delicate features and lithe form silhouetted in the pale silvery light; eyes closed, expression unguarded as he poured himself into his song. The young man had submerged himself earlier in the stream; now, pearls of water glistened dimly in the moon as they glided seductively down Orlando's supple chest. For the first time in his entire life, Viggo felt his breeches became constricting and his throat dry.

All too soon, the song came to an end. The knight was now free to move, but he remained immobile, drinking in the sight of the young man pleasuring himself leisurely. Viggo swore he had never seen anything more erotic, despite the many times he had accidentally walked in on Karl and Dave in a tryst. Soon enough, he found himself envying Orlando's hands, wishing they were his own.

*****

The situation was quickly becoming disconcerting - though not overly modest, Orlando preferred to not make a public display of his pleasures, especially not in front of a knight who had no intention of joining him. Unable to ignore the man any longer, he asked in annoyance, "Why are you still here?"

"I..." Viggo could not give an answer when he did not know. Perhaps his friends were right; he had been alone for too long. He had ignored his needs to such a point that the first beautiful available person who seemed interested in him was able to trigger his carnal desires in a dramatic fashion which surprised himself greatly.

"Forget it," huffed Orlando as he walked gracefully out of the water and to his clothes. If the man wanted to stay by the stream, fine. The nymph would just return to the privacy of his cave and finish what he started. Besides, it was a good thing that he was becoming annoyed at the knight. Orlando would feel less guilty when he blasted the man to smithereens when their inevitable confrontation occurred.

Viggo felt his heart dropped to his stomach when the young man started to leave. He would most likely regret his impetuous actions later, but he was not going to allow this chance pass him by. He knew if he let Orlando walk away now, he would always looked back at tonight and wondered what could have been. "Wait. Please, don't go," pleaded Viggo as he rushed to the dark- haired beauty's side and grabbed his arm.

Orlando merely glared at his hand, indicating that if Viggo did not let go soon, something horrible would happen. But the fearless knight was not so easily daunted. Pushing all his embarrassment and shame aside, Viggo made his confession, "I am sorry for the way I acted. This is new for me. I've never been attracted to another man before. I..."

The man's confession was cut short by a gentle kiss upon his lips. When the dark-haired beauty pulled back, Viggo could see that the anger had evaporated from Orlando's expressive amber eyes, which now held warmth and tenderness.

"I am yours if you want me, my dear knight," whispered the nymph, offering the man his body. It was his first time with a mortal; but he was certain the knight would be worth it, especially since he would be the man's first male lover as well.

"It's Viggo," said the knight as he nodded his assent and bit his lip in anticipation.

*****

"Viggo," a low intimate whisper that caressed the man and sent shivers down his spine. Still holding Viggo's eyes, the 'young man' began to strip in slow, sensuous movements, making the knight's manhood flushed to the point of pain. Naked, Orlando leaned close to the larger man once more for a kiss. With gentle pressure, the nymph coaxed Viggo's lips apart, snaking his tongue into the knight's mouth, tasting, lazily exploring every inch of the hot cavern.

Orlando's kiss set Viggo's body ablaze; his clothes had all of a sudden become extremely comfortable. As if sensing his predicament, the 'young man' undid the ties on his shirt with deft fingers and removed the offending garment. But to the man's disappointment, Orlando seemed content to allow his breeches to remain, despite the fact that Viggo's arousal was now straining painfully against the rough fabric. As Viggo was ready to begin his adventure in the realm of the pleasures of the flesh, he was willing to defer to Orlando's judgement, since the dark-haired beauty seemed much more experience in these matters.

But that was not to say Viggo was not eager to touch and taste. Mimicking the young man's movements, he began to return the kiss with fervor, his tongue dancing with Orlando's in a primitive rhythm of desire. His hands roamed the nymph's perfect body, marveling at the supple, well-toned muscles underneath the hot, velvety skin. Of their own volition, his hands drifted lower towards Orlando's arousal. But before they reached their destination, the young man stopped him and broke the kiss.

"Not yet. I want you to relax and enjoy this," whispered Orlando against the man's ears. His slim fingers began to stroke Viggo's chest playfully as he started to lick the shell of the knight's ears.

Using every ounce of his control to stay still, the inexperienced man surrendered to his lover's expert touch. One of Orlando's hands settled on his nipple, rolling the peak gently between his fingers. Viggo cried out in pleasure, only to be rewarded with more as the nymph nibbled his earlobe before tracing a path of wet kisses down his neck. Soon, the knight's body became this giant conflagration set aflame by his lover's touch - thoughts muddled, skin moist with a thin sheet of sweat, little more than a mass of sensitized nerves craving more of the exquisite torture the 'young man' inflicted.

When Orlando's mouth latched onto his other nipple, Viggo believed the sensation was the ultimate euphoria. But he was wrong. When the nymph's other hand followed the midline of his abdomen down to trace the outline of his strained arousal, the man could not help but cry out in pleasure, thrusting his hips forward for more of the delicious contact. Orlando continued to tease his lover's clothed manhood until he felt the moisture seeping through the fabric from Viggo's leaking shaft. Casting a glance at the man's face to see the enrapt expression, the nymph decided his lover had enough foreplay and was ready for the next phase.

Gracefully, Orlando dropped to his knees, making certain to kiss his way down the knight's hard abs as he went. Settling comfortably in his new position, he freed Viggo's engorged cock from the confines of his breeches. Holding the man's hips, the nymph laid gently kisses on the tip of the weeping shaft, before using his tongue to tease the sensitive head and ridge. Viggo tried to buck, to rub himself against his lover, but the 'young man's' hold on him was strong. Orlando proceeded to lick the entire length of the knight's shaft with agonizingly slow strokes, eliciting a series of strained cries with each swipe of his tongue.

Unable to take anymore of this torture, Viggo pleaded, "Orlando, please..."

Seeing that his lover was at the end of his endurance, the nymph began his administrations in earnest, taking Viggo's manhood into his mouth, flicking his tongue across the sensitive tip. Encouraged by the rapturous moan from the man, Orlando suckled the shaft gently while continuing the exploration with his tongue. Viggo now struggled incessantly against his hold, wanting to ram his aching shaft deep into the wet heat. Sensing the gathering tension in his lover's body, the nymph took the entire length of the man's arousal into his mouth, working the muscles in the back of his throat against it. The knight cried out at the incredible sensation of being deep inside his lover; and when Orlando's hands moved to fondle his sacs, Viggo was sent tumbling headfirst into the lands of ecstasy as he emptied his seeds into the 'young man's' welcoming mouth.

*****

Certain that he had milked the last drop from the man's now-limp shaft, Orlando laid his lover gently onto the ground. He was not quite finished with Viggo yet. He wanted to give the knight time to recover, but the nymph knew he did not have much time before dawn. The man had seemed interested in touching him before; and Orlando would hate to not give Viggo what he wanted. As soon as the man was coherent enough to tell him "That was amazing", the nymph began to kiss and fondle his lover again, wanting to give Viggo his body as he promised earlier.

Orlando's touches were feather-light, making quick work of arousing Viggo yet again. But this time, the 'young man' laid relaxed beside him, in a suggestive position, regarding him with what the knight believed to be a come-hither look. Without further ado, the larger man rolled on top of his lover to claim the beauty's delectable rosy lips. Instead of controlling the kiss as he did before, Orlando simply opened his mouth in invitation. Viggo wasted no time in taking charge, thrusting his tongue into the welcoming heat that pleasured him so much only moments ago. As their tongues dueled, the knight's hands caressed every inch of the beauty's smooth olive skin. Having learned his first lesson in physical pleasures well, Viggo teased his lover's nipple with one hand while the other moved to stroke Orlando's hardened shaft. He was pleased that his administrations drew little moans of pleasure from his experienced lover. Encouraged by his success, Viggo increased the pressure of his grip on the young man's cock and started pumping the organ with enthusiasm.

"Oh, Viggo...stop," moaned Orlando as he sensed himself nearing release. The man frowned but did as he requested. But before the knight could doubt his abilities at pleasing his lover, the nymph added huskily, "I want you inside me."

Viggo's manhood jumped at the suggestion of burying being deep inside the beauty's heat. Thanks to Karl and Dave, the knight actually knew what to do. Eagerly, the man moved to turn Orlando over and settled on top of him. The nymph spread his legs wide for his lover, bending his knees to jut his buttocks up slightly. Having coated his organ with saliva, the knight guided its tip to his lover's puckered entrance. With more restraint than Viggo thought he possessed, he began to ease himself slowly into his lover's tight heat. Orlando gasped in pleasure at the penetration. Impatient for more of the man, the nymph pushed his hips down to sheath Viggo's shaft within his heat in one quick stroke.

His lover's eagerness shattered the knight's plan to be gentle. The primal instinct to mate and claim took over, guiding Viggo's powerful thrusts as he slammed his cock hard and fast into Orlando's sweet spot with each stroke. The nymph's cries of pleasure fueled the man's desires, inspiring Viggo to shift and assault his lover's sweet spot in a variety of different angles, looking for the best position where he could plunge himself deeper into the 'young man's' tight heat. Instinctively, Orlando's hand moved to wrap around his leaking shaft and began to pump in time with Viggo's thrusts. It was not long before the nymph came, spilling seeds over his stomach and the grassy floor. The clenching of Orlando's inner muscles proved to be the man's undoing. With a triumph shout, Viggo poured his essence deep inside his beautiful lover.

*****

It was almost morning. The lovers had fallen asleep in each other's arms after their passionate tryst. Now, Orlando knew he must leave before the first ray of the sun revealed his shameful secret to the man seemed to have stolen his heart. Quietly, the nymph disentangled his limbs from the knight's. He quickly dressed before kneeling beside the handsome man to give him one last parting kiss. To his surprise, Viggo opened his eyes, caught him by the wrist and demanded, "Where are you going?"

"I must leave now. Before it's too late," said the nymph as he glanced worriedly as the rapidly brightening sky.

"Why?" asked Viggo, sounding every bit as hurt as he felt. The night had been amazing. Now that he had tasted Orlando's sweetness, he knew no one else would ever be able to arouse his desires again. The young man was the only one he wanted to be with for the rest of his life.

Though Orlando wanted to lie, he knew his lover deserved the truth, even it meant losing Viggo. "Because I am cursed, Viggo. I only resume my original form for one night of the year, during the Hunter's moon. When the sun rises, I will turn into Shooting Star, the dragon you came here to hunt."

"You do not need such a pitiful excuse to leave me, Orlando. Just say I did not please you, or that last night meant nothing, and I won't stand in your way," replied the knight as he turned away from the dark-haired beauty who broke his heart.

"It's the truth. Only the gift of chastity from a Knight of Inomata could break the spell. If you don't believe me, I will stay here until the transformation occurs. It does not really matter anymore; since if you still wanted me dead, I will not fight you; not after what we've shared last night," said Orlando fervently as he moved to stand in front of Viggo, forcing the man to look at him.

As the man probed deep into his lover's expressive amber eyes, he knew the young man spoke the truth. This must be what Dave meant when he spoke the prophecy of Valis. Since Viggo was a knight of Inomata, and had offered Orlando his gift of chastity last night, the curse was broken. Shooting Star, the fire-breathing malice, was no more; only his beautiful lover remained. "Oh Orlando," exclaimed the man as he gathered the dark-haired beauty in a tight embrace. "I believe we have broken your curse last night."

"You serve Inomata?" asked the nymph in disbelief, as he knew the knights in the service of the goddess of chastity seldom went on dragon hunts.

"Yes. And you are my first lover," whispered Viggo as he kissed Orlando's lips. He would have done more if he were not interrupted by a loud cough. The knight turned to see two large, handsome men watching their activities with interest. Instinctively, Viggo pushed his lover behind him, shielding the nymph with his larger frame.

"This mortal certainly has courage to spare," chuckled the dark-haired one with tawny eyes with approval.

"Not a bad match of our lovely Orlando," agreed the green-eyed blond man with a nod.

Before the knight could ask who they were, the nymph had stepped out to greet the strangers with a bow, "My lords."

"No need to be so formal, beautiful. You are always my favorite," said Anslasax with a fond smile.

"Same here, lovely one. That's why we both forbid our Orders to hunt you," agreed Valis with a wink.

"I see," smiled Orlando, now understanding why a Knight of Inomata had came on a dragon hunt. He knew he was very lucky to have maintained the two powerful gods affections though their brief affairs had ended long ago.

"We have missed your vivacious presence so much, beautiful," sighed the god of war as he moved to take the nymph's hand for a kiss.

"I wish to stay with Viggo, my lords," said Orlando immediately, making clear of his intentions to be with the man he loved for as long as the mortal lived.

"Well, we can't have the man growing old and touching you with wrinkled hands now, can we? What to do?!" asked the god of light dramatically as he frowned, looking intently at the dark-haired beauty.

"Perhaps, my lord can make Viggo immortal," asked Orlando hopefully, understanding it was what Valis wanted of him. The god of light could not give the gift of immortality unless he was asked.

"What a great idea! What do you think, brother?" exclaimed Valis as his face brightened with a gorgeous smile.

"You have my support on this one," consented Anslasax. With the two most powerful gods behind the gift, none in heavens, even Atariel, would dare interfere.

"Viggo, you are going to be given the gift of immortality. In return, you are honor-bound to love and cherish our beautiful Orlando. Do you agree?" asked the golden god of light as he gazed directly at the man.

All his years of being a pious man did not prepare Viggo for seeing divine figures with his own eyes. But despite his shock, he understood he was being offered the chance of spending eternity with Orlando by his side. And the knight knew there was nothing in the world he wanted more. "Yes, my lord."

"It is decided then," said Valis before all was engulfed in a blinding flash of light.

*****

Viggo slowly opened his eyes to find his two best friends' hovering over him. His entire body burned and ached. When he tried to move, he found that his limbs were not in his control. "What happened?"

"You tell us. But all I can say is you are one lucky man," said Karl as he settled in a chair close to the bed.

"People have died from lesser wounds, Vig," remarked Dave who sat at the side of the bed, still looking worried.

The events concerning Orlando returned with crystal clarity. But what wounds could his friends be speaking of? None of this made sense. "Where is Orlando?"

"Orlando?" asked Karl, who now looked concerned as well. "Have you hit your head during your fight with Shooting Star?"

"I think Vig is talking about the exquisite young man who brought him back, Karl," winked Dave as he gave his friend a knowing smile.

"Oh, him. So, he does have a name. He just brought you to us, with severe burns all over your body. Hasn't spoken a single word to anyone though," replied the knight of Anslasax.

"Can you find him for me, please?" asked Viggo quietly.

"No need, he's here," said Dave as he glanced at the open door.

Orlando rushed to his wounded lover's side. He wanted to hold the man, but he was afraid it would worsen the injuries. The nymph had been going insane with worry since he first saw Viggo's battered body after Valis' spell. The gods assured him that the baptism of fire was necessary; that the knight would recover without a scratch on him, given a few weeks. But still, seeing that even Dave the sorcerer was worried, he really could not stop himself. "I am so sorry. If I knew you might get hurt, I wouldn't have asked."

"This is nothing, love. I will recover in time. A little pain is a price worthy paying if it means having an eternity with you," whispered Viggo with a smile. Seeing his beautiful lover gazed at him with such tenderness, the knight knew everything would be all right.

*****

And the couples lived happily ever after =)

THE END

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