They were inseparable for the first few days after that. Tylendel knew the lack of separation wouldn't last—wouldn't be able to. He was a Herald-Mage, after all, not a trainee, and he'd be sent on another mission sooner or later. But he'd be able to come back to Vanyel, always. He thought again, wistfully, about Gala teasing him about his hope that Vanyel might become a Herald too.
Still, even though that wasn't likely, he decided they'd make the most of every moment they had together. Even when not making love, even when doing their own thing, they'd spend as much time as possible in each other's arms.
But around a week after, Tylendel had got up for breakfast and to read further into a chronicle, expecting Vanyel to join him as had become their habit, and Vanyel didn't. Instead, he kissed Tylendel on the way past out of the bedroom, smiling. "I'm going out for a few hours," he said, a little shyly. "Okay?"
Of course, the urge to protest rose; he pushed down on it at once. Even if he wanted to spend every waking moment with Vanyel, even if he'd expected to spend the day with the two of them reading together, that wasn't necessarily what was best for Vanyel. "Of course," he said instead, smiling, and tapped his open book. "I've got some reading to do today anyway. I'll be here when you're back."
Vanyel seemed to light up. "Thanks," he said, and snagged a cloak off the peg by the door, heading out.
It left an odd feeling in him. Good but strange. This is how it should be, he told himself firmly.
Gala, however, was listening in. :Getting jealous of every moment you can't spend in bed with the lad?:
He huffed, looking down at the open book without really seeing it. :It's been some time since I've been in love, darling, you know that.:
:And yet no romantic appeals, no begging him to stay. Not like with that Nevis.:
Tylendel wrinkled his nose to himself. :Little different there, Gala. Not that Nevis didn't have his own issues, but those weren't something I could do anything about, clearly! No, Gala, that's not something I can do here. Even if I want to, yes.:
:Nice to see you using your head instead of your—:
:Gala!:
:Gut,: she said promptly. :Thinking things through instead of going on impulse.:
:Is that where you were going with that?:
She laughed inside his mind, then went silent. Reassured, he smiled down at his book and continued to read.
That's how Savil found him a few hours later as she came in. "Alone today?"
Tylendel blinked, looking up. "So I am, yes. Is something the matter, teacher-love?"
"It could be," she said, and came over to sit across from him with a sigh. "It's about Vanyel."
"I'm listening."
It took her a moment to carry on, clearly sorting out her thoughts, and Tylendel sat up more. Savil sighed finally, frowning at him a little. "'Lendel, I'm as glad as any that this is working out so much better than that awful Nevis affair, but... I don't want you to forget to be careful with him."
"You and Gala..." He had to shake his head. "I'm so careful, teacher-mine," he said with a hint of mischief. "I promise you that."
"Spare me the gory details," she groaned. "But you know what I mean with this, 'Lendel?"
He did. Of course he did. There was no way to not be aware of it. Vanyel was doing fine, doing amazingly well: he was recovering his will, he'd been the one to start this relationship, he was figuring out his own desires and reaching for them. But...
"He's been hurt by authority. He's been made to be obedient to authority. We might be the same age, but I'm still a Herald," Tylendel said bluntly. "I'm a Herald who brought him back here due to my authority. I'm aware of the impact I could have. I'm trying to always be aware of it."
Sometimes, it was hard to. He'd give her that. His own bond with Staven was similar to how Vanyel acted towards him sometimes. He didn't think his twin bond was wrong in any way, but he'd always feared others would think so. Even now, nobody knew how deep it ran, because he'd been afraid. Since it felt so right to him to depend on Staven, to look up to Staven, it might be possible to lose sight of the fact that it would be wrong for Vanyel to feel that way toward him.
"I won't let anything happen," he said, finally. "I'm aware. I'm keeping an eye out for it. And, Savil, I know you're worried, but don't ignore how far he's come—"
The door opened again, and they both looked up as Vanyel came in. He startled, clutching a lute in front of himself by the neck, surprised to see the two of them watching him.
A lute?
"Welcome back!" Tylendel called. "What's that you've got there, love?"
"Oh, it's." Vanyel looked down at it, went red, and looked back up with a beaming smile. "I... I went to Bardic today. I don't have Bardic Gift, they told me." Some pain there, a hint of longing and loss, but despite that, his smile grew brighter. "But Bard Breda checked my hand. She said she thinks I can learn to work around it. So I'll be going back a few times a week. She gave me some exercises and... and this." He raised the lute higher.
"It's beautiful," Tylendel said.
"It's a really good instrument!" Vanyel said immediately, eyes wide. "It's been a while, but I couldn't forget that. Her sound's amazing, 'Lendel. There's no way I should have her! But Bard Breda said that since I was going to work so hard, I should do it on a good instrument. She let me name her, so I picked 'Woodlark'..."
Tylendel's heart clenched, warm and proud again, so dizzyingly impressed with Vanyel that he felt like there was no way Vanyel couldn't feel it from him. He smiled at Vanyel, helpless with the feeling, and somehow Vanyel's smile only widened more. "A good name," Tylendel said. "Since you'll learn to make her sing. When you're ready for it, would you let me hear you play?"
"Of course," Vanyel said at once. "Always. I'm, um, going to just..." He gestured to his room, then looked down at the instrument with the gaze of a man in love.
"Go on," Tylendel said, laughing. "Come out when you're done, love."
The two of them watched Vanyel scuttle off, and Savil let out a sigh, shoulders relaxing.
:You're right,: she said into his mind, a little chagrined. :Better not underestimate him:
:Better not,: Tylendel agreed. He gazed back down at the chronicle he was reading, content.
There would be a lot that would make him take up his Herald persona again, to play the Authority in front of Vanyel. His cousin was still deciding on what to do, his brother's stalemate with the Lesharas was still in place, and on top of everything else, Karse was none too quiet lately.
:...Even so, I think we'll be alright.:
"'Lendel?" Vanyel called.
Had that much time passed already? Savil's knowing, put-upon look told him it hadn't.
Tylendel grinned at her, shrugging impishly, and went to join Vanyel.
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FILL: Tylendel/Vanyel - Orders - 10/10 (END)
Date: 2015-08-26 02:13 am (UTC)Still, even though that wasn't likely, he decided they'd make the most of every moment they had together. Even when not making love, even when doing their own thing, they'd spend as much time as possible in each other's arms.
But around a week after, Tylendel had got up for breakfast and to read further into a chronicle, expecting Vanyel to join him as had become their habit, and Vanyel didn't. Instead, he kissed Tylendel on the way past out of the bedroom, smiling. "I'm going out for a few hours," he said, a little shyly. "Okay?"
Of course, the urge to protest rose; he pushed down on it at once. Even if he wanted to spend every waking moment with Vanyel, even if he'd expected to spend the day with the two of them reading together, that wasn't necessarily what was best for Vanyel. "Of course," he said instead, smiling, and tapped his open book. "I've got some reading to do today anyway. I'll be here when you're back."
Vanyel seemed to light up. "Thanks," he said, and snagged a cloak off the peg by the door, heading out.
It left an odd feeling in him. Good but strange. This is how it should be, he told himself firmly.
Gala, however, was listening in. :Getting jealous of every moment you can't spend in bed with the lad?:
He huffed, looking down at the open book without really seeing it. :It's been some time since I've been in love, darling, you know that.:
:And yet no romantic appeals, no begging him to stay. Not like with that Nevis.:
Tylendel wrinkled his nose to himself. :Little different there, Gala. Not that Nevis didn't have his own issues, but those weren't something I could do anything about, clearly! No, Gala, that's not something I can do here. Even if I want to, yes.:
:Nice to see you using your head instead of your—:
:Gala!:
:Gut,: she said promptly. :Thinking things through instead of going on impulse.:
:Is that where you were going with that?:
She laughed inside his mind, then went silent. Reassured, he smiled down at his book and continued to read.
That's how Savil found him a few hours later as she came in. "Alone today?"
Tylendel blinked, looking up. "So I am, yes. Is something the matter, teacher-love?"
"It could be," she said, and came over to sit across from him with a sigh. "It's about Vanyel."
"I'm listening."
It took her a moment to carry on, clearly sorting out her thoughts, and Tylendel sat up more. Savil sighed finally, frowning at him a little. "'Lendel, I'm as glad as any that this is working out so much better than that awful Nevis affair, but... I don't want you to forget to be careful with him."
"You and Gala..." He had to shake his head. "I'm so careful, teacher-mine," he said with a hint of mischief. "I promise you that."
"Spare me the gory details," she groaned. "But you know what I mean with this, 'Lendel?"
He did. Of course he did. There was no way to not be aware of it. Vanyel was doing fine, doing amazingly well: he was recovering his will, he'd been the one to start this relationship, he was figuring out his own desires and reaching for them. But...
"He's been hurt by authority. He's been made to be obedient to authority. We might be the same age, but I'm still a Herald," Tylendel said bluntly. "I'm a Herald who brought him back here due to my authority. I'm aware of the impact I could have. I'm trying to always be aware of it."
Sometimes, it was hard to. He'd give her that. His own bond with Staven was similar to how Vanyel acted towards him sometimes. He didn't think his twin bond was wrong in any way, but he'd always feared others would think so. Even now, nobody knew how deep it ran, because he'd been afraid. Since it felt so right to him to depend on Staven, to look up to Staven, it might be possible to lose sight of the fact that it would be wrong for Vanyel to feel that way toward him.
"I won't let anything happen," he said, finally. "I'm aware. I'm keeping an eye out for it. And, Savil, I know you're worried, but don't ignore how far he's come—"
The door opened again, and they both looked up as Vanyel came in. He startled, clutching a lute in front of himself by the neck, surprised to see the two of them watching him.
A lute?
"Welcome back!" Tylendel called. "What's that you've got there, love?"
"Oh, it's." Vanyel looked down at it, went red, and looked back up with a beaming smile. "I... I went to Bardic today. I don't have Bardic Gift, they told me." Some pain there, a hint of longing and loss, but despite that, his smile grew brighter. "But Bard Breda checked my hand. She said she thinks I can learn to work around it. So I'll be going back a few times a week. She gave me some exercises and... and this." He raised the lute higher.
"It's beautiful," Tylendel said.
"It's a really good instrument!" Vanyel said immediately, eyes wide. "It's been a while, but I couldn't forget that. Her sound's amazing, 'Lendel. There's no way I should have her! But Bard Breda said that since I was going to work so hard, I should do it on a good instrument. She let me name her, so I picked 'Woodlark'..."
Tylendel's heart clenched, warm and proud again, so dizzyingly impressed with Vanyel that he felt like there was no way Vanyel couldn't feel it from him. He smiled at Vanyel, helpless with the feeling, and somehow Vanyel's smile only widened more. "A good name," Tylendel said. "Since you'll learn to make her sing. When you're ready for it, would you let me hear you play?"
"Of course," Vanyel said at once. "Always. I'm, um, going to just..." He gestured to his room, then looked down at the instrument with the gaze of a man in love.
"Go on," Tylendel said, laughing. "Come out when you're done, love."
The two of them watched Vanyel scuttle off, and Savil let out a sigh, shoulders relaxing.
:You're right,: she said into his mind, a little chagrined. :Better not underestimate him:
:Better not,: Tylendel agreed. He gazed back down at the chronicle he was reading, content.
There would be a lot that would make him take up his Herald persona again, to play the Authority in front of Vanyel. His cousin was still deciding on what to do, his brother's stalemate with the Lesharas was still in place, and on top of everything else, Karse was none too quiet lately.
:...Even so, I think we'll be alright.:
"'Lendel?" Vanyel called.
Had that much time passed already? Savil's knowing, put-upon look told him it hadn't.
Tylendel grinned at her, shrugging impishly, and went to join Vanyel.