LOVER'S TWILIGHT Round 4, Part Three

Oblivious to the world, Walter and Fox wrapped their arms around one another, their lips meeting in a searing kiss.

Alex looked on in wonderment, his heart felt so full that his eyes brimmed with tears. Time seemed to stand still.

Then, with a suddenness which restarted time for them, men on horseback emerged from the forest and surrounded them.

Alex drew his knife and stood at bay, while Skinner threw his cloak around Fox and tried to draw his sword.

"Be easy, my friends," Malvin called out from where he was perched behind one of the riders. "None here will harm you."

The men swung down from their horses, and one came forward to kneel near Goliath. "Your Highness, my Lord Walter, we have left the Bishop's employ to offer our services to the rightful ruler of our land."

Alex retrieved Fox's clothes from the saddlebag, and helped him down from Goliath's back and shielded him while the prince got dressed.

Walter looked at the men with a feeling of pride, and when it became obvious that Fox was too stunned by the turn of events to say anything, he spoke up. "Well met Christian. On behalf of His Highness and myself, I welcome you. Get your men remounted and make sure that we are not disturbed, we need to make plans."

"You haven't got time for plans...." Deep Throat's voice called out to them.

"Apologies my Lord," Saint George rumbled. "We picked up this madman some way back, he says he has important news for you. I'll get one of the men to..."

The old tutor rushed forward. "You must listen to me. You must confront the Bishop, together, while the sun is still covered, otherwise the curse will continue."

Walter turned white under his tan, and looked towards Aquila. "How long have we got?" he asked.

The old priest shook his head in sorrow. "I don't know, that was not revealed to me."

"Then we must ride into Aquila now," Walter decided. "Perhaps-"

"He's not there," Malvin interrupted. "He went to say mass at San Marco this morning, we saw him there. In fact, he should be somewhere on the road not far behind us."

"Even better. That saves us hunting for him." He looked around at the ex-soldiers who had followed Saint George. "Giuseppe, I want you and Carlo to give your horses to Prince Fox and Alex. Guard Malvin, Rollo and the others well, I am placing their safety in your hands."

No sooner were Alex and Fox mounted, than Walter drew his sword and led them at a canter along the road towards the church of San Marco. As the precious minutes ticked by, Walter's heart sank. He wanted to urge Goliath to go faster, but was mindful of the old priest's warning that he and Fox would have to confront the Bishop together, so he kept to a pace that the other riders would be able maintain.

Riding towards the occluded sun, the winding road between the trees seemed longer than it ever had before. The weird half-light, although brighter than moonlight, gave them a feeling of dread, of maybe even galloping towards the gates of Hell.

Alex rode close beside the Prince who was looking increasingly strained, ready to lend assistance should it become necessary.

Rounding a corner they burst out from between the trees to an open plateau to find the Bishop and his men with their backs to them, staring heavenwards.

At the sound of thundering hoofs, Bishop Spender turned and stared... horror-stricken at the sight of Walter of Navarre, Prince Fox and Alex, his former slave, bearing down on him in the midst of a group of armed men.

As the Bishop's eyes touched first Walter's face, then Fox's, each man felt a shiver pass through him, and felt stronger; more determined than ever that the evil man should not survive the encounter.

Alex saw Fox sit straighter in his saddle and felt his heart jump... the curse must surely be broken now, all that remained was to ensure that the vile old man could never threaten any of them again.

Instinctively the Bishop moved behind his guards, leaving them to bear the brunt of the attack. His clerk, and two members of his personal guard moved back with him to give him extra protection.

Undeterred Walter pressed forward, slashing right and left, his loyal men formed a wedge around Fox and Alex and followed their former captain into the fray. Although outnumbered, their superior skill, and their sense of fighting for justice, gave them the edge.

Sitting straight in the saddle of his grey horse, the Bishop angrily watched the fight with narrowed eyes, noticing that although Skinner's companions worked hard to maintain the shield around the two, less experienced, young men, the gaps between the fighting groups were getting wider.

As his men started to fall, Spender's anger grew... and grew, until the one dominant thought in his mind was revenge. He couldn't get close to Skinner, and it didn't look as if anyone was going to be able to stand against their former captain, so before the warrior had a chance to put an end to his life, he was going to take the one thing from him that made his life worth living... Prince Fox, and if the pretty rat got in his way then he would die too.

Taking his golden staff from the clerk, he pressed a button hidden amongst the jewels on the cross, and a long, narrow blade slid out from its hiding place at the bottom of the shaft. Tucking it beneath his arm like a lance, he ordered his guards forward, trusting them to clear his path, and charged full tilt at where the prince was fighting off an attacker.

Walter saw the Bishop's charge, quickly despatched his attacker, and set off after Spender.

Alex also saw Fox's danger, and ignoring any danger to himself, kicked his horse into a gallop and tried to head off Spender's charge. A few moments later, his horse crashed into the left hind quarter of the grey, throwing it off balance. Spender, unable to maintain his seat on the stumbling horse, tumbled to the ground, and beneath the hoofs of Goliath.

His cry of rage became an unearthly wail which grew louder and louder causing the combatants to cease fighting and turn as one to stare at the fallen cleric. The wail cut off suddenly, then a dark shadow arose from the corpse, threw its head back and howled at the sky before the earth seemed to open up and swallow it. After a few moments the corpse shrivelled to a husk.

Ashen-faced, the Bishop's men dropped their swords, which were immediately picked up by Skinner's equally shaken companions.

"The Devil has reclaimed his own," Skinner murmured, then pulled himself together, and rode over to where Fox and Alex were both staring at the corpse with fascinated horror. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Your Highness. What are your orders?"

Fox looked up startled at the formal address, then realized that with the Bishop's death he would have to assume his rightful place, or risk his Kingdom falling apart, and with that position came some obligations. Squaring his shoulders, he looked Walter in the eye, and said, "Have them bury the dead, Lord Walter, except for the Bishop. We had best take him to Aquila with us so that the general populace can see his corpse for themselves."

"I will see to it, Your Highness."

Fox nodded, then turned his horse and urged it away from the centre of the plateau. "Come, Alex, let us move out of the way while they clear up the mess we have made."

Alex followed Fox into the shade of the trees.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue, Alex. Without your actions I fear that the Bishop's plan may have been successful."

Alex suddenly found the pommel fascinating, a rosy blush creeping up his cheeks.

They watched in silence as Walter directed two men to get the cloaks of the fallen soldiers and wrap the remains of the Bishop in them, two others he told to make a litter for the corpse to be carried on, then appointed Christian Saint George as his second in command, to oversee the burials. When everything was being done to his satisfaction, Walter joined Fox and Alex under the trees. He gripped Alex's shoulder for a moment.

"Thank you for coming to Fox's aid, Alex...." Then he smiled wryly, "We never did get very far with your training, did we? However, you acquitted yourself very well today. I'm proud of you."

"We both are," Fox added quietly.

For the second item in a few minutes Alex blushed, embarrassed by the fulsome praise, and muttered, "It just seemed the right thing to do...."

Walter and Fox were seized with an identical longing to take the young man in their arms, but present circumstances precluded addressing one another in anything but formal terms.

After a while the silence between them became uncomfortable, and they were relieved when Saint George reported that they were ready to start on the journey back to Aquila.

Walter turned his horse, and with Fox beside him, led the way back the way they had come. While they had the chance, they discussed what they would do when they reached the city, which very much depended on the mood of the crowd when they heard the news of the Bishops death.

When they reached the spot where they had left their friends, they were greet with sighs of relief. Walter quickly told them what had happened, then those without horses were mounted on some of the spares, then they escorted Prince Fox to Aquila to claim his birthright.

Naturally, they were stopped at the gates to the city, but the fact that the party contained both past and present members of their unit, prevented any hostile action on the part of the guards. Once they had shown them the dead Bishop's body, they were allowed to enter the city unmolested.

By the time they reached the piazza the news of Bishop Spender's death had preceded them, and a large crowd had gathered.

Walter ordered a trestle to be brought forth, so that the evil cleric's remains could be viewed by the curious. Dismounting, Skinner urged Fox to accompany him and they climbed the Cathedral steps together. Turning to face the crowd, he announced in a deep, penetrating voice, "Behold, the Bishop is dead. I present to you the rightful ruler of Aquila, His Royal Highness, Prince Fox."

The crowd cheered wildly. The King Guillermo, Fox's father, had been a kindly man, and sorely missed, for while he had been alive he had managed to restrain the excesses of the Bishop.

Prince Fox stepped forward at Walter's introduction, and held his hands up for silence. "Thank you for welcoming me home.... I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lord Walter and these other companions who have helped me survive the Bishop's displeasure. There is much work ahead to undo the evil that Spender wrought, and it is going to take us some time to sort everything out, but by the Grace of God, and with everyone's help, we will succeed.

His words were greeted by another burst of cheering. he waved to the crowd, then turned back to his friends.

"Walter, I think it would be best if I, and the others, went to the palazzo and see if we can get a start on sorting out the mess, so that you can see to things here." He grinned. "In case you hadn't realized it, I'm making you my Seneschal. I need someone I can really trust in that position."

Walter's lips quirked upwards, "Yes, Your Highness." He turned to Christian. "Escort His Highness, and the others to the palazzo. I will join you there when I have made a start on cleaning out the Cathedral."

Christian acknowledge the order, then picked out four men to accompany them, deeming that in their present mood, no-one would be likely to interfere with their progress.

--oo0oo--

When they arrived at the boarded up palazzo, they found some of King Guillermo's former retainers waiting for them. A stately looking old man stepped forward.

"I'm Bruno Corelli, Your Highness. I was the head of your father's household."

Fox nodded. "Yes, I remember you."

"The palazzo is not in as bad condition as it looks, Your Highness," Bruno assured him as he threw open the front door. "It's only really the hall that needs cleaning up, we've kept the rest of the house in good repair, and once the boards are taken off the windows, most of the rooms will be ready for use."

"That's very good news Bruno, I can't tell you how grateful I am." Fox said leading the way inside. He was very relieved that at least they wouldn't have to find somewhere to live as well as sorting out the city's problems, because there was no way that he was going to take up residence in the cathedral again.

--oo0oo--

Alex was shown to a large bedroom in the same wing as the Royal Apartments. The adrenalin rush from the fight, and the excitement of the events in the square, had now worn off, and he was feeling very tired. He stripped off his outer clothing, washed and shaved, then sat on the bed wondering what he was supposed to do next.

Some hours later, Walter and Fox came looking for him, and found Alex fast asleep in a very uncomfortable looking position, having toppled sideways on the bed.

Fox smiled fondly down at the angelic-looking young man. "You know, Walter, between me keeping him awake at night, and you doing the same during the day, he hasn't had a lot of sleep recently."

Walter laughed. "Let's get him undressed and into bed. If he wakes up while we're doing that we'll take him next door with us, if not it'll be better to leave him to sleep. It's not as if either of us will be able to stay awake for long."

They finished undressing the sleeping man, and tucked him underneath the bedclothes. Alex only stirred once; when Fox leaned down and kissed him on the forehead, he half smiled, and muttered, "Spasiba, Tasha. Dobry noch."

Fox looked up at Walter and raised an eyebrow. Walter shrugged and shook his head. "I've no idea, Fox. We'll have to ask him about it tomorrow."

They went back to the next room, and got into bed themselves.

"It's so good to be able to hold you, Walter." Fox felt a sleepy laugh rumble through the massive chest, and smiled. "Good night, Walter."

"Sleep safe, my love."

--oo0oo--

Early the next morning, when Alex awoke, he was surprised to find himself naked under the bedclothes, and try as he might, he really couldn't remember getting in to bed. The remnants of a strange dream came to mind, and he puzzled about a few images that he remembered.

Sitting up he looked around the room. His clothes were folded on a chair by the dresser, and there was a robe lying over the foot of the bed, ready for his use.

Giving a shrug, he got up and donned the robe, then noticed a half-open door, almost hidden behind a curtain, which explained why he hadn't noticed it the day before. Going over to investigate it, he peeked around the edge and saw Fox and Walter lying in bed with their arms wrapped around one another.

With a heavy heart he turned away. They didn't need him any more. Still, at least he was free, and now that he was older, perhaps he could find out where he came from.

--oo0oo--

Because everything, and everybody, was still disorganized, no-one took any notice of him when he went into the kitchen and helped himself to a late breakfast; nor later when he went into the storeroom and took some trail supplies.

He carried the bulging saddlebags into the stable, and saddled the grey horse that had been Spender's, then rode slowly through the narrow streets and out of the city gates. Once out of the city, he turned in the direction of the cliff house, at least he knew where he could have a roof over his head, and rest his horse and himself for a few nights.

--oo0oo--

Fox came slowly awake and rolled on to his back. It was so good to be back in his own home, with Walter and Alex....

Thinking of Alex, Fox got out of bed and went to fetch him, and frowned when he found the bed was empty. He touched the indentation where Alex had lain, and found that it was cold, so Alex had obviously been awake for some time.

Wanting to get the three of them into the same bed as soon as possible, Fox quickly got dressed and went to find Bruno.

Tracking the old retainer down in the kitchen, Fox asked if he knew where Alex had gone.

Maria, the cook, overheard them and said, "I fed breakfast to your young green-eyed friend about an hour or so ago. Then he left the palazzo. I think he went towards the stables... he looked very sad."

Thanking her, Fox hurried outside, and called for Carlo, the head groom. He soon discovered from him that Alex had been seen riding away on the grey stallion. Telling Carlo to have Goliath, and his own horse, Brutus saddled, he hurried back to the bedroom.

Walter was just getting dressed when Fox rushed in. "I wondered where you were," he said. "I looked to see if you were next-"

"Alex has gone," Fox panted. "He rode out of the stables with full saddlebags about an hour ago. I think, he may think that we don't want him any more."

"We must go after him!" Walter exclaimed, hopping on one leg, trying to force his foot into a boot.

"I've ordered Goliath and Brutus to be saddled," Fox told him, throwing a cloak around his shoulders. "They should be waiting for us by the time we get back downstairs. Come on."

They rode as fast as they dared through the city streets, and halted at the city gates where Walter asked the guards if they had seen a dark-haired man on a grey stallion pass through. The sergeant of the guard told them that he had left about an hour ago, and turned North. They thanked him, and turned their own horses in that direction, setting off at a fast pace.

As they galloped on, Fox worried that they might miss Alex's trail. Walter, however, was sure that Alex would keep to the road to put as much distance as he could between himself and the town of Aquila.

Their horses were breathing hard when they topped a rise, but their haste was rewarded, for there, near the bottom of the next valley, was as tall figure on a grey horse. Urging their mounts forward, they thundered down the road towards their quarry.

Hearing the loud beat of hoofs behind him, Alex turned in alarm, rising in his saddle, ready to flee.

"Alex! No! Wait!" Skinner bellowed.

Recognizing the voice, Alex sat back in the saddle and turned his horse to face the oncoming riders.

When they reached their quarry, Walter and Fox dismounted, and motioning Alex to do the same, led their mounts into the sparse shade of a small tree.

"Where were you going, Alex?" Walter asked.

Alex shrugged, looking at the ground. "I had a strange dream last night; I was a young boy again, being tucked into my bed, and I didn't think you would want me around any more, so I had sort of decided to find out where I came from..."

Mulder, feeling that no mere words were going to be enough, walked straight up to Alex and enfolded him in a warm embrace. "Please don't run away from us Alex," he murmured into the elfin ear so close to his mouth.

Walter, following Fox's lead, moved behind Alex, and wrapped his arms around the two younger men. He added his own plea, "We have grown to love you, Alex, please don't leave."

Tears welled up in Alex's eyes, as he clung tightly to Fox. It had been so long since someone had loved him, or needed him for more than just his skills, that he was overwhelmed by his emotions and unable to speak.

After a while, Fox said, "Come back with us."

The sable head on his shoulder nodded, and a ragged voice whispered, "Yes."

They remounted and rode at an easy pace back to Aquila. When they reached the palazzo, they handed their horses over to the grooms, and returned to the Royal Apartment.

Fox wasn't going to take any more chances of things going awry, and herded both Walter and Alex into the master bedroom ahead of him. He closed and locked all the outer doors, then started to strip off his clothes. Walter had started to undress as soon as he'd set foot in the room, and when Alex hesitated, both Walter and Fox went over to help him, undressing themselves and their young lover at the same time.

Still with Alex in the middle, they moved towards the huge four-poster bed, they threw back the covers and climbed on to the feather filled mattress. They laid him down on his back, Fox to his right, Walter to his left, and layed their hands possessively on his body. Fox's hand played with the nipples on the almost hairless chest, while Walter's gravitated further south following a line of hair to an already half-erect penis. Alex, meanwhile, had worked his arms around the necks of his lovers and was ecstatically kissing first one, then the other, occasionally pushing their heads together so that could kiss one another and give him a chance to breathe.

Then Fox changed his mode of attack, fastening his mouth on the pebbled nipples, and using his hand to reach over to stroke Walter's cock. Alex urged Fox up on to his knees, and reached between his legs to massage the erection he found there.

Walter felt his control fading fast, and paused in his ministrations to retrieve the flask of oil he'd brought in with him.

Alex moaned, and humped his hips in frustration, as the huge hand left him, so Fox abandoned the nipples to swallow the neglected cock to its root. Which gave Alex's spaced out mind an idea. He curled himself forward until he could get his mouth on Fox's cock, and started to suck, Fox gave a high-pitched yelp of surprise and toppled sideways, Alex followed him and was pleased to find that with both of them lying on their sides he had much easier access.

Walter grinned at the contortions his lovers were performing, then found that he also appreciated their position, since he now had unobstructed access to Alex's luscious ass. He quickly oiled himself, and Alex, and thrust his cock into the slick hole.

As Walter thrust faster, so Alex sucked faster, which encouraged Fox to greater efforts. Alex came first, shooting into Fox's mouth, his ass muscles squeezing down took Walter over the edge with him, and Fox hearing Walter's shout of ecstasy, lost it too and poured his come down Alex's throat.

Sated and happy, Fox turned around and as they cuddled up together, he murmured, "This is how I hope our lives will always be; the three of us together."

The other two smiled at him, love shining in their eyes, Alex kissed and hugged him, and Walter just said, "Yes, together forever...."

The End.

--oo0oo--

Translation:
Spasiba, Tasha. Dobry noch. = Thank you, Tasha. Good night.