Aarik and Tahnsa would become friends.

That settled, Aarik turned away from Tahnsa and made himself comfortable on the bed. Tahnsa looked up at his master and watched him intently, a warm ember of happiness glowing inside of his chest. ::I am so glad it worked out this way, Aarik could have punished me any way he wanted for my deception...:: Tahnsa looked over to a corner closet and remembered all of the discipline devises that Maegal had shown him when Tahnsa had first arrived. The Palace catered to masters of all tastes, and it was well known that some preferred to treat their slaves with malice rather than kindness. A tiny shiver danced on the back of his neck, and he hoped that the chains and bonds would remain in that closet, never to be touched.

Tahnsa studied his master, who lay on his back on the bed and was staring up at the sky. Tahnsa could make out the slow rise and fall of his chest and watched as his master's eyes blinked after very long intervals. Tahnsa curled up on some of the cushions, and simply enjoyed his master's presence.

Aarik lay on the bed, aware of his slave's intent gaze. For some reason he did not find himself uncomfortable under it, but instead accepted its heat. He lay for a long time, feeling the stress of the long and tiring day finally take its toll on him. He had been awake since dawn, and it was long after nightfall now. His body felt drained of all energy, and it was not too long before the sight of the glittery stars above him blurred and he drifted off to sleep.

When he next opened his eyes, Aarik was nearly blinded by the sunlight. Slowly bringing his arm up to cover his face, he sat up, feeling a satin sheet slide over his chest to pool at his hips. Aarik did not remember covering himself the night before. Aarik rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his rumpled ebony locks. A few minutes later, Aarik's eyes adjusted the light and he looked around the room for Rowan. He found him sitting across the room, his back against one wall and his feet crossed indian-style in front of him. Aarik noted that Rowan was now garbed only in the blue silk pants from his uniform, along with the golden belled anklets, the armbands, and the wrist cuffs. Rowan's hair was loose and tumbled over his shoulders, the occasional gleam of sunlight glittering off the indigo strands. Aarik also noticed that the tiny blue jewel was back in Rowan's navel, peeking out at him, inviting him to run his tongue—Aarik shook his head sharply.

::Stop that! What the hell are you doing?!:: Aarik finally dragged his gaze away from Rowan and noticed that his slave held in his hands a large tablet and writing stick. Rowan seemed to be intent on whatever it was he was sketching on it. At Aarik's movement, Rowan looked up from the tablet and smiled at him. Aarik ignored the tiny spark in the smile kindled in him.

"You can break your fast over there," Rowan told him, gesturing to a large tray perched on one of the cushions in front of the fireplace. Aarik stretched, then slid out of bed. He noticed he still had one of the bathtowels wrapped around his waist. Aarik could feel his stomach growl and teh pleasant aroma of the food drew him to the large tray. Aarik lifted up some of the silver and gold food covers (Even they matched the moon and sun motif of this room.)

And saw a wonderful selection of fresh fruits, a loaf of bread with a tiny pot of fresh butter, some smaller wheat rolls, a basket of pastries, a dish of eggs, and a platter of sausage. Aarik grinned and dug right in before looking over to Rowan.

"Have you eaten?" he asked between mouthfuls.

"No master,' Rowan replied, looking down at his feet intently. I cannot eat until my master gives me permission to do so. Aarik frowned.

"Get over here then and eat!" Aarik growled, feeling guilty for sleeping so late while Rowan was no doubt very hungry. He looked over to Rowan who carefully put away his drawing supplies and then scampered over to his side, jingling with every leap. Rowan went immediately for a bowl of melon slices, biting into one with great enthusiasm. Aarik caught himself watching the dribble of juices from the melon that ran down Rowan's chin. A few drops made it to down the column, where they pooled in the shallow indentation of his collarbone. Aarik wondered what that indentation would taste like, with the pleasant salt taste of Rowan's skin mingled with the sweet juices of the melon. A deliscious warmth spread throughout his limbs at that thought. Aarik blinked and came back to reality to see Rowan finish up the melon, lick his fingers, and grab a thick slice of bread.

Aarik scowled and looked at the roll from which he had taken a huge bite. ::I told him I am not interested in guys, and I am NOT! Then why do I...:: Aarik darted a quick glance at Rowan, who was oblivious to the turmoil of Aarik's emotions. ::Am I lying to him and myself? Did what Torth did to me make me this way?:: Aarik tossed that thought aside. ::Rowan is beautiful enough to turn anyone's head...:: Aarik did his best to shove those thoughts away and tried to focus on something else.

Aarik wondered how to become Rowan's friend.

Their position of master and slave was continually present despite their efforts to ignore it. Rowan was unconsciously acting the subservient role towards him, letting Aarik sample the breakfast first, giving him the best selection of each dish. Aarik felt nervous for some reason. ::Should I have made the offer to become friends in the first place? Should I become close to this person with these uncomfortable feelings burning inside me? It would be easier to keep him at a distance if I acted as his master...::

Tahnsa could not contain his happiness. He could barely sleep the previous evening. He'd spent most of the night watching his master- his friend- Aarik sleep. Aarik had shivered, and Tahnsa had covered him with a sheet. When the sun rose, Tahnsa enjoyed the sight of its golden rays painting the planes of Aarik's perfect face with warmth and shining off his silky raven hair. Tahnsa was nearly giddy.

When the Palace staff arrived to take the laundry, Tahnsa had surrendered his towels and his white shirt. He did not want to disturb Aarik's sleep, so he left that towel on him. The staff also brought a sumptuous breakfast that Tahnsa couldn't wait to share with Aarik. Now as he sat across from his master, Tahnsa wondered where they would go from here. Tahnsa was very curious about Aarik. He was so different, with his large body, perfect features and purring accent. Tahnsa had seen pain as well as kindness reflected in Aarik's eyes and was dying to know what had placed it there.

Aarik hadn't realized that the act of eating could be so erotic. He had a difficult time tearing his eyes away from Rowan's lips as he took bites of the succulent fruit and chewed the bread. Rowan would bring each finger up to lick off the juices after he finished every piece of melon. Aarik ached to be the one tasting those fingers. He sighed. Rowan had no idea what he was doing to him. Aarik decided that as soon as he got out of this Palace he would seek some willing wench (-and there were plenty who lusted after his muscular body he smugly thought-) to quench his lust with. He simply mush have gone too long without a woman. Surely that would relieve this tension that was constantly tugging at him. He hoped he'd get the chance after he left the Palace and before returned to his slave duties.

Once breakfast was over, Tahnsa picked up all of their dishes and carefully stacked them on the tray. He wiped up all of the crumbs and brushed off the cushions. Tahnsa placed the tray near the door and turned back to Aarik, who was standing near the bed with his hands on his hips. Tahnsa noticed that his master's towel had begun to sag, and that several inches of his golden belly was showing. Tahnsa blinked away the erotic little thoughts that tickled at his consciousness and walked over to Aarik, delighting once again in the tiny golden bells on his jewelery. Aarik turned to look at him.

"Where is my armor?" Aarik asked, anxious to clean it. A warrior's habits die hard, and Aarik felt the need to clean the grime off of the armor he'd left in a pile on the floor here. He'd neglected it too long already. Rowan was standing in front of him now, looking up at Aarik with pale golden eyes.

"The servants who brought the breakfast took your armor to be cleaned.

It will be returned soon," Tahnsa told Aarik. Aarik sighed again.

Tahnsa wondered what they would do today. It was midmorning now, and the rest of the day stretched out before them. Maybe it would be good to get to know each other better. Tahnsa looked down at the floor and tried to gather his nerve to start up a conversation.

::This is absolutely ridiculous you know. You've spent hours in the hall of the Grand Minister of Araathis discussing military strategy, you've danced at numerous balls with simpering princesses and been perfectly charming. And you can't even start up a conversation with one man?:: Tahnsa frowned. Of course, he'd never felt such a desire to please anyone before. Until now he'd been indifferent.

Aarik looked down at Rowan, who was in turn looking down at his own feet as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. ::What does he want? he looks like he wants to say something... :: Then Rowan looked up at him.

"Mas- er Aarik, ....I was wondering... what did you need that armor for? Whose blood was on it.. yours? You looked awfully messy when you came in here though I don't remember seeing any fresh cuts on your body last ni-...er..." Rowan's words trailed off momentarily, as the young man turned bright red and seemed to be gasping for air.

Tahnsa began to feel panic as his words just popped out of his mouth without warning. He had to do better than this...

"I don't mean to be rude, but you don't seem to be from around here. I mean, um, er, you have the most interesting accent, and your body has these scars all over it.." Tahnsa was sure his bright color could be seen by everyone in the Palace regardless of the walls surrounding them. He plunged on, "... and you seem awfully large and your coloring is really unusual. Oh I don't mean to pry, please just tell me to shut up if I am annoying you... if you don't want to talk about yourself we could talk about something else, like the beautiful weather outside, or maybe our hobbies...how about sports? Politics?" The words left Tahnsa's mouth in a jumbled rush, with barely a breath between sentences.

Tahnsa's face was flushed, and he felt acutely embarrassed and knew he'd made a fool of himself.

Aarik was vastly relieved at Rowan's speech. He wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the situation. For some reason Rowan's speech made him feel better. He smiled down at his new friend and then placed his hands on his shoulders and turned him around. Aarik pushed gently and marched Rowan across the room to the pile of cushions where they'd eaten breakfast.

"Have a seat," he told Rowan, practically forcing him to sit in the cushions. Rowan made himself comfortable and looked up at Aarik with curious golden eyes and a somewhat red complexion.

"I don't mind telling you about myself," Aarik told Tahnsa. "But only if you return the favor. I must admit I am very curious about how one becomes a slave in the Palace."

Rowan's body stiffened slightly and then relaxed. There was a long pause before he answered, "A-all right, you tell me about yourself, and I'll tell you about me."

The mood in the room had become very comfortable. The sexual tension that had been stretching between the two was still there, but had receded to a tingly undercurrent instead of the pulsating rush it had been the night before.

The men sat across from each other, set to begin their friendship by lying to each other through their teeth.