Reedcarus Medieval AU

[Astroblaze]

Just a medieval-ish AU for a ship from Collateral that @slifer and I threw together to pass the time during the update. Probably not completely accurate to the time period given the inspiration taken from Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments, but we both liked it so we ran with it.

Characters:
Reed
Icarus

 

[Astroblaze]

Reed
late summer | midday | field outside the castle

---

overseers

Back bent under the relentless afternoon sun, the black-haired slave worked with only a coarse brown cloth around his waist to protect him from the elements, muscles rippling under grimy, sun-browned skin scarred all across his back and arms by the whip and other tools.

Focused on his task, he was startled into a slight flinch at a sudden sting on his shoulder. "Put your back into it," demanded a gruff and all-too-familiar voice behind him.

The slave gritted his teeth with a low, irritated growl. This was the third time that damn taskmaster had goaded him on in the last hour. Pausing in his work, he straightened to his full, towering height, turning to the whip-brandishing driver as broad, calloused hands tightened into fists at his sides. He bared his teeth in a mocking grin, cold blue eyes narrow. "I'm going to put my back to better use than this if you touch me with that thing again."

"Insolent little-!" Jaw clenched in a snarl, the overseer lunged at him. Grin turning ferocious, the slave easily caught the intended blow to his face on an arm and struck out with a fist for the driver's. Alerted by the commotion, two other taskmasters rushed into the fight, grabbing both of them to pull them apart as they shouted at the slave to let go.

When he was finally forced to relinquish his grip, a hard shove sent the slave to his hands and knees in the dirt. He lifted a glare to the first, who had quickly made distance between himself and the dangerously strong slave as soon as he was freed. The overseer moved like a man covered in bruises, a cut across his cheekbone from his initial strike, but no less furious for his pain. "I'll teach you to treat your master like that!" he snarled, raising his whip.

 

[slifer]

Before he could strike the slave with his whip, a figure galloped into view on horseback. The horse soon sputtered to a stop, revealing a young man. Upon closer inspection, his clothes looked to be quite regal, hos physique seemed to be toned, and more importantly, a thin golden circlet rested on his forehead, inlaid with an emerald and an amethyst.



Upon seeing him, the overseer bowed and lowered his whip, leaving his henchmen to hold the slave. "If you strike him, you will lose your life, Seth." The prince's surprisingly commanding voice carried out over the field, making everyone stop and turn as he hopped off his horse with the ease only brought from experience. "As of this point, you are no longer Overseer. You are dismissed." Even as Seth ground his teeth and seethed, he ignored it. His word was law, and those who had tried to oppose him laid under their feet, rotting. He had power: by law, by strength and by mystical power.


After staring down Seth, the man left, leaving his henchmen still holding the slave. "You two, bring him to my room. Everyone else...keep working." With that, the prince turned back and hopped on his horse, waiting for the henchmen to walk the slave towards him. They walked in silence until they reached the stables. Icarus sent the henchmen to take the slave to his room as he put his pretty chestnut horse in said stable.


It was about ten minutes later when the prince entered the room. The slave would see a blue room with somewhat lavish decor. A bookshelf was propped up in the corner, overflowing with books. His desk looked like it barely controlled the amount of papers stacked upon it. It was important documents, written in three different more exotic languages, so it would be more difficult to decode. House Valaith wasn't a stupid house, and it was easy to see that they gained and maintained the throne through brains and power.


Damn, up close the slave looked magnificent. He couldn't help himself, he had to look the hunk up and down, inspecting those gorgeous muscles before he remembered that the slave probably didn't even like him. With a final glance at the booty, he walked towards his desk, picking up a bound tome. He took it to his bed amd plopped down on the goosefeather mattress, opening it to a page that had detailed scientific drawings of leaves on it. "My name is Icarus. Call me Prince Icarus in public. From now on you'll be my personal slave. For now, you can do as you wish, as long as it is reasonable, does not break anything and you do not leave the room." With that decree, he went back to reading, half intent on studying the herbology book before him while watching to see what the man would do.

 

[Astroblaze]

Reed
late summer | midday | House Valaith—Icarus' room

---

Icarus (@slifer)

Reed had braced himself for the familiar searing pain across his back but looked up curiously at a commanding voice carried swiftly to them by pounding hoofbeats. He smirked at the overseer's humiliation at the hands of who could only be the prince, but a skeptical frown soon replaced the smug expression at the following decree as the other two taskmasters hauled him none-too-gently to his feet in obedience with the order. His eyes bored into the prince's back the duration of the walk to the castle, trying to read the intent behind the odd decision from his demeanor.

At the end of a more brief march through ornate halls, his escort pushed him through an opened door into a lavish, blue-hued room. Shrugging their rough hands from his arms, Reed cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders as the door clicked shut behind him, then cast an observant glance around the room. Considering the furnishings and objects visible, he guessed that he had been brought to the prince's own bedroom, though he was still perplexed to the reason.

Feeling a bit out of place in the soft, refined environment, he wandered about the large room, careful not to touch anything but sharp gaze taking note of every detail. He paused at the desk, scanning the scattered masses of paper with interest though he wasn't sure why he was wasting his time. After all, it wasn't as though he could understand the languages, or any written language for that matter.

At a click of the door, he stepped back from the desk to stand more in the center of the room, turning to meet the approaching prince. His piercing blue eyes followed the man's every move, posture tall, even warrior-like in poise and readiness. The prince had a... really nice body, his musculature well-defined even obscured by clothing as it was. He held himself with the sort of confidence that could only come from combat experience, and honestly Reed was a little impressed given that he would expect someone like him to lead a rather soft and sheltered life. He couldn't help but wonder how that physique would hold up against his own, and despite his record, he had a sneaking feeling that he wouldn't win: remarkable form notwithstanding, the prince's tone addressing the overseer had been that of a man who knew exactly what he was capable of and as such had no fear of opposition. He reminded Reed of himself in that way, if he were honest.

Reed considered the prince's decree. Personal slave? Well, what the hell, seemed his old man was right after all. Despite his mean heritage and upbringing, he'd always known that he was destined for greatness, though this certainly wasn't exactly what he'd expected. He grinned, folding his arms. "That wouldn't be advisable. I have a reputation for breaking things. Tools, laws—" the grin widened— "people. Unless, of course," he conceded, "you prefer your bulls in your china shops."

He cast another glance around the room, more passive and casual than his first look, but soon found his gaze trailing back over Icarus. Okay, maybe he was more than a little impressed. Damn. He shook his head, forcibly dispersing the dangerous train of thought. Snap out of it, Reed, let's not gawk at the goddamn prince, shall we. The man was miles out of his league—he was just pushing his luck to think he had a chance with royalty. Then again, that royalty had specifically picked him out...

"Okay, let's get to the point, shall we. What does the prince want with someone like me?" His grin turned sly, tone taking on a slight purr. "And what kind of 'personal' are we talking about here?"

Did- did he really just say that. He seriously just hit on the goddamn prince, what was he thinking. Sure, he seemed awfully interested in Reed's appearance, but that could mean anything.

 

[slifer]

Icarus just gave the slave a look at his comment. "Why would you try and convince me that you don't want to be my personal slave? I pulled you out of working outdoors in the hot sun and most importantly stopped you from being whipped again. I could easily just rescind everything I said and you could go back outside to an Overseer who might be even worse than Seth. Besides that, what is your name? I detest calling people "slave."

Nah, it was unrealistic. He was just imagining things. A slave wouldn't like him enough to even think of him in such a way. Besides, he wasn't the sort to just initiate a relations with a slave, just because he could. Unlike his family, he believed in consensual relationships, as he didn't find forcing anyone to be with him sexy in the least. He was being a sarcastic shit because he could be. So he did something he was good at, pushing back what Reed had said into the back of his mind because like usual, he was imagining things.

"You'll be a mix of things. You're strong enough to be a bodyguard, but you'll also be my assistant. You will receive a new wardrobe, and you'll probably sleep on a pallet in my room. I do not force anyone to serve me, especially in a sexual manner, so don't worry about that. I'll have you trained in fighting, and you'll also learn how to read, if you don't know how. If ANYONE bothers you, send them to me. Though there is one rule I expect you to follow without question. Prince Felix is not to be interacted with, unless it is to help him or protect him. Everything else you have a question about, ask me." Icarus continued on, getting off of his bed to his desk. He picked up his quill, dipped it in ink and carefully scribbled out a note for himself based on what he had just said.

Once he was done, he turned to the man, locking eyes with him. "I am putting my faith in you. Do not test my faith, and may God forgive you if you betray me or my family, because I will not." With that note, Icarus stared him down up to the point where it would be creepy, before breaking off to go back to his herbology book. Holy shit, the man's eyes had been wholly distracting. Now that he was done threatening his new assistant, his brain was back to fantasizing about the man.

Sighing, he closed the book, set it and the paper aside on his bed, and called in three house servants, knowing that concentrating now would not work out. "Amaranthe, quickly give the man clean clothes. Once you're done, bring him enough clean clothes for a week, with one extra for special occasions. Model it after Ari's style." Ari being his older brother's assistant, one Soren was lucky to have in his opinion. The pretty female servant saluted him and rushed to do his bidding.

He turned to the other two servants, one male and the other female, addressing them as he did the female, with authority but with some respect. "Rhea, Joseph, prepare a bath for him. Once he is clothed, bring him back to my room. If I hear of any problems, report to me directly." Icarus turned to the man, addressing him again. "You need a bath. We can most certainly talk more later. I hope you let them take you to the bathing chambers." It had been less than five minutes with his new servant and he was exhausted already. Hopefully his spur-of-the-moment act of kindness didn't lead to problems down the line, because the only person he would have to blame was himself.

For sure he was going to have to improve the man's manners, because if he acted like this in public, it would be difficult to stop other nobles from trying to hurt him. IF so, he would probably have to transition Reed into becoming a full bodyguard rather than a mixture of bodyguard and assistant. He did look intelligent, and hopefully had some common sense.

 

[Astroblaze]

Reed
late summer | midday | House Valaith—Icarus' room - bath house - Icarus' room

---

Icarus (@slifer)
servants

Reed grinned, suspecting that the prince's threat to rescind the decree was a hollow one. "I never said I didn't want to." Oh, he wasn't worried, as if Icarus could force him if he tried. Damnit, Reed, snap out of it. He really had to stop letting himself think about the prince like that—eventually he would notice and then Reed would be fucked. ...Shit, bad choice of words. Forcing down the image that sprung unbidden into his thoughts, he left his response to a slight nod of acknowledgement, his eyes following Icarus as the prince crossed the room. "I'm known as Reed," he added to answer the prince's request for his name.

When Icarus turned back on him, the slave unflinchingly met his stare, expression completely serious. "That will not be a concern." He might be shamelessly a self-centered asshole, but if he was one thing he was loyal.

...He was still staring into Icarus' eyes. Shit, bad idea, the prince's eyes were too mesmerizing for him to casually lock gaze like that. He found himself releasing a relieved breath when Icarus broke gaze first.

Taking note of how Icarus treated the other servants, Reed did allow himself to be escorted to the bath house, grateful to slough off the layer of dirt and grime clogging his skin. Finding clothes that fit him proved a bit of a challenge considering his size, but eventually he was dressed. The light fabric felt strange, too soft and a bit restricting against calloused skin accustomed to substantially less, but he would adjust. Momentary discomfort was a small price to pay for his dramatic overall improvement. He found himself standing just a bit taller, walking with a bit more confidence as he was led back to Icarus' chambers.

 

[slifer]

Icarus waited for everyone to leave his room before he relaxed, sighing and throwing himself on his bed like an angsty teenager. Reed was simply the hottest man he had ever seen. The unsavory thoughts of telling the man to sleep with him rose up again, but he quashed them. His morals demanded that his first time be with someone he loved and respected, not a slave he met that day. Even though one look into the man's eyes made his knees weak, like he was talking to his first crush. No one else in his life had ever made him feel this way. He had a feeling that he had discovered a gem with Reed.

When said assistant returned after a knock on his door, it was as if that unpolished gem had been somewhat cleaned off. Even now, he looked a lot better dressed in servant's garb and cleaned quite thoroughly. Idly, Icarus thought that Reed would look spectacular in real assistant's robes. That would be something to remember-get Reed form fitting clothes that worked with his coloring. IF Reed was going to be his assistant than be damned if his assistant wasn't going to look sexy-professional and dangerous for sure.

As soon as Reed entered the room , a new person knocked on the door-Ari, his brother's assistant was there- what Reed could look like if he tried: poised, confident, and deadly. The blond man approached Icarus, bowing to the prince before speaking. "Crown-Prince Soren has sent me to inform you that your father wants your presence in the fields today." Ari bowed, lingering almost a little too long-not long enough for the surprisingly dense Icarus to notice, but enough so that Reed would probably notice. With his position, Ari could probably have almost anyone he wanted, but even the assistant couldn't just admit his feelings to one of the members of the goddamned royal family.

"Thank you Ari. Now please go back to Soren. I am sure he requires your indispensable aid." Icarus said, respectfully telling Ari to leave. A flash of something was in the older man's eyes as he accepted the compliment before he promptly turned around and left the room. Icarus looked at Reed, sighing. "I have to go and visit the fields, which will take some time. You will be accompanying me." Icarus strapped his sword to his belt, and started arming himself, slipping knives everywhere on his person except for his arms. Then, he took out a bag and put the herbology book inside, as well as some papers from his desk before giving it to Reed. "You'll be holding my bag and basically will be watching my back. My trust in you this early on can only go so far, so you're not getting a knife today. If you do well, you'll get one later. Once we're done here, we will take supper with Prince Felix." As he prepared to leave, the plants in his room seemed to almost look saddened by his departure. Either way, it was obvious that his power in the kingdom was solidified by his powers, and though it did feel like he was being used by his kingdom, his powers made him respected and loved, as a fed kingdom was a happy kingdom. Really, he was eager to see what Felix thought of his new bodyguard/assistant/eye candy because the boy's opinion mattered to him in a way that only few did.

 

[Astroblaze]

Reed
late summer | midday | House Valaith—Icarus' room

---

Icarus (@slifer)
Ari (@slifer), Felix (@slifer)

Upon his return to Icarus' room, Reed stepped through the door opened before him to find Icarus sprawled across his bed. He stopped just inside the doorway, caught off-guard by the stark contrast in the prince's demeanor as compared to before Reed had been sent away, and soon found his eyes drawn to how the prince's relaxed posture let the sunlight shining in through the windows play over his curves, patterns of light and shadow bringing out details that his expensive clothing attempted to conceal.

He was staring again.

Hastily tearing his gaze from Icarus' dangerously appealing form, hoping that his luck had held out thus far and that the heat attempting to rise in his face would just fuck right off, he turned his attention instead to the prince's attitude. The man seemed agitated, considering the slight pucker of his brow and tightness to the jaw that under the dusting of dark facial hair appeared chiseled by a master craftsman- shit, no, stop there.

And yet, Reed couldn't help but recall the odd light in the prince's eye as Icarus had looked him up and down, external actions indicating neutrality but the attention itself not so completely detached as Reed was accustomed to being studied by potential new masters. And now this open frustration when he thought that no one was watching...

Reed's brow furrowed, lips pursing in a skeptical frown. Was he... No, of course not. Sexual interest, perhaps—it wouldn't be the first time that someone had eyed him—but no prince would ever take a romantic interest in what they would view as mere field labor. And yet, the way he was behaving...

Reed shook his head, forcefully dismissing any further musing into the topic. It was all just wishful thinking that he would be much better off without. Even if he wasn't simply reading too much into the situation, he had no way of knowing that he was even the source of the prince's frustration, or if that frustration was even romantic in the first place.

Stepping farther into the room, he considered catching Icarus' attention, but a knock on the door interrupted him. Stepping aside to clear the door, he watched the servant who Icarus addressed as Ari, taking note of the other man's mannerisms with icy blue eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion.

As the evidently highly regarded servant, having delivered his message, left the room, Reed turned his attention back to Icarus. The man had to restrain the urge to scoff at Icarus' mention of a knife—as if he needed a weapon to subdue anyone with the courage or stupidity to try and fight him—instead accepting the bag Icarus handed him with a silent nod of acknowledgement. He did quirk a curious eyebrow at Icarus' final declaration. He was admittedly somewhat curious about this Prince Felix with whom he was not to interact.

Slinging the bag's strap over one shoulder, he followed Icarus out of the room.

 

[slifer]

Icarus walked around the castle deliberately, visiting every room with any sort of plant life. When he entered a room, the plants seemed to perk up almost instantly. with a wave of his hand they seemed to grow another inch- only a slightly visible change, but it meant everything to the plants.
Finally they went outside to the fields, Icarus walking confidently. Here was where he poured most of his energy, prompting the crops all around him to grow taller and riper, a magical mix of Miracle-Grow, pesticides and fertilizer on steroids. As Icarus worked, he was growing happier and happier, the joy within him only growing more as his plants grew.

Here he was Demeter- here his word was law. Approaching a sickly looking plant, he knelt in front of it, cupping it in his hands. In an instant it straightened out, gaining color and soon growing as tall as the brethren around him. Like a king towards his subjects, he let his palms out, brushing the plants. They responded to his instinctive use of magic, reacting more powerfully to his will. They kept going and going, surveying every plant in the kingdom and giving them his brand of gentle encouragement. Now, if needed, he could give them a more demanding prompt to come to his aid. If there was no other option he could curse someone else's plants, but that was only in an life-or- death situation. "It's pretty intoxicating out here. You'll have to watch my back." Icarus confided in Reed when they were alone in a crop of wheat. "We can export almost anything because of me. Very few plants die when I'm directly involved with them. I can cultivate almost any plant in any climate." Icarus was extremely pleased as he told Reed this, one of the things he loved to somewhat brag about.