Chapter Thirteen

The next morning, Tom said the courtiers were playing games out in the back garden which included archery, egg scoop, and egg racing.

Remus raised an eyebrow as he leaned against the grating opposite of Tom. "What's egg scoop?" Egg racing was balancing an egg on a spoon and running with it. He'd played that as a child.

Tom chuckled. "It's new. You get the scoop which is sort of like a five-foot spoon. You ride your horse, and from the bowl in the center of the space, you have to pick out one of your colored eggs and ride to the end to place it in another bowl. There are several, and whoever first gets all their eggs to their end wins. If you break more than two, you're out."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"I've played with a few guards after work before. It's more fun after a few shots of whiskey, and if you drink enough, you won't care if you lose." Remus chuckled as Tom continued. "Egg racing is for the slaves, and the courtiers bet on them. The losers aren't always treated so nicely afterward."

"I'm glad to be stuck inside." Remus could imagine Sébastien's rage if Remus lost him a lot of money. "I always broke the egg when I played that game as a kid."

"I wasn't very good at it either."

"I'm sure the Prince is the best at the games." Remus rolled his eyes.

"No."

"Sure. Can't let him lose."

Tom squinted. "He doesn't always win, and if you're suggesting that the others are polite to let him always come first, you're wrong there."

Remus glanced at the two by the Prince's rooms who weren't very talkative. They didn't seem to care if Tom spoke to Remus, but they might be the sort to tattle if something inappropriate was said, so he lowered his voice. "With his attitude, I don't think he'd take kindly to losing. Of course, if you don't want to speak ill of him, I understand."

"It's not that. He likes everyone to do their best. I suppose he'd prefer to know how good he is at something. If everyone was a little slower, a little clumsier, less accurate-whatever-" Tom waved a hand. "Prince Sébastien doesn't always win, and he's never seemed to have a problem with that. I've watched him at games before. I think he'd prefer to see who's best and try to improve himself in that way by watching what they do. Some of the older men are far better at archery. I swear, Lord Smith could hit the tip of a pin at five thousand paces."

"Hm. All right. That assumption was unfair. I figured because of his attitude…"

"I started here about…thirteen years ago." Tom squinted. "Yeah. The sword master who taught the Princes was strict and always said if you think you're the best, there's someone better. Enzo and Remere were quite excellent at least for their age. The Prince is too, and he still diligently trains. He doesn't have the heft and build like some of our men here, but he's swift, and some can't beat him. He'd be deadly in a real sword fight."

Nobody would know how good the older two could have grown since their lives had been cut short.

"A good deal of the court passed recently," Remus added.

Tom quirked his mouth. "They don't want to dwell on that. People want to have fun here, not mourn."

Remus would have liked to have gone outside and sat in the garden to watch, not that anyone cared about what he wanted. Escape probably wouldn't have been feasible, especially with so many around. At least he wouldn't have to risk the Prince's wrath after dropping a damn egg.

Since Tom was relaxed around him, Remus was highly tempted to attack him. If he could get the man's sword before the other two by the Prince's door came for him, he could move into his room. The two outside the hall doors would hear and come too.

Four against one wasn't a good idea, but if he bottlenecked them at the doorway, it would slow them down. The problem was that they had magic, and with the collar, Remus had none. His tunic wouldn't do shit to protect him either.

A good dose of lightning magic could lay him out, and burns could be healed. If they held back, he might kill one, and they'd likely come at him harder.

If he could get Tom's dagger, hold that to his throat, and keep him as a hostage…

Nothing seemed like a good idea, and Remus almost wanted to bang his head on the lattice. He swore he caught laughter from far to one side where he couldn't see in the garden. If he failed, and he likely would, he could kiss his walks goodbye. The lead would stay on him, and Sébastien would likely have him whipped at the very least. Even the Regent wouldn't disagree with that for harming a guard.

Also, Remus didn't truly want to hurt Tom. He shouldn't care, but he did. The guy was only doing his job and going wherever he was posted. He had little choice in the matter, and he'd saved Remus's life. He didn't deserve that kind of payback.

Some opportunity would come.

On his afternoon walk, it started to rain outside. The overhang kept it from coming through the lattice, and he paused to look out and listen to it. Uncle Lupo had always liked rainy days and enjoyed the sound of it. He'd never hear it again now.

Voices sounded, and the hall doors opened to reveal the Prince. His clothes were a bit wrinkled, and the shoulders of his cloak were damp. Two gold things twinkled in his hand. A woman and a man followed.

Remus figured he should go in his room and stay out of their way, but Sébastien spoke. "There's the brute. Stand still, Remus, and let them have a good look at you."

Remus was tempted to hold up both middle fingers. Let them look at that. The lady took a bite of something that looked like cacao, and she held two golden hollow things in her hand. "Is it true that your Father had a werewolf for a Mistress?"

What the fuck? Remus managed a stiff, "No, m'lady," and she snorted like she didn't believe him.

"Aren't you scared of him?" she asked the Prince. "He's so much bigger than you."

"You merely need to know how to deal with big brutes. You got to see him up close, so you can go now." Sébastien tossed one of the gold things to Remus who barely caught it.

A golden egg. It must have contained cacao. The lady slipped the halves of her shell into her pocket as the man gazed at Remus, appearing unimpressed.

"There's a treat for being a good boy," said Sébastien. "Run along and eat it in a corner now, or some other big brute might try to steal it."

The lady giggled and turned away with the man. "What a waste of good cacao."

"One's more than enough for me," said Sébastien.

"You should have let me win at darts so I could have had two. I'd eat Morian cacao until my teeth fell out."

Sébastien rolled his eyes as he strolled by Remus. The lady and man chuckled as they left. Still sour about being treated like an exotic animal, Remus went to his room to inspect the egg. Sébastien didn't come charging in to demand it back, so he figured it was truly his.

The egg had a thin line around it lengthwise, and a round, flat indent in the bottom. He carefully wedged his thumbnail into the line near the divot to split it. It took some work, but he finally loosened it, and the golden shell fell apart in two neat halves. The cacao egg inside was perfectly smooth. Dear Elira, he hadn't had cacao in ages. Moria, next door to Soleil, grew cacao in the northern half closer to the Kingdom of South Forest, and he had to agree that Moria's was better.

The egg also had a hole at the bottom so something was inside of it, and he took a whiff. Cinnamon. His mouth watered at the idea of the hidden filling which was surely whipped to be smooth and creamy. He put the egg back together and set it by his bedside. The slave who owned a golden egg.

"Pfft."

Sébastien would probably want the shell back. He likely cared little about the prizes and might not have been big on sweets, and therefore didn't give a shit if Remus ate the cacao.

If he forgot about it, Remus wondered if he could use the shell and pay someone to look away or do something for him. The problem was that he was never alone, and one egg made from thin gold couldn't be split five ways too easily.

If he was taken out, it was always with someone, and his tunic didn't have pockets. The loose waist wouldn't be very good if he dropped something into the neckline and tried to hide it on his person like that. Tom had saved his life but that didn't mean he'd risk his neck for a bit of the thin gold, and the others would probably tattle as soon as the words left Remus's mouth.

As long as Sébastien didn't take away his sweet to be a dick, he'd eat it after dinner.

He was doing squats when a faint scream made him pause. The woman's next one was louder, a man shouted, and all three guards in the hall pounded toward the double doors.

Remus's instinct was to run too and figure out what was happening, but that was a good way to get himself in trouble. He peeked out instead. Through the open double doors, a man had another on the floor and was punching him in the face. A couple of the guards hauled him off, and the woman from earlier came into view with her skirts in disarray and her bodice half unbuttoned.

The man who'd gotten his nose bloodied was helped up while everyone shouted, and Remus recognized him from earlier too. He caught the word slut while all three yelled, and the guards tried to calm them down.

The noise drew Sébastien out, and the trio finally calmed down after a lashing remark about acting like animals so close to his quarters.

"I found them two fucking," snarled the guy who'd been doing the punching.

"It was just a one-time thing," said the woman, still trying to hold her bodice closed. "I swear-a mistake-"

"Bullshit!"

"Honey, please. He doesn't mean anything-"

"You put your damn legs up for him, and then you dare call me honey while his cum is dripping out of you? You're a fucking whore!"

"If I'm a whore, you're one too. I know what you're doing when you go out every Friday night! You always smell like liquor and cheap scent!"

"Fuck you!"

Sébastien waved a hand at the guards who released the husband. "Let them sort this out among themselves. All three of you need to get away from my doors and stop acting like fools. I could hear you from my couch!"

"I want him thrown out!" The husband shook off the guard's hands and pointed at the other who was holding his bloody nose and staring at the floor.

"Fucking someone's wife isn't against the law," Sébastien said smoothly. "Deal with this in private, not within earshot of my rooms. If there's any more fighting, all three of you can go."

The husband turned redder than his flushed wife. As Sébastien turned to head back in with an eye roll, the husband said something to his wife and stalked off.

"Honey, please! It was an accident. I'm sorry." She followed him while still trying to fix her clothes. The busted-nose guy went a different way, likely to find the physician.

Remus ducked in to avoid the Prince's annoyed gaze and closed his doors before he rolled his eyes himself. Silly drama.

***

"Do you want half?" Remus leaned against his doorway and offered half of the egg to the guard on duty after dinner. The inside had whipped cacao filling with cinnamon.

The guard made a face. "Anything sweet makes my teeth hurt, but thanks."

Damn it.

"Where do you come from?" Remus hadn't seen this one before, and he realized the ones by the Prince's quarters were different too. If they had hired new men, why not try to see if any would talk to him? "Your accent's interesting. Are you from the northeast?"

The guard shrugged and glared at him. Remus gave up and went to sit on his bed. Not all could be like Tom. He ate the cacao slowly to make it last so he could savor every bite. Afterward, he laid back to toss up the hollow golden egg and catch it while he went over a way of attacking the guards.

He wasn't going to do it, but he couldn't help but imagine different scenarios. It was a pity all of his imaginary plans ended with him getting his ass kicked. The best way would be if he were taken beyond the grounds, but they'd likely never permit him to ride without a lead attached to the saddle. If Sébastien took him down to the dayroom alone…

The rain hadn't lessened, and with the door open, he had a pleasant cross breeze. He set the egg beside him as he stared at the ceiling and listened to it while his eyes grew heavy.

"Get up!"

Remus jerked awake to find Spectacles with a disgusted face and one of the slaves who took away his bedding every few days. She held a bundle of silk, and her cheek was red as she stared at the floor.

Remus realized he had a raging erection that was quite obvious since he was still on his back, and the front of his tunic had tented from it.

"Get up!" repeated Spectacles, and Remus practically flew off the bed. "Save that for the Prince."

The surprise and being looked at like he was an animal about to rut didn't curb the erection. Spectacles turned his attention to the slave who hastily started stripping the bed after she set the egg on the floor.

"It needs to be done every three days, and if the servants forget, you're to remind them," Spectacles lectured. "In a household of this size, everyone has a job to do, paid or not, and you've already shown signs of laziness. Perhaps I should have Noel whip you, and that'll improve your memory."

Remus didn't know who Noel was and couldn't remember that guy's real name. He also didn't care as he hastily kneeled by the wall and folded his hands in his lap in an attempt to hide his erection. He didn't remember dreaming anything, but it must have been dirty. He hadn't jerked it in a few days either, and honestly, he hadn't felt the urge that much so far in Soleil.

It was probably the stress. Back home, he'd been frequently horny and needed relief, even if it was just from his hand. This was beyond his usual horniness. The servant's perky ass drew his eyes when she bent over to tuck in a corner of a new sheet.

"Redo it," snapped Spectacles.

What the fuck was wrong with Remus? He shouldn't be looking at another slave like that, and her face was red as she tried to hold back tears. That kind of thing didn't attract him at all. He looked elsewhere while trying to will his damn cock down.

The arousal only grew until he was tempted to reach under his tunic and fist himself. He had the sudden image of Sébastien on his knees with his lips around Remus's cock. Dear Elira, he would be beautiful like that, especially with those silver eyes looking up while Remus fucked his throat. Or with his legs wrapped around Remus's waist while they fucked.

Shit. He couldn't think about that. Why couldn't the other two leave so he could jerk off? Who cared if his sheets stayed one more day? It was fucking sheets. Spectacles watched the slave like a hawk as she perfectly made the bed even though it wouldn't last.

Once she picked up the dirty bundle she'd made on the floor, she hurried out. Spectacles cast a last look at Remus as though he were a monster for having an erection and followed her. They didn't make it to the end of the hall before he started berating her again.

Remus's first thought was that he could jerk off into the chamber pot. His second was that he should ask the guard outside the door to step in for a moment so they could have fun because that would feel a lot better. Nearly anyone would do if it meant satisfying the insane urge. Mr. Northeast or wherever he came from probably had a tight ass, and he'd do even though he wasn't as pretty as Sébastien. Maybe he'd even appreciate a spanking.

His eyes fell on the golden egg. Herbs to make erections stronger or to get it up in the first place could be taken straight, but tinctures could be mixed into food or drink if the user didn't like the taste. A couple of kinds had little taste, and they were also used for better orgasms or to make getting off easier.

That damn pretty bastard.

Remus snatched the egg and marched down the hall. As he approached the Prince's door, he tried to hunch over a bit to hide his cock which had grown moist at the tip. He imagined throwing a guard against the wall and pounding his ass while the other watched in shock.

"The Prince wanted this back." Remus held up the shell.

"Eh?" They both squinted at it.

"It had cacao in it, but I can't keep the shell. What do I need it for, right?" Remus gave an uneasy laugh. This was worse than being a teenager and getting random erections in public.

The right guard's eyes flashed down as Remus stepped closer to knock, and he smirked before turning his head away. He'd definitely noticed.

Remus gritted his teeth and knocked. He didn't properly hear the response, and it sounded like Sébastien was in his bedroom.

"Have fun giving back the shell," the guard mumbled with a snort.

Remus cleared his throat and opened the door. The sitting room was empty, and on the table in front of the couch, two egg halves had been carelessly left there. The Prince had eaten his damn egg. Remus locked the double doors before he approached the bedroom.

"Sébastien."

The door flew open, and Sébastien gripped the frame with one hand. His coat hung open. "What the fuck are you doing? Didn't I say-"

Remus held up the egg. "Is this a fucking joke? Do you think you're funny?"

Despite the anger and lust, he noticed Sébastien's eyes had a rather feverish look with his pupils blown wide, and the faintest of blushes had tinged his cheeks. His arousal was clear through his trousers.

"Did you take some shit too so you could finally use me? What? Do you need drugs to get over your disgust for me so you can fuck me and try to drag me down another notch? None of your fuck buddies are available, so you'll use my hole for a change?"

Sébastien's eyes flicked down and back up to his. His knuckles whitened before he jerked back and tried to slam the door. Remus bit back a sound of frustration as he launched himself forward and jammed his leg into the gap. The door trying to close on his thigh hurt enough to make him grunt, and he shoved it back.

It was enough for him to slip in and grab the terrified Prince by the collar before he could do his damn trick to get him down on the floor. He'd fucking deck this bitch for playing a long game to get up his ass. Let the guards lock him up or do whatever.

Sébastien made a slight noise as Remus shook him and kicked the door shut with one foot. "You're a fucking bastard with your sick games."

The Prince raised a fist, and Remus shoved him back so hard, he nearly fell and had to catch himself with the bedpost.

"Bitch. Did you think I'd come running in here to bend over for you? Guess what? I don't bottom, so show me your ass if you want to fuck that bad."

He didn't really think Sébastien would do it, and he didn't expect such terror to flash in his eyes as he backed up. Why not more anger for being denied something and attacked in the process? He was a spoiled brat who got everything he wanted. Sébastien bumped the doorframe of the privy and froze with one side of his coat messed up from Remus gripping it.

Remus was about to do it and finally split the pretty boy's lip or bust his fine nose when he noticed something.

Besides his lack of usual anger, the Prince also hadn't shouted for his guards to deal with his impudent slave. He hadn't gone for his sword resting atop his chest of drawers, denied or confirmed anything, or even drawn the dagger on his belt.

"Just go." Sébastien's voice was strained as his chest heaved, and he seemed on the verge of bolting into the privy room, a last line of defense.

It was one he didn't need. A yell would do. The guards would bust down the locked door to get to him.

Frigid. Ice Prince. Ice in his veins. Thawing. The slow hardening over the years, and the absolute rages he'd go into. It almost seemed impossible, but even in court, shit could happen. Had the physician tried to tell him?

"I'm sorry." Remus backed up a step and bumped the egg on the floor. He didn't remember dropping it.

Sébastien hadn't opened the egg and added anything through the little bottom hole used for the filling. All of the eggs had been dosed with something to get up a man or woman's vigor. The Prince hadn't taken anything on his own in the hopes the slave would come to him, desperate for sexual release beyond his hand.

Why would he when he could have simply ordered a servant to add it to his dinner and taken a dose on his own if he wanted?

It made sense. The woman had been eating hers. The man she'd been cheating with might have had some of her prize or he'd been simply eager to fuck when she suddenly grew amorous. It was clear they'd already had something going on behind her husband's back. She probably had been desperate to get off, they'd been sloppy in finding a secluded spot, and it had led to them being caught by the husband who might have been suspicious and gone looking.

The goal had probably been Sébastien since he'd likely win at something during the earlier games, and he'd gotten lucky today.

It wouldn't kill him, and someone must have thought it was hilarious to make the Ice Prince desperately horny. Or they intended to come and hurt him. He probably never screwed anyone and hadn't since someone at court had likely abused him in his youth.