The street Darion was being led down was unknown to him. He was never really one to venture out farther than the marketplace--unless he was on an assignment, of course. 

The citizens here went about their day in a manner that was different from those living closer to the castle, to say the least. To some, the discrepancies would be almost unnoticeable; not many paid attention to the way someone walked or how they held themselves. The people in this area were more friendly with one another; instead of walking with their heads held down, they smiled at people and spoke with one another as if they were life-long friends. For all Darion knew, all of them could have been life-long friends.

Hernon turned into an alley which seemed to lead to nothing but another street. Darion stopped at the mouth, looking up and down the street before inspecting the alley. 

"Where are you going?" Darion asked.

"Is that skepticism I hear?" Hernon asked, turning back to face Darion. "I thought you trusted me?" Hernon was smiling, but Darion wasn't; he also hadn't moved an inch from where he stood. "I'm taking you to meet some interesting people, Darion. They're just down this alley; I'm actually kind of disappointed you didn't see the door."

Darion had absolutely no idea what Hernon was talking about, but now that he was looking, he did notice a path worn into the ground. The path stretched down the alley before turning straight into the wall of the building on the right. Darion went into the alley, passing right by Hernon as he followed the path.

He placed his hand on the wall and began feeling around for the outline of an entrance; the shape of a door soon revealing itself. Weeds lining the building hid the bottom almost completely; you would only find this door if you knew it was there.

"What is this? Some kind of black market?" Darion asked.

"Oh no, it's something much more... colorful." Darion was suspicious of the secrecy, but Hernon hadn't led him astray just yet. "Now before we go in there, we have to do something about what you're wearing."

Darion looked down at his clothes. He found nothing wrong with what he had on; his shirt and pants were free of stains-- mainly because they were black-- and his cloak wasn't wrinkled or anything. His shoes could've used a light cleaning though.

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"You look like a living shadow with all that black on," Hernon said, looking only mildly judgmental. "It's easily the worse thing about you."

"What? My clothes are the worst thing about me? That's sound incredibly shallow."

"No, it just means you're pretty great in every other way. Now be quiet and let me make you look presentable." Hernon went to work, immediately removing the cloak. "This is a monstrosity, I don't even know why you wore it."

"You're wearing a cloak too!" Darion said. He was shocked by how defensive he was getting.

"I'm wearing a cape, it's completely different," Hernon said, tossing the cloak to the side. Darion flexed his fists, annoyance giving his face a slight twist. "Fine, you can wear the stupid cloak, just let me fix it first."

Hernon picked the dark fabric up from the ground, shaking it free of dirt. The inside was a dark blue, the color of the royal guard. Hernon tied the cloak back around Darion's neck, this time with the color facing out. He also tucked the sides of the cloak under itself, creating a cape-esque look. He removed the lace from the front of Darion's shirt and discarded it without a second glance. Hernon had just grabbed the hem of Darion's shirt when the other man took a hold of his wrist.

"Okay," Hernon said, removing his hands. "Can you tuck your shirt in for me please?"

"I look stupid," Darion muttered, looking down at his attire after tucking his shirt in.

"You look quite handsome, if I may say so myself," Hernon said, admiring his work.

He pushed through the door. Scraping filled the air as a rock positioned behind the door to keep it closed moved to the side. They were met with the sounds of music and conversation, though all Darion could see was a single torch. They both slipped inside, Hernon sealing the entrance as Darion peered down a staircase leading deep into the earth to the source of the noise.

The walls on either side were covered with paint of all colors depicting various figures and scenes. Darion was drawn to a section of the wall displaying a man wearing nothing but a cloth to cover his genitals and a crown of flowers. He wielded a golden bow, his hand pulling back on an arrow of the same color. What stood out to Darion the most were the wings sprouting from his back. 

The details of the man put every other work of art on the wall to shame.

"Who is that?" Darion asked, gliding his hand over the cracked paint.

"Eros, the greek god of love," Hernon said. They stood next to each other on the steps, admiring the work in flickering light. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's phenomenal," Darion said, his voice overflowing with awe.

"Funny, that's exactly what I was aiming for when I made it." Hernon continued down the steps, leaving Darion to gape after him.

"Wait, you made that?" Darion said, rushing down the steps to catch up to him.

"It's what helped me accept myself as someone who isn't like everyone else," Hernon said. He spun back around at the bottom of the steps, looking up at Darion. "If you liked that, you're going to definitely love the rest of this place. You may notice a common theme"

He stepped into the room at the base of the steps, Darion following close behind. Darion had to stop to fully comprehend the room. People were in every corner of the room, talking with one another; but what astonished him was the continuation of the work in the stairwell. Paint covered every inch of the walls, bringing to life lovers intertwined in passion, rather it be man with man, woman with woman, or man with woman. The spaces in between couples were replete with symbols of love from kingdoms far and wide and enough flowers to fill a garden if they'd been real.

"Did you do all of this?" Darion asked, slowly rotating to take in everything he could.

"No, I had some help from other artists. We wanted members of the Fab community to be able to see themselves represented in as grand a manner as anyone else. We're all just trying to love after all."

"Hernon? I thought you were dead!" A woman came running up to them, pulling Hernon into a tight hug.

He chuckled at the woman in his arms. "This was the first place I came after escaping, Maria," he said, returning the hug.

"I know, I just heard they sent the Heart Breaker after you!" She finally backed up far enough to see the other man who'd entered with Hernon. "Who's this?"

"My name's Darion," he said, bringing her hand to his lips. "But you seem to know me as the 'Heart Breaker.'"

She froze, her hand dropping to her side once Darion released it. He thought she was going to pass out until she began to giggle.

"The Heart Breaker's a Same-lover?" she said, looking over at Hernon. "And he's attractive?"

"Actually, he's a Both-lover." Maria almost froze again, but she kept control of her movements.

"A Both-lover?" She moved in close, pulling Darion towards her by the hip. He could feel his cheeks heating up at the close proximity. "Maybe we could get lost in the woods sometime." She rose her eyebrows, eyes filled with mischief.

Hernon grabbed her shoulder, directing her from Darion who nodded a silent "Thank you."

"I thought you were a Same-lover," Hernon said.

"Are you serious? With looks like that, he could make anyone love him."

"Alright, that's enough of that. Where's Jane?"

"At the bar getting us ale," Maria said. Her eyes seemed incapable of moving from Darion who sheepishly grinned at her. Hernon took a hold of Darion's hand and led him through the crowd in the direction of the bar. Some people slowed their dancing to observe the newcomer but soon returned moving in rhythm with the live music.

Maria finally tore her gaze from Darion and went over to a woman with blonde hair standing at the bar. Darion couldn't hear the conversation, but knew it was about him when the woman-- who must be Jane-- looked over at him.

The two men joined the women.

"So, you're the Heart Breaker," Jane said, looking him up and down.

"Darion. You can call me 'Darion.'"

"Darion," she said, correcting herself. Her lips were as red as a berry. "I hope Maria didn't give you too much trouble; she's known to be quite energetic."

"I don't see what's wrong with a little energy," Maria muttered, taking a swig of her drink.

"Oh, baby, there's nothing wrong with a little energy." Maria's mouth stretched into a smile as they kissed.

A person passed by the small group, someone who Darion couldn't identify as man or woman; though he felt as if he didn't need to be able to identify them. All that really mattered was the fact that they were just as human as anyone else.

"Come on, the performance is about to begin," Hernon said. Maria and Jane followed them through the crowd to a seating area next to a stage. Golden curtains adorned the performance area, glittering as it rustled from movement backstage.

The song the musicians had been playing ended and another one never followed. The bartender climbed on stage, calling out for everyone's attention.

"How is the Fab community doing tonight?" The question was answered with cheers and whoops as the crowd drew closer to the stage, all anticipating whatever performance was about to take place. "Fantastic! Now I know most of you already know tonight's performer, but I believe I saw a few new faces in the crowd tonight; they're in for a real treat, aren't they?"

The crowd erupted into a mixture of laughter and applause. Excitement came to life inside Darion's stomach, the crowd's mood becoming infectious.

"Now without further delay, our favorite Drag Maiden, the talented, vivacious, fabulous Ms. Knight!" 

The cheers grew deafening as the curtains drew back to reveal a woman wearing a black dress with over-sized sleeves that flowed with every movement.  As she stepped forward, a swirling silver embroidery covering most of the torso caught the light. The musicians went into an upbeat melody and the woman followed along with it, spinning and twirling across the stage.

Darion could tell that something was off about the woman; he just didn't know what. His suspicions only grew when the singing began. The voice didn't really match what he expected from the woman and it sounded somewhat muffled even though there was nothing obscuring her mouth. Once a break in the song came, Ms.Knight marched over to Darion. Before he could even say anything to her, she dropped into his lap, crossing her legs and leaning in close to Darion.

"I see you're new to the tavern, what brings you here?" she asked. Her voice sounded artificial, yet Darion knew not why. 

Darion was uncomfortable with having this stranger sitting in his lap, but he assumed she'd be gone as soon as he answered her questions.

"I'm actually a Both-lover-- or at least I am according to Hernon," Darion said.

"A Both-lover? How exciting! I love meeting new types of people." Ms. Knight turned to Hernon. "Have you told him yet?" Hernon responded with a shake of his head and a poorly concealed grin.

"Told me what?" Darion asked, looking between the two. She leaned in close to his ears.

"That I'm really a man," she said, the voice instantly deepening. Shock covered Darion's face as he sat there, observing Ms. Knight. She let out a laugh, her voice rising in pitch again as she returned to stage and her number.  The shock was quickly replaced with a smile. Hernon leaned over to Darion.

"I just wanted to show you that you truly aren't alone; we aren't the only people in the kingdom who love in an abnormal manner." Darion looked over to Hernon. He couldn't even put into words everything he felt; about how attractive Hernon looked in this lighting, or how thoughtful it was of him to introduce him to the one room in all of the kingdom where he could be who he was with no shame and no regret. There was only one thing he could think to say.

"Abnormal? We talked about this already; love is love."