The first evening when the boy arrived, a guard had come to my rooms.

"Is he a prisoner or a guest?" he'd asked.

"A guest. Give him a comfortable room. And good food three times a day. If he's hungry in between, he can have a snack in the pantry. Escort him there and let him choose."

So I knew Izuna was eating well, so that wasn't the purpose of this dinner, even if I knew it would be even more extravagant than what he had already been offered. I had invited him for dinner under the pretence we needed to talk before the trip, but that wasn't the truth. I just wanted to sit down with him, one-on-one, to feel the intimacy of his presence when there was only us.

In short, I was desperate to recreate what we had created that time.

I sighed, looking at myself critically in the mirror. I usually dressed simply for a king, being too much in my head to care, but for this occasion, I had dressed up. I wore a turquoise silk robe that was so long, it floated on the floor like a source of fresh spring water, with gems and details of metallic orange. The robe was bare at the chest, showing off my upper abdomen, and held together at the waist by a broad, orange belt of tulle. I had a bit of white, glittery powder on my face and chest, and had oiled my hair until it was soft and shining, hanging down my shoulders. Some thin strands of hair were decorated with soft orange and cobalt blue pearls. I rarely wore a crown, but I had donned one made of alaganja metal in the form of a soft chain resting on my forehead with pearls and crystals of turquoise and yellow hanging down to my shoulders on the sides. I usually only wore studs in my ears, but now had earrings that hung down with small crystals of all colours.

I felt more dressed out than dressed up.

I turned round, and the heels of my black boots sounded pleasantly on the stone floors as I walked to the great dining hall. 

Izuna was late.

I was too nervous to sit down, so I had taken a piece of bread that I was munching on while walking back and forth in the dining hall. The silken fabric of my robe rustled pleasantly as I walked.

"That's going to be one polished floor once you're done", I heard a voice say.

I stopped and turned around. Izuna was standing in the doorway, smirking at my planless wandering.

I wanted to retort something quick and witty, but found myself unable to speak because he looked striking. Nicholas must've had his way with him, I didn't even know since when because that robe must've been the most exquisite piece he had ever made. It was made of a matte, coarser type of dark grey silk and was embroidered in dark green, clear blue and red at the hems. As opposed to mine, it was closed at the top in a V-shape that elongated Izuna's slender neck and showed off the upper part of his chest and inner parts of his collarbones. Around his neck, he wore a delicate silver chain with small rubies and cream-coloured pearls. He had just a hint of powder on his skin and a matte black wing on his eyelids. His hair was braided and put up in the most sophisticated updo I had ever seen on anyone.

He was the most beautiful creature that had ever existed, I thought.

"Did I render you speechless, sire?" Izuna smirked.

He most definitely had because I still couldn't speak. So instead, I took a few steady strides until I was towering above him. I could see he was a bit scared and that he had to force himself to not take a step back, but he stood his ground, his brave little face turned up towards mine. God... But I only took his hand, feeling him jerk at the elven touch, and brought it to my lips and placed them on the back of it, kissing it lightly.

"You look stunning", I said.

"You look absolutely magical", he whispered back.

We stood there, our eyes locked, unable to move, in a complete trans. It was Izuna who broke the silence with a glance on the bread I still held in my hand.

"I'm hungry", he whispered.

The dinner was silent, awkward, hesitant. It was only him and me, no guards, and we sat on opposite ends of a long table, sharing the food between us. I didn't really believe in courses to guests who weren't used to the elven cuisine, so I had asked for a bit of everything; freshly baked rye bread, sour dough hard breads, cheddar soup with broccoli, thinly sliced raw salmon, black rice with a mild curry sauce, several different salads, many cheeses and jams, pickles and honey, thin roasts on airy and savoury pancakes, poached pears covered in melted sugar crystals, vanilla custards with hazelnut cream. Izuna was a hearty eater, and so was I, but there was a hurriedness to our eating, even if we tried to use our cutleries as politely as possible, and we kept staring at each other. Izuna let his fork slide into his pear, cracking the burnt sugar crystals and ploughing through the soft meat of the tender fruit. I swallowed.

I couldn't' stand it any longer.

"Izuna..."

"Sire."

I stood up and walked to his chair. He didn't stand up, just looked up at me when I approached, so I grabbed the arms of his lovely robe and forced him to stand. I put a finger underneath his chin, tilted his face up and bent down. Immediately, he gasped, parting his lips, and I parted mine, and...

We just stood there, panting, breathing into each other's mouths, our lips atoms apart but never touching. The seconds passed, each one of them a lifetime long, as neither of us moved.

"Izuna..."

"It feels wrong", Izuna whispered into my parted lips. "Being here dolled up while my brother's conserved body lay here somewhere."

That's when I allowed me to confess to myself that the reason why I wouldn't give his brother back was no longer because I wanted Izuna to stay and train my army.

I just wanted him to stay.