Amity Cove - Part 1

Amity Cove

It had been a wonderful, memorable, wedding day, and it wasn’t yet over.  Cailan, laughing and blushing as Jarek unexpectedly lifted and carried him through the portal, had anticipated being in Jarek’s rooms in the Cylandrean palace when they left Arten behind.  Instead, still in Jarek’s arms, he found himself outside in surprisingly warm air, with the sky painted in the colors of the setting sun, and the sight of a small but beautifully alluring cottage in front of him.

“Where are we?” he asked in wonder.

Jarek’s smile graced his features.  “We are in the southernmost tip of Cylandrea in an extremely private place called Amity Cove.”  He gently placed Cailan on his feet and then cupped the young prince’s face and kissed him lovingly.  He nuzzled Cailan’s cheek a moment after the kiss, and then waved his arm to show off their surroundings.  “We have complete privacy here, little love.  The weather is always warm in this part of Cylandrea.  The ocean and a nearly untouched sandbar are a short walk that way, and we have the chalet over there completely to ourselves for the next ten days.  We’ll have to cook and clean for ourselves though, because I requested no servants during our stay.  Total isolation.”  He stroked a hand down Cailan’s arm, then lifted the prince’s hand to kiss it.  “I hope that is alright with you.”

Cailan’s grin grew bigger and bigger.  “It’s perfect.  Finally, no interruptions.”

Jarek laughed out loud and kissed Cailan hard.  “Exactly!”

Laughing as well, Cailan took a deep breath of the warm air, smelling the nearby water and the aroma of citrus fruit and exotic flora.

“Come,” Jarek requested after he too took several deep and refreshing breaths.  “Let me show you where we’re staying.”

He gripped Cailan’s hand and walked him to the small cottage.  Cailan was a bit surprised that Jarek would choose to vacation in such a little bungalow, especially considering the opulence of the Cylandrean palace and his personal rooms, but he couldn’t deny the appeal of the lovely and obviously private house. 

The door was not locked and Jarek simply pushed it open and brought Cailan inside when they reached it.  The setting sun left the inside of the chalet dimly lit with rays of red and pink shining through the windows, but it was still enough light for Cailan to get a good first sight of their temporary home.  The inside, in fact, looked to be one large open space, with nothing dividing the separate sections.  They had walked right into what looked to be the main living area.  Two lovely settees and a low table created a sitting area facing a stone fireplace with a pair of thin, matching bookshelves on either side of it.  

To the right of where they stood was a kitchen space with a small wood stove, an old-fashioned but gleamingly clean sink, and shelves above them that looked hand-carved and held plates and dishes of simple yet affluent design.  A circular table and two chairs, made of the same wood as the shelves, also adorned the kitchen area.

Then to the left of the sitting area, a large, canopied bed was positioned near a sizable window that gave a beautiful view of the world outside its glass.

Cailan’s heart raced with both nerves and excitement at the sight.

Jarek’s voice, low and husky, spoke into Cailan’s ear.  “What do you think?  Will this suit our needs?”

Swallowing, Cailan merely nodded, although he let his face be cupped and his eyes make contact with Jarek’s when the older man touched him.

“Petling, I bring you here as my husband, my lover and companion, but not my concubine.  That is a label that will never again be given to you.  However, I made you a promise when that was your role, and although things have changed, I feel honor-bound to keep my word.  I will not claim your body fully until you ask it of me.”

Taken aback, Cailan couldn’t speak at first.  He had so appreciated that promise of Jarek’s when he had been a scared and confused concubine.  It hadn’t occurred to him that Jarek would still feel bound to his promise now that they could call each other ‘husband’.  But, it made the feelings of love Cailan had for the man go deeper and created a warmth in his spirit.  Jarek’s words simply proved his trustworthiness and honor.

Cailan lifted his arms to rest on Jarek’s shoulders and gently pressed his body against the man’s sturdy build. 

“I ask it of you, beloved.  I want that connection, that claim, with you and no one else.”

Jarek eyes lit and he took in a slow breath as his arms wrapped tightly around Cailan and pressed their bodies more tightly together.  “Call me ‘beloved’ again,” he requested.

Cailan smiled, and even he could feel the difference in his own expression.  There was heat and seduction and love exuding naturally from him.  “Beloved,” he repeated, following the word with a slow kiss.  “Lover,” he added.  “Precious…dearest…mate…husband.”

Each endearment was followed by kisses that grew in length and intensity.  They fed off each other’s building excitement until Jarek made them pause in their kisses and touched his forehead to Cailan’s.

“Now, my petling?”

“Now,” Cailan whispered fervently.

Jarek kissed him again and moved them both toward the bed without breaking their embrace.  When Cailan felt his back hit the blankets, he willingly leaned backward and settled on the mattress as Jarek moved atop him.

For a while it was almost like a dream.  They kissed and caressed one another, both of them taking delight when their arousals rubbed together, first through their clothes, and then eventually skin to skin as they shed their wedding attire one article at a time.

Cailan couldn’t help tracing his fingers along Jarek’s beautiful markings whenever they paused in their kisses to breathe.  He’d always found those unique swirls and coloring fascinating, and he found he loved touching the pattern all over Jarek’s skin.

Jarek’s hands roamed Cailan’s body as well, seeming to map out each muscle and groove, and not letting the bandage around Cailan’s right leg stop his touches, although he did gentle them when he strayed near the healing injury.

At one point, panting, Jarek raised up over Cailan’s body and met the younger man’s gaze as he deliberately moved his hand over the young prince’s groin and into the crease of his bottom.  His finger rubbed sensually yet gently over the hidden area. 

“Are you sure this is what you want, petling?” he asked, desire emanating from his eyes.

A shiver ran down Cailan’s spine as Jarek touched him so intimately, a feeling of both arousal and nerves.  “I’m sure,” he promised.

Jarek studied him a moment longer, then pressed a lighter kiss to his lips while his hand still caressed Cailan’s crease.  “Stay as you are.  I need just a moment to get some cream.”

“Cream?” Cailan asked huskily.

“Yes,” Jarek replied.  “It will make it easier for both of us when I enter you.”

Cailan nodded and Jarek moved away long enough to open a large chest at the end of the bed, remove a jar, and return to the bed.  Cailan had stayed as Jarek told him, and then watched as the bigger man scooped a generous portion of the cream onto his fingers and rub it over his hardness, straddling Cailan as he did so.

The action brought the young prince’s attention fully onto Jarek’s sizeable erection, and a flash of nerves moved through him as he wondered just how possible it was to get something that big inside of him.  It didn’t make sense that it would fit!

“It will fit,” Jarek soothed from above him.

Cailan’s eyes got big.  “Did I say that out loud?!”

Jarek couldn’t prevent an amused laugh from breaking out.  “No, petling, you didn’t, but your expression said it clearly.”  He continued to spread the cream over himself, but his free hand moved to stroke and caress Cailan’s chest and stomach, the touch a pet and meant to calm.  “Don’t worry, love.  I’ll prepare you.”

More anxiety was creeping in, although Cailan’s sexual desire continued to rise as well.  “Prepare me?”

Jarek leaned down, his weight pressing down in a comforting way and his erection resting heavy on Cailan’s stomach as he kissed the smaller man.  “Yes, prepare you,” he murmured.  “I’ve no intention of hurting you, little one.”

He slid sensually up and down Cailan’s body a few times, letting the skin to skin contact increase both their libidos.  Then, slowly, he moved off of the young prince and settled at Cailan’s side.

“Stay on your back, petling,” he urged as he leaned on one arm and used the other hand to stroke Cailan’s body.  He stopped touching long enough to scoop another bit of cream from the jar and then set the container away from them.  “Relax and spread,” he urged as his hand glided smoothly between Cailan’s legs and pressed gently into the crease.

Cailan’s nerves made him want to close his legs, but Jarek’s touch was teasingly pleasurable and Cailan relaxed into the very intimate massage Jarek’s hand was doing.  The cream was being spread up and down his crease, one finger occasionally tapping or rubbing on his opening, but not pushing for anything just yet.

Cailan hummed in the back of his throat over his enjoyment, and then turned his head to find Jarek’s mouth.  The man willingly kissed him, and it was distracting enough that Cailan didn’t realize a finger was being pushed inside until it was fully enveloped and slowly moving in and out.  He gasped when he realized and Jarek slowed the movement.

“Are you alright, petling?  Does it hurt?”

Cailan shook his head.  “No, it’s…good.”

Jarek grinned, kissed him again and sped up the strokes.  However, when a second finger began to press against his opening, he flinched, instinctively tightening his muscles.

“Don’t fight it, love,” Jarek soothed, his tone deep and appealing.  “Your muscles are stretching.  Another will fit.”

Nodding and not looking away from Jarek’s face, Cailan relaxed and felt another finger slip inside of him.  It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t exactly pleasurable either.  Jarek kept his hand still while he adjusted to the intrusion.  When Cailan felt ready, he nodded at the man watching him so intently.  “Touch me,” he urged.

Slowly, the two fingers began moving in and out.  It still felt odd to Cailan, but then one finger bent and a squeak escaped his mouth as a bolt like electric pleasure ran from where Jarek’s fingers touched to all the way up Cailan’s spine.

Wide, dilated eyes looked with shock to Jarek, and the man smiled almost wickedly.  “Good?”

Cailan jerked his head up and down rapidly.  “What was that?!”

“The part of you that makes sure our bonding is pleasurable.”  Jarek stroked that spot again and Cailan’s back arched in reaction.  “Oh!  Jarek!”

The man’s fingers moved in and out again, occasionally touching that sweet spot inside, and now scissoring whenever Jarek pulled out to stretch him more.

Cailan panted and squeaked unintentionally at the novel sensations.  He grew harder with Jarek’s ministrations, and whined when the fingers left his body completely.

“Why…why did you stop?!” he asked in a moan as Jarek suckled on his neck.

“Because I can’t wait any longer to claim you,” the older man said, his breath hot against Cailan’s skin.

Jarek shifted down a little, just an inch or two, and one arm slid snugly under Cailan’s neck and shoulders, while the other went under his knees and lifted his legs up.  Cailan felt like he was being cradled in that position, but it left him able to wrap his arms around Jarek’s torso, now damp with sweat, and to kiss the man’s lips since his face was so close.

Jarek kissed him back, both hard yet tenderly, and Cailan felt the blunt head of his husband’s erection at his entrance.

“Deep breath, sweet one, and keep your legs up” Jarek directed comfortingly.  “Now let it out slowly.”

As Cailan breathed out, Jarek pushed in.  Unable to help it, Cailan flinched at the initial burn the intrusion created.  Jarek’s member was much bigger than his fingers had been.

Jarek paused once the head was in and cupped Cailan’s face, his thumb stroking the younger man’s cheek and his lips dipping to press tender kisses to Cailan’s mouth.

“You’re alright.  Breathe for me.”

He waited for Cailan to relax, and then pushed slowly forward, very gradually inching his way further in.

Cailan panted and gripped Jarek hard, suddenly not sure how much he liked what was happening.  It seemed like Jarek just kept getting deeper and deeper, but finally the man’s skin was flush against his and the movement stopped, leaving a sensation Cailan was trying to adapt to.

“Breath, petling,” Jarek reminded, his voice strained as he controlled the need to move.  “You need to tell me if it hurts, if it’s too much.”

“It…burns,” Cailan gasped out.  “It’s so full.”

“I know, honey.  Can you take it?”

Cailan wasn’t sure, but he wanted to be able to take it.  “Just need…a minute.”

“Ok, petling, ok, but look at me.”

Cailan hadn’t realized how tightly he’d shut his eyes until Jarek made the request to look at him.  He opened them slowly, finding Jarek’s face above him through the blur of unwanted tears.  One managed to escape and dripped from his eye.  Jarek looked concerned and his thumb tenderly wiped away the wetness.

“I can pull out, love.  I’ll be careful.  I don’t want to hurt you.”

The burn was receding, leaving just the fullness that didn’t seem quite so bad now.  “No, I’m ok,” Cailan assured.  “Just needed…to adjust.”  He wiggled slightly, an almost instinctive move to get a little more comfortable, and it helped.  The spot inside him was just barely touched, and the little zap of pleasure helped him relax.  “Move, I want you to,” he pleaded.

Jarek kissed him sweetly, his arm returning to Cailan’s legs to hold them in position, and slowly he began to thrust. 

For a few seconds the burn returned, but it faded as the movement created gentle touches against his sweet spot and Cailan began to rock with his lover, helping him find that spot and gradually increasing their speed.

Soon a rhythm was found, first slow and gentle but steadily getting faster and deeper as the pleasure that had briefly dropped into a valley now ascended again.  Jarek alternated between kissing Cailan’s mouth and sucking on his neck.

Cailan held onto him with both arms at first, but as his pleasure increased, one hand wandered.  He started touching and then pinching Jarek’s nipples when he realized that doing so earned him a delightful moan from the man.  Giving Jarek pleasure ramped Cailan up more, and he felt his arousal growing stronger and stronger, building in him toward a crescendo.  Eventually he felt he had to find release, and his hand dropped from Jarek’s chest to his own hard erection.  He began tugging mercilessly at it, and Jarek lifted his face from Cailan’s neck to watch and then grin wickedly at him.

“Keep going, honey,” he urged.  “Let loose for me.”

He began thrusting harder and faster into Cailan, hitting that wonderful sweet spot over and over until Cailan’s back bowed and he yelled out his release. 

The tight grip Cailan’s body had on Jarek became almost unyielding as the younger man peaked. His bottom clenched Jarek’s hardness so perfectly that the bigger man lost his control and spilled into Cailan with a loud groan.

It felt like several minutes passed before they both stopped the residual spasms from their orgasms and their bodies relaxed into pants and exhausted muscles.

Jarek very slowly pulled out of his smaller partner, making the younger man groan until he put his hand against the well stretched muscle and gently massaged it as it closed.

“Thank…you,” Cailan said breathlessly.  “That helps.”

Jarek massaged for another minute, until it seemed Cailan had truly relaxed, and then gently maneuvered them both until he could hold the smaller man against him.

“Are you alright, my sweet petling?  Was it too much?”

Cailan barely shook his head, his eyes closed as his head rested against Jarek’s shoulder and one arm slid across the bigger man’s torso in a possessive grip.  “It was…so good.  Just had to get used to it at first.”  He half opened his eyes and turned his head enough so he could barely meet Jarek’s gaze.  “I am claimed now.”

Jarek couldn’t help hugging him a bit tighter.  “As am I, little one.  I am yours as much as you are mine.  No one else.”

Cailan relaxed and closed his eyes, clearly on the verge of sleep.  “I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you too, my petling.”

Closing his eyes and feeling absolutely complete, Jarek slept with his prince.

*****

Both men slept through the night, the busyness of their wedding day and intensity of their evening activities having exhausted both of them. 

Jarek was the first to wake as light from the east-rising sun began to shine in from the kitchen window.  It gave the interior of the small chalet a dreamlike look that made him smile in contentment.  He yawned and closed his eyes, falling back into a restful sleep.

When Cailan awoke, he blinked bleary eyes, for a moment wondering where he was, but the sight of the beautifully marked chest his head rested on reminded him, as did the dull ache in his nether region.  He gently flexed his bottom, simultaneously thinking that it felt weird but oddly good at the same time.

He felt different, both physically and spiritually.  He had feared the acts required of a concubine, and dreaded taking that step of his body no longer being his.  But, as a husband with a man he chose, he felt content in knowing only Jarek would possess his body in such a way.  It felt intimate and personal and right.

His hand moved slightly over Jarek’s chest, again tracing the swirls and lines of his markings, but he didn’t want to wake the other man, so he stopped after only a few seconds and shifted carefully away, slipping off the bed and engaging in an invigorating stretch as he stood.  His hand roamed over his torso, and as he glanced down his body, his motions froze.  There, on his chest, was an identical match to Jarek’s origin mark, the unique symbol Jarek told him he’d been born with.

Shock and anxiety made him forget that his lover was sleeping and he uttered an alarmed, “Jarek!”

His husband sat up abruptly, startled from his sleep at Cailan’s distressed tone.  “What?!  What’s wrong?!” he asked as he threw off the covers and hurried to Cailan’s side.  He gripped the smaller man’s shoulders and turned him so they stood face-to-face, his gaze quickly landing on the newly appeared mark and his mouth dropped open briefly before a tiny smile touched his lips.  His hand came up to trace the symbol.

His calm and that small smile kept Cailan from panicking further, but it didn’t answer any of the hundred questions running through his brain.  “Jarek?”

The man looked up from the mark, but the grin left his face and shock took its place as his gaze skittered from Cailan’s face to his hair.  The hand that had been tracing the mark now rose slowly and delicately touched the strands.

“Petling, your hair shimmers.”

“What?!”

Without speaking, Jarek put an arm around his shoulders and ushered him to a narrow door in the corner of the cottage’s kitchen area.  It led to an attached bathing room Cailan had been unaware of, but he wasn’t able to admire the porcelain tub or gleaming fixtures.  Jarek stood him in front of a full length piece of mirrored glass and repeated, “Look, your hair shimmers….” He followed his own statement with a gasp and in awe said, “And so does mine”.

They both stood there in disbelief, ignoring their nudity and instead silently taking in and trying to grasp the unexpected happenings.

“Jarek,” Cailan finally uttered in a whisper.  “What’s going on?”

Jarek moved behind Cailan and rested his hands on the smaller man’s shoulders.  “I…have my suspicions, but I’m not fully certain.”

“Is it dangerous?”

Jarek shook his head.  “I do not believe so, petling.  In fact, if it is what I suspect, it is a very good thing…a blessing.”  He kissed the top of Cailan’s head almost reverently.  “Come back to the main room.  I’ll tell you my thoughts and we can discuss seeking more answers.”

Cailan went willingly, but couldn’t help looking over his shoulder at the mirror one last time before exiting the room.  Jarek urged him to one of the settees.  “Sit, and I’ll gather some leggings for us.  I don’t know that I can keep my concentration on topic if you remain so beautifully unclothed.”

The sweet teasing diminished some of the stress Cailan was feeling, and he could admit to himself as he appreciatively watched Jarek’s form walk away that their mutual nudity would definitely be distracting.

From the chest at the end of the bed, Jarek pulled out two pairs of leggings, foregoing any tunics, and slipped into a pair.  He brought the other set to Cailan and sat on the divan as the young man pulled up the thin material and covered his privates.

“So what do you think this is?” Cailan asked immediately as he sat back down.

Jarek moved closer to his partner and reached out to brush his fingertips over the marking on Cailan’s chest, a symbol he had been intimately familiar with his whole life since the same image adorned his chest as well.

“I fear my explanation will not make sense to you,” he admitted.  “It is rare and unique enough among my own people that it’s hard even for me to understand.”

“What?” Cailan asked persistently, curiosity vying with anxiousness.

Jarek took a long moment to think before trying to explain his suspicions.  He reached for Cailan’s hands to hold them as he started.  “Let’s start with the appearance of my origin mark on you.  That may be the easiest to explain…sort of.”

“How can you explain it?” Cailan asked fervently.

“I need to enlighten you on a little Cylandrean history for it to make sense,” he began.  “You already know that my kingdom chooses to remain mostly insular within our lands.  While we have contact with other countries through treaties, trade routes, and occasionally times of war, marriage to foreigners is very rare, and are only permitted with the king’s approval.”

That surprised Cailan.  “But you married me so quickly.”

“With Alaric’s blessing,” Jarek reminded.  “And you are an exception in a lot of ways.  Getting back to the explanation though, there is a reason we are very careful about bonding to those who aren’t Cylandrean-born.”

“What reason?  The silver prophecies?  Because you didn’t want them known by others?”

Jarek nodded.  “That was part of it.  However, there was another reason.  Many centuries ago, even before the silver prophecies began, Cylandrea was a much smaller and younger nation.  There were ten families who originally settled this land, who farmed it, hunted on it, and fought off those who tried to take it from them.”

Cailan nodded.  “I remember reading that in the history primer you had me study.”

“Yes, the start of the kingdom would have been included in that, but not in much detail.  Did the primer I gave you happen to explain how Cylandrea was named and what it meant?”

“Briefly,” Cailan told him.  “It was only a paragraph or two that basically said the founding families discussed a name for their land over the course of three days, and finally agreed upon Cylandrea because it meant “forever mine”.

“Right,” Jarek concurred.  “The meaning of that word was significant because it represented two things to them.  The first was how they felt about the land they had claimed.  They wanted it to belong to their children and all the generations that would follow, so the choice of the name held the hope of a promise for all their future kin.

“The second reason it was significant to them was because all those who were married within those ten families were origin twins.”

“Origin twins?  What is that?”

“Origin twins are two individuals who share an identical origin mark.”

Cailan’s eyes got bigger and his mind eagerly took in the information being offered.  “I thought you said that the origin mark was unique to each Cylandrean?”

“Not quite.  I told you that our overall markings that grow out of the origin mark on our chest are unique to each individual.  However, the origin mark itself can, on occasion, be found on two separate people.”

“So sometimes two Cylandreans are born with identical origin marks?”

“Yes, and it considered a gift….” He purposefully emphasized that word. “…if you find someone with the twin of your mark.  It means you were pre-destined to be together, that you are ideally matched.  However, there is another way to discover you have an origin twin without being born with the mark.”

“How?”

“Through a physical bond,” Jarek said as he squeezed Cailan’s hands.  “If someone born with an origin mark is meant to be united with someone unmarked, then it has been recorded in our more ancient texts that the one bearing the mark will pass it on to their origin twin when a sexual bond has been made.”

Jarek leaned forward, dropping his head and pressing a kiss to the new symbol on Cailan’s chest.  “I believe that is what has happened,” he deduced, his breath warm and tickling Cailan’s skin.

Cailan sucked in a breath at the sensation of Jarek’s warm mouth on his skin.  It made an area a bit below his torso start to stand up and take notice, but he had more questions that he really wanted answers to.  For a moment his cupped Jarek’s head as the man kissed his chest, but then slid his hands to the bigger man’s shoulders and gently but adamantly pushed him back.

“Please, can we…finish talking about this first?”

Chuckling ruefully, Jarek nodded and sat back, but he brought Cailan closer and tucked the young prince against his side.  “You’re right, petling.  We do have a lot to talk about right now.  I assume you have questions you want to ask?”

Cailan wasn’t entirely sure which question to ask first, but he went with the one claiming dominance for now.  “So, you believe we’re origin twins and meant to be together?”

Jarek pressed a kiss to his temple.  “I do, little love.  I know of no other reason or explanation for my mark to appear on your chest.”

A pleasant heat, not a sexual one, but one that contained the emotions of gratefulness, joy, and contented bliss warmed the smaller prince.  It meant a lot to him to be told that destiny had chosen to gift him with a partner for life, someone he was meant to be with.

“Did you think before it happened that I was your origin twin?”

Jarek shook his head.  “No, it honestly had not occurred to me.  Origin twins are very rare.”

“But you said the original families of Cylandrea were origin twins.”

“Yes, it was more common centuries ago, but still not exceptionally frequent.  That’s part of the history I wanted to explain.”

“About your kingdom being careful of outsiders?”

Jarek nodded.  “It has to do with our marks and origin twins.  I told you that to have an origin twin is considered very special, so it used to be that our ancestors became obsessive with the search.  Everyone wanted to find their match, and some pushed a belief that everyone has a pre-destined mate and it’s just a matter of finding that person, but that’s just not true.”

“It’s not?”

Jarek shook his head.  “It’s not, but the belief that it was true caused a lot of problems.  Some people refused to get married or accept a betrothal with anyone other than the mate they sought for.  Others became violent.”  Jarek’s eyes expressed discouragement and anger as he said that.  “There were rapes and attacks on young women from men seeking their elusive life-mate.  We had a growing number of children born to unwed mothers through rape, or through the woman seeking her own partner and promiscuously sharing herself with men who lied and deceived her into believing they were origin twins.”

Cailan frowned.  “But wouldn’t seeing the man’s mark and knowing it didn’t match their own prove otherwise?”

“It would, but some wouldn’t reveal their mark, and some tried to alter their marks to match the mark of the person they wished to seduce.”

“That’s awful,” Cailan stated.

“I agree.  The obsession for finding one’s origin twin was also the cause of troubles for Cylandrea with outside nations.  As in our case, an origin twin does not necessarily have to be two Cylandreans.  The bond can happen with those outside of us.  Our people began pursuing mates from other countries, but instead of being proper and going through a betrothal and marriage, they were simply allowing themselves to have intercourse with whoever they found attractive in the hopes that a mark would appear—as it did on you,” Jarek explained.  “The result of that was angry foreign families and rulers who felt their daughters and sons were being used and cast aside.  Duels occurred and we came close to war more than once, and at that time in our history, it is likely we would have been defeated.  We just didn’t have the military power yet.”

“So how were these situations handled?” Cailan questioned, drawn into Jarek’s reciting of his country’s history.

“With a lot of difficulty,” Jarek admitted.  “My grandfather, eight generations back, was respected as the highest authority during that time.  A monarchy had not yet been formally established, but my ancestor had the most land and resources, the largest family, and was highly esteemed.  He also did not have an origin twin, but he had love and a healthy marriage to his wife, so he was an example to the people that it didn’t require an origin twin to have a happy and successful union.

“Unfortunately, one of his sons believed he’d only be fulfilled if he found his pre-destined mate.  During his searching, the young man impregnated the only child of a farmer in a neighboring kingdom.  When no mark appeared on the young woman, the son made it clear that he did not plan to marry her.  The father of the girl was devastated, as was his daughter.  Since she was pregnant with another man’s child, she would no longer be accepted as a bride by another man.  The father went to his king to voice his complaint against the son and our people.  That country’s king was well aware of the poor choices my people were making, and the farmer wasn’t the first parent to approach him.  He decided something had to be done and he sent a delegation to our land, demanding justice. 

“Our people were afraid of possible war, and my ancestor begged of the king to give them a few days to rightfully remedy things.  When the king agreed, my forefather approached his son and pleaded with him to do right by the young woman, marry her, and raise their child together.”

“What did the son say?” Cailan asked when Jarek paused.

The older man sighed.  “The boy was fearful and honestly sorry for his choices, but he told his father he couldn’t give up on finding his origin twin.  His father then said that if that was his choice, then he would not press the boy into an unwanted marriage.  However, his father insisted that making that choice meant he would be leaving his home and country because he would not support a choice he couldn’t agree with.

“No one wanted that, but it was the son’s choice and he said he was determined to find his origin twin.”

“That’s really sad,” Cailan commented, his heart hurting for everyone in Jarek’s story.

“It wasn’t easy at all,” Jarek confirmed, “but my ancestor couldn’t just leave his son to fend entirely for himself.  In the end he gave the young man the financial inheritance he would have eventually been given, and wished him luck in finding his mate and a happy life.”

“So the son left,” Cailan concluded.  “What about the other country’s king and the girl?”

“Well, the girl still carried my ancestor’s grandchild.  So he approached the foreign king and the girl’s father and offered to provide a home and support to the young woman and her baby.”

“That was generous of him.  Was the offer accepted?”

“It was,” Jarek told him.  “The farmer knew his daughter and grandchild would be better provided for if they went with my ancestor than what he could do, so the offer was accepted.  It ended up working out well for everyone.  Another of my ancestor’s sons came to love the woman and the child, and with the blessing of both families, they married and had four more children of their own.

“However, that incident and how my ancestor handled it set a precedent.  We couldn’t allow our people to act so foolishly and take risks like they were.  Within our country, there was much more family involvement in relationships being done, and gradually the people learned to seek out mates with kindness and good character instead of focusing on finding an origin twin. 

It also became a law that if a Cylandrean wanted to pursue a spouse from another country, the union had to be approved by both families as well as a gathering of Cylandrean elders; and that eventually evolved to become approval from our current king.

“In time we became a land and a people who took pride in taking care of each other and our children.  We were able to develop better relationships with our foreign neighbors, but we had begun to value certain principles that we found less and less outside our own.”

“So your people stopped looking for your origin twins and seeking mates outside of your own people?”

“Pretty much,” Jarek confirmed.  “And our bond to our own became stronger when the silver prophecies started.  We knew from the prophecies that the silver-born would be a foreigner, but we did not trust other countries with that knowledge because…well, pretty much because we feared a scenario such as what happened with Charon and the Berring kingdom.  Knowledge is power, but can be used wickedly in the wrong hands.”

Cailan thought about all Jarek had told him.  It was a lot to take in, but it didn’t provide answers for everything.

“Jarek, I think what you’ve told me about the origin mark makes sense, but that doesn’t explain how my hair now has that shimmer that yours does, or how you’re now able to see it as I am,” the young prince reminded.

Jarek pulled Cailan a little tighter against him and let his fingers lightly touch the smaller man’s now shimmering hair.  “You’re right.  The appearance of the origin mark doesn’t explain that, and I’m afraid my thoughts on it are really only guesses.”

“Well, what are your guesses?” Cailan pushed to know.

Jarek mumbled something in an amused tone about impatient partners, but he proceeded to share his thoughts.

“In Cylandrea, we have a belief that every human being has a bit of magic in them.  We are born with it, which is why with a little training and practice, most everyone is able to obtain some elementary abilities.”

Cailan wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but he paid attention.  “What kind of abilities? You mean like what you did with the protection spell between you and me when we trained?”

“Well, that particular spell is a little more advanced,” Jarek told him.  “I’m in no way proficient in magic use; not like your Sorcerer Ristoph or my own palace’s sorcerer, but I have studied and practiced it a bit more than the average Cylandrean, so in some areas I’m rather adept.  All that is beside the point I’m trying to make, but to answer your question, most Cylandreans are capable of things like small and close-range communication portals, mixing medicinal teas for minor illnesses, or doing self-memory spells to find misplaced items; just mild, everyday abilities we believe everyone is capable of if focused on and developed.”

“Ok,” Cailan said slowly, trying to take in this cultural information and figure out how it applied to their current situation.  “Are you saying that what’s happened to us is due to magic?”

“Possibly,” Jarek said somewhat hesitantly.  “What I mean is I think the innate magic we’re born with plays a significant part in these developments in us.” 

He could see Cailan remained confused, so he continued to try to explain.  “In Arten, you may not share a belief that we all have a little magic in us, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.  You, I think, are a very good example of having some natural—if unexplainable—magic inside because you are the only one who has ever been able to see the secondary colors in my people’s hair, or the shimmer within my family.”

“But now you see it too, at least in your own hair,” Cailan reminded.

Jarek nodded.  “I do, and it’s…shocking to actually see.”

“But how do you explain it?”

The older prince squeezed Cailan’s hands.  “I think it comes down to the connection that you and I share.  I’m going to need to let you see and read through all the silver prophecies so you have the knowledge for yourself, but several of them emphasized a bond that would develop between the second-born prince—me—and the one who would fulfill the prophecies.  I think aspects of that bond are happening between us.  Last night, when we fully shared one another’s bodies for the first time, we created a physical tie to one another.”

“Which you believe caused the origin mark to appear on me,” Cailan interrupted.

“Yes, but I’m wondering if our physical union has helped us share other parts of ourselves, like your ability to see the shimmer in my family’s hair.  Possibly the sharing of our bodies is letting us share other aspects of ourselves.  When you gave me your body, you may have given me your unique sight ability as well.”

Cailan thought about that.  He actually liked that idea.  “Do you really think that’s what happened?  I like to believe that I’ve given you something like that.”

“I have no guarantee, petling, but it makes sense to me.”

“Do you think that’s why my hair has that shimmer in it now?  Is it possible that you passed that to me when we…” he blushed, “…when we came together?”

        Jarek chuckled at the pink tinge on Cailan’s cheeks and rubbed a finger over the stubbled skin, feeling its warmth.  “That’s my guess, sweetheart.  You’ve said that the only people you’ve seen with that shimmer are my family, and you are now legally and physically a part of Cylandrea’s royal house—Prince Cailan Pierson Nyle-Lysander.”