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Cocky, was a word to describe the young would-be Prince. Haphazard, was another. Reckless, perhaps. All words his guardian Gilgamesh would use. The healer, at all of twenty-two years of age, seemed to prefer sunlight naps to actually paying mind to his surroundings.
"Ardyn, you truly must be more mindful. Your power is a gift, one I fear the desperate may take advantage of."
Ardyn Lucis Caelum wiggled back against the lush green grass, waving a flippant hand at Gilgamesh.
"Nonsense. Who would harm me, Gilgamesh? I am a healer, I do harm to none."
"That is what I fear, Ardyn..." Gilgamesh watched Ardyn as he crossed his long legs, black knee high boots over tight tan pants. He worse a loose tunic on his upper body, loose enough his guardian could see a peek of his collar bone over the neck line. Gilgamesh exhaled, and looked at the peaceful smirk across the healer's lips. How he wished to kiss those lips. How he wished to run his hands over the healer's body.
But his position came first. Shield the would-be Prince.
"Ardyn, we should continue while we have daylight. There is talk of the woods becoming perilous at night."
Ardyn cracked an eye open, and sighed dramatically at Gilgamesh.
"I'm starting to wonder if you want me to rest, Gil."
The shortened version of his name made his heart thump in his chest. He sighed, knowing the opposite was the truth. He loved when Ardyn napped, and he was able to watch his peaceful breathing, even if it delayed their travels. He loved to watch the graceful rise and fall of the healer's chest, and hear his sleepy little noises. The healer closed his eyes again, raising his arms to settle behind his head.
"Come along, Ardyn. Please."
The plea made the healer open his eyes again. He sighed again, and sat up.
"Alright, alright. No need to beg."
"I'm beginning to think you enjoy making me beg, Ardyn." A flush grew over Gilgamesh's tanned cheeks the moment he heard the words came out of his mouth. He pulled his hood up, and averted his face from Ardyn's sight.
Never one to miss an opportunity to tease, the would-be Prince stood, and moved beside Gilgamesh.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps I just enjoy making you say my name."
Gilgamesh swallowed hard, and began walking toward the woods, ignoring Ardyn's teasing despite it causing the blood to travel to his cock.
He misjudged just how much time they would need to clear the dense forest, and night fell fast. Ardyn shivered in the cool night air. Gilgamesh wanted desperately to pull him close, and wrap him in his cloak.
"Could we build a fire, and stop for the night soon, Gil?"
"I am sorry, Ardyn. I'll not chance it." Gilgamesh heard a rustling in the trees that caught his attention. Definitively caused by something heavier than a bird. He glanced in the direction, and placed his hand on the hilt of his blade. "Ardyn, stay close to me." He whispered, suddenly on high alert.
"You're too paranoid, Gilgamesh. The Astrals watch over, and protect us-"
An arrow whizzed past Ardyn, and landed before Gilgamesh's boot, shot from a point high up in a tree above them.
Ardyn hopped forward, turning his back on the trees to face Gilgamesh. Gil drew his sword, but was too late, as Ardyn saw them first. The arrow was but a distraction to separate them.
Three men jumped from the trees behind Gilgamesh, three behind Ardyn.
"Ardyn, go!" Gil cried as he swung in a wide berth behind him. Ardyn balled a fist, and aimed to strike one of his assailants, but another grabbed his arm, and wrenched it back behind him.
"Gilgamesh! A bit of help!?"
He felt ropes being coiled around his wrists haphazardly, and tried to kick at another of his assailants. The man grabbed him around the ankles, the third man binding rope around them as the first shoved a cloth into his mouth.
Gilgamesh saw the fear in Ardyn's golden eyes as he swung again, desperately trying to slay his own assailants. He had eyes on two, but the third slid into his blind spot and Gilgamesh felt a hard hit to the back of his head. The last he heard was Ardyn's muffled cry of his name as darkness took him.
Ardyn tried to thrash against his assailants, wriggling desperately as he was held in their arms. He got a last look at Gilgamesh's prone form on the ground before one of them grew tired of his thrashing, and ended it with a punch to the face.
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Ardyn's shoulders ached terribly when he woke. He felt a cloth wrapped around his eyes, another around his mouth. He felt a cloth pressed inside of his mouth held secure by it. He tried to wiggle, but felt his movements restricted by ropes tight around his wrists behind his back. His ankles felt similarly bound, causing him to have to flounder to roll onto his side to alleviate the pressure on his wrists. He grunted into his gag as he struggled.
"Oy, he's awake."
"Thought you'd fuckin killed him."
"Damaged his face nice, never get full price for him now."
Ardyn heard three different voices. By his count, there were still at least three of their assailants missing. He tried to twist his wrists to find any slip in the ropes, with no luck. Footsteps grew closer, and Ardyn felt someone clutch his jaw, and tilt his face up.
"A healer Prince's ransom, then."
He twisted his face away from his captor. Helpless, all Ardyn could do was pray Gilgamesh found him.
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Gilgamesh, conversely, woke to a throb in his head. He raised his hand to it, and it came away slick with blood.
"Ardyn..." He growled. He had lost his reason. He picked up his sword from the ground, and sheathed it. He had to find him.
He looked to the ground, and noticed faint tracks. Broken sticks where the men had ran, carrying his prince. He followed the trail through the dense forest, quietly thanking the astrals for his tracking skills.
Twenty minutes of tracking brought him upon what looked to be an abandoned cabin, but abandoned cabins typically didn't have two guards in front of them.
He couldn't risk a frontal assault. Not with Ardyn on the line. He found a rock near his boot, and lobbed it past the guard to the right of the door. It flew past a tree beside him, creating a rustling.
"What was that? Go check!" The other guard ordered, as the first moved into the trees. Gilgamesh made his move then, drawing his sword, and blitzing the guard by the door.
The guard didn't have much chance to do anything, Gilgamesh's broadsword stabbing through his chest. Blood spurted out of the man's mouth as the life left him, and Gilgamesh yanked the blade out.
The second guard returned, and again had little time to act as Gilgamesh spun, and slashed across his throat. Blood spurted from his slashed artery as he fell, staining the ground red.
Gil slipped around the side of the building. He saw only one window on the side of the building, effectively only a hole in the wall, and crept to the side of it. As he peered inside, he noticed a third man just beside the window, but no Ardyn to speak of.
He reached inside of the window and grabbed the guard by his hair, hacking his throat with a short swing; He choked on his own blood as he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Gilgamesh stepped through the window into the cabin, his own blood pumping in his ears.
What Gilgamesh hadn't realized, was the presence of the two men behind the door. One ran at him, directly into Gilgamesh's waiting blade. He lifted the man, and swung his dying body from the sword, tossing him through the window.
As he did so, the other threw a dagger. It sliced across his bicep, and embedded itself in the wall.
Gilgamesh moved, yanking the dagger from the wall, and throwing it into his assailant's head with focused precision.
Five out of six, he mentally noted. The sixth had who he wanted, but was no where to be seen. Gilgamesh looked around the single room cabin, searching for any hint. He looked at the floor, his eyes scanning again. They stopped at an inconspicuous hole in the floor. He moved, and lifted from the hole, grunting with pride as the false door came up. He tossed it aside, and hopped down.
Dimly by torches, the subterranean cellar was inhabited by only two beings. His Prince, and his Prince's captor.
The captor turned upon hearing the clamor, and drew his blade.
"You were supposed to be dead."
"Not even death would stop me from saving him."
The captor stepped toward Ardyn, aiming as if he meant to strike downward into him. Gilgamesh ran forward in an inhuman flash, and struck his arm, sending not only the blade, but half of his arm flying to the back of the cellar.
The man let out a curdled scream as he lifted his bloodied stump of an arm, only managing to glance at Gilgamesh before he swung back, beheading him. With a thump of his head, then subsequently his body, the assailant was downed, and his Prince was safe.
Gilgamesh crouched before Ardyn, dropping his sword and helping him to a seated position before carefully lifting the blindfold from his face. He looked into the wide golden eyes staring back at him.
"Oh, Ardyn..." He slipped his hands behind his head, and untied the gag keeping him quiet. He pulled the cloth from his mouth, resting his hand on his cheek and caressing over the purple bruise on his cheekbone.
Gilgamesh placed his free hand on the back of Ardyn's head, and leaned to press their lips together. A sweet kiss of panic and passion, and of the relief of having his Prince safe. He pulled back, looking shocked at his own action. Ardyn had an amorous smirk on his lips, despite the events of the evening.
"By any chance, did you miss me?"
Gilgamesh scoffed a laugh, and dropped his head, his blood tinged silver hair drooping over his shoulder. He raised his head, a smile on his lips for Ardyn.
"Gods yes, Ardyn. I missed your teasing."
"Ah, good. I've plenty more where that came from." He gave a wiggle, as if to remind Gilgamesh he was still bound.
"Mn, I should replace the gag, then."
Ardyn fidgeted slightly, trying to gauge if Gilgamesh was kidding. Gil raised the cloth back to Ardyn's mouth, causing the healer to squirm more.
"A better suggestion, my savior?" Ardyn interjected quickly. "Stifle me with your lips."
A smirk grew across Gilgamesh's lips as he leaned his face forward.
"Only if you promise I may always silence you in this manner."
"As often as you'd care to." Ardyn whispered back in a breathy purr as Gil wrapped his arms around him to support him, and pressed their lips together.