The Archer's Heart

by Astrid Amara

  Jandu peered behind the soldier and got his first good look at Keshan in a month. Keshan looked much more serious, he noticed. He leaned forward to speak with his brother, his hand resting on his hip, elbow thrust out in a domineering position. A golden yellow dejaru with embroidered trim clung to his long legs and a red sash emphasized his slim hips. Over his bare chest he wore a gold and red embroidered vest. Bands of beaten gold enclosed his tanned arms. Keshan’s gold diadem was small, but dramatic, set with numerous rubies.

  Keshan spoke intently with Iyestar; his eyes were nowhere near the entrance. Jandu stared at Keshan’s face, at his dark hair, which had grown just past his ears, the beauty of his large brown eyes. As Keshan spoke, his lips moved slightly, full and round, and Jandu felt dizzy staring at him. His stomach somersaulted.

  The soldier spoke to the attendant in the doorway in a voice so low Jandu couldn’t hear him. He turned abruptly and returned to his post at the front gate.

  The herald nodded at Jandu. “Prince Jandu Paran?” he checked.

  “Yes.”

  The herald blared his trumpet, causing Keshan, Iyestar, the petitioners, and the ministers to turn and glance at the entrance in surprise. “Prince Jandu Paran!” the herald announced.

  Jandu looked at Keshan anxiously.

  All of Jandu’s worries disappeared the moment he saw how Keshan’s expression changed. It seemed like a weight lifted off of him, and a smile reached from ear to ear.

  “Jandu!”

  Keshan practically ran to Jandu. They met halfway along the hall. Keshan laughed. They embraced tightly, tears coming to Jandu’s eyes.

  “This is a wonderful, wonderful surprise!” Keshan cried, hugging him again, not caring about the spectacle that they made in the middle of the room.

  Keshan put his hand on the saddlebag slung over Jandu’s shoulder.

  “Did you ride here alone?” he asked.

  Jandu nodded.

  “God, you must be tired.” Keshan put his arm around Jandu and led him up to Iyestar.

  Keshan beamed a magnificent smile. “Brother, look who has traveled all this way to visit us at last!”

  Jandu knelt to take the dust from Iyestar’s feet.

  “Blessings to you, Lord Adaru,” Jandu said ceremoniously.

  Iyestar snorted. “I don’t think you have to grovel to me, Jandu. You’re a prince, even if you are in my city.” Iyestar smiled. “Welcome. We are happy to have you.”

  Jandu doubted the sentiment, given Iyestar’s close relations with Darvad, but he was too happy, touching Keshan, to care.

  “Thank you for your hospitality.”

  “Iyestar, I’m afraid I must take my leave of you,” Keshan said.

  Iyestar nodded. “Once you’re settled, please take dinner with our family this evening, Jandu.”

  “Thank you.” Jandu bowed once more. Keshan took Jandu’s arm and led him out of the room.

  Outside of the reception hall, Keshan asked a servant to take Jandu’s saddlebag to the guest room adjacent Keshan’s own chambers. Then, without stopping, Keshan led Jandu through a long hallway, up a dramatic staircase, and along another corridor.

  The view was phenomenal, overlooking the sea, the sound of the crashing waves shooting up the side of the cliff and straight into the room. Pelicans circled above Jandu’s head.

  “Come on.” Keshan led Jandu up another flight of stairs that spiraled around a large statue of the Prophet Bandruban to the tower.

  “Where are you taking me?” Jandu asked.

  “To my room.” Keshan looked over his shoulder at Jandu. “I have a present for you.”

  Jandu felt momentarily dizzy with that look.

  “I think you’ll like it.” Keshan said.

  “I’ve traveled all day to get here,” Jandu said. “I need a bath and a bed.”

  “I’ve got the bed,” Keshan said.

  “A bath would be nice,” Jandu smirked at Keshan.

  “I’ll give you one,” Keshan whispered. They finally reached the top of the spiral staircase and Keshan pushed open the door.

  Inside was the massive chamber that made up Keshan’s quarters. It had balconies on three sides, overlooking the land and the sea. The walls were half-open, letting a gentle, warm breeze pass through the room.

  Jandu took in the details of Keshan’s private world. He saw Keshan’s desk in the corner, crowded with scrolls and writing utensils. There was a map of Marhavad, and Jandu could make out the corner of the last letter he wrote to Keshan, hiding under a blotter.

  Jandu smiled to himself. He unstrung Zandi and propped her up in the corner, and shrugged off his quiver. He walked around the room, admiring the inlaid wooden floor, the fine paintings of horses and cattle on the walls, and the massive canopied bed. It, like all the furniture in the room, was made of dark cypress and emitted a fragrant scent.

  A small hallway led to Keshan’s private bathroom, and across from that was a small rooftop garden he called his own, filled with lemon and juniper trees.

  Jandu looked at the large marble bath and sighed contentedly.

  “Shall I call servants to fill the bath for you?” Keshan asked.

  Jandu smiled. “Well, now that I have you alone I want to-”

  Keshan pushed Jandu against the wall and kissed him. Jandu savored the sweetness, the coconut earthy saltiness of Keshan’s skin, the roughness of his cheeks, the softness of his lips. Keshan thrust his tongue deep into Jandu’s mouth. Jandu kissed him back with equal fervor, and then pulled away and smiled.

  “I guess you missed me, then,” Jandu said.

  Keshan laughed. “Missed you? All I think about is you. It’s torture.”

  “Tell me about it,” Jandu said.

  “It’s been the same for you?”

  “No, tell me about it,” Jandu said, grinning. “I love hearing about me.”

  Keshan shook his head. “You’re the worst.” He leaned in to nuzzle Jandu’s neck. “I missed you so much that my dick got hard just reading that letter from you. I missed you so much that I wished I’d made a bronze mold of your cock so that I could—”

  “—on second thought, talk later.” Jandu grabbed Keshan’s shoulders and pushed Keshan against the wall. He stifled Keshan’s cry of surprise with a penetrating kiss. He didn’t stop until he felt Keshan writhe against him, his hips involuntarily thrusting out for more contact.

  Jandu didn’t think when he kissed Keshan. He could only feel. And this was what he needed, after the terrible day before, full of self-awareness and introspection. Jandu needed to forget his brother, his own crime. He needed only this, a focus of his desires, and this realization made him grip Keshan even harder, slow and deepen his kiss, hoping to direct all his energy to Keshan’s beautiful body.

  When Jandu broke the kiss, Keshan stayed frozen, a delightful smile on his face, his eyes closed in pleasure. Jandu pulled down Keshan’s dejaru. He knelt, staring for a moment at Keshan’s cock, erect and pulsing with the need to be tended.

  Jandu grasped Keshan’s hardness, which was firm and warm in his hand, glistening at the tip. Jandu ran his tongue along its shaft, luxuriating in the musky taste of him. He tenderly bit the loose skin at the base of Keshan’s scrotum and Keshan cried out loudly, shocking Jandu enough to make him freeze.

  “Shouldn’t we be quiet?” Jandu whispered.

  “Not in my own house.” Keshan pushed his hips closer to Jandu.

  Jandu filled himself with Keshan. Keshan breathed out and closed his eyes once more, leaning his head back against the wall.

  “Jandu…” Keshan tried to touch Jandu but Jandu pushed him back against the wall hard, forcing Keshan to stay where he was.

  Keshan moaned in ecstasy. “Please…”

  Jandu’s mind blanked of everything but the feeling of Keshan in his throat, the taste of him on his lips. He kept his eyes open, working harder and faster until he could feel Keshan begin to shake, until he knew he was about to come. Then he let Keshan go. Keshan’s eyes sho
t open in disappointment.

  Jandu pulled Keshan to the bed. Keshan watched as Jandu removed his clothing and lay down.

  Keshan straddled Jandu and kissed him deeply. That familiar feeling of drunken warmth coursed through Jandu’s blood, causing every touch from Keshan to make him break out in a sweat of desire.

  Keshan leaned down and licked at Jandu’s nipples, playing with them using his teeth. Jandu sucked in air at the sweet pain of it.

  “Keshan…” Jandu’s body vibrated with pleasure.

  Keshan spread Jandu’s legs apart and laved Jandu’s testicles with his hot tongue. Jandu lay speechless, stunned with the feeling, his body shivering.

  Suddenly Keshan stopped his ministrations and reached over to pull a small glass jar from the bedside table.

  “What is that?” Jandu asked.

  “Rose oil. Use it.” Keshan collapsed onto the bed, grinning proudly.

  Jandu sank his fingers into the oil and let its coolness grease his fingers. He circled Keshan in his arms. He reached around and inserted one finger inside of Keshan, capturing Keshan’s hiss of pleasure with another kiss. Keshan bit gently at Jandu’s lower lip in response.

  Jandu was so aroused his vision blurred. He prepared Keshan with two fingers now, slowly at first, and then slightly faster and deeper.

  He touched Keshan in such a way that Keshan cried out, turning languid. Jandu wondered what it felt like, suddenly curious. He would have to find out later. But right now, with Keshan flush with desire, and his own needs screaming to be fulfilled, he could wait. Right now, he wanted to see Keshan make that face again.

  “I want you inside me,” Keshan whispered, his hot breath on Jandu’s lips. He slipped his tongue inside of Jandu’s mouth and ran it along his own tongue. “Please…” Jandu enjoyed the control he had over Keshan at the moment.

  “Not yet,” he said. He turned Keshan over and instead worked him slowly with his fingers, all the while massaging his erection with his other hand.

  “Jandu, please… I’m going to come.”

  Jandu tortured him like this for another minute, until he could feel Keshan about to climax. At that moment, he spread rose oil on his own member and thrust it deep inside of Keshan.

  Keshan came almost immediately, groaning in pleasure. Jandu thrust only a few times before coming himself, loving the feeling of it, Keshan’s flesh tight around him, vividly hot, the musky sweet smell of him, the sight of Keshan’s gorgeous body prone, open, his for the taking.

  Jandu still shook as he pulled out, tremors of pleasure coursing through his nervous system. Keshan rolled over and looked as content as a sleeping cat, his eyes closed and a soft smile on his face.

  “I thought you’d like that oil,” he said.

  Jandu snuggled close and rested his head on Keshan’s chest. “I do like it. Only it makes me wonder why you have a jar so readily available at your bedside.”

  Keshan laughed. Jandu loved the feel of that laughter, rumbling through his belly, raising Jandu’s head with each muscle contraction.

  Jandu smiled at Keshan. “Have you been practicing your skills on other boys?”

  “I don’t like boys, only men.”

  “Well then?” Jandu raised an eyebrow. “What man is the oil for?”

  “It’s for you.” Keshan ran his fingers lazily through Jandu’s hair. “I bought it as a present for you. It’s been sitting here ever since I got home, waiting for just the right person to announce himself in our reception hall.”

  Jandu stretched alongside Keshan, kissing Keshan’s neck as he nuzzled closer.

  Keshan closed his eyes. “Not that it matters to me, but out of curiosity, why are you here? I thought Yudar would kill himself before he let you out of his sight.”

  Jandu’s mood cooled as he recalled his departure from Prasta. “I didn’t ask.”

  Keshan opened his eyes and studied Jandu’s face carefully.

  Jandu stared at the ceiling. “Yudar made me attend court with him yesterday morning. There were two men he sentenced to death.”

  “Oh.” Keshan’s unspoken question was obvious.

  “They were lovers,” Jandu told him.

  “I’m sorry.” Keshan continued stroking Jandu’s head.

  “I just sat there and watched,” Jandu said. “I didn’t even try to plead with Yudar for leniency. I was too afraid he would suspect me. I hated myself.”

  Keshan stared at Jandu but didn’t say anything. He scooted down on the bed and brought his head to Jandu’s, touching their foreheads together and throwing his arm around Jandu. They held each other for a long time, not speaking.

  Finally, Keshan sat up. “If you want, we can stop this.” He tried smiling, but Jandu could tell it was forced. “This romance is dangerous, I won’t lie.”

  Jandu sat up as well. “I can no more stop this than I can stop my heart from beating.”

  Keshan sighed. “Poetic, but not very realistic.”

  “I don’t know what to do.” The panic Jandu felt back in Prasta swelled in his throat, made it hurt to swallow. “I came here hoping you would tell me.”

  “All we can do is be careful.”

  “And if we’re caught?”

  “I won’t let your brother kill you.” Keshan stated it firmly. “Not because of me. It won’t happen. I love you. No matter what happens with your brother, with the kingdom, with your wife or my wife or the future of this country. I love you. Never doubt that.”

  Jandu smiled. Keshan’s conviction gave him strength. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

  “Well, good.” Keshan plopped his head back down and grinned slyly. “Because I don’t have anything better to say.”

  That evening, the Adarus held a feast in Jandu’s honor. He sat at a low table on cushions, surrounded by Keshan’s friends and family. Keshan’s mother, Linaz, sat beside Keshan. Keshan’s father had died several years prior, but his Uncle Inaud was there, a bizarre old man who sat next to Jandu and yelled in Jandu’s ear the entire meal.

  Keshan’s mother was Yashva, and yet she looked almost human. Her skin was dark brown, but there was a bluish tint to it, and her eyes, while the right size and shape, still had that unnerving spinning effect that drew Jandu in, and made him feel like he was being hypnotized.

  But what was most important was that Linaz had a good sense of humor and laughed at all of Jandu’s jokes.

  Dinner with Keshan’s family was very different than eating with Jandu’s own. Where even their private meals in Yudar or Baram’s rooms were courteous and calm, Keshan’s family shouted at each other and spilled wine and gestured emphatically with their arms, honored guest present or not. They were wild people, the Tiwari. He let Iyestar refill his wine glass over and over and tried to get into the spirit of things. When Iyestar leaned over and poked his finger in Jandu’s chicken, yelling at him that he was a pussy for not trying the hot chutney, Jandu swallowed his extreme shock and just decided to kick Iyestar under the table. This started Iyestar laughing, great thunderous belches of happiness, making him spill his drink down his mother’s zahari.

  Jandu’s Aunt Linaz didn’t seem upset. She rolled her eyes, dabbed at the stain with a cloth, and continued to shout loudly into Ajani’s ear.

  Jandu looked around him and laughed. Now that the meal was over, six separate conversations competed for volume amongst the eight people at the table. It was madness. He smiled across the table at Keshan, who stopped shouting at Iyestar long enough to catch Jandu’s eye and smile sweetly back.

  “Did I tell you the story about the time I found a turtle?” Keshan’s Uncle Inaud said suddenly, gripping Jandu’s hand. Since Jandu had agreed to sit beside the old man, he had been subject to the random conversational whims of Keshan’s obviously senile relative.

  Although Inaud hadn’t told Jandu the story, Jandu nodded anyway. “Yes. Yes, you did.” He had to shout to be heard above Iyestar, who was roaring with laughter and shaking his fist at Keshan. “What a wonderful tale!”

&
nbsp; Inaud smiled. “And all for the love of a coin!”

  “Ah, yes.”

  “But who knew where the physician would take me next?”

  “Who knew?” Jandu shrugged in an exaggerated manner, barely keeping back his laughter. Iyestar initiated yet another round of drinks, and competed with his brother and Jandu to see who could drink theirs the fastest. Keshan obviously practiced this game before, and spilled half his drink into another cup hidden under the table whenever Iyestar wasn’t looking. Jandu shook his head at Keshan across the table. Keshan put a finger to his lips, urging Jandu into complicit silence.

  Jandu wondered how Keshan could lie to his family and also be so honest with them at the same time. No one even raised an eyebrow at the blatant affection Keshan lavished on Jandu. They just accepted Keshan the way he was, and therefore, by association, Jandu as well. They may not have understood the kind of love the two of them shared, but they accepted Keshan’s Jandu obsession casually.

  Jandu thought he was close to his brothers, but now he saw true closeness—Iyestar and Keshan beating each other up at the table, both of them finishing each other’s sentences, laughing like identical twins.

  This was by far the best party Jandu had ever been to, and it amazed him that this was just an average family dinner for the Adaru’s. He realized he was jealous. These were people that talked loudly, openly expressed their emotions, did not believe in prudishness, and had no real cares for the strictness of Shentari faith. And yet as well-trained Triya warriors they upheld the warrior code when they left the palace. Jandu fell in love with all of them by the end of dinner.

  Jandu leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach, full from a delicious meal. Dancing girls appeared and a large troupe of musicians started a well-loved Tiwari tune, which everyone in the room sang along to. Jandu didn’t know the words. Keshan’s mother sat beside Jandu and whispered them in Jandu’s ear, which only tickled and made Jandu laugh harder.

  The lyrics were ridiculous, a long, corny ballad about the beauty and bounty of Tiwari’s sea. At the chorus, the entire room, servants included, started shouting out the words as loud as they could.

  “Tiwari! Oh, Tiwari! The homeland of my dreams!