Dayatar pulled his hands back as if he had been burned. He still wanted to cry but he stubbornly held on. He couldn’t look at the old magician in front of him though and turned toward his husband instead. He would have liked to look up, to see if there was a hint in his eyes as to what would happen next. Would he really be discarded? But despite the pressing questions, he did not dare to raise his gaze and just stared at the hem of his husband’s robe, wishing he could reach out and hold onto that at least.

Yashaadu Naj stared at the old magician opposite them and slowly raised his brows. "Elder Aeliann seems to think this matter funny?" In his heart, there was a small spark of fury ignited. He knew Dayatar was unhappy now but he had still urged him to go ahead. Why was this what he got in return? Had it all been for naught?

Aeliann noticed the faint change in his face and tried to stop laughing but he couldn’t help a few chuckles despite his best effort. He actually felt sorry about it. Clearly, the Kazahd took this matter very seriously. Having him laugh had probably offended him.

Aeliann coughed a few times, finally managing to subdue the chuckles although there was still an amused smile on his lips and the skin around his eyes was wrinkling, giving him the appearance of a kind elder that had seen many things but never lost his good humor.

Clearing his throat, he finally explained his sudden fit. "Oh, this is the funniest thing I have seen and heard in a while. Kazahd." He leaned forward, his gaze turning more serious now. "This boy doesn’t have even a lick of magic. However did your court come up with the idea that he might have bespelled you?"

At that, Dayatar looked up again. First at Aeliann, then even at his husband, his eyes wide in fear. The Kazahd’s court thought such a thing? Now that it was mentioned, it did not seem too strange. They had not liked him from the beginning. Surely, this was as good a reason as any. But to him, it was dangerous. If his husband believed this …

Yashaadu Naj noticed that his husband was even more out of sorts now. He reached over and caressed his head, making him lean closer and finally rest his head on his lap. They couldn’t talk now so this was the best way to reassure him that he did not share such sentiments.

Meanwhile, he turned to answer Aeliann. "My court was not happy with my decision to wed him. Usually, I would ignore such rumors but one of my wives happens to be pregnant. If something were to go wrong and these rumors had not been quelled beforehand, I am afraid they would try to make more of this than it is. With Elder Aeliann’s words to prove Dayatar’s innocence though, those people should quiet down."

The old magician nodded at that before looking at Dayatar again. "Well, he certainly hasn’t done anything. He couldn’t even if he wanted to. He would need to find himself some help and that is the same for everyone."

Yashaadu Naj nodded. He had expected as much. His court might think this out of the ordinary, but in the past, he had taken a fancy to other men. It was just that it had never been to the degree that he even thought of marrying them. With Dayatar, it had been different. As soon as he spotted him that day, he had had his own intentions.

As Kazahd, he did not need to woo a person. Saying the word was enough to have them delivered to his bedside. But he had taken the time to meet Dayatar, to speak to him, and see his life with his own eyes. Only then had he taken him back to his palace and made him his, the wedding ceremony following soon after.

His court could say what they wanted, he knew that Dayatar had not bespelled him for he was the one who had spotted the youth first on his way into the temple, his eyes lingering for a moment before he had to reluctantly retract his gaze and go inside.

To him, it had even been a surprise to see Dayatar stand there on the steps when he came out. His talks with the priests had taken so long that he had been sure he would have missed him and that the youth would be long gone. He had expected to have to forget about him or that a long search would be needed to find any traces of him. After all, the refugees drifted around from place to place, never overstaying their welcome anywhere. There was no way to say how long this one would remain in the city.

So yes, it had been him who had taken an interest first and not the other way around. And if there was a spell involved in that, then it was the spell of youthful beauty, of golden skin and black hair, of almond eyes and ruby lips.

Yes, he had fallen for him, fallen under his spell. But he had done so the same way any man might for a beauty. And Dayatar had not tried even once to make use of the power he had over him. His wives had tried to influence him with their pillow talk and not only on one occasion. Dayatar, on the other hand, had always kept silent about politics, about the important families of his kingdom, or this or that decision that had to be made.

Well, Dayatar was an orphan, a refugee. He had no ties to any of those people and the things he knew had been taught by Yashaadu Naj himself in the quiet hours of the evening. So where would the wish to influence him come from?

The Kazahd smiled to himself and brushed through Dayatar’s silky hair. He knew that his husband was unhappy right now, having broken one of the rules of the court and even one that could be called the most important for a Kazahd’s spouse. But there was no other way to solve this and he would rather keep him safe than comply with the rules.

In any case, he had been here to make sure nothing more than necessary was going on. Although, to be honest, it satisfied him greatly to see Dayatar so reluctant. What did he have to worry about?

Yashaadu Naj pulled himself out of his thoughts and smiled at Aeliann, his mood greatly lifted by the thought of Dayatar’s faithfulness. "Then, Elder, might I ask you to see whether I was put under a spell by anyone else?" He stretched out his hand before even getting an answer, wanting to finish this as soon as possible so he could retire to their rooms with Dayatar.

The old magician didn’t mind. He took Yashaadu Naj’s hand and closed his eyes, taking more time now and mumbling under his breath while he checked for any traces of magic.

A few minutes passed by before he opened his eyes and let go. "Well, no spell there either. In fact, there is something on you that prevents you from being bespelled. I can’t tell you what exactly that is without a closer look but if somebody tried to use magic on you, it wouldn’t work unless the person was a magician or a witch as powerful as you might find them among those holding a chair in the Arcademy."

Yashaadu Naj nodded slowly. He had a faint guess what exactly was preventing this but it wasn’t urgent to find out. No, there were other things more urgent. "Well, it was a long journey here. If the Elder doesn’t mind, I would like to get back to you on this matter another time. For now, we should go and rest." His fingers were still combing through Dayatar’s hair and he looked at his husband with a smile.

Dayatar hadn’t moved at all since he had rested his head on his lap. The warmth of his body was seeping through their clothes, making Yashaadu Naj feel comfortable. Even though he had traveled regularly, there was no place as close to his heart as his home, and Dayatar’s body carried much of that feeling. Coming here with him had been much more enjoyable than doing so alone would have been and he was looking forward to the opportunity to finally be alone with him.

Elder Aeliann nodded. "Of course, of course. I just returned from my own journey and can’t wait to look through all the things I found either. If you are staying for a while, you can just come back when you have the time and feel more rested. Don’t even bother to send somebody over to inform me first. Just come by directly."

Yashaadu Naj inclined his head and then pulled his fingers out of Dayatar’s hair, brushing over his back with his fingertips instead. "Naj-il, let’s go and take a look at our rooms."

Dayatar hurriedly nodded and pulled back, continuing to kneel on the ground until his husband had gotten up. He hesitated for a moment and then bowed toward Elder Aeliann. He was still unhappy about what had happened but since his husband had come here to get his help, he owed him his thanks.

After that, he hurriedly got up and followed his husband out of the room, glancing at the door falling shut behind them, the carvings once again coming to life. In fact, it was them who had closed the door, not needing the Kazahd to even lift a finger.

Dayatar stood on the spot and stared, not sure what to do. This Arcademy, as the old magician had called it, was all of it like this? Every stone and every carving a living being that could move and do things? The thought made his hair stand on end.

Yashaadu Naj waited just a step away and smiled, finally reaching out to pull him into his arms. He leaned down, his breath brushing Dayatar’s skin. "There are a lot of magical things in Romallia. They are harmless though. Don’t worry about them." He brushed his cheek with his lips before he straightened up again and turned to what was likely a student of the Arcademy. "I presume you are here to show us to our rooms?"

The student nodded. "Yes, Kazahd. Please, if you would follow me." She motioned down the corridor and then led the way.

Yashaadu Naj glanced at his husband and then gripped his hand, pulling him along. He had known that Dayatar would be afraid in this foreign place but he had thought that he would take it better.

Dayatar should have seen many things in his time as a refugee. And even though the kingdoms of Peraad couldn’t compare to Romallia when it came to magic, there were some magical things there as well. He had thought that Dayatar would have encountered one or two at least, letting him stay composed when he encountered magic in Romallia as well.

But it seemed he had been wrong. Maybe Dayatar had not seen any magic before or maybe it was because those things had all been in Peraad. Whether it was his kingdom of Almakaar or the neighboring ones, there were still many similarities. Romallia was different though. Completely different.

From the looks of the people to the way the buildings were shaped, the two places differed greatly. Even to him who had seen paintings of faraway places since he was young, it had come as a shock when he left Peraad for the first time.

By now, he hardly remembered that feeling because it had been many years but he should have thought of that since it was likely similar to how Dayatar felt now. Worse, even. His husband had not been prepared in the least.

He had tried to tell him about this place before they left and he had used the hours in the carriage to tell him some stories but listening to his words and seeing the real thing were two different matters altogether and he had failed to take that into consideration.

Glancing at Dayatar’s face that was still paler than usual and noticing that his fingers were grasping his hand tightly while he walked closer to him than he had in all the time since he entered his palace, he realized that he hadn’t done enough.

He should have taken him through the city for a longer time. He should have found a place to stay at the outskirts of the city for a night or two, slowly letting him get used to it. He should have explained everything they saw, not just those famous buildings that Dayatar likely had no use in knowing anyway.

Well, it was too late by now. He could only try to make it up to him after the first shock had worn off. Yes, tomorrow, he would show him around the Arcademy first, telling him all about this place from how it had been built to its long history, about his own first visit all those years ago, about the magic the students practiced here, and the journeys that Elder Aeliann went on regularly.

They only had a couple of weeks in Romallia if he wanted to be back in Peraad for the birth of his child but he could surely acquaint Dayatar more closely with parts of the city at least.