Title: Silver Destiny
Author(ess): i_nv_u50
(Dis)Claimer: Original plot and poem belong to Alfred Noyes, song version sung by Lorenna Mckennit, and the variation belongs to me. Therefore, so do the in depth characters, anything added, and all the extra stuff. This is the last time I'm saying this, so pay attention now! XD
Rating: PG13, maybe R much later
Warning: Slash. Shounen ai. Angst-iness.
Author's Notes: About damn time :D Chapter 3. Not much to say...

Wolfwitch  ~  Dominic, of course :D It wouldn't be the same if it wasn't his lover who died... . I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

ola  ~  Dom's not very subtle, I'll give him that much :D Best thing about sheltered, inexperienced young men :D I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

Fallen Midnight  ~  Hope the offline stuff is better now .;; No problem about not reviewing before... I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

Gia18  ~  Sorry for the late update T.T I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

ddz008  ~  Sorry about the late update T.T The characters are great, aren't they? :D I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

PinkyLemon  ~  I'll definitely finish it. Dn't know when, but it will happen ^^ I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

tmelange1  ~  I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

okinawablossom0288  ~  Sorry about the late update T.T I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^

eviljackinthebox  ~  I used to know it by heart too XD and then... I didn't... T.T It's nice to hear though, so I might learn it again one day! :D I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

Chineselaquer  ~  Coincidence, ne? :D Sorry about the late update, life caught up with me and all... but that's okay, I just need to find a better hiding place this time... Anyway, I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, hope you do it again!! ^^

Kaguyahime  ~  Slash goes great with highwaymen, for some reason. And pirates. Mmmm... Anyway, I'm glad you liked it ^^ Thanks for reviewing, please do it again!! ^^
Sorry again for the late update. I'll try and have the next chapter up sooner ^^;;;

Read, enjoy, and please review!! ^^

~*~

A soft knock heralded the innkeeper's son, and by that time, Torquil was staring moodily into the fire, his fingers delicately tapping out a rhythm on the pine mantle. The fire flickered over his features, making him appear somewhat younger than his four-and-twenty years, and the serious expression in his eyes belonged to one years older. At the knock though, he turned around, a ready smile on his face and willing amusement flashing in his eyes, suddenly younger again.

Dominic came in slowly, his cheeks flushed a little, and his eyes were a touch over bright as he glanced at Torquil and then looked away quickly in embarrassment.

"Good evening," Torquil murmured solemnly, his eyes belying his neutral tone as they glinted with hidden mirth and laughter. "What brings you here this fine night?"

"I was rude," Dominic replied stiffly, straightening and squaring his shoulders, lifting his chin. "I came to apologize."

"Is that all?" Torquil asked gently, not moving from the fireplace. "Forgive me, but I can't help thinking that you weren't unpleased with me – until I complimented you."

"I wasn't," Dominic agreed frankly. "You had no business complimenting me – if that is, indeed, what it was – but I had no business being rude either."

Torquil eyed him expressionlessly. "Why are you here?"

Dominic blushed at something in his tone that Torquil had meant for him to hear. "I told you, I came to –"

"Yes, but why are you really here?" Torquil interrupted. "And don't give me a story that we both know I won't believe."

Dominic set his teeth, the embarrassment dissolving in a quick surge of temper, but, like before, his voice got cooler with his anger, not hotter as Torquil's would have done. "I'm here only to apologize, and whether you believe that or not isn't my affair. I've done all I could." He bowed haughtily and spun on his heel to stalk out, only to have his shoulder caught by the other man. He glared. "My lord –"

Torquil looked at him for a second, shook his head at something, and kissed him, roughly.

Dominic made an outraged noise, and to Torquil's hazy astonishment, the younger man sought to deepen the kiss. He was inexperienced and plainly unsure, but he returned the feeling with untrained but true passion, and that was enough for Torquil.

As he had learnt a while ago, the brunette pulled back before Dominic might have wanted to, and had the pleasure of watching the younger man's eyes open slowly, dazed and dreamy. With his cheeks flushed and his lips still parted, he looked extremely appealing. Torquil slid his hands down to rest them on Dominic's hips.

The innkeeper's son barely noticed, plainly trying to get his mind working again. Awareness wasn't far from the picture now, and Torquil pressed another gentle kiss to his lips, making Dominic relax against him.

"Why did you do that?" The voice was soft and unsteady.

Torquil pondered the answers least likely to offend the younger man's strange sense of honour. "I wanted to," he replied eventually, keeping his own voice quiet so Dominic would be less likely to hear his own uncertainty.

Strangely enough, this answer seemed to relieve and please the other man, and Dominic tentatively rested his head on Torquil's shoulder. "I-" he started. "I've never-"

"Never done that before?" Torquil filled in gently.

Dominic shifted uncomfortably, and lifted his head to stare at the brunette. "No," he confirmed in a whisper.

Torquil smiled. "That's all right."

~*~

The burning agony of humiliation and awkwardness faded a little at the older man's reassuring words, but Dominic still couldn't help but feel it was a little shameful to admit that to someone. His body was still burning from the kiss, and the warmth of Torquil's hands on his hips was a strange, if not different feeling of novelty. Nobody had ever put their hands on his hips before.

Nobody had ever wanted to.

He marveled at the feeling somewhat, lowering his forehead onto Torquil's shoulder again, reveling in the feeling that somebody wanted him…

Even if it was for his beauty.

A small prickle of ice stabbed down his spine, but he paid no attention to it, the feeling of rebellion and of… well, lust, making it easy to ignore. It was almost dizzying, the combined effect of the two feelings, and he had never felt rebellion to this level before, and as for lust… well, he had never felt that, period. "Does it always feel like that?" he asked, not entirely sure what he was saying. Was it normal to feel so dizzy?

Torquil chuckled, and, ridiculously, Dominic felt a new sort of warmth. "Yes, I suppose so. Depending on the person, of course."

"Oh…"

Torquil's fingers squeezed his hips a little. "Did you like it?"

"Maybe," Dominic replied, something warning him to be careful.

Torquil gave a low laugh again. "Good. Now tell me honestly, why did you come here?"

"Truthfully, I wanted to speak to you."

"Did you now?" The amusement in Torquil's voice sent a shiver that wasn't quite pleasure, wasn't quite mortification down his spine, and Dominic lifted his head, his eyes narrowed.

"If you're gong to laugh at me, then I retract my offer," he said tightly, quite forgetting he hadn't made an offer yet. "If that's how you feel, we'll be glad to rid ourselves of each other."

Torquil laughed again, pulling him closer when Dominic tried to back out of the brunette's grip. "Be still, beloved, be still! You haven't made an offer yet!"

Dominic, flushing with anger and pleasure at being called 'beloved' even though he knew it was an affectation of the higher born to speak so, pulled away enough to be out of touching distance. "What do you mean?"

"You apologized, got angry, and then got kissed. I haven't heard any offer yet. What is it that you want?"

Dominic took a deep breath and averted his eyes. "I… I want you to be my lover."

The silence that followed rang loudly and shrilly; too awkward and too impulsive his offer had been, and now he'd have to pay the consequences of being too forward with a member of the upper class… and those consequences could be fatal for himself and his father. He shouldn't have done this.

Too uptight and caught up in his thoughts, he murmured a hurried apology, and turned to hurry from the room again, only to be caught by the shoulder again. He stared into Torquil's blue gray eyes, which were only a little higher than his own, not entirely sure he liked the bolt of something not quite recognizable surging through him at the expression in the brunette's eyes.

He looked down, away from the intensity in the hopes that it would be more comfortable, less awkward to avoid such a stare.

"Do you mean that, my dear? Do you honestly wish to become a lover of someone like myself? It would be best for you to reconsider, is what I should be telling you, but… but I can't. I'll leave it to you. Are you sure?"

"I… Yes," Dominic murmured, still not looking up.

"You won't be backing out, Dominic," Torquil said, a new note of firmness in his voice, and Dominic was silent for a few moments.

Was he really ready for this? He had never had a lover before, male or female, and he was sure that his father would never allow him to have an upper class lover, of any sex, so really, he was just asking for trouble.

But Torquil's hand was squeezing his shoulder comfortingly, and he gave another quick glance at the other young man's face, and saw something in there that startled him even more.

"I'm sure," he said, before he could think about it further.

Torquil smiled, and jerked him closer, embracing him hard, arms tight around him. "Good."

~*~

Robyn came in a little later to find Torquil cuddling Dominic on the couch, much to Torquil's annoyance, as he didn't want his friend to see them yet. Dominic was wary enough of private company, to introduce a new element now would scare him.

His thoughts were proven by the fact that Dominic, who had been easing into familiarity while alone with Torquil, immediately tensed up and became rather stiff in his manner when Robyn entered.

He needn't have worried though, because Dominic was too comfortable in his arms to move away by then, but still...

"My dear, didn't I request for your presence to go alone for a while?" he asked, making sure to keep his tone light.

Dominic may have been fooled, but Robyn wasn't. His friend responded with a lifted eyebrow. "So you're together now, I take it?"

"Yes," Torquil replied easily, as Dominic got tenser and bit his lip beside him. "Beloved, don't you have some business to attend to?"

"No more than you have," Robyn countered mildly. "I have already discussed matters with our... client, and I know where he means to travel next. Which," he added, a sly gleam in his eye, "is more than I can say for the likes of yourself, Torquil!"

Dominic's brows were furrowed as he glanced between the two of them, but before he could say anything, Torquil had answered, laughter in his tone that made his eyes dance mirthfully with amusement.

"My dear friend, you have always handled the strategical logic of our business – I am more the events person and you know it!"

"What are you two talking about?" Dominic sounded piqued and interested despite himself. Torquil almost told him, but Robyn was giving him that look again and he thought better of it.

Maybe wait a while before revealing everything to the landlord's black eyed son.

"Work, beloved," he responded gaily, and kissed Dominic on impulse. Dominic froze with shock for a few seconds, and then pulled away, his face red and horrified.

"There's – Your friend – He's-"

"Don't mind me," Robyn announced coolly from the opposite chair. "What else can I do but sit back and enjoy the show?"

Dominic's gaze flew to him, appalled, but Torquil laughed.

"Don't tease the boy, Robyn," he reprimanded, blithely ignoring the fact that he had been doing so as well. "Ignore him, Dominic. He's only playing."

Dominic's brow drew together in puzzled confusion, but there was a gleam of humor in his eyes visible from the close distance Torquil kept when he answered. "I don't understand you two," he complained slightly.

His eyes didn't leave Torquil's face.

The brunette smiled and leaned closer. "But you like us anyway," he suggested, his voice low and suggestive.

Robyn cleared his throat, making Dominic jerk back and snap out of the almost trance Torquil had put on him.

"I think it's time for Dominic to go to his room and for us to go to our own quarters, Torquil. We leave very early tomorrow."

"You're leaving?" Dominic asked, his expression suddenly desperate.

Torquil gave Robyn a warning, unamused glance before turning back to Dominic, gratified when he heard Robyn sigh and get up, leaving the room quietly.

Once the door was shut, he ran a hand through the younger man's hair, marveling at the silky strands. "I will come back."

He could see Dominic's expression hardening, protecting him much like it had in the stables. "All right."

"Is it?" Torquil questioned softly.

Dominic looked briefly confused. "Is what?"

"Is it really all right?"

The other man looked put out, and uncomfortable, and when he made to stand up, Torquil let him, watching him as Dominic began pacing uneasily.

"It has to be."

"I suppose," Torquil said softly, against his better judgment, "that you coming with us is out of the question?"

Dominic favoured him with a shocked look. "Go with you? But you're... upper-class men! You have no need for a mere landlord's son!"

The highwayman did not miss the bitterness of the last bit of the statement. "You'll find I'll have great need for you in the future," he replied easily. "Come beloved, what harm can it do?"

He knew what harm it could do. Robyn knew, and would probably kill him. But Dominic didn't know, and the offer was made so it was too late to back out of it.

"I-" Dominic started, and ran a hand through his hair distractedly. "I have to prepare – and it must be kept secret. It's too much bother."

He sounded tempted in spite of himself.

Torquil stood up and approached the other man from behind, wrapping his arms around Dominic's shoulders like a giant necklace, and lowered his face to whisper directly into the younger man's ear. "We have things for you. All you need to bring is the clothes on your back and a horse – Robyn and I will see to the rest."

"Robyn won't be pleased," Dominic replied quietly, his hands coming up to hold Torquil's arms regardless. "I shouldn't."

"But you will, won't you beloved?" Torquil kissed the smooth skin behind Dominic's ear, pleased when the other man shivered.

There was a long pause.

"Yes," Dominic answered, softly, his voice barely audible. "I will."