Movement finally made him wake when nothing else had. The King shifted, eyes widening as he realized he'd missed the bell. Frantically, he stood and peered at the clock. A sigh of relief escaped him when he saw he'd only missed by minutes. Then he remembered Arin.

Worry in his gaze, with horrified ideas running through his mind, the king searched through the apartment . Then a wonderful breeze wafted through the air and he noticed the open doors. "Do you like the view?" Solon wondered what he could have Arin do during the day, and who would take care of the slave and protect him from unwanted attention. Ah yes, he knew! Assigning one of his personal guards to see that Arin got his own clothes, his own room near the king's and other luxuries ... It might have seemed excessive, but people in the court and kingdom were used to their king's odd ideas by now.

Arin nodded, leaning against the railing further and looking down to the ground below. He was never afraid of heights, but having no wings made them seem a bit scarier. "Your... King... Place is pretty," he said, not looking back at the older man. He wanted to know about Solon, where his wife was, why he seemed so sad, why he had taken care of a lowly slave as though he was a precious treasure... So many questions, and yet Arin couldn't even begin to try and voice them.

"You seem like you have questions floating around in your mind... Feel free to ask them." It was alright so long as no one important noticed how friendly they were. No bowing and scraping, at least not when they were away from the eyes of the courts, oh what a precious change that was, or would be. "I work hard to make it peaceful as well, you know." He did at that.

That was the entire reason why he had married Princess Opal from the neighboring kingdom.

Arin sighed again, breathing in the warming morning air and the various scents from the streets below. Ask the King anything? He would love to, but his limited knowledge of Solon's language could only get him so far. "Not good, knowing words," he explained, glancing at Solon and hoping his new Master understood what he meant. "Not used talking..." His last Master had forbidden him to speak, in fear that he would lose his voice.

It took but a few moments for the young king to puzzle through the youth's meaning. "Then I can teach you." He smiled at the thought. That was going to be wonderful, him the teacher for once ... His children were relegated to tutors, no matter how it pained their father to be separated from them.

"Would you like that?" This was the king's time to be alone, or at least without any work to do. There was after all work for the king. Even so, if he had no time of his own then he was sure his health and mind would fail, as it had before for other kings and queens.

Arin smiled and stared into the King's strange eyes, looking from the brown one to the blue. It was hard to concentrate on both at the same time. He nodded a little, turning when one of the city's church bells tolled. It reminded him of his city, and going to church to sing and meet friends... He hummed slightly, wondering what sort of God these people worshipped.

"I would like," he said, just to make sure Solon knew he was keen to learn anything. His new Master seemed to really care about him, but he hoped it wasn't just grooming for later exploits. He wasn't sure if his heart could really belong with anyone that owned him.

The words and song made him grin, made some of the sadness in his eyes sweep away. He walked away and plucked up a beautifully illustrated fairy tale that he had commissioned for his children, but sadly the pair seemed to always prefer their mother to him. Solon couldn't really blame them for it, since they were together so rarely.

At least now the book could be of use. He began to read from it. "Once upon a time, there was an enchanted castle... Carefully, the king went over the words, nudging his companion into repeating them and making sure he understood. By the time another time, the king had gone through a few pages and then thrust the book at Arin.

"I need to leave now, but someone will come to take care of you." Solon wrapped and arm around the blond's shoulders and squeezed lightly before leaving, barking orders at one of his trusted personal guards to take care of the new slave and see that he was settled, and near the king. Solon had business to attend to, people's troubles to take care of and nobles ot manage. It was going to be a long day.

Arin sat in the King's chambers, sitting on the chair near the fire, his feet curled beneath him as he looked at the book that Solon had given him to read. He loved how the illustrations helped him to understand the words and the story itself, as simple as it was, made him happy. He looked up from his book as one of the guards entered with some food and clean clothes for him. This man was to take care of the King's precious songbird while the man was away.

He was given some fresh fruits and berries to eat, as well as bitter green tea. He thanked the guard and ate, enjoying the fruits and the tea. He hadn't eaten for a few days, so it didn't take him long to finish his lunch. He picked up his violin and went back outside to the balcony, playing until he could come up with a new song to play for his Master.

The first issue he needed to handle was the impending threat to trade. It was such a tangle, and talking to the ambassador didn't seem to help one wit until they both realized they really wanted the same thing. Exclusive rights to trading certain items, precious stones, between their two countries. Emeralds and sapphires respectively crossed their borders, and now they would trade these only with each other.

Figuring it out had given Solon a headache, and so he begged off sooner then usual that day from fulfilling his duties in order to visit a healer. Once that was done, Solon slipped away to collapse in his bed. He had forgotten about Arin's presence, for now anyway.

Arin had spent the day practising his new song and watching the kingdom from the safety of the balcony. When the King came into the room and collapsed on the bed, Arin could tell that he had had a trying day. Being King must be harder than it seemed. He entered the room quietly, not wanting to disturb the man and make him angry at him.

He sat on the end of Solon's bed and carefully pet the man's leg, trying to comfort him.

Startled, Solon lifted his head to figure out where the feel of someone's hand on him was coming from. He smiled slightly. "Arin." It was a relief, knowing that this was no assassination attempt. Far from it really. The king had never really come back to his room to someone who was willing to comfort him in anyway, without personal gain in mind. This was so refreshing.

"What have you been doing all day?" He wondered if the youth had already learned enough of the language to speak more freely. There were questions Arin wanted answered, perhaps he could speak them now.

"I try read," Arin replied, pointing to the other books he had read other than the picture book. "And I make up a new song for you." He picked up his violin and started to play the song, based on a kind King who had a lonely heart, that lived in an enchanted castle, hiding from the evil outside and trying to save his people. He had a part of it finished, but the rest was improvised. He would finish the song properly sooner or later. He stopped playing and looked to Solon for comments.

Solon leaned back against the bed and closed his eyes all the better to listen to Arin's song. It was hard not to notice the similarities between the king sung of and himself. "Does he get a happy ending, I wonder..." Murmured words floated into the silence left behind by the absence of song. It had been both beautiful and melancholy in a way that made the dark haired man's heart ache.

"I don't know if I'm deserving of such a song, Arin." Now he did sit up to peer at the pale haired youth. The new clothing suited Arin perfectly, and he seemed much better then before. That man was a miserable type of person; making him a noble had probably been a mistake... Then again, Solon had never said how profitable, or how many people there would be, the lands were.

Arin frowned, upset that the King didn't like his song. He set his violin down and tried not to cry, knowing that it was simply a sign of weakness. "I'm sorry... I'll make a better one..." He couldn't have the kind man being disappointed. Everything he did for Solon had to be perfect. He put his violin away, suddenly not wanting to play. The beloved instrument was a symbol of his oppression, after all.

He went back to the balcony, watching night settle over the city. He covered his face and started to cry, hoping Solon wouldn't follow him. He thought about his family and his life, and felt like his heart was breaking.

He opened his mouth to protest, but Arin had already gone. Shaking his head, the dark haired king left his bed behind and moved to the balcony. The sound of crying reached his ears and made his heart clench painfully. He hadn't expected this kind of behavior from a slave. They tended to be more angry then anything else at first.

"Arin ..." Solon reached out to wrap an arm around the youth's shoulders awkwardly. "I only meant that I thought the song is too good for me. It's quite beautiful you know." He hoped to soothe and comfort, something Solon had never had the chance to practice.

Arin quickly wiped his eyes dry, becoming flustered when the King appeared behind him. He shrugged the arm off his shoulders, forgetting breifly his position. He moved closer to the railings and climbed up on them, staring down at the ground below. He used to be able to fly. What was the feeling like...? It had been so long, Arin couldn't remember... He closed his eyes, but didn't jump. It wasn't that easy, besides, Solon was pulling him off the railings before anything could happen.

"I... I just need to sleep..." he lied, rubbing his eyes and hoping more tears weren't about to fall.

Surprise, a hint of anger, flitted through his mind when his arm was pushed away so casually. Solon wasn't used to being rejected, and certainly not by a slave. Still, he wasn't exactly angry ... He couldn't stay that way when he didn't treat the youth like a slave. Maybe that was why Solon's heart raced and panic filled him when Arin sat up on the railings, looking as if he would jump. Without really thinking, the king pulled Arin back from the void.

He didn't quite believe Arin's words. Solon needed to be able to see past the obvious as king, and this time he didn't think the musician was being quite honest. Even so, he let it pass. "Alright, come now ..." With gently insistent hands, Solon guided the fragile looking youth to his large bed and tucked Arin beneath the covers. He still had work to do, and he wanted the other man to be comfortable.

The big bed was comfortable and warm, an experience Arin could safely say he hadn't felt before. Even when he was back at home he had to sleep with a few of his younger siblings. He watched the King go about his chores and couldn't sleep. For some reason he wanted Solon to lie with him. He was scared that the King would think he wanted sexual favours, so didn't ask when the man was going to come to bed. Instead he waited, keeping awake even when his eyes were growing heavy.

He just wanted someone to cuddle him, a sensation he hadn't felt in a long time. It seemed Solon wanted to love him and take care of him, which made Arin smile a little. It was such a relief to be with a kind Master for once.

The king's quill scratched out elegant letters upon paper as he wrote a letter to the leaders of a quickly growing faction in his country. They were fast becoming powerful, so much so that Solon felt it necessary to hold a meeting with them. Peace was sometimes harder to maintain then war, though it was so much better for the ordinary people.

Before fatigue could make him ruin the carefully written letter, he set it aside after dusting it lightly with sand to make the dark ink dry. Solon changed into his nightgown and then slipped into the bed, careful not to disturb Arin. The young man must have been asleep, he hadn't made a move in quite a while.

Arin's eyes opened from the small doze he was in. He felt Solon join him in the bed and swallowed fear. No, the King wasn't like those others. He had a Queen after all. Why would he want to sleep with him? He made a small sighing noise and rolled over, carefully lying next to Solon. Slowly, he came closer so they were almost touching, hoping the man would hold him. He wanted a bit of comforting after today.

His odd eyes fluttered open when he felt the bed shift. The king let his gaze rest upon Arin for a few moments as he considered what to do next. They were so very close ... Mumbling softly, quiet little words explaining his intent, Solon reached out to wrap an arm, then the other, around the youth. He pulled the musician close, cradling Arin against his battle hardened chest.

The tension in Solon's frame simply melted away. This was a type of comfort, of warmth, he hadn't had in a long time.

Arin's heart was beating fast, but at the soothing words of the King, he knew that nothing bad would happen. He let the big, strong arms be wrapped around him and sighed at the warmth Solon gave off. It did feel nice being cuddled like this and he hoped his comfort helped the sad and lonely King as well. He rested his ear on the man's chest and listened to the heart beating steadily.

"Where's your wife? If I can ask," Arin asked him quietly, closing his eyes and nearly falling asleep.

Solon smiled slightly. "There's no love between us. The marriage has always been a political one. Our children and the needs of our nations hold us together, nothing more. She is at the Summer palace with our little ones, showing them that part of the country. It is much safer then here at the moment, and nearer her family. She could flee there with them, and keep the children safe." He hadn't expected to open up so much to Arin, or to feel so relieved to know that the younger man could gain nothing by sharing this information with anyone.

Who would ask a slave anything? The thought never crossed the minds of most people. Yes, perhaps he had finally found someone to confide in, someone who was safe from political machinations. The king brushed his lips against soft, light colored hair tenderly without thinking over it much.

"You have no love?" Arin's eyes opened and he froze slightly at the feel of the man's lips. What a terribly lonely man Solon must be, perhaps even more than him. He closed his eyes again and waited for the answer, sad that such a thing could happen to a kind man. Arin swallowed hard. It seemed he was falling for Solon.

"None is ... I have no romantic love." The love of his children was all that mattered to him. If Solon lost them, he didn't know what he would do. Being separated from the pair already brought such sorrow. "You've gotten more talkative, I'm glad." They could actually have conversations now, distracting ones hopefully.

Though now, it was so very late... And yet Solon didn't want the delightful talk to end so quickly, despite how sad the thought of his near loveless life made him. He shifted, laying on his back and bringing Arin along with him so that the lighter man rested half upon him. So soft, so comfortable to have such warmth against him and knowing he would wake with it there.