The rest of his night was far quieter.  His thoughts dwelled on the Duke, on everything the man so boldly accused.  Perhaps it was the added drink Rijek had presented him with, but his thoughts inevitably softened and turned toward the prince.  He had been commanding, almost fierce as he had put the mouthy man in his place.  But there was one thing that kept coming to the front every time he replayed the scene in his mind.<br/><br/><i>…but with more care for my happiness than you seem willing to attribute to me…</i><br/><br/>It was a lie, all of it, something the prince had fabricated on the spot to throw back in the Duke’s face to humble him.  Truth be told, Ryland could have been in absolute agreement with Teleyard and was merely doing what he deemed necessary to still Keth’s hand and keep peace, throwing himself in the line of fire concerning the marriage proposal and Kethaias’ impeccable gentlemanliness.  And while all of that made him want to take Ryland home with him all the more, he couldn’t deny that it put him in an awkward situation.<br/><br/>Keth had been happy, once.  He’d had a marriage, a proper one.  They had been happy, their little family, until it was all taken away from him.  How cruel of him to take that chance away from Ryland before the young and spirited prince ever had a chance?  If he thought that Ryland was rude or loud or obnoxious, didn’t the prince have a right to be?  It would’ve been more slavery than anything, and… positions be damned, because Keth never liked royal rules and expectations.  He’d been playing along for far too long and had fallen into those trappings.<br/><br/>The next day felt like something from his nightmares.  Everyone had indeed caught wind of the debacle from the night before, and so the meeting he found himself in had very little to do with trade or peace or protection and everything to do with Ryland… and particularly his intentions.  Keth spent the first long stretch of it trying to expertly maneuver the questions in a way that didn’t paint him as whorish or disinterested as he explained how the offer had been a preliminary inquiry only and not some grand plan of engagement.  While that was being established, he also slipped in that, as lovely as Ryland was, they were not a good match.  That set off the second line of questioning, and Kethaias had to defend both himself and Ryland (mostly Ryland).  No, the prince behaved like a man of his station ought and not a fool.  Yes, they had accompanied each other out for a few evenings.  And no, gods no, they had not consummated any deal in the night before.  He blamed Teleyard himself for that one.<br/><br/>By the time it was all put to rest, at least as much as it could be, he felt drained and almost exhausted.  There was little to be done about it, so he headed back to the comfortable rooms he’d been allotted.  Rijek knew better than to say anything, so he kept quiet and out of the way as Keth began to shed off the pretentious layers of clothes.  He’d hoped that it would make him feel better to be free of it, like he was shucking off responsibility, or that the weight of the position he was in would lighten a little as the weight of the clothing was relieved.<br/><br/>It was not, of course, and he found himself lounging across one of the more indulgent pieces of furniture.  The comfort was practically lost on him as he settled into a deep brooding, his gaze finally landing on the beautiful mechanical bird of Ryland’s.  He wanted to stroke it.  He wanted to smash it.  He wanted to send it back.<br/><br/>There was a knock at the door that brought him out of his deep mental turmoil, and his expression went darker still.<br/><br/>“I’m not in the mood for any more,” he grumbled.  “Send them away.”<br/><br/>Rijek moved to comply, stepping over a carelessly tossed cloak on his way to the door.  It was no real shock to him to find the prince himself at the door, and he offered a polite smile as he motioned for pause.  Closing the door again, he turned back to where his king rested, miserable.<br/><br/>“It’s Prince Ryland.”<br/><br/>It<i>was</i>a bit of a shock to Kethaias.  Why would Ryland come himself?  Why would he come at all?  He looked to the bird quickly and sighed.<br/><br/>“Fine.  I’ll see him.”<br/><br/>“Would you like to…?” Rijek trailed off, but he was motioning to the clothes strewn about.<br/><br/>Keth frowned and looked down at himself.  He wasn’t necessarily naked, but he was wearing little more than he had that day the foolish prince tried to teach him to dance.  To be fair, it wasn’t as if Ryland hadn’t seen a man’s bare chest before.  He rolled his eyes.<br/><br/>“No, I would not,” he muttered under his breath, half turning in toward the furniture in annoyance.  “I don’t care.  Just let him in.”<br/><br/>“Very well,” came the bland reply, Rijek opening the door and swinging it wide, bowing in invitation as he did so.