https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg Was the hug welcome? Of course it was. Hakon had that effect on Ajax. It was like a drug. The man made him eager to be touched and held in a way that was totally new and out of his control. It was as if he had no choice but to launch himself into Hakon’s ou...

https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg Dr. Who theme plays, time jumps to the next morning Ajax never did manage to finish his chores. Instead he awoke before dawn, sore but very happy, and went about his work while Hakon slept. There were horses to be brushed and saddled, belongings to be packe...

https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg Hakon's description of Daravin lined up well with Andros', though his telling was always more colorful and laden with biting sarcasm. The old man was more focused on the supposed Daravain propensity for crime. From the criminal mind, he maintained, flowed u...

https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg Ajax shivered when Hakon touched his cheek, though it wasn’t cold so close to the fire. Hakon was doing that every time he got close, and it never got old. The beard and the scar. He couldn’t keep his hands off. Ajax smirked at the question. “I think you li...

https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg If you’d asked Ajax two days ago what the most surprising thing about the trek to Iberique had been, he’d have said the affection. It had always been a chore for him, something to be endured if it would lead somewhere better. With Hakon, he found he had an ...

https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg Ajax had a gorgeous view as he fed the horses and went back to the fire to stir dinner. It had distracted him as he butchered the two quails he’d caught and potted them for stew. Less than a hundred yards beyond their campsite the forest ended in sheer clif...

https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg The oath was simple. No grabbing of testicles, no long list of gods as witnesses, no curses if the promise was broken. But Hakon meant it. He respected his gods and he kept his word. And Ajax trusted him. It was a risk, of course. Hakon could betray him. He...

https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg Hakon’s fists clenched and unclenched. To most people, that would look like barely controlled rage, like he was making this promise under duress and hated it and probably resented the hell out of Ajax for making say something so abhorrent. Ajax was not most...

https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg “Are you out of your fucking mind, Hakon?” Ajax was shouting before Hakon finished his little speech. He put his hands on Hakon’s shoulders and gave him a shove. Hakon didn’t seem to notice, let alone move, and that only made Ajax angrier. He spun on his he...

https://i.ibb.co/47fcpPk/1903962-800w.jpg Ajax let out an aggravated puff of breath and got up off of Hakon’s lap. He took the letter and put it back in his book, then started to putter. He put the book in its place, tidied the shaving supplies, and gathered discarded clothes off the floor. Hakon w...