Illya had never in his life been so pampered. Napoleon had insisted that he sit by the fire while he charmingly but insistently bullied the maid into changing the bed with fresh linens. A different waiter brought in their breakfast but laid it out with the same precision as the one the night before. Illya wondered if there was a waiter-school where the young men were sent to be trained in the waiting arts.
The first bowl uncovered produced gleaming raspberries with a sprig of mint on top. He knew he was smiling from ear to ear at this fresh example of Napoleon's good memory but he couldn't help it. His partner seemed intent on fulfilling every wish he'd ever had. Spooning up a single berry, he rolled it on his tongue and closed his eyes at the tart burst of flavor. Even though they were not in season, they still had a freshness to them that he savored.
A sigh came from across the table and he opened his eyes to find Napoleon's heated gaze on him. More than ever, he thought that profile decidedly hawk-like and he told him so. His partner laughed out loud. "All the better to keep a sharp eye on you, Illya."
Smiling, Illya ate another berry. He wanted to stretch breakfast out so the maid was quite done with the room and they could have the place to themselves. Napoleon seemed to agree, talking of the last time he had been here and the walks he'd taken up the hillside to a neighboring peak. Once his partner was better, he promised him he'd take him along.
Illya sat back and let the words wash over him. For the first time in a very long time, he had no secrets from the man across the table. He hadn't told him everything about his life before they met but the worst and best of the memories were out in the open now and Napoleon hadn't shied away. He was still here and still determined to make love with him.
He thought that in time, he would even be able to let Napoleon penetrate him. He knew his partner's softhearted nature and even if it hurt, he would prepare him well enough that he wouldn't bleed. Then Napasha might be content for a long time before he went back to women. Their pull was weak right now but he'd been a ladies man for so long, Illya couldn't bring himself to believe that he'd be able to give them up completely.
But that was all right. Illya knew that he could share. He would have to.
Right this minute, however, he didn't have to. He had Napoleon all to himself and he was going to enjoy every minute of it. By now, he'd finished all the raspberries and the maid was finishing up the bathroom. He'd nibbled at some eggs and slathered preserves over his toast before downing it. Drinking a cup of tea, he sat back and watched his partner finish off the bacon.
"Do we need to check in, Napoleon? Will Uncle Alex be worrying about us?" He asked before pouring another cup of tea.
"I'll call him after breakfast and make sure he knows we're fine. Then we'll have the rest of the day free to take a little walk, drink some tea, have a nap or two." His voice was calm but the look in his eyes warmed Illya all the way through.
"I think all the inside ice is gone, Napoleon." He said obliquely.
"I hope so, my friend. We'll just have to make sure it doesn't come back. Not ever again." His words came in a deeper voice that made the butterflies in Illya's stomach flap their wings a little harder.
He nodded, afraid that his voice would squeak. He was nervous and excited at the same time, wishing that the maid would hurry up and be gone but afraid that when she left he'd do something wrong and put Napoleon off. The door closed softly behind her and Illya took a deep breath before letting it slowly out.
"Can I taste you now, Illyusha? Will you let me explore your body from one end to the other? Do you want me to touch and kiss every inch of that pale, beautiful skin?" Napoleon made love to him with his voice and Illya found himself nodding.
His partner stood and held out his hand, pulling Illya up beside him. He slowly released the sash of his robe and pushed it off, watching it slide down his body to puddle on the floor. His sigh made Illya blush yet again. "You are so beautiful, Illyusha. I have no words to tell you just how edible you look right now. Come to bed."
Illya followed him to the freshly made bed and watched Napoleon pull back the covers all the way to the foot. With a hesitancy born of insecurity, he tentatively put out a hand to untie Napoleon's robe. The wide smile he received helped to banish the fear of doing the wrong thing and he pushed the plush robe off the broad shoulders onto the floor.
Napoleon slid his arms around him and lifted him up onto the bed before following him down to the cool soft sheets. The contrast between the smooth cotton beneath him and textured skin above him made him wiggle a bit. His partner caught his breath and kissed him hard with an urgency that spoke of great need. Arching up into the solid body that half covered him, Illya made a wordless murmur when cool air came between them.
"Sh-h-h, Illyusha. We have all the time in the world and I plan on driving you right out of your mind. So just relax and let me pleasure you." Napoleon's voice came and went as he slid down to Illya's feet and began his taste test.
Within the space of the next hour, Illya was slowly taken apart piece by piece and put back together again by his skillful lover. He'd never dreamed that a man's skin could have so many erogenous zones. Sergei hadn't taught him any of this. The inside of his left knee was a hot spot that almost made him come when Napoleon licked and bit it gently.
But it was when his partner bathed his balls with a warm, wet tongue that Illya found himself babbling in Russian again. In between licks, Napoleon told him what he'd touch next and Illya shivered in anticipation right before his legs were pushed apart and up. It might have frightened him except that all his higher reasoning had fled south to his groin.
He was as hard as he'd ever been in his life and the feel of Napoleon's tongue against his hidden opening wrenched a moan from him that he only heard vaguely. He was too busy trying to get enough oxygen to breathe to make any more noise. The rolled tongue actually piercing him with tender jabs took his breath away completely. The band of pleasure finally had been twisted too tight and he exploded with a gasp all over the dark head between his legs.
Napoleon's wet mouth caught most of his seed and each suck took more of him into his lover's safe haven. He was shaking and gasping with each sensation at his over-sensitized groin. "I've got you, Illya. Let go and just relax. I've only done half of you."
Illya gasped out between gusts of laughter. "Any ... more ... will ... kill me."
"Oh no, Illyusha. No dying allowed. There are no ghosts in our bed, just two men who love each other." He slid up and gathered the limp body of his partner into his arms. "Rest now and when you wake up, I'll start at the top and work my way down."
He laughed weakly and curled into his warm embrace before surrendering to sleep.
*********************
Illya woke to the sound of a half-snore right by his ear. He smiled and opened his eyes to watch his lover sleep. At any other time, he would berate himself for soppiness but not now, not when all his desires had come true. He chuckled silently. All of them except the world peace wish, of course. He was afraid that was beyond him. But there was peace here in the castle for now, the ghosts had traveled on into the Light and the sense of contentment seemed to flow out beyond them through the whole bed and breakfast.
Perhaps that was what it took to promote world peace, he mused silently to himself. First a castle, then the village, on up to the canton level and right on to the whole country. It would be so nice not to have to fight THRUSH or any of the silly dictators who kept popping up to try and dominate the world. He remembered a slogan he'd heard a few months before.
Make love, not war.
He hugged his happiness to himself. Silently, he repeated the phrase. Make love to Napoleon instead of going out to fight the minions of THRUSH. Too bad that Mr. Waverly would never give him that order. Still, he could give it to himself. It was about time that he tasted that lovely cock again.
Still smiling, he slid down under the duvet and found the slumbering penis lolling against Napoleon's right thigh. Licking his lips, he breathed on it and watched it begin to stir. He tilted his head and let his bangs drift gently across the head. That got his attention, all right. He wondered if Napoleon had named him and began to run through names that might be appropriate.
Little Pasha.
The Little Prince. No, that one wouldn't work since Illya was the Ice Prince.
King sounded too dog-like.
Hm-m-m, he continued to think while he took turns licking then blowing across the hardening organ in his hand. With the other hand, he tenderly gathered the twin globes that hung beneath and gently rolled them between his fingers. Soft moans drifted down beneath the soft cotton cover to his ears.
Emperor. Now that was more like it. If Illya was a statue in the Emperor's garden then it was only right that the man who brought him to life should be called by his rightful name. Emperor Napoleon -- so there'd already been one of those, this one was right here, right now.
"Illya, there appears to be a giant cock-sucking bed bug in our bed who is giving me the blow job of the century." Napoleon's sleepy voice filtered through the duvet and he chuckled around his mouthful. "Turn around here, Illyusha so I can get at you too."
He slid over a bit and felt the cooler air of the room hit his groin when Napoleon pushed the coverlet off them to the foot of the bed. "Hm-m-m, a tasty morsel has just appeared. I'd better just swallow it so that bed bug doesn't beat me to it."
Multi-tasking, Illya reminded himself. He was good at that or ... he had been up to now. But for the moment he was having a hard time remembering exactly what he was supposed to be doing. He moaned when Napoleon stroked his perineum while swallowing him whole. Well, two could play at that game. Each caress that Napoleon gave him was soon returned until it became a race to see who let go first.
Illya was determined to give his partner a climax even better than his from several hours before. He was rewarded with a quick snap of the hips up and the gushing of the cock half down his throat. He pulled back far enough to taste him thoroughly, stroking his tongue against the suddenly too sensitive skin and making Napoleon arch once again in a secondary spasm.
For a long moment, he rested his head against the convenient thigh, watching the satiated organ lie against the golden skin. Then, his partner reminded him that he was still among the living with increased suction and a little flick of his tongue that made Illya's groin burn with need. He held on to the legs under him and rocked in and out of the voracious mouth until he released with a sigh into the warm wet haven.
They lay in contented silence, touching each other with little strokes here and there. Not with the intent to arouse again but just to learn the best spots to touch. The knowledge that new lovers have always had to learn about their partners and some of the best lessons were those taught by the braille method.
Finally, Napoleon pulled him up so they were face to face again. Illya felt drugged with slow, wet kisses that seemed to make him float in a happy space he'd never known before. He wanted to stay here forever or at least until Napoleon said they had to leave. Illya found himself drifting in and out of consciousness while napping between bouts of lovemaking.
The caress that brought him wide-awake came while they were still lying cuddled beneath the duvet. Napoleon blew a warm gust of air across the nipple over his heart and followed it with a gentle lick that made him shudder. "Too much, love?"
He shivered. "No. It felt almost too good."
"Nothing is too good for you, Illya. I'm not so sensitive and at one point, I even had a ring through my right nipple. Instead of a tattoo, I got a piercing while on leave in Tokyo."
Illya shuddered. "I can not even imagine that. It must have hurt."
"Actually, I found it stimulating. One of my fuck-buddies would wet it and then tug on the ring with his teeth which always sent me right into orbit." Napoleon chuckled. "So you don't need to be as gentle with me as I will be with you. I promise to tell you if something hurts and you must promise too."
"I promise, Pasha." Illya nodded. "As much as I love just lying in bed with you, do you think we could get up and take a walk?"
"Of course, we can. A walk then lunch and maybe another nap before dinner." Napoleon waggled his eyebrows and made Illya laugh.
It took more time to dress because Napoleon insisted on buttoning all his buttons for him. So Illya retaliated by choosing his partner's outfit for him and dressing him in it. Telling him that he enjoyed a chocolate colored mate got him a smoldering look and a promise to see what a raspberry flavored Illya tasted like.
Illya thought that might be fun.
They walked down the front stairs to the great hall. It was the oddest feeling to see it now with modern eyes while the memories from Willim were still fresh in his mind. He thought it might be just him so he wasn't going to say anything but Napoleon surprised him again.
"How odd it looks without the long oak table and the straw scattered on the floor." He shook his head, holding on to Illya's arm in case he got dizzy. "And the hunting dogs snuffling around looking for handouts from the dinner guests."
"Yes. The flags aren't right either. The wrong cantons are hanging." Illya held onto the curved oak railing with his other hand while the room seemed to expand and contract around them. He hoped that Napoleon hadn't noticed because he really wanted to get outside for at least a little while.
"We'll make a nice slow circuit of the courtyard and the herb garden then it's back to bed with you, my friend." Napoleon said quietly but firmly.
"Yes, Pasha. That will be just right. I miss being able to walk in the fresh air."
"Don't rush to get well, Illya. I'm enjoying coddling you and I know you won't let me when you are back to normal." Napoleon's pout was a classic.
"I have enjoyed being pampered, Pasha. I think you could probably talk me into continuing once we are back in the real world." Illya murmured shyly, nodding to an older man who was coming in while they were leaving.
Napoleon smiled charmingly at the distinguished gentleman and walked Illya down the front steps before answering. "Pampering is the very least of what I want to do with you, Illyusha. But we have plenty of time for a little bit of everything."
"Everything ... sounds like it would take quite a while." Illya walked through the stone arch and into the winter version of a garden. Several bushes were still bright scarlet but the rest of the foliage was a blend of tan and silver beneath a light dusting of snow. "This is beautiful, Pasha. Look at the stones in the path. I wonder if they're original?"
Napoleon tilted his head and knelt to brush away the snow from a paving stone with a deep carving on the top. "Look, it's a fox."
Illya was brushing one just two steps away. "This one is a falcon, Pasha."
"I think you've answered your own question. I have a fading memory of them from what's left of the Baron's memories." He sat back on his heels and shook his head. "You know, Illya, I really do think that I was momentarily possessed by him. I've never believed in ghosts but I've found I've changed my mind."
"Oh good, I was afraid that I was the only one." Illya smiled and stood up, holding out his hand to help Napoleon to his feet.
"And about what you asked earlier, Illyusha. If I'm very lucky, you will stay with me until that Light comes looking for us. Everything and more, I promise." He pulled Illya close and kissed him gently.
"Everything and more, Napasha." Illya managed to speak over the lump in his throat. "I think they were not the only ghosts laid to rest here."
"If any more phantoms appear in our lives, Illya, we will face them together. Your hands are cold, love. Come back inside so we can ... nap again." He waggled his eyebrows and Illya began to laugh out loud.
"Nap time it is, Pasha." He said through his chortles. "Perhaps we could order some hot chocolate so I could drink it from your body."
"Illya! I am shocked, I tell you, shocked at that suggestion." Napoleon turned them back to the castle. "I was thinking more along the lines of honey myself."
They were both laughing as they walked slowly back to the beautiful castle while the snow began to fall gently on the stone turrets. The echo of their laughter rang out into the countryside. Illya wished with all his heart that the peace and joy that they had found would echo out into the valley, not stopping until everyone felt its power. The way he felt right now, even his fourth wish might someday come true.
Someday.
********************
End part eight