Chapter 5

The castle still looked huge and different up close Aric always thought. He thought it then when he visited it a season go, and he still thinks it now while he's approaching the castle gates.

When Daven first brought him here, he said that the King said that his guest must be out of the castle by dusk. And to remember, there are many rooms and areas off limits to him.

That was weird about the dusk thing, but Aric always thought that maybe that is why Daven was always out at night when they were younger.

But he didn't like the King.

The one time he had met him so far, he referred to Aric as his sons "Poor street urchin pet project" and raised his head so he could look down his nose at him.

No he didn't like the King at all.

But having just turned seventeen people were starting to treat him differently. He had reached 6'1 then and it looked like he was done growing. He was still practicing every morning like clockwork.

His Uncle and Aunt moved last season, but they left him taken cared for.

His Uncle, finally frustrated with the local guild, decided to move to the outer borders of the kingdom to the east and take up as their local blacksmith after theirs died.

He was going to leave the house to Aric, but the local guild offered to buy Aric a one room house in the city and pay for his room and board for four seasons until he was 20. Then he would be on his own. They wanted to have the house and shop to give to another Blacksmith and his family.

Caelan accepted, and told Aric he was old enough to live alone and he had no fear for the boy safety, but he said he was giving Andrea's parents a key to Aric's doors. He wanted Andrea's parents to check up on him, and make sure he was safe. But he also said that if Andrea went missing in the night they needed to know she wasn't warming his bed.

Like that would happen he thought at the time.

The only time he tried to touch her chest when she was thirteen she slapped him hard enough that seasons later he could still feel the individual fingers on his face. Kissing is the only thing she would ever let him do. His hands anywhere else on her body were still off limits.

Along the way to seventeen they also had a long discussion about sex.

Andrea said that she wanted to go into her marriage a virgin. That she watched all her friends play around, and if they weren't getting hurt by a boy playing with their feelings, then some of them were getting pregnant and trying to hurry up and marry the boy before their parents found out.

And she even knew of one girl who got some kind of itchy crotch rot she called it.

But she knew that Aric would wait for her, and she made him promise to never try and force or trick her into sex. That she would let him protect her chastity while she was with him.

Aric didn't want to swear to it, but she did such nice things with her kisses he found himself doing so before he realized it.

She also made him promise to wait and only have sex with her and no one else, and she promised that she would only have sex with him and no one else.

That promise frustrated Daven to no end.

He would always plan a night out for them, line up two women, and get upset that Aric didn't want to take one upstairs. He kept trying to talk Aric out of his promise saying that Andrea would never know, and he wouldn't tell.

But Aric always said he gave his word and Andrea gave hers to him and so it was the very least he could do was honor it.

Another thing that irritated Daven, was during one of the nights he was trying to tempt Aric, using two very attractive girls, it didn't' work out quite like he planned. While the girls danced all around a very nervous Aric, the girls suddenly dropped into Aric and Daven's lap.

The Girl that had dropped into Aric's lap suddenly jumped up and asked if he had a length of pipe in his pants because it was too big to be his dick.

Aric then blushed about three different colors of red and said no. The girl said if it was his dick, it was huge. Easily the biggest she ever felt, but when she tried to get back in his lap he jumped up and said he had to call it a night and left.

That girl had been with Daven a few times and it irritated him that she called Aric the biggest. Up till then she had always said he was. Maybe she was just trying to make him feel better since he told her Aric was a virgin.

But regardless he made it a point to never be with her ever again.

As Aric rode through the gates he thought back to the time he first met Aaron, Captain of the guard.

"State you business," said the guard at the Gate

It was the first time he came to visit Daven on his own, and so he brought Andrea with him.

Andrea really didn't want to come, and even tried her kissing technique to make Aric change his mind, but Aric didn't want to go alone, so she begrudgingly agreed.

"We're here to see Prince Daven," said Aric.

"Are you expected," said the Guard.

"Yes we are," said Aric.

The guard looked at Aric strangely.

He took in Aric's smiling face and Andrea's sour one and said "hold on a minute. Stand here and don't move."

He said something to a guard behind him and the guard ran off in the direction of a large building. Then he returned with a slightly older Guard, dressed better, with him.

"I'm Aaron, Captain of the Guard, what can we do for you?" he asked.

Aric held out his hand.

"Good morning sir, I'm Aric, this is my lady friend Andrea," at that Andrea blushed and looked down "And we were asked to visit the castle by the Prince."

Aaron looks Aric for a minute "Is he expecting you? I mean both of you?" he asked

"Well he's expecting me, I though Andrea might like a look around too," Aric said with a smile

"Well I don't mind, but does the lady really want to be here? I noticed her face earlier and she looks uncomfortable being here. If she doesn't want to, in my opinion it might make more sense to let her have her way about that," Aaron said looking at Aric seriously.

Then he turned to look Andrea over as well, all while still holding on to his serious look.

Aric was wondering what he was talking about and why he was so intent on Andrea staying out

"Well if there is a problem..." He started, but Andrea didn't give him the chance to finish.

"I never wanted to visit the little prick of a Prince anyway. I would rather lick a cows butt," she said as her normally shy demeanor suddenly giving way to red faced anger.

Aaron, stifled a laugh, and Aric noticed the guards also looking away, but smiling as well.

"Well that's settles that," she said as she leaned over to kiss Aric, and then set off for home with a smile. She started humming before she got too far.

"What just happened?" asked Aric as he watched her walk away.

"Son you've just learned who is really in control," he said with a smile. Welcome to the castle.

Then there was the time he met the kitchen staff.

Some of the times he would visit the castle he would either observed the men training on the practice grounds or wander around the kitchens if Daven was busy. He quickly found that the kitchen staff was both busy and efficient.

Once when he was bored he sat down at a table while he watched, and someone put a large basket of some potatoes before him with a knife, so he started peeling potatoes. What was strange was someone different came and took them away and brought him another large basket. He peeled those as well.