In Service in Reverence
Au'ra grows tired of his usual stock in personal servants. His advisers find him one with a bit more personality.
Au'Ra belongs to @CottonCanyonAD
A castle sat near the center of a city touched by the splendor of the sun. The white walls and gold anointed architecture almost seemed to reflect the light in a way that made it difficult to look at despite the fact that everyone in the city needed to pay homage to its residents. The kings of the castle were considered gods by the people who resided in the city. If they desired to keep their lives then a healthy dose of respect and fear was needed. There were many people from the lower classes who wanted a better life and so they walked into the splendid light hoping to luck out. Many became simple servants and attendants but those that caught the gaze of the kings were often considered unlucky. Both kings had a habit of taking pet projects and molding them into what they viewed as perfect. Often, this led to fates worse than death. Every person who came to the castle for work knew what they were getting into, knew the possibilities that awaited them within but there were just a few who had no clue at all.
Wandering through the halls of the grand castle was a tall equine figure with serpentine features. His fur was resplendent white and his hair was a mane of gold. He wore a dress uniform of white, gold and purple with black trousers and a half-cape at his back. The only tarnished point of his body were his eyes that were a deep red drowning in a sea of violet. No one would dare comment on the eyes of the king. Knights and attendants simply bowed their heads and bid him a good day while he continued down the hall. Au'ra kept walking with both of his hands held behind his back clutched together tight enough that he could almost feel the glamour he wore cracking. The people behind him that saw were sure to look away and not comment on that either.
Au'ra was on his way to his quarters after he had called for a new personal attendant. The previous one had become a boring husk with nothing more to improve and so, he had broken the doll. It always left him in a foul mood each time he broke a servant. They were perfect in every way when he was done with them, so why did they not give him gratitude for it? Empty husks staring at him with glittering expressions taught to them could not truly be called perfect for they were beautiful but devoid of life. Only a few people had ever been changed so thoroughly and still managed to look at him with fire behind their eyes. Whatever the case, a new toy was arriving at his quarters and he wanted to assess whether his advisors had followed his instructions to bring him someone with a bit more personality. Usually, he liked his toys easily malleable and meek but something about the last puppet he had broken left him more hollow and irritated than usual.
When he arrived at his room, he noticed the door was left ajar. Leaving doors open was not a common thing in the castle. People who left doors open often were lectured or struck for being idiots. If you needed to air something out then you could simply leave the window open and even then just a crack. When he took a step closer, one of his ears pricked as he heard the sound of someone's voice coming over the still air of the castle. It was a quiet tenor that proudly uttered a song. He was still outside of the room so he could only catch a few bits but he was certain that no decent sort should be singing a song about mothers and daughters like that. With a hand placed at the pommel of his rapier, he approached the room.
Once inside, the song had died down to happy hums and the occasional chuckle. The source of those noises was not what he had thought. It wasn't a thief, at least, he didn't think it was a thief. A rabbit was changing the covers of his bed with eyes closed and body bent. Their fur was a streak of night with a ring of sunlight around the neck. When he cleared his throat, the rabbit shot up and turned, bright gold eyes wide and staring at the king. Finally, a proper response to his presence and the fact that this room belonged to himself and his brother.
When he was about to ask the name of his servant, the rabbit dusted their hands together and chirped, "My my! They said you were a looker but never thought the statues were anythin' to go by. Y'know how they like to make things look prettier than usual in depictions but hey, I think that I'd say you're something better than the still lifes."
Au'ra blinked and placed a hand on his cheek while he considered for a moment the words that had come out of the rabbit's mouth. Had he been insulted? He then noticed that the rabbit was reaching out as if to shake his hand but that didn't seem proper at all. The rabbit was wearing the typical attire of an attendant with a tailcoat that almost matched their fur but the attitude they portrayed was more friendly than he had been expecting.
Finally, he reached out and took the servant's hand before he cleared his throat to speak, "Thank you, I think. I cannot say that this is proper but I asked for a servant with a bit of personality so I suppose this is what I get." He then looked around, noticing that the sheets of the bed that were being replaced were all over the floor along with several articles of his clothing and he mused aloud, "It seems I caught you in the middle of performing your duties. Feel free to carry on but we may need to have a talk about etiquette though."
The rabbit chuckled and turned away from Au'ra to continue with the bed, "Listen, if you're up to gossiping about someone then I'd be glad for it. Don't know who etiquette is but their parents must have hated them." They then snorted, "Kidding of course but don't tug my ear too hard, I'm pretty new about this stuff."
Au'ra muttered, "Right..." He then asked with a sigh, "What is your name then and do you know of your duties?"
"Alvor is my name and as for what my duties are." Began the rabbit, "I was told that I needed to be your personal attendant. Something about cleaning your room, listening to you talk and generally just doing whatever you ask of me."
The king nodded with both hands held behind his back while he addressed his new servant, "Alvor. I don't know who picked you but I'm going to have a few words with them about quality. You appear to be unkempt and without much in the way of manners. Not all of my servants have studied to be as such but the ones that attend to me personally must have a certain degree of perfection to them. If you do not have this quality then I will gladly iron out any flaws that you might have. That being said, I don't think what you've been doing right now can be called acceptable, from the singing to the way that you're making more of a mess of things."
He was going to continue with his lecture but a cover struck the back of his head while the rabbit called out, "Understood your highness but I think y'gotta understand that I work in special ways. The songs are a way to make the time pass faster and I swear I have a method to this maddened cleaning. Tossing things over my shoulder and pulling them apart just gets me pumped up to keep working. I always used to do it at home and I think it'll work here. Just give it a chance."
Au'ra shook as he grabbed hold of the cover on his head and tore it off, turning only to get struck by a pillow that was flung off of the bed, "I would advise you to watch your aim Alvor." He said with a hiss before clearing his throat, "As for respecting your methods, I do not see how singing and making a mess of things helps your case."
"Helps more than a snooty butt in the way of cleaning." Said Alvor with a chuckle.
The king opened his mouth to say something but the rabbit was already leaning down to snatch up dirty linens and clothes to stuff them in a basket nearby. He tried to grab the rabbit's attention again with a hiss but Alvor was already on their way out of the room. Infuriating but not necessarily bad. It was true that he would have trouble molding this one but they had an actual personality that would be difficult to ruin with the usual bending. He found it difficult to act in those moments of tiny impudence because they were so unusual. Perhaps when he got used to this little game he would break the rabbit but for now, he wanted to play.
Alvor continued to go through the day annoying him in various ways whether it was being loud, insulting him with little quips that he believed were supposed to be jokes and sometimes outright ignoring his orders. They were terrible at announcing his presence and would often blurt it out with some sort of bold line that would garner a chuckle out of some fool or two who would receive punishment immediately. Another problem was the fact that they would never stop talking. Alvor spoke about their homelife about how it was to be poor and the sort of jobs they did before coming to the castle. No matter how many times he told Alvor he did not care, the rabbit would continue and continue to run their mouth.
Eventually, the end of the day came and he found himself in the baths. He walked through steam while removing his clothes before allowing his body to dip inside of the waters of a heated pool. Au'ra shut his eyes and kept on lowering himself until only his chin was above the water. Soon after he entered the bath, he heard steps behind him along with the sound of clothing falling to the floor. He did not bother turning around, did not bother opening his eyes even as he heard and felt the water parting beside him for another body.
"So, as your personal attendant do I wash your back?"
Au'ra cracked an eye open to see Alvor standing there with a big smile. He answered with as much patience as he could muster, "No. Typically I like to bathe alone. Even when I am with my brother I typically prefer to rest my mind."
The rabbit answered with a nod, "I get that. The other king's a bit of a loud one, isn't he? Always squawking about one thing or another. I'd hate to be the one waiting on him hand and foot but I don't really have to worry about that since I'm working directly for you. He tried to command me once or twice in the halls and I just told him to shove it since I was doing something for you."
Despite himself, he smiled and had to bring a hand up to his mouth not to laugh. He kept on thinking about Yhisondrel's golden feather's frilled due to this little bunny's irritating voice disobeying him. Most likely he'd get an earful when they next met but for now, he would cherish the thought. When he recovered from his momentary lapse in judgement, he cleared his throat and said plainly, "He is also your superior, your king and god. You should give him some sort of respect."
Alvor giggled, "Yeah but seeing him get pissed is kind of funny. He gets flustered like no other when something doesn't go his way. Kind of like you, I've noticed, but a bit funnier because of the more obvious bluster."
"And now you insult me again." He sighed and sank into the water just a bit more, "Tell me, dear Alvor, why should I not have you thrown from one of the castle windows for such insolence?"
The rabbit answered without skipping a beat, "Because you've come to love me?"
Au'ra frowned, eyes opening to glance to the side at the rabbit before he rolled them and sighed, "I don't think I've come to love you but your personality is quirky enough that I am entertained by you. So long as I find you interesting, I'll keep you and even protect you from my brother's wrath but once I am done with you I will break you like the rest."
Alvor crossed their arms and leaned against the edge of the bath while humming, "Break me like the rest huh? You say it so casually as if other's lives don't matter to you. I guess you are a god and a king so the lives of others barely register."
He frowned at what he figured was an accusation, "That is the case. My brother and I are the only important beings in this kingdom and perhaps the entire world. Do not think because I find you entertaining that I care about you in the slightest."
The rabbit nodded, "Weird because I figured that you cared more about me than your brother."
Up his hand came to grab the chin of the rabbit, digits squeezing while he hissed, "Speak such nonsense again and see what happens dear servant of mine."
Alvor did not flinch and continued to speak, "You fight with your brother all the time. Both of you argue and peck at one another constantly. In fact, the only time that you seem to even care about what your brother thinks is when he hangs that stupid power of his over your head. It isn't as if what is underneath that glamour of yours is ugly so I don't see wh--"
Au'ra squeezed hard enough that his beautiful servant for once shut up. He breathed in a few times, keeping himself in check before he began, "What is beneath my glamour is no concern of yours. If anything, you should be more concerned with that foul tongue of yours. I can cut it free from your mouth if you desire or maybe I could simply toy with you until you understand the weight of what you say."
His grip loosened enough for the rabbit to mutter quietly, "I don't get it. Why are you so upset about something so beautiful. I love that purple in your eyes and when the darkness spreads to the rest of your body it is something amazing to behold."
"Amazing?" The king whispered, digits and body shaking as he got up from the water, "Amazing you say? I doubt you have seen the full extent of that darkness and so, and so dear servant of mine I will grant you an audience with the king beneath this guise."
Au'ra withdrew his digits and grabbed the rabbit by the arm to tug Alvor up and out of the water with him as he started to walk. Out of the baths they went without bothering to dry or get their clothes on. No one dared to stop him as he kept on pulling with a maddened look in his eyes as cracks began to form revealing more of the darkness within. There was no possible way that Alvor had seen the full extent of his affliction. Yhisondrel kept him sane, kept the corruption from being shown to outsiders and it was only by his grace that he was allowed to even walk the halls as the magnificent creature he was.
When they arrived at his quarters, he pushed the rabbit in first and followed while slamming the door shut, "Guess this is the part where you break me?" Asked the rabbit while they sat on the bed.
"No." Said Au'ra with a huff before he continued, "I only wanted to take you somewhere private so that you may see what you were calling beautiful."
The king walked to the window to take the curtains and close them. Light still filtered into the room from the sun outside but the material covering the windows was enough to make him feel obscured from all except those prying golden eyes at his back. Breathing in and out to steady himself, he wondered why in the world he was about to do this on purpose? Had he been stricken with some sort of affliction? It would be easy to simply strike the rabbit and tell them to never mention this again nor make any mention of the form he held beneath the glamour, and yet, he could not do that. His heart had fluttered for a horrid moment when the rabbit had told him that his corrupted form was beautiful.
When he turned, he saw that the rabbit was still looking at him with a big smile that reached up to that golden gaze. He could feel the fire behind those eyes burning without fear, without concern what would happen and he had to wonder what compelled this creature to stay. Their life had already been threatened by his hand and still, Alvor watched and waited. It was only the rabbit's first day as his servant and already he was going to show his worst. How shameful.
"So, gonna show me?" Asked Alvor quietly from where they sat.
Au'ra narrowed his eyes before he decided to keep quiet and instead show Alvor exactly what they desired. Cracks begin to form around his body as he shut his eyes and focused on the darkness within him. Slowly, he brought a hand up from his abdomen to his chin, claws leaving marks that helped the fractals continue to form until finally, the light began to shatter. White fur shifted into deep coal and the golden mane and tail shifted to a bright azure that seemed to glow in the dim lighting. His face turned just a bit sharper, the serpentine features becoming more pronounced as his corrupted form was revealed.
The corrupted king kept his eyes closed expecting the rabbit to gasp, to comment on how terrible he was or remain quiet like everyone else in the castle. He hated the silence the most but tolerated it because he knew that people did it out of respect. A sort of pity rang in the silence that he could not stand, a sort of hatred that he could not describe or grab. Anything would be better than the silent song of uncertainty. He wanted Alvor to make a stupid quip, to say something that would get them in trouble. Au'ra would forgive them, would tell them to fetch Yhisondrel to fix this and that he was glad that Alvor understood the full extent of his mistake.
When he opened his eyes, he saw that Alvor was simply staring at with sagging eyes and a small smile. To Au'ra, that drooping gaze looked sad, almost as if the eyes themselves were forming teardrops. Was he so abhorrent to cause someone to cry? Was his true form that ugly? When he cast his gaze aside, Alvor stood from the bed and Au'ra expected them to run, to leave or to say something about this horrible condition. He continued to wait for some kind of reaction until he felt gentle arms around his waist squeezing tightly.
"See, that's not so bad is it?" Said Alvor in hushed tones before continuing, "You're beautiful like this. A streak of darkness in the light, a regular gem if I've ever seen one."
Au'ra's eyes widened as he looked down at the rabbit embracing him. He thought of striking the fool, of grabbing them by the neck and throttling them until they admitted how wrong that was. Beautiful? How could he be beautiful with such a detestable form!
"Why do you hate this?" Asked the rabbit.
The question had caught Au'ra off guard. His hand had moved up to strike Alvor but upon hearing those words he was stunned. Quietly, he responded, "It is simply the opposite of what we wish to cultivate in this kingdom. We strive for perfection, for the beauty and grace of the light. I am the opposite of beautiful, the opposite of the light and therefore corrupt."
Alvor snorted, "Who put those stupid ideas in your head?"
This time his hand did not stop, he raised it high before dropping to swat the impudent rabbit's cheek with a fire in his heart. The sound it made cracked through the room but Alvor did not separate from him. Au'ra looked down to see those golden eyes staring back up at him with the same smile underneath. Why? Why would they smile after they were struck? Why wouldn't they say something against it?
The rabbit again asked, "Gonna tell me who put those dumb ideas in your head?"
Au'ra shook, fists clenched while he chewed through the words, "My father."
"Your father was a fool."
That response earned another slap. This time it was weaker because Au'ra could not keep his body still. His words came out with less authority and more desperation, "How dare you! My father saved my life. What he did was to protect me, what he did was to keep me from this hellish corruption, to prevent it from taking my life. He lit my life, made me what I am and I owe him as much as I do Yhisondrel."
"But do you love him?" Alvor said quietly.
Au'ra grabbed the rabbit by the chin and squeezed while looking down into this impudent golden eyes. He hissed quietly, "It does not matter whether or not I love him but I owe my life to him. My entire existence is because of him and my mother. I would not be the way I am without them. Do not pretend to understand our relationship, do not pretend to think to know me." His grip got tighter as he forced the rabbit to let go. He held Alvor at arm's length and leaned down so their noses were touching and he spoke, "Do you still find this beautiful? Am I still amazing to you somehow? I can tear your limbs one by one to prove to you how horrible I am. I can break your body and have Yhisondrel mend you just to show you what I am."
By the end, his voice was shaking just as much as his body but Alvor only continued to stare at him in the same way. Au'ra loosened his grip just enough to let the rabbit speak and the words came, "You're beautiful even if your heart is a bit messed up. You can decide to hurt me as much as you want but it won't change what I think when I see this form of yours."
A fire burned through his entire body as he squeezed onto the rabbit's chin for just a few seconds before letting go. The flames that boiled within began to disperse as he fell to his knees and muttered, "I don't understand. Corrupted. I'm horrible, terrible, putrid. I am the result of darkness shrouding the light within me. To be called beautiful, to be praised in this form is blasphemy on nature itself. Look at me plainly and you should see it. This ugliness is why I seek to mold all creatures into perfection, to iron out the flaws that they hold. Do you understand?"
Soft digits touched his chin and he raised his head in time to receive the gentle kiss of his servant. It was a brief peck full of the sun's warmth despite the curtains covering the windows. When they parted, Alvor chuckled, "You're beautiful. Don't mistake me, I'm still in this for the money and I might even cut loose one day but lying has never been my style. I've always gotten in trouble for saying my mind and taken lumps larger than the ones you gave me. My cheek is still sore but your hand was shaking, you didn't follow through properly and it wasn't out of hate. You're just scared."
Au'ra's shoulders sagged, eyes going back to looking at the floor while he muttered, "I'll fire you myself."
Laughter graced the air and Au'ra's ears while the rabbit answered, "Go ahead! I'll find a job in some other place." His chin was then lifted again and their eyes met, beautiful gold on his own terrible violet and red, "But don't think getting rid of me will be that easy my king. I like what I see."
Mouths met together for a kiss. Au'ra felt as if the light was returning to his body even though no such thing occurred. His servant's touch felt better than Yhisondrel's healing, felt better than the light engulfing him. It was inviting and loving, tender and sweet, something that he could allow himself to fall into. When they parted again, it was to rise and move to the bed. No more words were shared between them as they moved to the bed. Their lips met another time as they laid on the bed, Au'ra on his back with his arms wrapped around his precious servant. He tried his hardest not to think about the fact that he was touching his property with such terrible hands and it was only possible thanks to the budding warmth of the other against his body.
They parted again as Alvor began to grace his body with loving pecks that started from his chest down to his crotch. Digits pressed against his waist to draw small circles while the rabbit continued to bring their lips lower. Each spot kissed was another gentle flame being lit inside of his body. Every little smack of the lips against his body caused his cock to twitch and grow especially as those gentle lips began to trail over it. Never had he felt so truly worshipped.
There had been servants who were attentive in their kisses, who had bodies full of warmth that they gave willingly but they had all been puppets drawn on strings to do what he desired. He had not commanded Alvor to service him, had not told them to compliment them but still, they did all those things and more. His heart was rushing, the thumping against his chest almost painful as those lips passed down to his balls to press every so gently before dipping down just beneath them. He wanted to give himself to this impudent servant, wanted to know what it felt like to receive their warmth in full.
Au'ra breathed out, "Stop for a moment." As if to outline how much of an impudent fool they were, Alvor kissed his balls two more times before stopping. The king brought himself up on all fours and lifted his hips in the air, one hand coming back to grab onto his supple rear and spread it while speaking, "You'll find lubricant in the table near the bed. Be quick about it not just any servant get's this opportunity."
He ignored the chuckle he heard from behind and focused on the thrumming in his heart. The sound of the curtain being pulled back and the feeling of the sun's warmth hitting his backside caused him to wince for a moment as the light touched his corrupted form but he remained still. Gentle digits move along his rump, gripping and spreading before he felt something cool being dripped onto his puckered hole. He shuddered while he felt his rear being stretched open by those same gentle digits and he let out a pleasant sight. Those digits were soon replaced by a twitching warmth that pushed deep inside of his rump. Pleasure pulsed within his body as his servant's cock pushed deep inside of his rear. Kisses were planted along his shoulder and the back of his neck as Alvor moved their hips to thrust inside of the king. Au'ra had closed his eyes ever since the sun touched him. He did not want to see the possibility of Alvor hating his body. Even now when their forms were melding together, he could feel that passionate heat pulsing in his rear, he thought of the words that bore down on him when he was younger, the lessons that he had been taught through rod and lecture.
A sudden joyous groan against his ear caused his eyes to open. He turned his head enough to see Alvor resting their chin on his shoulder, the rabbit moving his hips faster and faster while holding onto his body. Alvor raised his head and their gazes met for a moment to allow a kiss that flooded him with such a loving warmth. Digits wrapped around his cock while their mouths and bodies continued to meld together. Faster and faster the heat kept on going until a heat began to flood him that was more precious than the sun itself, thick with a love that painted his insides.
His own orgasm came, cock twitching in the other's grip as he let out a moan. When Alvor pulled out, Au'ra muttered, "Fetch Yhisondrel. Borrow some of my clothes if you must."
Alvor planted a kiss on his ear and chuckled, "Is that an order?"
Au'ra laid down on the bed flat on his stomach and rolled his eyes, "It is."
Soon he was left alone with the sun at his back. The naked window, the open door, the feeling of the draft letting him know that someone could peek in at any moment; none of it bothered him. Yhisondrel came and began complaining while healing his glamour. The words stung but did not penetrate him as they usually did. Someone had truly called him beautiful, a toy that he would cherish forever. He simply hoped that Alvor would be able to handle his attention. Only time would tell.