FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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There once was a town where more gold flowed through its trade than people through its streets or water through its channels. Sursis, the jewel of the age of rebirth, stood by the Azure Ocean, housing many affluent merchants and even traversing its alleys.

However, those with money and influence hardly worked to build and upkeep Sursis; instead, commonfolk from all over the kingdom kept its bustling streets running. For Fabio, a commoner agama lizard, salty wind and bustling markets was the only home he had ever known.

Besides his cerulean scales, his kindness and affability had brought him the attention of many a fair maiden. Alas, to his own dismay, the reptile never found it in his heart to reciprocate such emotions. Still, he carried on his days. Hiding that unease behind smiles and labour on the golden wheat fields.

He had grown used to drabbest days though, finding solace in short conversation with his neighbours and fellow workers. It helped keep the worst thoughts at bay, but soon he would not have a choice but confront it.

A certain afternoon, as he worked on the wheat, one of the younger workers came to him with huffing haste.

“Mister," the boy said between gasps, “that man calls for you."

The kid pointed to the road, where a male fox stood. From all that distance Fabio discerned two facts: the red-pelted man calling for him bore regal, multi-coloured robes and that he looked intently at the agama. With a gulp, he gave the messenger his tool and proceeded to meet the vulpine.

By the time he had gotten there, four other men also approached. With looks and shrugs, he found them none the wiser. Once they got to the road, the fox demanded all of them stand still in a queue, presenting their inflated chests for his inspection.

“Thank you for your cooperation," said the regal man, in a serious tone. “Your lord has already been notified of this absence, as such, you need not worry about your work." He pulled out a small metal box that opened like a compass. “Now, answer my questions truthfully."

Fabio ended up at the last in line and thus got to watch the whole process. The aristocrat stopped at the first man, a bull, and delivered a dry inquiry. “Age and name." As the bovine responded, the vulpine watched the small item. Afterwards, he closed it and moved on to the next person.

That second time, he followed the same steps, but he followed up the first questions with “Teeth." forcing the wolf to show his set of fangs. After finished his inspection, he moved on.

That continued, with neither the third or fourth man asked to display their mouths. When the fox reached the agama, his mind still tried to understand the system at play.

“Age and name," the aristocrat spoke in the same gruffness.

That broke the lizard's daydreaming. “F-Fabio, sir. Age 24."

With the regal man so close, the reptile could not help but notice the fox's reaction to the device on his hand. Then came the first sign of emotion he had seen on the visitor's face; unfortunately, it passed too quickly.

So, the follow up did not surprise him. “Teeth," the vulpine said.

The peasant forced a broad smile and let the regal man turn his chin while making his scrutiny. After letting go, the fox told him to close his mouth, before taking a few steps back.

“Alright," the aristocrat, putting away the device. “I thank you again for your cooperation." He pointed to the wolf and then to the lizard. “Giulio, Fabio, come with me. The rest, do as you will."

Without so much as a word, the trio left the canine and the reptile to look at each other in confusion. The process had not provided either of them with enough information to understand why they had been chosen.

The aristocrat walked towards a carriage. “Come, you lot, come. Worry not, your Lord shall be notified of this as well."

The brief voyage offered little direct clarification, something unspoken did reach the commoner's eyes during the trip, however. He needed no special knowledge to tell that carriage differed from the rest. The thick curtains, the quality seats, and then—final clue he needed—an intricate engraving of the Crocus flower. His brain soaked in the realisation, that wagon was meant for the royal family.

While he worked to keep the weight of the revelation on his face, they arrived, stopping by a large building near the city centre. Poking his head out from the carriage, Fabio recognised the district as where the wealthiest merchants lived. While the two-storey building and its decorated gardens looked impressive, it hardly compared to the dedicated abode made for the royal family, adding more to the mystery.

The fox hurried the two labourers into a secluded room. Unlike the rest of the corridors and chambers he had seen on the way there, the place bore no decorations, only chairs and a table; not unlike the living quarters of field workers.

The vulpine left the two men for a while, telling them he would come back shortly. While that would have proven a good opportunity for them to talk, the aristocrat returned before the agama had built up the courage to strike a conversation. After a nod, wolf and fox disappeared behind a closed door.

Alone once more, he fought to piece the situation together. What would someone associated with the royal family be doing there? Why had him, an uneducated labourer, been called there? And what about the device the vulpine had used back in the fields?

Thinking did not help him find an answer, but did help him pass the time. An hour passed him by and the door would open once more; an act that broke his concentration and gave him a good scare.

“Fabio," called the fox, in that unbothered tone. “Please come with me."

Giulio's absence did not escape the lizard. However, tired of worrying himself over that, he stood up and followed the command. He had no choice but to deal with the circumstances as they came.

The room he entered next featured even less than the one before. Aside from a high-up window and an ominous corner covered with a purple curtain, the chamber had nothing distinct about it.

He moved to the farthest wall, as he had been instructed, with a constant gaze at the hanging fabrics. A gut feeling told him something of importance awaited there. Or perhaps… someone?

Regardless, his explorations would be cut short, as once the fox locked the door, he would address the lizard with a stern tone.

“You are Mister Fabio, correct?" the vulpine spoke.

The agama took a second to respond. “Y-Yes sir."

A question followed, fired as soon as the commoner dotted his sentence. “Family?"

“Pardon?"

“Do you have a family?" the aristocrat repeated slowly.

“Forgive me," he cleared his throat. “No, sir. I am unmarried and both my parents have passed away. Heaven have them."

In the room's dimness, the lizard could not quite tell what expressions took the fox's face. His latest response, however, caused a brief change.

“Any past lovers or betrotheds?" the regal man said.

The labourer thought himself to be handling the situation well enough so far, but that shook his confidence. “N-None at all, s-sir," he responded.

Another shift occurred in the fox's muzzle, this time the agama caught him peeking at the curtains. Somebody definitely sat beyond the fabric.

“Not even men?" the canine returned, voice filling the entire room.

That one inquiry—especially that last word—rang in Fabio's head, breaking open a door in the agama's mind with a flood of questions poured out.

He had never even considered the prospect. The church, his family, the very nature of his life only told him his disinterest in maidens would come undone once he met the right lady. Behind flustering cheeks, the notion developed in his head. Imagined moments built a messy and beautiful mosaic he could no longer look away from.

Back in reality, the fox awaited the response with the last of his patience. “Sir," he spoke, breaking the daydreaming. “Answer the question truthfully, please."

Dragged from his imagination, but still affected with its wonders, the lizard responded. “N-No, sir. If I may, I had not even given the possibility thought…"

Then came a thoughtful pause, where the reality of what he had just said draped him. The probing canine surely noticed the wistfulness in that reply, and, as a member of a higher class, he would be obliged to punish Fabio for it.

Before the reptile could come to defend himself from his reckless confession, another voice came to feel the room.

“And how do you feel about that 'possibility?'"

The power in that new voice startled the agama to the wall. And yet, while the sound came just as masculine as the fox's, a decided tenderness permeated every word. Given its muffled nature, its owner confirmed himself to be the person behind the curtains.

With a gulp and a clearing of his throat, the lizard recomposed himself from the shock. “Well," he finally said, eyes bouncing between fabric and fox, “it is a strange feeling. It's excitement… and fear. I yearn for the feeling, even with the perils."

Silence took the room again. The commoner's head now sickly warm, he could barely contain the smile on his muzzle. Between realisation and confession, ecstasy and calm dictated the rhythm of his heart.

The hush came undone when the voice beyond the curtain spoke again. “Very well. Carry on, Stefano."

“Disrobe, please," the fox said in a dry tone.

Either the voice's boom or its bluntness had the lizard obeying the command before his mind could process it. He had rid himself of his doublet and shoes—leaving him wearing an undershirt and snug hose—before his earlier ideas caught up to him. Now that revealing his bare body to another man meant so much more, his face grew redder and his movements slowed to a crawl.

Yet, he found another emotion in there, beyond discomfort. As he wrestled his way out of the last of his garments, the stare of two men gave the act a lewd undertone. Soon, he craved attention more than he feared judgement.

Once he freed himself from clothing, the agama could not resist looking at his own body in a new light. It now had the potential to be an object of desire, possibly to the men before him. Seeing and feeling his decent musculature and inherited manliness, his lust bubbled up.

Alas, that served to add a dash of shame to the situation. Alone, he would watch and touch himself as he pleased, but not right there. He still had no grasp as to the meaning of that whole encounter, but no situation made such a display acceptable. And so, he hid his growing manhood behind two palms and bowed his head.

“Do not hide yourself, signore," the voice called again from its corner. “Yours is a handsome frame. Please, cast aside your shame, if only for this moment."

That sound again, melodious and now parading the previously implied gentleness. It moved the lizard to acceptance. Soon, he let most of that embarrassment go, letting his whole frame—stiffening genital included—bathe in what little sunlight reached him.

“That's it," the nameless voice said. “Look upon yourself with pride. Your beautiful, azure scales, that athletic frame, and your rising masculinity as well, they all deserve to be appreciated…"

Every word of the unknown observer made Fabio hotter. Compliments were in general scarce, but hearing such words directed towards his plain build unlocked many emotions. Being “appreciated" proved enough to break all insecurities he had about the situation. Adoring form and ideation, his hand moved with eagerness towards his penis.

“ Ahem!" a noise broke the lizard's daze. “May I recommend a better moment for this, sir?"

For a moment, the agama feared the worst: that he had misread everything so badly he was now about to face punishment. Before he could apologise, however, the question's real destinatary spoke up.

“Ah, you're very much right, Stefano," responded the man beyond the curtains. “Forgive me."

The fox huffed through his nostrils. “There is nothing to forgive, Fer– milord."

A laughter echoed from behind the fabric. “Yes, yes. Also, let us drop the pretences and the mystery. This one is very much to my liking. Please, let us conclude this."

“Yes, milord."

“And, Stefano? Be nice."

Those words worked to stagger the vulpine. “O-Of course, milord."

A pause and the lizard felt the focus return to him. Between lewdness, fear and relief, the man once more had put his back to the wall. It took a moment for him to recompose.

“Sir Fabio," Stefano said, not a little bit kinder, “please put your clothes back on and follow me."

He found himself finally in a room befitting the luxurious household. Every furniture, fabric and even wall tile bore enough detail to make a commoner dizzy. Looking at the unsteady labourer, Stefano allowed the man to take a seat in the large bed which the room revolved around. Its softness might not have helped with his alienation, but provided a distraction from the world of embellishments around him.

“So, Mister Fabio," the fox said, once his guest calmed down, “let me congratulate you on being selected. I hope you will excuse our obliqueness, but it all shall become clear in a moment."

The lizard struggled to understand that word, but only for a moment. With an explanation at hand, he thought best to give that his whole attention.

“For starters," the vulpine continued, “you ought to know you are to offer services directly to a member of the Royal Family. Namely, crown prince, His Highness Fernando Umberto Benedicto di Remula."

The involvement of a royal did not come wholly as a surprise, but that it would involve the Heir himself certainly put the commoner in his place.

“You will address him exclusively as 'Your Highness' or 'milord' at all times," the fox continued. “Are we clear?"

With a gulp, the reptile nodded. “Understood, sir."

“Good. Next, to the nature of your services. In his mercy, you have already been made privy to a sum of it, thus, I shall be blunt. You are to provide His Highness with companionship in the form of… sexual recreation."

Fabio should have known, right then, he cursed himself for not putting it all together earlier. Those compliments earlier should have been enough to solve the mystery, but only hearing the truth from the canine's muzzle completed the picture.

Perhaps most men would look down on such work, call it whoring or demeaning. After all that conversation however, the prospect of serving in such a way only filled the lizard with excitement and newfound desire.

Thoughts aside, a question lingered too long on the tip of his tongue. “Why me, though?" He covered his mouth once he heard his own misbehaviour. “F-Forgive me, sir! I did not mean for it to come out so."

The fox shook his head after an unamused scowl. “Bring not such attitude to the prince. But… yes, this too is information you should know." He paused, pacing around the room for a couple of seconds. When he stopped, he delivered a long sigh. “The crown prince is afflicted with a most queer ailment. To put it simply, his sexual appetite surpasses that of any man. 'Tis no ill of the mind, just how his body functions."

A strange tale indeed, but it did make sense. If the prince did require the constant companionship of men, making the process this secretive would serve to shield them from judgement.

“I believe I understand. But, sir, if I may, how have you decided on me? Surely not appearance alone."

In the middle of the agama's sentence, the fox's hand dove into his outfit, producing from it the small metal box he had seen back in the fields.

“With this," Stefano said, opening it. “Its magic is attuned to His Highness, meant to react to the most compatible."

The pale pink light shone bright in the man's palm. Realising the existence of magic almost competed with his earlier discovery of homosexuality.

Clearing his throat, the fox continued. “See this intensity? It means you are most likely to accept our proposal."

Fabio blinked a couple of times to recover from the situation. “I… see."

“So," the canine said, putting away the shining compass, “let us come to the proposal proper. You will discreetly provide sexual favours for the crown prince, living in this house for as long as you're needed. During the Heir's stay in Sursis you will be given daily meals, a room, change of clothes and a relief from your usual chores. Do you agree?"

“I do," he said, moved by excitement.

The fox kept his gaze steady on the lizard's eyes. “And you must keep all of this confidential. For his safety and yours. Do you understand?"

That power tone again, moments earlier it would have shaken Fabio, but the compass did not lie, he knew his response. “I do. For the Heir, I shall serve with pleasure."

After a long sigh, the aristocrat smiled. “Good," he said, now much more light hearted. “Now, I need you to stay here. After your earlier performance, I fear your services are needed forthwith."

The fox then left the lizard without looking back. As the door shut, the reptile began to wonder; about the mechanics of homosexual sex and about what sort of lover the crown prince would be.

Given all the information, the prince may easily be assumed for the owner of the melodic voice behind those curtains. Could the tenderness of his words translate into action? If those praises could turn into touch, and that distant admiration could turn into close exploration, then his musings could also become true.

Stefano's brute opening of the door made the agama jump to his feet. Both men shared a look, the sudden bump between the reptile's legs not escaping the vulpine's scrutiny.

“Ahem," the fox called. “Behave yourself, Mister Fabio. I present to you, His Royal Highness, the Heir himself. Lord Fernando Umberto Benedicto di Remula."

Fighting his nervous heartbeat, the lizard stood upright, ready to present himself to the prince. When the royal entered the room, the commoner's stance developed cracks.

Wearing a beige dress shirt full of frills, dark brown breeches and leather boots, an olive skinned human with voluminous, long, auburn hair entered the room. From the man's calm, green eyes to his slight smile, the vision stunned the agama, who watched the prince enter the room in a rhythmic gait.

The room stood still, as reptile and human surveyed each other, the prince stifling a chuckle on his bristly stubble once he reached Fabio's loins. Too enthralled with the prince's own bulge, the lizard did not mind.

“Ahem!" Stefano evoked the attention of the whole room. “Shall I leave you two to your business, then?"

Fernando's giggles became mild laughter as he turned to the departing aristocrat. “Ah, yes, do not let me keep you." The human punctuated his sentence with a hand on the vulpine's shower and a gaze the reptile was not privy to.

“Then, if you will excuse me," the aristocrat said and bowed to both.

Stefano closed the door behind him, leaving the labourer and the royal to their meeting.

The human turned back with a wide smile. “It pleases me greatly that you accepted the proposition, signore." He repeated his inquisitive gazing. “I see you're quite eager to get to it?"

“F-Forgive me, milord. I-It's my first time, so please excuse my–"

A burst of laughter cut the sentence. “I imagine Stefano told you to be this serious?" the royal said, approaching his subject.

Fabio gulped. “Yes… I-I mean, it's only right, milord. You are the–"

This time, Fernando silenced the commoner by fiddling with the reptile's doublet. In his babbling, he did not notice the royal's approach. Now, steady breathing reached the scales on his chest.

“Stefano can be pompous at times, but he's a good man." Before the agama could begin to respond, the prince removed the doublet and placed his palm on the blue scales beyond the undershirt. “I have wanted to touch you since I first saw these."

Fabio's breathing turned irregular at the stimulus. All the sensation on his skin, not to mention sight and smell, took away his ability to remain formal.

“S-Sir…"

“They really are real," the human said, sliding his palm across the man's chest. “I have never seen something like this."

“These are… common… among the agama… sir."

In a voracious display, the prince now removed the undershirt, resuming his exploration with both hands. “No, these are special." His head turned to the lizard, touching their noses. “They belong to a very handsome man."

He huffed and moaned. “Ah… Milord!"

“No, none of that. While we are alone, I'm no royalty and you're no peasant." In one move, he removed hose and codpiece. “I'm just Fernando. And you're just Fabio."

Right after they were done freeing the lizard from his clothes, those hands travelled southward. They contoured the reptile's build delivering occasional, small gropes, each eliciting a quiet moan.

The commoner gorged on the new feeling. Hands that never knew labour slid softly across his lower parts, every new region touched discharged a mix of tickling and fondling that rippled to his mind.

And when the agama thought it could not develop more, the price led his palms to his most sensitive areas. The left one wrapped around the waist and copped a feel of Fabio's right cheek. Meanwhile, right glided beyond the stone-hard penis and started giving his sack tugs and rubs.

That emotion too swelled to his head, forcing him to collapse onto the man in a desperate hug. “Huff… M-Milord!"

Fernando giggled once more. “You are really sensitive. Though, I suppose that is normal for your first time." He continued with the gropes, turning shy moans into open mouth exhalations. “Healthy, too. Aren't we lucky?"

The prince let go as he spoke those last words, but at the end of his rhetorical question, he gave Fabio's ass a quick, but decided tap. Another new emotion reverberated inside the commoner, and that one would prove too much.

Without thinking, his arms pulled their bodies together, as the agama's pleasure took form. Between scales and fabric, his prick shot his pent up feelings, coating both in lizard sperm. With all those years of confusion and hesitation, his load lasted almost five seconds.

Huffing, rationality ebbed back into the reptile, leading to the realisation of what he had just done. Before his recovering mind could make up a proper excuse, a sudden force pushed his whole body back, laying his weight on the expensive cushion.

He bounced once before using the energy in the second rebound to take a seat. “Y-Your Highness! Please forgive me!" His eyes met a flying piece of fabric that quickly blinded him. “M-Milord!"

“Now, now, signore," that musical tone filled the air with laughter. “I do not come to the sea fearing the waves! Although, maybe I deserve this splash for tempting you so."

Fiddling with the binding textile quickly revealed it to be the prince's dress shirt. Virile scent and a fear of damaging it made Fabio's attempt to free himself sluggish. By the time he found himself out of his predicament, a new spectacle met his eyes.

The lizard had seen the complex statues present in the many temples of the Lost Empire. Masculine figures, chiselled to immaculate imitation and posed to accentuate their musculature. From the agama's position, not even the most godly of them could compare to Fernando.

While the artisans of old could shape stone into their ideals, the human made art of his own flesh. From broad shoulders, flowed a pair of hefty arms, ending in atypically soft digits. His abdomen mirrored far away mountains and mounds, only brown and warm to touch. And yet, the frame still carried decent slimness; his legs in particular proving the perfect blend of brawn and agility. In its symmetry and detail, the man's body appeared built to enshrine the manliness between his legs. Fully erect, the penis rose in an upward curve, pulsating with the same excitement the lizard just discovered.

A spell befell the commoner at its sight, his mouth watered and his lips quivered. The divine member demanded worship, and every bit of his body wished but to submit.

“Gawk," the human said after gauging the man's reaction. “Admire. Praise it, if you so desire. Cast away your shame, and give in."

Fabio continued to follow with his eyes, mouth now blabbering half-words. The end to his ogling came with a swift, but tender grasp of his chin. Forced to look up, the human's hair draped a determined smile.

“Under usual circumstances," Fernando spoke, in a new, yearning tone, “I would give you a longer overture. Alas, my body screams for release."

Not used to such speech and timbre from the royal, the lizard gulped at those words.

“You know of my condition, yes? This is your last chance to turn back, signore. I may not be able to control myself until I'm done here. Say now that you desire me or take, your, leave."

The new tonality had made the lizard question how he really felt. Even if his body did want that affection, could he take it? The whole situation turned so intense so quickly. Perhaps a softer beginning would be best. In the end, the decision came down to the moist tip poking his chest.

“Y-Yes… I desire you," Fabio whispered onto the grin. “My body needs you… Fernando."

Barely had he dotted his sentence, a brutal force wrapped around his body and cooped his outlines. The agama moaned and huffed, but the power gave him no quarter, leaving his most private places now vulnerable to untamed desire.

He quickly found his back laid on the bed and legs spread to give way to the whims of an ardent lover. That swelling stiffness grazed his rear and homosexual lovemaking no longer mystified him. Drunk with curiosity and lust, he did not fear the following moments, instead, opening himself more, letting the lord do as he pleased.

In a single move, the human inserted himself and hunched over the reptile who, in tow, released a yelp. The coveted manhood quickly turned into a painful intruder. Even if it had not been led in by a rude thrust, its size and shape combined with inexperience to pause the previous lust.

The following stillness did surprise him, though. For the uncontrollable erotic beast he had expected, the prince proved really patient. When he looked at the men on top of him, instead of a ravenous scowl, he found huffing worry.

“God forgive me," the human said. “Your greenness escaped my mind! I should have warned you, it always hurts the first time."

Fabio listened wide-eyed, that voice had now reached a balance between yearning and kindness. That a man so handsome, so charismatic and considerate would care for the agama even as his affliction moved him… Pain mattered little.

“I am… alright," said the lizard, teary from pain and realisation. “Thank you. Please continue as you wish."

Inside that curtain of locks, worry became gulp and then a nod. “Very well."

Looking in each other's eyes, the prince moved his hips to take most of his length off the reptile's hole. A small pause and the human rammed in again, only now rather than scream, the commoner let out a pleased grunt. The enjoyment in Fabio's face gave the royal permission to pick the pace.

The lizard bobbed under his lover's thrusts. Their exercise released a salty scent that filled his nostrils. Manly gasps and carnal thuds reached his ears. And, of course, that desired phallus entered and left his most erogenous area. The experience pushed Fabio to turn erect once more.

After minutes of sex, they found themselves nearing completion. The lizard who, being under such sweet roughness, needed no assistance to release his second load into the air. Seed poured out as he continued to be penetrated and rocked, making for an even messier climax. And the prince reacted to clenching around his member with an orgasm of his own, pressing onto the reptile's rear and discharging all that pent up lust.

Both men became huffing messes as they reached an afterglow. In the middle of the action, their fingers had grown intertwined, and they gave each other one last squeeze before freedom.

After all that activity, the lizard could not remain awake, lying in limp bliss upon a bed more complex than his entire home. The royal, recognised the situation in a blink and helped poor Fabio to his pillow. Closing his eyes, the agama would carry nary a memory from this moment, only the feeling of his scales upon the sculpted body of the man who opened his eyes to pleasure.

The days followed in much of what the lizard had expected. Every day he would provide companionship to the prince two or three times, and the rest of the time he could spend in peaceful idleness. He would never be allowed into the conversations of nobles, of course, but in looking at their lavish lifestyle from afar, he grew to resent them.

Except for the Heir, that is. He had helped the commoner understand himself and delivered sincere, tender comments every intimate moment they shared. For those two weeks Fernando led him through sweet and rough lovemaking. Naturally, all that joy proved fertile ground for a complex cocktail of emotions to flourish in the lizard's mind. He had yet to give a name, but with his time running out, he would have to act on it.

The night of the thirteenth day came and the pair had just finished another round of orgasms. Now armed with experience, the agama remained lucid afterwards, welcoming the hug both engaged as they laid down the same bed.

“Well, signore," said the prince, “this is it. You have provided a great service to the Crown. I will see that you are handsomely rewarded."

Fabio chuckled. “The work is its own reward, Milord. You have opened my eyes to a world of pleasure I never dreamed of before." His expression soured as his own words reached his ears. “And to navigate such a world without will be…"

Fernando saw the whole shift with a smile. “Will be just fine," he said, bringing the labourer's eyes to him. “You will be alright, and find your happiness, I'm sure of it."

The lizard's scales grew purple. “What if I already have?"

“Signore," the prince sighed, knowing where this led.

“Is it truly not possible? H-Have not proved I can be discreet enough? H-Have I been a poor lover to you?"

“Fabio, that's not–"

“Please, Fernando, take me with you! You are my first, my only. I do not desire anyone else! I… I love you. Please take me away from here!"

With closed eyes, the royal put an end to the commoner's pleas with a single finger. “It is not possible. Even with the powers the crown affords me, I could not protect you if things truly went awry. Plus, you don't love me, Fabio. I've seen it before, you love the feeling and don't know what the world has to offer yet."

The agama's eyes left the human. “How would you even know that?"

Fernando took a moment in contemplation until an idea came to him. “Wait here," he said, leaving the bed. “Watch closely."

Worried, the reptile watched the prince—still disrobed—make for the door. Once there, he gave it three rhythmed knocks, a few seconds later, it opened, prompting the agama to hide his shame with the sheets around him.

“Is something the matter, Milord?" said Stefano who, looking at the state of his master, quickly closed the door. “W-Why are you not dressed?"

At first, Fernando only gave him a smile, but at the end of a brief pause, his arms wrapped around Stefano.

“Y-Your Highness!" the fox spoke in a stagger.

The prince continued with the embrace, now sliding those hands across the aristocrat's frame. “What?" he said, putting his face near the fox's neck.

Before the vulpine could respond, the royal's frisks became kisses! The agama could barely contain his despair. He had expected the prince to have sex with other men, but to see such romantic affection given to another evoked anger, envy and traces of dejection.

“Milord," the fox said, glancing at the reptile's frown. “We shouldn't… not in front of him…"

The Heir cared not, instead, he delivered more smooches and daring groping. “I don't think this secret needs to be kept from him, amore mio."

Those two words put a pause on Fabio's emotions_. My love?_

Once the royal's eyes reached the fox's, came the revelation. Stefano himself, this stern, frigid man, took initiative on a kiss that put his mouth on the prince's. As simple touch developed into a dance of tongues, the vulpine's arms grasped the human back. That brief moment of passion finally put everything into perspective.

For all the companionship he provided his liege, the agama could not see himself holding the prince in such fashion. Even if he dreamed of kissing him, he would never find the courage to initiate it. And though his hands pleased the royal man, they did not do it quite so tenderly. His heart calmed down as he accepted that Fernando's assessment had been correct: his feeling was not love.

As the kissing parted, both put their foreheads together, Fernando with a sly grin, Stefano nonetheless smiling.

“Amore mio," said the fox, “must you be so?"

The human led them into a slight sway. “So romantic you mean?" He turned to face the third man in the room. “Actions speak louder than words, is all."

Stefano followed, eyes widening as he discerned the situation. “Oh… You will have to forgive him, Mister Fabio." The canine put their heads together once more. “He can be quite the heartbreaker."

The agama chuckled at the honesty. “Not at all. Now I understand what he meant more than ever."

Morning arrived and so did the end of his utility for the house. In addition to all he had been provided for those fourteen days, the fox gave him a small pouch, passing on words the prince had picked for him. He watched the Heir depart in the royal carriage in wistful silence.

Fabio arrived home fighting back all inquiries from his neighbours, claiming only he provided a service for the crown.

On his own, at last, he took the leather sack and emptied it upon his hand. Its contents revealed to be a familiar metal box. Taking the box in hand, it opened like a compass revealing a stone shining a faint blue, just like his scales. The prince's words echoed in his mind, “Find your happiness."