Chapter Twenty-One
Patin
Patin always braced himself before he knocked on the door of any room that he and Serron shared. It was like a transition for him. On the hallway side of the door, he was Patin, former commoner, now Duke of Folkon, adviser, bodyguard, valet, and any other number of positions people listed for him in connection with the crown prince. And yet when he set foot in the room that he and Serron shared, with the door firmly closed and locked behind him, that is when he became Serron's equal, his lover, his common-law spouse.
For Patin, that transition always required a bit of a mind shift. Outside of the suite they shared, it could be argued that he was someone in a very privileged position. But he was still someone with a title who had to mind his p's and q's when interacting with other society families and royalty. Unfortunately, that extended to the numerous times he had to turn a blind eye and keep his feelings hidden as the man he loved was wooed, swooned over, or flirted with by numerous people who saw Serron as an available opportunity to increase their own personal status.
Admittedly, that was something that had happened more often when Serron was younger. Over the years, his potential suitors had fallen away as Serron showed no public sign of settling down, but Patin never forgot where he came from or who his lover was in the public eye.
And so it was in that frame of mind, Patin tugged at his jacket, straightened his spine, and gently knocked on the door.
“Enter,” Serron called from the other side of the door. Patin walked in, making sure the door was firmly closed behind him - he even turned the lock. He didn't imagine that his butler, Hunter, would have any trouble with the guests downstairs, but he wasn't taking any chances that one of their many guests might slip away and do some snooping.
What he didn't expect to see, as he turned away from the door, was both Jaq and Serron curled up on a big couch, both of them looking decidedly comfortable in their undershirts and pants, with their socked feet resting side by side on the coffee table.
“Have you two been enjoying yourself?” Patin grinned to show he was happy with the surprise development.
“Come and give me a kiss, you lovable fool,” Serron said, holding out one arm as Patin crossed the room. Bending over, Patin brushed a kiss in Serron's hair, pleased when Serron's hand rested on his back for a moment.
“I was just explaining to Jaq about what Duncan had to say while you two were enjoying yourselves on the dance floor,” Serron added. “Can I just say you two make a lovely couple.”
“Patin made me look good. Come and sit down,” Jaq said, patting the space beside him. “Get yourself comfy. You can’t be the only one here strangling yourself with the neck of your robe. Then we can talk about it together.”
“I can't imagine that anything Duncan might say would be important enough for us to have a discussion about it,” Patin said, as he kicked off his boots, picking them up and putting them by the door. Then he unbuttoned his robe and shrugged it off, resting it over a nearby chair. “That man wants to be so close to the throne he would probably glue himself to it if he was given the chance.”
“That's what I was explaining to Jaq,” Serron said. “Duncan felt he had to talk to me because he was concerned about the fact that our wedding hadn't been postponed or delayed when I said that the king was feeling a little poorly and had a minor ailment. Although I insisted twice that Queen Sophie had suggested that the wedding be held here…well, Jaq, I am sorry, but I had to bring up your dislike of crowds in an effort to appease him,” he added to Jaq, who was grinning broadly. “Even that didn’t work. But I hope it wasn’t something you intended to keep private.”
“I really don't care who knows about that,” Jaq said. “I am brutally honest with most people, which is what always used to get me into uncomfortable situations during events in the past. That getting into trouble was one of the reasons why I am not a fan of large events now. If I can’t be myself around people who claim to like me, or want to be my friend, then why bother? Speaking of which, as a friend and new spouse I have to ask, do I smell horrible or something Patin? Would you please sit down? You’re hovering. I can move over if you’d rather sit next to Serron.”
“Stay where you are,” Patin said. He took the seat next to Jaq and then, after a moment's hesitation, put his arm over the back of the couch, much like Serron was doing. Patin felt a bit clumsy. Jaq was not a big man, but Serron caught his eye and winked, and Patin relaxed.
“So, as I was saying,” Serron continued. “Duncan, of course, wasn’t being rude or saying anything untoward…”
“He never does except every time he opens his mouth,” Patin scoffed.
“Exactly, but Duncan was very keen to assure me he was simply concerned. He felt that perhaps our wedding should have been held at his estate or that Jaq and I should go and stay at his estate while we got to know each other outside of the public eye.”
“Oh, my gods,” Patin said shaking his head. “Please tell me you told him no. There is no way we would want to do that. That place is drafty. I'm sure he waters down the wine that he serves with a meal, and he is such a tight-ass the food portions are ridiculously small. Please excuse my strong language," he added to Jaq, who laughed.
“The problem is,” Jaq said, “or rather Duncan’s issue, should I say. I mean, I haven't spoken to the man beyond the greeting line, so I don't know... But we were keeping an eye on you while we were dancing, weren't we, Patin?”
Patin nodded. “We were. I had to see if you noticed how much smoother I could be on the dance floor than you are, Serron.”
“You’d better watch it,” Serron teased, “or I’ll be ordering you to dance with every society lady present at the next event we go to.”
Patin knew Serron would never do that, but it was sweet when he threatened to throw his weight around.
“What I noticed when we were dancing,” Jaq said, although he was chuckling too, “was that Duncan was absolutely covered in green. Bear with me, I know it sounds weird. But that’s how I describe the feelings and sensations I see in people I look at – in colors. You two have a bond of gold. Green is the sign of jealousy and Duncan was glowing with it. It was shining through his entire aura the whole time he was talking to you, Serron.”
“Well, that’s not unusual at all.” Patin laughed. “Who wouldn’t be jealous of our crown prince? He has looks, manners, can dance well enough to not make a fool of himself…”
“Those ladies are waiting,” Serron warned with a grin.
“It wasn’t Serron Duncan was jealous of,” Jaq said, “it was you, dear Patin.”
Patin’s eyes widened, speechless. “Me?” he managed to say at last. “Why on earth would that silly man be jealous of me? He can trace his lineage back goodness knows how many centuries. His family has always been close to the crown. That's why I could never understand why his castle was always so drafty. His place is almost an exact replica of the one used by the Monce royal family, if you shaved it down to about half the size, but that just shows Duncan’s entire family line was probably frugal.”
“Ah, but that's probably where the jealousy comes from,” Jaq said. “He wants to be as close to the royal family as possible, and he is jealous of the fact the prince of the realm would prefer to stay at Folkon with his new husband as opposed to wherever it is he has his version of the castle and court. I don't know. I haven't been there.” Jaq chuckled. “From what you’re saying and what I saw in Duncan, I’m not sure I would ever want to go.”
“Prepare to be disappointed then,” Serron said. “Unfortunately, I had to promise him that his estate would be one of the first ones we visited when I take my new husband on a tour of the society family estates around Monce.”
“You did what? When did you come up with that harebrained idea?” Patin groaned just thinking about it.
“I didn't know what else to say.” Serron raised his hand and shrugged. Patin knew he was teasing. “The guy cornered me. You two were off having fun, and I was the one sitting there cornered, waiting for somebody to come and rescue me. Did neither one of you think to come and tell me I was urgently needed elsewhere? At that point, I would have gone and dealt with a fat fire in the kitchen rather than sit and talk to Duncan.”
“Ah yes, but I’m sure crown princes are not meant to do that sort of thing.”
Patin realized Jaq was teasing Serron too, and his heart warmed to think that despite only knowing them for a week or so, Jaq had gotten comfortable with them both. He caught Serron's eye, and he knew that his crown prince was thinking the same thing.
“Enough about Duncan,” Jaq said. “I really don’t want to be thinking about potential visits to drafty castles. He probably won’t even have a library, and if he did, the books would probably be covered in mold spores if it’s not a space that’s heated adequately.”
He huffed. “We’re married now. A throuple. I do love that word,” he added with a giggle. “I know you two said you wanted us to be in a genuine relationship and I understand enough about that to know it takes time. But now the vows are said, what does that mean to you two? Am I welcome here, in this moment? I know Serron didn’t get a chance to ask you, Patin. He only sprung it on me when we left the reception.”
“I'm glad you're here,” Patin said, patting Jaq's leg. “It's not as though Serron and I are busy disrobing and jumping into bed the moment we're alone. We’re more relaxed with each other. Sometimes we play cards, and we chat about all topics.”
“It means a lot to me to be able to sit around and just be with each other without having to worry about titles or expectations,” Serron agreed. “Everywhere we go, we do our best to make sure we get private time where we can just be together without the weight of a title or the expectations that other people have about us.
“Society holds us – well, me mostly, but both of us to some degree - to a standard I’ve never really understood. But I was raised to respect those societal rules, and expectations are important, so I've always done my best to live up to that.” Serron smiled, and Patin could see the genuine affection in his eyes. “My happiest times are in a private room with Patin, and now we’re married, I'm hoping that you'll feel the same way about sharing a room with both of us soon enough.”
“I feel the same way,” Patin said. “There are times when it would be nice to have a third to play cards with. Serron pouts when he loses.”
Jaq laughed, and even as Serron was shaking his head, he was grinning as well. “I do love the honesty you two share with me, and with each other,” Jaq said with a sigh. “As you know, because I can rant about it incessantly, adhering to such high standards all the time can be exhausting. So, you two chat, play cards, and tease each other as you relax after a hard day. I’m the type to go over some papers I’m drafting – I’m conducting a proposal for a policy change for the World Council. Would you feel annoyed, shut out, or would I not be doing the right thing if I popped along to my room, grabbed those papers, and changed into my sleepwear before coming back? It would be nice to just be sharing a room with you two while I jot down a few notes.”
“If that’s how you wind down, that’s perfect.” Patin patted Jaq’s knee again and then stood up. “I’ll pour us a few drinks, seeing as Serron couldn’t be bothered. You go and get comfortable, grab your papers, and then we can all just enjoy our evening.”
“I’d better put my robe back on,” Jaq grumbled as he got up too and reached for the offending garment. Shrugging it on, he did up a couple of the buttons around the middle, enough to be respectable, and then grinned. “I’ll be five clicks at most.”
Patin unlocked the door and let him out, leaving it ajar for when Jaq came back. “How does it feel, being a married man?” he asked Serron as he went over to the small, concealed bar they had in the suite, reaching under the shelf to grab a bottle of wine and three glasses.
“I’ve always felt as though I was married to you, so it’s not much different. Perhaps I should ask you the same thing.” Taking his feet off the table, Serron rested his elbows on his knees. “I truly believe this can work. It wouldn’t have with anyone else except Jaq. I feel that deep inside.”
“Agreed.” Patin made his way back to the table, setting down the glasses and pouring the wine. “I think the unique thing about Jaq is that he doesn’t have his own agenda. He didn’t marry you to become consort or to increase his own social standing. He did it purely and simply to help us stay together. Can you think of anyone else that would do that?” He handed Serron his glass before taking one for himself and sitting in the spot Jaq vacated.
“Not a single person.” Serron sighed. “The only thing that would’ve made today any better would’ve been if Jaq and I had been holding your hands, too, as we made our vows. Jaq said something similar as we were walking back here.”
“I can say genuinely that it was enough for me to be standing with you both,” Patin said, taking a sip from his glass. “I’ve fretted about you getting married so many times in the past, as you know,” he added as Serron chuckled. “Today was the best possible outcome for that scenario. To Jaq.” He held up his glass which Serron tapped with his own.
“To Jaq.”