The next day, Prince Rathner and Jale called their councils into a meeting to inform them of what had occurred. Menelt was also present in a hope he could shed some light on the matter. The meeting exploded into chaos as the men argued at how their leaders had been subjected to such a threat, right underneath their noses and without anyone knowing. The news put everyone on edge.

It had an unexpected outcome however. The news helped to create a respect and willingness to collaborate further between the two camps. Even Uleron buckled down and worked alongside the Talbecans without complaint, his focus now to find and obliterate the assassins. 'Never can trust a Telekan Assassin' became his new saying.

It wasn't just the soldiers, the council members of each group also bonded, and evening meals were often held together while they discussed their day and strategies of their watch.

Unfortunately, Menelt had not come across or heard of the assassins before. He sent word to his father. There was no help from the chief clansman either. Menelt informed Prince Rathner and Jale they were none the wiser.

The two camps settled into a routine. Just as Prince Rathner suggested, they set up group trainings, language sessions and times for entertainment. In addition, all rotations of duties were conducted with a mixture of Talbecan and Keglan soliders. Travel down to the town was banned on Brelen's advice. To stop resentment from the soldiers, they could have company at camp as long as it was on their free evening and as long as the visitors made their presence known via new a post set up just for the task.

Drean moved up to the camps and joined Jale in his tent. He was a wonderful companion, and Jale enjoyed having him in the tent when he finished his tasks at the end of each day. To stop him from becoming bored, Jale found jobs for Drean to complete, namely administrative tasks and checking on the condition of the horses. He was also a source of entertainment, whether it was playing his musical instruments or singing in the evenings when Jale dined with Prince Rathner and his men.

It was such a successful arrangement that Jale started to imagine more and more of what his life could be like with Drean at the end of the post. Jale was also aware of Prince Rathner having a steady stream of female visitors although it did appear that Delba was more frequent than others.

For the first five days, the two camps ran smoothly. The soldiers completed their duties, the horses were looked after, communication between Menelt and his men remained positive, and not a single person saw the cloaked figure that had approached Prince Rathner and Jale. On the sixth day, when it seemed as if everyone was starting to let their guard down, Brelen came to Jale's tent, white-faced and nervous.

He held out his arm to reveal the tattoo that had been engraved onto his arm, and Jale swore.

"When did it happen?" Jale asked.

"Last night," Brelen informed him. "When I was on duty at the base of the pass. I had a dozen men with me, and no one saw a thing but me."

Jale stood up and paced in his tent. "What is the meaning of this? I was starting to think it had been a random act of foolishness. How is this possible? How did this person do this without anyone else seeing?"

"I don't know," Brelen stated, visibly shaken.

"Please, sit down and rest," Jale told him, not used to seeing Brelen in such a rattled manner.

It occurred every day after that. Different men who were close to either Prince Rathner or Jale were selected, and when they woke in the morning, whether they had been on duty or sleeping in their tent, they now bore the strange symbol engraved on the inside of their wrist.

The men started to joke on who would be next or to take a bet, but it was only an attempt to alleviate their stress as to who was going to be next and what it could possibly mean in the long term for those who were marked. There was also a sense of impending doom. Was all this leading to something catastrophic? Was this going to lead to something that was going to change their lives forever?

Attempts to catch the figure were fruitless. It seemed impossible. Soldiers were always unaware until the figure was directly upon them, and they could only ask for help after the figure had disappeared. There were never any witnesses.

The pass, fortunately, remained empty.

During the long cold nights, despite being exhausted by the unknown, both the Talbecans and Keglan men continued to enjoy each other's presence. When he didn't have company, Prince Rathner would stay late into the evening talking with Jale and his friends.

The friendships and camaraderie between the men strengthened and extensive talks were held of visiting each other's lands. Jale and his friends were left in awe at the tales that Prince Rathner told them of his empire. From the beaches and island sanctuaries to the rainforests and palaces surrounded by waterfalls. It sounded too mystical to be true.

At present, fifteen days into Prince Rathner's stay at the pass, twenty men had been marked including Galton, Brelan and Ladet, and to her horror, Delba had woken one morning after spending the evening in Prince Rathner's tent, with a symbol on her wrist. After that, her visits to Prince Rathner diminished significantly.

"I'm starting to get worried that I'm not marked," joked Hoele one evening. They were in Jale's tent, resting after a large meal. Two women had joined Hoele and Trent for the night. Delba's absence was clearly noted as the Prince sat alone, although he did not appear to be concerned.

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"Me too," Trent laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous," Jale responded, although secretly he was starting to have concerns as well. What did it actually mean for those who were marked and for those who weren't? "I would much prefer not to have this thing on my arm."

"I don't know," Drean said, finishing off his glass of spicy wine. "It's quite sexy."

"Hmm," Prince Rathner agreed, looking at his own arm in such a way Jale had to laugh.

"I wouldn't mind more on you, in fact," Drean continued, whispering huskily into Jale's ear.

"Well, don't hurt the Prince Rathner's feelings now," Jale teased. "You need to let him know that he needs more too."

"Of course," Drean said, staring at Prince Rathner dreamily. "He would look good with more tattoos as well."

"And just how many do you think I would need?" Prince Rathner asked, still staring quizzically at his arm.

"Just ask Jale," Trent smirked. "I'm sure he can tell you."

Jale was not too inebriated and was more than aware that his friends were aware of Drean’s growing affections for Prince Rathner. He cast Trent a glare.

"Jale, what do you think?" Prince Rathner suddenly asked. "Do you think Delba would enjoy it? How many more would I need to entice her back up to the camp?"

"I don't know about women," Drean responded. "But as a healthy man, I certainly enjoy a man with tattoos."

"That's good to know," Prince Rathner responded. "I'll keep your recommendations in mind."

Out the corner of Jale’s eye, he saw Hoele and Trent share a look before they quietly rose, tugging their women to their feet to guide them from the tent. Hoele sent Jale a smile and nodded in the Prince’s direction. Jale’s glare deepened further.

"But seriously," Prince Rathner continued, oblivious to Hoele and Trent's actions. "How much more of this do we endure? Do we pack up and leave? Are we being asked to leave?"

"I don't know about that," Jale responded, returning to the conversation. "Where would we go in such times? Someone needs to protect the pass."

"Pftt," Prince Rathner scoffed. "Who's going to come through the pass now? They'd be mad. It's too cold." He looked around the tent, suddenly confused. "Why are we alone?"

"I think Hoele and Trent are more than aware that Drean finds you sexy," Jale informed him.

Drean feigned surprise and then added, "Like I'm the only one."

"Well, I'm flattered," Prince Rathner stated matter-factorially.

"Where are your ladies tonight?" Jale asked. "I know Delba is unavailable, but where are the others?"

"Eh," Prince Rathner shrugged. "Sometimes it's just nice to sit and chat with the men folk."

Jale and Drean exchanged a quizzical look. "Well, you're more than welcome to stay here," Drean stated slyly. He gave Jale a wink which wasn't missed by the Prince.

"What he means is that you're more than welcome to join us anytime," Jale told Prince Rathner.

"Join us," Drean drawled. "To all the Gods in eternity, he can join us. He can join us anytime."

"You'll have to forgive him," Jale said to Prince Rathner. "He's a little drunk."

"What do you mean?" Prince Rathner asked. "He's more than fine. I'm not concerned when a handsome man shows me attention."

Jale sat up, trying to clear his thoughts, wondering if he was hearing what he was hearing.

"I was wondering," Drean commented. "How many men do you find handsome?"

Prince Rathner laughed. "Some I do. Some I don't. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No! No! Not at all," Drean answered. It was only then that Jale realized how close that Drean had managed to get to Prince Rathner on the cushions. He watched on with amusement, wondering how far Drean was going to get. To his surprise, it was Prince Rathner who continued the conversation in the direction that Drean wanted.

"When I was younger," Prince Rathner started. "I found several great resources in the palace library in regards to lovemaking and giving pleasure, of the art of giving pleasure between a man and a woman, and even between a man and a man, or between a woman and a woman." He took a deliberately slow sip of his drink. "It was very interesting."

"It is very interesting," Drean agreed. "So, we know you enjoy laying with women," he continued. "Have you ever indulged with a man before?"

"I have not," Prince Rathner said with a smile.

Drean edged closer to the Prince. "Well, you know," he said quietly as if he was sharing a secret. "It is far better in real life than reading about it in books."

"I'm sure it is," Prince Rather responded.

"Then why haven't you indulged yourself before?" Drean asked.

The Prince shrugged. "The opportunity never gave rise, I guess. There were never any men back in Talbec I wanted to indulge with."

"What about in the Keglar Kingdom?" Drean asked.

"He's trying to seduce you, you realize?" Jale cut in.

"I know," Prince Rathner stated, without looking up at Jale.

"Is it working?" Drean asked.

"All I know is that, I always thought that if I was going to be attracted to a man, I would know it straightaway," Prince Rathner looked up at Jale as he spoke, and Jale froze, his cup half way up to his mouth.

Drean looked over his shoulder at Jale. "Do you find Jale attractive?"

Prince Rathner paused for only a fraction of a second. "Of course, I do," he said softly.

Drean bold and to the point, didn't miss a beat. "Well, would you like to indulge with Jale and myself tonight?" Jale choked on a small amount of his wine. "You're more than welcome to, if you want?"

"Leave him be, Drean," Jale said, still coughing. "The Prince has had too many, and you're putting him under pressure."

Prince Rathner looked across to Jale. "I'm fine. No pressure at all. I've only had two shots of your spice wine. Enough to keep me warm, that is all."

Drean rolled over to Jale. "You can't blame me for trying."

Jale gave him a warm smile, "I don't blame you, lover. But if the Prince really wanted to, he would have made a move on his own already."

Drean leaned up and kissed Jale on the lips. "Maybe next time." He rolled back to Prince Rathner. "A man can dream, can't he?"

Prince Rathner didn't respond to Drean's question. Instead, he looked directly at Jale. "Maybe I wasn't sure whether making a move would have been appreciated. The pair of you seem to be very happy together." Prince Rathner looked at Drean, he leaned forward and placed a confident yet gentle kiss of Drean's lips. "To keep you dreaming," he said when they parted.

"Well, that was unexpected," Jale said into the silence.

Drean and Prince Rathner stared at each other. Without any further hesitation, Drean reached out to Prince Rathner and pulled his head smoothly towards him. This time the kiss was longer, experimental yet playful and yearnful.

Jale, cup still frozen in the air, watched on. It was intensely arousing to watch the pair kiss. He nearly spilt his drink when Drean's hand reached behind him and grabbed Jale's hand to pull him closer.

Jale quickly gulped down the remaining liquid and disposed of his cup, throwing it at the low table a few cushions away. He swept back, staying behind Drean and allowed his hand to run up the side of Drean's body. When it reached Drean's neck, Drean pulled away from Prince Rathner, turned his head and kissed Jale.

Jale felt Prince Rathner's hand settle on his shoulder, a firm, encouraging touch. Jale broke away from Drean and locked his eyes with the Prince's. And there, he saw the determination of a Prince who knew exactly what he wanted. Jale leaned over Drean's body and kissed Prince Rathner.