FIC - Purity of Intention (12/?)

[oceansecrets2.livejournal.com]

Title: Purity of Intention (12/?)
Author: namarie120and arieltachna
Type: RPS / FPS crossover
Pairing: Diego / Orlando
Rating: NC-17
Warning: none
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, created for entertainment and enjoyment only. With all due respect, we do not own these characters, either the actors or those created by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. We just think it’s a fascinating world.
Feedback: would be wonderful
Beta: stormatdusk
Summary: A cynical swordsman is hired to return a runaway – or so it appears
A/N: Thanks to tularia for the beautiful banner





The silence between Orlando and Roux was companionable, each man comfortable enough in his own skin not to need to fill the time with empty conversation. Orlando's thoughts drifted, his mind sliding inevitably back to the moments before Roux had arrived and brought a sudden halt to the interlude between Diego and himself. His gaze grew distant as he slipped deeper into the memory of the taste of Diego's flesh, the smell of the swordsman's skin, the feel of his lover's fingers on his body, inside his body. He did not blame Roux for the interruption, not given the news he had brought, nor did he resent Diego's departure. To leave Íñigo in such danger would have been unconscionable. He did, however, ache for his lover's return, his mind throwing up scenario after scenario in which the passion between them finally played out to its inevitable conclusion.

Shifting in his seat, he imagined Diego's actions, his lover stripping him where he sat, leaving him sprawled in the wooden chair, legs splayed wide as the Spaniard devoured him. He could come from that, letting himself go in his lover's mouth. Or he could hold out, fighting back his release until Diego took him to bed and ravished him properly, the way he had been about to when Roux arrived and interrupted them.

The gypsy saw the slight flush of color warm his companion's cheeks; he hid a smile but said nothing. He had already interrupted the young man's pleasure once, albeit inadvertently. The least he could do was allow him his memories now. Reaching into a pocket for his pipe, he was rising to light a twist of paper from the fire when a hard knock sounded at the door. Orlando started, and Roux waved him back with a silent gesture. Diego or Íñigo would not knock at their own door, and they weren't expecting anyone else.

Orlando tensed, rising to his feet at the knock on the door, only subsiding when Roux gestured for him to stay seated. His hand reached automatically for the hilt of his sword, only to realize it was not within reach. Cursing silently, he watched the gypsy for an indication of what he should do.

Quietly, Roux paced to the heavy wooden door and pulled it open without warning, surprising the large, dark-haired man who stood in the dingy corridor.

The door opening caught Eric off guard, but he recovered quickly. He pushed past the slender man who opened the door, dismissing him as unimportant, as he drew his sword, searching for his erstwhile adversary. Not seeing the Spaniard he sought, but instead his former charge, he gestured peremptorily for Orlando to join him. "Let's go. We can escape before he comes back."

The gypsy's dagger was out of his boot and pressed against the swordsman's throat before the big man had finished speaking. Threading his fingers into the crisp dark curls, he pulled the man's head back, smiling calmly as he spoke into his ear. "You turned your back on another man in an unfamiliar situation. You made an assumption, perhaps, that he was harmless? That was foolish, and if I were also given to making hasty assumptions, you would already be dead."

Orlando shook his head as he watched the exchange. It highlighted, more than ever, the incredible caliber of man Diego was. Eric had taken one look at Roux's unassuming attire and slender build and dismissed him, never seeing the deadly edge beneath the surface. Diego would never have made such a mistake. "It's all right, Roux," he said, addressing the gypsy. "Eric was just leaving. He seems to have forgotten that his contract with my father and his responsibility to me ended the moment he was wounded too badly to protect me anymore." He looked over the big man dismissively. "I have a far better protector now."

"Protector?" Eric spluttered. "He kidnapped you! Whether he wanted you for ransom or for some other nefarious purpose, either way, I couldn't just leave you!"

"I went with Diego willingly," Orlando countered, "and in the time I have been with him, he has managed to get McKellen arrested and is trying to end the rest of the threat against me. That is far more than you ever did. Now, apologize to Roux and take your leave. I have no more need of your services."

"You make your livelihood hiring your sword?" Roux marveled as he lowered his dagger, his other hand still lifted to the bigger man's temple. The dark eyes flared in anger and he laughed, letting his hand drop. "You must be wiser than you look to have survived this long, but I will not judge you by first appearances." He held out his hand and raised an eyebrow, waiting to see how the big man would respond.

Slowly, not sure what to make of this suddenly changed landscape, of an Orlando who had no qualms about ordering him around, Eric took the extended hand. "Eric Bana."

"Roux," the gypsy answered, settling back comfortably into his chair. "Now that we have finished the pleasantries, I believe you were leaving, Señor Bana."

"You cannot be serious," Eric protested, turning his attention back to Orlando. "What do you expect me to tell your father?"

"That you were wounded and I found another protector, exactly according to the terms of your contract," Orlando replied simply, no sympathy at all visible on his face.

Before Eric could renew his protests, the door banged open again, startling all three men. "Orlando!" Íñigo shouted, eyes wild with panic. "Have you seen... Roux!" He took a few more steps into the room and collapsed at Roux's feet. "The Inquisition," he gasped. "The Capitán!"

Helping the shaking young man to his feet, Roux grasped Íñigo's head in both hands and caught his eyes with his steady gaze. "Calm, mijo, breathe." He waited until the boy's heaving gasps eased and then released his head with a ruffle of the shaggy locks. "Now, was he taken?"

Íñigo nodded. "There were too many of them," he replied. "He didn't even try to fight. He just told me softly to go and tell you."

Orlando flinched as if struck at hearing the news. He had no idea what Roux could do in such a situation. The Inquisition was incredibly powerful, and none but the highest ranked would dare to challenge their decisions.

Frowning, the gypsy stroked his goatee as he pondered their options. He knew well enough that it would be useless to try to break his friend out of the ancient fortress in which the Inquisition held its prisoners, but perhaps there was another way to win Diego’s freedom. "I must see what I can learn, though I expect McKellen has a hand in this," he declared. Looking pointedly at Orlando, he added in a tone that would brook no argument, "You and the boy stay here. Diego will have my head if anything happens to you while he is imprisoned."

"Hurry," Íñigo pleaded. "The guard said the charge was sodomy. They will not wait long to question him."

"Sodomy!" Orlando exclaimed. "They will torture him! Roux, he cannot stay there. He is only barely recovered from his shoulder injury. We have to do something."

"We will, mi amigo, I promise," Roux vowed. Though he was not at all certain yet what they would be able to do, he would find some way to aid his friend, even if the most he could do was smuggle him in some way to end his own suffering. He would not see Diego tied to a stake in the public square as far too many of the Inquisition's victims had perished.

He would be damned if he would allow it to come to that!

"I must go," he told Orlando, reaching to lift Íñigo's chin and look into the youth's frightened eyes. "The Capitán is strong, and smart. Do not fear for him."

"I can stay with them," Eric offered, not completely sure of all of the dynamics in the room. One thing, though, he understood perfectly. Orlando was once again without a protector.

Looking up into the larger man's eyes, Roux searched them for a moment, then nodded, satisfied with what he had seen there. "I trust you to keep them safe, my new friend," he said quietly. "Do not prove me wrong." He turned toward the door, tossing over his shoulder as he opened it, "And do not be so quick to discount your opponents in the future."

"I won't," Eric replied softly, more than a little embarrassed at having been so lax in his haste to get to Orlando. "I'll keep them safe."

When Roux was gone, Orlando slumped back in the chair, letting despair wash over him. It seemed Fate was determined to keep him and Diego apart. His frown deepened along with the feelings of helplessness. Roux, at least, could do something, even if it was only searching for information. Orlando was stuck in that little room with a boy and a swordsman who would do as he asked, but who wouldn't have the slightest idea of his own how to help Diego.

Somehow, seeing that the young Inglés was as upset by his guardian's capture as he was himself helped to steady Íñigo's own fear. He drew a chair next to Orlando's, reaching out to squeeze the nobleman's hand. "Roux is right, we should trust him and not be frightened. He is almost as clever as the Capitán himself – between the two of them, they will find some way to save him. They will – I know they will!"

"How?" Orlando asked baldly. "This is not some minor charge in the local court where a few well-placed bribes would see him free. This is the Inquisition!" He did not repeat the charge, not wanting to hear Íñigo deny that the Capitán would do such things when Diego had been about to commit the very act for which he was charged. At least Diego could face the Inquisitors and tell them honestly that he had not buggered Orlando senseless. Somehow, though, he didn't think that would make much of a difference.

Burying his head in his hands, he let the hopelessness and helplessness wash over him. He could feel tears threatening, but he fought them back. If their situations were reversed, Diego wouldn't be sitting here on the verge of crying. He'd be trying to find a solution. Orlando might not have his lover's prowess with a sword, but he wasn't helpless. Diego had shown him that, had believed in him. Pushing aside his doubts, he struggled to find some thread of hope, some way to influence this turn of events. He was an outsider, not bound by the rules of the situation. Barring anything smacking of treason, he was outside the jurisdiction of the Inquisition, his father's position giving him diplomatic immunity as well. He sighed. His father... McKellen.... conde Lee.... He was so tired of being a pawn of powerful men.

Powerful men...

His head jerked up. Why not? He had the perfect example in his own father. He simply needed to claim some of that power for himself. "Íñigo," he said softly, "do you think you could get me some new clothes if I give you the money?"

The young man stared at the Englishman in disbelief. Could he have been so mistaken about Orlando, that when the Capitán's life was in danger he could still think of his own appearance? Was he planning to leave after all? "I do not know if the market would have anything fine enough for your Eminence," he snapped, his disappointment clear in his voice.

"Don't give me that," Orlando snapped back. "Did the Capitán tell you who my father is?"

"What does it matter who your father is?" Íñigo said scornfully. "Unless he is King Phillip, he won't be able to help us."

"Not quite," Orlando replied, "but close. He is England's chief negotiator to the Spanish court. And as his son, I should be able to command the attention of the Inquisition. If I look the part."

A glimmer of hope lit Íñigo's eyes, then he ducked his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry," he muttered, "I should have known you were trying to help the Capitán. I will buy you the finest clothes I can find, if I have to search through every stall and shop in the marketplace!"

"They don't have to be the very finest," Orlando cautioned. "Only fine enough. I want to look like the son of a powerful noble, a powerful man in my own right, not like a ridiculous popinjay." He turned to Eric. "You should go with Íñigo, to keep him safe while he's out."

"I don't need a nursemaid!" Íñigo protested indignantly. "Besides, they have the Capitán now, why would they bother with me?"

Orlando hesitated, torn between revealing what he knew of the conde's vile plot and protecting Íñigo's innocence just a little longer. In the end, he shrugged. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. The Capitán would never forgive me if it did."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Eric interjected, "but it's my job to protect you. That's what your father hired me to do, and that's what I intend to do."

Orlando collapsed back in the chair. So much for his attempt at projecting an aura of command! He couldn't even get a child and a hired sword to do his bidding. Maybe this mad scheme was doomed to failure after all. "Do you still have my purse?" he asked Íñigo, not quite willing to give up yet. Diego was counting on him.

"Si," the youth admitted, ashamed that he had not been above 'forgetting' to return the nobleman's purse when he still though of him as an adversary rather than an ally, even a friend. "Will it be enough?" he asked, proffering it back to Orlando.

"It should be," Orlando replied, feeling the weight. "Just remember, fine, but not the finest. And haggle like you always would. I can't do anything tonight no matter how quickly you return, so take your time. We don't want to draw attention to what you're doing."

"Stand up, then, so I can see how your size compares to mine," Íñigo countered. "We can’t waste time having them altered so I will have to try and find something that will fit you."

Orlando rose and let Íñigo take the measurements with his eyes. If the new clothes were slightly large, he could disguise it with a few well-placed stitches, but much beyond that would be beyond his skill.

"Good, you are not too much larger than me, that will make it easier." The young man reclaimed the coin pouch and turned toward the door. "I will ask Caridad to have supper for us when I return," he added, heading down the stairs on his errand.

"So," Eric said when they were finally alone, "do you want to explain all of this to me?"

Orlando shook his head. "Not really, but I don't suppose you'll take that for an answer."

"What do you expect?" the swordsman asked. "This Alatriste kidnaps you after nearly killing me, and suddenly you're acting as if he..." The big man hesitated, stumbling for words to describe his companion's inexplicable behaviour. "The man is a mercenary of the worst kind – if he was helping you, it's obviously only as a way to gain as much from you as he can. You don't owe him anything; you should take this chance to get away. If McKellen has been arrested as you say, it should be safe for you to return to England now."

"No," Orlando declared firmly. "It's not that simple. McKellen isn't working alone, and it's his conspirator who got Diego arrested, I'm sure of it. As long as conde Lee is on the loose, I'm in as much danger as I was when McKellen was hunting me. But even more than that, I won't leave Diego. Think what you like about him, but he wouldn't take my money when I offered it, wouldn't let me pay him at all. The only thing he's agreed to let me pay for, and then only when I didn't tell him until after the fact, was a few foodstuffs. He fought off another set of McKellen's goons, being wounded in the process, yet still he worked not just to protect me but to end McKellen's threat once and for all. For that alone, I owe him a debt of gratitude that I could never repay. But it's not like that between us. It's not a question of debts and balances. I..." he paused, trying to decide how much to tell the other man. Eric had been his friend, his confidant even, during the time they had been together in Malaga. He could be honest now. "I love him."

Letting out a low whistle, Eric shook his head. "You know in this country that's a death sentence," he protested, lowering his voice even though he and Orlando were alone in the mercenary's chambers. "And someone must have discovered it, to have set the Inquisition on him. We're damn fortunate they haven't come for you as well."

"If they were coming for me, they would have been here by now," Orlando countered. "It's no secret where Diego has his lodgings."

"Who would have known that the two of you are – " Eric broke off. "Surely you had sense enough to be discreet?"

Orlando flushed. "There is nothing to be discreet about," he admitted softly. "Yes, I love him, but circumstances have conspired to keep us from becoming lovers. As for who might know, Roux is the only one, and he would never use that knowledge against Diego. If anything, he has encouraged us."

"Then who would want the Spaniard out of the way badly enough to have made up such a lie about him?"

"He has foiled McKellen's plans since he took me under his wing," Orlando replied thoughtfully, "and if Diego and Roux are right, McKellen wasn't working alone, but rather with a conde here in Spain, another very powerful man who would surely have the ear of the Inquisition. Diego got McKellen thrown in prison for plotting against the king. Then today, Roux found out that the two men enjoy young men, probably against their will. I wouldn't put it past Lee to accuse Diego of his own sin for revenge and perhaps to take out a barrier between them and me. As fixated as McKellen was on me, I wouldn't be surprised if Lee shared his obsession."

"It seems as if you both have made some powerful enemies," the big man asserted. "What do you plan to do to try and rescue your Diego?"

"Take a page from my father's book," Orlando replied with a hard smile, "and beat them at their own game."

Comments

[sarkka]

Oh, nice ;) ! Glad to see Eric back and I wouldn't mind some jealous Diego after he's free from inquisition =D

[oceansecrets2.livejournal.com]

Diego still isn't completely convinced that Eric wasn't Orlando's lover as well as his bodyguard - so he might well be jealous if he finds out Eric returned as soon as he was arrested...

[sarkka]

Oh yeah, can't wait ;)