Chapter Four - Alone

[belle-lestrange.livejournal.com]

Title: Destiny’s Fool
Author: Greenleaf
Pairing: Viggo/Orlando, Sean/Orlando
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: This is fiction. I make no money with it and remain a poor student
Beta read by: The glorious, awesome sylvanelfqueen
Warnings: AU, M/M sex, later MPREG
Feedback: Never fails to put a smile on my face, brightens my day, and inspires my muses…so yes please!
Summary: Orlando's life is turned upside down when he travels with his sister Samantha to Denmark. Nothing goes according to plan and Orlando finds himself in a situation he would've never guessed.
In this story males can get children and marriage between men is common, so you be warned ;) It takes place around the 18th century and Orlando is 15 years old while Viggo and Sean are 25.
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Chapter Four – Alone

„What do you mean I can’t take Sidi along?“

Orlando looked at Sonia in disbelief. He was about to step into the carriage, but when a servant had pulled Sidi away he stopped dead on his tracks.

“You can’t take him along Orlando. You have to leave everything British behind at the border to Denmark. That includes your dog. It’s a sign that you accept your new status and that you belong to Denmark from this day on, so there can be no exceptions made.” Sonia gently pushed Orlando in the carriage and closed the door, so that he didn’t have a chance to start a scene.

Orlando’s brown eyes widened in horror as he struggled to get out, but could only look out of the window when the carriage set in motion. Tears of anger and helplessness rolled down his cheeks. He had never asked why there were no things packed for him. He hadn’t cared. Now he understood. Because he had to leave everything behind, abandon what had been his heritage and life. It had already been so hard to say goodbye to everyone, since only his mother and sister would accompany him. But he had believed that he’d at least have Sidi with him. Now he hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye to his dog. Most likely he would never see him again. Orlando sobbed helplessly, but pushed his mother away when she wanted to comfort him. She had lied to him and hadn’t said a word. His parents had always allowed Orlando everything, and he had believed them to solve every problem. He had looked up to them and now they let him down.

Orlando stumbled and sat down across from his mother. He let Samantha pull him into her arms, and sobbed helplessly. The journey began with sorrow and pain.

Orlando cried until his eyes hurt and there were no tears left. Exhaustion overtook him, and he fell asleep to the soft nonsense Samantha whispered into his ear to calm him.

“You should’ve told him.” Samantha looked at her mother reproachfully.

“Samantha, I didn’t do it to hurt him. I just knew how he would react and that he would’ve been stubborn and would’ve refused to get into the carriage.” It hurt Sonia to see her son so broken, but she had had to do it. There had been no other way. She hoped that the journey would distract him from his grief soon.

However Orlando’s mood didn’t lighten. He was looking as if travelling to his execution, not to his wedding. With each passing day he grew quieter, looking out of the window, lost in his thoughts.

Orlando pulled the blanket tighter around his trembling body. He seemed to be constantly cold these days, as if a cold hand had wrapped around him, squeezing tighter with each passing day. Although his mother and sister were with him in the carriage, he felt utterly alone. They would leave him after the wedding. Orlando swallowed hard in order to chase away the fear. Everything had appeared so surreal the past few weeks. Now it became terribly real and every so often he would feel a tingle of panic and restlessness. Orlando wanted nothing more than to run away and hide from the world. But there was no way to escape this.

On the ferry to Denmark Orlando felt as if he was going to be seasick. In truth it wasn’t sea sickness that made his stomach do flip flops. Panic and anxiety did. Orlando ran up on deck and leaned over the railing. Retches shook his lithe body and the sour taste of vomit filled his mouth. Hot tears started to stream over the youth’s cheeks, his hand grasping the railing so tightly that the knuckles stood out white.

When his stomach was completely empty, Orlando sunk to the ground trying to gain control over his shaking body. He wished for a glass of water to get rid off the ugly taste in his mouth, yet he was too exhausted to move. Orlando’s body shivered in the cold air of the night while a fever washed over his body all the same. After a few minutes, which seemed endless to him, Orlando stood up and shakily made his way back to his small cabin. After washing out his mouth he fell into his bed and curled into a ball, staring into the darkness. He had stopped crying days ago, because there hadn’t been any tears left. He was too exhausted, physically and spiritually.

Orlando spent the rest of the journey in a haze, walking around on auto-pilot, but not really realizing where he was. When they arrived at the borders of Denmark, reality hit the young man hard, nearly making him vomit again. Now it would really become final. This was the place where he’d leave everything behind.

When Orlando looked out of the carriage he saw that there were soldiers of the royal guard standing around a tent that had been set up exactly on the border. A tall woman, neatly dressed and combed, waited for him, helping the trembling young man out of the carriage.

“My Lord.” She bowed and led Orlando to the tent, ignoring Samantha and Sonia. Orlando had no idea what this was about, so he simply followed her. Two guards stood at the entrance of the tent, opening the flap so they could enter. Shortly before Orlando stepped into the tent the woman stopped and turned around to face him.

“You will enter this tent as a citizen of Britain, but you will leave it as citizen of Denmark and fiancé of the King.”

Orlando’s throat tightened and for seconds he was not able to breathe. So that was why the tent was set up on the border. He didn’t understand why it was necessary. It was stupid, really, stepping over a border wouldn’t change who he was. And why did he have to do it in a tent anyways?

Inside the tent it was dim, only a few candles giving light. Orlando saw a small table and a pile of clothes near the flap on the other side. He nearly jumped when someone touched his shoulder. As lost in thought as he had been, he hadn’t seen the two ladies of court in the tent. They too, bowed before him, before they looked at him again. Orlando found all the bowing weird. No one had done that before, he wasn’t of any high status.

“You have to leave all your belongings behind you.” The lady from before was back, gently pushing Orlando forward.

He had already been told that, but Orlando really wondered what that meant. He hadn’t travelled with much luggage. Just some clothes for changing, nothing more. So what did they want from him?

When the two ladies of court started to undress him, Orlando gulped and nearly pushed them away, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

“W-what are you d-doing?”

The younger one of the two smiled shyly at him.

“You will get new clothes, my Lord. Made by the best tailor of Denmark.”

Orlando looked at her blankly, before the words sunk in. He even had to leave his clothes behind because they were made in England. It didn’t make it any easier.

“I…I can do that on my own.” A soft plea was hidden behind Orlando’s words. The thought of those women undressing him, embarrassed him. It also didn’t make any sense. He was capable of that on his own.

The two women looked confused.

“But my Lord, this is part of the etiquette. And royalty like you shouldn’t be bothered with such tasks.”

They didn’t wait for his answer, but continued with their task. Orlando bit his bottom lip, suppressing tears of anger and embarrassment. His shock grew when they also removed his underclothing. Orlando wrapped his arms around himself protectively, trying hard to stand still. He didn’t know these people, yet he stood before them naked. The seconds seemed like hours before they finally came back with the clothes he had spotted before. The garments felt strange against his skin. It was a material he didn’t know, but which looked and felt expensive. A soft sigh of relief came over his lips when he finally wasn’t naked anymore. The trousers were a light shade of blue, while the shirt was snow white. The frock was of the same material as the trousers, but richly embroidered with silver and dark blue, with buttons of silver. It was closefitting, emphasizing Orlando’s slim form. White stockings and black shoes with a silver clasp completed the ensemble.

Orlando had hoped that that had been everything, and they would let him go again now, so that he could hide away in the carriage. His hope was futile; the younger one of the ladies of court led him to a small table and urged him to sit down on the chair. She started to brush his hair and pulled the side parts backward, fixing them with some hairpins. Only a single curl was still falling over Orlando’s forehead. She also put a blue hat on top of his curls, fixing it with more hairpins.

Orlando thought he looked ridiculous when he eyed himself in the mirror. A stranger was looking back at him. This was not the person he knew, it was someone different. Only the look in the brown eyes gave away that he was still the young, insecure boy from Canterbury.

Now that her job was finished, the woman bowed and left, while the other one opened the flap of the tent.

“Your majesty.” She nodded and waited for Orlando to walk outside. He was still shaking, not sure what to do now. There was another carriage, and members of the royal guard on horses. The carriage wasn’t plain black like the one Orlando had travelled in so far. It was white, partly decorated with gold. Orlando looked at it in awe. He had never had such expensive clothes like the ones he was currently wearing, nor seen such a carriage. One of the guards opened the door for him, and Orlando’s feet moved of their own accord towards it and stepped inside. When the guard was about to close the door, Orlando gathered his courage.

“Where are my mother and sister?” He croaked, his throat dry.

“They will travel in a separate carriage, your majesty. We will arrive in ten hours. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to tell one of your guards.” The man smiled briefly, before he closed the door. Orlando found that now he really was alone. Utterly alone with all his doubts, fears, and the cold inside of him.

There was a small table inside the carriage with some fruits, bread, and water, but the brunette didn’t touch any of it. He shifted and tried to find a comfortable position. He was not sure how he would make it through the following ten hours.

The landscape passed in a blur of grey and white. Orlando numbly looked out of the window, not seeing anything. Now and then he would drift off in a light sleep that brought no real rest. It felt as if he’d been travelling for years and years before they finally arrived.

The crowd that had come together before the castle was cheering; everyone tried to get a glance at the king’s fiancé.

Orlando pressed against the side of the carriage, scared by so many people. What did they want? He felt like an exotic animal presented in a golden cage. The sting of tears in his eyes was already familiar by now, but Orlando did everything he could to suppress them. His breathing was shallow and rash. His heart was beating violently in his chest by the time the carriage stopped in the courtyard. He could also see people standing there, most likely waiting for him. But he couldn’t move when one of the guards opened the door. He just wanted to stay in here forever, surrounded by safe walls. However the guard destroyed Orlando’s plans only seconds later.

“Your majesty?”

Orlando swallowed hard and took a deep breath before he stepped out of the carriage, accepting the hand the guard offered him for support. Otherwise he would’ve most likely fallen, his knees nearly giving away. His eyes skimmed over the people, not recognizing a single face. He wished for his mother and sister to be here.
Orlando stood there, not knowing what to do or where to go. He could feel the eyes of every single person in the courtyard lingering on him, observing him. He swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to turn around and run away from the prying eyes.

Orlando nearly jumped when someone took his hand. His eyes had been cast downwards, so he hadn’t realized Viggo walking up to him. Now his eyes met the familiar blue-grey ones, while Viggo pulled Orlando’s hand to his lips, and gently kissed it.

“I’m glad you are here.” Viggo smiled, fighting against the urge to pull Orlando into his arms and never let him go again. The young man seemed frightened and was trembling, his hand gripping Viggo’s tighter.

“We better go inside.” Viggo had noticed how cold Orlando’s hand was so he carefully pulled the brunette towards the castle.

Orlando clutched Viggo’s hand tightly, his eyes looking at the ground again. He didn’t want to look at all the people here. He was unable to say something; no words would leave his lips.

Inside, Viggo led Orlando to the rooms they would occupy once they were married. Tonight Orlando would have to stay in one of the many guest suits of the castle. A stern voice stopped them.

“Viggo, where are you going? The feast will begin in a few minutes.” Grace’s lips pressed together in disapproval. What did this child think? He hadn’t greeted any of the royals outside, and Viggo let him get away with it!

“I’m sorry mother.” Viggo smiled sheepishly. “I just thought that after the long journey Orlando might want some rest. We will be in the hall in a few minutes, I promise.”

With that, Viggo turned around again and continued his way with Orlando. Grace stared after them, anger welling up within her. As soon as this rube was here, her son didn’t obey anymore. She turned around on her heels, walking in the other direction.

Viggo opened a heavy wooden door, which was ornamented in gold, and pulled Orlando in the room, closing the door behind them again. His brow knitted in worry when he saw that Orlando was still shaking and looking away.

“Orlando?” Viggo tilted the brunette’s head up, so he could see his face. That the brown eyes glittered with unshed tears broke his heart. Orlando held Viggo’s gaze for a second, before a helpless sob came over his lips and he threw himself into Viggo’s arms. His fingers clawed at Viggo’s shirt, the tears he had been holding back for so long finally running over his cheeks.

Viggo’s arms wrapped around Orlando’s body while he whispered soothing nonsense. This was not how he had imagined their reunion to be, but he would never complain. Viggo just wanted to make Orlando happy again, chase away everything that caused these tears. Carefully he lifted Orlando up and carried him over to the couch where he sat down. Viggo’s worry increased when he noted how thin Orlando’s body was in his arms. Had he lost weight over the past weeks?

“Shhh angel, its okay…everything will be okay.”

Orlando curled up in Viggo’s lap, his hands never letting go of the cloth, as if he feared that Viggo would go away then. The second he had looked into Viggo’s eyes all barriers inside him had broken down. Viggo was the first familiar person he had seen since he had arrived in Denmark, the first one who had pulled him into a hug after a long time. Sobs continued to rock his body and only slowly Viggo could calm him.

“What ails you, my love?”

Viggo’s thumb caressed Orlando’s cheek, wiping away the tears.

“Been too much.” Orlando mumbled, burying his face in Viggo’s neck. Viggo just held the brunette, until he calmed down again.

“Better now?” Viggo smiled, tilting Orlando’s head up so he could look him in the eyes. Orlando nodded slowly, sniffing one more time.

“Good. We should go down into the dining hall. I know that you’d rather go to sleep right away, but I fear we must. You don’t have to stay long, I promise.” Viggo made a mental note that it’d also be a good thing if Orlando ate something. He was looking a bit too thin and pale.

Orlando sighed but nodded in defeat. He really wanted nothing more than to crawl under a warm blanket and sleep. Sleep until all of this would be over. He didn’t even want to think about the wedding tomorrow. Would there be so many people staring at him again?

Viggo pulled a tissue from the pocket of his trousers, gently wiping the remains of Orlando’s tears from the pale cheeks. His lips found the soft skin, pressing a kiss on Orlando’s temple.

“It’ll be alright…just half an hour, yeah?”

“Okay…”

When Viggo led him to the dining hall, Orlando wondered how he was ever supposed to remember the way. This castle was so big and there were so many corridors! When they finally stopped before a white door with guards to the left and the right, Orlando had completely lost his orientation. He felt lost, despite Viggo being with him. His soul and heart were yearning for the familiarity of his home.

When Orlando finally crawled into bed he felt numb, every yearning and desire extinct. He had ended up being in the dining hall for two long hours. Endless hours, in which Grace had presented him to every present royal. He didn’t know them, couldn’t remember a single name. Everything he knew was that Viggo had left; talking with someone Orlando also didn’t know, leaving him with Grace. The archduchess didn’t seem to like Orlando, and he had felt intimidated near her. He had tried his best to smile and remember what his teachers had told him, but with each passing minute his eyelids became heavier and the numbness within him increased. Only briefly had he been able to talk with his mother and Samantha. A servant had led him to his bedroom afterwards.

Orlando’s eyes were sore and he rapidly blinked away the tears that were forming in his eyes again. He had really believed that Viggo cared, had hoped that he was right and everything would be okay. But he had left him alone only ten minutes after those words of reassurance. Orlando felt betrayed and once more utterly alone. No one really seemed to care for him as a person anymore. He was just some stupid sort of bargain. He had never been asked if he wanted this. Others had decided for him and he had to obey.

Orlando hugged the pillow, muffling his sobs in it. It seemed that crying was everything he did recently. The last thought on his troubled mind was the wish for his heart to be home again, to feel safe and loved. Yet he knew that he’d be just as alone as he was now when he’d wake up. Sometimes you feel lonely, even if you are surrounded by a big crowd.

TBC