#babianos

Damen’s frown intensifies. At moments like these, with squinty eyes and pouty lips, he reminds Theomedes strongly of Egeria and a sharp pain twists on his chest like a knife.

“Kas is going with you.” Damen murmurs.

“Kastor is more than twice your age.” Theomedes replies knowingly. “When you reach his age, we may discuss it again.”

Truthfully, he began taking Kastor with him to political visits by the time his boy was six. But pointing it out now would only fuel Damen’s agitation as he would insist four is practically six.

Damen makes a distressed sound. “That’s too many years!”

“Well then,” Theomedes taps his nose. “I guess you need to sleep a lot and catch up.”

Damen is quiet for a moment and just as Theomedes thinks he’s out arguments, he says, “Baba.” with the sweetest voice.  “Don’t leave me please. I will be soooo alone! ”

Theomedes rubs his face tiredly. “You won’t be alone. You have many people looking after you. And Lady Hypermenestra is here too.”

“Nessa treats me like a baby. ” Damen sniffs with a feisty attitude. His eyes are almost closed now. “She picks me and kisses and kisses and kisses my cheeks.”

At that, Theomedes can’t help but huff in amusement. Indeed; whenever Hypermenestra encounters Damen, she drowns him in kisses and hugs and Damen preens like a kitten under her attention.

“I’ve never heard you complain before.” he says. Damen finally succumbs into sleep and falls unconscious before he can come up with a response. Theoemedes sighs in relief, carefully getting up from the bed to not jostle him.

His Damen is a well-tempered child with a smile always adorning his face; so it’s quite a surprise to see him stand on the deck with the most cross look on his face when it’s time to see them off the next day, his little hand held by Hypermenestra. When Kastor finishes bidding goodbye to his mother and looks down on Damen, the child steps forward and wraps his arms around Kastor’s leg like an octopus.

“Damen, stop being a baby.” Kastor chides. Theoemedes thinks about Damen using the same word last night and wonders if he has picked it up from his brother. “We will only be gone for five nights.”

Damen stubbornly clings on.

Kastor drops a desperate hand to his head and ruffles his hair. “I’ll bring you pretty shells if you are a good boy while we’re away. Deal?  Now, go and bid father goodbye.”

At that, Damen’s whole body goes rigid and before anyone has a chance to stop him, he takes off and runs away from the deck. His nursemaid hastily follows him.

“Well, no kisses for his baba I believe,” Theoemedes says with dejection. Despite knowing Damen is four and therefore prone to tantrums from time to time, he still feels slightly upset that he has to leave without a proper goodbye from him. He leans on and kisses his lover’s cheek. “Take care of him?”

Hypermenestra’s smile is blinding. “Of course, sire.”

Once they set sail, he takes a final look at the land and his heart immediately jumps into his throat at the sight: Damen, with a tear stricken face, running towards the deck this time; as if ready to fling himself at the sea in an attempt to catch them. Just as he opens his mouth to yell in alarm, Hypermenestra snatches him up with all the ease of a skillful mother and clutches him to her chest tightly just as Damen begins sobbing into her shoulder.

Theomedes lets out a deep breath. This boy…

-

“...and I believe we made a similar deal a few years ago with Patrans.” Theomedes is saying to Konstantin. The night is clear and cloudless with the smell of jasmines in the air. Next to him, Kastor is dozing with his head leaning mostly on Theoemedes’s arm. He lets him be; it’s been a long and tiring day and Konstantin isn’t a stranger. “Jase, hand me the scroll.”

Jase nods his head and opens the bag that contains the documents Theomedes asked for. Just as he’s taking it off, another piece of paper falls out of the bag. Jase frowns.

“What is it?”

Jase quickly takes a glance at the paper and when he lifts his gaze, his eyes are almost amused. “Ah, Exalted… I believe this is a note from Prince Damianos.”

Konstantin makes a questioning noise. Theomedes wordlessly reaches a hand and demands to see the note.

It takes him a while to read the whole thing. Damen is a smart child and his tutors always say he’s a good student,  but he’s four after all and his handwriting is atrocious.

Deman- Danio- Damen to his father, greetings. It was so nice of you not take me with you to island. If you refuse to take me with you to Isma I won’t write you a letter or speak to you or wish you a good health. So if you to go Isma I won’t take your hand or kiss you ever again. If you refuse take me, this will happen!

Theomedes reads the note over and over again like the words are going to make sense if he tries harder; and then he starts laughing so loudly that it rings in the air. Kastor wakes up jumping. “What, what is it?”

Theomedes hands him the note, still laughing too hard to form proper sentences. Kastor reads it and then passes it to Konstantin, whose lips curl upwards for a little smile as he reads it as well.

“He’s turning into an incredibly spoiled child.” Kastor comments with a scowl. Theomedes thinks it’s a bit harsh criticism and opens his mouth to tell him so when Konstantin intervenes.

“I believe the young prince is so devoted to you because he feels lonely,” he comments with his usual calm manner. “There are barely any children around his age in the palace so he has to make do with his father and brother.”

Theomedes reaches out and pats his shoulder. “I’m glad you brought it up, old friend. Say, isn’t your youngest boy around my Damen’s age?”

“Nikandros?” Konstantin says with a slight surprise. “He’s two years older than the prince but yes… I believe they may get along.”

“Excellent. Say, what would your lovely wife say about spending the half of the year in Ios?”

Konstantin smiles. “I believe I shall ask and find out, Exalted.”

-

Whatever he’s expecting upon his return, it certainly doesn’t contain Damen running towards him with tears sliding down his face the second he sets his foot on land. Still, he easily scoops his son up. “Hello, cub. What’s the matter?”

“I was sooo mean! ” Damen wails, chest heaving with sobs. “I’m so sorry for my mean letter! Are you angry at me? Do you still love me? Nessa said you of course love me but baba— I’m sorry.” More sobbing.

Theomedes runs his hand through Damen’s hair over and over again until his boy calms down, his heart incredibly fond. Eventually, Damen’s sobs quieten. “There there… you are sorry for the way you behaved?”

“Yes baba.”

“Will you behave the same way the next time Kastor and I need to go on a journey?”

A quiet sniff. “No baba.”

Thus, they quickly became best friends indeed. Theomedes felt a bit of guilt when it became crystal clear just how much Damen needed someone closer to his age. They became so inseparable that it almost felt like they blurred into one child: Damen and Nik. Nik and Damen. Damenandnik.

It also brought warmth to his heart to see the affection Nikandros held for Damen was genuine and not borne out of some obligated loyalty. Theomedes knows his boy made a friend for life.

“Gods help me,” Konstantin is saying when Theomedes focuses on the present again. “Are they climbing on a tree?”

Indeed, they are climbing on one of the larger trees with the easy elegance of lions who survey the land for prey. Konstantin lets out a long sigh. “Should I put an end to this? If they fall–”

“No need.” Theomedes points at the muscular slaves who are standing nearby. “If they fall, they can be caught easily.” He raises his voice. “Damianos?”

Both children whip their head to look at the direction where the noise came from. Nikandros’s arms wobble considerably when he realizes it’s the king who spoke but he regains his balance easily. Damen is, unsurprisingly, unfazed. “Sire?” he calls back.

“May I ask what the two of you are doing?”

Damen gives him a look like he thinks his father is particularly dense. “Looking for Veretian soldiers, obviously.”

“Care to elaborate?”

It’s Nikandros who speaks this time. “We’re making a plan to take back Delpha, Exalted.”

“Oh?” Theomedes asks pleasantly. “Now that is something I must certainly listen to. Would you soldiers want to join me for supper?”

-

Nikandros has to leave, eventually.

Damen handles it with all the grace that can be expected from a five year old. He doesn’t cry when they bid Konstantin’s family farewell but his lower lip wobbles repeatedly. Once it’s time to say goodbye to Nikandros, he throws all the properties Theomedes knows Hypermenestra and his tutors taught him before aside and wraps his arms around Nikandros, clinging. Whatever he’s murmuring to the other boy has Nikandros patting his back gently, his own serious face creased with a frown. They stay like that until Kastor takes a step forward and touches Damen’s shoulder.

At supper that night, Damen barely touches his food. Even when they bring his favorite juicy apricots.

Hypermenestra takes a look at his full place, face concerned. “Your food will cry after you if you leave it untouched, Damen.”

Damen is slouched in his chair, looking absolutely miserable. “I know you’re lying to me, Nessa. I don’t believe you.”

Kastor takes a crunchy bite from a pear. “You’re right. What will happen is that this apricot’s soul will visit you tonight in your sleep and haunt you if you don’t eat it.”

“I don’t believe you either.” Damen says quickly but his hand sneakily snatches up a piece of apricot.

Theomedes rubs his temple briefly, wishing it would erase the headache he can feel building. “Kastor, stop frightening your brother. Damen, eat your food. Nikandros will come back in a few months.”

Apparently it was all it took to set Damen off because he swallows his fruit and looks at Theomedes with accusing eyes. “Six months! That’s half a year, baba! How am I supposed to endure it until then?” His lip quivers again and this time, a sob escapes from his mouth. He turns his teary eyes to Hypermenestra. “I feel like my heart is breaking into pieces! Can a person die because of a broken heart?”

Keep him safe, a woman’s raspy voice whispers. Love him. Love him so much.

A memory. Egeria, untangling herself from his embrace in the middle of the night and stepping into the balcony for some fresh air. Theomedes, following after her like a sailor follows a siren. Egeria’s belly swollen with their unborn baby, her thin silk nightgown clinging into her skin, her skin glowing with both sweat and health.

You never looked more beautiful, Theomdes said unthinkingly as he stared at her. Egeria smiled cheekily at him, her dimple showing, hazel eyes shining with mischief. Flattery will get you nowhere when I’m this big, Exalted.

And then. The baby came too early.

Promise me he’ll be okay, Egeria whimpered as she continued to bleed and bleed. One of her hands was clutched in Theoemedes’s hand and his tears were blurring his vision. He kissed her knuckles, over and over again, until her last breath. I promise.

Theoemedes doesn’t recall a worse heartbreak he’s experienced than Egeria’s death but in the end, he survived. For his country and his family. For his motherless infant son.

He rouses up from his memories and notices Hypermenestra’s pained eyes on him. He can’t help but wonder if she remembered the same thing just now.

It was her hand, after all, the one who held Egeria’s other hand.

“No, you won’t die from a broken heart, my prince.” Hypermenestra says softly yet firmly. “Feeling upset is a natural part of growing.” Her face softens. “However, you may go to sleep tonight earlier, if you don’t wish to dine anymore.”

He’s out of his seat the second she is done with her sentence. Theomedes sighs heavily as he makes a move to follow him, or at least send someone after him, when Kastor raises a hand and gets up as well. “I’ll deal with it. Curse of being an older brother.”

-

Every friday, Theomedes takes Kastor and Damen with him for a ride around the capital; to see how the cityfolk are doing, to listen to their issues and requests. He’s been doing it with Kastor since his oldest turned three and two years ago, he started to bring Damen along as well. Next year, Damen will finally have his own horse instead of sitting in front of Theomedes.

Today, only Kastor shows up for their planned outing and just like Theomedes, he looks puzzled by the lack of Damen around. He rolls his eyes a moment later. “That silly boy cried into my lap for hours last night. He’s probably still asleep.” A frustrated sigh. “I’ll go get him.”

“No.” Theomedes says, barely missing a beat. “After the tantrum of yesterday, it’s best if he gets some sleep. It’s not the end of the world if he misses one day.”

So they set off together; him, Kastor and a handful of soldiers. Theomedes doesn’t know if it’s vanity, but he never takes a lot of protection with him when he does these weekly outings. His people love him as a leader and he wants to believe he can take out a few assassins if it ever comes to that.

It’s going smoothly, as it always does, when a ruckus breaks out behind them, prompting the soldiers. Tensing, Theomedes extends a protective arm in front of Kastor. 

Everything happens so quickly. Out of nowhere, a small hand clings to Theomedes’s chiton. His horse startles so badly that it makes a move to rear up. Horrified, Theomedes realizes the hand belongs to Damen and his boy will get hurt badly in a–

A pair of strong arms snatch Damen from the ground in one rough movement and Theomedes hastily moves away his horse, petting his neck to calm him down.

“You idiot!” Kastor exclaims in pure fury, shaking Damen’s shoulders. “Why would you do–”

“Why did you leave me behind?!”

Damen’s entire riding outfit is messily worn, as if he’s dressed himself in the dark, with no help from his slaves. His face is as red as the royal Akielon color and his eyes are wide with anger and disappointment. Distantly, Theomedes realizes almost half of his household have followed him and are now panting as they try to catch their breath. The chaos is mostly settled.

Kastor sends him a deadly look. “What?”

“Is this what duty means to you?” Damen’s furious eyes are going between Kastor and Theomedes. “We’re supposed to do this together and you left me behind!”

For a moment, nobody speaks. Then, Theomedes runs a hand over his face. “Damianos. You’ll be the death of me one day.”

Immediately, Damen’s righteous anger disappears in a smoke and he makes an upset noise. “Baba, don’t say things like that.”

Theomedes reaches out and takes him from Kastor’s arms, putting him in front of the horse like he always does. “We won’t leave you behind again,” he says as Damen sinks into his arms. “But if you do something like this again, I’ll forbid you from eating an apricot for a week.”