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Walter led the devotions that evening as he so often did for Lord Rahl. He'd got the wave perfect Malray said, no-one could tell the difference now – well, until Walter opened his mouth. He still couldn't yet quite grasp the aristocratic accent – but he did sneer almost exactly like the Master, and a sneer, a raised eyebrow or a look of disdain tended to speak volumes when it came from Rahl. So, so far, so good.
Today however, Walter backed up into the room and turned to find himself face to face with himself. Or rather, with Darken Rahl. In Walter's experience this never led to anything good. He exerted every bit of willpower he had to keep his hands from grasping his nose protectively.
"Walter," Rahl purred and took slow, measured paces towards his double. He was dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt and black riding trousers, both quite unlike his usual red clothing. Walter froze in terror as Rahl paced him, looking him over as if he were appraising a statue for his collection. "It goes well, our arrangement?"
"Yes," Walter stammered. He wouldn't have dared saying anything but 'yes' anyway. "Yes, my Lord," he remembered in time and made to bow.
Rahl's arm shot out, stopping him. "No," he said. "Don't kneel." He stepped back, tipped his head thoughtfully. "Come with me."
*
Walter followed Rahl down the empty corridors and into Rahl's bedchamber.
"Wine?" Rahl asked and handed Walter a goblet. Walter downed the drink in one go and looked up to see Rahl staring at him with a mixture of amusement and disgust.
"I hope when you portray me that my manners appear better than that to the public," Rahl said.
"Yes, my Lord. Forgive me."
Rahl simply took the goblet back, his fingers brushing Walter's not-quite by accident. He refilled the goblet and handed it back, took up a second for himself. Walter didn't dare take another sip. He shivered inwardly under Rahl's intense scrutiny.
"Take off your clothes," Rahl said suddenly.
Walter closed his eyes in terror. Calm blue ocean. Calm blue ocean. He forced his eyes open and put down the goblet. With shaking fingers he struggled with the fastenings of the royal robe.
Rahl came to help, tugging Walter's clumsy hands away and using his own delicate fingers to open the robe, fingertips brushing Walter's chest. Then Rahl stepped behind Walter and slid the robe from his shoulders, pulling it slowly down Walter's arms, letting the material fall to the floor in a puddle of velvet.
Rahl paced around him again, a smile on his face. "Yes," he said, and Walter wasn't sure if he ought to be glad that Rahl was pleased with what he saw.
"The underwear," Rahl said. "Remove it."
Walter prayed fervently that there would be some kind of emergency that called Rahl away. If only the Seeker committed some atrocity that would have Egremont summon the Lord away! No interruption came. Walter pulled the linen drawers down. He dropped them to the floor atop the robe, and stepped out of them, one foot at a time. His hands went instinctively to cover his exposed groin.
Rahl reached out and grasped Walter's hands, pulling his arms away from his body so Walter's nakedness was revealed. Rahl's thumbs pressed into the back of Walter's hands and Walter swallowed hard.
"Well you won't pass as me while naked," Rahl said. "But you've nothing really to be ashamed of." He released Walter's hands and Walter let them fall loosely to his sides.
Rahl smiled again and put one hand out; Walter shied away with a small shriek. When no blow came, Walter glanced at his Lord. Rahl looked not so much displeased as hurt, hand frozen in mid-air, knuckles facing Walter's cheek.
"Sssh," Rahl said. "Do not fear, my Lord." And as Walter stood up straight despite his confusion, Rahl ran one knuckle across Walter's cheekbone, turning the finger when he reached the corner of his mouth to stroke his fingertip over Walter's lower lip.
Rahl stepped away and Walter thought about making a run for it. Through the door and down the corridor, or through the window and hope he didn't kill himself in the fall. But there were guards and Mord'Sith and really prickly bushes and he was naked, so, no. Whatever happened next it was better than death by agiel.
Rahl brought over a bowl of water with a cloth soaking in it. He placed the bowl on the floor and wrung out the cloth. Walter closed his eyes as the cloth touched his bare skin, fearing this was some trick, that a burning liquid would strip his flesh in punishment for whatever wrongdoing Rahl imagined Walter was guilty of.
But it was only water, slightly warm, and faintly scented, and Walter stared in amazement at Rahl, gently sponging off his double. Each arm in turn, Walter's neck, his back, his chest. Rahl leant close and flicked his tongue against each nipple in turn, sending involuntary waves of pleasure through Walter's body.
The cloth moved down over Walter's taut stomach, his sides. Each buttock was washed gently, the cloth slipping teasingly just between the cheeks. Then the back of Walter's thighs down to the back of his knees, and around to the front, working back up the front of his thighs, then his soft inner flesh between them, and, inevitably, his groin.
Walter was trembling but it was no longer with fear. A moan left his lips as Rahl worked his swollen member, certain in his rhythmic movements as if this were not the first time the Lord had pleasured another man.
Walter grasped Rahl's hair, entwining his fingers into his Lord's dark locks. Rahl didn't object. In fact he used his free hand to reach around and caress one round buttock.
When Rahl pressed his lips to Walter's lower belly, his beard grazing the tender flesh, never ceasing his skilful masturbation, Walter climaxed. He didn't' want to – perhaps this was a test and he'd failed it and he'd be punished. There was no calm blue ocean to focus on though, just the crashing waves of pleasure and fear, entangled so he wasn't sure which was which anymore. He was literally weak at the knees and found he was pressing his body against Rahls's shoulder for support.
Rahl held him a moment until Walter regained his senses and his balance. Then he rinsed out the cloth and cleaned Walter's groin once more, but there was nothing sexual in his touch this time.
Rahl moved away and picked up a linen night-shirt. He gathered the garment around his hands to leave the neck exposed. He lifted it up and placed it over Walter's head. Like a child, Walter raised his arms and helped Rahl slide the garment over his body.
"Good," Rahl said huskily. Now he fetched a comb and Walter had the unique experience of Lord Rahl brushing his hair. Knots were teased out with surprising tenderness, and Walter shivered in excitement that was half-pleasure and half-fear as the teeth of the comb touched the nape of his neck.
When Rahl decided Walter had been groomed enough he stood back to admire his handiwork.
"Very good," he said. Then he leant forward, grasping Walter's face in both hands, and pressed his lips to Walter's.
Walter wasn't sure which was the weirdest part. He was being kissed by another man for one, something he'd never had done before beyond a peck on the cheek from a drunken relative at a wedding. He was being kissed by the tyrant Lord Rahl, a man known for taking pleasure rather than giving it. And he was being kissed by a man who, thanks to the alterations inflicted on him, looked exactly like him.
In the finish Walter gave up on thinking and gave in, returning the kiss, his tongue seeking Rahl's.
Rahl pulled away slowly and went to the bed, folding back the covers. He patted the silk sheet and Walter obediently climbed into the bed, resigned to whatever Rahl wanted to do to him.
But Rahl merely fluffed up the pillows and pushed Walter gently to lie down. He folded the covers up over his double and then climbed alongside him, pressing his body against Walter's. He brushed a stray lock of hair from Walter's face tenderly, kissed his cheek.
"It's all right," he said, softly. "I love you."
Walter lay staring at the canopy above the bed, wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself into.
"I hope you were paying attention?" Rahl asked softly but there was something different in his tone now. "Tomorrow we will do this again, but you will be my servant and I will be Lord Rahl. Do you understand?"
Walter was beginning to. For the first time he felt a pang of sympathy for the Lord of D'Hara.