Rise: A Gay Fairy Tale by Keira Andrews, Leta Blake Page B

responsibility. I must honor my family’s wishes.” He’d said the words to himself so many times, yet now they sounded hollow to his own ears.
    “To what end?” Jack reached out, but Rion dodged his touch. “That treasure does nothing but gather dust, generation after generation. You can’t take it with you to the other side. You could help people with it now. Orphans with no hope. No one to care for them. You could change that.”
    Jack’s words echoed thoughts Rion had ruthlessly silenced for years. He shook his head roughly, driving those traitorous thoughts away. “Stop. I see your game. I’ve been reckless. A fool.”
    “We’ve both wasted so many years. For what?” Jack grabbed Rion’s shoulders, his eyes imploring. “Aren’t the days endless here in the clouds? There are only so many books to read.”
    Yes. Endless and lonely and dreary. Until you . Rion was at war with himself. “I…”
    “Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to let you go. Leave with me. We can’t stay here forever. There’s a whole world waiting. We can’t live in fear. Not anymore.”
    Rion fought the desperate urge to crush Jack to him and say yes . Yes, yes, yes . “Jack, I…”
    “All my life I’ve lived in books. I want to live for real. I want to touch and taste, and hear the songs of other lands. I know you do too. We could go together. Say we’re brothers—no one would know. We could do it.” He cupped his hand to Rion’s cheek. “I’ve longed to meet a man like you. I know we could have a good life together.”
    “It falls to you now, Rion. My brave boy.”
    He held Jack at arm’s length as his father’s voice echoed in his mind, bringing the pierce and jag of guilt with it. How could he abandon his duty? “I can never be the man you want me to be.”
    Jack’s voice was thick. “All I want is a future with you beyond these castle walls.”
    “A future?” Rion dropped his hands. “We barely know each other. It’s been days. A week, perhaps. How can we speak of a future?”
    Reaching out and clutching Rion’s hand, Jack’s gaze was fervent. “How can we not? After what we’ve shared? I’ve never experienced such joy. Such kinship. I know you feel the same. I’ve seen it in you. We’ve both lived our lives thirsting for a connection such as this. Not only our bodies, but our minds. Our…” He trailed off, his eyes pleading.
    Hearts? Was it possible? A tumult of emotion clashed within Rion. He wanted to take Jack in his arms and never let him go, madness though it may be. But the responsibility his parents had left on his shoulders still bore down pitilessly. After countless generations, could he be the one to break the legacy?
    Rion tore his hand away and spun around. He couldn’t bear to look at Jack, and the images of his parents on their deathbeds haunted him. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
    Something like a sob echoed through the terrace. Rion closed his eyes, the sun still achingly bright behind his lids.
    Jack spoke softly, his voice breaking. “If there is no future between us, then I suppose it’s time I go.”
    Rion wanted to whirl around and scream a denial. How had it come to this in the blink of an eye? He wanted to drop to his knees and beg Jack to stay with him forever. But how could he condemn Jack to this life in the clouds? For it was a prison indeed. He clasped his hands, digging his nails into his skin. He couldn’t bear the thought of Jack leaving. But neither could he walk away from his duty.
    Could I?
    Dread was heavy in him and he pushed away the notion. Duty was all he’d ever known. “I suppose it is.” His voice wavered. “But Jack, you must know that I…I…”
    But when he turned, Jack was already gone.
     

     
    Jack stood at the edge of the opening in the great hall, staring down numbly at the beanstalk poking up through the clouds. They’d been fooling themselves, pretending they were something they weren’t. Friends. Lovers. It had been a