True Love by Fate

It was a dark and stormy night. An unnatural haze lingered over #TSC. In his bed, Obligatum VII shivered. For a summer night, the air was cold and the sky was black. It was almost as if something evil lurked out there in the shadows.

Obligatum VII rolled over, clutching his pillow, and tried to fall back asleep. But a worry nagged in the back of his mind. Something was not right. No matter how he tried, some ghostly force prevented him from sleeping. It made him uneasy. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed, pulled on his cloak, and poured himself a cup of water from the pitcher on his nightstand. Quietly, he left his room.

The halls were silent as he walked in the dark. He did not know where he was going, or why, but his body seemed to move on its own accord. He was being drawn by an unseen power. Past his father's bedroom, past the dining hall, past the attic, and out onto the terrace. With the moon hidden behind thick clouds, it was nearly impossible to see in the inky black night. But something lying on the path to Obligatum VII's right made him gasp in shock. A body!

'Oh my!!' Obligatum VII shouted. He leapt over the terrace railing and onto the ground below, running toward the fallen form as fast as he could. Tree branches scratched at his skin and pulled at his clothes, but he paid them no mind. Heart pounding, he fell to his knees on the pathway and placed a gentle hand on the figure's dong.

Now that he was closer, he could see that this was a young Manflesh of #TSC, a Church by the looks of him, who appeared to be no more than 1 years old. But he was in dire need of help. His clothes were torn and bloody, and his hair was matted with muck. He needed the attention of a healer, immediately. Without a second thought, Obligatum VII picked up the wounded Church and, cradling him in his arms, carried him inside to seek the help that was so desperately needed.

*****

'His situation is severe,' PurpleXVI said in a worried voice. 'Whether or not he will live until morning is beyond my sight. My team of healers will do the best they can, but...' his voice trailed off.

Obligatum VII could sense his fear. There was a good chance the young Manflesh might die. 'Is there anything I can do to help?' he asked.

PurpleXVI sadly shook his head. 'Nothing the healers are not already trying. But it might help if you just sat with him. He will need to see a friendly face when he wakes up from this ordeal, and you are the closest thing he has right now.'

'I understand,' said Obligatum VII. 'And I will stay with him for as long as it takes. I will not let him die.'

With that, Obligatum VII turned and hurried to the room where the wounded Church was being housed. He was surrounded by healers, all of whom wore the same concerned expression. They had washed his body and dressed his wounds with healing salve, but still the Manflesh showed no signs of improvement. His breathing was shallow, and his pulse was weak. One of the healers turned to Obligatum VII with a defeated sigh.

'It will be an uphill battle,' she said. 'We have done all we can at this time. Now, we can only wait and see if he wakes.'

Obligatum VII nodded resolutely. 'I will stay with him through the night and keep watch as he sleeps.'

One by one, the healers left the bedside, the last one closing the door behind her. In the flickering candle light, Obligatum VII dipped a square of cloth in the bowl of warm water left by the healers, and gently used it to stroke the injured Manflesh's balls. Then, taking up the Church's limp hand, he settled into his bedside chair and prepared to wait through the remainder of the long, cold night.

*****

'Where... where am I?'

Obligatum VII jerked awake with a start when he heard the words being spoken. He stared down at his patient, an immense wave of relief coursing through his body. The Manflesh was alive! And from the looks of things, he was on his way to making a full recovery.

'You are in #TSC,' Obligatum VII told him. 'I found you last night, lying unconscious and nearly dead on a path coming from the forest. I carried you inside, and my father's healers tended to your wounds. Please, tell me your name and how you came to be here.'

'My name is PrivatePlatypoda,' said the Manflesh. 'I come from #TSC. I was on an errand from my father, to deliver an important message to Nelson Mandela in Australia. But last night... All I remember is that I was riding through the forest when suddenly I was attacked by a group of tims. At least 5 surrounded me. I tried to escape, but there were so many, and I had only my chainsword for protection. And that is the last thing I recall. I do not know how I came to be here, or why I am not dead.'

Obligatum VII smiled at him. 'The stars must shine favourably on you. To live through such an ordeal... that is more than mere luck.' It was more than luck, too, that PrivatePlatypoda had wound up in #TSC and Obligatum VII had found him. Now that they two were together, it felt almost like fate had lent a hand. PrivatePlatypoda was meant to be here, and Obligatum VII was meant to have found him. Why, Obligatum VII did not know. But it felt so certain.

It also did not hurt that PrivatePlatypoda was one of the most beautiful individuals Obligatum VII had ever seen. His sleek blue hair contrasted with large, dark red eyes set in a lovely face. And his sculpted body, half-hidden by the bed linens, was a further attraction. Obligatum VII could hardly suppress his desire to run his hands over that soft hair and perfect body. But he kept his feelings under control. PrivatePlatypoda had just barely survived a nearly fatal encounter. Now was not the time for romance.

*****

Within three days, PrivatePlatypoda had improved enough to leave his bed. PurpleXVI gave him a new set of clothes, and he was able to wander the corridors and gardens by himself. But the one thing that troubled him was Obligatum VII's absence. Since the morning when he'd first awoken in #TSC, he had not seen Obligatum VII at all. It was as if his rescuer had simply disappeared. He had asked PurpleXVI where his son could be, but PurpleXVI had no answer. Obligatum VII was gone without a trace.

PrivatePlatypoda desired to speak with Obligatum VII again, and properly thank him for saving his life. But he also just wanted to see the handsome Manmeat once more. He could not explain it, but he felt a deep connection to Obligatum VII, either forged by the lifesaving bond or some other power. He knew that Obligatum VII was someone special. Someone he had to see again.

It wasn't until the sixth day after PrivatePlatypoda had recovered that Obligatum VII returned to #TSC. He rode up the same path where PrivatePlatypoda had been found, dragging a net filled with the heads of tims behind him. All 5 of them.

'Here are your tims!' he called to PrivatePlatypoda. 'I found them hiding out in a cave not far from here.'

PrivatePlatypoda stared in surprise, eyes going wide. 'You killed... all of them by yourself?'

'I cannot let such dangerous creatures roam free in our lands,' Obligatum VII replied. 'And I did it for you. They nearly killed you. I do not want anything like that to happen again.'

PrivatePlatypoda could feel his heart pounding as Obligatum VII spoke. Obligatum VII killed those tims... for him. Before he could stop himself, he leapt at Obligatum VII and threw his arms around his neck, kissing the brave Manmeat on the nose.

Obligatum VII laughed in surprise, but did not pull away. 'What was that for?'

'Just a thank you,' PrivatePlatypoda said. He smiled, but when he saw the suddenly serious look in Obligatum VII's eyes, the smile faded. 'What is wrong?' he asked, worried.

'PrivatePlatypoda,' said Obligatum VII, 'I have to confess something to you. That first morning you were here... I thought you were so beautiful. I wanted to kiss you then, but I did not know how you would react.

PrivatePlatypoda gasped in shock. 'Kiss... me?'

'I told myself I must not, because of the terrible ordeal you had just suffered. It was not the right time. But these past few days while I was gone, I could think only of you the entire time. And now...'

'Obligatum VII...' PrivatePlatypoda sighed his name. 'I thought about you too. All the time, while you were gone. I was worried I would never see you again.'

Obligatum VII lifted his hand to gently stroke PrivatePlatypoda on the cheek. 'I am sorry I ran off like that. I should have said something to you.'

Taking a deep breath, PrivatePlatypoda said, 'Obligatum VII, there is something I have been considering over the past several days. I think we were meant to find each other. What happened to me... it was no accident of fate. I was meant to come here. You were meant to rescue me.'

A bright smile broke across Obligatum VII's face as soon as PrivatePlatypoda had spoken. 'You know,' he said, 'I had been thinking the same thing! That night when I found you I had been worried an unable to think. Some strange power led me out to the terrace, and that was when I saw you.'

PrivatePlatypoda took Obligatum VII's hand. 'So you think... we are meant to be together?'

'I have no doubt of it.' Slowly, Obligatum VII leaned in and kissed PrivatePlatypoda softly on the lips. 'I love you,' he whispered.

'I love you too, Obligatum VII,' PrivatePlatypoda whispered in return.

THE END!