The bed was uncomfortably cold when Harper awoke the next morning. He was only a little upset when he sat up, wincing as his backside throbbed. Leaning back against the pillows, he looked to the side, following a scent his nose had caught. 

Oh. They brought me breakfast? 

Glancing around, he confirmed that neither lord was present, then carefully scooted to the edge of the bed. A letter sat on the silver platter with the plate of eggs, sausage, and bread on it. Picking it up, he opened it and pulled out the folded piece of paper within it.

Apologies for leaving, love, but Arthur started having trouble breathing after you fell asleep last night. I am taking him back to the hospital so that they can check on his condition. We will return as soon as we are able. Please rest today and take care of yourself.

Harper frowned at the note. He wished that they had woken him so that he could come... but he wasn't sure if he would be able to ride a horse very well for a day or two with how sore he felt. 

Perhaps it was for the best that they didn't try to bring me along. 

Deciding that he was going to be lazy for likely the first day in his life, Harper stretched beneath the blankets, then pulled the tray onto his lap to enjoy his meal. I wounder if they cooked this or if the chef did. It would have been interesting seeing the lords try to make something. He knew that they weren't the best in the kitchen after knowing them for so long. 

He finished eating about twenty minutes later, then made himself get out of bed. The pain intensified when he stood, but Harper wasn't going to laze away in bed all day. Stiffly, he walked into the washroom, careful of his foot, and was relieved to see that a fresh bath had been drawn. 

The water was cool, but he didn't want to light the logs beneath the tub to warm it, so he climbed in after shedding the shirt he'd slept in. He took his time washing himself thoroughly, even though the lords had done quite a good job on him last night. Mainly because the lords had done a good job on him last night. 

Memories flooded his mind, immediately making him uncomfortable. He shifted awkwardly, but thankfully the water was cold enough to make him calm down quickly. 

"That was almost bad." He mumbled as he hurried to get out and dry off. 

Harper got himself dressed in some clothing he'd been given by Abel, then made his way to the door of the chambers. Okay. Just take a deep breath and be yourself. No one needs to know that you slept with them last night. No need for awkwardness. 

Sighing out a stressed breath, Harper grabbed the door handle and slowly turned it until the large door swung lazily inward. After one more quick pep talk, he slipped from the room. 

"Oh my! Um, s-sir, you um..." Harper jumped at the sound of the maids voice from a few feet away. She was carrying fresh linens, likely going to store them in the closet a bit further down the hall. 

Hopefully she doesn't find... 

Pushing away the thought about the sock, he forced a strained smile. "Yes, ma'am?" He questioned hesitantly, already feeling very awkward. 

She pointed to her neck stiffly, then pursed her lips before replying. "You may wish to, um, dawn a scarf, sir." The maid mumbled before hurrying on her way, leaving Harper standing there with a face more red than the apples he'd seen hanging about the trees at the magistrate's home. 

Ducking back inside of lord Arthur's chambers, he hurried to the medium mirror hanging in the washroom. When he saw his reflection, his mouth dropped open. 

Oh gods. No wonder she was scared! Darn it, Rule! 

The man had definitely nibbled at his neck, but he hadn't realized it would leave such horrible marks! His throat was dark red, purple, and even had small bits of yellow skirting the edges of the bruises. 

Grumbling in frustration, he stalked out of the room and dug through Rule's belongings until he could find a suitable scarf that would cover all of the marks. He looked a bit odd, since it was a winter scarf and he was not wearing a coat, but at least it matched what he had decided to wear for the day, which was just a pair of brown trousers and a faded white shirt. 

Just to add a bit more to the outfit, he took Arthur's favorite top hat off the stand by the door. It was a tad big, tilting a little on his head, but he could make it work. After one final check in the mirror, he made his way back out into the hall. The maid was nowhere to be seen, which was a relief. 

Since he'd already eaten, Harper carefully made his was down the stairs and out the front door after pulling on his one pair of shoes. His foot, surprisingly, didn't ache nearly as badly as his backside did as he moved. 

He arrived at the stables right as two large mares were being brushed. The beasts were panting, so he figured that they had been used for a morning ride. "May I try?" Harper asked as he approached one of the grooms. 

He noted that he didn't see the boy who had told him to go into the hayloft the other day, and hoped that he hadn't gotten into too much trouble for being deceived. 

The groom looked at him a bit oddly, but when his eyes widened with possible recognition, he stepped away from the animal and gave a slight bow of his head. "Are you master Harper?" He asked, making Harper raise an eyebrow. 

"I... suppose so?" He said, not sounding too sure. He didn't like having such a title. He was used to being a servant, after all. 

The grooms face lit up and he bowed in earnest this time, the gestured to the beautiful blonde horse in front of him. "Lord Rule left early this morning with lord Arthur on his horse, and the other one being taken care of is one of Rule's, but they had asked me to find you one, and I believe that this girl would be perfect for you." 

Harper's mouth fell open. 

My. Own horse? 

"I, believe you might be mistaken. They... they are giving me a horse?" He asked, still shocked. 

The groom nodded with a bright smile and gestured to the animal. "Would you like to try her out now, master Harper?" 

Oh no. My backside is not ready for that adventure. 

"I believe another time, but she is very beautiful. I uh, actually came to ask if I would be allowed to help you with her?" He questioned quietly, looking down at his shoes for a moment. 

The groom was silent for a moment, probably surprised he'd even want to help work a bit, but when Harper looked up, the guy replaced his frown with a smile. "Of course, sir. What would you like to do?" 

Harper gestured to the brush and the groom quickly handed it to him after showing him the correct way to brush the horse's coat. It was actually pretty fun seeing the animal slowly calm down from the attention, then begin flicking her tail and nudging him with her head a few times when he stepped around her to brush her other side. 

"You're a bit of a brat, aren't you?" He told the horse, who snorted and flicked her ears, as if she knew he'd insulted her a little. 

"That's okay. I like a horse with personality. I hope that we'll be good friends." 

The horse, who he found was named Riot, allowed him enough time to get her coat decently brushed before she started swinging her head and stepping away from him. 

"Ah, she wants to be put up and get fed. I'll take care of that, master Harper. I believe the cook is making lunch about now." The groom said as he took the horse's reigns and began leading her to a stall in the middle of the stable. 

Harper hadn't thought he'd be tired already after only brushing the horse for about thirty minutes with one item, then switching to a comb for her tail and main, but perhaps the lords had taken a bit more energy out of him the previous night than he'd thought. 

"Alright. Thank you for introducing us. I look forward to riding her sometime soon." He said before turning and carefully making his way back to the house. 

His foot was aching by the time he got there, the throbbing almost in time with his backside, both likely smarting because he was standing and walking around so much. 

"Hello, hun." 

A surge of happiness flooded his system as he turned around to see Rule sitting in the driver's seat of a small carriage. He pulled his horse to a stop and quickly jumped down, pulling him into his arms the moment he got close enough. 

"Lord Rule, welcome back!" One of the servants who had noticed the carriage said from the doorway. 

Rule looked up, offering the man a smile. "Thank you. Arthur is resting in the carriage, I'll take care of him. Please have three meals sent up to his chambers in about fifteen minutes." 

The servant nodded, then disappeared back into the house. Before he turned to go get Arthur, Rule stole a kiss from Harper. "I do hope that you will forgive us for leaving so suddenly. Are you feeling alright?" He asked as he pulled away just enough to look Harper over. 

Nodding, Harper looked worriedly toward the carriage. "Is lord Arthur alright?" He asked. 

Rule chuckled and stole one more kiss before nodding and heading toward the carriage. "Yes. Wait right there, I'll get him out. The doctors said that he'd just overexerted himself a bit too much. They gave him some medicine and he's been out for the entire ride back here." 

Harper felt relieved as Rule went and retrieved Arthur, easily carrying the man's weight in his arms. "Let's get him to bed, then we can eat in the sitting room." Rule said quietly as he carried Arthur into the house, Harper following him as quickly as he could with his bad foot. 

As they made their way upstairs, Rule told him that he'd gotten news of lord Marksworth's condition through a friend who happened to be visiting a friend in the hospital. He was doing surprisingly well, and had asked after him. 

I'm glad he's still well enough. Of course, he knew that the time would come eventually, but Harper was relieved that the lord was still present in this world. 

They worked together to get Arthur mostly undressed once they entered the bedroom, just leaving his undergarments, before getting him into the bed to continue resting. He looked pale, but Rule had assured him that he was just exhausted and would recover with the medication's help. 

"I feel bad. Maybe we shouldn't have... done things last night." Harper said as he watched Arthur sleeping from the doorway between rooms. 

Rule tugged him away and closed the door, then turned him around to place his hands on his shoulders. "Don't let him hear you say that. He'll put you under him in a heartbeat, even if it would cause it to be his last." 

Harper felt his face heat up immediately. Thankfully, there was a soft knock on the door a moment later, stopping Rule from leaning any closer. He hurried over and opened it, thanking the maid for the food as he took the tray from her. It was heavy, but Rule was there when he turned around, nudging the door closed before he took the tray from Harper. 

They both walked over to two of the armchairs and sat down after Rule put the tray on the small table between them. "Eat up. Arthur won't be up for a while, and I doubt his stomach will handle this." 

Not wanting to argue, Harper started working on a small sandwich. There were many on the tray, so he doubted that he'd make a decent dent in them, but he was willing to try. They were absolutely delicious. 

"The face you're making right now was the same one you made for me last night." Rule said out of nowhere, making Harper inhale a piece of bread and cough several times before managing to swallow it down. 

"Lord Rule!" Harper hissed as he coughed a few more times, trying to catch his breath. 

Rule leaned back in the chair with a smirk on his lips. "Don't worry, I'll behave. As much as I don't like sharing, I know that I owe Arthur. So, while we were at the hospital, we decided upon something." 

Uh oh. 

"What was that, my lord?" Harper asked hesitantly, not bothering to grab another small sandwich, in fear that he might choke himself to death. 

Rule crossed his legs and his smile turned to one of complete determination. 

"We are going to share you." 

Harper swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. 

"Like... last night?" He asked, not really understanding further than that type of situation. Yes, he'd been asked if he'd accepted Arthur last night, but he hadn't exactly been briefed on what that meant, besides sex. 

When Rule licked his lips, Harper swallowed again. 

"Yes, absolutely like last night... but, there are other things that fall under the sharing category, too." Rule said, making Harper frown in confusion. 

Nodding toward his hand, Rule reached over and lifted the one with the rings on it. "These rings are both the crests of our families. They are normally given to the one we intend to spend our lives with." He said, remaining quiet as his words sunk in to Harper's confused mind. 

I knew they were trying to claim me from each other with the rings, somehow, but they actually put them on because they want me... forever? 

"That. My lord, our lives are likely to be very long." Harper said in a hushed voice as he stared down at the crests gracing the beautiful rings. If Rule hadn't mentioned them, he probably wouldn't have noticed, because they were so perfectly woven into the designs. 

Rule patted his leg. Harper hesitated for only a moment before finding his way into the man's lap. It was odd, but he was content when the lord wrapped him in his arms. "I pray that they are, Harper. I want no wife. No heir. I just want my best friend, and my love... and if I have to share my love with my best friend, then I believe that I can push aside my attitude most of the time, and do so." 

Harper snuggled against him a little more. "My lord, does that mean I am able to say whom I wish to... do things with at certain times?" He asked. 

Rule tilted his head and looked down, making Harper drop his gaze nervously. "That depends, Harper." He whispered as he brushed his lips against Harper's hair. "On whom you wish to sleep with more." 

He will say no if I say Arthur. 

"I believe that Lady Lelynn would say that you have quite an... ego? I think the word was." Harper said with a small grin up at the lord. 

Rule scowled, then quickly leaned down to press a kiss to Harper's lips. "It's okay. I can back it up, as I'm sure you know now. I'm quite big enough to be confident." 

Harper ducked his head beneath the man's chin and grumbled as a blush turned his face red. 

"As fun as it is to pick on you, love. We should eat. Arthur is going to need us to watch over him for a bit. Let's not let him down, alright?" Rule said as he leaned down to steal one more kiss, this one on the cheek, before he reached over to the platter and took a sandwich, offering it to Harper. 

Taking it, Harper nibbled on it until Rule leaned over and took a big bite of it. "Eat properly, Harper." He said after chewing and swallowing the food. 

Narrowing his eyes, Harper jerked his head up and bit Rule's lip. That's what you get for taking my food. Rule remained motionless for a moment before he swiped his tongue along his lower lip, tasting the tiny bit of blood that welled from the small cut Harper's tooth had made. 

When the lord looked back down at him, Harper felt his like he was suddenly about to become lunch, instead of the sandwiches. 

"I do believe that these chairs are the perfect height for certain activities." Rule noted as his expression grew more and more hungry. 

And now I've dug my own grave. I'm sorry, backside. Your sacrifice will likely be in vain.