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Every young Assassin must pass two tests. A test to confirm they're capable of kidnapping and interrogating someone and a test to confirm they can keep a secret while being interrogated. Usually only one of the two participating in the test can pass, so that only the best can become assassins. And you only get one chance. If you fail - even if you pass the other test - you will never be an assassin. That's why there aren't many assassins in Silvergrove.
Ethari had only barely passed his first test two days ago, but had broken his left ankle as his opponent pushed him back against a chair - which fell over and made him fall to the ground - in anger after they were told the results of the test. So he didn't think his second test would be so soon. After all, some had to wait months before they were chosen for their test.
He wasn't told about it before it happened, but as soon as he woke up to feel a hand pressing a wet cloth to his mouth, he knew what happened. He had to either escape or stay silent through whatever the other one had planned for him. He fought against the strong arm lifting him from the bed, but he couldn't breathe with that thing over his mouth and nose. And the broken ankle wasn't helping at all. He soon felt unconsciousness taking a hold of him.
When Runaan heard that his first test would be tonight, he already started to plan, before he even knew the name of his opponent. He wouldn't be told the name. That was the test after all: getting the other to tell him their name. Only their name. It shouldn't be too hard.
In the evening, when he was told where his opponent lived, he already knew his name. It was Ethari, that nice guy who had just barely passed his first test two days ago. Poor guy had a broken ankle now. Choosing him before it could heal was just cruel. But besides all that, Runaan didn't want to be the one who made him fail. He had a huge crush on the one year younger moonshadow elf. But he had no choice. One of them would fail. And Runaan would not fail on his first test. So he silently sneaked in through a window, took a look around and soon found out where the bedroom had to be. Since the place was completely dark and quiet he figured Ethari would be already sleeping and sneaked over to the door of where he thought the bedroom would be. It creaked loudly in the quiet room as he opened it slowly and Runaan feared he would have woken him. But as he looked over to the bed with his dulled training blade ready to fight, Ethari just turned around in his bed, grunted something that sounded a lot like "Not yet. I wanna sleep" and didn't show any signs of waking up. Of course there still was the possibility that he just feigned to be asleep, because he obviously couldn't run with his broken ankle. But he could fight, should Runaan get close enough. Runaan pulled out his bottle of water, opened it and poured the water over one of Ethari's shirts lying on the ground all over the room. After he was sure it was completely soaked he put his blade away, rushed over to the bed and held the shirt firmly to the lower half of Ethari's face, while grabbing his waist with the other arm. He knew, he was stronger than him, even when Ethari would be fully awake, which Runaan was sure he wasn't. He could feel the exact moment, when Ethari woke up and realised what was going on. He struggled to break free, even tried to kick him, as Runaan lifted him off the bed, but his struggles soon became less precise and more desperate. He was visibly struggling to breathe and it showed in the way he pushed against the hand holding the shirt to his face. To no avail. Runaan was just stronger than him. As soon as Runaan felt him go limp in his arms he removed the shirt immediately. He didn't want to seriously harm him after all. He gently put him down on the bed and pushed a loose strand of his hair behind his ear, before he started to tie his wrists and ankles. He knew Ethari was pretty good at loosening ropes holding him, so he had to use a little more rope than usual for his wrists. Due to the broken ankle he tied those in a looser way that didn't put strains on the broken bone. He looked at Ethari's face one more time. He looked so peaceful, like he would just be sleeping. Then he pulled the blindfold over his eyes. He didn't want him to know who was responsible for him failing the test. And he wasn't supposed to know until the test was over anyway.
When Ethari woke up he had a strange feeling that something was wrong - besides the terrible headache. As he opened his eyes he realised, he couldn't see. He wanted to lift his hands to feel why, but he couldn't. That's when he remembered. The test!
"Shit!", he mumbled, not sure if someone else was in the room, but with a strange feeling that he was being watched. He was tied to a chair. With some ropes holding his wrists to the armrests and some holding his ankles to the chair's legs. There even were ropes holding his upper body to the backrest. And of course the blindfold that kept him from seeing where he was being held.
"Yeah, you could say it like that, elfling", a voice said. It sounded like the person was trying very hard not to laugh. Oh great, he had gotten one of those sadistic ones. But the voice also sounded strangely familiar and as he felt that the ropes around his broken ankle were looser than the others, he wasn't so sure about the sadistic part anymore. He still thought about who that voice belonged to when he heard the person stepping closer.
"You could make this easy for the both of us and just give me your name, little elfling", the voice whispered. And that was the very moment he realised who that was. He felt himself blushing as he felt the hand on his shoulder. It was warm through his sleeping shirt. Then he realised he was only wearing his sleeping clothes and blushed even more. He sat there, all tied up and in his sleeping clothes, in front of the guy he had had a crush on since he first saw him when they both started their training to become assassins. This had to be a fucking dream! But as he pulled against the ropes at his wrists and felt the pain from the rough material on his skin, he knew it was real. Well, shit! He didn't want to make Runaan fail, but he had no choice. He had to pass. He had to. For his parents, who were killed defending the border. For his sister, who had already tried to take revenge by becoming an assassin, but was killed on her first mission, because the rest of the group abandoned her. For his younger sister Anora, who killed herself after losing nearly all of her family. He couldn't - no, he wouldn't fail! And if that meant to break his own heart by shattering the only dream of the guy he loved, then so be it.
Runaan didn't know why he had to do this. So he wouldn't go easy on him. He would try everything in his power to make Ethari say his name.
"I will not make this easy for you. If you want something, you'll have to try harder than that", Ethari answered.
"Fine. So you choose the hard way", Runaan said and Ethari heard how he turned around and walked away. He was sure Runaan wanted him to hear his footsteps, because he knew he could walk without making a single sound.
Runaan was surprised when he saw Ethari's face turning red. He looked kind of cute like that. And that didn't include just him blushing. When he didn't give in however, Runaan wasn't surprised. He had heard rumours about his reasons to become an assassin even though the younger elf never actually talked about his past. He let his head fall in disappointment. He didn't want to hurt him. But then he saw something interesting. That little elfling was enjoying this. And by the look on his face Ethari knew who had kidnapped him by now. Runaan wondered if Ethari would also enjoy it, if it would be someone else or if this was more of a reaction to him being the one who had him captured. He hoped it would be the second one. However, he had to leave the room to discuss how far he was allowed to go. He muttered a threat and walked away, making sure Ethari would hear his footsteps.
Only two of their trainers were watching through a one-way-mirror. One for each of them. They would decide if the participant they were responsible for would pass. Independent of each other.
"Is something wrong, Runaan?", one of them asked.
"I… I'm not sure. He seems to… I'm not sure, but I think he likes this. I think he's enjoying being tied up and at someone's mercy", Runaan answered hesitantly. He couldn't tell them, Ethari knew who he was. "Also… I have a crush on him. I'm not sure if I can hurt him."
The other one, a woman turned to face him. "If you can't interrogate someone no matter how you feel about them, then you will fail this test, Runaan."
"I understand", Runaan answered. "I will give my best. I won't fail."
"As for your suspicions about him. You may use that against him", the first one explained.
"You want me to… to rape him?", Runaan asked, not believing what he had just heard.
"Do you really think the enemy wouldn't use this method? Besides… he knew about the possibilities. And he knows how to end it. He just has to say his name", the man said.
"And you will… watch? Isn't that… you know… inappropriate?" Runaan was not sure about this. Not sure at all.
"No. Of course we won't watch. We will undo the spell on the mirror and just listen", one of them said, while the other made a move and the mirror turned into a normal mirror showing their own reflections.
Runaan nodded hesitantly and turned around. He took a small moment to breathe and opened the door.
Ethari hadn't heard the footsteps this time. So he was surprised to hear Runaan's voice whispering this close to his ear.
"Don't talk. Just nod or stay still. Do you know who I am?"
Ethari thought about it for a second. He was not supposed to know. But maybe they would stop the test if he knew. Then he wouldn’t be the one who made Runaan fail after all. He nodded.
He heard Runaan sigh as if he was relieved.
"Do you have feelings for me?"
He felt himself blushing again and heard a soft laugh.
"I'll take that as a yes. But you know what? I have those feelings too."
Ethari couldn't believe his ears. Was this a trick? Some kind of sick joke to make him give in? It sure was a strange time to confess your feelings. But then again. Runaan had made sure he knew who he was before telling him. If it was a joke he would be able to hold it against him for the rest of their lives. So maybe it was true?
"Is it okay for you if I fuck you?", Runaan asked. He quickly added: "It wasn't my idea. They said threatening a prisoner to rape them would be a common method the enemy wouldn't hesitate to use. And I won't do it if it's not okay for you."
"Do they know that you're asking for my permission?", Ethari softly whispered back.
"I told you not to talk, little elfling", Runaan whispered, sounding amused.
Ethari was blushing yet again. Somehow he liked being called 'little elfling'.
"No, they don't. They're not watching anymore. As long as they can't hear us talking, they won't know", Runaan explained. "So, is it okay for you? I don't want to force you, but I think they will let you pass, when you don't give in while you believe I would threaten to rape you."
"So you won't go easy on me, babe? It's my first time after all", Ethari whispered with an amused undertone. Of course it wasn't. And he knew Runaan knew that it wasn't. But if they had to go that far it would very much be his first time while being tied to a chair.
Runaan laughed softly. "Sorry, I can't. It would be suspicious, if you wouldn't beg for mercy. You don't want them to see you like that, do you?"
Ethari thought about that. Would it be so bad, if someone saw him on his knees for Runaan? He had flirted with half of the elves in Silvergrove and had been fucked by most of them anyway. But seemingly Runaan took his hesitating as a 'no', because he continued to talk.
"So I'm sorry, but I will have to make you scream and beg."
"Good luck with that. You have no idea who you're messing with. Go on and try, but you won't be able to make me talk like that", Ethari answered.
He heard Runaan take a step back and felt him fumbling with the ropes around his feet.
"Hey, what are you doing? Don't touch me, you sick bastard!", Ethari yelled and as soon as he felt the ropes falling off of his not broken ankle, he kicked Runaan in the stomach. Luckily he knew how tall he was and could aim without seeing him. He heard Runaan stumble backwards. He grunted in pain and for a moment Ethari was afraid he would have kicked too low. But then Runaan quickly walked back towards him and grabbed him by his horns.
"Don't you dare try that again or your ankle won't be the only broken bone", he threatened. "Just tell me your name and I will let you live after I had my fun with you."
Ethari played shocked. "You want to… No, please don't! You can't do this to me! Please!" He struggled against the ropes binding his wrists. He kept telling himself that it was just for the show, but he was actually enjoying the rough ropes biting into his skin, leaving bloody scratches that would remind him of this for days.
"Oh, I will. Unless you tell me your name", Runaan said in a low tone. It sounded like a promise.
Ethari actually seemed to enjoy it. Technically he wouldn't have to pull against the ropes. Or have that frightened look in his face. Nobody was seeing them after all. But Runaan found it cute that he struggled so desperately, when he clearly gave his consent.
"Shut up! Unless you have something useful to say!" He let go of his horns and hit him across the face. Hard enough that it was audible and would sting for a few moments. He feared he would have overstepped a boundary, but then he heard a soft voice whispering just one word: "Harder." That little elfling liked the pain. So he did as he was told and hit him harder. He wasn't sure if this could count as interrogation anymore or if it already was turning into foreplay. Or who was actually controlling the situation.
"I will make you beg for mercy. I will make you scream for help and wish that someone, anyone would break down those doors to rescue you. But nobody will hear your screams. You are mine now, little elfling", Runaan said looking down at the shuddering elf in front of him.
"Please- please don't. I don't want to. Please don't touch me. You can't do that. It's just a test after all. They won't let you", Ethari begged, again trying to get out of the ropes holding his wrists. Runaan even saw tears running down his face. The tears made him hesitate, but then he remembered that they technically could be watched.
"You know what to do then…", Runaan said in a casual way. "All you have to do is to tell me your name."
"I can't", Ethari cried. “Please. I really can’t tell you.”
Runaan hit him again. “So, what?” He waited a few moments and when he got no answer he pulled out his training blade and held it to Ethari’s throat, which made him stop struggling immediately. “Do you wanna die, little elfling? 'Cause when you really won't talk then you’re of no use to me.”
“Yes, I would rather die than tell you anything, sick bastard!”, Ethari snapped.
The door opened. “That’s enough. We have come to a conclusion”, the woman said. Runaan feared this would be the end of his career as an assassin, but at least he had made sure that Ethari would pass his test.
The man stepped in behind the woman. “A rather unusual conclusion, actually”, he said. “Runaan, would you be so kind as to untie him?”
“Yes, please. These ropes are kinda rough. And if you don’t mind, could you remove your blade from my throat?”, Ethari asked in a confident way.
“Oh, yeah, of course”, Runaan mumbled, putting his sword back to where it belonged. Then he kneeled down and opened the knots on the ropes.
As Ethari pulled the blindfold off, he burst out laughing and Runaan feared he would reveal their little trick.
When Ethari saw which trainers were watching the test, he started laughing. Those idiots! They had only passed their tests last year and had gotten married right after that. And besides that, they had been his friends, ever since he moved here to leave his past behind. They had tried to protect him from the very beginning, even if they knew he was perfectly capable of protecting himself.
“How did you two manage to be the ones who get to decide which of us passes?”, he asked, still laughing.
“Well, she can be quite convincing. And maybe the ones that actually were supposed to be here, got hurt a few hours ago and we were the only ones who could take over.” He shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal. As if he wouldn’t have just confessed that they had broken every possible rule to make sure they could be here. Which could be considered as manipulating the test.
“I really feel like I had an unfair advantage here”, Ethari said.
“Oh, don’t worry. Our decision is as fair as possibly - well possible”, he answered.
“Wait a moment. What’s going on here? You know each other? And you told me to-”, Runaan asked, sounding completely confused.
“Oh yeah, that…”, she said. “Since we know each other - as you correctly assumed - we knew about his feelings for you. And then you told us, you had a crush on him. It was just too good to be true. We had never planned to let you get so far as to actually do it. And as he said -” She pointed to her partner. “- our decision was made independently of our friendship.”
“Oh, so now you don’t only know each other, you are actual friends! Great! Really great!”, Runaan muttered, throwing his arms in the air. Then he turned to Ethari and glared at him.
“Hey, I didn’t know it’d be them. How should I have known?”, Ethari said, trying to calm him down.
“Was this all some kind of joke? Everything you said - was just you making fun of me?” Runaan actually looked hurt now.
“No!”, Ethari said, stumbling over to Runaan, who angrily turned away from him to face the wall. “Everything I said there -” He pointed at the chair and laid his other hand on Runaan’s hip. “- was nothing but the truth. I love you, Runaan. Do you really think I could have faked that? Do you really think I -” He was interrupted by Runaan’s lips on his. At first he was surprised, but then he leaned into him and laid his other arm around him as well, while Runaan held the collar of his sleeping shirt as if it was everything that kept him from falling into a deep, dark hole.
After a moment a voice said: “Don’t you wanna hear your results?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not angry at you”, Runaan said, after breaking the kiss. He turned around. “No need to. I already know that I failed. But that’s a price I’m willing to pay.” He waved it off and started to walk out of the room. Ethari was speechless as he just looked after him, as he left.
As Runaan wanted to leave the room, the woman stopped him with a hand on his chest.
“Not so fast”, she said. “You both passed. It’s unusual, but not impossible. Both of you have proven yourselves. Runaan in doing what was expected of him, even if his feelings told him to stop and Ethari in refusing to give in under pressure like this.”
Well, this was a surprise. Runaan had never heard of anything like it. Some tests where both failed, yes sure. But both passing? That hadn’t happened before - at least not in a long time. But then again... They were supposed to decide independently of each other, so why should they not be able to both decide to let their candidate pass?
He turned to Ethari, who looked kinda proud. “I knew you would make it, Runaan. You were always the best in nearly all classes”, he said.
Runaan laughed. “Yeah. But only in those, where you were in another class. If you had been awake, when I entered your room you would have easily defeated me.”
“But I wasn’t. Because you came at a time, when you were sure I’d be sleeping and were quiet enough to not wake me. You used your advantages. You knew you were stronger and I wouldn’t be able to slip away if you would get me by surprise. And by making sure I was unconscious, you made sure I wouldn’t be able to escape. You deserved to pass this test, Runaan.” He slowly walked over to Runaan. “You defeated me. Fair and square. I really hope you'll never be my enemy.”
Runaan gently held a hand to Ethari’s cheek. “Even if I were, I would never hurt you. I would show you I’m still stronger than you and then let you go”, he whispered. “Unless you are a traitor. Then I’d make sure they turn you into a ghost, drag you back home, tell everyone I would have killed you and lock you up in my basement.” He smiled.
“Is that a threat or a promise?”, Ethari asked, smiling back at him.
"Besides, how can it be fair, when you weren't even able to fight me with your broken ankle?"
A year later they got married. On their first mission, Runaan was made the commander even if it’s unusual to have someone this young command a mission. Runaan and Ethari would both have been capable of becoming commander, but since Ethari had proven to have problems following orders and rules, unless the orders came from Runaan, he was made Runaan’s second in command. Something that carried on throughout all of their future missions.