Chapter 3
They didn't have to walk long when the two men arrived at a small clearing. The place was quiet, but since it was higher, they had a wonderful view of the golden city. In the distance, the palace loomed majestically and the streets of the surrounding city were bright and colourfully lit. He could even hear the singing and the laughter of the celebrating people. Thor had been to the great forests many times before, but this peaceful spot had been hidden from him.
Slowly, he turned to the stranger, who was standing right next to him and also enjoyed the beautiful view. Still the hood of his cape hung deep in his face and hid his handsome features. Carefully, he raised his hand and reached for the piece of fabric to take it off, so he could see his guest better. When his fingers touched the other's cheek, he jumped. The stranger recoiled a bit in shock.
"Why are you hiding your face?"
Only then did Thor realize that the other man hadn't even take off his cape willingly. Had he to hide from someone or was he on the run? But why did he go public on such a day when he knew that today was one of the biggest holidays of the whole realm. Thor therefor slid his hand back onto the man's shoulder to show him that he didn't have to be afraid while he was in his presence and his intentions seemed to be working because under his palms, he could clearly feel the stranger relaxing.
His new friend gently took Thor's hand into his own. He could feel the soft skin, which made him guess that the other man was no hard-working person, because people like blacksmiths, farmers or someone like him had calloused hands through years of training. Maybe he worked in the palace, was one of the noble men or a consultant of the court.
"Does it matter?"
His silky voice tore Thor out of his thoughts. Of course, it wasn't important right now, but he was curious. He had never met another man who had immediately captured his imagination. The moment he first saw the stranger, he had only eyes for the young man.
"No."
The other man chuckled.
"You just think too much. But maybe we can change that."
With these words, the black-haired man approached him and let his hands continue to slide upwards, to his shoulders. Thor was fascinated and could only watch helplessly. It was as if the stranger had robbed him of the last remnants of his mind. He could clearly feel his hands reaching his neck and gently squeezing it there. An exited, almost joyful hum, was heard from the other man. The next thing, he realized was that he gently pulled him closer and their lips touched.
It was like a firework. The stranger's lips were as soft and gentle as his skin. Even though they barely touched, it was better than anything Thor had experienced before. Through the light breeze, he could smell the perfume of the other man, because he noticed how a pleasant mixture of honey and rich herbs rose into his nose. Inspired by this little touch, Thor's body began to move. Carefully, he put one hand around the lean waist of the dark-haired man and placed the other hand on his cheek.
Thor didn't know how much time had passed and he couldn't care less. He boldly pulled the young man as close to him as possible and began to move his lips against the others. To his delight, he was rewarded with a joyful sigh.
He never wanted to end the kiss, but at some point the two of them had to catch their breath again. Panting, they looked at each other. Through her passionate touches, the hood of the stranger had slipped down and the sight, that was offered to him, almost took his breath away. In front of him stood a man who looked at him with surprised and yet satisfied eyes, his lips were swollen and his pale cheekes had taken on a red glow. He couldn't describe it any differently, the man in front of him was beautiful in every way.
Thor didn't know what to do next. His thumbs were still caressing the other's face. So close, he almost felt like only the two men existed in the universe, everything else had become unimportant. Only one person caught his attention. Softly, he smoothed the black curls beheind the stranger's ear and leaned down.
"Who are you?"
Unfortunately, he got no answer, on the contrary, his question was punished with long silence. When he looked at the young man, he saw a sad smile on his face. The stranger searched for his eyes and Thor's heart nearly broke. The emeralds, which had looked at him with joy moments ago, now took on a different expression. Regret.
"I wish I could tell you."
The other man's hand grabbed a stone that was as black as his hair. He closed his fist tightly around the object and suddenly a green glow appeared. Thor was amazed to see how the stone became a small figure.
"Thank you for the evening, Thor."
With these words, he placed the small, stony snake with green eyes, as Thor could see now, into his palms. With a fluid movement of the other's hands, his hood hung deep into his face again and the stranger went back towards the forest.
For the first moment Thor was frozen. Was that really happening? But when he ran after the young man and wanted to stop him, he realized with a start that there was no one to be seen.
The stranger was gone.