The guard on his left snarled at Holden, showing his ogre-esque teeth. Resisting the urge to cringe at the poor hygiene, he grinned at the guard, thus earning yet another smack on the back of the head from spear-guy. Holden dropped his head back down to his chest, still smiling like the little ball of rebellion he loved to be. 

Two more guards, looking even more threatening and muscular than the ones at his side stood in front of a set of shining golden doors. When did that get there?  Holden couldn't remember seeing it when he had been down the hall... Maybe he was too self-absorbed to notice it. 

Just as the doors began to open, he was pushed to the floor by one of his guards. Holden squeezed his eyes shut and tried his best to ignore how long it must have been since the floors in the little piece of dungeon he apparently now called home had been cleaned. Instead, he focused on the footsteps in front of him. Cringing against the pain in his neck and now freshly-scraped cheek, he opened his eyes. 

Having been knocked onto his stomach, all he could see was a shimmering golden robe cascading towards the guards. There seemed to be some sort of argument going on between the guards and this new person, but he couldn't tell what was going on. Hearing two sharp slaps and similar whimpers, Holden guessed that the guards had been punished for something. 

Suddenly, the restraints around Holden's wrists and ankles seemed to dissolve. He shook his shoulders and tried to push himself up, only succeeding in hurting his biceps, which had been out of use for the time he had been stuck in his cell. Luckily, the being in the golden robe helped him up gently. Uttering a practically muted thank you, Holden regained his composure and balance so he could walk a bit more steadily. 

Finally he looked over at this kind-of-helpful-golden-robe-person, wondering what they looked like. Their face was covered with the shimmering robe, filled with shadow. The bigger guards opened the set of doors once again, and Holden was plunged into bright white and shining gold that pained his eyes. He shied away from the light, turning his head back towards the dungeon. 

The cloaked figure said, in a deep voice, "Sorry, I hadn't realized how long you had been in there." Surprised, Holden looked back up at this mysterious person-thing. A hand grabbed his and pulled him gently out into the hallway.

"You spea-" Holden began, stopping himself in awe of his scratchy, high-pitched voice.

"Don't trouble yourself. Loggin, do get him some water, will you?" One of the guards nodded and stomped off, flat-footed and serious. 

Once the guard had left, the hooded figure turned back to him and pulled off their hood. Holden couldn't stop himself from gasping. The man was...

"Beautiful..." he croaked, his mouth wide in awe. The man smiled, almost seemed to blush. 

"Thank you, I don't get that very often. Anyway, I apologize sincerely for the way those brutes treated you. I told them to go easy on you, I swear I did. And in their language, too! You wouldn't believe how many complaints we get from our prisoners, especially the ones on death row, always saying how they don't get fed enough and honestly, the toiletries in there are truly atrocious..." The man continued to rant as Holden stared, smiling. He couldn't help himself. The man was... he was...

"Yes, fully human, I know, I know. I cannot tell you how many odd looks I get on the street, truly embarrassing, truly..." 

"You... read minds too?" Holden spoke, coughing and sputtering pathetically afterwards. 

"Oh, no no no, you just tend to mutter. Truly an odd tic, don't you think? So many people mutter. Animals tend not to, though, as I've noticed. I wonder why? Perhaps it's instinctual, though I don't know the purpose. Truly magnificent, our species. Not compared to the others, oh no, we are simple creatures compared to the magnificent ones, we are. The King for example, so noble and valiant. Oh, and Mother? Utter perfection I tell yo-" Before the man could go on, the guard handed him a cup, golden just like everything else, with a white ring around the rim. It was filled to the brim with water, clear and sparkling. Holden would have drooled if his tongue hadn't resembled the Sahara.

"Why are you giving me this? Oh, Holden, you deserve it, here..." he gulped down the water greedily as the man struggled to remember what he was talking about. "Yes, yes, I should introduce myself, silly me. I am Naebruth Bolir of the Royal Guard, but you can call me Nae." Nae closed his eyes and smiled, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. His skin was a beautiful color, like the sun shining through honey, an expensive and rare delicacy that Holden had once seen being sold while passing by the castle. Was this the castle? The halls were golden, with intricate designs carved into them, and the windows were tall and rimmed in white. The ceiling was a mural that Holden could barely see, the ceiling was so tall. He turned back to Nae. His eyes were just as beautiful as his skin, light brown irises seeming to float in big, almost-round eyes. He remembered those eyes from somewhere... Yes, he had seen them in a picture. The man was Vietnamese, he must have been. Except... his hair was black and filled with curls that looked as if they had been aggravated, stuck in that hood. Oh, and his lips... they were pink and full and made Holden slightly sexually confused. He had just learned the guy's name and he already wanted to kiss him? Maybe Holden was just a hoe, but this man was tempting. Tall, dark, and handsome... yes please he thought to himself, still staring at the man's lips. 

"Yoo-hoo! Anybody home?" Nae was still grinning and, Holden now noticed considering he was feeling all warm and tingly and weird, holding  his hand. "Why are you biting your lip? You're going to cut it, dummy!" Nae reached a golden-gloved hand forward and placed his hand under Holden's chin. He pulled gently on Holden's lip with his thumb, freeing it from his teeth. 

A shock went through Holden's body, and not the good kind. Whimpering, he stumbled. Nae clasped his hands over his mouth, spewing apologies faster than Holden had ever heard anyone speak. "It tends to do that, I didn't mean it, I truly am sorry, truly..."

Okay okay guys you got your gay and don't worry, there's going to be a crap ton more gay but right now I have to go, so I truly am sorry, truly... Should be introducing Mother Nature next chapter...I'm trying to decide how I'm going to really write this, I think I'm actually going to really start off the story next chapter.... that or Mother Nature. You'll see. Hope you liked it! Comment any constructive criticisms you have for me, thank you! Smooches!!