Freyr's walk back home was uncharacteristically miserable. He felt weak and tired like he had just been through strenuous exercise or one of his early training sessions. The assassin sighed in relief as he finally arrived at his home, finding some comfort in seeing the etched door with the black rose-shaped door knocker. Lifting the metal knocker, he used it four times in rapid succession to signal the servant of his arrival. It did not take long for the door to open. Standing there was a much taller and slightly younger Seraphim. A halo surrounded his head and a pair of wings sat tucked on his back. Flowing locks of black hair covered his forehead and steel colored eyes stared down at Freyr. Then, that usual pleasant smile.
"Welcome back home, Master!" Said the Seraphim in his usual cheery tone. All Freyr did was nod and walk past him. Taking off the ankle coverings, he took a step up and entered the foyer. Glancing at the fountain and the portrait of his mother in the wall opposite him, he went straight for his room down the hall. Concerned, Kåre, his servant, ran behind him.
"Is something the matter, Master?" He asked, with a concerned tone that Freyr had become all too familiar with. Opening the door to his room, he turned to face Kåre.
"Nothing." The assassin said plainly before walking over to his bed and sitting on the edge. Glancing back at Kåre, he noticed the Seraphim was wearing an apron over his usual suit. "What were you doing before I arrived?"
A routine question, and hearing Kåre speak was better than the deafening silence that usually befell Freyr's home. Less time for his mind to wander.
"Cleaning up the kitchen, Master. I was looking at a recipe for chocolates from a book in your library. I thought to make them as a surprise for you, but I wasn't sure if you liked chocolates." The Seraphim placed his hands in front of him, clasping them together. "I made quite the mess as I prepared them, I cleaned it up though."
Chocolates sounded good right about now. Something sweet to distract the nerves. "Good. Keep working on that." He said, as he removed the chest piece of his armor, along with the other pieces, leaving Freyr in only his small clothes. Once he was free from the heavy outfit, he laid down on the bed and took a deep breath. He had been waiting to do this for hours. It was nice to finally lay in something comfortable. Especially after he laid on a piece of cloth on the ground for hours after he was injured.
"Master?" Kåre spoke up, approaching the bed. The Seraphim wanted to ask how things went. If the battle was a success. But, Freyr had prohibited the Seraphim from asking such things. He was curious about it, but respected his owner's decision to not share those details with him. Even if he just wanted to praise his Master for a job well done. "Should I prepare some dinner? Perhaps some kedgeree or terrine? Or maybe a bisque? You love those!"
"No thanks, Kåre. I'm not hungry." Freyr groaned as he sat up again. After walking such a long distance and the accident, his body was aching like never before. His back burned, his legs threatened to give way and his arms felt weak. To summarize, he was exhausted. Passing a hand through his hair, he stood up and nearly tumbled to the floor if it wasn't for Kåre's timely intervention.
"Are you okay, Master? Should I send for a doctor?" Seeing him nearly fall like that, made Kåre's heart beat faster. Was he sick again?
"No." Freyr said, promptly releasing himself from Kåre's grasp and heading for the bathroom. His servant followed, arranging a chair for him to sit down while he turned on the candles to give them some light with a nearby match.
"Should I prepare you a bath then?"
Kåre asked, trying not to assume the worse. Wouldn't be the first time his Master asked for something like this. Though usually, he preferred something simple along with his hookah and cocktail of drugs. "And bring you the-"
"No." Freyr lifted his hand up to cut Kåre off. "No more of that. Just… the bath will do fine."
After what happened to him and Kåre's arrival, the assassin decided to try and get clean. Even when he wasn't sure he could make it, he at least had to try. He couldn't fix things and rise to the top if he was dead. The decision to do so had been a knee-jerk reaction to his overdose. Something told him that either he needed to cut down on consumption or simply go clean. He decided on the latter.
With a smile, the Seraphim happily obliged. Searching one of the cabinets, he produced a bottle of flower-scented soap and opened the bathtub's faucet to fill it up with warm water. As it did, he glanced at Freyr who seemed lost in his own thoughts. Once the bath was ready, Freyr reached for his underwear to remove them, dropping them without a second thought. With much effort, he entered the tub and slowly lowered himself into the water, sighing as he felt his muscles relax the moment he submerged himself. Resting his head against a small pillow that rested on the marble base holding the bathtub, he closed his eyes.
Seeing his Master relax, made Kåre smile. At least Freyr could rest easier tonight. Believing that perhaps his Master wanted to be alone, as he often did, he turned and walked to the door.
"Have I dismissed you?" Freyr said, his voice echoing across the stone walls with a reprimanding tone. This immediately made Kåre turn around and lower his head, placing himself in a submissive position.
"N-no Master, you haven't. I apologize." It was rare for Kåre to make stupid mistakes like that. Thankfully, his Master was merciful, though he had been punished before. He knew not to take advantage of his Master's kindness and generosity.
"Take off that apron and sit down on that chair. I…" Freyr paused, unsure if he should come off as so weak to his own house slave. However, at the end of the day, it was his word against a mere servant. What was the harm? "...I don't want to be alone right now."
With a silent nod, Kåre removed his apron, folded it and placed it in a corner. Then, he sat down as ordered. For a few minutes, the two sat there in silence. With only the occasional noise of moving water every time Freyr switched positions.
"Tell me about your day, Kåre."
Freyr's voice made Kåre look down to see his Master looking back. He felt honoured in a way, it was rare for his Master to ask about such things. After all, he was but a mere servant. Even if he thought those things were beneath his owner, he obeyed regardless.
"Well…" He began by describing his morning in detail. Kåre went on and on about how much he enjoyed making breakfast for Freyr before he left for the battle. As he spoke about the rest of the day as if it were some new and exciting adventure, Freyr couldn't help but pay attention. While he originally wanted to just hear a voice that wasn't his own, he found himself invested in the Seraphim's little story. Kåre spoke about how fun he found his cleaning duties, explaining how honoured he was to keep Freyr's memento's and artwork clean of dust. He also seemed fond of cooking and even doing laundry. Watering the plants in Freyr's garden seemed to be his favourite pass time, sounding delighted every time he spoke about it. When he was done, he had spoken for about two hours.
"Thank you, Kåre." Freyr said, his words coming off as rarely genuine.
"For what, Master?" He asked, standing as he saw his Mastee attempt to leave the bathtub and step into the rug outside. With some help, Freyr was able to get out of the water and onto his feet. Grabbing a towel for him, Kåre looked on as his owner dried himself.
"For telling me about your day. I didn't know you had so much fun by yourself while I'm gone."
As Freyr exited and returned to his room, Kåre felt like he had offended him somehow. Following him, the Seraphim dropped to his knees, placing his forehead to the ground.
"Please, Master forgive me. I did not intend to offend you."
Freyr turned, towel still in hand to look down at the apologetic Seraphim. Tossing the towel on the floor, he walked over to Kåre and sighed.
"When did I say you offended me, Kåre?" He asked, sounding annoyed.
Kåre shook his head. "Never, Master…"
Sighing, he crouched and placed a hand on Kåre's head. "Then that means I wasn't. The next time you assume something like that, you will be punished. Understand?"
"I understand." Replied Kåre, staying in that position until he felt Freyr's hand leave him. Looking up, he saw Freyr move the covers of the bed and climb on. Laying on his side, his Master pulled the covers toward him as Kåre stood up.
"Is there anything else you require tonight, Master?"
"No, thanks." Before Kåre could turn to leave, Freyr changed his mind. "On second thought, go to the library and fetch me that book I have been meaning to read."
The mentioning of that specific book, made Kåre's face lit up.
"The one about the Fotia lovers!?"
The servant's excitement was obvious, though by the look on Freyr's face, Kåre realized he was perhaps being a bit too loud. "Sorry, I'll go get it."
It did not take long for Kåre to head over to the library, pick out the red-coloured book and return to Freyr bedroom. Picking out a chair, Kåre sat down next to Freyr's bed and opened the book.
"Chapter 1-" He began, "The Sunrise."
Kåre read to Freyr over an hour, sometimes glancing over the cover of the book to see if his Master had fallen asleep or not. Then, as he approached the third chapter, he looked to see that Freyr had finally fallen asleep. Silently, he closed the book and placed it on the night table. Moving the chair to a corner where it wasn't in the way, Kåre walked over to Freyr and leaned down to kiss his forehead.
"Good night, Master."
Before he could depart, he felt a strong hand grip his arm. Turning, he saw Freyr, half-asleep staring back at him.
"I did not tell you to leave…" Said the Nayu, "Sleep with me."
Reluctantly, Kåre accepted, removing his coat, folding it and placing it at the foot of the bed. Going around, he lifted the covers and slid in. As soon as he did, Freyr rolled over and clinged to him, placing his head on the Seraphim's chest.
"You're warm…" Freyr muttered again, before falling asleep. While he thought this all to be wrong, Kåre accepted it without question. Who was he to soil his Master's bed with his presence? Or even touch him in his nude state. This place should have been occupied by a wife or a husband. Someone worthy to share such an intimate moment with Freyr. Not him. Even if he was against it, he dared not disobey. After all, who was he to question his Master?