Chapter Text
Prologue
November 1726—Ontario
In the year 1726, Kingston, Ontario was a Northern Canadian principality ruled by King David and Queen Yuna. Their son, Prince Shane—the heir to the realm—felt his patience wearing dangerously thin. He’d been tracking a wild boar through the autumn forest for over an hour with no luck. Shane was aware of his own skills, he knew that this shouldn’t have persisted itself as such a difficult task. Despite all of this, the boar managed to slip from his grasp. Learning that he’d been outmaneuvered by a hired castle guard—a Russian named Ilya Rozanov—irritated him more than he could’ve ever dared to admit out loud.
Ilya, who not only seemed to be stronger, but also faster than Shane had somehow intercepted every shot, leap, and move that Shane attempted to make. Days like these made Shane hate the fact that his parents ever hired as big of an asshole as Ilya. There was clear tension between them, so Shane thought. In reality, Ilya had no knowledge of this “tension” between them. The two of them happened to be two of the best hunters in the nation, but Ilya always ended up being ranked first. It was so irritating to him. So, this year, Shane was gonna make sure that changed.
Shane stood in a heavily wooded area in the forest, packing up his things to head back to the castle. As he turned to leave with his things in hand, he was stunned to see a sweaty Ilya Rozanov without his knight gear, holding his bow with one hand as he leaned against a tree, heavily panting. It was clear that he’d been waiting for Shane to turn around, so when he did, Ilya stood up straighter out of respect and spoke out to him, his Russian accent heavy.
“How was hunt, Your Highness?” Ilya asked with subtle taunt in his words, his icy blue eyes locked on the princes as they seemingly sparkled with a glint of malice. Shane's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of it, hoping that the lighting of the scenery that surrounded them was playing tricks on his mind. His lips trembled with anger as he glared back at the guard, not caring if his irritation was visible on his face. Although, he’d never been one to show it plainly on his face like that. His grip on his belongings tightened, his glare still locked on Rozanov’s eyes.
He stared like that for a few more seconds before inhaling the air around them. As he exhaled, his grip untightened and his glare subsided, his face returning back to the blank state it usually carried throughout the years before he finally responded. “We both know very well how my hunt went, Sir Rozanov.” He replied back, trying his best to hide the irritation in his voice. “I'm Sorry, Your Highness.” Ilya said, trying to make it sound as genuine as possible.
“No you’re not.” The prince said flatly. He then took his gaze off the knight to hoist his bag of belongings up so that they’d sit more securely on his back. When he turned his gaze back to Ilya, the guard was still staring at him. Shane ran his gaze over the knight, pausing to look at the way his muscles glistened in the setting sun through different gaps in the trees. His eyes then continued to travel up, landing on Ilya's neck, watching the way his Adam’s apple moved up and down when he swallowed..when he spoke…When…he ..spoke?
“Your Highness!” Said Ilya, louder than usual as he was trying to gain the prince's attention.
“Ah, fuck.” Shane muttered to himself as he snapped out of it, blinking a bit before turning his gaze away and sniffling. “Yes, Sir Rozanov?” He said with a slight shake in his voice that prompted him to quickly clear his throat to cover up the fact that it shook in the first place.
“Your bag. I will carry, yes?”
“Oh, yes. That would be nice.” Shane said, his voice returning back to normal with each word he got out.
Ilya stepped towards the prince, leaves crunching under his feet as he got closer. Shane's heart began beating faster, though he had no clue why. Once he was but an arms length away he nodded at the prince with a pursed smile and carefully took the bag off of his back, putting it onto his own. The interaction caused the prince's breath to hitch, something that did not go unnoticed by Ilya, but he chose to ignore it. He gave Prince Shane a bow before turning on his heel and walking towards the forest exit where their horses would be waiting for them. Prince Shane followed closely behind.
Chapter one
June 1727— St. Laurent Hold, Ontario
Prince Shane was abruptly awoken by a loud “Happy Birthday, Shane,” causing him to jump out of his sleep. His parents—the King and Queen—had decided to surprise him early today. It was no later than ten o’clock in the morning. Shane desperately tried to collect himself from the clutches that his slumber still held on him as his parents continued chatting about his birthday and their plans for him today. He brushed his hair back and yawned, trying to be coherent to all the rambling he was hearing.
Unbeknownst to him, Ilya the guard was standing right outside. And though he wasn’t supposed to, he peered into the prince's chambers discreetly. He got just enough of a glimpse of Prince Shane, the queen, and the king. He originally peered in to make sure Shane was okay since he hadn’t said a word yet. However, upon a longer glance at him, his eyes locked on the linen shirt that Shane wore. Four buttons at the top were undone, he must’ve slept wildly the night before.
When the prince moved his hand to brush his own hair back, Ilya couldn’t help but notice the prince's nipple peering out of the shirt as his hand moved in his hair. The sight made Ilya's breath stifle and his eyes flutter. He shut down any thoughts in his mind before they had the chance to fully form as he whipped back around to return to his post outside of the prince’s chambers, forcing himself to breathe normally again.
But his peering didn't go unnoticed. Shane's gaze quickly moved to the entrance of his chambers due to seeing blonde curls move quickly away from sight. He didn’t mention it to his parents, but he knew exactly who it was.
Sir Rozanov.
“Shane? Shane!” His mother exclaimed out loud to him, once again, snapping him back to reality.
“Yes, mother?”
“Did you hear me? I said we’d see you at breakfast. Get dressed quickly. Make haste before it gets cold!”
“Yes mother, I’m on my way.” Shane called out to his already departing parents. As they left the room, the King pulled the prince's door closed behind himself. Nodding at Ilya as a greeting while they walked past him.
Shane pulled himself out of bed, groaning as he did so. Once he managed to get himself out of bed, he got dressed quickly. Just like his mother requested. He decided to wear lighter attire today due to his own plans of going to his private training hall after breakfast to put in some extra work. He walked towards his chamber door and pulled it open before stepping out, pulling it closed behind him just as his father did minutes before.
He didn’t look up until he was in the hallway. But someone else happened to be in the hallway as well, standing stilled and silently.
“Hello, Your Highness.” Said Ilya in a flat, dry tone.
“Hi.” all he said back as a response, it sounded like the midground of a greeting and a question in one; like Shane was confused about something. And he was.
He wondered why the knight spoke to him in the first place, but he was also wondering why the male sounded so..uninterested in speaking to him. Why speak if you’re gonna be dry?
“So..I’m assuming that you’re escorting me to breakfast?” He said, already knowing the answer. This was their daily routine anyway, why would it change all of the sudden?
“Da.” The knight would say. One word, one syllable, zero fucks to give about this conversation clearly.
The prince scoffed at the response and began walking towards the dining parlour, keeping his posture perfect and his emotions composed although he was somewhat upset, and through all of this, Ilya walked behind him, hands crossed behind his back, three paces behind like always. When Shane finally sat down in the dining hall with his parents, he raised a hand and flicked it at Ilya, signaling that he was free to go. However, his father cleared his throat abnormally louder than usual and raised his hand, signaling for Ilya to stay. This caused a wave of confusion to appear on Shane’s face.
His father broke their usual routine. Just before he was about to ask why, his father suddenly spoke, breaking the silence that was looming.
“So, Shane. My son! You’re nineteen.” His father said.
“Um..yes.” He replied back. Was his father asking or telling him his age? Why was he stating the obvious?
“You’re getting closer and closer to the throne and your mother and I want you to be as strong as possible. Not just in terms of brute strength, but also intellect.”
“Father, why are you telling me this? I know tha—”
“Sir Rozanov will no longer only be a guard, but also your Master-at-arms.” Said his father, like it meant nothing
Shane's body went stiff for a moment, returning back to normal almost immediately. Though he couldn’t hide his emotions due to his hand shaking, causing his utensil to hit the plate in front of him louder than intended. He looked up from his food and stared at the king.
“Okay, father. May I ask why?”
“No.”
Shane blinked in disbelief at the short and curt response. He could only nod with a pursued smile on his face and he picked up his utensil one more. Before he started eating again, he turned his gaze towards Ilya who happened to be standing behind his parents, hands clasped in front of his torso with a cunning smirk plastered all over his face.
What a FUCKING asshole.
Shane thought to himself as he broke the contact and continued eating his breakfast in silence. Once he finished, he looked up from his plate and stared at both of his parents. Once again, forcing a smile, he asked to be excused from the dining parlour.
“I truly enjoyed this breakfast. Thank you both. May I be excused? I planned to go to the pavilion to train.”
“Not n—” Said King David, who was swiftly cut off by the queen.
“Yes, go ahead my son. Let us know if you need anything.”
And with that, he stood up from the table and bowed his head and top half of his torso forward to show respect before pushing in his chair and quickly getting the fuck out of there. He arrived at the training hall rather quickly. He assumed that his “master-at-arms” training wouldn’t start until tomorrow. His parents would surely give a day's notice. Or so he thought. The sunlight hazed through the high windows, the atmosphere was so silent and relaxing. The training hall was the one place where he could let loose and be himself. All the expectations of the crown and his parents no longer hung over his head there.
He pulled his tunic over his head and tossed it to a corner, not even sparing it a second glance. If he was gonna train body today, fewer layers would be better. It was all easier when he could feel every breath he took. He began with stretching, loosening his shoulders and rolling the tension out of his neck. The same tension that only got in there due to his parents suddenly..what..promoting that asshole Ily—Sir Rozanov. As he worked out, he focused on precision, making sure he would never miss or hesitate. It’s like he was hearing the knight's voice in his head.
“Too slow.”
“Too obvious.”
He grit his teeth, pushing harder with his workout. His body trembled from how much he was pushing himself. He still persisted, wanting to get those last few pumps in and release some anger.. Due to him straining, his body began letting out strange noises from exhaustion.
“Ah, fuck! Mmh.”
He continued like this for a while. He didn’t stop until a shadow crossed the floor in front of him, stopping behind him.
“You favor left side when you get tired.” Said Ilya. The prince recognized the voice immediately. That fucking voice; so calm and low. It caused him to freeze. He turned slowly, his chest falling and rising somewhat rapidly, his sweat glistening on his skin as the sun shone through the windows. However , Sir Rozanov just stood there, arms crossed. He was unreadable. His gaze locked in on the prince’s for a mere moment before beginning to scan over him, taking in how pretty he looked like this.
“How long have you been standing there?” Shane asked abundantly and sharply.
“Ehhh, was long enough,” Ilya replied back, pausing mid sentence before starting again. “long enough to see mistake, Your Highness.”
This caused the prince to scoff loudly as he wiped his mouth with his forearm. “Get lost, asshole. I didn’t ask for commentary.”
“Ah so we drop honorifics? You think I am asshole?”
“It’s not a thought. It’s the truth.” Shane replied swiftly.
“This is duty for me now. We will see each other more, yes, Your Highness?” Ilya chirped out smugly , careful to not let it show too much though.
“Unfortunately. I thought this started tomorrow."
Ilya, the prince’s new master-at-arms, stepped around to the front of Shane, then leaned down so that they’d be eye to eye level.
“King did not say tomorrow.”
He was too close. This beautiful fucking man was too close to Shane’s face and it caused him to freeze up, his thoughts plastered all over his face. The knight stared directly into his onyx eyes, letting his own thoughts drift as he skimmed the males face, staring at his perfect freckles and the way his eyelashes fluttered whenever he got close to him.
“You train body, Your Highness.” He spoke out again, his eyes staring over at the prince’s discarded tunic before they connected back with the prince’s gaze. “A good body without good mind..easy to beat.”
His eyebrows furrowed at Ilyas mention of him having a “good body.” but he quickly evaded his thoughts by a laugh. Not a laugh of agreement, a laugh of annoyance. It was humorless.
“And I suppose that you’re here to teach me something?”
“No, Your Highness” Ilya started. “Here to correct.” The knight said, also being humorless before gesturing to what Shane was doing before. He spoke again with a smirk.
“Ok. Try again, same thing. This time—think.”
Shane hesitated , not knowing if he wanted to listen or scold the knight for dropping the “Your Highness” honorific. He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to try again. As he lifted his arm, he was interjected by the sound of Ilyas voice.. again.
“Wrong,” said the guard.
The prince whipped around, his silhouette radiating annoyance--he was burning with anger. “I didn’t even—”
“Was wrong.” Ilya said, reaching out before he could stop himself. His hand closed around the prince's wrist to position it correctly. The contact was brief, but heavy.
“Angle..” The knight whispered in his ear. “I see why hunts go bad for you. Too many chance for escape.” He said as his thumb pressed lightly against Shane's pulse. The prince swallowed, his Adam's apple moving up and down. For a moment, neither of them moved. Shane turned his head
towards the knights, his heart thumping faster as his eyes fluttered and his nostrils flaring slightly.
He was too close…again.
Ilya looked at the prince's lips , then at his eyes—then at his lips, again. He finally looked down at the male's body, running his eyes over his muscles and how his skin glowed in the sunlight. They were still close. Way closer than they should ever be. Shane realized this. He yanked his arm away and turned back to his pulley machine, one of the only ones, if not the only one made at the time.
“You’re not helping.” He said, trying to sound angry. But it was barely above a soft whisper. This caused a corner of Ilyas lip to curl up. Turning his smirk into a smile.
“Ouch. My feelings, Your Highness.” Ilya said as he jokingly put his hand over his heart and feigned sadness.
“Be silent. Do not annoy me any further than you already have."
Shane stared at him—top naked, sweating, and furious—furious at the fact that he almost got a complete hard on from Ilya just being close to him. Fuck. He thought to himself. The only thing he wanted was to get away from this sly bastard of a knight—..master-at-arms..guardwhatever he was supposed to be.
He stood up from the machine, placing one hand on his hip while wiping his head with the forearm of his free hand, panting from the..lesson given by Ilya.
“I should wish to go and bathe.” He said.
It was just a heads up comment. Ilya just nodded at him when he said it. Shane pushed past him, leaving his tunic in the training hall. He went out to his private river; perks of being a prince. Knowing that he’d been closely followed by the knight ilya, he gave a swift warning that he was about to get undressed and then proceeded. As he undressed, his arms trembled from the workout. Once he finally got his clothes all the way off, which was just his breeches and shoes, he immediately got into the water. He floated around for a while, relaxing in the comfort of his own privacy. After floating for a while, he stood up once more in the water. As he brushed his hair back with his fingers, he happened to catch Ilya's eyes.
Shane had been stealing glances to begin with, sneaky ones. Not checking him out, just..curious. But now they were both staring at each other. Shane stared into the knights captivating blue eyes, searching them for something. Something, anything. He was unsure what he was even looking for himself. The moment didn’t last long, because Ilya cleared his throat rather loudly and then turned away as his hands covered his crotch.
“Sir Rozavnov? Please hand me the soap. It’s sitting over there next to the linen towels.” The prince said , trying to hide the quiver in his voice by any means necessary. A few moments later, Ilya dropped the soap into the prince’s palm with a smile and then turned back around. Around fifteen minutes later, he was met with another request.
“Sir Rozanov. Please hand me one of my towels.”
A sigh escaped his body as he walked over to the linen towels and grabbed one. He brought it over to the prince. As he leaned down to give it to him , his foot hitched on a piece of mud and he slipped into the water.
“О, трахни меня.” Oh, fuck me. He hissed out with complete anger. He was completely soaked while Shane was shaking with glee trying to hold back his laughter. Ilya hoisted himself out of the river. Just as he did, the prince opened his goddamn mouth, again.
“You might as well join me. You are already wet now anyway.”
“Ya vso eto nenavizhu. Ya uzhasno razdrazhen—Yes, Your Highness. “I hate all of this, I'm incredibly annoyed—Yes, Your Highness.”
Ilya turned his head away, huffing with a slight laugh—a dry one that could’ve been classified as a scoff—as his tongue pressed against his teeth in irritation. He basically ripped off his waistcoat, his irritation clearer than ever as his jaw clenched. He avoided eye contact with the prince as he did this, but couldn’t help but look down at him as he pulled his suspenders off, then his shirt, then his boots. He reached his hands up towards his breeches , stopping at the buckle. Ilya then made direct eye contact with the prince–who hadn’t looked away the entire time he’d been stripping down–daring him to keep watching, doubting that he would.
“Your Highness? You will watch me undress?” He said with a hint of disbelief in his voice.
“Ah, no. My apologies Sir Rozanov. Just making sure you were not injured from your..tumble.” Shane said as he turned away in the water and began scrubbing himself with his soap once more. Might as well wash a bit more since he couldn’t get his towel.
“Yes.” Sir Rozanov responded quickly, unbuckling his breeches and letting them drop on the grass. Shane’s clothes had been folded neatly and set to the side by himself while Ilya's clothes were sprawled out on the grass in the same spot he got undressed in. Once Ilya was completely undressed, he lowered himself into the River, using the water to move his hair out of his face with his hands. The temperature of the water wasn’t bad; it was pretty warm. Warmer than he expected it to be.
No wonder the prince liked coming out here so much in the warm weather of the summer. It was amazing, and relaxing. Ilya himself didn’t want to exit the river once he got in. He hummed happily from the sensation of the river as he cupped the water in his hands and raised it over his head to get his hair wetter, clearing his throat as he did so.
“The water is amazing today, right?” The prince said all of the sudden, trying to start a conversation.
“Yes. Is nice…Your Highness." Ilya said back dryly. Trying to cut the dialogue between them short.
“Do you want to borrow the soap?”
“I— ” He stopped, not knowing if he should get any closer to the prince; a hesitation. Something that never occurred within himself.
“Yes. Okay.” Ilya continued. He moved closer to the prince in the water, and as he approached, his own heart began beating faster. Though you wouldn’t be able to tell by his icy expression. Once he was less than a forearm of a length away from Shane, he held out his hand. The prince, distracted, only stared at him. The bubbles from the soap covered patches of his body , his hair was drenched , and there was a beautiful Russian man standing in front of him. Shane ran his eyes over the guard, first his eyes, then his..body. The moles he had , the color of the two peaks on his chest, and then lower.
His attention was caught by the trail of hair that disappeared beneath the water’s surface. Shane’s breath hitched and his body stiffened. His eyes lost focus for a while, but he was snapped out of his trance by the voice of the knight yet again.
“Your Highness? Soap?” He said, keeping his voice as straightly toned as possible.
“Yes, of course. My apologies.” Shane quickly replied. He lowered the soap into the knight's hand, stopping once their skin touched. When the prince looked back up, Ilya was already staring into his eyes, his lips slightly parted as his hair glistened in the sun. His eyes were only a slightly lighter blue shade than the river they stood in. The moment was cut short by the prince, as always. He regained his composure and spoke out as he began inching away from Ilya, though it was difficult to achieve in the water.
“This isn’t.. this can not hap—” were the only words he was able to get out before the knight lifted his hand to the prince's face, using the back of it to caress his cheek. Shane’s breath hitched as Ilya touched him, eliciting a shaky breath from his mouth. The knight placed his thumb on one side of the prince's face and his index on the other, pulling him closer to his own face and pressing his lips against Shane’s.
He kissed the male softly, humming into his mouth. The prince was stunned, unsure of what to do, unsure of what to think. Ilya used his fingers and squeezed at the male's face, trying to get him to open his mouth as he pushed his tongue against Shane’s lips—begging for entry. The prince gained the courage to let his lips part from each other, finally closing his eyes and melting into the kiss. As their tongues intertwined, he let out a soft moan into Ilya's mouth. The knight let go of Shane’s face and slowly moved his hands to the prince's body, stopping at his lower waist, still holding the soap in his hand. He backed Shane up against the side of the river, removing his hands from him only for a moment so that he could place the soap down.
The knight never broke lip contact with Shane once throughout this endeavor, he tangled their tongues together like some exotic dance, causing the prince to moan into his mouth once more. Ilya then moved one of his hands up the prince's back and tangled his hands into the male's hair, gripping it tightly between his fingers. In doing so, it caused another moan to emerge from the prince's mouth. Ilya pressed a knee between the middle of Shane’s legs, still kissing him for a few more moments before breaking it off and moving to his neck. “Oh God” Shane thought. Or did he say it out loud? He could barely think throughout this whole ordeal. Ilya's hands and lips were everywhere, refusing to give Shane the leisure of a single break.
“Sir Rozanov, ah..Rozanov. We shouldn't” He cried out, but his sound was quickly stifled by the knight’s finger as he pushed his thumb into the prince's mouth, looking into his eyes with a haze of lust clouding his view.
“Should not what?"
What Ilya did next almost made the prince lose his mind. He’d moved his free hand down the prince’s body. Lower..and lower.. and lower, going beneath the water’s surface before grasping Shane’s cock in his hand, covering it with his palm.
“Is okay?” Sir Rozanov said, not wanting to push the prince too far past his boundaries.
“Fuck, yes, it’s okay. Please..”
“Please what?”
Shane didn’t respond, he just began thrusting himself in the knight’s hand, tipping his head back and moaning out as he did so while resting on his elbows against the wall of the river. He was desperate, he hadn’t felt this way since the night he touched himself after the failed hunt last year. Of course, Ilya was—embarrassingly—the only thing in his mind when he did it. Not that he'd ever admit it out loud
Sir Rozanov seemed to understand what he meant. Truly, who wouldn’t? It’s easy to guess what one may want if they’re fucking your hand and moaning. He barely even wanted to admit it to himself.
Regardless, the knight gave him what he wanted. Ilya tightened his hand around the prince's dick and began stroking him with a steady pace, staring into his eyes as he did so. Seeing the prince like this—hot and riled up for the first time ever was the greatest sight he’d ever seen in his life thus far. In fact, Shane was absolutely losing it. His body was trembling in Ilya's hand, shuttering as he came undone.
“Oh my God, shit. Fuck, fuck!” Shane cried out—the last words he was able to get out—before his body jerked forward as he arched into Ilya's hand, gasping and crying out louder than before, twitching in his hand as he came down from his pinnacle. The knight stuck his thumb back into the prince’s mouth placing multiple kisses on his neck and cheek as he did so while still pumping the male. Every time he got back up to the head of Shane’s cock, he’d slowly move his hand around the slit, sending aftershocks through the prince's body that caused him to shiver and jerk with small
“Mmh”’s. Shane reached out towards Ilya and grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop his hand due to him getting overstimulated.
“Was good?”
Shane really didn’t want to admit it, but he sort of had no choice but to. He came in a matter of minutes. There was really no use in lying about it. He used his free hand to remove Ilya's thumb from his mouth.
“..Yeah, it was. Um.” He said , trying to decide whether or not to return the favor. Shane leaned forward, pausing right before their lips connected to look into Ilya's eyes for an invite. The knight leaned in as well and pressed their lips together. He licked the prince's lips, asking for entry. It was quickly granted as Shane parted his mouth open. Shane reached his hand below the water, brushing his finger tips against Ilya's cock. It caused him to flinch, but then he quickly reached down for the prince's hand and pulled it away.
“Ah, no need. Is okay.” He said with a pursed, closed lip smile. He raised his hand up and ruffled the prince’s hair, but he quickly moved his hand away, remembering their statuses.
“Sorry. Next time, yes? I must go. knight duty at fourth hour after noon.” Ilya forced out. He gave Shane one last peck before turning around and hoisting himself from the river and going over to the linen towels that were neatly stacked up near the river. He grabbed one and dried off with it, then he wrapped it around his waist. He grabbed two more and brought them over to an area closer to the prince so that he’d be able to reach them whenever he decided to get out of the river.
“Next.. time?” Shane whispered to himself as Sir Rozanov’s silhouette departed. He reached his hand up to his lips and touched them, losing himself in thought for a moment before clearing his throat and continuing to wash, trying to distract himself.
Ilya made it to a secluded area, out of sight from the prince, but not in view of anyone in the castle. He put his breeches and his boots back on. He then wrapped the towel around his torso instead for modesty and walked back to the guard quarters to his private room.
Next time.