My Message Against Homophobia

 

I was honestly stumped about what I was supposed to say about the subject of homophobia. I don’t have any stories I feel comfortable sharing with the world at large and just the thought of it makes me uncomfortable.

So that’s what I decided to use as the focus of my post: the fact that homophobia is a very uncomfortable topic. It’s so uncomfortable that I think that’s the reason why no one wants to talk about it or even focus on it for too long.

People just assume that if they ignore all of the bad things that happen, then none of it will be real. Because of that, there are some people that are honestly ignorant of the fact that there is a whole group of people being treated like second-class citizens and that some expect them to just keep their mouths shut and take it.

This hop is not meant to just share the message of being against homophobia, at least, not for me. No, for me this is a hop to make people aware of the fact that homophobia still exists and that people shouldn’t just ignore it and hope that it goes away.

Just displaying the Hop Against Homophobia icon on my blog is my testament:

I do not support homophobia. I do not support racism. I do not support gender inequality.

I do accept the fact that these awful things exist in the world, but I fully believe that as long as a message of peace and brotherhood is being spread around, the times will change. Things will get better. Society’s views will change. The world will become a place where someone can walk down the street and not have to worry about getting attacked simply for the way they look or who they love.

I was happy to accept the invitation to join the Hop Against Homophobia blog hop. And I sincerely hope that you are enjoying your journey from blog to blog and that you are seeing many messages of solidarity about something that should be changed.

~Pax

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I felt the need to share a full-story, so I chose “And A Single Petal Fell” from the upcoming “Pomegranate 01.” Though just to let you know, I took the sex out of the sex-scene. Sorry

Title: And A Single Petal Fell

Author: Harper Kingsley

Genre: mm fantasy

Summary: Prequel to “The Brand,” detailing the fall of King Sanguis Darling and the birth of an unending need for vengeance. Not happy.

Taro has always loved his king, from the moment he was first chosen for life in the royal harem. Unfortunately, King Darling has given his love to another.

AND A SINGLE PETAL FELL

By Harper Kingsley

When he was young, he’d never thought his life would turn out like this. He’d always imagined himself the pampered favorite in some noble’s harem, his every whim his master’s only desire.

He sighed and gazed upward at the gauzy curtains twisting and turning above him in the slight breeze from the open window. The bare skin of his arms prickled a little, but he had no desire to leave his windowsill perch. The firm cushion seat was comfortable under his back and he was lazy in his depression.

There was the scuff of footsteps and he felt someone standing next to him, but didn’t bother to look. “Exuberant Taro?”

“Yes?” Taro glanced at the woman, surprised to find a royal messenger in the traditional green and gold.

The messenger bobbed her head quickly, then held out a Summons, a silver seal disc hanging from a narrow length of red velvet ribbon. “From His Majesty.”

Taro stared at the ribbon for a long moment, then licked his lips and tried to pretend that it hadn’t affected him. “Tonight?” he asked, his throat squeezing tight on the word as he reached out to take the ribbon. She was careful not to touch his skin.

“An escort will come for you,” the messenger said, her voice a pleasant burr if one ignored the coldness.

Taro nodded. “I will be waiting.”

He watched the messenger turn on her heel with a slight flare of her prim green uniform jacket, golden threads sparkling on her sleeves. She strode away with neat boot clicks, her back a perfectly straight line of arrogance.

His eyes moved back to the Summons. Such a tiny thing to mean so very much.

He stroked his fingers over the ribbon, his heart beginning to pound in his ears. Red for passion, a message he had been waiting so long to receive.

He unbent his legs and quietly rose to his feet, gliding across the harem toward one of the private bathing rooms, waving off a half-dressed attendant. “I will call when I need someone.”

The young man looked surprised, but nodded and turned away.

Taro slid the door open and stepped into the bathing room, closing it behind him before finally taking a shuddering breath. He lifted the Summons in front of his face and stared at it, watching the silver disc spin and twirl.

He pushed away from the door and stumbled over to the sink, dropping the Summons on the counter before splashing cold water over his face. Then he lifted his still dripping face and looked at himself in the large silver mirror, seeing that his eyes were blown wide by shock and his expression looked solemn.

He saw himself, and couldn’t help a wide, giddy smile.

It had been a long time since he had last been called by the King.

He couldn’t help the resentment he felt toward Lovely Splendour. Everything he had been taught had spoken of love, loyalty, and forgiveness toward his brother and sister concubines. There should have been no resentment and jealousy, only love.

Yet no matter how hard he tried to clear his thoughts and attain Purity of Being, before Lovely Splendour had arrived he had been the favored concubine and now he wasn’t, hadn’t been for so long that it caused an achingly hollow feeling in his chest.

He’d thought King Sanguis Darling’s fascination for Splendour would fade with time; instead it had grown to the point that Splendour was all that Darling could see.

Taro hated the thought of having been forgotten.

But now Darling had sent for him. He couldn’t help thinking that maybe the man he loved would remember him.

Taro hummed in the back of his throat and turned to fill the tub with hot water, adding a healthy drizzle of scented oils. He took a deep breath of the steam, letting the heady aroma flow through him, loosening his muscles.

Once the tub was full, he filled a bucket with water and knelt down on the floor with a body brush and quickly scrubbed every bit of his skin. Then he used the long handled water dipper to rinse himself clean, watching the water run down into the drain on the floor.

He stroked a hand over the freshly scrubbed, pinkened flesh of his arms and legs, smiling a little to himself. Then he rose to his feet and climbed into the bath, sinking down until his face was the only part of him above the waterline. His black hair floated up around the sides of his head.

He stared upward at the rising steam and couldn’t help feeling happy about being called by Darling. All he had ever wanted was another chance to reclaim Darling’s interest and attention, and this could be it.

He could feel admiring gazes passing over his skin like a touch and it brought a secret smile to his lips as he followed the palace guard down the hallway toward the King’s private chambers.

His doeskin slippers made no sound on the hard wood floor and he could feel the hem of his long jacket brushing against the backs of his knees. He was wearing the clothes he’d had made years before as a promise to himself that Darling would call for him again.

As he approached the door, the guard leading him stepped to one side of the entryway, nodding to the sentry already standing there, who quickly opened and held the door.

Taro allowed himself a graceful nod of thanks as he walked through the doorway, his breath catching as the weight of Darling’s presence fell over him. The Brand on his neck thrummed with the life energy of the King, sending a warm tingle through his whole body.

He heard the door “click” shut behind him, but his entire focus was on the man sitting at the small table, the remnants of a meal spread out before him.

“I came as requested,” Taro said, tipping his head coquettishly. The King was beautiful to his eyes, so tall and manly, with eyes the color of a summer sky.

Darling took a last swallow, then set his empty wineglass down on the table and stood, walking toward Taro with a faint smile. “I am pleased to see you.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.” Darling reached out and took Taro’s hand, leading him toward the large bed.

Taro could feel his heart beating quickly and his skin prickled with heat. His breath was coming hard in his lungs and he had to fight to keep himself from panting. All of his training meant nothing next to the feelings evoked by the hand of the man he loved in his own.

He stood still as Darling slipped the jacket from his shoulders and let it fall to the floor in a single sweep of cloth. His shirt followed quickly after and he couldn’t help shimmying his hips as his tight pants were pushed down his thighs and past his knees. He gave a little kick of his feet to free himself and stood before the King nude, his skin gleaming under the light.

“You are beautiful,” Darling’s voice was a brush of warmth against him. Taro’s manhood stood at rampant attention, the head weeping with desperate excitement. Just having Darling’s eyes on him made him tremble with want.

Taro let himself be pressed backward onto the bed, noting that the covers had been turned down in welcome. The sheets were smooth and cool against his burning skin.

It was hard to breathe, his head swam, and all he could see was Darling rising over him and it was glorious.

.

Afterward, he lay on his stomach beside Darling, enjoying the feel of the King’s fingers stroking through his hair and tickling the nape of his neck.

“I had forgotten how much I liked you,” Darling mused. He knelt on the rumpled sheets, naked and completely unselfconscious.

Taro drew in a deep breath. “I waited patiently.”

Darling leaned forward to press a kiss against the back of Taro’s neck, his hands trailing down his spine to caress the smooth mound of his buttocks beneath the silk sheet. “I wish you had spoken up. Perhaps things would be different if you were the vessel of my love.”

“What do you mean?” Taro asked, turning his head to face Darling.

“It isn’t important now.” Darling shook his head, the loose strands of his golden hair brushing his shoulders. “What matters is that I remembered that there was one person that loved me before it was too late.”

Taro pressed himself close against Darling’s thigh, his skin crying out for contact. “Why do I feel afraid?”

“Don’t be frightened. You will be perfectly safe. Everyone in the harem will be safe,” Darling promised.

“From what?” Taro furrowed his brow.

Darling’s smile was sad and his hand was soul-achingly gentle. “I’m grateful to know that at least one person loves me.”

Taro swallowed tears he couldn’t even explain. “I have always loved you. That’s why it hurt so much not to be called.”

“To love where it is not returned surely is the greatest agony,” Darling mused. He lay down on his side next to Taro and drew the younger man closer against him. “Let’s make love until the sun rises. I imagine it will be one of the most beautifully bittersweet sights of my life.”

More than anything, Taro wanted to ask Darling what he was talking about, but before he could open his mouth, Darling pressed a shushing finger to Taro’s lips. Then Taro let himself be drawn even closer to Darling as the King covered his body with his own.

His questions were forgotten as he was drawn into another round of energetic lovemaking.

.

His fingers traced the chain of the necklace Darling had presented him with before sending him back to the harem. Delicate silver links from which hung the King’s personal seal done with gems — an onyx studded silver hoop with an orchid shaped out of rare amethyst sparkling from its center.

It was the most beautiful thing Taro had ever seen, not just for itself, but because Darling had given it to him.

He held the chain up and watched the seal spin. For some reason, he felt as though there was some hidden meaning behind the necklace. Some weight pressing him down.

There was a ruckus across the room and he glanced up to see Delightful Gyre running through the doors. “The city’s under attack!” Gyre shouted, his chest hitching with his pants for breath. His blond hair was in disarray, the long locks twisted and tangled from his running.

“What do you mean? By whom?” Lissome Orchid clutched the front of her shirt.

Gyre’s golden skin was pallid, his gray eyes shining fever bright. “The Horde.”

Beautiful Ponder snorted in disbelief. “You must be confused. Why would the Horde be attacking us?”

“Duke Wrathful Fury petitioned the Emperor of the West for a Writ of War. He’s claiming the entire kingdom by right of conquest. It’s only a matter of time before the Horde enters the palace. I hear the outer walls of the city have already fallen.”

“How could something like that have happened?” Bitter Hazard asked, shaking her head. “We would have heard that we are at war before anyone breeched the walls.”

Gyre shrugged, shaking his messy hair. Sweat beaded his forehead and he made no move to wipe it away. “They are the Horde, the same soldiers the Duke used to subdue the Eastern Colony. They say he’s unstoppable.”

Ponder scoffed. “Someone’s playing a trick on you. We’re not at war.”

Taro couldn’t help remembering Darling’s strange words and how pale and tired he had looked. As though he had been rendered helpless by something he couldn’t control.

He didn’t think, he just leapt up and hurried across the room and out through the double doors, his slippers making no sound on the floor. Ribbons trailed behind him as he ran and he tucked the necklace in his sleeve pocket for safekeeping.

Suddenly there was a large BOOM! that shook the ground and almost sent him to his knees. There was the sound of surprised screams from the harem behind him, but he didn’t pause, just kept running as fast as he could.

He had spent years memorizing Darling’s every move, had ghosted behind him for many long years, watching his every step. All of those years of fervent devotion were paying off now, because he knew exactly where to find the King.

Darling had not had the most amicable relationship with his mother, the Dowager Queen Sanguis Valienta, but he had still been devastated by her death. She had just been such an important part of his life, and he regretted never having been able to please her.

After her death, Darling had begun using Valienta’s sitting room as his private retreat. He had never redecorated the rather feminine room, seeming to find comfort out of having his mother’s things close around him.

Taro ran until he reached the white door and pushed it open to step into the cool stillness of the sitting room. It was shadowed and dark with the only light coming through the large, floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the King’s private garden. There was the scent of wild flowers from the bouquets setup in vases all around the room.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the shadowed figure of Darling sitting with his legs curled up on one of the benches.

Taro looked around, then hurried across the room to kneel down on the floor beside Darling, his eyes running over the King for any signs of harm. “Where are your guards?”

Darling gave a careless shrug. “They realize what is going to happen and have wisely fled.”

“Those cowards!” Taro clenched his hand into the fabric of his tunic.

The look Darling gave him was painfully solemn. “No,” he shook his head, “I cannot fault them their lives, not when I would do the same if I could.”

“Why don’t you?” Taro asked. “I will go with you. We can run far away from this place. We can be happy.”

“What a sweet fantasy.” Darling reached out his hand to brush his fingers over Taro’s cheek. “Unfortunately, for the Duke to have what he most desires, he needs to take my life. He would follow me to the ends of the world.” He looked around and gave a deep sigh. “I have lived a very good life. This is really not so bad.”

Taro couldn’t help himself. He bounced to his feet and flung his arms around Darling. “No, you cannot die. I won’t let you!”

“There are some things that simply refuse to be changed,” Darling said. “Death is one of them.” He hugged Taro against himself, and Taro felt the nearly wistful press of a kiss against the top of his head. “It doesn’t frighten me as much as I thought it would.”

Taro stayed in Darling’s arms and swallowed all of the questions he wanted to ask. He didn’t quite understand what was going on, but he knew that Darling was going to be killed.

“You should leave me,” Darling said against Taro’s hair.

“I’m not leaving you.” Taro pressed closer against Darling’s chest.

Darling didn’t make anymore objections, just held him in the stillness of the sitting room.

The near idyll was broken when the door was flung open and a squad of Horde soldiers ran in, their hobnail boots leaving gouges in the wood floor. To Taro, their faces were nightmarish and demonic, with leering mouths and cruel eyes framed by the cold steel of their helms.

“And still I am not afraid. How strange,” Darling said musingly. He pushed Taro away, moving him to sit on the bench next to him. “Perhaps you are what gives me such bravery?”

“Sanguis Darling,” the squad leader said, strong with his fellow soldiers flanking him. Taro had to bite his lip to keep from screaming at the man, knowing that he had purposely left off the King’s titles and rank as a sign of disrespect. “Your life is forfeit. Take him!”

The soldiers immediately moved forward at their leader’s command, but Taro leapt to stand in front of Darling, his lips drawing back from his teeth in a snarl. “I won’t let you take him!”

His fingernails shone as he made to slash one of the approaching soldiers. Dimly, he heard Darling’s shout, “Don’t hurt him!”

Then he was being swept aside by one strong, gauntlet covered arm. He was airborne for a few seconds before slamming shoulder first into the wall across the room and bounced back onto his feet with a curse. His arm ached terribly, but all he cared about was the soldiers that had already grabbed Darling and were wrapping him in ropes.

Taro snarled and went after them again, his sole impulse to get them away from Darling and somehow save him.

He was charging toward the soldiers when the squad leader said, “No one wants to be haunted by an angry spirit. The last request of a dying man should always be listened to. Spare the concubine.”

Taro slammed into one of the soldiers, kicking him powerfully in the back and sending him flying away. Then he turned toward another and grabbed the man’s helmet and ripped it off before going towards the exposed flesh with his clawed hands.

Just before his nails could make contact with skin, he felt a jolt of pure energy hit him right in the small of the back. All of his muscles clenched and released at the same time and he couldn’t even cry out before he was falling, his muscles jerking and spasming.

He landed on his back and glared at the squad leader balefully. The man slid the shock baton he’d used back into his belt and gestured for his men to move out.

Taro could only watch helplessly as the soldiers carried Darling out of the room by his arms. The King didn’t try to fight them off, just looked back over his shoulder to meet Taro’s eye for a brief moment before he was gone.

Taro’s eyes burned with tears and he vowed that he would forever remember what had happened here and the men that had done it.

He grunted when the toe of a boot nudged against his side. His eyes shifted to focus on the squad leader with fiery hatred.

“I’ll send someone back for you,” the man said in a kindly manner that made Taro hate him even more. “Why don’t you take this opportunity to relearn how to breathe?”

The man’s boots clicked on the floor as he turned and left the room.

Taro listened to the sound of footsteps trailing down the hallway into silence. All of his muscles were clenched painfully and helpless tears had begun to trickle from his eyes and he couldn’t even wipe them away.

I’ll kill you all, he promised. Every last one of you. I’ll kill you. Oh Darling, I’m sorry I was too weak to protect you.

His chest heaved with his grief and rage, but he still couldn’t move. His whole body tingled with pain tremors, but it felt miles away from him.

Eventually a squad of soldiers came and carried him back to the harem. He felt like a sack of grain being hauled around between them.

The soldiers left him with Orchid and Hazard, who loudly demanded to know what was happening, but he had enough control of his body by then to turn his face away and refuse to speak. He just lay on his bed and closed his eyes, trying to will the world into going back to yesterday.

Hazard knelt by his side and covered him with a blanket. Her makeup had smeared across her face in clownish swirls and her hair looked positively frightful. Her voice was a hurried whisper as she tried to catch him up on all that had happened in the harem, but he refused to listen.

All he could think about was Darling being murdered. It could have already been done and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Then “…and Splendour ran away. The Duke is furious and they’re looking everywhere for him. They even took poor Precious. She’s just a baby!”

Taro painfully turned his head to look right at her. “Lovely Splendour ran away?”

“Yes,” Hazard said. “And it turns out that the Duke really wanted him.”

“Darling died because the Duke wanted Lovely Splendour?” Taro felt his lips trying to twist into a snarl, but fought to keep control.

“Probably other stuff too,” Hazard shrugged. “I mean, who ever heard of someone conquering a whole kingdom for just one concubine? That seems a bit far-fetched.”

“Darling died because of Lovely Splendour,” Taro said slowly, more to himself than anything else. He just needed to verbalize the thought.

Hazard tried to talk to him some more, but he ignored her, having already heard everything he needed. After a while, she stood up with a sigh and patted him on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine. A shock baton’s not going to kill you.”

Taro lay there and stewed. Darling was dead because the Duke wanted Lovely Splendour.

Who had run away.

If Taro hadn’t gone to fine him, Darling would have died all alone. He would have thought that no one cared about him and would have died like that, all alone.

He squeezed his eyes tight shut, fighting the burn of tears.

.

The next day found Taro sitting with Hazard in front of the largest window. He felt drained, his world set adrift, and he could not help resenting the sun that dared to shine outside.

How could the morning dawn so bright on a world that no longer had King Sanguis Darling in it?

His semi-bitter musings were broken when the harem doors opened and a dirty and disheveled Lovely Splendour sauntered in. His black hair was tangled and he was positively filthy, but he looked unhurt.

Taro felt a wave of heat go through his body and stood and stalked over to Splendour. “Well, well, look at who’s back,” he said.

Splendour gave him a surprised look, then sneered unpleasantly. He opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly Gyre was stepping between them, the younger boy frowning at Taro. “Silence, Taro, or something bad’s going to happen to you.”

The second Gyre spoke, Splendour’s expression lightened and changed and the smile he gave Gyre was all charm and lies. “Help me bathe,” he said, batting his ridiculously long eyelashes.

Taro could only watch as he was ignored and the two left together, heading toward the largest bathing chamber.

He watched them go, then strode across the room to his sleeping nook, jerking the sliding door open hard enough to hurt his fingers. He closed it tight behind him and stumbled toward the middle of the small room.

He didn’t even unroll his sleeping mat, just threw himself on the floor, the tears escaping his control. He scrubbed at his eyes with his trailing sleeves, but he couldn’t stop crying.

Darling was dead. Taro had loved him, and Darling was dead.

Yet Lovely Splendour, the one that Darling had really cared about, was perfectly fine and back in the harem, ready to open his legs for Duke Wrathful Fury.

I’ll never forgive you, he thought viciously.

He would never forgive Lovely Splendour for being the reason Darling was dead. Just when Darling had almost loved him back, Lovely Splendour had murdered him.

Taro’s eyes burned like coals, the stinging pain only adding to his resolve to get revenge. Lovely Splendour would pay.

=THE END=