THE CRUCIBLE

Chapter 11

The Final Test

         Well, of course they treated him like complete royalty.

         They assigned the white walrus moustached man as his personal driver. They gave him a valet (Nothing like Hobbs, thank God!) and filled the wardrobe in his guest room to capacity with all manner of clothes.

         They gave him a gold ring with a Liberty Stone in it. The Liberty Stone was a pale pink diamond and was the national stone of Liberty Kingdom. Wearing a Liberty Stone was a sign of royalty although Hunter didn't know that at first. The Liberty Stone in his ring was pear shaped and was intricate and multi-faceted. It was so big it covered his knuckle. They also gave him a matching chain to wear around his neck with an even bigger, perfectly round Liberty Stone on the end of it.

         They showed him the gymnasium. They showed him the tennis courts. They showed him the access to a quiet stretch of beach for swimming. (I shall use this when you both take me down to use it with me, he told them and then turned his back on it) They gave him a skateboard. They gave books and balls and a bike and all manner of other toys that might entice a 15 year old. Every night was a lavish dinner.

         Hunter accepted everything warily but always said, "Perhaps this is too much. Remember, I want to be treated as a guest."

         "But Hunter," they answered every time, "This is how we treat all our guests."

         And Hunter had no choice to accept their word. I mean, they were tending to his every want, his every need, his every whim. What would you do?

         However, he started to smell a rat a few days later. After they had given him the ring and chain, everybody, and I mean everybody...at the Diner, on the street, and all the servants and guards in the castle bowed to him as he went past. People bowed and opened doors for him. For three days he didn't have to touch a door. At first he was puzzled. Then he was annoyed. Then he figured people were making fun of him. He started bowing exaggeratedly back. However, this didn't faze people in the slightest and they just smiled and bowed slightly a second time as if humouring him. On the second day he ignored it.

         However, on the third day, he'd had enough and as he pretended to go through a door, he grabbed the bowing guard as he went through it and slammed him up against the wall.

         "All right!" he snarled, "What the HELL is going on!? Why is everybody bowing to me?"

         The guard was frightened out of his wits. "Please...please...please Majesty...don't hurt me! Please...what's wrong?" the guard was a young man, barely older than Hunter and although he could take care of himself, it was forbidden to lay hands on a royal. If Hunter chose to beat him to a pulp, the man would have to lie there and take it.

         Hunter reeled back in shock and covered his mouth. "What did you say? What did you call me?"

         "Your....your Majesty?" the man said hesitantly.

         "Why are you calling me that?" Hunter whispered in barely controlled fury.

         "But...but...but, it's the law! I - we have to bow! You wear the Liberty Stone, your Majesty!" And the young guard continued and explained in detail that wearing the Liberty Stone signified one as a royal person.

         Hunter's scowl deepened and his face grew blacker and blacker with rage so that by the time the young guard had finished his explanation, he took one look at Hunter and fell flat on his face cowering in fear.

         "No, my Lord, please! Don't kill me! I was only answering you! Please! Mercy!" the poor man cried piteously.

         Hunter looked down at the young man and saw him through a red haze. He felt his rage build and build and for a second, just a second, mind you, but a second that seemed to stretch out into minutes, Hunter felt a feral intensity to his anger and in that second he could have happily tore the young guard's throat out.

         However, he knew what was in his own throat, and backed away a few steps.

         He took a few deep breaths and focussed on who he was really angry with. "You've done well, young sir," he said carefully, "Thank you for telling me this. However....I do not have full control of my temper at this present time. I'm going to close my eyes and count to 10 by which time, I suggest you not be in the room. I ssssssugessssssssst you RUN!!" he finished in a hissing voice he didn't recognize.

         The young guard lifted his face from the carpet and watched Hunter count with increasing instability. "1....2.......3...."

         He ran for it and closed Hunter inside the room he was in.

         He was halfway down the hall when he heard smashing and glass tinkling and feral snarling. Hunter had made it to 7 before he began to rip the room apart.

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         That night at dinner, he returned the jewellery to them. He put them in their original boxes and came into the dining room quietly and put the ring box in front of Justin and the necklace in front of Brian without a word. Then he sat down at his own place.

         "What's going on, Hunter?" asked Justin as both he and Brian quickly and casually checked the boxes to confirm the jewellery was there and then placed them to the side.

         "I am simply returning what should not have been given," Hunter said.

          `But Hunter," Brian started, "We give jewellery to all our..."

         "Cut the crap, Brian," Hunter said, "I know."

         "Know what?" Brian asked as he started eating.

         "Wow! I mean...like...WOW!" said Hunter exaggeratedly, "Do you really think I'm that stupid? Do you really think that after 3 days of non-stop bowing and scraping from EVERY-one in the kingdom I wouldn't figure it out? That I wouldn't ask what the hell was going on?"

         "Who told you?" Brian asked, his voice deceptively calm.

         "Some guard I grabbed and threatened if he didn't. And no you don't, Brian, there is to be no paybacks or anything like that. I don't know who he is, I didn't ask his name." He began to eat. His own voice was deceptively calm. "As it was the young man barely escaped with his life. I nearly tore his throat out."

         Justin and Brian both started at this new bit of information, not to mention at the calm way it was delivered which was enough to give them a serious case of the willies.

         "Fortunately, I was able to count to ten and allow him to escape before Guardian and I both lost it. However, the room I was in is completely destroyed. You'll want to look into renovation." He gave them quick directions and a brief description of the room he had destroyed.

         There was a short silence as the Queer Kings digested this information.

         "Well, don't worry about the room. That's not a concern," Justin said, "But Hunter, I thought we agreed that we weren't going to let Guardian dominate your emotions anymore."

         "I said, I would try not to let him," said Hunter, "What's all this we stuff? You don't have a monster living in your throat! I do! And he is still there. And he is still affecting me. Especially if I feel angry or betrayed! Speaking of which, I thought we agreed there was going to be no more games or tests or lying!" he voice took on a mimicking tone.

         Brian sighed. "OK, you got us! We've been giving you the royal treatment. We wanted to spoil you. Furthermore, we like spoiling you! And we aren't going to stop! So sue us!"

         Hunter didn't know what to say. Perhaps there was nothing to say. He could be mad but mad at what? Them treating him well, even spoiling him? So eventually he just sat there and stared daggers at Brian for a while.

         "Oh, stop it! Hunter, you have a good thing going here. A better thing than any child in Liberty Kingdom. Enjoy it! We'll take back the Liberty Stones and you don't have to wear them until you're ready. But we aren't going to say we're sorry for treating you like gold! Now stop behaving like an insufferable little twat and eat your dinner!"

         Sullenly, Hunter obeyed. But he refused to speak to them for the rest of the meal and if he did look at them it was only to look at them in a distrustful and disappointed manner. He felt bad and he didn't like what was going on here. At the same time, he knew Brian was right. He did have a good thing going on here. But a large part of felt he didn't deserve it. Part of him knew he did, and wanted it with all his heart. But the stubborn, hard hearted part of him that had asked to be treated like a guest rebelled against it. He wanted to blame it on having Guardian but if he was really truthful with himself, he knew Guardian was only partly to blame. If at all.

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         The rest of the week was spent in an uneasy truce. Hunter continued to go to work and Brian and Justin continued to pick him up afterwards. He continued to live in his guest room and took to spending more and more of his time there, away from the Kings, away from everybody. Conversation was strained and the rides home were silent. He accepted no more jewellery. He accepted no more toys that could be construed as status symbols.

         Thankfully, without the Liberty Stones, life returned...mostly to normal. Hunter could work once more in peace and nobody except the Debbie or the Twins referred to his princely status. The Twins, most annoyedly, asked him every day when they were going to get their bracelets back. Hunter then took to answering, "Hold your breath," to which Red the first few times would obey and have to be kicked under the table by Fred, "He's kidding you idiot!" Nobody bowed to him on the street except for a few hard cores who remembered him.

         On Friday, Brian came alone on the motorcycle.

         "Where's Justin?" asked Hunter.

         "Justin left on a sea voyage this morning. He went to go visit his mother and his brothers. He'll be back Sunday, around early evening."

         "Oh." Hunter felt strangely bereft. He felt cut out of the loop. He realized...he'd miss Justin.

         "Why didn't he tell me he was going? I could have come see him off! Why didn't he say goodbye?"

         Brian looked at him soberly and realized there was nothing he could say without giving away the truth. Nothing truthful anyway.

         "Well Hunter, he had to get an early start. Besides, since he's going to be back by tomorrow, he just figured you'd barely notice he was gone."

         Hunter put his hands on his hips and frowned. "There's something you're not telling me!" he accused.

         Brian sighed. "Yes. There is. But not because I want to be untruthful!" he tried to placate the outraged expression on Hunter's face, "Because it's something you simply wouldn't understand yet! Come on! Get on...I want to show you something."

         Slowly, distrustfully, Hunter got onto the back of the motorcycle. What was he up to now? What were they hiding? Why wouldn't/couldn't they trust him? He wasn't a baby. He could take it. Oh God! Was there no end to the angst that these two were intent on causing him?

         Brian drove them back towards the castle but before they got there he turned away from it and drove down an off beaten track that led away from the castle and towards the sea. At last they reached a wild place that was within walking distance from the castle and right next to the sea.

         "There. Look upon it, my son."

         Hunter gasped. He got off the bike and gaped in wonder at the spectacle that was spread out before him.

         A great crater, at least a mile in diameter, maybe two, maybe even more stretched out before him. It seemed at least equally deep. Digging machines were still at it. And at the very bottom, in the very center was a palatial mansion, nearly complete. There were spires and turrets galore and it looked like it was being covered in a layer of gold. It was a huge house, a small castle in its own right but it was so far down that it looked like a toy. There was a trench dug from the sea to the crater but at the moment it was blocked off by huge wooden doors. But Hunter could see that when they were opened, the sea would rush in, filling the crater, submerging the house and everything else. It would be like...like some huge man-made lake...or cove. What on earth was going on here?

         Hunter turned to Brian and asked him that very question.

         "The house down there is Justin's family's guest house. It will be their home away from home if they decide to come and visit. And they are anxious to visit, Hunter. They are anxious to meet their grandchildren."

         "Oh, I see," Hunter said turning around, ignoring the stinging in his eyes. It was dust, that's all. Of course, he meant Gus and JR.

         "And their neice...and nephews," Brian said meaningfully, wrapping a possessive, black gauntleted hand around Hunter's waist. He pulled him against his chest. "Yes, you too," he said. They eagerly await your acceptance to be part of our family."

         Hunter ignored the pleasure that seeped through him like melting butter. Instead he asked:

         "But why are you doing this?" It looks like you are making a cove! Why...why would you bury them in water!?"

         "Can you not guess?" Brian asked with a smile.

         But Hunter remained blind to the truth and could not guess. He shook his head mutely.

         Brian rested his chin on his shoulder and looked out over the scene along with Hunter. He spoke into Hunter's ear. "One day...one day soon...all will become clear. One day we will be able to tell you. We will show you. On that day, we will take you swimming. We will present you with your Liberty Stones again and bring you into our home as our son once and for all. You will want for nothing and you will...we will...live happily ever after."

         "Happily ever after..." Hunter said wistfully, "I wish that were so!" Suddenly, he twisted away from Brian violently. "NO! There's no such thing! I've had to scrape and struggle and work my entire life! Everyone I've ever known has had to do the same and every good thing in my life has been a lie! There are no happily ever afters! You won't fool me again!"

         "No one wants to fool you again, Hunter. I promise. One day we will change your mind. One day soon."

         And with those words, Brian drew him in for a leathery hug, put him back on the bike, and drove him home.

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         The rest of the evening and the next day were relatively uneventful. Debbie had given Hunter the weekends off so he didn't have to go to work on Saturday. He spent most of the time with Gus and JR, filling the void that had been left by Justin. He didn't really have to; the babies had round the clock nannies but both Brian and Justin felt that they did not adopt Gus and JR just so they could be surrounded by clinical white 24/7.  They wanted to be hands on Dads as much as possible. And now that he was living there, Hunter wanted to be a hands on brother/father to them as well. He had been spending a lot of his off hours with them anyway, especially Gus who now recognized him on sight and would lift his chubby arms in the air to be picked up and cry out "Hun'ner! Hun'ner!" until he was. But that weekend he spent almost every waking minute with them. He took care of JR but he got to play with Gus as well and it was clear that the little boy had fallen irrevocably in love with him. And although he didn't want to admit it, Hunter feared it was the same the other way around as well.

         Hunter knew he had to make a choice soon. To make it on his own, work for a living, or adopt himself into their family. To be with them or against them. To be a brother to the babies, son to the Kings and even family to Justin's immediate family. He couldn't stay here forever. But he was still plagued with indecision. He wanted to do it because he loved them all, truly loved them. He wanted to not feel pushed into his decision. And most of all he wanted this thing out of his throat before he made his decision.

         On Sunday, around 5 pm or so, Justin strolled in, easy as you please. Brian engulfed him and they frenched wildly for several minutes before they could control themselves again. Hunter gave him a hug and a howdy and admonished him about leaving without saying goodbye. Justin said he was sorry but he honestly didn't think it would be that big a deal. However, Hunter's grab on hug convinced him otherwise. He promised to not make the same mistake again if he left on a trip.

         It wasn't till halfway through dinner till it occurred to Hunter that no sailing ships had arrived at the docks that day.

Evening...

         Everyone was engaged in their normal nightly activities. Brian and Justin were cozied up somewhere in front of a fireplace with strawberries and chocolate and making out like crazed weasels. Hunter was in his room writing and doodling and otherwise daydreaming about what if this was his room forever. The babies were asleep.

         Hunter's eyes fluttered. He opened them again with extreme difficulty and shook his head. Geez, he must be getting tired! Ahh well, almost time for bed anyway. Just a few...more....

         His eyes fluttered again. Again they opened. He got up and went to the wardrobe. He pulled out an outfit.

         He went back to the desk and pulled a fresh piece of paper. In jerky but sure strokes, he began to write.

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         About ten minutes later, Hunter came down the steps in jerky, mechanical steps. He carried an envelope.

         In those same, jerky steps he walked across the Great Hall. He walked to the door.

         The guard at the door was the same one who he had forced to tell him the truth about the Liberty Stones.

         "Majes - uhhhh....Master Hunter! Are you all right? Where are you going at this time of night?"

         Hunter turned towards him. The guard was filled with fresh terror.

         "The time hassssss commmmme!!" Hunter said in a hissing voice that the guard recognized well, "Stay at your possst! SSStop me at your perrrilllllll!!"

         The guard nodded dumbly.

         Hunter went out.

         The minute Hunter was out of sight, the guard ran for it. He had to find the Majesties. He had to tell them about the voice. And he needed to tell them as Hunter spoke to him, went past him, he was showing only the whites of his eyes.

         Meanwhile, Hunter walked out to the courtyard where the Rolls was waiting. He had summoned it before leaving his room. He got in.

         "Drive!" he said icily.

         "Where to, sir?" the white moustached chauffeur asked, "It's a bit late to go to the diner, isn't it?"

         "We are not going to the diner!" said Hunter, "I will instruct you as we go. Driiivvvve!!!"

         "Very good sir," It was not the chauffeur's place to ask questions, merely to drive. He took off.

         Hunter gave him directions to drive this way and that way and in a short while they had reached the edge of the picnic meadow.

         "SSSSSStop!" commanded Guardian.

         The driver stopped.

          "I am getting out here. We - I may not see you again in a good long while. Know thissss...you have served us well! Give this letter to your masters, the Kings of this land!" Guardian gave the envelope to the driver. "Farewell!" Hunter got out of the car.

         "Little Master! Are you sure you should be getting out here? There is nothing but wilderness here!"

         But Hunter was already striding purposely away. He did not seem to hear the kindly driver. He did not look back.

         The driver was worried. Something was definitely wrong here. He looked at the envelope and after a moment's hesitation, opened it and read the contents.

         He gasped and his face turned nearly as white as his moustache. Then he revved the car, did a quick U-ey and sped with all possible haste back to the castle.

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         The meadow really was beautiful in the moonlight.

         Hunter walked with purposeful steps through the silvered flowers and grasses. He walked along the bank of the river for a while, now inky black, blacker than the blackness of the night. He remembered how it was in the daytime and he thought how he missed it. How he would miss it. And now in the night, even now, jet black it was hauntingly beautiful. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

         With purpose, he pushed through the meadow grasses until he reached the forest. A path waited for him, just as he knew it would.

         A nightingale, not a lark serenaded him.

         As Hunter stepped into the forest, barefoot, clad only in his black wifebeater and silver shorts, he opened his mouth wide, wider.

         A stream of...something came spewing out of his mouth. It was as if a mass of dandelion seeds came gushing out of his mouth. Only instead of white seeds, these were black. Hunter moved his head slowly from left to right and spread the seeds in every direction along the edge of the forest.

         "There..." he said to himself, "As chivalrous as they may be....let's see them get through that!"

         He laughed nastily and continued on. Within a few minutes he vanished and was lost in the darkness and the thick trees.

         There was silence among the grasses and the trees for a few minutes.

         The seeds flew about and then settled.

         There were a few more minutes of silence.

         And then, there was a crackling sound, a hungry sound. It was a strangely evil sound. It was the sound of things growing and growing quickly.

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         "Majesties! I must speak to the majesties AT ONCE!"

         "Be off, old man, the Majesties are very worried about their ward. He's missing and.."

         "I know all that! I know where he is! Or at least where he went! And I have a letter for them from Master Hunter!'

         The chauffeur was ushered into a nearby living room where the Kings were spending the crisis, very worried.

         The letter read:

Dear kings of the land,

The final test, a test of valour, is upon you.

I have kidnapped the one you call...son. I have taken him to the place of his dream, a quiet place, a place of peace where I may be born. When I am, I will feed upon his lifeforce. My venom will send him to a dreamless sleep from which he will not awake for one hundred years. Unless....you can stop me. Although it may cost me my life, I offer you this one chance...this last chance...because my role as Guardian over Hunter in even yet more important.

Prepare for battle. My newborn self will not remember this, will only care about its right to exist, its will to survive. I will seek to destroy you, if you can get past my defences at all.

Farewell,

Guardian

          Brian and Justin looked at each other in horror. Then Brian's face hardened.

         "All right! Let's finish this thing once and for all!"

         Justin was alarmed at the expression on Brian's face. "Brian...what are you going to do?"

         Instead of answering, Brian just stood and bellowed in a voice that was louder than anything Justin had ever heard him use before.

         "GUARDS!! BRING ME MY ARMOR!!!"

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         It was the most peaceful trip through the forest he had ever taken. No visions or judgements or recriminations plagued him this time. Hunter walked along, perfectly at peace. He was oblivious to the vines that grew just behind him, crisscrossing, entangling in one another, occasionally growing over his feet. They were too small to cause him much concern; they only would give him a tickle now and again. He just lifted up and out of them and walked on. Besides, they didn't matter.

         After all, this was only a dream.

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         Justin had never seen anything more mouthwatering in his entire life. He had never been more turned on in his life. It was a pity that the circumstances were so dire that he had to rein in his impulses.

         If he had thought Brian had looked good in black leather, it was nothing to Brian wearing a full suit of plate armor.

         It was jet black. Brian had to basically stand there and let himself be dressed into it. The metal leggings were in halves and fitted together, encasing his muscular legs snugly. Then he's stepped into the plate armor boots, the tops of which flared up and around the leggings. The chestplate too was fitted front to back. He slid his hands into huge gauntlets that reached up to and flared around his elbows. Justin could hardly believe that he could lift his hands much less move around in it but move around, he did. Brian lifted his arms and flexed his arms and fingers getting used to the weight, acclimatizing himself to it, like getting re-introduced to an old friend. Within minutes, it was like he was simply wearing those black leather gauntlets

         A  large belt was strapped on and over that a sheath with a simply huge sword in it was strapped around his waist and a shield to his back when Justin spoke at last.

         "It's not that I'm not enjoying the show...because I am....but just where do you think you're going?"

         "I'm going to get our son of course! The note said to prepare for battle. This is how I prepare for battle. I want to be prepared for anything and when I engage this...Guardian, I want to obliterate him once and for all!"

         "I guessed that! I mean... where do you think you are going....without me!?"

         "What do you mean? I thought...well I thought you'd want to stay here! I can handle this! Besides, I didn't think you'd want to get dressed up like this! Have you ever worn a suit of armor?"

         "Of course not! You know I haven't! But I don't want to be cut out of this! He's our son and I want to help rescue him! Isn't there something...lighter I can wear?"

         Brian grabbed him and lifted him into a cradling position and a metal embrace. He kissed him soundly.

         "God, I love it when you get all spunky!" Brian declared huskily.

         "Funny, I don't think I mentioned spunk," Justin said cheekily. Brian gasped.

         "Heaven help you when Hunter is home and I get out of this suit, Sunshine!" he growled huskily.

         "Do you have to get out of it completely?" asked Justin, teasing him further, "It's quite a turn-on!"

         "Brian growled. "You are asking for it, little man!"

         Justin winked. "Later, my treasure! However, I still am asking for...a suit that is...more appropriate for me to wear! I won't be left behind!"

         Brian kissed him again and then released him. "Don't worry Sunshine! I know just the thing!"

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         Hunter reached the clearing.

         It was just as he remembered it. It was as if it were waiting for him, as if it were made for him. Perhaps it was. After all, this was his dream.

         It was perfectly round. The emerald green grass was soft and lush beneath his feet. There was his bed of red roses and tulips and poppies. And in the very center was the spinning wheel. There was a quantity of wool next to it waiting for him. Hunter still didn't understand the meaning of the spinning wheel but it was there, so he accepted it nevertheless. The only thing missing was the snake.

         It was perfectly silent. No birds sang, no wildlife rustled the underbrush. But Hunter wasn't concerned. That was as it should be. There was perfect peace and perfect quiet in the clearing.

         Following the next portion of the dream, Hunter sat at the spinning wheel. Almost as an afterthought, he sucked back and spat onto the sharp, needle point of the spindle.

         He began to spin.

         He was oblivious to the acidic hissing sound as the spindle was burned away to an even sharper point.

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         Under Brian's orders, the guards brought in a large trunk and placed it before them.

         Brian grew sober. "This trunk hasn't been opened in many years. If you choose to use the contents, you must use them in a serious manner and treat them well."

         "Of course, Brian. But why have you gone so serious? What's wrong? What's in the trunk?"

         "The contents of the trunk belonged to my father," Brian revealed.

         Along the sides of the trunk were beautiful paintings. On one side was a man and on the other was a woman. Both were gloriously detailed and as equally gloriously nude.  Brian bent down and pressed on both the woman's breasts at the same time. To Justin's surprise, they both pressed inward like buttons. There was a sharp click. The man's penis, which was already gloriously tumescent, slid forward to reveal a small, secret slanted space and gave the man a very prominent "woody". Inside the compartment was a silver key.

         "Brian!" Justin exclaimed in surprise and wonder. "Oh, Brian really!? Oh...what the hell! I'd expect nothing less from you!"

         "Believe it or not, this was my father's idea. Trust me, this is the first and last time I want to go near a woman's breasts!" Brian quipped.

         Justin just rolled his eyes.

         Brian drew out the key and used it to unlock the trunk. Inside was a white suit of armor. There were heavy white boots, gauntlets and leggings and a chest piece made out of very fine white chain mail. It shimmered and sparkled with its own light. There was a helmet type hood made out of the same type of mail only denser. The hood was equipped with a face mask that swung open and closed at the bottom. The wire was made from the same type of metal and shimmered with an ethereal light. At the very bottom was a strong belt and a sheath with a smaller but strong sword in it that Justin could see by looking that he could yield.

         "My father preferred to wear lighter armor as well. But make no mistake, it is very strong. Indestructible. It is made of a strong compound called cummorium and overlaid with diamond. It has not been worn...this trunk never opened...since my father died."

         "Brian, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I will treasure it for as long as I wear it. I love it. I love you. This must have been hard for you to show this to me. To take it out of storage."

         "It was. But it's getting easier. Besides, I'd do anything...anything to get Hunter back and destroy the monster that we made."

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         In just under half an hour, they were both suited up and on their way.

         Brian never ceased to amaze Justin. Their steed was a huge, black motorcycle with an armoured body, wheels that were twice as wide as the normal one and spikes that stuck out from either side of them. It was an unstoppable, relentless machine that would shred anything that got in its way.

         With his visor down, Brian's face was a grim mask to no-one but himself. He drove the motorcycle down the middle of the highway, unheeding, uncaring of anyone else on the road. As it was, they didn't meet very much traffic but those that they did encounter heard the loud roar of the Shredder's engine and wisely pulled over and made way.

         For Justin, this was no pleasure trip. It was a whooshing, whistling, roaring, deafening, terrifying blur of a ride. Brian's plate armor was too smooth and slick to hang on to safely so he hung on for dear life with his knees and to the back sissy bar. However, under the circumstances, he felt anything but the namesake of the bar. If anything, he felt that this particular bar could be renamed altogether as sticking out from the back were three welded on, foot long silver spikes, wickedly sharp.

         Brian revved the Shredder, popped a wheelie, and went faster. The countryside flew by. In no time they had reached the meadow. Brian turned in and drove more slowly but just as relentlessly toward the forest. The Shredder lawn-mowed a path through the grasses.

         At last they reached the trees. Brian stopped the Shredder and turned off the engine. Slowly they got off the bike. Brian raised his visor. They gaped. What they saw next, they saw but they could hardly believe their eyes.

         Wrapping around the trees, weaving in and out of them, climbing them to the very top, and twisting around each other were vines, some thin, some as thick as Brian's arm and all of them with wickedly sharp thorns. They had wrapped and woven themselves all around the outside of the trees forming an impenetrable barrier. And looking deeper into the forest, they could see they were wrapping and weaving and twisting around each other deeper and deeper into the forest, perhaps even completely throughout. The once lush deciduous forest had become a dark and evil enchantment.
         "Brian what are we to do?" cried Justin in real distress.

         Grimly, Brian drew his sword. It was a long and menacing sound. He advanced on the thorns.

         "Only one thing to do Sunshine! Time to weed ‘em and reap!"

         Rolling his eyes at Brian's attempt at humor in a tense situation, Justin drew his own sword.

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         The dream was marvellously real. But it was different this time. The snake wasn't here to taunt him, to harass him with annoying comments or questions. In a strange way, Hunter missed the snake. The clearing was so quiet and still that a few comments from the peanut gallery would be welcome. But there was nothing.

         After all the practice he had gotten in the previous dreams, Hunter was quite adept at spinning by now. He managed to nearly fill the spindle to capacity.

         But dreams being what they are, the inevitable happened. His finger eventually strayed too close to the sharp point. He pricked his finger.

         OW!! Oh, OWWW! Oh, it had never felt like this before! White hot burning pain flashed through his finger, his hand, his forearm, his entire arm. And then a numbness, a terrible deadening followed the pain, spreading through his arm, his torso, his neck, his head. And down into his legs. The whole thing was frightening and real in a way it had never been before.

         Hunter lurched to his feet, tried to walk it off but it was no use. It was like trying to walk through syrup on legs of stone. Of course he couldn't manage it and he fell back on the red bed of flowers.

         The numbness took completely over and Hunter lay there in sweet repose in his black wifebeater and shimmering, silver shorts. He breathed deeply and he inhaled the sweet fragrance of the roses and poppies. And in the scant few seconds before his eyes fluttered shut, he came to the horrible realization: This was NOT a dream! Somehow...somehow, this was real and what would follow now...THAT would be the dream!

         A few minutes later Hunter began to sleep and dream in earnest. He dreamed of Gus, grown up a little, holding his cherubic arms up to be picked up, calling, "Hunter! Hunter! Pickup! Pickup! But no matter how hard he tried, Hunter couldn't reach him. He dreamed that Brian and Justin were there. They were putting a thin gold crown on his head with rubies and pearls all over it. They put a purple cloak on his back that was fastened with a silver clasp and a thin sceptre in his hands. They gave him the Liberty Stones again. They hugged him, saying "Our son! Our boy! Now you are truly, our wonderful, wise son!" And Hunter could feel that he was accepting the gifts, accepting the station at last and he was filled with joy.

         The scene changed and Hunter was in a strange throne room. He was wearing his crown and purple cloak. One half of the room was filled with people but the other half was filled with water, like a half room sized swimming pool. He was standing in front of the thrones and the Remington Twins were there, both on one knee.

         "Will you accept these bracelets back from me, the Crown Prince of Liberty Kingdom?

         "We will," they answered as one.

         "And will you forgive my father his debts for which he has paid in full in more ways than one?" he asked.

         "We will," they again answered as one.

         The dream changed and...

         Hunter slept and dreamed. His throat expanded outward like a bullfrog's. And then in a grotesque manner it began to move up and out over and over in a rolling, pulsating movement.

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         The two kings valiantly machete-hacked their way through the thorns deep into the forest. Their armor made it unnecessary to find the path. Neither of them was worried about becoming lost. Both men could sense an evil presence coursing through the forest in slow rolling waves that reminded Justin of the high seas on a clear but windy day.

         They hadn't gone far when Justin happened to glance behind then and gasped in dismay. "Oh, no! Brian look! They're growing back! Hurry!"

         It was true. The evil vines were winding and weaving back, sealing them in, seeking to cut them off and destroy them.

         The two men chopped their way deeper into the forest, chopping faster and faster in a desperate race. The waves of evil became stronger, so thick and strong they could almost smell it, the way you could smell a rotting rat that has died between the walls, the smell growing stronger and stronger over time.

         Both men were brave, strong, and true and for a while this was enough. However, it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened.

         A growing vine snaked out and looped itself around Justin's ankle. He tugged on it but only became further ensnared.

         "Brian! Help!"

         Brian whipped around and took in the situation. He chopped the offending vine and pulled Justin free. "That was close! Stay close to me, Sunshine!"

         Justin smiled. "That's my plan, my love." It was clear he wasn't talking about just this situation. Brian smiled back.

         However, sometimes things don't always go according to plan, no matter how much we want them to. The vines seemed to sense they had lost something precious. They didn't like that. The re-growing tendrils became more questing, more probing. And so, it wasn't long before another vine had looped itself around Justin's ankle again and this time looped tight and pulled. Justin fell to the ground and his sword spun out of his hand. "Oh no! Not again!" He reached and pulled for his sword but the vine holding his ankle had become immovable. It looped itself several more times around his ankle. Justin bent to try to pry free his ankle but as he did so another vine snaked out a wrapped itself around his wrist and tied it to his leg.  Brian chopped that free but even as he worked on Justin's ankle, two more vines reached out and wrapped themselves around Justin's torso. As he went to work on those more vines retied his ankles and moreover tied them together.

         Suddenly, there were vines everywhere. Brian couldn't keep up. It was like a hydra, for every vine he hacked away, two more would take its place. Vines wrapped Justin everywhere, torso, arms, legs together. Soon, he was one big, human Gideon's knot. Fortunately, his armor protected him from the thorns but he couldn't get loose. Brian couldn't tell which vine to cut anymore.

         Finally, Justin realized the inevitable. "Brian, it's no use! It won't rest till it's got me! And once it does maybe it'll be placated enough for you to get the rest of the way through!"

         Brian was horrified. "Justin, what are you saying?"

         A single tear rolled down his cheek. "You have to leave me, my love. Come back for me! Don't forget me!"

         Brian held one of his hands and kissed him softly before securing his face mask. He was just in time. A vine grew diagonally across the mask but could not penetrate the diamond mesh. "As if that was possible, you twat! I love you!"

         More vines crisscrossed over his chest. "Hurry! Get Hunter! Brian! Bring me back our son! Hurry!"

         "I will!"

         "Go Brian! Go now! Hurry! Hurr-mmmphhhh!!"

         And with that, a really very large vine, one of the ones that was almost as large as Brian's arm, wrapped around Justin's body from torso to ankle and yanked him up and away into the trees. Justin's hand was cruelly ripped out and away from Brian's. 
         "NOOO! JUSTIN! NO!" Brian screamed.
         But it was no use. Justin was gone. He was alone.

         With renewed vigor, Brian slammed his visor closed and hacked away at the thorns like a madman. He followed the waves of evil, which he could now feel were washing over him like waves of thick molasses.

         Fifteen minutes later, he reached his destination. One moment, he was hacking his way through the vines. He couldn't see more than a few feet ahead of him in any direction. And then he was through and he was slicing his way into an opening. He had reached the clearing.

          Brian gasped in horror and disgust. It seemed he was just in time for the main event.

         Hunter lay on his bed of flowers, his throat still pulsating abnormally. And then, just as Brian hacked his way in and stepped into the clearing, Hunter's mouth opened wide, wider, wider, widest, stretching to supernatural proportions. A black serpentine head emerged. Hunter choked. The head emerged a little more, followed by a black, serpentine body. Hunter gagged again in his sleep and expelled the rest of the creature onto the grass. His mouth closed and returned to normal. He began to breathe deep and even and a small, contented smile curved his lips. He began to sleep a sweet sleep, a deep and restful sleep in the first time in a long time.

         The thing that called itself Guardian was about 6 feet long and looked like a wet, oily black snake. It didn't slither but rather flopped around on the green grass awkwardly. It opened its mouth and let out a high ‘SSSKKREEEEEK!' and Brian could see that it had two rows of razor sharp fangs.

         "SSSKKRREEEEK!!" The sound ripped through him like nails on a chalkboard.

         The creature flopped forward a bit more and dragged itself along a bit, leaving a trail of black slime in its wake. Brian watched in disgust and saw it was drying out a bit. There was a wet sucking noise and a leg sort of pulled out from the body. There was another and another and yet another disgusting sucking noise and three more legs pulled free. Then two leathery, black wings pulled up and away from the top.

         "SSSSKKKRREEEEK!"

         The dragon (for that's what it could only be now) flapped its wings a few times and dried out further and then lifted off the ground. It flapped a few feet off the ground, looking very pleased with itself indeed.

         Brian raised his sword. He was going to wipe that look right off its newborn little face.

         The dragon whipped its head around at the movement. Its eyes narrowed.

         Brian's eyes narrowed right back. He jerked his head and his visor dropped down with a clank.

         The dragon screeched and attacked. Brian was ready and rushed forward to meet him. The dragon clawed and bit but5 of course got nowhere. Brian swung his sword but the dragon dodged at the last minute. The dragon swung his long tail around and struck Brian in the side.

         OOOOFFF!!! Brian felt as if he were struck with a sledgehammer. That, and the weight of the armor drove him sideways into a thorny wall. His sword dropped out of his hand.

         The vines were hungry. They wrapped around his torso, an ankle, a wrist. Brian struggled but the vines held him in place and then slowly began to pull him deeper into the forest.

         The dragon looked on and then turned in a rather self satisfied way and flew over to Hunter.

         "NO! DON`T YOU GO NEAR HIM!" Brian yelled.

         Of course, the dragon ignored him. Making little hungry skreeks, it landed clumsily and then waddled over the rest of the way to Hunter's helpless, sleeping form.

         Brian reached for his sword, reached, reached, jerked to avoid a questing tendril and just as he was to be pulled out of reach, brushed against the sword handle and then grabbed it. He was just in time. More vines crawled over his chest and one around his neck. Of course he felt nothing thanks to the armor but the ones around his neck began to strangle the life out of him. He sliced them away and began to cut himself free.

         But he was too late. The dragon had crawled over to Hunter making happy, hungry skreeking chirps. He sniffed his way over Hunter`s face, licked his ear, and then smiled a sort of dragon smile. He opened wide and bit Hunter in the throat. He began to suckle greedily. Hunter gave a terrible scream and arched his back so that he was standing on his shoulders and ankles. This exposed his neck all the more to the dragon`s delight.

         "NOOO!!!!" Brian yelled in heartbreak and rage. He sliced himself the rest of the way free and ran over. He gave another roar and with a single stroke, sliced Guardian in half.  Then he pulled the front half off of Hunter and threw it away on the grass where it thrashed and jiggled in horrible death throes.

         Brian turned toward Hunter. Hunter was breathing shallowly and the fang puncture wounds were clearly visible. And moving down his neck, somehow clearly visible against his skin were the black lines of Guardian's venom. Steadily down, toward his chest, his heart, the venom moved with every heartbeat. And if it did reach his heart, it would fan out all through his body and Hunter would be permanently poisoned and sleep for one hundred years.

         Brian didn't hesitate. Was he the Queer King or wasn't he? And although it wasn't sexual in nature, Brian did what he did best.

         Brian bent over his sleeping son and sucked at his neck, sucking out the poison. He sucked and spit and sucked and spit and where the poison hit the emerald grass, it fizzled, turned black, and died.

         The poison was terrible, bitter and horrid, but Brian kept at it. He gave the sleeping Prince the "kiss of life" for all he was worth. He sucked and spit, again and again, and was happy to see the black track lines were drawn back upward bit by bit. However, as much as he got, there was still the tiniest bit of black venom that was too far down. Brian sucked and spit, sucked and spit, and "kissed" the Prince once last time until there was a time where there was no more bitterness, only the coppery taste of his blood.

         The small bit of black venom reached Hunter's chest. Reached his heart. There was a spiderweb effect as the blackness was pumped all through Hunter`s body and then disappeared.

         Brian sat up, kneeling on the grass and roared in rage and frustration. He rolled his hands into fists and buried his face into them. His shoulders shook and for the first time in a long time, the first time that he could remember, he wept. He had wanted this so badly. He had tried so hard but he`d failed Justin, Hunter, and himself. He had failed. He had failed and he would never forgive himself. Never.

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         Hunter lay on his red bed and lay in beatific repose. His was dreaming of the meadow where he and J and K were picnicking. It was a fabulous day. They were doing that thing where Hunter would kiss their hands and then put them over his eyes so they could kiss. The meadow was filled with puppies, all kinds. They yipped and chased their tails and chased each other, fought and just ran around.

         There was a point where the meadow had clouded over and instead over kissing, J and K had turned to him with dead eyes and fanged mouths and had SKREEEEEEE'ed at him. He ‘d screamed and it seemed he was having another nightmare but then the sky had cleared and J and K were normal again and they both fed him the most wonderful cake.

         "Oh J! Oh K! I wish it could be this way always! I wish we could do this forever!"

         "We can," answered K.

         "We can?!" he asked in joy.
         "Of course we can," J said, "You just have to wake up first."

         "I - I what??"

         "You have to WAKE UP!!!" said K loudly.

         "K, what do you mean?? We are -"

         "WAKE UP!!" they both yelled.

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         Hunter lay on his red bed in his black shirt and silver shorts. A sweet, small smile curved his lips.

         And then he took a long, deep breath and his eyes fluttered, blinked a few times and then opened. He remembered everything. He remembered the tests. He remembered the last few weeks, feeling so angry all the time, remembered the dreams and then this last dream where it was as if he were asleep and awake and dreaming all at once. And now he was awake, truly awake for the first time in what seemed like forever and the anger and hate were gone, gone at last, melted away like a snowball under a hot July sun.

         He looked over and saw a black knight with his face covered by his black gauntleted fists.

         "Who sits before me? Who is the knight who has rescued me?" Hunter asked in a weak and raspy voice.

         The black knight stilled and sat as if he were a statue. Then slowly he lowered his hands and stared with wide wondrous eyes.

         "Brian! I was hoping it was you," Hunter said with a soft smile. He reached up and cupped Brian's cheek affectionately. Brian grabbed it and held it there in unadulterated joy.

         "Hunter! You're awake! But how!? I thought..."

         "Yes?"

         "Oh, never mind! It doesn't matter! What's important now is that you ARE awake! How are you feeling?"

         "My throat's a little sore. And I'm still feeling a little drowsy."

         "Oh, of course! Hang on!" Brian rummaged around in clever compartments in his belt and pulled out a small tube and a roll of bandage. He squeezed some salve from the tube onto Hunter's wounds. There was a marvellous cooling sensation. Brian sealed it in, wrapping the bandage several times around his neck before tying it off. Hunter felt much better.

         "Where's Justin? Oh, of course, he must be at home. Why didn't he come? Didn't he - didn't he want to come?"

         "Oh Hunter, of course he wanted to come!" Brian burst out, hugging him, "He wouldn't take no for an answer! He did come! He's there! In the forest! But there are tangled, thorny vines growing all throughout it now. They captured him!"

         "Then...then we must save him," Hunter said wearily as he sat up slowly. He caught a glimpse over Brian's shoulder and recoiled.

         "What...what is that!?" he cried.

         Brian shielded him and tried to protect him from the sight but Hunter pushed weakly past him. "That...that was the thing in you. I watched it be born. And it bit you, Hunter. I tried to stop it but it knocked me into the thorns and before I could get out again, it bit you. I nearly lost you. I tried my best. I sucked out as much of its poison as I could, but it wasn't enough. A small bit of its venom reached your heart and went through your system. I'm sorry."

         As Hunter listened to him, he looked upon the monster with disgust. "So that was the thing in me. Gross. But I must say, now that it's gone, I do feel so much better. I can feel that the duality is gone. And its poison is in me. That must be why I feel so drowsy."

         "Maybe. But don't worry, maybe there's something Dr. David can do," Brian said. He hacked off the thing's head and placed it in a bag withdrawn from another clever compartment.

         "And now, Brian, would you take me home? My true home." Hunter said.

         "Oh OK," Brian said, schooling his features into a neutral expression to mask the hurt, "I guess your stay with us is over huh? Does that mean you want to go back to Debbie's?"

         "No Brian, you don't understand. I want you to take me swimming. Take me swimming and take me home."

         A wide smile slowly broke Brian's beautiful face as realization slowly dawned. "Hunter, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

         "I am," said Hunter. He went over to where the path should have been if it wasn't blocked over with a mass of thorns.

         "The final test is done!" he said authoritatively, "And we, all three have passed. We have all passed through the refining fire! All impurities have passed away and we are all made perfect! The Crucible is done!"

         And with that, he reached out and grabbed hold of a particularly thick vine. The vine turned brown where he touched it. The brown spread out along the vine in both directions. Hunter squeezed. The now brown vine crushed to powder in his hand.

         Brian watched in wonder as the brownness spread everywhere, over and under, around and around, killing the vines as they turned from green to brown like wildfire. Over and under, up and down, deeper and deeper into the forest, the vines all died as the blight spread through the entire vine system.

         He gave a test slice through the now brown system and the test plants immediately sliced away easily and even turned to dust, leaving a wide path.

         Hunter put his small hand into Brian's bigger, black and metal one. "Brian? Take me home now?"

         Brian looked down at his son and smiled. And leading the way, and after locating Justin who had been released as soon as his binding vines had died and disintegrated, he did.

THE    END