The Black Clover 18
USUAL DISCLAIMER
"THE BLACK CLOVER" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.
THE BLACK CLOVER
by Andrej Koymasky © 2018
written on 3rd of April, 1986
Translated by the Author
English text kindly revised by an Australian friend
CHAPTER 18
YAA
When Malik, with Iskandar and the soldiers returned to us about a month later, Amin and I went to meet him, happy and relieved for the evident success of his expedition. Amin embraced his son with emotion then asked him:
"Are you happy now, my son?"
"Yes, father. But now you have to allow me to escort Iskandar to a safe port."
"As you desire. But before that you must rest a little: you all were put to the test, and you are tired and dirty from the journey. At this point there is no hurry, is there?"
Malik looked at the boy with questioning eyes.
Iskandar then, with hesitant voice, said: "If you do not mind, prince, I really would like to rest a little..."
"You may rest as you like, of course." Malik answered.
So we all went back to the Palace together. We escorted them to their rooms. Iskandar was led back to his previous room. He was going in, when he turned to me and said:
"Visir, I need to talk to you... Would you be so kind to grant me a little of your time?"
I nodded and followed him into his room. Iskandar locked the door, and asked me in a very low voice:
"We can talk here without being heard, is that right?"
"Yes, of course..."
"What I am going to say to you must remain a secret between you and I, can you swear that?"
"Yes, I swear."
Iskandar sat on the side of his bed and waved me to sit near him. Then, in a subdued voice, said:
"Malik is really in love with me. He searched for me so far across the land, he engaged in battle with the bandits losing two men and risking his own life..."
"Are you amazed?"
"Very much so! But there is something else that astounds me even more. You see, when I was taken prisoner I thought: if I had agreed to make love with Malik, I would now be treated as a prince and not again as a chained slave. Not only does Malik have a splendid body and a strong personality, but he is sweet and kind. I, with my thirst for freedom, have fallen from the frying pan into the fire. This thought strengthened me when the Shaikh Hamid bought me and decided to have me gelded to use me as an eunuch in his harem. I was chained waiting for the gelder and I felt all was lost, when Malik appeared in front of me to tell me of my freedom. He caressed my nakedness with his hand. It was the first time he had touched me and never a caress was more sweet. His eyes were full of love and never a look was more pleasurable. If in that moment he had said he wanted me, I would have given myself to him with real joy. But what I felt in that moment was nothing but the fruit of relief, of the gratitude I was feeling toward him. Then he said to me to be patient a little more: he would pay my price and I would be free. He went out of the room where I was in chains and spoke with the Shaikh. He did not imagine I could hear everything... I know you love him, so I think I am not betraying him if I tell you what I heard... The price he accepted to pay to obtain my freedom is unbelievable and made me understand to what point Malik loves me, how much he is in love with me. He accepted to... to be taken by a slave, in front of the Shaikh's eyes! And this, that already seems to me unbelievable, not to have me for himself but to give me the freedom he had promised to me! Do you understand? Now, you see, my problem is just this: I cannot say I am in love with him, even if now I see him with completely different eyes. But the mysterious and extraordinary strength of his love has... conquered me. Now I feel I must be his, it can be no other way. And I like the thought of being loved by Malik and I would like to learn to love him the way he deserves. Now I feel I am completely his slave, I want to be his slave. I want to be able to give him the happiness he had hoped to find in me. But I can not lie to him by telling him that I love him, not yet at least, that would be dishonest. But he, I know very well, will never accept my body if I do not give him also my love. What can I do?"
I had listened with full attention, without interrupting him.
When he fell silent, I said: "Iskandar, in your opinion, what is love?"
"It is wanting the other solely and exclusively for oneself. It is to be jealous. I do not feel that for Malik..."
"Silly boy! How wrong you are. That is not love, that is possession, perhaps desire... No. Love is to give yourself completely to the other person, to be ready to do anything for the other's happiness. To be ready to give up everything. Do you understand me? To lose your life, to renounce your honour if required, just to know that the other is happy. This is what Malik did for you. Once you said to me that the freedom is your most valuable possession. Now you are planning to renounce your freedom to make Malik happy. Therefore you love him. Be at peace, when two persons love each other like Malik loves you and you love him, neither loses his freedom. Go as soon as you can to Malik, tell him you love him... and live happily together!"
"I do not have the courage, after all he had to suffer for my fault, after the humiliation he had to endure because of me."
"Listen, if you really want his happiness, take a good bath, put on your best clothes, knock at his door and offer him your love. Tell him you want to be his, only his, forever. Do not put obstacles in the way of love. It is the most sublime thing a man can experience in his life. Hurry up, do not waste any more time. Get yourself ready and go to see him."
"Yes... I thank you, Nadim. I did the right thing by talking with you, you really are a wise man."
I went out happy. Finally Malik had found the person to love and to be loved by. I was walking along the corridor thinking about it when a servant caught me and said that Malik was looking for me. I immediately went to his room, postponing the meeting I planned to have with Amin to give him the good news.
Malik wore just light trousers and I could not help but admire his beautiful features, seductive and manly. As soon as we were alone, he narrated to me in detail all that had happened, included the humiliation he had to endure being used by a slave and, worse, in front of the Shaikh's eyes. He concluded:
"But I would suffer it all again gladly, for I love Iskandar, even though I know I will lose him. Am I not a fool?"
"No, my friend. Simply you understand what it means to love. The trial to which you were submitted is not humiliating, believe me. On the contrary, it makes you a real noble, more than your birth. Because you were able to put in the right order the values of life: first love, and only after that, pride. And you have learnt from this difficult experience. Remain this way, my sweet friend, and never be ashamed of what you do for love. I thank you for having honoured me with your confidence, telling me of these matters. I must leave you now, Malik... Be proud of yourself. Your sacrifice will bear fruit..." I said and, without saying more, I left him.
Just in time: Iskandar was arriving. I saw him knock at Malik's door, enter, and I went away satisfied, looking for Amin.
Malik, when he heard the knocking, thought it was me again and simply said to enter. When he saw Iskandar instead, he immediately stood up with emotion. The boy had stopped on the threshold.
"Come in, enter..."
"Malik, I have to talk with you..."
"Tell me."
The two youths remained for some moments standing in front of each other, gazing into each other's eyes, in silence. Then Iskandar, with a voice full of emotion, said:
"Malik, I do not want to go back to my land. I want to remain here... with you."
"Here? With me?"
"Yes, if you still want me..."
"If I want you?" Malik repeated, looking at him rather unbelieving, then asked with a hesitant voice: "What made you change your mind?"
"You, your behavior, your love..."
"You mean you... you accept my love?"
"I mean I hope to be able to love you, I want to learn to love you, if you will help me. I mean that all that happened made me understand that perhaps I need the love you offer me. I mean I want to be yours, as you want me, I feel I belong to you. You said to me that I am free: well I freely accept being yours. Do with me what you will and I will be happy."
"But... you do not want to go back to your land, to your people?"
"No, I want to be yours, if you still want me. My land is where you are. I want to be your faithful slave."
"In your land you are a prince..."
"No... I lied," he said blushing. "In my land I am just a sailor, not a prince. My father is a sailor, as was also my grandfather. Now you know: I do not deserve any special consideration, any privileges. But, I pray you, keep me as your slave, do not sell me..."
"Sell you? Never! I love you, Iskandar."
"Even now that you know I lied to you?"
"I have never been in love with a prince, Iskandar, but with you. And if you want to remain at my side, you will not be a slave, but a peer. I need your love, Iskandar, not just your body. Slaves? I can have as many as I want, like Monge or little sweet Jamal. Also servants, like Jussuf or handsome Majid. And also loyal subjects like Abdel or Kemal. But not one of them is the sovereign of my heart, not one of them is the oasis of my soul, not one of them is the lord of my body. You, you only are my beloved and I want you to be my lover."
"I would like to learn to love you as you desire, as you deserve, as you love me. Will you help me, Malik?"
"You really want this?"
"With all my soul!" Iskandar said and slowly and shyly reached out his hand, brushing the strong bare chest of Malik with a light caress.
His hand trembled, he made a step toward the other and knelt in front of him. He undid the loose trousers lowering them to his ankles, so revealing his splendid nudity. He caressed his beautiful manly member and leaned to kiss him with sweet dedication. Malik quivered in emotion. Then he stooped toward Iskandar, made him stand up, and started to undress him finding with pleasure that the boy was already fully aroused. He traced his figure with hands quivering with pleasure and joy, then drew the boy to him and passionately kissed him on the mouth. Iskandar at once answered with the same passion. Their eyes met and were luminous.
"How beautiful you are, Malik!"
"It is you that makes me beautiful."
"Take me, Malik, please. I want to be yours, I want to feel you in me. Take me, now, here, immediately, please..." he murmured, his voice hoarse and lay down offering himself to the young prince.
Malik, trembling with emotion, circled his waist and with delicate determination entered him.
Iskandar, panting lightly, urged him on: "Yes, I am yours. Come in, let me feel it all... Aaah, how good... Go on, fill me, let me feel how much you desire me..."
"Yes, my loved one, I am entering you. Do you feel me? Do you like it?"
"Oh, yes..."
"And after, I want to feel you in me, and you too will fill me with your strong virility, and you will spray my insides with your precious seed... You too will make me yours and when a part of you is at last inside me, we will be really united. Oh, how much I love you, Iskandar!"
"Are you happy?"
"Yes, I am!"
"I too love you, Malik. Truly. And I want to love you every day even more."
The two, lost in a symphony of the most intense emotions, finally physically united, made love for hours, unhurriedly, untired, often exchanging their position and roles, each intoxicated by the other, forgetful of everything but their love. On Malik's wide and soft bed they dedicated themselves to each other with a deep happiness. The energy and enthusiasm of their youth was expressed in that ecstatic union, so that they seemed unable to demonstrate to each other sufficiently their mutual desire.
Iskandar murmured to Malik: "Never abandon me, please, I belong to you, now."
"But I am yours, my love."
When at last I saw them together again, they both were as if transformed. They were so beautiful, and what now united them was almost tangible. A radiant Malik, as soon as he saw me, asked:
"Where is my father? I have to tell him that Iskandar and I are now one. Forever."
"Be happy, my boys. And may Allah bless and protect you as he blessed and protected the love between Amin and I. I am deeply glad for you both."
While I was saying these words, Amin reached us and immediately Malik shared with him his joy. His father embraced him tight, then embraced Iskandar and said to him:
"As long as you and Malik love each other, you will be to me and to Nadim as a son. I want a great feast to be held to celebrate this happiest of days!"
All through the feast the two boys were radiant and had eyes only for each other. There was a deep rivalry each to attend to the other. At one point I heard Malik saying to Iskandar:
"... because all I have is yours, I told you..."
"But you have duties to carry out with your wives. And I do not want to ask you not to meet your other lovers any more. I understand when you say that I am the most important for you, and I am grateful. But that does not means the the others no longer exist!"
"I agree. But what now appeals to me is just what I can share with you."
I intervened in curiosity and asked them what they were discussing. Amin also approached. So Malik explained:
"I said to my lover that my wives and lovers will be also his own, or I will renounce them."
"But... Slaves are one thing, but at least for the free people you must see if they agree to share their pleasure with Iskandar..." Amin objected.
Malik quietly smiled: "That is true, father. But if they do not agree, they will no longer be with me. And also, if Iskandar is not interested in some of them, I too will no more be interested in them. Father, there is another thing I am thinking about. All the children that are borne by my women, I do not want them to be only mine, but also of my beloved... That is, I mean, I do not want it to be possible to say they are born from his or my seed. So we will unite on the same day with the same woman..."
Amin and I laughed and his father said to him, in a good natured way: "It will be easily determined! You are so physically different, you are dark and he is blond...Do you not think you are exaggerating just a little?"
"Not at all. Moreover is it not said: the children of the European slaves of the shaikh Muhammar are not so easily and clearly distinguished from the children of the other concubines or wives. It does not seem so strange to me what I am saying, if it is true that Iskandar and I love each other above all other things," Malik said in a voice both serious and passionate.
So I said: "It is a possible solution... Why does Iskandar seem not to accept it?"
"It does not seems fair to me that Malik's life should be so changed because of me..."
"You do not change me at all, my loved one! And about changing my life, it was radically changed the first time I saw you, changed in a stupendous way, thanks to you, now that I know that you too love me. So I leave the choice to you: or both of us, or just us."
Then Amin said to Iskandar: "This proposition of Malik could be a good solution. I did not want anybody else at my side other than Nadim and this created some problems. You see, the position of two men loving each other, in our society, confronts them with not a few problems. Not so much the sexual intercourse between two men: this is diffused enough, notwithstanding that our ulama and mullah say it is not allowed. Sexual intercourse between soldiers, and not just in war time, or between an adult and a boy, or for us powerful people even an harem of slave boys, is something rather common. But when there is a strong, real love, the problems arise. People seem not to understand it, not to admit it. So you have to find your own solution, my boys, and then defend it with all the means at your disposal. But the real problem is not what the others might say, if you are prudent. Women and what happens inside the closed doors of the harem can easily remain a secret, and usually servants and friends do not constitute a serious problem. The important thing is that the solution you find can give full satisfaction to both of you and does not hurt anyone. Now, the solution suggested by Malik, even if very different from the one Nadim and I chose, seems to me sensible."
Iskandar said: "But I remain the sole arbiter of the situation! Malik, before I answer your proposition, tell me: I feel sure about your love for me but you, to what point can you feel sure of my love?"
"Totally. You gave up a return to your homeland, for me. You gave yourself to me."
"But if one day I change my mind? If at some time in the future I wish to leave you?"
"I would feel terrible, but I would do nothing to prevent you from doing so. I hope and trust that you are at my side forever with love, or it would be better for us to part now."
"Today I feel certain I want to be yours forever, but sometimes a man's heart changes..."
"Unhappily, I too could change. I can only hope and pray this will never happen. Man is really a man until all his being is in harmony. But if his heart goes mad, he is no more a man. It happens, some times. Who can say it will never happen? But you cannot live in fear of a vague possibility. So it is better not to think of that and to try to live in the best possible way... Did I answer your question, Iskandar?"
"Yes, Malik, thank you. I hope I never become mad, to use your term. And meanwhile I want to live in full harmony with you. So I will share what is yours to the last, as you wish. I too want to be one unique thing with you. Cut a man in half and you just have a corpse. I do not want to be cut away from you."
So the two youths shared everything, down to the smallest things. The wives and the harem women did not create any problem, neither did their friends or the servants. The two youths shared their clothes, their food, every smallest experience and their happiness was so evident that even a blind man could see it! Iskandar asked to be circumcised and embraced the true faith. Amin, after that, decided to proclaim Iskandar co-heir to the throne with Malik, as his son requested. The Council initially was perplexed, divided. But Amin was unyielding and in the end the Council accepted this decision.
After the ceremony, when alone with me, Amin said: "I have been thinking very much about our two boys and about us two. Iskandar will one day be shaikh together with Malik. But you are just my Great Visir. Without wanting it, I had been unfair to you, my sweet love, but I want to remedy it immediately. I will send a proclamation to all our territories informing that you are Shaikh with me. It is the right thing to do."
"No, please, Amin, leave things as they are. People are already astounded having two co-heirs, and will never understand this change. There is really no difference, and we know that. But to the others it will seem strange. Some will think you are my puppet, that I have aims I do not have..."
"Who cares about what the people think? I feel this to be fair, allow me to do it."
"If to you it is important, my beloved, I will not oppose you. But I want you to know that for me nothing changes, be I shaikh or slave, unless I have your love."
"Good. Tomorrow it will be announced that this shaikhdom has two shaikhs, just as it has two heirs. History will talk about us..."
I here close this manuscript. I commenced it with a dedication to my Lord. I close it dedicating it to our two heirs.
This is the story of a little dreamer, a donkey breede
that became shaikh through love.
This is the story of a powerful Shaikh that for love shared his throne.
This is the story of the power of love,
that does not know, nor care, for barriers of age or sex, race or social origins,
because love is a gift from Allah:
be always praised His Name, His Power, and all His Gifts.
Nadim ibn Jussuf el Saum
THE END
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