*sigh*
Alright, tell me more about shane being given to Ilya as spoils of war. I know you have thoughts.
BOY OH BOY DO I EVER!!!
Okay so this is set in ~nebulous historical Grecian gladiator inspired au~ Where Grigori's second born son, Ilya Rozanov, has risen through the ranks and become an indisputable force in the political expansion of their kingdom through his command of the most formidable sect of their army, a garrison called The Raiders. He has gained enough notoriety to potentially unseat his brother from the line of succession. But for that to happen, Ilya needs one final, irrefutable victory.
The Raiders encroach on enemy territory and finally dispatch the rule of their greatest rivals in a final bloody battle against their most formidable opponents, a garrison called the Voyagers lead by the prince and heir to the throne of their enemy kingdom, Shane Hollander (don't think about the Anglo-Saxon naming conventions please)
But Ilya is a just man and he has great respect for Hollander's battle prowess. So, when his men truss Hollander up in chains and present him kneeling at his feet, while tradition dictates that Ilya dispatches all his enemies with impunity, in honour of Shane's skill, Ilya makes a deal that he will spare the lives of Hollander's family and his people, so long as Hollander ransoms himself as Ilya's hostage - and as his bed warmer.
The noble Hollander agrees, giving his body over to this cause. Ilya takes great pleasure in making this warrior prince wear the garb of a bed slave, parading him around for all to see, but there is no greater pleasure than bedding a man equal to you on the battlefield.
Soon, Hollander becomes Ilya's favourite amongst all his bedmates, and his strategic advice is one he covets almost as dearly as his body. And when Alexei, Ilya's dastardly older brother, intends to preemptively seize the throne from their ailing father, Ilya and his followers gather for one final clash and Hollander - knowing that Alexei's rule would be one that would decimate his people instead of treating with them in honour - raises his sword and fights alongside Ilya, from disgraced prince and bed warmer to honoured battle companion.
And when Ilya and Shane emerge victorious, they are forever bound together as battle brothers, an oath sworn in shed blood, whose souls will now and forever be delivered to the gods as a pair. To solidify this sacred bond, Ilya - the new ruler of his kingdom - elevates Hollander to the position of royal consort. And they live happily ever after, fighting side by side, ruling a flourishing kingdom at peace, until their deaths where they are interred in the same tomb, their bones intermingling, the end.
(I need to think up better names for them in this au tho lol)
