Hopeful Romantic

Sir Ian summoned the strength to get up. He couldn't believe how uncomfortable it felt to do something so simple, but he got up anyway. The anxiety faded after some time, but Ian couldn't help feeling it anyway. Something didn't feel right, but he got moving. He was a knight in service of the Earl of Wexford and lived in the Earl's castle. That day the Earl sends Sir Ian on an errand to the Duke's court. Ian rides for two hours and comes to the town and the Duke's castle, and suddenly the anxiety worsens. He approaches the palace and enters through the gate, and there in the courtyard is the Duke's son, Dalton.

As handsome as he is tall, his blonde hair shines like golden strands of flax, and his lips are like cherries. Sir Ian walks up to him and requests an audience with his father, the Duke. Dalton walks with Ian to the Duke's court, and Ian delivers his message from the Earl and turns to leave. Behind him is the Duke's family crest, a pear tree. As he walks through the castle's corridors, suddenly, a burlap sack is thrown over his head, and someone pulls him into a secret tunnel. His arms and legs are bound, and someone else drags him downstairs. From there, they force him into a room, where they remove the sack, and Dalton is waiting for him. Dalton walks over to Sir Ian, who finds this all rather arousing and is prepared for Dalton to have his way with him.

Sir Ian struts out of Dalton's bedroom, feeling like a million £pounds. But before he gets through the threshold, Dalton pulls him back into the room, and Ian is on top this time. It's now nightfall, and Dalton insists that Ian stay the night. But the night held no sleep for either of them, with Dalton being his absolute stud and Ian always keeping up. Dalton begged Ian to stay when the morning broke, even commanded him. But Sir Ian served the Earl and owed him a debt, so he rode off into the sunrise.

Ian returns to the Earl's castle, and the Earl greets him with the messenger who had passed him a few hours before. The Earl explains that he owes the Duke a lot of money and that the Duke is forgiving a portion of that debt to buy Sir Ian's debt. The Earl tells Sir Ian to return immediately to the Duke's castle and never come back. Ian rides back, knowing full well what this means for him. Upon arriving at the palace, he is again kidnapped to Dalton's bedchamber, where Dalton has his way with Ian all night. In the morning, Ian is shown to his bed. It is a little room off the secret corridor that he was brought in through. He knew that he would be Dalton's plaything from now on, but he didn't mind so much.

Two months later, Ian is going about his day when Dalton calls him into the court. Dalton professes his love for Ian in front of the whole court, including his father, the Duke. The court erupts into chaos, and the Duke must do all he can to calm the people down. The Duke gives his blessing to Dalton and then gives his word to the court. The Duke says that his son is free to love whomever he wishes and that if the King, whose daughter Dalton is sworn to marry, was going to be mad about it, then let him. The court quiets down, and Dalton kisses Ian in front of everyone. Loyalists of the Duke's were smiling, while those loyal to the King were plotting to tell everything.

The King declares war on the Duke, who recruits all able-bodied men into his army to prepare for the castle's defense. The peasants are told to flee, the bridge is drawn, and the palace is secured. Ian finds himself on the castle's walls, and Dalton comes to him. He tells Ian that the King has offered a peace treaty if Dalton agrees to marry his daughter as arranged. Dalton says he doesn't want to do it and will fight to the death for Ian if Ian only declares his love for Dalton. But Ian doesn't feel the same way as Dalton, he doesn't need a romantic relationship to be fulfilled in life, and he finds it hard to commit to one person. He tells Dalton he doesn't think he can say the words, and suddenly the anxiety is back.

With a flicker and a blink, the simulation comes to an end. Ian finds himself in a holodeck, with a chair in the middle of the room. He sits down as he feels fatigued and sees two people through the glass window. They are his psychologist and psychiatrist, attempting to understand why Ian is a-romantic. They dissect the information from the simulation, but they don't come up with anything new. They tell Ian that they're going to run another test, and despite his objection, Ian finds himself in Washington, DC, in 1860.

Ian wakes up, and the anxiety is back, worse than before. He heads for the door of the room he's in and finds that he is the son of Edward Bates, a significant rival to Abraham Lincoln for the Republican nomination for President. His "father" sends him with a message to Mr. Lincoln's house, where he finds Robert Todd, Mr. Lincoln's son, out front under a pear tree. The two quickly bond, and when Mr. Lincoln wins the nomination and eventually the presidency, Ian's father is appointed Attorney General, and Ian grows even closer to Robert. But when the civil war starts and Robert asks Ian to go to war for him, he refuses and is pulled out of the simulation again.

The doctors consult with the manual and research the new simulation results, and still don't come up with any solid evidence that could explain Ian's lack of desire for romantic relationships. But they decide to try again anyway. Ian is put back into the simulation in New York City in 2001. Ian's anxiety is the worst, but he has a meeting in the World Trade Center to attend. Ian is walking towards the building when he's stopped, and his boyfriend is there on one knee, proposing to him. He refuses and goes on his way to the twin towers, expecting nothing odd on this 11th of September.