Private Tales Read between the lines

[Talus]

"Or me." Talus voice was unwavering, strong, but he did not speak to the Generals.

He seized the weight from her shoulders and dragged it onto himself, pushing love and adoration through the bond a she was forced to understand that she would not stand alone in this. Flashes of her visions poured through his mind, the tie between them showing him what she had already seen.

Talus did not have the same view on the others as Zana did, only for those whom he'd grown with. Yet that didn't matter. She held them as such, saw them in that way, and he would not allow her to shoulder this burden on her own.

Not ever.

If the Dreadlords were to be saved, then it would be the two of them that did the saving. His mind flashed to Sierra, to Hal. His friends, his family before Zana had come. Eyes closed for a brief moment and he took a breath. If he could consider them family, why not the others?

There was a moment where the five Generals seemed to look at one another. Staring in absolute silence as though a contest of wills was occurring. Yarl's fists curled tight against the desk, and Talus could see him quite literally shaking.

"The Dreadlords will be left to the two of you."​

Ilyana said with only the slightest frown towards the others. There was a nod of agreement, and to Talus' surprise even Yarl agreed.

"Is that all?"​

Aldwaith prompted Zana.

 

[Zana]

Zana could have wept. She knew he didn't understand fully why she cared for them all so deeply and yet he would stand with her in this. Like he would stand by her in everything. She couldn't help but look at him after he had spoken and very slowly she inclined her head when really what she wanted to do was kiss him.

Her eyes were brought back to them by the prompting of whether she had further questions. For a moment more she considered it all very carefully. The Dreadlords had been her main concern and their future in the new world these people envisaged. Now that had been answered she was left to dwell on the other things she had had floating around in her mind.

Eventually she gave the tiniest of shakes of her head.

"No, not right now. What I said to you last week has not changed. I will help you. Then when this is over I shall take my leave," Zana was a warrior not a politician and when that final fight was done... she would hang up her sword and focus on getting very well acquainted with a little porch swing in a happy little cottage in the lands far from here.

 

[Talus]

Ilyana nodded her head.

"Then I believe we're done for the day."​

Talus took in a deep breath, glancing at each of the five for a few seconds. All of them seemed fairly content, save for of course Yarl who wore an unreadable expression. He wasn't entirely sure what the man was thinking.

His eyes caught Ilyana's as he looked back at her, gaze quickly flickering to Yarl. The woman seemed to mouth two words. Don't Worry. Before she once again spoke.

"You two are dismissed. Feel free to return to the or...do whatever it is you do for fun. I believe you deserve the day. Both of you."​

Talus nodded his head, resisting the urge to lean down and grab Zana's hand to help her out of the chair. "Thank you, Generals, Admiral."

He snapped off a quick salute, bowing for just a moment before he moved to head out the double doors.

 

[Zana]

Zana stood and gave her own salute and small bow before she went to follow Talus out of the door.

Except that she paused.

Her eyes met that of Talus' and he might have caught a hint of what she was about to do but a second too late for him to stop her. She turned back towards the room where most of the Generals had broken into small groups or were leaving to go about their business. Blackforge passed her and patted her shoulder in a manner that would have sent most people sprawling but she gave him only the barest of smiles before continuing until she came to a stop in front of Aldwaith.

"General... could I speak with you please, privately?"

She had to know.

 

[Talus]

Talus turned around for a moment, expecting Zana to be right on his heel but finding that she had instead turned around to speak with Aldwaith. He frowned for a second and was about to call to her when Jarun moved in front of him.

"Dreadlord, I may need your help in the coming weeks..."​

He quickly shut his mouth, regarding Jarun for a few seconds and listening to his words.

At the same time Aldwaith half turned to Zana, smiling for a few seconds before he asked Ilyana to excuse him. He motioned for Zana to follow, and the two of them walked towards a side-door in the meeting chamber.

The room beyond was simple, though decorated with more trophies than any one mad had a right to. There was a wooden desk at the very back of the room, a map of all Anirian Territory hanging behind it.

"What can I do for you Zana?"​

Aldwaith asked as he shut the door.

 

[Zana]

Zana's eyes swept around the room once and then, because she couldn't afford any risks, a small bubble of purple energy crept up the walls. What little noise there had been was now gone and she let out a breath she had been holding in since she had walked into the meeting. Her face was a picture of distress and concern as she wrung her hands together. She thought, almost vacantly, she probably looked the most human she ever had to him in that moment.

"I think you know what I am going to ask... and Talus trusts you but I need to... I need to hear it from you to be sure," her green eyes met his finally on the tail end of her sentence and searched his face for any little twitch, any little flicker of doubt.

"I need to know if we can trust you."

 

[Talus]

Aldwaith glanced slowly around the room, observing the purple energy that slowly crawled around the walls and giving an uneasy frown.

His hands did not move to his blade, nor did he seemed threatened, but it was clear that the magic made him more than a little uncomfortable. Slowly the General walked over towards the desk, opening one of the drawers and pulling out a bottle.

He shook it towards Zana as if in question.

"Did Talus tell you how I met my wife?"​

Aldwaith placed two glasses on the desk, pouring what appeared to be whisky into one of them but leaving the other alone until she gave the word.

 

[Zana]

Zana followed him to the desk after a moments hesitation. She had sensed the unease but she was already uncomfortable enough having this conversation. She needed a tiny bit of control. When he shook the bottle at her she shook her head enough to make her hair dance slightly.

"No thank you Sir, alcohol makes my visions go backwards. You'll be peeling me off the floor after a sip," she gave the smallest of smiles - Talus had lent her the book on humour he had taken from the archives and she hoped it would 'ease the tension'. After a moment she slid into the chair on the other side of the desk to where he stood looking as uncomfortable as a person could.

"And no, Sir, Talus didn't even mention you had a wife," she had only known from her own research but she wouldn't mention that; he no doubt knew it already.

 

[Talus]

Aldwaith seemed almost surprised at the humor, but he smiled and took a sip of his Whisky as he slowly pulled his sword from his belt and placed it against the side of the table.

"This was...thirty years ago, give or take a couple. I was a young Guardsmen at the time. Not quite raw, but not quite experienced either."​

He sat himself down, glancing at the ornate blade for a few moments as if remembering something else. A breath filled his lungs, and then he looked back up at Zana with a smile.

"It was during the Krest Nights."​

Zana would know the Krest Nights as a period of Anirian History were certain cities had fallen under the influence of a religious cult known as the Children of Anir. They had swept through like wildfire, inspiring rebellions and nearly inciting a civil war. The Krest Nights had been a weekend of absolute slaughter.

Both the Guard and the Dreadlords had carried out massacres of the Cult's leadership and members.

"I was in one of the units that was charged with rooting out Vel Cirak. And...well that was where I met her."​

He smiled slightly, looking up at Zana before he spoke.

"She was a Priestess."​

 

[Zana]

Understanding crept into eyes the colour of a clear lake in a dark forest.

What he was telling her was basically treason. The Dreadlords had not given any quarter on those who had believed in the lies the religion had spouted across Vel'Anir. If she told someone he and his wife and any children he had would be marched to the gallows within hours of it passing her lips.

Quietly she eased herself back into the chair and a touch of the tension fell away from her shoulders.

"You hid her?"

 

[Talus]

He nodded his head.

"Swept her away to Vel Anir itself and kept her safe. We were married shortly after, none the wiser of what she'd once been. I understand something of forbidden love."​

Aldwaith let out a sigh, taking another sip before running a hand slowly along the scabbard of his sword. Eyes closed for a moment before he opened them and looked back at Zana with an easy expression.

"You secret is safe with me, even from the others."​

He looked like he was considering something for a moment, and then he spoke up.

"He's a good Lad, he is. Idealistic. Maybe a bit of a fool that way, but I can see how he loves you. Every time a question was a bit too much. Every time Yarl looked at you..."​

Aldwaith chuckled as though it was a funny joke.

"That boy would kill for you in a heart beat."​

 

[Zana]

A true smile lit Zana up from the inside. It transformed her whole being from a frigid, frozen, unmovable mountain to a girl that embodied the best days of summer and danced in her kitchen whilst she baked chocolate cake for her lover. She seemed to remember who she was talking to a moment later and the smile turned shy as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

"I think if he could he would do what you did with your Lady Wife," take her and run. Zana knew if she said the word he wouldn't even wait for her to change her mind. He would shift forms and then have them at the doorstep of a portal stone in the blink of an eye. Despite her thinking it was a ridiculous idea there was heart-wrenching love in every word she spoke.

He understood and so she didn't feel like she needed to explain why it was important it stayed a secret despite there not being any laws against Dreadlords being taken.

Perhaps if the time ever called for it he would even help them.

Slowly she nodded her head then stood.

"Thank you, Sir. I will remember this."

 

[Talus]

"I would prefer you forget."​

Aldwaith broke out into a loud laugh, as if he had just made the funniest joke in the world. His eyes lit up, and slowly he leaned forward as he rubbed away the tears that had formed at the corner of them. After a solid minute he pulled in a breath.

"Alright. Alright. That's enough. Please tell Ilyana I'd like to speak with her."​

The Generals were all equals, so it was of course not a command, but Ilyana would of course come.

Talus meanwhile had finished his conversation with Jarun and was now speaking with Ilyana. The red haired general was animated as she spoke, talking to Talus about a book she had recently read on the creation of hot air balloons.

 

[Zana]

Clearly she needed to study this book a little more, Zana thought as she opened the door and the purple energy fizzled away as if it had been nothing more than an illusion. Humour was something she was going to take a while to understand.

"Pardon the interruption - Aldwaith asked if he could have a word, General," she bowed politely and tried to not glance at Talus even though she was curious about what it was they had been talking about. She had only caught the tail end of it but there had been something about hot air.

 

[Talus]

"I'll tell you more later, It's absolutely fascinating. Thank you, Zana."​

"Of course General." Talus said with a nod of his head, smiling at Ilyana and of course not mentioning that he'd actually flown in exactly what the woman had been talking about. Finn's invention had been amazing, but he'd promised never to tell anyone of it.

Zana knew of course...but she didn't count.

"Dreadlord." He nodded his head. "Was your conversation with Aldwaith...pleasant?"

A part of him was afraid she'd mind-wiped the man or something of the sort, though he knew she wouldn't do such a thing unless she absolutely had to.

 

[Zana]

There was that uncomfortable feeling again in her chest whenever another woman spoke to him. Her gaze flicked to the ring on his finger and then back to meet his glacial eyes. A whisper of a smile tugged at her lips and then she began walking without offering much by the way of explanation. She didn't speak much even when they were in the corridor, sliding her hands behind her back and pretending to admire the view out of the occasional window.

"It was an... insightful conversation. He was telling me about his Lady Wife and how they met," Zana spoke casually after the period of silence whilst she tried to assess whether there was anyone in the direct vicinity. As far as her talents stretched she could feel nobody nearby. "It seems I now find myself with a week and a day as holiday after yesterdays mission," she had of course mentioned it in the meeting and she had felt the panic through the bond as she had described it in detail.

 

[Talus]

"Is that so?" Her talk of the mission had nearly made him seize up when he'd heard it, and although he knew that he'd gone on similar escapades there was still a hate inside of him for the people who made Zana go on them.

If he had his way she would have just stayed home all the time with him, though he knew that simply wasn't an option. Mostly because she would never agree to it in a thousand years. "Perhaps it's time for a vacation then."

He was still trying not to speak too directly, just in case.

"Somewhere in the woods maybe." The Cabin. "Or beyond."

The hot springs they had discussed last time.

For a second Talus came to a stop, his eyes flickering for a few second as he searched for anyone, then he whispered. "I'm glad you're okay."

He could not want to reach out and touch her, not out here, but through the bond she would see a passionate kiss the likes of which would have made the poets cry.

 

[Zana]

Zana came to a stop when he did and a smile tugged at her lips at his words. There were many things about Talus that she loved but his concern for her would always be one of the biggest things. She could see the ache for touch written over his face and the feel of it down the bond was enough to make her knees week. Gently an invisible touch brushed against his cheek with a surprisingly feather soft tenderness.

"Grey and I like the woods, it is... peaceful. Lots of things to hunt for the both of us," the second sentence was far more Dreadlord like than the first. Then her voice softened more to the lowest of whispers.

"I'm fine, Talus, just bruised. It should have been far worse," she should have been dead. Her magic was stronger than even she had thought and despite falling unconscious she had managed to keep a bubble of a field around her enough that she had not suffocated before Sloan had pulled her out. "I'll see you later," those invisible fingers dragged down his jaw then disappeared as she stepped away and continued walking down the hallway back towards where she had left Zandor and Grey.

She had intended to leave straight from here.

 

[Talus]

Talus, of course, was already sitting on the swing to the Porch by the time Zana rode out of the woods and into the large clearing that surrounded his house. A small bell went off just behind him in the House, but he ignored it and simply watched as the love of his life rode towards him.

She would notice that there was a large addition to the house, though as it stood it was clearly only two thirds of the way done. No roof yet extended over the new section of their home, though the walls were up entirely.

There were other changes too, though she would not yet notice them.

He waited patiently for her to approach, standing from the swing and walking over to the post that she herself had broken the last time she was here. "Welcome home, my love."

His words were filled with love.

 

[Zana]

It was like both boys knew where they were going the moment they passed the turning for the stables or home and made for the forest instead. Zandor nearly took out some poor woman with his skittish sideways walk when she tried to stop him bolting. Grey had shot off as soon as they had reached the treeline and she let the horse have his head soon after. Unlike before she couldn't keep up the fast pace for quite as long and pulled the impatient mount to a slow walk every now and then at her protesting bruises.

Grey was the first out of the treeline and he threw himself at Talus with enough force it might even send the man to the ground. The wolf quickly set about slobbering him. Zana appeared a moment later laughing, having seen the blur of fur careen into him. She slid off Zandor's back and quickly set about untacking him, her lips kicking up in approval at the saddle stand.

When she was done and Grey had finally released him to go explore the Cabin, Zana dropped her bags by their feet and simply threw her arms about his neck with a sigh.

"You've been busy."

 

[Talus]

"Not busy enough." He had started almost the day that she had left last time, a way to keep himself occupied.

Had he not needed to set the Runes in place he might have been done with the House by now, but he had wanted to make sure they were safe first before expanding their home. He leaned down and softly kissed her, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath.

"I've been aching to do that all." He said quietly as he kissed her again. "Four days is too long."

Talus whispered softly, his hands sliding beneath the hem of her tunic as he softly, very softly, ran his fingers over her skin.

 

[Zana]

The kiss made her weak at the knees and as he ran his hands under her shirt she pushed him up against the post he was stood in front of.

"Far too long," she agreed breathlessly. Zana had a thousand questions she wanted to ask like where had he gone and whether it had gone well but his hands on her bare skin ignited a greater need. She had nearly died yesterday and the shock of it seemed to only be hitting her now she realised, truly realised, what she had almost lost.

"Nothing is broken," she assured him, nipping at his lower lip. "Just bruised, I won't break," she wanted more than a gentle touch. Needed it.

 

[Talus]

His lips pressed against hers again, and then again. "Nothing could break you."

Talus breathed, his fingers tightening on her body almost as if in response to her words. He breathed her in, her teeth slowly dragging over his lip. A shiver ran up his spine, goosebumps rushing over his entire body as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her.

She would feel a sudden pressure, and then her feet were swept off the ground as he lifted her off the ground and into his arms.

"Nothing." He repeated with a fierce kiss.

 

[Zana]

It was an odd feeling of pride that welled in her when he announced her unbreakable. That he thought of her in that way stroked at her ego and added a certain spice to the way she returned his kiss. She wanted him to think the very best of her because he was the reason she was striving to make all these changes for the better.

Zana groaned when she felt him pick her up and her legs came to wrap about his waist instinctively. Their kisses grew from loving to fierce and passionate. Their shared hunger stole her breath until her lungs ached for air and she was forced to pause for but a few moments.

"I missed you," her fingers ran into his hair and after the few seconds she needed she pulled him into another deep kiss whilst pushing her body up against his.

 

[Talus]

As she pulled him into her Zana would feel the press of the porch beam behind her, the wood pushing up against her as Talus returned her kiss.

"I missed you." He tried to have some sort of conscious thought, tried to say something that was clever or witty. Tried to do anything he could to give himself an inkling of consciousness. Yet all he could think of was the fire that burnt in his core.

His lips pressed against hers, almost violently slow before dragging down her jaw and across her cheek. They traced over her neck, planting firmly against the barely visible marks he had left near a week ago.

Teeth sunk there for a few seconds, His breath filling him as his fingers held her tightly in place.