Private Tales Read between the lines

[Talus]

Her teeth sank into his lip for a brief moment, and Talus wiggled softly against her as he drew her towards himself.

"The best kind." Talus said as he pulled her into a deep kiss. "The kind..."

The manacles felt cold against his skin, though the warmth of her body around them was an instant pleasant contrast he couldn't help but feel as she pressed against him.

"The Kind where I'm really in charge." Before she could say anything else Talus locked her lips against his own.

 

[Talus]

His fingers slowly floated through her hair. "I could make you breakfast in bed."

He offered softly.

On their last meeting he had said that he would learn to cook her one thing, and that was exactly what he had done. Breakfast was an easy meal, and that was why it was the one that he'd actually chosen in the first place.

It was something he could do.

"Pancakes." She had made them for him before. "Eggs and hash-browns."

A balanced breakfast really.

 

[Zana]

"Mmm.." Zana shifted her position a little to look up at him from where she was sprawled on top of his torso. "Breakfast in bed sounds good," even if it was far later than the morning. She hadn't woken up until the sun was high and they had been re-aquainting themselves with one another ever since then.

Either way she had no intentions of leaving this bed today.

Reluctantly she rolled off of him and then fiddled with the key about her neck trying to decide whether to take them off yet or not. Her mind was so calm right now. She wasn't sure if she wanted to give it up just yet.

 

[Talus]

Talus slowly leaned over and kissed her forehead. "The choice is yours."

He was referring to the manacles of course. A part of him wanted her to wear them the entire time that she was with him, but he knew that wasn't likely to happen. Best that she make the decision herself rather than he give any thought.

A hand slowly flowed through her hair.

"I'll break the chain if you want to keep them on." At least then she would be a bit more comfortable.

With one last kiss Talus swept himself out of the bed.

 

[Zana]

"I know..."

Talus would never force her into anything she didn't want to do, Zana knew that better than some bits about herself. But it was a big decision. Her fingers ran slowly over the silver chain and then she reached out and gently took his hand before he could leave the room.

"Take the chain off," she took a breath and then scooted off the bed after him with the sheets wrapped about her. "It will be nicer when I sleep anyway if it's gone," Zana wasn't a big mover when she slept but she had missed being able to run her hands through his hair without accidentally garroting him.

"I think... for today I will keep them on," she hadn't quite realised how much she had craved being... normal. Just for a day.

 

[Talus]

Talus nodded his head. "I think that sounds like a good idea."

She was safe here with him. Safer than anywhere else in the world. If she wanted to feel normal here, if she wanted to be without her magic then Talus would protect her with his life. Lips quirked in a smile as he leaned over and kissed her.

"Hold still." He said softly.

If he was right about his theory then actually taking the chain off wouldn't be much more difficult than...his hand turned ghostly pale, and slowly he reached out towards the chains. Translucent grasped and then passed through the silvery chain.

For a second nothing happened, and then the corrosion began to bite into the metal. Within the seconds the metal faded away, clattering into pieces onto the ground.

 

[Zana]

Zana wondered whether he realised how special he was. As the chain clattered to the floor she stretched her arms up over her head with a yawn and then flopped back into the bed with a sleepy smile.

"I'm ready for breakfast now," she said dramatically, her hand thrown across her forehead as if she were some pampered princess. Despite the voice she was all smiles, flushed cheeks and shimmering eyes. There was nothing in this world she loved more than him and what he gave her. This freedom.

As if sensing the word breakfast Grey appeared at the door and gave a sharp bark, his paws dancing impatiently. Zana patted the bed and the wolf jumped up beside her.

"Maybe add a side of bacon for my friend here," she pressed her face into the wolf's coat and peeked at Talus out of the corner of her eye.

 

[Talus]

"Can do." He had been practicing after all.

What good was practice if you never got to put it to any use. With one last look towards her Talus turned on his heel and slowly walked out the door and into the kitchen slash dining room. He set about work quickly, gathering about four different pans and lighting them all.

Within fifteen minutes there was a clatter of activity as Talus began to make Zana her breakfast, crafting a meal that would have been worthy of...

Well a ten year old making breakfast for himself. Food and mess went everywhere. Scraps of bacon falling to the floor, eggshells tossed onto the counter, dirty pans practically thrown out the window in a scatter brained mess.

Eventually though Talus stepped back through the bedroom door, a large tray with four plates resting upon it. "Here."

The young Dreadlord said, flour smudged on his face.

 

[Zana]

Every loud crash had Zana wincing from the bed but there was a smile there too. He was trying. He wanted to take care of her like she did for him in this tiny little way. How could she possibly deny him that? So she lazed in bed, leaving only briefly to go and pick up a book from her bags. She had brought nearly half her case but she wanted some here so she could have them at any time.

She was nestled in a heap of pillows with Grey's head across her lap engrossed in her book by the time he appeared at the door. To begin with she only briefly glanced up and went back to her book, then looked up again. Her stomach growled despite the mess. A small bubble of laughter escaped her and she set her book aside whilst nudging Grey out of the way.

"This looks... beautiful," Zana said with a warm smile as he placed the tray in her lap. When he leaned over to do so she ran her thumb over the smudge of flour on his cheek and kissed him slowly. "Come, sit," she tugged him down into the bed with her, fed a bit of bacon to Grey and then slowly put a piece of the egg and hash brown mix into her mouth.

Surprise filtered across her face.

"This is great!"

 

[Talus]

He wasn't sure if he should be happy or insulted by the shock that ran through her voice, though ultimately he decided on the former rather than the latter.

"Good." A part of him had been tense at the simple idea that she would reject the meal. Simple as it was, it had taken him nearly half a week to actually learn how to make it properly. The damned eggs had never come out right before and the hash browns...

Well they weren't called hash blacks.

As Zana leaned back and ate her meal, Talus stretched slightly, his hand softly settling on her thigh and rubbing up and down in a pleasant touch. "Unfortunately I haven't learned a dinner yet."

Talus said with a smile.

He hadn't had the time after gathering the Phoenix.

 

[Zana]

Zana bent her leg at the knee so more of her thigh was exposed for him to rub and massage as she ate her food.

"I'll teach you something easy," maybe something like pizza would suit him. He was a craftsman after all, perhaps doing something like kneading dough and then smothering it in a mess of toppings would appeal more to him than things that required delicate spices. She thought back to the fact he had only had salt in his cupboard and decided that yes that was probably wise.

She let Grey have the last pancake in exchange for stealing some of his bacon and then sighed in contentment as she leaned back into the pillows.

"I think I could get used to this," a good nights sleep, hours in bed, breakfast. No pain. There was a tiny bit of her that was worried about whether they would be worse when she took them off. "I can see why royals like it now."

 

[Talus]

"Now imagine if I had a bath tub." He told her with a wide smirk, drawing slow figure eights on her thigh as he leaned back and mused.

Briefly Talus wondered if he could create something like in Karak using magic. There was a college magic spell for heating water, and he supposed that enchanting was easy enough. He knew of a fourth level Dreadlord who pretty much could only enchant things.

Good lad, though probably a little too smart for his own good.

"So." He began as he leaned over and kissed her head. "Bed all day?"

Talus said with a smile, nuzzling into her hair.

 

[Zana]

"Mmm then I am afraid I would have to just move in permanently," Zana pushed the tray to the side and with coaxing fingers under his chin she turned his face more to hers so she could kiss him. Her arms draped over his shoulders and she tugged him gently so that he was on top of her as their lips moved with one another in a slow and loving kiss. The fire was gone from earlier replaced with the sweet balm of happiness and contentment. She was so grateful for this extra week off to spend with him.

"Bed all day was my plan, I need to heal a little more," she pressed a sweet short kiss to his lips again. "Are you still technically on duty this week?" her forehead rested against his and she settled in to enjoy the warmth and comforting weight of him on top of her. If he could spare a few days away then perhaps they could go away and explore those hot springs.

 

[Talus]

"Then bed all day you will have, My Queen." Talus said as he offered her a small kiss on her lips. Closing his eyes for just a few seconds to take a deep breath. The idea of her staying here permanently brought him almost as much joy as the idea of what they had agreed to just an hour or so ago.

Though this time he did not make her acquiesce to the dream.

"For the next two days." He told her softly. "You'll have to entertain yourself during the early hours, and I might get called away."

A smile touched his face. "But it seems Aldwaith has ensured that I have some time to myself. Something about being worried about my 'mental health'."

The concept had been so foreign to Talus that he'd actually had to ask what it even meant. That had been an odd conversation.

 

[Zana]

Zana brushed her lips across his cheeks and then breathed him in as he spoke. The worries and stresses of the past week or so disappeared laying here with him like this. Her hands swept down his arms and then round to his back where she pressed him down a little more on top of her like a weighted blanket. She rubbed her nosed against his.

"I can entertain myself for a few hours - just wake me before you go," as much as she trusted the cabin and the wards he had put up around it for her, she wouldn't leave herself without her magic whilst he wasn't home. His next words caused as much confusion to her as they probably had to him initially.

"What is 'mental health'? Have you had a telepath try and tear your mind apart?!" there was a moment of mild panic and her hands came to cup his face, searching his gaze intently. Surely she would have felt something like that through the bond?

 

[Talus]

Talus shook his head. "No no, nothing like that, Love."

The concept was a very strange one to be fair, he could very well understand why Zana wouldn't have grasped it immediately. Aldwaith had had to explain it three times before Talus had actually managed to wrap his mind around things.

"It's more like...well...apparently, stress can also happen to humans." Of course they knew what happened when a weapon was stressed. A blade could shatter, break, and so could a person. Dreadlords were conditioned not to, trained not to. "He was worried that with everything that was going on it would all be a bit...much. Like I was experiencing and putting too much weight on myself."

A shrug rolled over his shoulders as his hand played over her belly unconsciously. "He didn't want me to break. Especially after he'd heard what had happened to you."

 

[Zana]

The panic eased when he dismissed her fear and the tension fled from her shoulders. She shut her eyes briefly and took a breath. Instead she listened with growing curiosity to what he had to say about 'mental health'. The idea a human could be stressed was laughable to her, or at least it had been before she had sat with Lola and the other women from the Guard. Just because they didn't have the same stresses as her didn't make them any less stressful to them.

Zana took a deep breath when he mentioned what had happened to her.

"Does it? Is this putting too much pressure on you?" her fingers ran through his hair as he stroked across her belly. She knew it was hard for him to see her act so different, so cold, and to be disliked by his men for it. She hoped her growing relationship with Lola would help ease his worries there a little. "You know you can talk to me about anything Talus," she was the only other person that would understand the feelings he had. If they had to come up with another way of working together then that was fine too. It was a learning curve for them both and they would get there in the end.

 

[Talus]

"I know, My love." He leaned softly against her, taking another deep breath. "Any stress I have melts away when I'm with you."

It was certainly true.

There were moments when he was without her that he ached, when he felt like the world was crashing down. Yet each time he had been there for him, each time Zana had either been at his side to quell that worry in a near instant.

"Honestly." He said quietly as he gently kissed her hand. "I haven't felt better in years."

A smile touched his face. "I was alone for so long Zana. On my own with an impossible task. No one who could truly understand. No one who could stand by my side, but now where you are."

His fingers brushed over her skin.

"What's the weight of the world when I have you next to me?" Lips brushed over her cheek.

 

[Zana]

Zana's cheeks dimpled under his lips and she brushed a hand through his hair again in gentle strokes.

"I feel the same," when she had lost a part of her soul and found these thoughts crowding into her mind she had thought she would drown under them. She had also been certain she would die doing it. Now... now she had someone and a dream to live for. He had saved her. She brushed her knuckles down his cheek and smiled as she stared into his eyes. They almost seemed to twinkle in the sunlight.

"But... if you need to talk..." her hand rested on his cheek. "Please talk to me. Just because the bond is there doesn't mean we should stop communicating," she pressed a quick kiss to his lips. The fact Aldwaith had given him the time off because of her accident felt... odd but she was thankful to the General who saw too much. Maybe she would need to sneak some sort of baked good to him too. For looking out for her heart.

 

[Talus]

He leaned his head against hers, taking a deep breath and offering her a smile. "Always, my love."

They had done so in the past, why would he not in the future?

Oh there were things he kept from her, but they were both things that she was better off...not knowing, at least for now. Both were plans for the future, both were things that he needed to keep to himself until the moment struck.

One would hopefully come sooner than the other.

"The same goes for you." He told her softly. Talus had thought he'd proven himself in regards to his promise not to slaughter all of Luana for hurting her, and thus he wanted to make sure she knew the door was open for her as well. "It goes both ways."

Talus ran his fingers over her skin. "Always."

 

[Zana]

Zana nodded and then took his hand and gently brushed it across her stomach.

"Always. I struggled at the start of the week but... I understand what you mean about the Guard. Or at least, I am beginning to," they were welcoming her despite her House being responsible for many of the troubles they had all suffered. Their stories were beginning to unravel her loyalty to Luana bit by bit. It still made her uncomfortable to think of herself as betraying them but she was beginning to see where it needed reform.

"It is nice to feel like I am doing something good," her fingers ran up his arm slowly. "And I like it when you're proud of me," her lips curved upwards. "I want to make you proud and happy." If helping the Guard did that she would continue to push them and teach them despite the risk to herself or him.

"I do not like that there are several of your soldiers who seem to think you are a 'dish'," her nose wrinkled as she recalled the word Kayla had used.

 

[Talus]

His hand softly wound through her hair, a small smile touching his lips. "Unfortunately, My Love, I do not have the power to change the whims of others."

That was one ability that he had not started to develop.

"But I have eyes only for you. That I will swear on the pain of a thousand deaths." There was no questions of that, not even the hint of someone else. No other women existed in his eyes. Not now, and not ever. "And..."

He softly kissed her cheek. "Of course I am proud of you."

Talus knew everything she was doing. Everything that she was putting herself through in order to get them to their goals.

"You make me happy." He stated quietly.

 

[Zana]

Zana frowned as he smiled at her jealousy though the way her lips strained as she fought against a smile.

"Well... if you don't do anything I might be forced to," she nipped at his bottom lip and her fingers ran over the ring on his finger. He was the first person she had ever loved and would ever love. She couldn't share, not even just the thought of him. The sooner they could be public the better.

"You make me so happy too," Zana sighed and pulled him down into another kiss. He tasted of flour and sugar. She groaned. "God you are so sexy when you cook, please do this more often," she grinned and pulled him into a deeper kiss as her legs twined with his.

The next few hours were kisses and idle conversation of two young lovers getting to know each other more. The sun had set when she finally groaned and sat up, disturbing Grey who was laid across her stomach.

"Okay, time to teach you how to cook dinner," she tugged on his discarded shirt.

 

[Talus]

He smiled as he pulled himself up, drawing on some of his more comfortable cloth trousers and practically dragging himself out of bed.

"Is it now? Talus asked with a smile, gently sliding his hands over her hips and drawing in a deep breath as he considered the words.

He had said he wanted to take care of her more.

"Suppose I can live with that." A smile flickered over his features. "I have an apron for you..."

Talus gently tugged at her shirt for just a brief second, smirking as he slipped by her and through the door.

 

[Zana]

Zana stared at him as he left the room. An apron? Curious she padded after him on light feet and a stupid smile on her face. It had never really occurred to her to ever get an apron before despite her love of baking. She usually had to cram it in around other things and she didn't particularly care if she got flour or eggs on herself.

When she stepped into the kitchen however she gave a soft cry of pain at seeing the horrific state he had left it in. She even spun around as if she were going to leave the kitchen in disgust but she turned back, her hands over her mouth.

"What did you do?!" she picked a bit of shell up off the floor with a grimace.