Private Tales Read between the lines

[Zana]

Zana leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to his lips. The lightest of touches, sweet and loving all rolled into one moment. Appreciation for letting her go rolled through the bond. Nothing else needed to be said on the matter.

"Mmmhm, tomorrow for one or two days, then that still leaves three days for us to just... rest before we have to go back to the real world," Zana smiled and finished licking the chocolate cake mix off her spoon.

 

[Talus]

Talus nodded. "I'll put some money together for a hotel."

He was sure that Alliria probably had hundreds of them, but if they were going to travel he wanted to make sure that they had somewhere nice to stay. Some sailors Inn wouldn't due for his pregnant wife, especially not after the last one they'd stayed in.

His lips pressed against the top of her head as he stood.

"I think I know someone there." He mused. "Merchant I met on one of my...adventures."

Talus wasn't really sure how else to put it.

 

[Zana]

"I know you don't like using the Luana money but... let me, please? They pay more than enough and I know you've been squirrelling bits away to build a house," her lips twitched slightly. He might have snuck the proposal past her but using their funds for a secret project had been a lot harder for her to miss. She knew her love wanted them to be safe in case something happened.

Zana stood up and then bent over to check on the sponges.

"Do you want to drop in on them?" Zana straightened up and wiped her hands on the Guard apron he had brought her.

 

[Talus]

Talus frowned, clearly not liking the idea.

It was off-putting, using the funds of something he wanted to destroy. He supposed that in a way it was peotic, using the money to subvert their own way of life. Breaking the rules they put in place for the Dreadlords like Zana.

After a moment he nodded his head. "Alright."

Though he was still not best pleased with the idea of doing it. He wondered briefly if he should start some sort of money making venture of his own. Plenty of Dreadlords did it, building their own wealth on the side so they could live well if anything ever happened to them.

Lips thinned, and then he dismissed the thought. At least for now. There was too much else to get done.

"If he's there." Talus said with a smile. "He tends to travel a lot from what I know."

 

[Zana]

Zana let out a tiny breath when he conceded. She was always prepared for some sort of argument when she spoke about the houses; their last one had ended up with both of them in tears and nearly half the house coming down when they made up. She knew it was irrational. She knew it was her conditioning. Everything screamed at her logically that it was so but she was powerless to do anything to stop it from existing in her still.

Lightly she reached out and ran her knuckles down his cheek in a silent thank you before returning her attention to the chocolate frosting she was making.

"So tell me more about this mysterious friend of yours," she smiled. Zana loved he had friends, loved he had connections all over the world.

 

[Talus]

He mused for a second. "He's a merchant, or the son of one. My age, maybe even a year or two younger.."

Talus remembered meeting him on his way back from the north. The portal stone he'd taken in the Tundra had not been able to transport him all the way back, or rather, he'd not known how to make it do so. Thus he'd been forced to stop over near the city of Oban.

"His parents had recently died and thus he'd taken over their estate." He smiled. "I stopped him from being robbed outside Oban, and in return he showed me around the city."

He shrugged. "Said if I'm ever in Alliria I should go to his estate."

It was worth checking if he was there at least.

 

[Zana]

"Oban is the city with the Griffon Knights, right?" there was a touch of excitement to Zana's voice as she spoke about them. It was a city she had read a lot about in morbid fascination. They trained almost as hard at Dreadlords but people chose to undergo the training and then, even when they had gone through all of that, only a few soldiers were chosen by a Griffon to ride upon their backs. It boggled her mind.

"Well he sounds an interesting person, I would love to meet him and perhaps it will mean neither of us have to pay for our stay if he has some estate or other," if they were anything half as grand as the estates here then there would be more than ample room.

"I will try and save some of this cake for him," Zana smirked at her fiancé. "If I can keep my soon to be husband from eating it all."

 

[Talus]

He nodded his head. "It is."

Truth be told Talus did not know much about the Griffon Knights. They were fierce warriors from what he knew of course, but beyond that...well his time in Oban had been mostly spent drinking and learning about the local taverns.

It had been more within his friends wheelhouse.

Talus had no idea what Alliria would be like, nor what a merchant's estate would actually contain. Zana was probably right though. He had seen more of the world, but she was somehow less ignorant than him."No promises made."

Talus said with a smirk as he stepped up behind her.

His hand found the curve of her rear, fingers squeezing and gently lifting as he kissed her cheek.

 

[Zana]

Zana squealed as he grabbed at her backside and ended up having to rock onto her tip toes. She swatted at him with her spoon playfully.

"Hey, I'm going to be a mother! Need to treat me with more respect now," she glanced over her shoulder at him and fixed him with a disapproving pout. It was probably the furthest thing from disapproval as she could get though. She gave him one last look before turning back to her frosting and humming a soft tune.

"What if we have a son - two sons! - and they see you treating their mother like that hm?" Zana tsked.

 

[Talus]

Talus elt out a chuckle. The look she gave him was anything but disgruntled, in fact he could have sworn there was a small twinkle in her eye asking for him to try again.

Though that might just have been so she could strike him across the face. "Well that's easy. Do as I say, not as I do."

Talus chuckled to himself, very clearly not meaning those words in the least.

Their children would be raised well. He would see to that. They would learn respect, honor, everything that a father should instill. It was a goal that had already formed within his mind, something he wanted to do long before they'd even learned that she was pregnant.

"Besides." Talus stepped up to her again, his touch softer this time, one hand wrapping around her belly. "I know you don't think this is too bad."

 

[Zana]

Zana couldn't help but smile at his words, sensing their jest. She bit down on her bottom lip when his hands slid around her waist and brushed across her stomach. Shivers ran up her spine and she found herself leaning back into him, her eyes falling shut.

This.

This was perfect. With the manacles on her wrists it wasn't a true vision but in her mind she envisaged how it would look. Their two little ones toddling round their feet or sitting at the table whilst they stood like this in years to come.

"I could never think your touch is bad my love," Zana sighed happily and then gave the frosting one final stir before side stepping towards the oven. "Ready, stand back," she chided softly for his hands were still on her hips. She opened the oven door and took out the two perfect sponges, setting them on the side. The smell of warm chocolate filled the air and Zana's stomach audibly growled.

 

[Talus]

Talus pulled away, though only slightly, letting her safely take out the cakes.

Slowly he leaned back against the wall, watching her as she placed the pans down and smelled the chocolatey scent. A smirk touched his lips as he heard the growl on her stomach. "I feel that's going to be a common sound these next few months."

He mused, stepping forward again.

"We'll need to make sure you always have snacks." Talus joked as his fingers traced over the small of her back.

 

[Zana]

Zana grimaced and ran a hand over her stomach.

"I think you might be right," she said with a small whine, looking up at him with concern. As he touched the small of her back she stepped into the strong circle of his arms. "I'm going to get so fat. You're going to have to rub my swollen ankles and just... roll me round the forest for exercise," Zana groaned and rested her forehead on his chest.

Zana wasn't a vain woman but she did take a lot of pride in the way she looked. She was at peak physical fitness and she had always ensured she was; people saw curves and expected her to be softer prey so she had always had to compensate by training religiously. The fact it was going to go and soon was a little bit of a blow.

 

[Talus]

He nuzzled the top of her head. "You'llook perfect."

Talus was very much sure of that. The thought of Zana like that...stirred a thought in him, and his fingers tightened on her body as he dragged her closer. His hands slowly played over her, tracing across her skin as he took a breath.

"I'll make sure you're comfortable." He told her in her a quiet whispered. "Pampered."

His lips traced down over her cheek. "Treated like a Queen."

Nothing less would do for her.

Talus was well aware that this would bring a certain kind of misery to them both, but he was more than willing to suffer through. Like everything else there would be good and bad, but with this? This it would be mostly good.

He was sure of it.

 

[Zana]

Zana felt his fingers tighten on her hips, the stirring inside of him and the way he drew her in. A flush rushed through her body and she found her cheeks heating as she realised what it was she was sensing from him. Goosebumps began to appear over her skin and she glanced up at him with her cheeks red. Despite that, his words really did hit her.

Warm her.

Make her feel loved and cherished.

"I love you," she touched his cheek gently and brushed her thumb over his skin slowly. Her hand drifted down to clasp the back of his neck and she tugged him down into a slow and passionate kiss. Zana's other hand came up to clasp his own hip.

 

[Talus]

He smiled. "And I love you."

Talus said the words as he broke their kiss for a desperate hit of air Into his lungs. He could feel his head swimming slightly, though whether from the lack of breath or the love he felt from her he could not have said in that moment.

He wondered if this is what it was like for everyone in love, or if he and Zana were somehow special.

Fingers tightened on her body, and he gently tugged her closer as he peered over her shoulder towards the cakes. He considered for a few moments, staring at the desert before whispering in her ear.

"Do you still need to do something with those?" He asked. "I can ravage you right here in the kitchen if so."

His touch drew over her salaciously.

 

[Zana]

Zana gave a low chuckle as he tugged her flush against him. Her fingers sailed up and down his back then slowly settled at the hem of his shirt.

"Mmm, I need to frost them but they need to cool down first. I'd say we have... oh..." slowly she ran her hands up and under his shirt, her thumbs grazing over the muscles in his stomach and the subtle V that disappeared into his breeches. "About an hour before they are cool enough. I think that means you could ravish me a few times right here...." her thumbs hooked into his pants. "Right now."

Her gaze flickered up and there was a fire that burned in them, her moods as changeable as the wind.

 

[Zana]

Zana was too exhausted to finish frosting the cake.

Even though the pregnancy explained her sickness and aches the majority of her tiredness was still down to the simple fact she had been working non-stop for eight weeks. Her body was at its limit and for once she hadn't argued when Talus had nudged her in that direction. She barely made it back to the bedroom before she hit the mattress and was gone.

The manacles gifted Zana with what she desperately needed; uninterrupted sleep. When she finally did wake some 12 hours or so later it was morning. The window was open and the song of the birds outside wafted into her on the sweet summer wind. A lazy smile played about her lips as she rolled from her stomach onto her side, hands reaching for the man who was the centre of her whole world.

 

[Talus]

Talus was already awake, sitting on his side of the book with what appeared to be a small pad of wood and a piece of paper over it. A pencil was in his hand, and as Zana moved around on the side of the bed he quickly lifted it so that she didn't knock his pencil away.

A smile bloomed across his face, both the wooden pad and the pencil being put onto the nightstand besides the bed. "Good morning."

The young dreadlord said as he reached over and kissed Zana's forehead. His hand trailed over hers, eyes wandering to her form as his smile practically beamed. Through the bond she would be able to feel his glee, a cup that practically ran over.

"Are you hungry?" He asked. "How's your back? Bed comfortable enough? We could get a new one if you need."

It clearly became evident that the doting had begun.

 

[Zana]

Zana couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her as his happiness hit her like a cavalry charge. Her smile brought out her dimples and she tightened her grip slightly around his waist to pull him down into the bed with her.

"We're fine," satisfied when he lay facing her, her hand ran up his side to brush the blonde hair from his face. "For the moment the bed is perfectly fine, as is my back," she had no idea how it was going to be when she had two babies pressing on her bladder but that was a hurdle for another time. If her maths was right then she was only two months gone which was plenty of time to prepare for when she got bigger.

"But food does sound good," Zana's hand cupped the nape of his neck and pulled him down into a slow, sleepy kiss. "I'm going to make chocolate chip pancakes, then we can get going to Alliria."

 

[Talus]

Talus kissed her with all the passion of a starved man, running his fingers over her body and only breaking away when his breath ran out. At that moment he thought he couldn't have been happier, but then she mentioned chocolate chip pancakes.

A beaming smile broke free on his face, and he scrambled out of bed so quickly that he nearly knocked over the wooden pad he'd put on the nightstands.

"Yes! Talus exclaimed with a nod of his head.

He had been wanting to visit Alliria almost as long as he could remember. See the ships, the markets, his friend. Add that to chocolate chip pancakes? One couldn't really go wrong.

A frown touched his lips.

"Can you still ride?" Were pregnant women allowed to do that."I mean would it hurt the babies?"

As he spoke his ignorance became more and more clear.

 

[Zana]

Zana stretched across the bed to stop the pad from falling, laughing quietly to herself at Talus' childlike enthusiasm for the day ahead. His question, however, made her eyebrows raise then drag down into a thoughtful frown.

"I've heard of women riding into battle at six months, I think we will be fine. Besides," Zana sniffed somewhat arrogantly. "It's the danger of the fall and I never fall," she wouldn't rank so high in the cavalry unit if she did. She planned on hurling herself into that saddle until it was physically impossible, not for lack of wanting to ride.

"What is this?" Her voice softened and she motioned to the pad she took from the nightstand.

 

[Talus]

Talus narrowed his eyes at her for a moment. He knew that Zana loved riding horses more than...well maybe more than she loved him. It was a very real possibility she was just saying that to make him stop doting on her, but he decided not to push it.

"Oh that." There was joy in his tone, but also a hint of embarrassment.

He had never been much of an artist, not that the Proctors at the Academy allowed much of that sort. Yet over the last few months he had taken to drawing out his project. Putting things to paper helped him visualize what he wanted.

The pad she motioned to contained a drawing of a house, or that's what it appeared to me. Talus stepped over to the pad, offering it to her. "I just thought we'd need a bigger House...so..."

He shrugged. "It's just a musing, nothing official and we could make changes."

The Drawing was of a two story house, stretched out far more than the cabin, a porch wrapping around the first story and a balcony extending just slightly from the second.

 

[Zana]

Zana traced her fingers over the design with an odd expression on her face.

"This... this is what I saw..." she said quietly. Her hair fell forward in a wave to cast her face half into shadow and the odd expression only grew. For a moment she just kept staring at the drawing, fingers moving over every single line in deep thought. After a while she turned the pad more towards him.

"This is where you'll build their play fort," the vision was a memory for her wrists were still encased in the manacles but she could see it as clear as if she were viewing it true right then. "They'll build snowmen here," her fingers drifted to another spot. There was a bittersweet sound to her voice as though she couldn't wait for it to happen and yet was also scared or sad of something she had seen.

 

[Talus]

Talus lingered for a moment, then slowly sat himself down on the bed besides her. He watched as she pointed to the different parts of their house, where they would live, where their children would play and grow up.

An arm wrapped gently around her waist. "Then it will happen."

He knew that wasn't always how her visions worked, knew that it wasn't always that easy, but...well he could hope. The drawing had been a flight of fancy, something he'd thought of just this morning, but the fact that she'd already seen it?

A smile touched his lips as he leaned over and kissed her temple.

"Four bedrooms." He told her. "A library, game room. Was even thinking of building one of those fancy Dwarf baths, but just for us."