Private Tales Read between the lines

[Zana]

A smile finally crept its way up her face. She looked up at him, green eyes swimming with a thousand emotions.

"Yeah?" her eyes returned to the page in front of her, her fingers hovering over a spot off to the side of the house where she had seen the pasture she would build for their horses. "I would like that," not having to travel to their mountain home whenever she wanted a good bath was never something she was going to say no to. She hesitated a moment and then stood up, grabbing her dressing gown from a nearby chair and wrapping herself up in it.

"Can you pack me an overnight bag whilst I cook, love?" she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead then left for the kitchen.

 

[Talus]

"Of course." Talus said as he scooped himself off the bed and began to dig through the closet for their bags.

After the last trip to the city of the Fire-Giants both he and Zana had purchased two rather nice travel bags. They were small, though surprisingly large on the inside. Both of them were quite well suited for the two of them and had been monogrammed with their initials.

"Just the red seethrough thongs, right?" He said. "And that black nightie."

A smirk touched his lips. "All you'll need, right?"

 

[Zana]

"I HEARD THAT!" Zana shouted from the kitchen.

Grey looked up at her with his head canted to one side as she went about muttering to herself. After a moment she caught his look and ran a hand through his fur with a soft sigh. "Hungry?" stupid question, Zana, she thought to herself as the wolf began wagging his tail like a common dog. She shook her head and sorted him out with a large bowl of food before getting back to the pancakes.

It didn't take long for the smell of chocolate chip pancakes to waft throughout the cabin and soon there were two large stacks of the delicious treats sat on the table - which she had scrubbed thoroughly.

 

[Talus]

Talus, of course, didn't pack just thongs and nighties. Though he did put those nicely on top of the bag as an extra subtle hint. Wouldn't want to upset any ghosts after all.

With just a few seconds to spare as the Pancakes were getting done the young Dreadlord sealed up his own bag and carried both of them out of the bedroom and onto the porch. The morning air was crisp and cold, burning his lungs slightly as he took a deep breath.

After a few seconds he turned, stepping back into the house as the scent of chocolate chip pancakes wafted towards him. "Smells delicious."

Talus told her as he wandered over towards the kitchen table.

 

[Zana]

Zana sat down as he entered, pouring enough syrup over them that they could have easily jumped up and begun doing the backstroke through the sticky liquid. In a manner very unlike Zana she took a huge mouthful and groaned in absolute bliss.

"thfyare," her eyes were squeezed shut and she spoke with her mouth still full of pancake and syrup. It had been exactly what she had been craving. After a few seconds her plate was clear, even before Talus, and once she was through with them she went and helped herself to a piece of chocolate cake.

"So fat," she muttered to herself as she sat back down and began making her way through the oversized portion.

 

[Talus]

Talus watched her with no small amount of bewilderment.

Usually Zana ate a quarter of what he did, if that even. Yet here she was devouring pancakes and chocolate cake for breakfast like it was the first meal she'd ever had. His head shook slightly in disblief, but he said absolutely nothing as he came up to her and kissed the top of her head.

"Well you're eating for three." Not even just for two, but three.

Did that make a difference? Talus suspected so but he honestly had absolutely no idea whether or not that was true. "We'll get you some treats in Alliria too, I'm sure they have..."

Well, whatever she craved in that moment.

 

[Zana]

Zana sat back in the chair once she had finished with a content sigh, head falling back a little. It was the first time she had felt full and not sick in forever. When he kissed her head her cheeks began to turn a dusky blush as she realised what she must have looked like just then.

"Three," her voice still contained a hint of wonder at the news. It didn't feel real even though she had seen them with her own eyes. Carefully her hands stroked over her belly and a soft but beautiful smile lit her face up as the excitement and happiness bubbled up inside of her again.

"Well I hope they learn we cannot survive on a chocolate diet for the next seven months," she laughed softly and set about clearing away her plates whilst he finished his own meal.

 

[Talus]

"If they're anything like us then I don't think that will present even a hint of a problem." He mused with a smile, biting into his own breakfast without much hesitation.

Unsurprisingly, the pancakes were gone about as swiftly as they had disappeared for Zana. His fork pulled away from his lips one final time, and he immediately grabbed his plate and wandered over to the sink. A hand gently swept over the small of Zana's back.

"I'll go saddle the horse." He told her softly. "We can be in Alliria by nightfall."

Perhaps even a bit sooner.

 

[Zana]

Zana automatically turned to kiss his jaw as he brushed his hand over the small of her back. Such a little gesture that had become second nature to her now.

"I'll get dressed, if I remember right the portal stone is only an hour out of the city," she had been taking a lot more interest in maps since the pair of them had been together. Now the opportunities to travel were there she couldn't help but search the large parchments on the walls for their next potential destination.

It didn't take long for her to throw on her riding gear and she met him outside just as he was doing up the girth, biting down into a plum she had stolen from the kitchen on her way out.

"You make a good squire," Zana teased and swung herself up with ease into the saddle.

 

[Talus]

Talus ran a gentle hand over her thigh with a smile. "Do I? Maybe I'll quit this whole Dreadlord thing and go Squire under a Knight."

He mused with a slight chuckle.

"Bet Oban needs some, and they have those Gryphons which might be more interesting than horses." Almost as if he could understand Talus, Zana's pony threw his head back and stared at him. A smile flashed over the young Dreadlord's features and he shrugged.

His fingers drew over Zana's leg, and then he slowly stepped away. With one quick swoop he threw his pack over his shoulders and picked up his sword, deciding not to strap it onto his hip and simply carry it in his hand instead.

"I could be Knighted." He continued on with the fantasy. "Ser Morrid, They'd call me."

 

[Zana]

"Ser Morrid the Horrid," Zana patted Zandeers neck who gave a snort of agreement for his rude comment about horses. Despite her words her tone was teasing and if that was not clear then her smile was.

It was almost second nature now, travelling to new places with Talus. Grey was out ahead of them and they didn't even need to call him anymore - he knew where they were going. Zandeer too required no urging from Zana. His hooves were sure as he instinctively set the usual course towards the stone. It made the whole journey more pleasant and relaxed; like a holiday, she mused.

The conversation continued in the playful manner, discussing nothing in particular and yet everything at once. She barely noticed the hours pass them by before they reached the stone. Grey was waiting for them almost impatiently.

 

[Talus]

As they came to the Portal Stone once again Talus wandered over towards the runes that allowed one to pick their destination. By now he knew it better than he had the first time he'd used it, and Zana had even helped him read one of the books in the Archives that better explained their use.

"Lets see..." Talus said as he plucked out the correct runes.

It was odd how quickly one became comfortable with something that was supposed to have been so foreign. No one knew where the Portal Stones came from, who built them, or even how they worked. Yet here they were, using it to take a vacation.

It was funny in a way.

"There." He said, flipping the rune upside down and activating the stone. "Let me go first."

Talus said as he stepped in front of Zana, a sense of...protection flowing through the bond. Before she could object, Talus wandered through.

That brief and odd nauseating flash ran through him, and then Talus found himself on the other side of the stone in the middle of a lush and beautiful forest. It was different than the Falwood, more open, darker somehow, but vibrant in its own way.

Here the stone was covered in thick moss, a large tree hanging over the opening.

 

[Zana]

Zana blinked.

Usually they went through together and she had dismounted in order to do so. The surprise of him stepping in front of her and the wave of sudden protectiveness were the only things that had stopped her from plunging in right after him. Casting a look to Grey who seemed almost to shrug she shook her head and stepped through to --

-- promptly double over and vomit up her breakfast. Her hand rested on the bark of the tree as she took deep, gulping breaths.

"Urgh," she ran a shaking hand through her hair and wiped at her mouth.

 

[Talus]

"This is beau-" His words were cut off by the sound of sudden vomiting behind him.

Talus whirled around immediately to find his lovely fiance spilling pancakes and chocolate cake onto the ground in front of a tree. He frowned for a brief moment, quickly pulling a canteen from his pack and walking over towards her.

A hand came to softly rub her back. "Are you alright?"

It was a stupid question, but he asked it anyway.

The last thing he wanted was for her to be sick this trip, though he knew it was just the pregnancy. Talus wanted to do everything he possibly could to take care of her.

 

[Zana]

"Times the normal nausea by three," Zana said weakly then let out a whimpering cough before straightening slowly. Gladly she took the canteen, took a swig and swirled it about in her mouth before spitting it out. Only then did she take an actual sip of water and coughed again. Grey worriedly nuzzled against her stomach and she put a shaky hand on his head in an attempt to comfort him.

"I'm alright boy," she soothed and took another drink.

"Note to self, things that normally make me feel a little sick will now make me feel three times as bad," the Dreadlord muttered with a dark look towards her stomach as if chiding the children already.

 

[Talus]

Talus gently rubbed her back, meekly trying to think of something to say. He was well aware that the next nine months would be much worse for Zana than they would be for him. Lips thinned for a brief moment as he stood there.

"Maybe we should take a ship back?" It was a foolish idea, mostly because it would take more time than they had, but also because it would probably just make Zana sick again.

He frowned briefly, already realizing his mistake. "Or we get you a pegasus."

That earned him another indignant look from the horse.

"Or maybe we just let you drink some more water and take it easy in Alliria." That seemed the best solution.

 

[Zana]

Throughout his bumbling Zana could only smile. When he was finished she cupped his cheek, thumb stroking over his cheekbone in a soft and loving caress.

"It's normal and I am absolutely fine with travelling through the portal stones. If this is what I have to bare to have your children then I am content with that," she gave one last gentle stroke and then let her hand drop, her attention shifting to her horse and wolf who were waiting expectantly. After another slow, long, drag on the canteen she passed it back to Talus and mounted up once more.

"Come on, I thought you wanted to see Alliria?" Zana threw him a smile and then kicked her horse into a steady canter.

 

[Talus]

Talus nodded, screwing the cap back on the canteen and slipping it into his pack. There was a heavy breath, and then he nodded again as if he righted a thought in his head.

"I do." He said as she set off on her horse, looking at her for a few moments and admiring the woman that he loved as she trotted off into the forest. There was an excited wiggle that coursed through him, and then he set off behind her.

The rest of the day was spent traveling, holding the same conversations they had on their way to the portal stone.

Talus commented often on the forest that surrounded them, how it was so different than the one back home, how it reminded him of the woods near Vel Luin. It was a pleasant walk along the road, their path laid out for them by the merchants and others who frequently traveled to Alliria.

Eventually the city wall came into view, and with it the scented salt air of the ocean.

As soon as Talus caught it's scent he came to a stop in the middle of the road, his boots halting on the dirt road, his hands caught at his sides. His mind seemed to lock, and he froze as the ocean air washed over him.

 

[Zana]

"Talus?"

Zana had gone a few steps before realising he wasn't with her anymore. She turned in her saddle to look back at him and the expression on his face. The emotions from the bond were a confused jumble and concern began to overwhelm her.

"My love?" she quickly slid from the saddle and left Zandor to fend for himself in the road to walk quickly back to where Talus still stood rooted to the spot. Her hands brushed up his arms attempting to see if it was the sudden change in temperature, or something else physical like pain that ailed him. "You're scaring me," Zana admitted as he stayed silent and her fingers dug slightly into his arms.

 

[Talus]

His head shook, as though he were throwing off some sort of spell that had been cast upon him. "Sorry, it was..."

A hand raised, and he gently brushed his fingers over her cheek as he closed his eyes and took another deep breath. The salt air felt good, relaxing. It reminded him of something, though just what he couldn't quite recall.

It was a memory locked behind a wall.

"I can almost..." Lips thinned. "I can almost remember, but not quite."

He shook his head, and then smiled. "It's alright. Just a piece of the past, I think."

 

[Zana]

Zana frowned and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek on his chest. She didn't say anything. She didn't feel like she needed to; the Academy had locked those memories away and sometimes it was painful discovering them again or being reminded of them. He had had enough of a blast from the past with Riley showing up, she didn't want him in more pain from this trip when he had wanted to see Alliria so bad.

After a few more moments of holding him, Zana finally let him go with reluctance.

"We're nearly there," she took his bag from his shoulder and tied it to her saddle then took his hand in hers and walked the rest of the way by his side. "What do you want to see first?"

 

[Talus]

Talus squeezes Zana, letting go of her with the same reluctance she showed.

There was something hard about breaking off any embrace that he held her in, almost as though he were peeling away a piece of his own soul. Lips thinned for a brief moment, but he shook off the feeling and smiled at her. "I think we find our place to stay first."

He told her.

"Zell's Estate should be in the Inner city." Talus explained. "Apparently 'it really stands out' from the others."

That had been the mans words, not his. "Though other than that I have no idea how we'll find it."

 

[Zana]

Zana's lips pressed together in quiet thought as they walked and she swung their joined hands back and forth idly.

"Well," she began slowly. The way people operate outside of Vel'Anir was still far stranger to her than it was to Talus. "If he is someone important and his estate stands out surely one of the guards at least would know?" the statement curved off into a silent question. She didn't have the answer to it but she knew that in Vel'Anir any Dreadlord or Guard would be able to point someone to a noble House. In fact, they would be more than eager to point a stranger in the direction of said House especially if said stranger gave them a little information about who they were. Information was power in the game of Houses.

They were on the gentle slope down to one of the gates now and had joined a steady stream of people queueing to be allowed past the gates. She worried, briefly, about Grey but nobody seemed to batter an eyelid. She had heard that things were more common in Alliria.

 

[Talus]

"Hmm." Talus was not entirely certain.

Alliria was an entirely different animal that Vel Anir, at least from what he understood. The Houses here did not have violent authority over everything. The Merchant Council needed to decide things, and even then they did not have the same weight or authority that the Houses back home did.

Would the Guards even know a minor Merchant like Zell? He was rich, but rich men were a dime a dozen in a place like this.

As they made it through the gate Talus couldn't help but gawk. He had been to Anir Square at it's busiest, during the market days, but compared to that this was...this was utter and complete chaos. People seemed to be everywhere, milling, walking, and somehow never bumping into each other. "Shit."

He muttered quietly as he moved closer to Zana.

"This is ridiculous." Talus said as he stepped forward and squeezed his way through the crowd, using Zandeer to create a small amount of space around them.

They moved quickly through the bustling streets, winding their way through until they reached the gates to the Inner city.

 

[Zana]

IT wasn't the amount of people that bothered the Luana Dreadlord but rather the smell. Every step they took she lost a little more colour in her cheeks. Fish, rotting vegetables, piss and body sweat were all mingling into a horrific concoction that stung her eyes.

"Where did you get that?!" Zana demanded of Grey as he slunk back to their side, a bone sticking out of his mouth. In the press and throng of people she had kept losing sight of the wolf, as unlikely as that seemed. Usually she was able to keep track of him in a space like this by the parting of the crowd but nobody seemed to care inside the city either that a wolf stalked them.

Grey was absolutely in his element.

The look he gave Zana was one that clearly said he had zero regrets about whatever it was he had done to acquire his snack and she sighed in irritation. She didn't have enough hands to keep hold of Talus, Zandeer and Grey.

"Watch it lady!" so distracted with the wolf, Zana nearly walked smack into a peddler of some kind carrying a large woven basket of fruit.

"Sorry," she murmured and quickly pressed back up against Talus to move out of his path. "I think we should ask someone!" Zana called over the noise.