Private Tales Read between the lines

[Zana]

"Is this like your other ideas you have whilst watching me?" she gave him a slightly cynical frown but it was ruined by the way her lips were pulling up at the corners and the light in her eyes. Clearly the exercise had done her some good and as he got closer she slid a hand up his arm and around the back of his neck to pull him down in to a morning kiss. When it lasted for more than a few seconds Grey nosed his way between them with a huff at being left out.

Zana broke away with a laugh then dropped down to return all of her affections to Grey.

"What would you like to try?" despite her physical attention being on the wolf she was in no way ignoring Talus.

 

[Talus]

Talus chuckled at the hound. "No...though I think we can..no wait stop trying to distract me."

He said with a quick smirk, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair.

"Let's take a trip." He told her suddenly with a smile. "The Portal Stone is half a days ride from here."

There was a hint of excitement in his tone. "We could be anywhere in the world in a day."

"We could be anyone. No one would know us, we could walk a street holding hands..." The idea struck a cord in him, the thought of being out with her in the open, and most of all showing her something utterly new. He knew that she wanted that.

Four days.

It would never be enough, but they could at least enjoy every second.

 

[Zana]

"A... trip?"

Zana had never been on 'a trip'. An odd hesitation came over her even as the excitement built at such a prospect. She wanted to see the world with him more than anything and the idea they could be themselves in the street... the joy and thrill she felt through him met with a mirroring emotion in her own chest. So why was she so nervous?

"Where?" she stood once more once Grey lost interest and went to go follow a scent he had caught on the wind of some rabbit or other. Her hands reached for his automatically now and laced their fingers together. She chewed on her bottom lip thinking of all the possibilities, all the dangers. Luana were a House of spies - what if this somehow got back to them?

It would be worth it.

"Somewhere really far away," not the Empire, not Alliria or Elbion. Off the map.

 

[Talus]

Talus smiled a she felt the excitement build on her. "Belgrath."

The dwarven city was so far from Vel Anir that even the House of Spies cared little for them, but Talus didn't stop his suggestions there. He could see that Zana wanted this, that she wanted to see whatever he had to show her.

"Mallian." A coastal city on the far sides of the Wilds. "The Tundra."

It would be cold, very cold, but they would have one another to keep warm.

His eyes lit up as he continued to list all the places they could go. "Thallin"

A city on the Isle of Sheketh, supposedly built by Fire Giants a thousand years ago and now occupied by a strange off-shoot of humanity. It was famous for it's summer solstice festivals and generosity.

"Anywhere you want." He would take her into the Wilds themselves if she asked.

 

[Zana]

The list of suggestions were making her head spin. She had never truly thought where she would go if she had the opportunity, only that she had wanted to go elsewhere. His excitement was contagious though and she felt her lips curling into a bigger and bigger smile until she was laughing from the giddy emotions.

"Okay," she wasn't sure where she was agreeing to. Everywhere. All of them.

"I haven't brought anything warm so somewhere where I won't freeze would be best," the Tundras would have to wait. Besides, there was an unease about going closer to the lands where Kol was from. She knew where she really wanted to go, the city that had stayed with her since he had described it to her.

"I want to see the Dwarven city where you got your banner from," she swung their hands back and forth, her voice almost shy with the request. It had been his favourite place so Zana needed to see it like she needed to know everything about him.

 

[Talus]

Karak. Perfect. The city was hidden within the Spine, close to the Portal Stone, and the people there already knew him. A wide smile touched his lips, and he nodded his head emphatically in agreement with her.

"That's where we'll go." He told her with a wide smile, trying to do some quick math in his head.

If they left now they would reach the Portal Stone by nightfall. Then they would have a few hours of daylight left to travel at least half-way to Karak itself. That would mean one night of camping and one night in the city itself before they had another to travel home. That would give them one last day together at the home.

Perfect.

Taking her face into his hands Talus leaned down and kissed her, his thumbs brushing gently over her skin. "I'll get your clothes."

He told her as he broke off and ran like an excited puppy back into the Cabin.

 

[Zana]

His excitement was infectious and as he ran Grey went sprinting after him with an excited howl. Zana watched the pair go with a smile and a thought struck her about how lucky she felt in that moment. She would leave the dark thoughts she had been having out here and wouldn't take them with her on this trip.

"Can I put some on before we go?" she called as she began walking towards the Cabin herself. She stepped inside and looked curiously into the living room, the bedroom, then the kitchen to no avail of seeing him. Grey however was sat in front of one wall whining. Her lips twitched somewhat before she walked over to ruffle his ears.

"Is he hiding your things in the walls too baby?" she dropped a kiss on the wolfs forehead.

 

[Talus]

"Maybe!" Zana would hear the answer shouted from nowhere in particular.

A few seconds later Talus stepped out of the wall just behind the banners in the bedroom, a large bundle of clothes were contained in his arms. He looked around, frowning slightly as he noticed both Grey and Zana standing there waiting.

"You didn't see anything." He told them both before slowly walking over to the bed and depositing the bundle of clothing onto it.

His own bag was already prepared, mostly because he always had something ready to go in case the Guard needed him for a mission. Always best to be able to jump when someone needed. At least that was what he believed.

"Well have to move fast, my love." He stepped over to her as though he hadn't just revealed where his hiding spot was. "And prepare for camping tonight. We won't reach Karak before nightfall."

There was excitement to his tone, and mentally he was already plotting out the exact route they would take.

 

[Zana]

Zana was about to say something when Greys ball dropped from the top of the pile and rolled across the ground. She and the wolf watched it roll across the floor before turning back to him, Zana with her eyebrow raised and Grey with a look of utter betrayal.

"Well... I would have been packed if someone hadn't stolen all the clothes from my bag," she picked up the empty canvas off the floor and shook it in his face to prove her point before setting it on the bed and with a soldiers quick efficiency began folding and packing it all away again. She stripped off the clothes she had borrowed from him and got back into her form fitting riding leggings and her own shirt.

"Camping is no problem," she hoisted the canvas bag up and over her shoulder then disappeared back into the kitchen to pack up the lemon drizzle cake she had finished the night before to take with them, along with a few other snacks like sandwiches from the left over roast.

"Okay I'm set, let's go," she took his hand and then let him guide her out the door.

 

[Talus]

Talus himself collected his own bag as well as a few bedrolls and some tent canvas. He took only the bare necessities, knowing that the trip would only be about a day.

There was no hesitation in setting off once they were ready. Talus practically there Zana onto her horse, giving her an assurance that he could keep up with the animal without much of a problem. Grey, of course, was coming too, and the three of them set off before the sun even hit it's apex.

"What's the furthest you've ever been from Vel Anir?" Talus asked as he walked besides Zana's horse.

They had already been going for nearly two hours, with Talus following alongside Zana as though it were entirely ordinary. It was his magic that allowed him to do so of course, a subtle shift of his body that placed him half outside of the reality of the world.

Zana would be able to feel it through the bond. An odd sensation, tiny sparks of power that flittered in and out as he moved.

It was in this way that he traveled most nights. It was in this way that he'd been traveling on the night they'd met.

 

[Zana]

Zana couldn't hide how impressed she was that he was keeping up with her and Zandor. He was in no way a slow horse and they had galloped for quite a bit of the journey. Currently she was letting him stretch his neck out at a walk so that he didn't get tired before the journey was done. Grey thought that Talus running alongside the horse was a great game however, and shadowed the mans steps like ... well like a loyal dog. The Dreadlord shook her head slightly as she watched the pair and the bond forming between them.

"The Empire..." her cheeks heated somewhat because it was so recent. She shifted a little uncomfortably in her saddle, she knew he wasn't going to like the reasons as to why.

But she couldn't not tell him.

"They don't like it when I am away too long so it has always been relatively short trips, usually no more than a week or two. I can't very well send my visions in letters and they come and go so randomly it's... it's just easier for them if I stay."

 

[Talus]

She was right, he hated hearing that.

A pain ran through his chest at the idea that his love was practically chained to Vel Anir. He had experienced so much in his short life that it hurt him to hear the words, lips thinning for a few seconds as he tried to fight the disdain.

He wouldn't let them ruin this trip. "Well, that won't be true after this."

Talus quelled the feeling in his stomach, forcing himself to focus on the future as they kept walking.

"There's a lake next to the Portal Stone up there." He began, smiling. "It's large enough you could think it an ocean, but the water is as clear as it was in the quarry."

He was looking forward to Zana seeing it all. He wanted to watch her every expression as she first laid eyes on the mountains, first saw the outside of the Great Hold. Excitement filtered back through the bond. "I want to show you so much Zana."

So much more than she had seen.

 

[Zana]

She could feel his pain, his hurt, the simmering anger for what was being done to her but she didn't comment, merely reached out to gently run her hand through his hair and brought her horse abruptly to a stop to hurl him into a kiss. She only let him go when she could feel those emotions had been pushed to the very back of his mind.

"You will," Zana intended for him to show her the world, there would be no getting out of that now she had set her mind to it. After one last gentle stroke of her thumb across his cheek she threw him a grin and then without warning kicked her horse into a gallop again.

She only slowed down once or twice more before they finally reached the Portal Stone. The lake he had spoken of before sat next to it glistening like a thousand diamonds. Her eyes widened in wonder and slowly she slid from her horses back to make her way over to it. Zandor dipped his head to take a drink from the clear waters and Zana crouched to splash some on her face and behind her neck.

"I never knew it was this close..." She hesitated a moment and then when she stood she awkwardly turned back to Talus.

"I've never been through a Portal Stone..."

 

[Talus]

For a time he watched her, just happy to see her find her joy here. There was so much to see still, so much for the two of them to enjoy together. He couldn't help but let excitement brim in his heart.

Love, he was coming to realize, was a far more powerful motivator than anything else he'd ever felt. "It's not...bad."

He said as she admitted to her ignorance. Slowly walking up to her and takingone of her hands in his.

"The feeling is strange, but not bad." Certainly not worse than a thousand other things they had endured in their lifetimes. He smiled at her, squeezing her fingers gently as he took a breath and looked out over the lake.

After a few moments he turned back to her.

"Come on." Talus said, never letting go of her hands. "We'll do it together."

 

[Zana]

Zana nodded, trusting him, but when she took his hand it was perhaps a little tighter than normal. She held the reins of her horse in the other hand and gently tugged him after her once he had taken his fill of water. She cast one more look over her shoulder towards the lake and then, with a mix of excitement and nerves, she stepped through after him.

It was an odd sensation, like cold water being dunked over her head.

When she stepped out the other side the purple energy ran through her in a wave as if re configuring itself and she shuddered.

"How many times have you done that?" Zana turned round to regard the stone they had come out of before looking around their surroundings, her eyes widening somewhat.

 

[Talus]

Mountains surrounded them on all sides. Taller than anything Zana had ever seen, most piercing the heavens and standing above the clouds. A huge plain of grass stretched out in all direction, and to their left sat a lake.

This lake was even grander than the one they had been at before, stretching far into the horizon and beyond. Just as Talus had described it seemed more an ocean than a body of water locked into land.

The wind cut across the field, wildflowers softly swaying in the breeze as Talus peered towards Zana. "Ten...maybe twelve times now."

He said softly, taking in a breath.

The air was cooler here, still pleasant and warm, but more crisp. With a smile he gently nudged her to turn around and away from the stone.

"Look." He said softly.

 

[Zana]

Zana turned at his gentle nudging and her hands flew to her mouth as she gasped. Her eyes were so wide they almost watered as she sought to take it all in at once and yet slowly. She drank it all in, the gently sloping hills full of flowers in shades she hadn't even known existed, the mountains that seemed to go on forever covered in a dusting of snow right at their peaks, the lake that looked like the ocean.

She didn't know what she wanted to do first.

Grey gave a sharp yelp and went running into the tall grass and flowers, snapping at the butterflies he disturbed as he did. Her hands slid from her face to over her heart, her whole expression crumpling into a mixture of awe and disbelief.

"Talus it's...."

 

[Talus]

The reaction made his heart soar.

It was exactly what he had wanted to see, exactly what he had been hoping for. A wide beaming smile poured across his face as she felt her wonder through the bond. His arm slowly slipped around the small of her back, pulling her close.

"I know." He said softly, watching her as she took in the sights before them.

In the distance he could just barely make out the mountain where he knew Karak was, though the doors to the city were still hidden beyond the horizon.

His free hand came up to run through his hair as another slow mountain breeze crawled over the gently sloping hill. Goosebumps crawled over his neck as he came to a realization.

This...this is where he would have built a home for just the two of them.

 

[Zana]

For a while all Zana could do was lean against him and stare at the view spread out before them. Then slowly she took a few giddy steps forward and ran her hands through the flowers and grass that brushed against her thigh whilst her horse tried to take a bite out of one. With a gentle word again in some other tongue she told him off, not knowing whether they would be safe for him to consume, before walking on down through the grass towards the lake. Grey could barely be seen apart from when he jumped to snap at one of the bugs in the air.

"I don't think I've ever seen something so..." perfect. Beautiful. A sudden feeling of home came to her through the link and she smiled as she glanced at him over her shoulder where he was still standing, a look of understanding passing across her face though he would feel it too.

"Come on," her face broke out into a grin and she began to almost skip her way towards the lake.

 

[Talus]

Talus rushed after her, he didn't skip, mostly because he was pretty sure if he tried he'd end up falling on his face, but he ran.

His steps were quick, cutting through the tall grass as he sprinted and quickly caught up with her.

He moved fast enough that as soon as he reached her his arms extended and he suddenly snapped her up and off her feet. A laugh echoed from his lips as he pulled her into his arms like a princess, continuing to run forward and jumping high into the air.

They would arc, and then go tumbling straight into the crystal clear waters of the lake.

 

[Zana]

Her horse gave a snort and his ears went flat but that was the only warning she got before he swept her up into his arms. Zana squealed like she were a young ordinary human girl rather than a Dreadlord with power so deadly she was quietly scared of. Freight gave way to laughter as he ran and she looped her arms about his neck to bury her face there. Not that she didn't want to watch rather she just wanted to be close to him.

At least she did until she caught the intention through the bond.

"Talus n-" her words were cut off with another scream as they jumped and plunged into the water fully clothed. It was a lot cooler than in the quarry they had been swimming in yesterday where the water had been warmed by the trapped sun and warm stone walls. She came up spluttering and gasping and when he appeared she splashed him.

"I'm soaked," she laughed at the obvious statement but she had nothing else to say for truly she had loved the experience.

 

[Talus]

He surged forward again, instantly wrapping his arms around her even as she splashed a full wave of water into his face. "I've noticed i have that affect on you."

Talus bit back cheekily, pulling her to his chest and planting a kiss on her lips.

Joy radiated from him, mirth like he had never felt before. In the cabin they had their space, they had their world, but out here? Out here they were truly alone. Vel Anir was thousands of miles away, other Dreadlords half a world gone.

All of it could be forgotten.

All of it left behind.

They were Talus and Zana, that was it. "I love you."

 

[Zana]

Zana gave him a thump for his rude comment and ended up with her fist trapped between them as he caught her up in his arms and kissed her. It was a kiss unlike any he had given her before. Fierce, passionate - yes she had taste that from him before - but this? This tasted like freedom. It scrambled her mind completely and her heart hammered against her chest as she drank in this drugged up moment.

"I love you too," her words were breathless as she tried to anchor herself after that kiss. But she couldn't. With her free hand she rested it on his upper arm and trailed her fingers up to his shoulder and then back down the length of his arm. "These words feel so small in comparison to how I feel and yet I can think of no other way to say it," she rested her forehead against his as they floated in the lake, her eyes sweeping shut with a faint smile.

 

[Talus]

"I can feel it." He said softly, his hand coming up to gently run through her wet hair.

His eyes were closed, listening to the sound of her voice, sensing the pulse of her heart, feeling every little emotion that trickled through the bond.

The mistake he made, whatever twist of magic had allowed him to make it, was the greatest gift he could have given both of them. He realized that now, understood it better than before. "I can feel every little bit."

Talus said as he took a deep breath. "And I never want it to stop."

 

[Zana]

Zana thought her heart might break from the sheer amount of emotion she felt in that moment. His fingers in her hair, the way his words washed over her like a whispered caress. She pressed her sodden body closer to him as if that were possible and then tightened her hand slightly on his arm, leaning up to capture his lips in another kiss. This time she didn't break away as the moments ticked by. She revealed in it and allowed herself to relax. There was no more pressure out here so far away from it all. Especially after the night before Zana had felt... not unsafe. Never unsafe with him. But it had reminded her how close they still were to the threat.

"Are we camping here tonight or do we have a little further to go?" she ran her nose against his then down his cheek to press her face down into the crook of his neck with a content sigh.