Private Tales Read between the lines

[Talus]

"A little farther, I think." Talus said softly.

He doubted anyone would come through the Portal stone, from what the Dwarves had said this one was nearly abandoned. Yet he wanted to put some distance between them and it anyway, perhaps his training still kicking in.

Fingers slowly flitted over her.

"Perhaps in the glade." It would take them about an hour to get there, but camping at the base of the mountain seemed...appealing. "Is that alright?"

He asked softly.

 

[Zana]

How could he ever ask her that question?

"Always," always yes. As long as she was with him he could have asked if she had wanted to sleep in a dark and dingy hole beneath a tree. It was only when she began to get cold just floating there that she reluctantly drew free of his arms and began to kick her way back to shore.

As soon as she stepped from the water the cooler air hit her and went through her wet shirt, her boots squelching. She cast him a grumpy look as she took off both her boots and tipped out what felt like half the lake.

"Do you know how expensive these are?" she huffed playfully. She decided it was easier to just leave them off before pulling herself up on to her horse. "Do you want a lift? He can carry two and you can keep me warm..."

 

[Talus]

Talus followed after her, slightly amused by the squelching sound of his boots as he walked back onto land. "No idea."

He said with a teasing smirk.

"Guard supplies all my clothes." A fact which was hilariously true, and probably also explained why he was dressed like a soldier even now. Following her steps he took off his own shoes, letting the water fall from them before moving towards her horse.

"Alright." He told her. "But lets get there fast, I think we need a fire."

Luckily it was spring even here in the Spine, and although the sun wasn't as warm as home, it still cast a radiant light into the valley.

 

[Zana]

"Did you hear that Zandor, he's questioning whether or not you're fast," Zana lightly ran her hand down the horses neck whilst she waited for Talus to settle himself behind her. She had slid herself off the saddle so she sat instead on the horses withers leaving the saddle proper to him. She cast a smug look over her shoulder.

"There's a pommel if you need to hold on," then they were gone. Zandor had moved fast before but now she let him fly. The bond meant she didn't need to ask the way, every time they came up to a turn they needed to take she could simply sense it and turned him. The way she rode her horse was a sharp reminder Zana's niche and main placement for most of her life had been within the cavalry.

She only brought him down from his speed when she sensed they were nearing their destination, bouncing slightly as they went from gallop, to cancer, to trot and finally into walk. She was breathing quite hard as was Zandor, though there was a shared bond and energy there between them.

"We've not gone that fast in a while," she smiled and ran a hand through her horses mane. "How you holding up?"

 

[Talus]

"I assume you mean me and not the horse." He said quietly, though there was just a hint of a smile on his lips.

Talus had never minded horses, but he'd always found that his own abilities warranted being on foot. He could move faster on his own two feet than any mount could, and it was generally a better idea in warfare to be more mobile.

That being said... "In which case...cold."

Wet clothes, fast horse, and the wind apparently did not really come together all that well. Plus, half the time he had been holding on for deal life as Zana gracefully showed off one of her talents.

A part of him had been impressed, no, beyond impressed, but another part had been terrified.

He never would have been able to do what she did.

Without waiting for confirmation Talus slid himself off the Horse, bowing his legs for a brief moment and squatting down to get some of the feeling back in his body.

 

[Zana]

Zana merely shot him a wild grin at his words and gave her horse one more pat as Talus tried to manage some form of grace in getting off her horse. Now they had stopped she was beginning to feel the cold from her wet clothes but it was not something she had felt whilst she was riding bent over her horses neck. The heat from the animal and Talus had kept her warm enough. Now though she suppressed the urge to shiver and instead eyed Talus' crouched form with a glint of mischief.

There might have been a split second of a feeling of playfulness through the bond but she hoped he hadn't figured out how to use her foresight against her just yet as she lifted one leg over her horses neck and then launched herself onto his back, her teeth nipping playfully at his neck after she had crashed into him.

 

[Talus]

"Oh dear fu-" Talus yelled as he suddenly found himself tackled from where he was standing.

The weight of Zana crashing into him from the top of her horse caused him to topple almost instantly, his body crashing onto the ground with a loud oof as Zana began to gently nip and bite at his neck.

A laugh echoed from him, but goosebumps quickly raced up his spine at the touch of her lips. "Hey!"

He called out, wiggling slightly beneath Zana as he tried to shift himself to grab after her. His leg hooked behind hers, and with one quick swoop he tried to roll and flip himself atop her.

 

[Zana]

All the worry, all the sadness, all the fear. Anything that had lingered had been erased with that ride and now she felt nothing but the need to enjoy this time, to enjoy him. She planned on doing that by taking all of her new found energy out on him. There was a thrill of winning when she was on top of his back, her hands sliding to his hands to pin him in place as she continued her assault of affections. When she felt him hook her leg and roll them a dark smile ghosted across her face and as she landed on her back she was pushing off, turning his own leg against him to flip them once more so she was now straddling his hips.

"Nice try, but no," she nipped his lower lip then kissed it better, her eyes fluttering shut as her hands slid down his wet shirt. "You'll have to do better than that. After the fire," she gave him one last kiss then rolled to her feet to go and unsaddle her horse.

 

[Talus]

A ghostly Talus rose from the ground, flickering up to a standing position and returning to reality right behind Zana before smacking her hard on the ass.

Before she could offer a rebuke, Talus suddenly fell backward into his ghost form once more and snapped across the small clearing. "I'll get some kindling!"

He called out to her with a loud laugh before turning around and quickly heading towards the only nearby tree.

There were not many fallen logs, but enough sticks that they could build a fire and keep it going for most of the night. Talus picked up as many as he could, gathering those that were particularly dry before returning to what would be their camp.

 

[Zana]

The force of the slap along with the fact her tan breeches were absolutely soaked still meant it stung across her cheeks. She gave a loud yelp and jumped forward, dropping the saddle and rubbing her backside. Zana wasn't exactly slow which was a testament to how fast he was to be safely on the other side of the clearing and - probably wisest - in his ghostly form.

"Just you wait," she growled, still rubbing at her arse with a pout, before finally turning back to what she had been doing before he had assaulted her. She was just finishing brushing Zandor down when Grey appeared panting and dragging a small deer with him. There was a proud look on his face as he dumped it at her feet.

"Good boy," she crouched and lathered him in love.

 

[Talus]

Talus returned to the camp. "Hello my, Lo-"

A blink stopped him.

"Is that a deer?" The Dreadlord shook his head, letting out a small laughing sigh before offering Grey some praise of his own. "I guess no gruel for us."

He commented to Zana with a small smirk before he crouched down and began to build up their camp. The first was first of course, built up in a small tepee before it was sparked with a piece of flint. Then he grabbed the Tent canvas he'd taken from the Cabin.

Within just a few short moments he set up the Tent, taking a step back and clapping his hands together in quiet satisfaction.

 

[Zana]

"Vjollca's know how to provide food," she kissed the wolfs head one last time then stood up, picking up the deer and moving it away from their main camp area so she didn't get it soaked with blood. It didn't take her too long to get it prepared for dinner. Skinning it, gutting it, covering it in the few herbs he hadn't been able to talk her out of not bringing. It was roasting over the fire as Talus finished up putting up the tent.

Zana had set her boots also by the fire though not too close so they would at least by dry before morning then laid herself out with her feet pointing towards the flame and Grey's head on her lap. She was watching him and the satisfied look that crossed his face. It made her smile.

"I'm looking forward to meeting your friends."

 

[Talus]

"Is that your last name?" It seemed an odd question, but...Talus had never heard it before.

They had declared their love for one another, embraced each other, taken every little piece that the other had to offer...but they didn't know each others last names. The thought was so ridiculous that Talus couldn't believe it himself.

He felt a fool.

Though he quickly followed her movements, placing his boots down and stripping off his shirt as he sat himself down cross legged near the flame. "They are good people, though don't mention how short they are."

Talus said with a grin.

 

[Zana]

Zana returned his grin with one of her own at the joke before her eyes returned to the fire, her hands sliding down through the wolf's fur. He let out a happy little rumble and yawned, giving Talus a look that said he wasn't planning on sharing right now, before settling back down into his mistresses side.

"It is..." her voice was gentler as she responded to his first question. "Zana Vjollca," she tilted her face towards him and it caught the firelight, throwing the other side of her face into shadow. "What's your surname?" did he have one? Some Dreadlords decided to drop them altogether but Luana liked their Dreadlords to keep them. As most of them came from the people it kept a link between the two.

 

[Talus]

A smile touched his face. For some reason he had never thought about this before, but oddly enough it made him happy to know. Perhaps it didn't truly matter, but there was a joy in knowing things about her, even if they might be insignificant.

"Morid." He answered softly, reaching out a hand and resting it gently on her knee.

He had only the vaguest memory of his family. His father he could not remember at all, nor whether he had any siblings.

It was his mother that he could recall, the tears in her eyes as they had taken him away. He was sure that the name came from them, that it had not been given to him by the Proctors like it was with some others.

 

[Zana]

Grey gave the offending hand one long look then seemed to decide to allow it. Zana gave the wolf a fond smile and ruffled his ears as a thank you before she returned her attention to him.

"Morid," she tasted the name on her tongue and mulled it over. Yes, it suited him - well, in fact. The hand she was not using to pet the wolf came up to rest over the top of his. "Do you remember your family?" he had told her that he had been taken quite young, six in fact, a whole year younger than she had. Memories from childhood were not very good. She hadn't decided to push the subject then but now they knew each other better.... well it was something she didn't know that she wanted to about him.

 

[Talus]

Talus shook his head slowly. "No...kind of."

There were brief flashes of memories, images of people, but most of them...most of them were so blurry that it was impossible to tell.

"I don't remember much really." He explained quietly, his fingers tightening slightly on her knee. "I remember destroying our windmill with my magic."

Talus couldn't remember how he'd done it, how his magic had brought down a whole building, it he knew it had happened. "I remember my parents arguing..."

He trailed off for a moment. "And then I remember my mother in tears. Her face as they took me away."

His stomach flipped slightly.

"I've never told anyone that before." Talus said quietly.

 

[Zana]

Zana stopped running her hands through the wolfs fur and then raised it to cup his cheek. Her thumb moved over his cheek slowly as she drew his gaze to hers.

"It sounds like they were trying to do what they thought was right," to hide a child was a crime. A serious crime. It could have meant the death of his whole family and him if he had been hidden. "And that your mother loved you very much," she couldn't imagine the pain of giving up a child. It went against the very natural instinct in her as a woman and she didn't envy anyone who had to go through that situation.

"You know... if you wanted to... we could probably find them," her fingers stilled against his skin as she watched his expression. It wouldn't be a hard thing to do probably and he might at least know that they were doing well.

 

[Talus]

Talus froze.

It was clear that he had never even thought about such a thing, that the idea hadn't even occurred to him. Zana was right. It would have been easy, simple even. He had the entire resource of the Guard at his disposal and she...she had House Luana.

He knew he was from Vel Luin, and the name Morid must not have been all that common. In a weeks time he could have an answer, he could...he could.

Talus' lips thinned, confusion poured from the bond, conflict, and then slowly he looked up at Zana. His hand tightened on her knee, and something seemed to fall into place for him. The anxiety and fear seemed to drift away.

"No." He said softly, shaking his head as he caught her eye in the firelight. "I have all the family I need right here."

 

[Zana]

Zana hoped she was radiating the calm that she wanted to through the bond between them. She wouldn't push him either way it was a choice she was glad she could bring to his attention. She had made her own choice long ago and it had helped her shut the door on a hard part of her life growing up. When he answered her face almost crumpled. Such sweet words. He kept breaking her in ways she didn't know she could even break.

Her heart physically hurt with the love she felt for him.

"Move over classic poets, there's a new smooth talker in town," she gave him a lopsided smile before drawing him down into a kiss, her hand sliding round to gently cup the back of his neck and hold him to her.

 

[Talus]

Talus only smiled, red coloring his cheeks.

He had not meant it as a line, he had not meant it to impress. He had simply spoken the truth. Talus could feel that Zana knew that, he could feel that she felt it just as strongly as he did. Her hands touched him, and fire flowed down his spine.

His lips pressed against hers, and all thoughts evoked of their conversation was quickly wiped away. There was no past. No family that had given him away. No torture at the Academy. No wrong decisions he had made.

All that existed in that moment was her.

Them.

His hand gently came to her side, and slowly, ever so slowly, he kissed her.

 

[Zana]

Zana would never be able to say how long that kiss, that moment, actually went on for. Just that it had felt like a lifetime of bliss rolled into a small sliver of time that she held dear. The firelight, the stars which had begun to appear above them, and the gentle snoring of their wolf made the moment so picture perfect she wished she had had an artist with them to capture it.

After some nameless amount of time she pulled back and rubbed the back of his neck in a slow circle with her thumb before shifting the wolf off her and slowly getting to her feet with a series of clicking joints from where she had been sitting at an odd angle. Wordlessly she moved to the deer and then checked it. It looked done and so she retrieved her knife and began to carve it up onto a plate she asked him to fetch from the bags.

She cut off a whole leg and set it down in front of Grey who snatched it up and stalked off to go eat it in peace in case they decided to take it back. Only then did she sit back down with him, passing him his plate of meat and bread and then sitting next to him with the same.

"I didn't realise how hungry I was," she groaned as she tore the meat with her fingers and popped a piece of still sizzling meat into her mouth.

 

[Talus]

"A day of travel will do that." Talus said with a warm smile, unable to take his eyes off of her even for a second.

It was hard, after a moment like that, to drag himself away from her. It would be impossible to let her leave when all of this was done.

Eight days.

He reminded himself of that number, reminded that they had made each other a promise. Eight days. That was all they would be apart. That was all that they could stand. He smiled at her, though to her it might appear that he was going mad.

Grabbing another strip of meat he chewed quietly, and then began to hum a song.

It reverberated quietly in his chest, ringing out a sad and yet carrying tune. One he had learned a few miles west of here.

Spoiler

 

[Zana]

Zana kept catching his looks out of the corner of her eye but she said nothing. There was no rebuke, no feeling of discomfort. Instead she leaned into him to use his counterweight to prop herself up so she could half recline whilst she finished her meal. It was as they were finishing he had begun to hum and she slowed in her movements then stopped entirely to listen. She had hummed - even sung a little bit - as she cooked but she had never heard him do similar. It was a deep sounding song and was quite soothing to the ear. It made her eyes half close. The night before of next to little sleep and a day of travel was catching up with her.

She set her plate down and then slid herself back a little so that she could simply rest her head in his lap as he continued, her eyes falling shut with a deep breath in and out.

 

[Talus]

Talus didn't move for what seemed like hours.

His hand gently played through Zana's hair, fingers slowly folding through dark locks as he watched the night sky. It was only when night had well and truly fallen that he gently reached Beneath Zana and picked her up off the ground.

The touch on her skin was soft, and like a princess he carried her to the small tent he'd set up, placing her on the bedroll and laying down besides her. His arm wrapped around her, blanket pulled over the both of them. "I Love you."

He whispered as he slowly fell asleep.