Private Tales The Past Returns

[Tal]

Ten years, or near enough. That was how long he had remained in exile. How long he had been away from his home. In the beginning he had been a slave, a shadowed image of his former self, what he was supposed to be.

From the pits he had clawed his way back. Taken what had been stolen, and with every step he had sown more seeds.

Always there was another step. Always there was something more to be had. The smile on Tal's face widened as Calliope whispered her confusion.

His fingers gently trailed along Calliope's skin as she whimpered her objections. Drawing slow circles over her cheek and tracing along her jaw. Drawing small almost indecipherable symbols with the tip of his index as is palm fell lower and lower. Slowly slipping over her neck where angry bruises were already beginning to form.

"Don't worry." Talmanese whispered as he leaned forward, his face mere inches from hers.

His touch slowly continued, sailing down over the faded purple collaring her neck and grazing against her collar. "I'm going to show you."

 

[Calliope]

Calli willed herself to move but her fear of him had her rooted in place and pressed back against the wall as much as she could be. She could feel his breath on her skin as he spoke and she did nothing to suppress the obvious tension she felt as his hand fell to her neck once more, but she glanced down at his hand as it trailed over her collar, her brow furrowing as she realised that he wasn't simply tickling at her skin.

He was writing something. Her heart seized in her chest, and she opened her mouth to scream for Xander.

 

[Tal]

Tal moved like a viper.

His free hand struck across Calliope's face in an instant. The sound carrying through the cabin like a shattering mirror. Fingers clamping over her lips mere seconds later. His features changed in an instant, a darkness drawing into his eyes. "Now now."

The Prince hissed, the finger upon her skin suddenly beginning to feel like fire.

His eyes locked with hers, fingers like a vice over her lips as he stared at her. Slowly Calliope would feel his digit draw down. The tearing of clothing sounding out in the room as he began to tear her dress. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Tal said, slowly leaning into her. Lips mere inches from his own palm.

"We both know I could do so much worse." The words were punctuated as the tearing sound of her dress finally stopped. The cloth which has concealed her brushed away, baring her entirely.

 

[Calliope]

Calliope kept to her cabin for the remainder of the voyage. 'Sea-sickness', she said. The only one who had been granted access was her Husband, Talmanese.

Xander had attempted to see her every day, but she insisted that she would be fine once they reached land, when the very opposite was true. She dreaded the sight of Tyr with the news they now brought to it. She dreaded seeing the look on Xander's face when she explained the blood rite which she'd been tricked into now weeks ago, that which now bonded her to the Tyrian prince. She dreaded taking the news to his brother, to whom she'd been betrothed.

'Land.' She'd heard a man call, and instantly rolled from her bed to throw up into her basin.

 

[Tal]

Talmanese stood on the prow of his ship, fingers dancing along the railing as in the distance the cove of Tyral came into view.

The natural curve of the land could be seen, and within it was nestled Tyr; home.

It was strange to even call it that now. He had been away for ten years. A decade spent in Alliria and elsewhere, enduring the fires of exile. In that time he had never once thought he wouldn't be back, he had never once thought that his time away would be anything but a brief glimpse of what had once been a distant world.

For ten years he had plotted and planned. Made sure that everything would be perfect for his return.

Now it was even better than he'd thought it would be. For once, things hadn't just gone to plan, but had actually leaned in his favor. He'd never thought Calliope of all people one be the one to open the doors for him, but now that she had? A simple glee thrummed inside of him.

A sadistic sort of joy floating through him even as he watched the city draw closer and closer.

"Raise the flag." The words were quiet against the din of the wind, but the sailor behind him caught them anyway. Within the span of a breath the young man whirled around, and before long a dark crimson flag was raised above the ship.

It fluttered and flickered within the wind, depicting the standard of Prince Talmanese.

By the time they reached the docks, the ship was not greeted by the usual customs inspectors or dock masters, but a cadre of the Death Watch Guards. "Do fetch Calliope, won't you?"

Tal said as he began to walk away from the prow of the ship with a chuckle.

 

[Calliope]

Calli was making herself more presentable when her door thudded under the weight of a meaty fist, her name and title called out by the gruff voice of a guard. She flinched, smudging the charcoal around her eyes which she quickly remedied with a huff. "A moment please." she called, before smearing a bead of crimson across her lips, staining them.

She stared at her reflection in the small mirror for a long moment before standing straight and lifting her chin, gold winking from her throat and ears, and from the golden snakes that wove through her hair and coiled up her arms. The vested dress she wore was a heavy, black leather that resembled serpentine scales clung flatteringly to her torso and hips before flowing elegantly to her feet.

Upon opening the door, Calliope's shoulders tensed at the sight of the Death Watch Guards that waited for her, but she strode straight past them, allowing them to flank her departure from the ship and onto the ashy shore of the Tyral cove, her crimson gaze cast warily at those around her.

 

[Tal]

"You're an exile, boy."​

As Calliope stepped onto the ashen shore she would overhear the Death Watch Captain growl at Tal. The massive Ogre wore the black insectile like armor of his station, his form towering over the returned Prince by several heads. Any man right in their heads would have cowered away from the watchmen, but Tal simply stood, glancing over towards Calli as she was finally escorted from the ship.

"I could have you executed for even sailing into the bay. By the order of your father you are outlaw boy, there is no crime in ki-"​

Tal impetulantly raised a hand. The brief spark of magic flickering over his fingers causing the Ogre to suddenly fall silent. A growl ran from the man's throat, the sound like rocks falling off the side of a mountain. "By the law and word of one King I was exiled. Stripped of my title and my magics, left only the blood."

The words tasted so sweet on his tongue. Tal was not above admitting he'd practiced in his head.

"But it is by the law of another King that I return." Talmanese rolled his head, looking at Calliope with a smirk on his face. "By the Rite of marriage I return to Tyr, escorted by my wife."

For a second the ogre only balked at Tal, as if he couldn't believe the gall. His head slowly turning towards Calliope as though he were searching for some semblance of sanity.

 

[Calliope]

So many eyes burned into her. She felt Xander's too, heard the concern in his voice as he approached her. "Calli?...."

She didn't look at him, but a hand came up to halt any questions he might have for her. "What he says is true." she replied, her expression stoic and emotionless. "Talmanese Al'Vere is once again a Prince of Tyr and will be treated as such." she informed. There were no visible wounds or bruises on her skin, but the bare, milky skin of her arms carried a few, new runic scars from the blood rite.

The brief moment of silence was deafening. A palpable, unspoken concern for their Princess, and for the future of Tyr. The purpose in her venture had been to prove herself capable, to rid their kingdom of a tyrant, and instead she'd brought home a monster.

Calli cleared her throat and the guards shook themselves from their disbelief, immediately dropping into deep bows to their Prince and offering their most sincere of apologies. Xander was still staring at her.

"Ready the carriage. I am tired from a long journey." she told them as she continued across the black sand.

 

[Tal]

Tal had to stop the laughter rising in his throat. The collective expression of those before him was almost too much to keep in. The Death Watch guard had no idea what was going on, the Captain could hardly believe it, and Xander?

Oh the man seemed as though the entire world had been twisted in a mere moment.

A serenity came over in that moment, and although he had far from won completely, he allowed himself to revel within this victory. Offering the Death Watch Captain a gesture of childish parting, Tal let out a whistle, calling to those on the ship.

Almost immediately Volstus stepped forward, like everyone else previously unaware of what Talmanese had done. The massive Ogre stepped down the gangplank, following after Tal and Calliope as the two of them walked up the black sand beach. The Death Watch Guard quickly falling into step behind them, the Captain having no choice but to begrudgingly do as he was told.

Tal knew it wouldn't be long until his father heard, before his brother learned.

By then he and Calli would be in the Crown of her father, the massive Palace of his Kingship. That would at least offer enough protection to stay his siblings and fathers hand, at least for a time. Though of course it had the double edged sword of directly putting him in danger of being executed by Calliope's father.

A tight rope he would still have to walk.

Not to mention the Third King.

His opinion mattered as much as the other two, and unlike Calli's father, or his own, Talmanese knew precious little about the man. Unfortunately the fool had been elected after Tal's exile, and he'd been a fourth son. No one had known much of anything about him at the time, but by winning the title he had more than proven himself.

There was still a game to be played here in Tyr. Coming home and surviving the landing was only the first step.

"That went well, don't you think?" Talmanese said as he sat himself down opposite Calliope within the carriage.

 

[Calliope]

Calliope cast a tired glance over him with a quiet huff, drawing her gaze to the land outside as the carriage started its journey. "I'm glad you're finding it all so amusing." she muttered with a shake of her head. How stunned they'd all been, how silent..

Her brow furrowed and her gaze grew distant as she lost herself in deep thought. She had an idea how her father would take the news, and she certainly knew how the Prince she'd been betrothed to would react. They'd know soon enough, and Tal would no doubt delight in rubbing their noses in it.

She pinched at the bridge of her nose in attempt to ease the ever-lasting headache that had settled there.

 

[Tal]

"Oh I very much do." It was an emotion that he knew would keep on giving today. Each time he saw someone else's face, every time he heard someone else was told the news. It really was a phenomenal thing. "I just wish I could see my fathers face when he learns."

A small chuckle escaped Tal. "Oh he'll be furious."

Especially with what Calliope had told him all those weeks ago. How paranoid he'd become, how vicious he'd turned. Oh it would have been delectable to watch the old man rattle on his throne. He would know what was coming.

Why Tal was back.

The Prince let out a self satisfied sigh, peeking out the window as the carriage entered Tyr proper. The black streets and the dark stone of the buildings quickly enveloping them. The sights and sounds of the city returning in an instant wave.

A pleasant scent of acrid magma mixed with cooking food filled the air, and Tal leaned his head back against the wooden board. Eyes closing as he smiled wide and reveled in the moment.

After a few seconds he opened his eyes, looking at Calliope as she fought back the ache within her head. "

 

[Calliope]

Calliope's jaw tightened with irritation at how excited he seemed whilst she was weighed down by the dread of it all. She looked as tired as she felt, and despite the bond they now shared, she felt weaker by the day. Lack of sleep, she reasoned. She'd send Asha to the apothecary the moment she saw the young handmaiden, for more remedies than one.

"You don't have to miss it. Why don't you go there and tell him for yourself?" she suggested, drawing her eyes from him with a glare of disdain.

 

[Tal]

Tal let out a dramatic gasp. "My dear wife, you know as well as I that would end in my likely detainment and execution."

His siblings would see to that at the very least. Both of his brothers would be immensely displeased that he was back, one more than the other. Which wasn't even to mention his father. The man would be fuming, and in his current state of paranoia might just start a civil war.

How perfect that would be.

"I would think you wouldn't want to be widowed so soon." His tongue clicked. "Clearly, you must be worried about family."

A wicked grin spread on his lip. "But don't worry, we'll get to that in time."

 

[Calliope]

Calli didn’t bother to look at him, she could feel the grin he wore as he spoke of children. Her shoulders rose and fell as she sighed nonchalantly.

“The All Powerful Talmanese?..” she clicked her tongue back at him and shook her head. “No match against his own little family.. it’s alright, my darling husband.” She looked back at him now her smile failing to reach her crimson eyes.

“You can hide behind your dear wife.”

 

[Tal]

A frown touched his face as Calliope mocked him. The words slipping from her tongue and intending no less than maximum harm. He knew that, he could feel it, see it in the way she looked at him. Utter hatred and disgust.

It would be there for a little while more.

Until she came to understand it was better this way.

"Oh I shall." Tal said, finding no sting in the woman's words.

Nothing could bring down his mood, not with how he was currently feeling. The whole world could tell him to fuck off, and he'd still be standing on the stage taking a bow. Just about the only way to stop his smile was a knife in the gut, and he was expecting one of those any time soon.

"For I know she loves me." He mocked, leaning forward. "And would never allow any harm to come little old me."

Slowly he leaned back again on the bench, catching his chin in his palm. "Isn't that right?"

 

[Calliope]

Hey may not have been able to kill her, but there were people here that she cared about, and setting out to rile him was likely not to be in her best interests. It took a lot to wash the scowl from her face and force it into something half resembling a smile.

"Of course, Dear." her smile tightened, and she swallowed the venom she'd far rather have bitten him with. His good mood was infuriating, particularly whilst she felt so sick at the thought of what had been and what had yet to come.

By the time the carriage came to a stop and the door was pulled open, Calliope's skin had paled, and it was everything not to make a spectacle of herself by throwing up as she stepped out. Staff came to greet her, and she watched as glances were exchanged at the sight of Talmanese.

The pair were announced, as Royal Highnesses, and they climbed the many black stone steps to the massive iron doors of her father's palace.

"Your father waits to greet you in the throne room, C--My Princess." spoke a beautiful young woman in handmaiden's clothing, whom Calli refrained from reaching out to greet with any of her usual affection. She remained stoic as she nodded instead, ignoring the confusion and hint of pain in the girl's face.

 

[Tal]

Tyr was the city of three Kings. A system that confused many people when they first learned of it. Most could not rightly imagine that each of the Kings would want to share any sort of power, and predictably they were entirely correct.

It was not altruism or good nature that kept the King's from one another's throats, but simple logic. If one King moved against another, then the third had an option to move against them.

Balance was kept within the city of Tyr through paranoia, tradition, and the long ire that the three royal families held for one another. They were boundaries often crossed of course, things changed as the wind and there was a constant game between the three Kings. But by and large, Tyr had been stable for centuries.

Something that Talmanese now most certainly threatened to disturb.

A fact he was more than aware of.

The bright beaming smile on his face did not go away as he and Calliope made their way through the massive doors and into the palace. The huge tower, one of the three 'Crowns' of Tyr, looming over them as they stepped into the palace which could have been a city all it's own.

Without any hesitation the pair made their way to the Throne Room, and just as promised, there they found Calliope's father sitting upon his throne. Four Death Watch Guard, ogres all of course, stood in rank near the throne, but it was not them Talmanese found surprising.

It was a fifth Ogre that raised his brows. A seneschal, or Captain of the Death Watch, stood off to the side of the throne room. A man that Tal recognized; Volstus' father.

If Calliope looked, she would see his smile falter, though only for the briefest second. But before she could press him, her father bellowed in demand.

"What is the meaning of this?!"​

 

[Calliope]

Calliope's heavy leather skirts scuffed along the floor as she strode toward her father's throne, the sound of his ire echoing through the great halls. She hadn't noticed the falter in her husband's smile, but rather she had felt it. She said nothing, and nor would she until she had reached the foot of the dais. Her crimson eyes counted, then lost count of her father's men, they settled on the Captain of the death watch, and her heart hammered in her chest.

Eventually, she came to a stop and dropped to a knee and bowed her head before standing again. She heard the great iron doors close, and drew a deep breath as she offered her father a teary and apologetic smile. She had done what had been asked of her, but in doing so she had also failed him. She considered calling for Tal's arrest, but her jaw tightened. He still had to fulfill his purpose, and whether she'd wanted this bond or not, she would endure it for the sake of Tyr.

"Father." Calli spoke calmly despite the demand in the King's face and how his knuckles grew white on his balled fists. "I have brought Prince Talmanese back to Tyr in the hopes of restoring peace. This marriage was a condition of such peace, and so I have gladly accepted it, as is my duty." she lied, and the lie tasted like salt on her tongue. She turned to look at Tal, forcing a smile.

"We have united our two families, in the prospect of a stronger future." she nodded and looked back up at her father.. "I hope you will see that this is as a triumph, and offer your blessing."

 

[Tal]

"YOU WHAT?!" The voice bellowed out without a single moment of hesitation, balking first at Calliope, and then at Talmanese. The rage was almost palpable around the King, the air seeming to simmer as though the monarch himself was one of their cities famed Lava flows. "YOU!"

He pointed to Tal, his fingers gnarled but containing a strength within them that spoke of the Kings longevity. "YOU DID THIS!"

A small smile touched the Prince's face, his eyes now fixed upon his new father in law. Everyone else was forgotten. The Guards, the Death Watch, even the Seneschal. Salokan was one of the few in this city who might be able to challenge him in regards to strength in magics, but his presence meant little when added on top of all the soldiers already arrayed in the Throne Room.

As strong as Tal was, his power hardly made him invincible. If the King wanted him dead he would have it do. "I did, your Majesty."

Talmanese said as he strode forward. Following the same motion as Calliope and bowing to his knee, the motion fluid and practiced as he continued to speak.

"Calliope told me of what has happened to my father." He slowly rose, looking up at the man upon his throne. "And I set the price for my return."

The Monarch growled his response. "You were not supposed to return. I sent her to find your fathers weakness, not to bring back his errant scoundrel of a son."

Tal bit back the rebuke that immediately flickered over his tongue. Knowing it would not buy him any friendship here.

"Ah, but that is what she brought, your Majesty." The Prince contended. "I am my fathers weakness, and Calliope bound herself to me."

The words were like a knife to the heart, a lie that danced over Talmanese's tongue as easily as his breath.

 

[Calliope]

Calliope held her chin up as her father's voice lashed at her. She wouldn't cower, not from her father or her husband, not from anyone, regardless of the fear she truly felt. It would remain locked away far too deep for anyone to pick at those threads and watch her unravel.

Her gaze darted to Tal as he answered and subsequently fell to a knee before her father. She watched him closely, her father's ire radiating toward him. Salokan would not hesitate, in fact he seemed as though he was restraining his urge to take Tal's head from his shoulders where he stood.

'Calliope bound herself to me...'

She felt sick. A shocked silence fell and Calliope's eyes glistened as she turned her gaze back to her father who was staring at her with far more than just rage on his face.

"Is this t---"

"It is done." Calliope answered before he could finish his question. "There is little point in debating the matter. I am tired, and I have a headache.. I am sorry that my return was not a more pleasant occasion for you, My King. I hope that in time you will accept that sacrifices must be made and promises must be broken, for the sake of our people." she bowed her head again and stepped back, turning toward the short row of handmaidens stood a few paces behind her.

"Have a bath drawn and supper brought to my chambers. And fetch me a healer, if you will." she added, pinching at the bridge of her nose.

 

[Tal]

For a moment, Talmanese thought that the King would hold another outburst. The look on his face was nothing less than utter loathing, and yet it seemed that his own daughters words had cowed him. At least for now.

"It is by her word that you yet live, boy." The King sneered, staring down at Tal as though he were little less than an Urchin. "You're a plague, and your father was right to exile you. Be glad that I love my daughter, and respect her choice."

The man practically spat the last, and Tal couldn't help but smile. "Oh, I am so very glad for her your Majesty."

Talmanese said, rising and glancing over his shoulder towards Calliope.

"Get out of my sight." The King said, his lips thinning as he buried his face in one of his hands. Mourning the displeasure of having the young Prince back within the city. Tal only smiled, bowing his head and turning to walk towards his wife.

"Are you feeling unwell, my de-" Before he could finish, Tal noticed a shadow cast over him. The great Ogre who had been standing to the corner having stepped with a shocking silence over towards him.

His voice rolled like a thousand bees flying together. "Where is my son?"

The Ogre growled, staring down at Talmanese. The Prince shifted, turning on his heel to face the great magus and smiling.

"On my ship, still, Salokan. At least that is where I left him." He smiled at the man, though again Calliope would be able to see the tension that flickered through the Prince. "I believe he intends to come see you soon, now, if you don't mind...I must take care of my wife."

A scoff echoed from the Seneschall's nostrils, but he simply shook his head and walked passed them.

 

[Calliope]

'It is by her word that you yet live, boy.'
​

That reminder weighed heavily on her. Anything he done from here on out, any pain he wrought or destruction he caused would be on her head, because she could have ended him here and now. Tal must have known it, too, but that she made no such call would likely only seem a smug victory to him. She would simply bide her time, though not too much of it. The sooner his father was dealt with, the better.

Her expression remained a painting of exhaustion as her father spat insults at Tal who rebuked with sickly sweet poison. She was walking away already, she had no wish to talk anymore, only to see to her needs and rest.

Calliope's jaw tightened as Salokan intercepted them, but the tension she saw cross Tal's face gave her at least a small amount of satisfaction. She said nothing, only cast a look to the ogre and nodded her confirmation that his son had indeed been on the ship. There was no hiding her sneer at her doting husband's concern, and she continued on in silence until they were out of the throne room and in the grand hallway.

"I don't need your care, Talmanese." she muttered at him, though she only hoped she could hide how unsteady she felt on her feet as she took the first few stairs. "You can take the guest quarters. I'd like my privacy." she huffed.

 

[Tal]

As they stepped outside of the Throne room, Talmanese let out a small breath. His lips thinning for a brief moment before he turned to Calliope as she pushed away any 'help' that he might have to offer.

For the first time since they had entered the Palace he looked at her.

Almost immediately he noticed the pallidness of her features, the slight dark rim underneath her eyes. Calliope looked almost sickly. A frown touched his features as he studied her a tsk clicking from his tongue as he shook his head. "So standoffish with your Husband."

He mused.

"If you're not careful, you'll start rumors." Tal pressed, watching her grasp the railing of the stairs as they began to to ascend into the palace. "You shouldn't be so quick to thrust me aside."

The Prince said, as he stepped up besides Calliope and gently grasped her arm. Not to harm her, but instead hel her up the steps. "Whats wrong?"

He asked, almost like he actually cared.

 

[Calliope]

Calli wasn't in the mood for his smugness, nor his pretense. "Oh fuck off Talmanese." she snarled quietly as she turned to him on the stairs, a hand held up to ensure no handmaidens or guards came any closer.. "You got what you wanted, you're here, a Prince of Tyr once again, protected by my Father. We both know what my father said is true, I could have had your head on a pike already and I didn't, so I think I've earned a little fucking respect in my own home. I am a Princess of Tyr." she reminded him with a glare.

"I'm sure you will find the guest suite to your liking." she said through gritted teeth and turned to continue her ascent.

 

[Tal]

The smile on his face never faded as she berated him, though her voice carrying through the hall made him think that perhaps he had pushed just a little too far.

Talmanese knew that he was walking a very fine line within this city. Though once he had been it's Prince, capable of doing nearly whatever he pleased, it was not such anymore. There was a danger here now, and he had few allies left within the walls of Tyr.

He needed to be careful, because she was right.

If Calliope had willed it, he would have been dead.

He might have been the most powerful sorcerer in the Tyr, but he was alone. Even the twins could not protect him if the Seneschall were ordered to drag him down. He knew that, for it had been they who chained him in the first place.

So, despite himself, Tal allowed his smile to face as Calliope finished chewing him out. Appearing, if only slightly, at least somewhat chastised. As she whirled around he called out, his voice surprisingly soft and calm. No quip passing through his lips this time. "I'll send you the Twins."

The Prince said, just loud enough for her to hear.