Private Tales The Siege of Salesia

[Kristen Pirian]

It took nearly the sum total of Kristen's willpower to whisper back to King, "We must endure."

Now, Kristen didn't mean to endorse the idea of disemboweling Vontaine right here and now on the harbor. Yet...the thought of King mayhap...roughing up Vontaine to a certain degree...was not wholly unwelcome. Kristen simply did not like men of Vontaine's ilk—philanderers who wore their sordid escapades on their shoulder like a garish cloak. What a trail of broken and dispirited women they must leave in their lecherous wake! Kristen refused to believe that any of the women aboard the Slice were better off in their current position, rather than as wife to her loving husband and mother to her adorable children.

And now Blair was subject to the fullness of Vontaine's questionable attentions.

Kristen stepped forward, reaching over and touching his shoulder (as if in a genial gesture) and lightly guiding Vontaine's arm away from Blair. Though she succeeded in this, her intervention backfired, as Vontaine took it as an invitation to hold Kristen's arm in his own, linking them together as though he were her suitor.

The near sum total of willpower Kristen called upon again, and she smiled...pleasantly, and asked of Vontaine...pleasantly, "Vontaine, it has been many a year now. But could you show us your vessel? I mean not to rush, but time is of the essence in our endeavor, I fear."

"Of course! Of course! And what a delight it will be. Oh, I do love showing off—a guilty pleasure of mine!" Vontaine said, walking arm-in-arm with Kristen now to the gangway and starting up it. "Say, when was the last gala the two of us attended, hmm? You were, Kress, you were nowhere near as tall then, if I recall. Oh! I think I remember a letter from—dohhhh, someone!—about your astonishing spurt of growth! And here you are, a lovely young woman now, blossoming like..."

And so Vontaine would go on as they ascended the gangway. King and Blair, at least, had a moment to themselves.

Fabien 'King' D'Amour Blair Rennick

 

[Fabien 'King' D'Amour]

Only on the graces of the Lady's patience did King not inflict great violence upon the good baron. He grit and ground his teeth, scowling after Ridgemont as Kristen once again captured his attention. The man was not fit to touch Blair, much less Kristen, and yet he seemed to have no sense of personal space.

King offered a hand to Blair, if for no other reason than to help steady her. It was easy to see how flustered she was.

"Let's get this over with..." he muttered to her quietly as he aided her up the gangway. "This is going to be a long trip, I can already tell."

 

[Blair Rennick]

Blair's first time on a ship, to be over a large body of water, was just darkness behind her eyelids. Grateful for Fabien's hand, the Stormguard did not let go of his hand and forced him to help her up as her eyes were shut tightly. Afraid to see something she would make her melt into the deck and disappear into the depths of the vesesl's belly, Blair stumbled and swayed her way up. Of course, the Stormguard were much like the Guard and Dreadlords in way of getting up to mischief by tumbling in the sheets, but Blair had older siblings that always protected her.

It meant she was as a result, sheltered and innocent. A sin to see such flesh... but she was no devout follower much like Kristen.

"Oh dear... oh dear..." Blair whispered to herself, feeling her boots find the top of the gangway and onto the flat and stable main deck. "Please tell me they are clothed."

 

[Kristen Pirian]

At the top of the gangway, and once she set foot onto the deck, Kristen immediately noticed something. Not merely some, but all of the deckhands were handsome men, and extraordinarily so. Each and every one of them must have been chosen for his attractiveness, his stature, his arms which swelled with muscle and his face which pleased any eye to grace it. Some worked without shirts.

And then Kristen saw the naked man, working with the ropes.

"Oh god," she said, immediately shutting her eyes and turning her head away. Like all the rest, he was a feast for the eyes, a man blessed by his heritage and endowed with many things, and that, specifically, was the problem—that he was gorgeous to behold.

"What?" said Vontaine, and then with a glance he figured it out. "Ohhhhh, never mind Apollo! Yes, his name is actually Apollo—he's quite the foreign treat, isn't he? But his sun-kissed skin craves a little sunshine from time-to-time and who am I to say no? He's a popular one with the ladies, truly. Oh-ho-ho, you're blushing a little, Lady Kristen!"

"This is not at all appropriate," Kristen mumbled.

But Vontaine heard her, or at least had gotten most of her meaning. "Should we ask Blair the Beauty?" He waited not a second before turning and calling, "Blair! What do you think of my fine man Apollo, hmm?"

Fabien 'King' D'Amour Blair Rennick

 

[Fabien 'King' D'Amour]

King led Blair up to the deck and stepped on board. As he did so he took in the sight of the deckhands. His eyes widened despite himself, and suddenly he was as red-faced as Blair was. Embarrassment flushed through him, rapidly matching the anger that had filled him just moments before.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." he groaned, his discomfort more visible than ever.

"Please tell me they are clothed."

He heard the whisper come from behind him and winced.

"Some of them are," he replied. Vontaine pointed out his man Apollo, and King's head instinctively swiveled to behold him. Blink, blink. And lo, he was beheld.

"...Apollo is not among them."

 

[Blair Rennick]

An unnatural sound came from Blair. It was a whimper crossed with a shuddering breath, and the Stormguard was unabashed to cover her closed eyes with her hands to keep from glimpsing this stark naked Apollo.

"No, no, no... I am entirely fine." She could barely be heard, but Vontaine barked out a good natured laugh that made Blair jumped beside Fabien.

"Blair the Beauty! Open your eyes and see Arethil's most beautiful man! He is quite the treat."

"Oh, Kress." Blair could feel her cheeks heating to temperatures she hadn't flushed before, and that was her not glimpsing this unclothed man.

Suddenly a hand came to touch her shoulder, and Blair yelped and bumped into kind Fabien. The poor, sheltered Stormguard cowered as a smooth, accented voice spoke to her. "No need to be shy, Miss. Should you, or your friends, want to —"

"OH! NO. NO THANK YOU. WE ARE FINE." Her voice had never sounded so high pitched as this! "I WOULD LIKE TO SEE OUR PRIVATE LODGINGS THANK YOU!"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

All manner of awful, distressing thoughts plagued Kristen's mind: was this truly the best that Councilor Berenger could do? What would Alistair think if ever he found out that Kristen had sailed aboard Vontaine Ridgemont's pleasure vessel? How many other nobles, like Vontaine, could dress up splendidly and act decently in galas and parties and public ceremonies, but behave in this manner in their more private lives?

And now Blair, as was purely evident by her reaction to Apollo, had had enough.

Kristen, with her forefinger and thumb made of porcelain, pinched the bone of Vontaine's chin and with a gentle yet firm force bid him to look at her again, rather than the interplay between Blair and Fabien and Apollo.

"Vontaine," she said, "we are weary, for we have traveled far and fast to reach Ostia Anir in a timely manner. Surely you understand. Won't you be accommodating?"

Vontaine assessed Kristen, and then King and then Blair, and came to some sort of conclusion in his head—likely one that was mostly, if not completely, wrong, and which placed too much emphasis on the "private" part of the private lodgings so requested. But nevertheless he said, "Of course! Of course! Forgive my excitement, Lady Kristen, but as I said, I do so love to show off. Ahhhh, but there is business to which we must attend, hmmm? That thing the Councilor mentioned...dohhhhh, you would know more than I do!"

He walked and talked, still linked with Kristen by the arm, and led King and Blair below deck. And he talked a lot.

"...is no Ironclad, to be sure. But between you and I, Lady Kristen, that Virak vessel is a gigantic, gauche, metal monstrosity—but it is known that the Viraks tend to lack taste when it comes to the finer things in life, hmm? But as for the Slice, and perhaps you've already noticed, you will feel no rocking of the waves, no unsteadiness, and throughout the voyage it will be as though you are on solid ground—no seasickness aboard my vessel! Marvelous, no? You see, I have a few mages on staff—"

And for some reason Vontaine thought it important to address this particular point back to King and Blair, looking over his shoulder as he said:

"They're Elbionese, so no cause for alarm!" And he went on, "And they've quite a few other nautical uses as well, so fear not, Lady Kristen; no ill wind or disagreeable seas will slow us down! And as for the food..."

Eventually, down the length of the below decks hall, they came to the room Vontaine had in mind. He apparently had to remember what he was doing, so consumed in his showing off was he, and he stopped abruptly by the door.

"Ah! But here we are! You'll find your room quite spacious for the three of you, especially if you are used to less elegant vessels." And then he, finally, unlinked his arm from Kristen's own; but he then took Kristen's artificial hand and kissed it, a light look of surprise following when his lips touched the porcelain and adamantine. "What kind of glove is that? Marvelous!"

"Thank you, Vontaine," said Kristen, sidestepping the question. "I will be pleased to write to Councilor Berenger of your indispensable aid in this endeavor."

Vontaine blushed, and brought a hand to his cheek, and his eyes were like saucers. He said, "Ah, but I do love being praised!"

Fabien 'King' D'Amour Blair Rennick