Fable - Ask Wild Kelpies for a Prince

[Saang Lusce]

He waited for her eyes to meet his, terrified for what he'd see there. So much of him believed that she hated him and wanted nothing to do with being near him. It was that dread that lived deep in his chest and nagged at every good thought he had about her. How it would never matter how he felt because she would never be able to forgive him for all the years she'd spent in iron.

But nothing could have prepared him to see her cry.

Nearly 800 years of life under his command and he had never seen her shed a single tear. No matter the pain brought upon her or the emotions she held within. Ianthe's strength had always been far more than just that of her body. But here it was, the strongest armor she wore had begun to crack. How long had she been holding this in?

Seeing it carved a great hole through his gut and nearly drove him to brush it away. He didn't. Kelpie tears were rarer than rare and shouldn't be wasted, ever.

"Please, Ianthe, I need to know," his words were quiet, nearly a whisper, as if he knew this secret of hers needed to be kept between them, "if you do not want me, then I will never again bring this burden upon you."

 

[Ianthe]

Ianthe had fought countless wars, but never one against herself. Not like this. To keep a secret and protect what little of his warmth she would be afforded as a friend... or share it and risk being cold for the rest of her life.

She shut her eyes.

"Was mine own fathers head not enough of a mating wreath? The lives of your enemies i stole for you? The torture of your lovers infiltrators at your request? What else did I have to do that no other kelpie did to make you see I've been here... waiting... this whole time."

 

[Saang Lusce]

Then why did you keep running away from me?

The question begged savagely to be asked and he bit it back with the steel of shock he felt at her words. Of course Ianthe had rarely, if ever, failed. He'd not kept track of such things over the centuries - no, he'd been more concerned with so many other things, her wellbeing one of them.

Somewhere in this tangled mess of spooling emotions, he felt great relief at long last. He had the admittance he'd been wanting for, but how it made him feel like such a-

"Blind fool," the words tumbled from his mouth as it gaped open while he struggled with what to say next. He didn't know what to say, but he knew what he felt, so he leaned down and kissed her instead.

 

[Ianthe]

A noise that could have been outrage, surprise, or relief came from the back of Ianthe's throat as he leant down to claim her lips. It felt like a moment she had been waiting for without truly realising it. Like there had always been something missing and no matter how far she ran, how much she looked, she had never found it. Perhaps a part of her had always known it was here. Maybe that was why she had run so hard.

He tasted like the embers and spiced tea. It was the most intoxicating thing she had ever had. But Ianthe could count the amount of kisses she had had on one hand and found herself woefully under prepared for what to do. For the first time in her life, Ianthes actions were almost shy. Her hands came up to cup his cheeks, her body falling flush against his, and her lips hesitantly copying his movements so gently it was as if she were afraid he would pull away if she didn't.

 

[Saang Lusce]

Having always kept a very active awareness of how to approach physical contact with Ianthe made interactions of closeness exceptionally nerve-wracking. Wanting to offer assurance, confidence, support, and enthusiasm even with just a friendly hand on the shoulder could so easily be taken as a threat by a kelpie and end in disaster that it was almost always better just to forgo the contact entirely. Saang's brain was hardwired to take such care that it made it difficult to enjoy what contact was made.

But when she didn't pull away, flinch, or growl, his brain threw all caution to the wind. As soon as Ianthe's body pressed against his, both of his hands moved in to loop around her waist and smooth across her back. Saang pulled her close and tight as if to squeeze any last thought of running away out of her, bringing the taste of ocean spray, frigid tundra, and goddamnitall - bacon - right to his lips.

It was the kiss he'd been wanting for, for longer than he could really know, and though he would have liked to press for more part of him knew this wasn't something he could or should rush. Before it got too deep, too heavy, he parted from her only enough to catch his breath and speak again.

"Stay with me," Saang murmured warmly against her lips, forehead pressed to hers, "please."

 

[Ianthe]

Please. She had always thought the word a weak one, yet the yearning in the single word made her knees threaten to give way.

"This will end terribly," Ianthe warned though she didn't pull away, didn't even move an inch so she might better look at him. The only movement she made was to let her hands slide from his cheeks to his chest though not in an effort to push him away. "People like you and I are not meant to be together. You're meant for someone good, Saang. I am not good."

 

[Saang Lusce]

"I disagree," he smiled against her warnings, "I think you bring balance to me as I do to you. And besides," his left arm curled snugly around her waist while his right drifted up to brush blue hair back over her shoulder, exposing reddened cheek and pointed ear to his lips as they moved to plant more kisses there.

"Good is boring," Saang breathed into her ear.

Another warm kiss pressed earring against neck while his fingers, still within her hair, gently traced over her nape beneath.

Curled about her as he was, it was so very tempting to give in to desire like he was so often liable to do. But Ianthe was not just another body or midnight lover to sate a passing lust on. Whatever it was that became of them, it would only be so if she wanted it.

He contained himself, withdrawing wanting lips for a nuzzle into her temple, "If you are done making excuses, why don't we go finish breakfast, hm?"

 

[Ianthe]

Good is boring.

Ianthe's toes curled. Dark Mother help her. A shiver that was only partially due to the graze of his lips travelled down her spine and turned her stomach to molten heat. Her eyes drifted half shut as his kisses and touches continued. Thoughts she had never really had before rose in her mind and her fingers began to tenderly explore the expanse of his chest and the plains of his stomach.

"It's funny... but I've completely lost my appetite," her eyes opened and this time they did not flicker briefly between chocolate brown and a striking violet, they were stuck on the later.

 

[Saang Lusce]

Rats.

Well, breakfast could wait. He hoped to the merciful fae Gods his stomach wouldn't growl in these close, quiet moments between them - made altogether more difficult by the sensation of her hands slowly traipsing about his bare abdomen.

"My apologies," he murmured back, words drifting through her hair and across her scalp, "I had not intended to ruin your meal."

Pulling back just enough to look down upon her face again, Saang offered her a smile of warmth the likes of which she'd never seen before. It was hopeful, wanting, and patient, but it faltered upon spying the curious hue of her eyes. He'd never seen that color before - had he also unintentionally angered her somehow? The desire to look inside at her internal emotional turmoil was strong, but he had promised never to do that to her.

The hand at the nape of her neck gently moved forward to cup the side of her face, his thumb brushing along cheekbone as he studied her eyes for some kind of clue.

"Then tell me, my beautiful sea storm, what is it you want to do?"

 

[Ianthe]

Ianthe was fairly certain at least three of the things she wanted to do were illegal in the Night Court, and possible even the Winter and Summer Courts too. She bit the inside of her cheek and her eyes danced with an emotion Saang had only ever seen from her when taken to her aquatic kelpie form: playfulness.

It seemed to make the purple hue to her eyes shimmer even more.

"I'd like to see these other Tribe markings of yours. See how they pale in comparison to mine," her fingers danced along his hips. "You could bring the breakfast with you if you think you'll need the .... energy."

Ianthe was not an unfeeling being. Her lack of interest in sex had boiled down to her lack of interest in any other partner. Something she had no such troubles with in regards to Saang. Every fleeting touch in the past had been like a wild spark but they all seemed pale in comparison to the soft touches he gave her now, stirring up... well. The storm he had so nicknamed her after.

 

[Saang Lusce]

Oh, he knew that look. Had seen it countless times and it nearly always preceded wanton mischief. In that moment, with her wandering touches and her pointed wishes, he found himself both anxious and aroused. Kelpie mischief should never, ever be taken lightly.

The fae's red brows arched upward in mild surprise, a low hum of enticement at her touches rumbling in his chest. Now that she seemed to have gotten past the idea that they could not possibly work as a pair, she'd dropped down to the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Here he had expected to gradually introduce her to pleasure through touch over the course of weeks, months, perhaps even years... and she had yet to flinch once.

It was curious. It was a wonder. It was exciting. It was nothing less than everything Ianthe had always been, except now she was free to be it at her fullest potential.

It was also slightly invigorating to see the pride in her gaze when speaking of her tribe and how others would not compare. The rivalries still existed between most of them, that was simply their way, but he hoped to unite them all once more under a single banner for this war to come and, perhaps, for all the wars to come after if all went to plan.

"Breakfast can wait," he replied over a pleased smile, "my body and all its many markings are yours to gaze upon." And touch... and taste... and claim... and want...

"Come." Arm still looped around her waist, Saang fought the urge to pick her up and instead opted to simply walk to his bedchambers beside her. She'd been to the rooms before, but never for this reason.

 

[Ianthe]

As they walked the kelpie's steps changed from impatient determination to hesitant. The moment of joy and triumph she had felt when he had finally, finally, claimed her lips felt like the high she often got after a kill. But much like that, it faded when not sated regularly. She was wholly certain of her own emotions, of her choice, but his...

As they drew close to his door Ianthe stepped in front of him to cut him off from entering first.

"This is your last chance, Saang. I was speaking true when I said I don't share. If we step through there... you are agreeing to be mine. Only mine," the insinuation she would kill anyone she thought threatened that was clear even before she flashed her canines in a bared smile.

 

[Saang Lusce]

Such a whirlwind of emotions she was, but Saang did not need to see into her own mind and heart to know where these demands stemmed from. Jealousy. Fear. Feelings of abandonment. It hurt him to think he'd caused her to feel all three and he wished he would have known or been able to see it sooner.

He'd dealt with jealous lovers before. Seen all the acts of malice and envy. He hadn't cared before, but he cared now. Where for centuries he had run and dodged all manner of being tied down by matches advised from his father, here before him was the only choice he wanted for himself.

His molten gaze looked down upon the kelpie with endearment. He was tired of running away from the things that didn't feel right. Everything about her, the war, joining her tribe and uniting her people felt right and he wanted to run toward it with no inhibitions.

Alas, war was not something to be rushed and neither, he suspected, were kelpie mates. So instead he moved slowly and with purpose, closing the distance between them with his eyes set upon her own. Head bowed down to reach her, he stopped just short of her lips where he lingered for several long moments as if second-guessing himself. In reality, he was simply enjoying the smell of her, the feeling of her presence so close, the painstaking desire to want every part of her.

Then he leaned in and gave her a kiss so gentle it might've been snow, landing and melting upon her lips.

"Every part of me that I am and all that I have is yours, Ianthe. I don't want anyone else but you."

His left hand grazed past her hip to the handle on the door and quietly pushed it open behind her.

"All you have to do is take me."

 

[Ianthe]

It took very ounce of control Ianthe had not to back down when Saang approached. It was a habit that had been drilled into her from birth to make oneself small when a handler approached, to appear meek in the face of her betters. But Ianthe was free now. She refused to bow to anyone ever again. Certainly not a male she wanted very much to tangle in the sheets with. So she squared her shoulders and matched that look even as her heart hammered on her chest as he lowered his lips to her and paused. She waited for the shoe to drop, for him to laugh in her face and break the fragile future she had begun to tentatively hope was possible...

Ianthe sucked a breath in through her teeth as his words made her toes curl, once more.

The door was a tantalising option she was eager and nervous to step through but first...

"Promise me," she hated the touch of desperation that crept into her tone but... she needed it. She needed that sacred oath that would ink their skins in a pact to know for certain her heart would be safe.

 

[Saang Lusce]

A slow, deep sigh passed from his nose. She still didn't trust him, not without some ironic form of magical tether and he felt that he deserved that. To put him on a leash in order to ensure he'd never stray. It wasn't necessary but he'd decided to do whatever it took to prove himself to her.

Saang straightened, eyes looking down upon her with a soft glow as his left hand pulled back past her waist and gently took her right hand with it.

"My heart is yours," he stated simply, smiling, "through this life and every life after it. I want to be your soulmate, your love, your everything, and you mine in return. I make this sacred vow, to love you and no other, until the stars fall and the leylines fade."

 

[Ianthe]

Ianthe didn't dare take her eyes from his as he spoke, analysing every little twitch or flicker in his movements that might indicate a loophole to his words. None presented themselves. He spoke plain and true. There was something inside her that seemed to hum with the truth of it even before the magic of his Promise prickled its way over her skin. From her fingers to her shoulders a tribal pattern - not unlike that which covered her lower back, hip and leg - wound its way up her arm. She didn't bother to look at it, couldn't take her eyes off of his.

She kicked backwards to nudge the door open fully then grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him down to her lips.

 

[Saang Lusce]

So this... this is what a soulmate bond felt like. Ice in the veins and fire over the skin with a tether made of braided leyline magic between the hearts, their mark intertwining as it snaked its way up along his arm, ensconced between other tribal ink as if etched for their own private tribe.

A little tribe of two.

And maybe, hopefully, many more to come if wishes came true.

There was no hesitation or resistance to be had as her hand snagged the hem of his robe to drag him to her. Saang's lips met her own with great fervor, his feet following her lead into his room while a hand gestured at the door to throw it shut with a shunt of magic.

The tantalizing prospect of their future together lingered in the taste of her lips. Even if he could tell her inexperience simply through the contact it didn't matter. There were so many things to show her, teach her, help her with - like unlearning the fear of touch which she seemed rapidly enthusiastic to do. Saang ensnared her again within his arms, slowly allowing his hands to roam across the body he'd only ever admired from a distance.

Their feet crossed over tile and woven ornamental rugs until Ianthe found herself backed against the cushioned, arched arm of a chaise lounge upholstered with seal skin. Saang caught himself in a moment of greed and gave pause. Under normal circumstances he was often the one to lead these dances, though he had no issue with being lead by another. Had she ever been with another like this? How fast was too fast for her?

Would things go wrong if he was too forward?

His hands paused in their wanting meander, and his lips broke from hers as he leaned back to look at her in consideration of ... everything.

"Am I your first?" he asked in earnest, head canting to one side.

 

[Ianthe]

Once, on one of her smuggling missions, Ianthe had found herself in possession of a chest full of books. She had hoped, when she stole the ship, it would be full of the silks, golds and goods she had already found. She'd been disappointed but there had been enough wealth in the other chests that she had quickly forgotten about them. The men in her crew had stashed them in her office and for weeks they had sat untouched until one particular day when there was nothing else to do. She'd picked one up and read it.

She had thought it a pile of drivel.

Love.

Some flaming thing that threatened to unravel a person, that would drive them to do anything, the thought that a persons touch could send you to a euphoria higher than killing? Bullshit. But now with Saang kissing her, their deal winding through her very soul, maybe... maybe she had been wrong. Not that she would ever admit it out loud.

There was not enough of him for the need she had. Her fingers couldn't touch enough of him, her lips couldn't taste enough. Her mind reeled with the enormity of the hunger that had been unleashed finally. She barely registered where he lay her until he pulled back and allowed her lungs to fill with air. For a second Ianthe frowned at him, her mind trying to catch up with the meaning of his words.

A flicker of something unreadable crossed her face.

"In every way that counts," she smoothed her hands over his chest with the aim to remove his robe.

 

[Saang Lusce]

She always had a way of avoiding direct answers and he would have thought by now that she'd have figured out her indirectness made him worry. He couldn't help it, his own emotions always made him overthink things to the point that it was almost impossible to get out of his own head. To be so distracted by the words she hadn't said, here and now...

The desire to seek out those emotions she hid within was nearly as strong as the desire to take her on the floor.

Her hands pushed away not just the robe from his shoulders, but the glamour he wore to hide all his clan adornments save the one from her very own. Saang pulled his arms away from her to let the robe drop to the floor, leaving him bare to her as the day he was born. He wore over a dozen new marks in ink, as well as new arm bands, a tribal braid on the right of his skull that curled around his ear, and a few other tribal trinkets in the form of piercings as well as a necklace of fangs, claws, and shark teeth.

All in all, just short of 30 clans now called him one of their brethren but only one pattern truly represented who could call him their own. That was a lot of clans to break the news to that he was no longer an eligible bachelor. There were going to be a lot of disappointed kelpies.

"I couldn't convince them all," he admitted quietly, having stepped back just enough to give her a proper view of the tapestry of kelpie culture he'd become.

 

[Ianthe]

A complicate knot of emotions formed in Ianthe's throat as he let the glamour fall.

She had already seen Saang in varying states of undress of course. A soldiers life did not lend itself to modesty and fae were not prudes to begin with. But this somehow felt more intimate. He wanted her to look and not just in the arrogant way males did. There was something tender in his gaze, something deeper than lust that made her heart quicken. Overlaying that was the warring emotions of pride and rage to see him covered in other clan markings. She wanted to smear the others away until only her mark remained, and at the same time kiss every one. He had done what no other had done before. No kelpie. No Duanaan. No mortal. Nobody.

"King of the Kelpies," Ianthe said softly, her smile almost hesitant. She stood and slowly walked around, taking in every single mark. Some she recognised others she did not. Clans she had not yet met herself yet he bore their claim. She stopped when she was in front of him again. "You got what you wanted then."