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The Start of a New Age

Chapter 12: Sweeter than Wine: Part Two

Summary:

Warning! There is explicit sexual content in this chapter!

Chapter Text

The food arrives just as the last light of day falls below the horizon, turning gold into twilight. As the waiter lays their platter down and lights the candles around them, he continues to regale his fiance about his childhood, something he rarely does, and not this earnestly. Normally it was too painful, however, they were both three glasses in and he can feel the beginnings of a familiar buzz, loosening his tongue and making the topic of discussion more bearable.

He meant it, when he said that he wanted his fiance to get to know his mother, even if it could only be through his stories. He is beginning to realize that perhaps it isn't just the wine making it easier to talk, and that it was actually Sylvana herself. It had always been oddly easy to talk to her…perhaps it's the way she gives you all of her attention, her innocent curiosity without nefarious intentions, eyes that told him that unlike others, she actually enjoys his stories and hearing him talk, not polite indifference.

“-it was in that moment that I knew I was in big trouble, I mean, how was I supposed to know that the boy was allergic to chocolate? I mean…seriously, imagine being allergic to chocolate of all things, what a sad existence it must be…Anyways, Mother ended up having to pay for the boys healer, and it was after that whole debacle that my reputation began to well-well lets just say I had a lot less friends after that, genuine friends I mean, most still tolerated me, but alas the difference did not go unnoticed.

“The boy ended up making it seem like I was out to purposely kill him, which is utterly ludicrous, it was my first time meeting him, and we were…eight?nine? Frankly, it served him right, the boy was so infuriating, I just couldn't get along with him no matter how badly my mother urged us to get along. Plus, it's his own fault, if he was allergic to chocolate he should have said something, I mean it's not like I shoved the chocolate cake in his mouth….oh wait..I think I actually did.

“Anyways, mother was always there to fix all of my messes. If it wasn’t for her, my father probably would have sent me to some strict religious monastery or something. If you’re curious about my father, I wouldn't bother too much with him, all I’ll say is that having absent and controlling fathers seem to be something we have in common, judging from what I've seen of yours so far- or well not seen, but you understand what I mean,” he shrugs before cutting up a bit of beef and plops it into his mouth.

“I do..” Sylvana confirms before bringing the morsel of meat to her mouth. They are both quiet for a moment as they chew. Sylvana is the first to speak afterwards.

“Your mother sounds like she was a very patient woman, the patience of a saint even, since she had to put up with your devious antics, though I have to agree with you, you shouldn't have been blamed-for that situation anyway. The previous story however… blaming and getting those two servants fired after they warned you not to play that prank on your cousin, that was all on you. Honestly, I'm starting to understand why Galfrey has such a chip on her shoulder when it comes to you…” Sylvana smirks.

“Hey! I have you know, she has pulled just as many pranks on me over the years than I ever had on her…plus you know I thoroughly love messing with people, its my favourite pastime” he defends himself half heartedly, he knows he shouldn't take what she said to heart, not when amusement sparkles in her silver eyes, eyes that suddenly roll at him.

“So incorrigible,” Sylvana teases.

“Yet, here you are, sharing a delightful dinner with incorrigible me, planning to marry me no less,”  he teases back as he cuts her a piece of lamb and offers it to her.

“Desna help me, what have I gotten myself into? I must be completely mad,” his fiance feigns dismay, but accepts the lamb from his fork with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks, she chews then swallows before continuing on, “The only thing I can think of to heal such incurable madness… “

Suddenly, he can feel her boot sensually rub up and down his leg under the table. His heart skips, as he lets himself get lost in those flirty eyes. It was rare to see her so relaxed and loose, she rarely imbibed during the crusade, even at the festival she didn't have too much to drink, and on their rendezvous date, they were too busy drinking each other rather than the alcohol. The only time he has seen her properly imbibe had been on his birthday- even if it was just to distract him from what was really going on.

“Pray tell my darling, what can I do to relieve you from such a fate,” he plays along, his heart like a hammer in his chest as he catches Sylvana biting her lip just so and her eyes darken, she really is the most dangerous woman he has ever encountered.

“Feed me more of that lamb, the herbs on it made it to die for…” Sylvana says, the flirty and sexual illusion suddenly breaking. He blinks as Sylvana is suddenly back to her carefree bright-eyed self, leaning over the table slightly and pointing at her open mouth like a child. He would feel rather cheated, if he wasn't too busy trying to not laugh at how utterly hilarious yet adorable she looked.

He snickers, “Acting seductive, all for a piece of meat my love? How conniving you are…fine, I can play your game” he says as he cuts a morsel he then brings it up to her mouth, but when she goes to take a bite, he quickly pulls it away and puts half of it into his mouth, then proceeds to meet her half way.

Her eyes darken again as their noses brush together, he wonders if she can hear how hard his heart is beating from his chest. Sylvana then proceeds to let her mouth  surround her end of the morsel, their lips brushing slightly, before breaking off her half. He proceeds to properly chew and taste the lamb, as she leans back into a sitting position, he follows in suit. To her credit, Sylvana was right, the herbs on the lamb were quite delicious, did he taste a hint of rosemary?

“Hmm, you're right, this meat is definitely worth being seduced over…” he says after he finally swallows his half.

Sylvana smiles smugly “I told you so. Now hopefully whenever we have lamb for dinner, you will think of that from now on, and not the poor innocent lamb you wished you had.”

He can't help but groan “Ughh…I should have known that would come into play at some point…”

“We have a share platter of meat on the table…how could I not?” Sylvana explains as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

She then cuts another morsel of lamb and offers it to him, a small smile threatens to escape him as he leans in to take a bite. However, just before he could even get a lick in, the morsel is suddenly gone and he merely has time to blink in confusion before he watches the morsel crumble away in her mouth, with a look of ecstasy on her face.

He huffs a laugh “You little deviant. Aren't you ever going to get bored of that lamb story?"

“That's rich, coming from you....and never,” she winks and subtly pokes out her tongue, before finishing off her fourth glass of wine. Suddenly, she sombers as she puts the empty glass down, then finds his hand on the table, linking their hands.

“Why don't you tell me more about your mother? So far you have only skimmed over her, spoken more about other aspects of your childhood rather than her…” she trails off.

He takes a deep breath, ”So you noticed…sorry darling I-it's become a habit of mine…I always end up rambling on about other things…”

“Hey..it's okay, I enjoyed listening to the stories of your childhood, this is the most you have ever opened up to me about your life.”

“Really? You're not sick of my voice yet?” he half-murmurs. Sylvana suddenly moves her chair so that it is closer to his, then sits close enough so that their knees touch.

“Never,” she says quietly, as she places a hand to his forearm, her eyes warm with reassurance. His breath becomes shaky, how did someone like him get someone so…perfect? Deep down he couldn't help but think that he doesn't deserve her…after all…even now, he is still keeping things from her. Suddenly, something in him breaks, and whether it was out of guilt or just wanting to finally get it off of his chest, the words flew out.

“My mother, her name was Sereina Emilia Arendae she was-she was my best friend, my confidant, and the only sign of warmth in that damn mansion. Father was away on business a lot, hadn't the time to be much of a family man, so my mother all but raised me without him…She was an Aasimar like myself, my father was human. My mother often told me that I was her special gift from the gods, that I was going to be the pride of the Arendae family…she would probably weep in her grave if she found out how I turned out without her,” Sylvana looked like she was about to refute him so he quickly puts a finger to her lips and keeps going.

“My mother was a kind woman, carefree and gentle. Honestly, she deserved way better than my father, I often saw him with other women…whether mother knew, I don't know, she didn't give anything away, she just, continued on the same as always…She was a lonely soul, and was sick often, so she wasn't the type to go out unless social etiquette dictates.

“Most of her time was either in bed, or with me. As I just said, after the chocolate cake incident, well, people started treating me differently after that. It was then that my friends began to see me in a more negative light. Rumours had spread and suddenly I found myself very much alone-mainly in terms of male friends anyway. Girls still naturally flocked to me, and even some guys, but they were all so…superficial.

“My old so-called ‘friends’ would only invite me to things if I was already there, or if they couldn't get out of inviting me without losing face. When I wasn’t around though, they would purposely leave me out of things. Eventually I was like, well screw them, I don't need friends…because I have at least one person who doesn't treat me differently. 

“So from then on, for a time, I spent my days at home with my mother as much as I could… whether it be just hanging around the house or on her outings when she was well enough. She was the one who taught me to make the best of every situation, to stay the optimist, because a negative mind only holds you back.

“Eventually, she managed to convince me to be more social again, and I guess since then I just rolled with the punches, I stopped caring about what others thought of me and did my own thing-” he pauses as he realises the large warm smile on Sylvana’s face.

“What? What's that smile for?” He asks, resisting the urge to squirm a little.

“Hm? Oh it's nothing, it's just…you're a big mothers boy aren't you? It’s quite adorable…that's all, especially the way you talk about her…” her eyes soften, “You know, I'm thankful she taught you that…it's one of the reasons why I was drawn to you…your ability to make the best of things no matter how hard, your resilience is a very attractive quality,” his fiance admits unabashedly. 

He feels his cheeks heat up and he looks into his wine glass, only a few sips left. He quickly downs the last few sips, wondering why the hell he was acting like an inexperienced, flustered teenager, he hosted orgy parties for damn sake! He tries to will the blush away.

“Ahem, anyways that is my mother…” he states before looking back up at her “now that I've satisfied your curiosity…perhaps you could satisfy mine as well love? I only saw one memory, I can't help but be curious about the other ones you saw after…care to share?” He asks. Sylvana blinks a moment and then a small sad smile morphs on her face.

“I wish there was more to my life in that time…unfortunately I don't have that many stories to entertain you with.  What you already saw was what my life was like back then…every single day…it was the same strict routine. Wake up, go to homeschooling with my siblings, lunch break, back to homeschooling, then after that was done, we had our combat training, both physical and theory-I excelled in theory.

“As you probably gathered, I was the weakest fighter of us younger siblings…being the fastest and having booksmarts didn't do too much to help me stop getting my ass kicked. Then we had study sessions in the library, dinner, then bed. Almost every day was exactly the same, and we were not allowed outside the palace walls. I guess I was the only sibling that felt bothered by the lack of…well..-”

“Freedom, liberation, privileges, independence, a life…” he spots Sylvana’s slight pout of annoyance and smiles sheepishly “sorry darling, you were saying?”

Sylvana sighs but then offers him a small smile “You're not wrong…it made me feel trapped in a cycle, a very boring and tedious cycle…by the time I was seven I had come to realise that I didn't take to the family traditions like the rest of my siblings did, I had very little interest in most of what my family stood for, I didn't have any interest in Gorum, fighting or becoming another one of my fathers generals- which is funny because in the end I ended up becoming a commander for your cousins crusade, tsk”.

He can't help but huff “More than a little ironic…”

“Yeah, you could say that…Anyways, I was a closeted girly-girl…I wanted to wear pretty clothes, go to tea parties, have my fairy-tale love story, I wanted to be a princess not a soldier. I was also a smart and curious child, apparently too curious for my own good, and I often got in trouble a lot or accidently got others into trouble because of it,” his fiance explains sheepishly.

“Why is this starting to sound so familiar?” He teases with a smirk.

“Hey! I was an innocent curious soul, you were purposefully deviant, there is a big difference. Anyways, I got interested in baking after trying one of the new muffins our chef made, so I snuck into the kitchens before bed and asked the chef if I could learn. I remember it being a lot of fun, he was genuinely kind to me, however, I'm pretty sure my curiosity got that man killed. I don't think my father and mother were…kind people. 

“After that one session with the chef, I never saw him again…the same went for my old chambermaid, she was the one who introduced me to fairytales. The highlight of my day used to be hearing the stories she read to me before bed…but father found out…and well..I suddenly had a new maid and he had those books burned. ‘There will be no frivolous fantasies in this family, if you want something to read before bed have this book on Army tactics, it will serve you well in the future’” Sylvana lowers her voice gruffly as if to mimic her father before snorting.

“Anyways, eventually I became increasingly interested in the outside world. I wanted to go beyond those walls and see the world for myself. My parents always told us that the outside was dangerous, and yet I saw plenty of people go out and come back alive…so I figured, how dangerous could it possibly be? I saw nobles walk past the front gates many times, I used to like admiring the dresses of other noble women, and back in my room I would try to draw my own ‘dream’ clothes…” she huffs a chuckle “I was terrible at it of course, I was only little but…heh…I snuck into my parents room during lunch once, whilst they were busy, and started trying on my mothers clothes, they were huge on me but I didn't care. 

“Eventually, my mother and fathers chambermaid spotted me and at the time I couldn't understand why she looked at me completely horrified. She quickly got me out of those clothes, then started tidying up the room like her life depended on it, everything had to be exactly where it was before…it's becoming quite obvious to me now that our servants probably feared my parents. If my theory of them killing off their servants is correct then…I can't help but question what kind of people they really were…” she shrugs and then pours herself another glass at this point the bottle was almost empty. 

“Unlike you I didn't know my mother much,” she continued, after taking a sip and leaning her head on his shoulder. He places a hand on her thigh and lets his thumb caress the limb, he could tell she was struggling with this topic, and yet she still continued.

 “Mother was more interested in her noble friends than her own kids…I remember, I was perhaps six years old, I once had a nightmare, it triggered a panic attack, the first one of many. At the time, I just wanted my mother to tell me that everything was okay, so I left my room to find her, she was in the parlor entertaining one of her friends, I beseeched her, scared and alone, and mother she…I can't quite remember her face but I can remember her words…She ordered a maid to take me away, to take this ‘disgusting display’ away, she was cold, as if I meant nothing to her, entertaining her friend was more important…” she grew distant, and tears began to water her eyes.

 He reaches up and runs his thumb along them to stop them from spilling over. He feels terrible for asking, and yet at the same time, he feels like they grow impossibly closer, every time they both bare their souls to each other. It felt oddly therapeutic…and this was a side of Sylvana that nobody but himself knows…a fraction of the real Sylvana before Kenabres.

 It makes his heart ache to see her like this, a part of him wants to say, fuck it, she doesn’t truly need those memories. She can just make new ones with him, leave her past behind…but even he knows that is easier said than done. She’s also stubborn as hell, if she wants something she will not rest until she gets it. She is dead set on getting these memories back, whether he truly wants her to or not, and he would never take that freedom of choice from her.

Suddenly a hiss comes from his fiance, he immediately leans back to check her back, it’s a little spotty…

“It really is starting to hurt again isn’t it?” he asks softly, his hand on her thigh rubbing her soothingly.

“Yeah…” she finally admits.

He eyes the chaise, the balcony being kept illuminated by the candlelight. He remembers what he had decided to try earlier that day…now was a better time than any. His current buzz shouldn’t affect his focus, he had become a master of using healing spells whilst intoxicated, and this was merely a small buzz. He stands up suddenly, then makes his way to his fiance's other side, offering his hand.

“Come, let's rest up on the chaise lounge, it will be more comfortable…I want to look at your wounds again, I want to try again…” he explains as she takes his hand and carefully gets up from her chair, a smaller hiss escaping her this time.

“What happened to waiting until we got back to Drezen?” she asks softly.

He brushes a thumb against her cheek “Please, just humor me?” 

“Well if you insist, are you hoping that the effects of the hospital potions have left my system?” She asks.

“Guilty as charged,” he admits with a smirk.

He then leads her to said chaise, seating her carefully between his legs, her bandaged back facing him after he sits as far back as he could so that she had room. He couldn't help but take advantage of his spot behind her, to kiss the back of her left shoulder, his fingers already taking their places softly over her shoulder blades. Since they are at a winery, he would have to attempt this with the bandages on. Although he is far from shy about public nudity, Sylvana doesn't seem the type to- suddenly the corset was gently flung onto the chaise next to them, he blinks.

She looks back at him as she releases her arms from her sleeves, “What's with that look? You need to see my wounds right? So I need to loosen my dress and push my sleeves down. I know it's a bit inappropriate to expose myself whilst we are at this fine establishment, but I'd rather you be able to see what you're doing, plus…” she suddenly smiles smugly “I’m rather proud of my assets, I have nothing to feel ashamed of, wouldn’t you agree? I'd probably make that waiter's day…” Sylvana explains as she continues to pull down her sleeves. 

He blinked a bit more, his heart thumping in his chest loudly, a certain appendage was threatening to come to life again. Okay so his fiance wasn’t as shy about public indecency as he thought she was…In saying that though, something about the possibility of that young waiter seeing his fiance in that state, made him grab the fur blanket on the chaise faster than the erratic beating of his heart.  He then covers her front whilst Sylvana was carefully unwrapping the bandage.

“Cover yourself with that after you’re done, and of course I agree…your assets are quite delectable…but only I'm allowed to drink in such a sight. I’m afraid the poor waiter will have to miss out,” he states, trying to appear not as flustered as he was. Sylvana blinks in surprise at him, but nevertheless, after the last ribbon of bandage becomes unwrapped, she cuddles up under the blanket, effectively covering her front.

He sighs in quiet relief and then looks down at her exposed back, the wounds on her shoulder blades were bleeding slightly, hence her spotty bandages. The wounds were the slightest bit smaller, probably because of Seelahs attempts earlier that day. Alas, they still looked more or less the same as they always have, gaping and hideous looking. It at least looked to be clotting, that's probably thanks to Seelah as well…so the wounds aren’t bleeding as much as they could have.

“So how do they look?” his fiance asks softly.

He sighs “The same as always… they finally seem to be clotting at least,” he explains truthfully..

“That's a good sign though right?” she asks, looking back at him with a turn of her head.

He pecks her exposed cheek “Well it's definitely not bad, but idk if this was Seelahs doing, or if your body is back to doing it naturally. Now turn back around, it's bad enough that I know you're partially naked under there, I need to concentrate”.

Sylvana giggles then faces the front again. He takes a deep breath and uses the sight of the wounds to calm his appendage…he will not let his horniness or the scandalous and oddly erotic situation deter him from his main goal. He ponders which spell to try first, should he try a minor healing spell first or should he just go all out with a major healing spell? He takes stock of how much mana he has managed to recover, and he thinks he can manage the more advanced spells. 

Decision made, he raises his hands back to her shoulder blades, he hears Sylvana hiss in pain as his hands make contact with the tender gaping flesh. With one last deep breath he begins the incantation, it was the very spell he saw Terendalev use to heal Sylvana that fateful day in Kenabres, he knows the words by heart.

“Pry loose the grudging grip of pain, cast off the veil of suffering flesh, let light and life go fourth in triumph to repel the skulking shade of death,” he chants, the spells sigil surrounding them both.

He watches as another sigil glows on her back, and he channels as much healing magic as he can through his positive channel. When the light finally fades, he looks down at the wound…and to his utter relief…the wound begins to close, though a bit slowly. He watches as it stops just shy of closing completely, the gaping gashes now merely looking like a wound that needs stitches. His relief is palpable, and he can see and hear his fiance's relief in front of him. He gently hugs her from behind as she practically all but melts into him, her sigh of relief putting a smile on his face.

“How does that feel?” he asks softly.

“Did it work? I feel-it feels like it worked, the pain…it's merely a dull ache now…and my shoulder blades feel so much more relaxed,” she looks back at him with hopeful eyes. He gives her a reassuring smile.

“It finally worked darling, it's almost completely closed…Just one more and I think it will be healed completely, you won't have to wear these disgusting bandages anymore. I won't be able to promise you that they won't scar though, unfortunately,” he explains with an apologetic smile.

“They can be my badges of honor then, or if they are that horrendous looking…then maybe I can cover them with a tattoo. A nice big butterfly actually sounds really awesome,” she explains excitedly back, her eyes bright with relief and awe.

He chuckles “Why am I not surprised by your choice of tattoo…,” he then leans in and kisses her lips firmly before moving back slightly, “nevertheless, I think you will be sexy with any kind of tattoo, now let's finally rid you of this nuisance once and for all, hm?” he coo’s, before going back behind her, Sylvana accepts without a word.

He puts his hands to her back once more, and this time does a moderate healing spell, which should hopefully be enough for what's left of it. He chants the spell, and watches as the wound closes up the rest of the way, leaving behind two thick red semi-jagged lines running down her shoulder blades, they definitely weren’t subtle. He hears Sylvana take a deep breath, then hears her sigh in what sounds to be bliss before suddenly standing up and making her way to the table. 

He watches curiously, as she somewhat awkwardly grabs a chair from the small dining table, then blocks the door with it. She makes her way back over and he barely gets the chance to ask her how she felt, his voice cutting short when she suddenly chucks the blanket onto the chaise, gleefully exposing her upper half to him, before pouncing onto his lap with fresh abandon, saddling him with a passionate kiss. His heart pounds and all the progress he had made with his appendage deteriorated. Alas, he allows himself to be swept away in the moment, responding in matching fervor. 

He hugs her waist tightly and pulls her against him, though still avoiding her upper back, just in case. As if completely in sync, they both chose that moment to let their tongues dance too. He can taste the remnants of the sweet Galtan wine on her tongue, and damn did it taste even sweeter inside of her mouth. He hears his fiance moan into their kiss, and in that moment, he brings a hand up to one of her breasts, whilst his other sneaks under her dress to grab at her behind, giving it a squeeze for good measure. A cheeky thought occurs to him, remembering exactly what she did before they were so rudely interrupted in that hospital room.

His hand squeezed the exposed mound, before allowing one of his fingers to run over a growing bud, it was getting cold out, and her beautiful nipples were on full display for him. He felt Sylvana shiver as he continued to tease the bud gently, it is then that he decided that it was finally time for their lips to part. Instead, he kisses up her jaw until his mouth finds her ear, he nibbles her lobe gently, eliciting another glorious moan from her before speaking.

“Are you sure, my love? That chair isn't going to do much to keep people away, they could come in at any time… and are you sure you feel alright?…I ask this because if you don't say no now, I don't know if I’ll be able to hold back…I've missed this so much…this intimacy between us… the taste of you, you are sweeter and more intoxicating than any wine this place has to offer. I'm used to exhibitionism, but…if you’re not-” he suddenly finds his mouth covered by her finger as she leans back to look at him, her lustful yet loving eyes bore into his.

“Dae I’m more than okay…you have a bad habit of underestimating me, I missed this too, so much… After the festival in Kenabres, we had been too busy preparing to retake the threshold…so you're not the only one who is sexually frustrated. I say, if we are caught, let's give them a show to remember, and now that I'm not restrained by my wounds, I have no intention of holding back either,” she boldly declares, her eyes alight in devious mischief, and a sweet and oh so glorious smile spreading on her face. 

He couldn’t help but chuckle, “So you're okay with strangers walking in on us, yet you got so quiet when our companions waltzed in unannounced,” he teases.

“I may not have the memories of my…preferences back yet, but at this moment right now? I feel that getting seen by people I have emotional attachments to, is like having your family walk in on you…but I can definitely say I'm open to exhibitionism, as long as I don't know them,” she explains with a shrug.

“Is that so…well then, I will definitely be sure to take this into account…for our future endeavors” he nuzzles her.

Sylvana chuckles “Desna have mercy on anyone ever in our vicinity…I can practically sense you plotting these future endeavours already.”

Instead of replying verbally, he kisses that pretty smile off of her face, only to then trail his kisses down her neck, and then even lower still, reaching between the soft flesh of her breasts. He can feel Sylvana’s hands clench the back of his head, holding him tightly to her. He turned his head slightly so he could kiss the side of her left breast and began to lick and suckle, he heard a moan from just above him and felt her fingers rake through his soft golden curls. When he was done he leaves a gentle kiss on the mark and then trails his lips up to ravish the perky crowning jewel.

Sylvana shudders and mew’s in his arms. After a few minutes, he switches to the right then repeats the same process again. Mark, kiss, and ravish. Carefully, he holds her tighter and then flips their positions, so that Sylvana was laying on the chaise under him, as he settles between her legs. He leaves the soft valley of her bust, to begin trailing his kisses further down, carefully pushing the fabric of her gown down in tandem as he goes. 

When he reaches her waist, Sylvana raises her hips and helps him free her of her garment. He chucks it carelessly behind them, then looks down at his beloved, now only in her lower undergarment. What a beautiful canvas for him to create sweet art on, her porcelain skin being partially illuminated by the warm glow of the surrounding candle light. Already, the two symmetric hickeys on the inner curves of her breasts are darkening nicely, he does plan to make more pretty constellations, however, first things first, he had already decided earlier exactly what he planned to do tonight. 

Tonight he will go without, even though his lower region aches in need. As tempted as he is, and even though Sylvana’s wounds are finally closed and she insists that she is fine, he didn't want to rush in so quickly, those scars still looked quite red and irritated. When his fiance suddenly sits up and kisses him eagerly as she pries at his coat and shirt, he allows it, however stops her when she tries to take off his pants. 

She frees his mouth, then looks at him in confusion, “What's the matter?”

He gives her a reassuring smirk “Nothing is the matter, I've just decided that the one to be pleasured tonight will only be you…”

Sylvana blinks, clearly taken aback by his noble sacrifice. 

He takes a deep breath and steels his resolve, “I know you said that you feel fine now, but those scars still look quite sore. All I want to do tonight…is pamper you and have a taste…after all, you already treated me so well back at the Inn…so my time had passed. It's your time now.”

An adorable blush coats her porcelain cheeks “Are you sure? What about you?...” she asks softly, her eyes drifting down to the still growing member tightening in his pants.

“Aren’t I always? And don’t worry I'll be just fine, I'm good at calming it down” he smirks with a wink “now lift your hips, and let's take these off, shall we?” he says, as he softly tugs at the last set of undergarments that obstruct his vision.

Sylvana gives him a small amused smile, “Well..if you really insist, who am I to deny you? However…I reserve the right to at least pull your hair…” she blinks oh so innocently at him. He chuckles, as he expertly slides off the last remnant of clothing.

 “I’d expect nothing less, darling.”

                     >>>>>>>>>

He finds himself looking up at the stars, as both he and Sylvana catch their breath, snuggled up together under the fur blanket. Their love making ended up taking a lot longer than he originally thought it would. Sylvana always had boundless stamina, and can be just as dominant in the sheets as he can be…one minute he had her right where he wanted her, then the next thing he knew, she had made him her submissive bitch. A very willing, incredibly turned on bitch…What had meant to be him just pampering her, turned into who could pamper who the best.

It also didn't help, that he had found it immensely difficult to calm his appendage this time around, and he had tried all of his usual tactics. In the end, he had no choice but to succumb to his fiance's advances, lest he end up blueballed…

“Good at calming down my ass,” Sylvana huffs a chuckle as she clings to his sweaty naked chest, still catching her breath after such a rigorous session.

“Heh…I'm blaming the fact that it had been way too long since our last tryst…now shush you, you sound so proud of yourself” he sassed half-heartedly.

“And so what if I am,” Sylvana sasses back, rubbing a petite hand up and down his semi exposed chest “I'm just surprised no one came out to check on us all this time, do you think they forgot about us?”

He scoffs “Oh I very much doubt it, my guess is that they are well aware of my reputation, perhaps they foresaw this possibility, I mean why else would my dear servant set up this beautiful chaise? He knows me well…although…technically speaking…you were the one to initiate this time around… you truly are full of surprises, my love.”

“Well, it's as I said, you're not the only one who has been sexually frustrated all this time and also, sex is one of the best stress relievers, after everything that's happened today…,” Sylvana trails off for a moment.

He looks down and watches as one of her dainty fingers consistantly twirls one of his soft curls. For a moment, her silver eyes grew distant, but it didn’t last long, she managed to subtly shake away whatever she was thinking of before continuing.

 “Anyways, in that moment I just simply couldn't help myself, I always seem to lose my inhibitions when I'm with you.”

“I will take that as a compliment,” he says softly, a small relaxed smile finding him as he leans down to kiss the top of her silver head. In the light of the rising moon, his fiance’s hair looks practically white with tinges of gold from the candle light, the sight made him feel at peace.

“Do you think your cousin will come searching for us at Drezen?” Sylvana suddenly asks.

“I wouldn’t put it past her, but even if she does, you should have nothing to worry about. I think you underestimate how much power and influence you still have in Drezen my darling,” he then lifts her chin so she could meet his eyes, he then caresses her bottom lip softly.

“Any more ideas on what we should do?” she asks softly, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. It was the very question he had hoped she would ask, because as a matter of fact, he did have an idea, one that would not only piss off his cousin, but would hopefully protect them from whatever the hell his cousin was planning, at least for a while.

“Whether my cousin likes it or not, she doesn't have as much sway in Drezen that she thinks she does…Believe it or not, I highly suspect that you have way more sway than she does right now. In fact, we could use your influence in Drezen to our advantage. It's as you said earlier, most of the Crusaders are loyal to you, not my fool of a cousin. The people of Drezen probably already see you as their prime authoritative figure…Who do you think they would rather be more loyal to? A near senile queen that let it fall, not once but twice, or the miracle Commander that restored it and protected them twice…as far as I'm concerned, Drezen. Is. Your’s.”

“You mean…you think I should challenge her? But I have no interest in becoming queen, just as much as you have no intention of becoming king,” Sylvana states in surprise.

“We don't need to be a king or queen to rule a city my darling. What I'm saying is…Drezen is not that far from my county's border…it wouldn't be that hard for us to lay claim to it. Whilst it wouldn't be under legal means or with the crown's permission, it doesn’t change the fact that you are the most influential person on that side of Mendev. I suspect that this is the reason why the royal council and my cousin fear you…If you are so inclined to, you have enough influence to start a small civil war if you dare so desire” he explains cunningly with a dangerous smirk.

“Wouldn't that just confirm and give life to their concerns about me though?” Sylvana states, biting her lower lip as she ponders his explanation, she looks unsure. He takes her hand and squeezes it.

“Personally, I see nothing wrong with that, look, they clearly already see you as a threat, and trust me when I say, I know my cousin, once she decides something about a person…thats that…she won't change her mind. I’d rather go down fighting, than bend the knee to her ever again, and I know you-at least the you I have come to know all this time- you are just like me…you value freedom and independence above almost all else, it's a trait of yours that I adore. I know that you don't want to be riding on my cousin's coattails any more than I do…” he beseeches his fiance, hoping that things would click and that she would finally start to see eye to eye with him on this. It was often hard to tell if Sylvana would zig or zag when it comes to her morals.

Sylvana closes her eyes for a moment, as if deep in thought, he lets her have this moment. When she finally opens her eyes to meet his, he knows he's got her. Her eyes practically shine with determination, and a cunning smirk begins to morph her kiss bruised lips, before she suddenly leans up to confirm things with a kiss.

“I have such a clever and cunning fiance, how did I get so lucky?” She says softly after releasing him.

“By giving said fiance his freedom back,” he says with a wink.

“And you really think we can pull this off?” She asks.

“I don't think, my darling, I know...just leave the groundwork to me”.