A Dream of Empire Ch. 009

Returning to the townhouse, Alanna offhandedly asked Casiama if she were ready for the trip tomorrow, after the pair had spoken of Tatiana. She learned that the elf held her in high regard.

"What voyage?" Casiama asked with perked ears.

"You mean... he hasn't told you?" A shaken head. "Anything?" Alanna tsked twice for Talos' sake, then hugged her elf loosely around the waist.

"Maybe he wanted to surprise me?" Casiama asked softly. "What is the occasion?"

"Well, we told you about the elven princess there, right? She-"

"Yeah," Casiama interjected.

"-she requested your help, the first time Talos and I went-"

"My help?"

"Cass," Alanna giggled, "stop interrupting-"

"She needs my help? But Alanna, why are you only telling me of this now? It's been... a month since then!" Casiama said thinly, releasing herself from Alanna's grasp to pace about the room and throw her arms about. "There is an elven princess, just across the bay, requesting my help, and all we are doing is sitting here! We need to go now!"

"Um, Cass... we're going tomorrow. I figured he would have told you. Sor-"

More arm throwing. "He's impossible, I swear! I only have one night to fix my hair, shave my legs, practice my-"

"Cass, she's... just one elf. You don't need to-"

"A princess of Remilla, Alanna! She is not just any elf."

Alanna quickly realized why Talos hadn't yet told her of Faranya's request for assistance. She successfully ended up nodding her way through Casiama's hurried conversation nevertheless, and even helped fix her hair the following morning. And, when Talos returned to the townhouse an hour later, she provided him no assistance in combating Casiama's gale of questions.

-=-=-

Alanna, Talos, and Casiama made their way to port the following morning, after giving the babe Talos and many thanks to Alanna's sister. Tatiana found the trio as they were preparing the Alessia for voyage, dressed in a black long-sleeved silk dress that fell to the ground, gloves, and a black leather jacket. Casiama greeted her warmly, as if no time or hardships had passed since their last meeting.

The four eventually sailed off into the bay of Catriona, with a light breeze blowing in off the sea, and the morning sun on their right shoulder. Alanna assisted Talos where she could; basically, steering the vessel portside or starboard whenever he silently told her to do so. Otherwise, the man did all the work, while Casiama dolled herself up appropriately for the royal meeting.

Soon after, as if commanding the excursion, Casiama was standing at the bow of the vessel with a hand over her eyes, blocking out the sun's rays as she gazed towards the horizon. Her white-and-gold skirts fluttered wildly about her form in the sea breeze, and the white-gold jewelry on her arms and shoulders glinted in the sunlight. She had worn her finest clothes and armor today. She justified to her lovers that, as this was a meeting of elven royalty, it would be seen as insulting and uncivilized had she done anything else. Neither Alanna nor Talos necessarily believed her, but appreciated her alluring form nevertheless as they ventured over the waves.

Alanna eventually found herself courageous enough to find her way to Tatiana, who was perched on the steps leading down towards the hull, reading a thick green tome titled Planeswalker. The sorceress in black glanced towards her as she approached, giving a hint of a smile. She at least shut the book as Alanna sat down next to her.

"Hey," Alanna greeted casually. She wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to discuss with Tatiana, only that she needed to. For Talos' sake.

"Hello, Alanna."

Alanna wiggled nervously. "So, you, um... sail often?"

"Yes," Tatiana nodded, answering softly. "It's... required travel, in Tardia."

"Oh. Neat. This is only my fourth time," Alanna smiled, nodding with her. The enchantress realized getting onto friendly terms with this girl would be far more difficult than she'd anticipated, but her love dictated to her that she must at least try. Wordlessly, of course.

Tatiana, fortunately, continued the conversation herself. "I-I'd like to apologize again for yesterday. You know... that courage spell I cast?" Alanna nodded. "Well, I learned only yesterday that it was designed to rally disheartened legionnaires in the field. Side effects include... combativeness, as one would expect," she explained, blushing as her gaze fell away. "It was foolish to cast it on myself."

Alanna raised her brows, patting her on the shoulder twice. "It's fine. I'm already looking past it."

"I'm... truthfully, Alanna, I'm not very good at making friends with other sorceresses," Tatiana admitted. Alanna could absolutely believe her statement, judging from the jealousy she herself felt during their meeting yesterday. Still...

"Well, I'd like to be friends with you," Alanna smiled. For your sake, my love.

"R-really?" Tatiana asked, returning her gaze to Alanna.

"Yeah. Though I'm still not exactly... over you trying to seduce him, and all."

"Okay," she pouted.

"And you should probably... y'know? Apologize for it."

"I'm sorry," Tatiana replied breathlessly.

"And..." Alanna pursed her lips, not at all believing the latest apology. She distanced herself from that awkward conversation, and instead turned to discussing simpler matters with the fellow sorceress, starting off with a friendly pat of her leg. They would end up conversing for half the journey to Dun Aysla.

"Um, let's forget about that for now. Tell me of Redstone, Tatiana. I've always wanted to go."

-=-=-

The party arrived at the isle only five hours after they had departed Catriona. Talos anchored the Alessia at the same location he had last month, with the 'help' his first mate; Alanna's duties appearing to consist of wrapping her arms around the captain, and whispering sweet nothings in his ear as he worked. She wouldn't release Talos for another five minutes after the anchor dropped, and only when he had to retrieve his gear.

Casiama urged them on impatiently, going as far as pointing and stomping her boot. In her commands for haste, and adorned with her ostentatious white-gold circlet and armbands, Alanna and Talos finally saw their elf as a princess. An excitable, demanding princess.

The walk inland towards the fortress was just as serene as it was a month ago. The trees all around them displayed their rich greens as they fluttered in the cool sea breeze, the moon tower of Remilla to their right was still positively awe-inspiring in all it's gleaming and unnatural beauty. Tatiana's eyes would remain transfixed on the oddly-shaped tower as they journeyed inland.

At least, until the elf of Dun Aysla subtly made herself known. Still a quarter-mile from the white walls, Talos nudged Tatiana's shoulder and nodded behind them. She glanced that way, finding that white daisies were now sprouting out of the ground and blooming in their wake, as if an entire season had passed in an instant. Tatiana smiled at the sight, showing a hint of teeth, and Talos found it interesting enough to hold his attention until Alanna nudged his other shoulder.

He shifted his gaze to follow Alanna's pointed finger, finding a pair of smooth, massive tree trunks in front of the white walls before them. The trees had been sharply angled by magic to provide easy access from the forest floor to the top of the wall, and neither held any leaves. Faranya could be seen standing proudly atop the fortress beyond those unnatural stairs, with the sun at her back.

The princess of Remilla held her hands daintily aloft as the party approached. Faranya only wore a short green dress and a transparent green cloak for the meeting, fixed around her neck by a delicate link of white-gold. Both the hem of her dress and her cloak were held aloft by a kaleidoscope of butterflies, fluttering in place around the princess. Her cloak hovered enchantingly over her shoulders, dancing softly in the evening wind, while her thin dress was left in a permanent curtsy for the approaching travelers.

A thin circlet of twigs wrapped neatly through her hair and around her forehead, a stark contrast to Casiama's gleaming jewelry. The lack of ornamentation did not cause Faranya to look any less regal.

Casiama led the party up those sharply angled trees, striding gracefully and confidently forward while holding a polite smile. She would require no outstreched hands or shifting feet to climb those tree trunks, quite the opposite condition of the humans following in her wake.

"Hail, princess of Valliya," Faranya greeted formally as Casiama nimbly strode past the top of the tree, hopping towards the white stone with light step.

"Hail, princess of Remilla," Casiama replied with a smile, extending her right arm towards Faranya with elbow bent. Faranya strode towards her, meeting her elbow with her own, their fingers interlacing for a moment before they released from the greeting.

"I see the gods guided you safely," Faranya said warmly. The pair of elves were roughly the same height, although Casiama had equipped her knee-high boots for the meeting which added two or three inches to her stature.

"As I trust they do for you," Casiama responded in turn, which was met with a nod. Elves, even those far afield and alone, appreciated custom and tradition above all else, and all that they had said so far had been drilled into their minds from a young age.

"They do, princess."

"Casiama the Fourth," the elf in white greeted, bowing an inch for the elf in green. "The humans call me Cass."

"Faranya the Twelfth," the other replied, unbowed. "The humans may not call me otherwise."

Casiama chuckled and turned back towards Talos, who was struggling somewhat to maintain his balance on the makeshift wooden bridge. Faranya glanced in his direction, subtly raising a palm to widen the tree trunk further. Talos slid towards the elves, taking several running steps when he reached the white wall before he could stop himself.

"Erm, yeah. Thanks," Talos said softly, hoping he hid his slight embarassment. "Good to see you again, Faranya."

"And you, Talos," she replied genuinely, glancing over his shoulder. "Who is the gloomy one?"

Talos shrugged, turning towards Tatiana who was just now making it to the top of the unnaturally-natural staircase.

"That's Tatiana, a sorceress from Redstone. She's just here for curiosity's sake. She won't tell a soul about the isle or you." Tatiana gave a shy wave at the mention of her name, but otherwise remained silent.

"Hm. Very well. Your life is in her hands, Talos," Faranya smirked, vaguely threatening the man.

"Wouldn't be the first time," the man shrugged casually. Faranya's gaze flickered past Talos towards Alanna, who was nervously struggling to step over the tree's edge. She offered a dainty hand to the voluptuous sorceress, guiding her to the white stone.

"A pleasure, Alanna. It seems I cannot scare you away," Faranya greeted warmly with a smile. Alanna nodded, returning it.

"It's all mine, princess. Neat butterflies," she giggled. Faranya smirked, then willed the fluttering insects to release her garb with a snap of her fingers, her cloak and dress settling weightlessly on her form when they departed. She stepped away from the enchantress, spinning on her heel to address the group.

"I have disabled the defenses and opened most of the passageways of Dun Aysla for you humans, but doors that are locked shall remain locked," she explained seriously, glancing towards Talos. He smirked.

"As you say."

"Be welcome nevertheless. I trust and expect that you will show me the same pacificity as you did on your first journey here. I would recommend the pools, just beyond the trellis gate in the courtyard." Faranya pointed towards it, then stepped towards her fellow elf. "Casiama, I would like to invite you to my tower to... what do the humans call it? Catch up?" she asked with a coy grin. Casiama giggled into her palm, nodding.

"Of course," Casiama glanced towards Talos, not at all hiding her grin. "We will find you humans later," she declared pompously, waving once.

She and Faranya turned towards one another with a smile, gracefully striding side-by-side down the white-stone fortifications a moment later. Talos' eyes followed Faranya's long, plaited blonde hair for a moment as she strut away, which fell softly down her back and all the way to her toned ass. Both danced alluringly as she swayed down those shining white stones, yet he wondered what havoc he'd wrought upon the world by uniting these two enchanting princesses.

Talos abruptly cleared his throat, removing his gaze from the distraction. He glanced towards Alanna, hoping she hadn't caught him admiring the unfamiliar elf. Her contemptuous smirk told him otherwise.

"Quite the... show they put on for one another. Eh?" he said awkwardly. Alanna rolled her eyes and lifted her pack from her shoulder, handing it to Talos. She flexed her arms when she was free of the weight.

Your righteous punishment, my love, she smiled.

"But it's just so marvelous, isn't it?" Tatiana said softly, her hoarse words full of wonder. "To think, the royal line of Remilla still exists. Not only that, but they were reunited with a royal of Valliya. In the heart of the Empire, no less. Why... it's almost a dream. The sad part is how informal it all is. A royal meeting three centuries years ago would consist of dances, of feasting, of..." Tatiana glanced to her two companions, blushing. "Well. It's pretty cool."

The man with two backpacks nodded towards the nearest tower, nestled into the stoneworks of the wall just to their left. "It is cool. And as the uncivilized humans present for the meeting, it's our responsibility to find as much trouble as possible in the interim."

"Packed two bottles of wine, cap'n," Alanna saluted cutely.

"Excellent!" Talos exclaimed sarcastically as he walked towards the tower's door and nudged it open. He glanced towards Tatiana, her gaze fluttering happily about the ruins. "By the way, it's a dereliction of duty if you don't drink with us, Tatiana."

"But I..."

"He's right," Alanna shrugged, following Talos through the door. "What good's a human who can't drink?" Tatiana stepped through the doorway with a huff, shaking Alanna's words away.

"Article Nine of the Elven-Imperial Concordat," Talos said haughtily, his words bouncing off of the white stone around them, "all humans shall make a mockery of thyselves in the presence of elves. Failure to do so will be met with light belittlement, and mayhaps a smack on the rump."

The girls giggled in response to Talos' playfulness as he let the door of the tower swing shut, encapsulating the trio in darkness. Tatiana lit the tower with a weightless glowing orb, which followed a foot behind her shoulder as they descended the stairwell towards the inner courtyard of the fortress.

"Perhaps I'll have a glass," Tatiana murmured after a minute. Talos and Alanna stopped to glance at one another, chuckling.

"Mm, Alanna?" he asked coyly.

"My love?"

"Hath thou packed any glassware?"

Alanna shook her head cutely, replying with her best peasant imitation. "No sir, I dun believe I have."

"Bah! Silly wench, how ever will we drink the wine?"

"Talos-" Tatiana said, blushing profusely.

"Please don't strike me, m'lord," Alanna said adorably, feigning terror. Talos reached the ground-level exit to the tower, pushing it open with a foot. It remained open on its own.

"My apologies, but you've left me no choice... but to drink straight from the bottle."

"How deviant, m'lord," Alanna giggled as she stepped out into the courtyard. The sinkhole Alanna had fallen through during their last visit was evidently visible in a corner of the courtyard. She and Talos kept to the center of the field today. "But how will the Lady of Redstone react to such an atrocity?"

Talos decided to check, wheeling about and grinning when he noticed Tatiana's clenched fists and puffed cheeks.

"Not well, I imagine," he chuckled, receiving the sorceress's glare. It grew angrier for another two seconds before Tatiana found the will to shout at him, hoarsely.

"You're... you... jerks!"

-=-=-

The trio found their way through the 'trellis gate' soon after, an intricate archway consisting entirely of vines on the north wall of the courtyard. There had been no 'gate' here during Alanna and Talos' last visit; there had been a thick, immovable stone door instead. Faranya had clearly done some renovating in the previous month.

Talos led the party into the darkness, hearing only the sound of running water at first. The chamber he had stepped in to was about sixty feet wide and twenty feet across. A pittance of natural light was let into the chamber through thin slits in the far wall, allowing tall strands of sunlight through them.

Strands of ivy, wrapping around the entirety of the chamber, soon hummed to life to his immediate left and right. It glowed pink with magic, an illumination which instantly began to drift along the chamber's walls, lighting the ivy as it flowed through it. The entirety of the room was soon enveloped by a softly-glowing pink.

Talos realized why Faranya had pointed them this way, once the chamber was fully lit. To his left was a large marble statue of some sea beast jumping out of a wave, with a steady stream of water shooting from its mouth and into a large rectangular pool, which dominated the chamber. Several feet of smooth stone surrounded the pristine waters of the pool.

Pristine waters which were... steaming?

Alanna hopped towards the water, bending at the knees to test it with a hand.

"It's hot!"

"Hot?" Talos smirked, walking towards her. He would be just as excited as she was, Alanna knew, since their bath at home certainly wasn't anything to write about. A simple wooden tub, which could barely cover your body in warmth even at full capacity.

This, on the other hand...

Alanna and Talos both grinned towards one another. Packs were dropped with haste. Clothes were already being removed just after.

Tatiana's eyes widened, and she pointed towards the nearest escape. "I'm, um... going to explore, for a while. Alone."

"Don't be like that. Join us, Tatiana," Alanna cooed, already removing her own leather jacket.

"M-maybe later. I-I only bathed yesterday," she stammered, hastily walking towards the next passageway.

"Alright. We'll be here," Alanna replied warmly.

She and Talos would be naked and within those steaming waters within two minutes, sighing in relief from the unexpected luxury. Alanna dunked her head under the calming water as soon as she could.

"Talos... I'm in heaven," Alanna declared, or perhaps moaned as she reemerged from the water, flicking her hair clear of her face. She turned her grin towards her man, then moved to straddle him as he leaned against a side of the pool. Talos' hands soon met her waist, holding her naked, voluptuous body against him under the water.

"You seemed to brighten up to her," he said softly, pecking the smiling girl on the cheek.

"What else would you have me do, my love?" she asked cutely, biting her lip.

"Nothing. You're perfect, Alanna," he replied between kisses of her neck. Alanna shut her eyes, squirming against him from the assault.

"I love you, Talos," she sighed lustfully.

"And I love you." Kisses against her shoulder.

"Mmh," she moaned, biting her lip. His kisses returned to her neck. Alanna decided to ask her next question silently, partially out of fear. Partially out of lust.