A Dream of Empire Ch. 014

Talos wondered how many others had gazed into the eyes of their dream woman, naked, while she held all the love in the world in hers. He reasoned it to be a fairly common scenario. But, he further mused how many men had wanted to turn her away just then, and to cast aside their dreams with all their being, even if it destroyed both of them in the process. He might have been the first there.

"You're..." he muttered. No. He mustn't say it.

She trode towards him through the water, and softly laid a hand on his arm after only a slight hesitation. Only an arm's length away, Tatiana was now fully on display to him, even through the rippling waters of the spring and the darkened night sky. He respectfully kept his eyes level with hers.

"What's this one from?" she asked with the reddest of cheeks, tracing a line on his bicep that Talos hadn't felt in half a decade.

"Um... uh... it's... from a berserker's machete, when I visited Theinhall many years ago. He'd gotten the wrong idea about me and his mate that night, and had far too many drinks to boot. We actually shared a good laugh about it the next day."

Tatiana's gaze sought his, and she softly giggled for him. Her gentle touch never left his arm, and was now advancing towards his hand.

"And these? Looks like bite marks," she asked, her fingers rubbing the only physical memory of one fateful day in Isbrygga.

"Mm. Isbryggan Snow Bear. Almost took my arm off that day, as you can tell. I was, uh, out helping the Thane of Vitvarg track down his son who had gotten lost in the wilderness. Or, at least, we'd suspected him was lost. Turns out, his son found me. Just in time to cleave into the bear from behind before I lost my arm."

"Goodness. You're truly blessed, Talos."

"Yeah... yeah, I am," he replied after a gulp, watching Tatiana's eyes closely as she drank in his naked form. He could do the same to hers... should, even... but didn't. He lifted himself a couple of inches from the water, though, to display more of his chest. Tatiana's gaze found his once more as she trode ever closer to him. His heart was pounding, and the spring burbled ever onward. The steam from the waters hid some of Tatiana's alluring form, but nothing could ever shade her undeniable beauty. He took her hand in his, gently, softly, and pulled her to his chest.

"This one... what's this one, Talos? It's so close to your heart," Tatiana gasped, tracing a thick, diagonal line down the center of his chest.

"Some call it the Shadowmark. Got it from a gladiator out of Halloran. Gladiators, uh, fight in the arenas there, where they try to appear as if they're killing one another, but in reality they're only putting on a show. The one I fought must have had the same instinct. It didn't work out for him in the end."

"Is he dead?" Tatiana asked of him. He grimly nodded. "Good." Her fingertips danced down his side as her other hand met his chest as well. "And I know of this one, I think. The wyvern, right?"

"Yeah. The wyvern. Still hurts sometimes," Talos groaned. Tatiana removed her tender touch from the area, but Talos gripped her wrist and forced her to return. "No, it's fine. Please."

"Oh... okay. Just... don't let me harm you, Talos."

I fear the opposite. I fear it with all my heart.

She was so close to him, then, and she held onto him in that steaming spring between the rocks as they stared at one another. He had to say it. He had to tell her.

"You, uh... Alanna said that you, er, still have... feelings for me?"

Tatiana bit her lip and nodded near-imperceptibly, a nod which turned more enthusiastic after each passing second. "Yes. I do, Talos, a-and they never stopped. She... Alanna told me that she didn't mind if I sought you. Are you under the same impression?" she nervously asked.

"The same, yeah. But, ah... well, we're different pawns in the end, Tatiana. We're still two different people, even if she refuses to believe as much. People with different wants and desires. I'm sorry if she told you otherwise," Talos softly explained. The look on Tatiana's face destroyed him, and he fought every fiber in his being to redress his words.

"Talos..." she murmured dejectedly. Her hands left his chest as she retreated from him. "But I... I don't understand. You've told me how beautiful I am, how intelligent, how... why, you've complimented me in every way you could. What, then, prevents your reciprocation?" She stood up straight in the water, so everything above her waist was presented to the elements and to Talos. He finally looked.

Talos had always known Tatiana was trim of course, but he had no idea how thin she was until now. Her breasts, capped by the smallest halos he'd ever seen, couldn't have been more than a handful each, and her waist was so skinny that she appeared almost brittle, or at the very least extremely delicate to handle. The thinness of her waist accentuated her waspish hips, and the paleness of her skin gave her quite the virginal look. She was the closest thing to a Fiona-on-Mundus that Talos had ever witnessed, especially with that adorable black plait.

"If you don't want to answer I - I get it... just... well... I'm completely bared in your presence, Talos. My desires are obvious to you, yet in the reverse I find you completely walled off. I thought us closer than that," Tatiana murmured with a balled fist against her heart.

"We are," he said.

"Then please tell me. I'm tough enough to... to handle the truth, Talos."

He shrugged. "I know you are... but I'm not even sure where to start. Look, it's obvious I care for you. But do you, uh, really think so lowly of yourself that you only deserve a third of me? If that?"

"I'm sure women have settled for less."

"And do you think so lowly of yourself that you believe you're just another woman?" Talos asked of her.

"Of course not," she gasped, gazing into his eyes.

"You remember of what I said in the valley? That you could have any man you wanted? I wasn't just being polite, nor was I trying to lift your spirits. I spoke true. Fact is, you deserve a romance worthy of the tales, and I'm not about to let you waste yourself on a man who's sifting through the scattered ashes of prophecy, nor will I lead you astray with a fling. I'm past dalliances of the ephemeral kind, as you called them. Long, long past."

"And the Oracle?" Tatiana retorted, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"A mistake I'll never allow again."

"I can respect that," Tatiana tearfully nodded. "But, I'm not seeking you with haste."

"Well, uh, there's more too. Fact is, I... can't afford to lose you as you are," he exhaled. "Your companionship inspires me like nothing ever has, and I worry that the moment we find Casiama again is the moment we'll separate, if what you dream of becomes a reality. A friendship could endure such a change, but what you want from me will not, can not, of that I am certain."

Talos noticed her instant change in disposition. The fight in her eyes had fled from the world, and the self-assurance that had just been flowing through her being was instantly sapped away. Talos hated himself.

"I'm... I'm being selfish, aren't I?" Tatiana murmured. "I'm sorry. I-it was foolish of me to ask."

"Tatiana..."

"Just... tell me one thing. If you weren't with Cass, would you have said yes?"

There it was; Talos' out. He could end this entire conversation here and now if he lied to her... but, he couldn't do it.

"No. You deserve far better than me, Tatiana."

"I deserve more than what I desire most?"

"You don't know what you desire," Talos lied.

"A hasty claim," she smirked.

"I'm... yeah. In agreement there," he chuckled, and, after all of that, Tatiana giggled as well. She uncrossed her arms and shared a short, piercing silence with him. Talos felt his cock stirring, as it oft did during the most inopportune times.

"But did you truly mean it? Any man I want?" she asked of him as she trode closer once more.

He groaned. "What else can I say? If there's something, anything that will change your mind-"

"No. My mind's been made for months, Talos, and nothing apart from your death or mine will change it now. The fact that you cannot deny me without complimenting me, and the fact that you're denying me at all proves that I made the right choice. Any sliver of you is worth more to me than a thousand thousand tale-worthy romances, but... I'll never force you, Talos. I'll only ask one thing. Swear to me that you'll come at me when you're ready, and you won't let anything stop you."

Talos couldn't maintain eye contact with her. He dropped his gaze, and shuffled his feet under the water as he thought of a hundred incorrect replies. Tatiana deserved none of them.

"I will," he muttered instead.

"Anything?"

"Yeah. Anything."

Talos didn't see her smile, nor did he feel her pounding heart. He must have done something right, though, since Tatiana found her way underneath his arm and snuggled into his side as they laid together in the spring. Her legs were then draped over his, painfully close to his member. She even nudged it accidentally with her thigh, but quickly retreated as she let out a gasp.

He pulled her into him in the comfortable silence, and she rested her head against his neck. Her long plait fell to Talos' back and tickled him, but he never once made a move to remove it. Any motion at all could potentially ruin the moment, a moment which Talos had no idea what to expect of.

"You know, it's my name day tomorrow," Tatiana eventually murmured, glancing towards the moon.

"Truly? How many years?" he asked, squeezing her shoulder.

"Twenty-five, gods be good," she giggled. "I must warn you though, it's oft poor form to ask a sorceress her age."

"You're not just any sorceress."

"To you. I only have twenty years for other men's asks."

"A believable answer. And were you going to keep your name day from me, miss Vittori?" he asked accusingly.

"Likely. They depress me. It only marks that there's one less year for me to... do what I want to do, before I'm sent to the beyond. It's just a bit frightening when I think on it."

"And... let me guess... I should know you well enough to know your self-given purpose..."

"You should," she teased, snuggling against him. He came up with the answer a half-moment later.

"You... want to know things. Everything."

"Yes. Correct," she nodded emphatically. "Specifically, to solve, or see solved, each and every mystery within our world. Quite the challenge, hm?"

"Sounds tasking. Restless."

"I'm up to it," Tatiana replied with a rare panache and a grin.

"No doubt of that here," he agreed. "If anyone in the world is capable of such a feat, it's you. Tell me, what are the name day celebrations like in Tardia?"

She shrugged, sinking further into him; her cheek was on Talos' chest now. "Nothing in the cards. A simple gathering if you're rich or poor. Drink to good fortunes in the coming year."

"Gifts?"

"No," she shook her head atop him. "The only gift-giving done in Tardia is on the winter solstice."

Talos chuckled. "My name day. Well that's a relief, anyway, since I have nothing to gift you."

"I mean... yes. Of course we do gifts," she smirked into his chest. "A hug would suffice from you, though."

He glanced down towards the beautiful sorceress breathing into his chest, and tugged on her shoulder. "You'd have to get off of me, then."

"Mm... I worry that I'll break my promise of not forcing you if I do," she threatened through soft laughter.

"It's, uh, no matter. You couldn't force me anyway. No offense," Talos smirked.

Talos had a long list of unwritten rules he'd come up with over his years of travels. Not calling a sorceress's bluff was somewhere near the top of that list, but his present company had caused him to forget himself. Tatiana quickly reminded him of that rule as she shuffled out of his grasp, only to return to him by straddling his legs under the water, and wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her close as well, and she leaned into his ear.

"Couldn't I? I can be very creative with my magics," she gleefully whispered to him. "For example... I could turn the rocks you rest on to quicksand so you couldn't escape. Then, if you still denied me, I could hex you to appear as a woman, port you to the end of the world, and announce your arrival with trumpets to every soul within twenty miles."

Talos' brows rose high on his forehead. "That's, uh... awesomely cruel of you, Tatiana."

"Of course, I'd hex you again so you'd be forced to remain unclothed when they found you. Don't you dare think I wouldn't."

"I daren't," he smirked.

She giggled, bouncing on his lap, and lifted her head to give him a heart-melting smile. "Good. Do I get a kiss as well, perhaps?"

"Tatiana..."

"You know. Because, um, it's my name day."

Talos rolled his eyes. He now knew he'd made a mistake at some point in this exchange, but he wasn't entirely sure where it'd been. He quickly pecked her on the lips.

"Mm... how chaste. Like grandma's kisses," she cutely teased, scooching up his legs and ever closer to oblivion.

"Shut up."

Tatiana began to rock herself against his thighs. Talos spread his legs, which only drove her closer to him, and Tatiana's lips parted to form a cute 'o' as she inaudibly moaned.

"Perhaps I'll just turn you into a lizard after all," she teased again with a flash of her exquisite eyes.

"Newt," Talos replied with a hammering heart.

"Whatever the creature," she giggled, leaning into him to rub her cheek against his. Tatiana was now brushing her womanhood against Talos' cock under the water, and he felt her shiver with delight.

"You deserve better than me," Talos said out of nowhere.

"No, I don't," she murmured into his ear.

"And, well, Alanna lied, you see, and doesn't actually approve of this."

No I didn't!

"No, she didn't," Tatiana chuckled.

"How do you know?" Talos asked anyway.

"She told me to do this."

Of course you did. Damn you.

"But I'm actually into menfolk?" Talos asked rather than said, giving a last-ditch effort to bail from the sinking ship.

"No, you assuredly are not."

"We can't go back from this, you know," he mentioned. This actually gave Tatiana pause, and she temporarily stopped rocking against him. Talos saw the light. "And, well, you shouldn't waste such a thing on a man like me."

"And what thing is that?" she smirked.

Talos raised a brow. "Your... you know," he glanced south. Tatiana raised her own brow in reply.

"Do you really think I'm a virgin?"

"... yeah?" Who wouldn't think that?

"Well, I'm not..." she husked. "In fact, I'm far more experienced than you'd ever believe."

"And, uh, how experienced is that, exactly?" Talos asked with a tilt of his head.

Tatiana giggled softly, running a gentle hand down his neck. "Now now, Talos, that is definitely a question you should never ask a sorceress."

"Right... of course not. Tatiana, I-"

"What is it, Talos? If you're going to tell me your manhood doesn't work, I'll know you're lying."

He had to say it. He had to tell her.

"No, it's..."

He took a deep breath.

"I love you, Tatiana. And before you think I'm, uh, weird or something for saying such a thing, let me first say that I think it goes both ways. Or, at least it did. Um. Right?"

Her eyes widened with disbelief. "You... what? You... love me?" she squeaked.

He nodded, lost in her sparkling brown portals. "Yeah. And, uh... what I really should have said at first is that... well, this isn't fair to Casiama. You know, the reason we're out here at all. And within a fortnight or two we're going to find her again, and on that day she'll need to find that I treasure her more than I ever did before. I couldn't let you stand in the way of that, Tatiana. I couldn't bear to lose you. And I'm too far in the muck to spurn the gods' trust now."

"Oh, Talos!" she tearfully exclaimed, "I love you too! I... I don't even know why, it's... it's crazy. I-I dream of you all the time, and my heart practically bursts each time you lay eyes on me. I thought I was crazy at one point, but... I'm not... crazy, am I Talos?"

"If you are, then so am I. But I can't do this, Tatiana. You must understand, if the roles were reversed I'd-"

She lept onto him, and sank into the water with him as they held one another in a tight embrace. No words were shared for a minute, or perhaps an eternity, besides the ever-present conversation between their thumping hearts. Talos eventually wormed his way free, mostly to allow his manhood time to settle.

"I can't believe it. You deny me again, yet I feel as if I need you now more than ever," Tatiana murmured as she watched him swim a couple feet away.

"And I you, I swear it," Talos exhaled. "And when we find Cass, or uh, whoever she is, perhaps I'll be able to convince her that..."

He stopped himself from finishing the thought. He couldn't assure Tatiana of things he didn't know. How would it even work? Wasn't he already blessed, having two of the world's preeminent beauties as lovers? How could a man be so greedy to ask for three?

And Casiama. His Cass was out there, potentially fearing for her life day-in and day-out. How could he ever broach this subject to her, and tell her of his infidelity after such an arduous journey? Worst of all, Casiama could even be a goddess now; and, from the stories Talos had been told when he was younger, goddesses weren't ones to share.

And Tatiana. Sure, she was quiet enough when around strangers; but, around him, or when she was discussing topics she was knowledgeable of... which, was everything... she was a storm. She was the storm that sinks vessels far from shore, like a hurricane declaring itself the master of the sea. She was the storm which left you bare after a disagreement, like a tornado twisting through a field of grain. She was the storm to end all storms, a torrential rain which left nothing but clear skies in her wake. And he loved her. He really loved her.

Tatiana bit her lip, and pierced his soul with her tearful gaze. Talos took a deep breath.

"I don't know if I can convince her," he truthfully said. "Hells, I'm not even sure if she'll still have me when we find her. And that thought used to scare me more than anything, but this... this is..."

Tatiana pouted. Her limitless sympathy washed through Talos' entire being, and her words were as soft as rain.

"Talos... are you afraid of the gods' wrath?"

"No," he muttered. "I'm afraid of you."