Lions of Parnatha Ch. 05

Okay, chapter 5, finally. My apologies for its tardiness, as I said on my profile page I've had a lot going on in my life the last month and a half. As always, comments, criticisms, and suggestions are welcome. Enjoy!

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The early morning sun was filtering softly through the wide, open window of my bedroom, giving the silken sheets of my bed a pleasant warmth. I stretched languidly, enjoying the slight burn as my sore muscles were moved from sleep. I rolled over slowly, yawning a grin as I stroked the bare back of the sleeping man beside me.

Gaius shivered slightly, but did not wake at my touch. I continued to smile fondly at him as my fingertips traced the lines of his muscles and spine, noting in girlish amusement that there were light welts from where my nails had scratched him the night before. Surely someone, most likely his best friend Aurus, would have something to say to him about it later.

After I had acquiesced to him, Gaius and I had spent every night together. Our sleeping hours were filled with raw passion and tender love, and for the first time in my life, I found myself completely immersed in another person. I pined for him when he left during the day, my mind burning with memories of him, and when he returned to me in the evenings, I devoured his attention like a starving animal.

Gaius also enjoyed the intensity of this new found interaction, and I began to see a side of him that was previously veiled by my disgust with him. He became almost wild in the face of my affections, abandoning the decorum that he clung to so tightly in favor of desire and playful lust. The two of us engaged in play and love-making like two love sick adolescents, oblivious to the world outside each other's eyes.

I would often think that if our raucous, marathon sex could be considered prayer, the goddess Hastra would be glowing with pride.

My world had slowly begun to change as well. Gaius had hired me several tutors after I had expressed an interest in finally learning the things the maiden's home had tried to teach me for so many years, and my mornings and afternoons were filled with study and practice. I was learning to act and to speak as the wife of a powerful man should, all the while reading with calculated precision the true intentions of those around me. It was certainly an art, but I was determined that I would survive in this world.

I was also learning how to carry myself as a woman of power. Mistress Bestille, an aged woman with gray hair and a thin, severe frame, was my mentor in all things tradition and courtly. She drilled me incessantly, forever correcting my posture and expression, arranging my hands or my feet or directing me how to stand. Her constant meddling and sharp criticism often prompted rebellion from me, and I sullenly muttered under my breath that I could be the goddess Alphanis herself and the woman would still find something to complain about.

Gaius seemed to think I was making progress, however, for he would often comment on my poise or suddenly quiz me with questions regarding Parnatha's political and social history, questions I was more than prepared to answer. He even remarked, with pride, that I was likely one of the most learned women he had met in recent memory.

"I'm also the most stubborn and easily angered," I had shot back slyly. "Isn't a stubborn, angry, intelligent woman usually considered extremely dangerous?"

Laughing, Gaius kissed my neck and remarked, "Then I had better beware of falling into your disfavor, my lady."

I smiled at the memory, my fingers still tracing the contours of my sleeping lover's back. His skin was marked by faint scars that ran the length of his shoulders and down the middle of his back, remnants of battles past. I had asked Gaius about his time in war once, a query that had made him suddenly closed to me. He had quickly stammered a response about old ghosts left buried, and then changed the subject, but I already knew that he was haunted by those ghosts. I had been woken at night on a few occasions by him, tossing and turning and muttering threats to the nightmares that laid siege to his subconscious. I had kissed him gently, waking him and asking him if he needed anything. His response had been that he needed me, and we had engaged in sleepy love-making.

I lowered my lips to his back, laying a line of kisses up his spine to the nape of his neck, and I felt him stir beneath me. Gaius rolled lazily to his side, smiling through half-lidded eyes.

"You're going to spoil me rotten with good mornings like these," he murmured, sliding one of his arms around my waist and pulling me close to him.

"I'll stop if it's too much for you," I quipped in return. "I wouldn't want to overwhelm you."

"Oh, I believe it's too late for that," Gaius said with a chuckle, and I felt his other hand begin to travel up my stomach to one of my breasts. "I've already been conquered."

"So then I suppose there's nothing to be done."

"I suppose not."

"If you're conquered, that makes you my captive, doesn't it?"

Gaius considered my question while rubbing my nipple with his fingers. "Yes, I believe it does."

I grinned and pressed myself against him. Gods, he was already hard.

"You won't try and escape from me, will you?" I whispered as seductively as I could manage.

"I would never dream of it, my lady," Gaius grinned in return.

"Good. But just to make doubly sure..."

Disengaging myself from his grasp, I pushed Gaius onto his back with one hand while sliding down the side of his body, the fingers of my other hand teasing his erection. Settling myself between his legs, I smirked up at him before taking him in my hands and licking him from hilt to tip. Gaius sighed as he watched me, relishing in the attention I was paying him. I continued to lick him, swirling my tongue all around his shaft and flicking the underside of his cock just below its head, one of my hands stroking his thighs and testicles. When little groans began to escape him, I licked my lips and plunged his cock into my mouth, sliding it slowly in and out while pumping the base with one hand.

Gaius began to rock his hips in time to my rhythm. I glanced up at him as I continued to lick and suck him, noting that his expression had grown heady with lust. His chest and stomach were taught, and his hands were gripping the sheets. Amused, I giggled as I bobbed down onto him.

"Gods!" Gaius swore, grabbing my head and wrapping his fingers in my hair. Curious, I stopped what I was doing and looked up at him in confusion.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No... Gods, no, you didn't. Do that again."

"Do what?"

"The... that... when you laughed with me in your mouth..."

Smirking slyly, I slowly wrapped my lips around his cock again, sliding him into my mouth. "Li' 'is?" I said when he was near the back of my throat, and I was rewarded with a deep moan and a bucking of hips. I giggled again, which initiated another round of moaning and thrusting, and I continued to hum and moan and make other small sounds as I sucked on his cock.

Gaius finally decided he'd had enough. He sat up and took hold of my shoulders, pulling my face up to his. Kissing me deeply, his fingers found my clit, and he rubbed it teasingly while he positioned me over his lap.

"You'll be a good captive and not try to escape, won't you?" I asked coquettishly.

"I'm as willing a captive as there ever was, my lady," Gaius murmured, his voice gravelly and deep.

I knew how badly he wanted me at that moment, but I wasn't ready to acquiesce yet. Smirking, I snaked away from him and scooted to the other side of the bed, where I sat with my legs partially open to him. I felt powerful before him like that.

"I want you to please me, captive," I said with a grin. "Do this, and I will reward you."

I was hardly prepared for Gaius' reaction. He surged across the bed and grabbed my hips, pulling me roughly toward him. Hovering over me, Gaius captured my mouth with his, his tongue plunging deep between my lips.

"As you desire, my lady," he said with a grin, before lowering his face between my legs. His hot mouth fell on my clit and pussy with ravenous abandon, and I arched my back as a long moan erupted from my throat. His tongue flicked and rolled my clit, sending shock waves of ecstasy throughout my body. My cries for mercy went unheeded, and I was soon bucking my hips, my fingers twined tightly in his hair.

Gaius lifted his face from me as I was about to climax, and I whined and writhed as he grinned at me.

"Are you pleased my lady?"

My teeth sunk into my lower lip, and I nodded fervently.

"And my reward?"

I pulled the man toward me, taking hold of his hard shaft and guiding it toward my waiting sex. Gaius' face flushed with lust, and I could feel his muscles tense in apprehension as he slid slowly home. Moans issued from both our mouths, and I was pressed into the bed as he drove himself into me. The sound of our pleasure and our bodies sliding together filled the room, and I was beside myself as my body began to twitch and throbb; my climax was near.

Gaius lifted his head to watch me as I came, his eyes taking in every detail of my release. He pumped his hips harder, causing me to yelp in short, staccato sounds, and finally found his own release in a series of deep grunts and bellows. Collapsing onto the bed, the two of us fought for breath.

Our skin was covered in a fine sheen of glinting sweat, which was cooling slightly in the morning light. I ran my fingers over the musculature of Gaius' back, and I felt his skin dimple at the touch. He shivered slightly and then buried his face in the crook of my neck.

"I love you, Lithana," he whispered, almost imperceptibly.

All the breath left my lungs at those words, and I was suddenly suspended with shock. He loved me? This man actually loved me? I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. What did one say in a situation like this?

"I know," I responded softly, feeling like a fool. If Gaius had noticed my brief internal battle, he gave no indication of it. He offered a smile and kissed my forehead before clambering off of me, reminding me that he was expected at the forum today. I watched him sponge himself off from where I lay on the bed, my head still swimming from what he said. I did question his sincerity for a moment, but a much larger question was looming in my mind. If he did indeed love me, what did that mean for me? And, more importantly, did I love him in return?

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Chief investigator Barrius Honorus was a stout man of middle years. He had a broad face and a prominent brow, which was accented by his receding hairline. Currently his brow was deeply furrowed, the only indication to the troubling thoughts plaguing his mind as his small eyes scanned the documents in his hand. Around him, his deputies watched him in breathless anticipation.

He had been placed at the head of the investigating team called upon to look into the death of a prominent domo and his wife four weeks earlier. The senator had been discovered by his servants in the early morning hours, and it had been a truly gruesome scene: both the politician and his lady wife had been brutally slain, stabbed multiple times in their own beds by an unknown assailant. The private guard for the household had been immediately relieved of their duties and detained for questioning by the Imperial guard, who had assumed command of the investigation. News of the murder had been suppressed, only rumors and snippets of information escaping into the streets of Arthos, deepening the mystery surrounding the domo's sudden and hereto unexplained disappearance. It had been a political and security nightmare for chief investigator Honorus and his team.

Their detaining of suspects and questioning of key witnesses had been largely fruitless for the first week after the discovery of the murder, and Barrius Honorus had grown increasingly frustrated by the seeming total lack of evidence surrounding the crime. Then, a chance breakthrough had been dropped into his lap, and the balding man began to fervently wish he could go back in time to when he had known nothing at all. During yet another sweep of the murdered domo's bedroom, one of the investigators had found a small medallion, smeared with the dried blood of the victims. It was a guard's insignia, indicating which house the blade was under oath to. The name had rocked the investigation to its core.

Now, staring yet again at the reports in his hands, chief investigator Barrius Honorus swallowed hard. The discovery of the medallion had prompted a reconnaissance of the accused, bringing to light more involvement and treachery than Honorus had ever thought possible. He still could not wrap his mind around the situation, disbelief etched deeply into his mind, but the facts were facts and they pointed, irrevocably, at the culprit.

...insignia belonging to the house of Artigro...

The chief investigator's eyes rose as the door to his office opened, and he set his jaw grimly and nodded his greetings.

"Good morning, Domo Liperion," he said quietly.

"Good morning, chief Honorus," Domo Liperion replied smoothly, his brow knit in concern. "I was informed that you have concluded your investigation?"

"Yes, Domo, we have."

"And your report is completed as well?"

"Yes, Domo."

"Let me see it." Taking the documents from the chief investigator, the senator scanned them grimly. "I see. And there is sufficient evidence here to make the arrest?"

"There is, Domo. The warrant has been written and is awaiting delivery."

"Good. Lieutenant General Artigro will be at the Forum this afternoon. Your team will make the arrest there."

Barrius Honorus frowned. "But, with all due respect, Domo, that would bring an undue amount of embarrassment and attention to the lieutenant general and the investigation. Would it not be better to make the arrest at his estate, quietly?"

Domo Camron Liperion smiled slightly, his expression one of sympathetic concern. "It does not please me to do this, chief," he said smoothly. "The man in question is an extremely close friend of mine, and I would prefer to not have to do this at all. However, the depth of his involvement in this crime and the plot discovered against the Forum is of greater concern to me, and it is a burden I must bear. If this corruption infiltrated the likes of Artigro, who knows how far it has gone? No, my friend, we cannot risk the safety and sanctity of the Forum and the Empire herself. Artigro's arrest must be public, an example to those who would threaten the law and order of our nation and a warning against any further disruption."

"Does the...has the Emperor been informed, Domo?"

"Not as of yet, no. A messenger will be dispatched as soon as the arrest is made. I do not wish to alarm the Emperor any more than I have to, especially given the nature of his relationship to the perpetrator."

Chief investigator Honorus nodded solemnly, and Domo Liperion emitted a weary sigh. "I will send a runner to you when it is time to make the arrest."

"Yes, Domo."

As he left the team of guards and investigators to their work, Domo Liperion stalked with a cool confidence from the office, a slight smile quirking the corners of his mouth.

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"This is wonderful, my lady," Vienes cooed, her hands swiftly braiding locks of my hair. "To have the devotion of such a man, I do not understand why you are not thrilled."

"Gaius is not a prize, Vienes," I chided in return, "no more than I am. His love is genuine, I can see it in his eyes."

"I'm still failing to see the problem with this development," the red haired woman chuckled, twisting the braids into a loose bun at the nape of my neck.

"I don't know if I feel the same, and I don't want..." I sighed dejectedly, my shoulders slumping as my mood became broody. "I don't want him to get the wrong idea."

Vienes suddenly errupted in laughter, and I turned to regard her, my mouth agape in incredulous shock.

"What's so funny?"

"Can't you just accept the fact that your husband loves you and stop over complicating it? Honestly, you're worse than an adolescent girl."

"I'm not over...!" My words faltered, and I grinned sheepishly. "I don't know what I would do without you, did you know that?"

"Your hair would be an absolute mess," Vienes replied with a fond smile, and I hugged her about her waist as we both laughed.

Vienes' face sobered suddenly, and she came around to stand before me, her eyes searching my face. "I...I must ask you something, my lady," she stammered awkwardly.

I tilted my head, watching her curiously. "Of course, dear, anything."

The red headed woman was wringing her hands, formulating her thoughts. Finally she knelt before me and took my fingers in her own. "I'm afraid I have not been entirely forthcoming with you, my lady," she said quietly.

I knit my brows. "What do you mean?"

"I...I have been...I..."

"Vienes," I said in exasperation, taking the woman's face between my hands. "Whatever it is, just calm down and tell me. I'm sure it's something we can figure out together."

Vienes nodded and sighed, her shoulders relaxing. "I have been seeing a man," she said almost too quietly for me to hear.

I felt one of my eyebrows raise. "Oh?" I was admittedly surprised by her disclosure, but I was more puzzled than anything. Why was her information of such clandestine importance to her? "Okay..."

"You...you aren't angry with me, my lady?"

"What? No! Of course not! Why should I be angry with you?"

Vienes smiled slightly at my naivete. "Most noblewomen consider their servants their property, and control every aspect of their lives, including who they--"

"Dear, if you haven't figured it out by now, let me go ahead and tell you: I am most certainly not most noblewomen."

I grinned broadly as my handmaid's eyes lit up with glee, and clasped her hands in mine. "How long have you been seeing him? Who is he?"

Vienes faltered. "Er, well, I would rather not reveal his identity, just yet, my lady, should our romance not blossom." I nodded in understanding, my expression one of curious encouragement. "We have been meeting for a few weeks now. I would have preferred not to care for him, for he has a reputation as... Well, he was dogged in his determination to catch my attention, and he has treated me so..." Vienes sighed dreamily. "I've never been treated with such care by anyone before, certainly not by a man. And he could have any woman he desires, yet he desires me."

I found myself grinning in rapt girlish attention as Vienes recounted the sweet moments of her blossoming romance to me, and more than once we degraded into fits of giggles. It was an interaction I would have rolled my eyes at had it come from anyone other than my handmaid. My sweet friend had been through so much, and I was so thoroughly ingratiated to her, that she could have told me she was dancing naked in the rain for fun and I would have been thrilled for her. To see her so happy, it warmed that tiny part of me that actually sympathized with others.

The remainder of our morning passed uneventfully, and after lunch I met Gaius in the courtyard to bid him farewell. He was wearing a fine, light blue kilt and shirt beneath the flowing deep blue of his toga, fine leather sandals tied about his feet. The man could cut an impressive figure when he desired.

"If only you'd dress up for me like that," I commented slyly as he kissed my forehead.

"You often prefer me to be undressed, my lady," Gaius responded with a wolfish grin, and I found myself blushing.

"When will you be home?"

Gaius shrugged. "I'm not sure. I was told that there would be a series of meetings throughout the day to discuss the northern borders. I imagine I won't be back before dinner."