A Dream of Empire Ch. 006

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Lord Talos of Evora

Catriona, Imperial County of Catriona

26^th of Zenith, 1282 D.f.

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The morning sun hadn't yet risen when Talos awoke in a fright. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he breathed a quick sigh of relief, realizing he was not, in fact, in the midst of combat as he had been in a dream now far-off. He unclenched his fists, then assessed his present situation.

A snoozing elf to his right, nestled contentedly atop his shoulder. Somehow he hadn't waken her when he himself awoke, a state that he would ensure remained. He glanced left, finding an auburn-haired sorceress splayed out as far as she could possibly be, taking up the remaining two-thirds of the mattress.

Easy enough. Talos carefully and gently lifted Casiama's head, then slid his shoulder out from under her with the loudest creak of bone in the entire Empire, he figured. He laid her gently on the pillow, then removed her hand from his chest with the same delicateness. Talos lifted himself from the bed, sighing that he had succeeded. Little Talos was asleep in a corner of the room, secure in his crib. Good. Ever since Alanna had returned, the babe had cried far less frequently according to Casiama, much to Talos' delight. Perhaps it was his mother's comfort that did it. Perhaps it was a coincidence.

Talos tip-toed out of the bedroom as softly as he could, and headed down the stairs for his morning training regimen. A swordsman refused for his skills to gain rust in such a comfortable place as Catriona, even when there was no evidence to suggest that rust would spread. He threw on a shirt and pair of pants from the day before, laid haphazardly over the couch by an eagerly lustful sorceress yesterday.

He ambled over the end of the hall, picking up his blunted practice sword. Entirely practical, it was a simple meteorite steel sword custom-made for the man to simulate his lightweight and ornate blade of war, Dawnbringer. It was lightweight, only weighing a couple of pounds, yet had a forty-four inch blade. A truly remarkable-

"Good morning honey," a soft, feminine voice cooed from the stairway. Talos almost jumped from his skin in surprise, not having heard her steps whatsoever. He didn't turn towards her, feeling just that disappointed that she'd woken up.

"Morning, Cass," he replied softly without turning towards her, raising his blade skyward as if in inspection. Casiama bounced towards him silently, wrapping her arms around his chest.

"Time for training, already? Were you not going to wake me?" she half-giggled and half-whispered into his ear. Talos was, truthfully, not going to. Casiama had only been joining him in his daily regimen for a week, and he had already begun to miss his time alone. But he would never tell her that, of course.

"Figured you'd find your own way to me," he replied smoothly, shrugging her off as kindly he could. A flash of light behind him; Casiama was already fully-dressed and equipped for their training by the time Talos had turned around. Her 'human' clothes, as she called them, consisted of a pair of tight leather pants, a white cotton shirt, and a leather corset above that. Simple enough to pass for one of them while still displaying her wonderful figure. She had a short, one-handed practice sword belted at her hip. Talos leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips, and the pair departed out of the front door momentarily.

"Think you will finally stop going easy on me?" Casiama asked as they walked down the cobblestone street in front of their house towards the nearest park. The townhouse did not have the room available for a proper training regimen, but the city was calm enough in the mornings to not be troubled of one or two people practicing their art in a public field. Casiama's hair was still braided appropriately to hide her pointed ears, just in case.

"Who said I was going easy? Maybe you're just that wondrous a swordmistress, Cass," Talos smirked, finding his own sarcasm humorous. Casiama nudged him with her shoulder as they made their way down the street, smiling brightly as she did.

"I said you are. You treat me like a princess, honey," she accused of him warmly.

"Well you are a princess, honey," Talos retorted truthfully with a smirk. The elf flicked her gaze his way, her ponytail flinging playfully when she did.

"Yes, but do I fight like one?" she smiled. Talos shook his head in wordless reply, then turned off the street and walked onto the park; a sixty-by-sixty foot patch of grass surrounded by two-story townhomes with a small fountain in the center. He flexed his shoulders before unsheathing his practice sword, taking another twenty paces from the elf atop the park's grass, which was coated with a morning dew.

He turned towards her, lifting his sword skyward. "Fine, I won't hold back," he promised with a smirk as Casiama unsheathed her own blade. Talos strode towards her, soon bringing his sword down in a vertical cut at half the speed he was capable of.

-=-=-

Talos and Casiama returned home after only an hour of training. Talos typically trained for the better part of two, but the elf had called for an early end due to her exhaustion. It was a disappointment, sure, but Talos figured she was at least getting better at the art. It would take years for her to come near his own skill level, surely, but she was at least learning not to hint where she would strike next through her wandering eyes.

The remainder of the day went by as typically as it could for Talos; he ate, he fed the horses, he told his infant son things he absolutely shouldn't have - knowing the babe wouldn't understand what he was saying - and even cracked open a history tome purchased from the market, titled 'The Subjugation of Tardia'.

Casiama had, earlier, offered to draw a hot bath for Talos, while Alanna offered hot food twice that day. Any man would have felt completely relaxed in his situation, having his two loves perform his every bidding without an ask.

But Talos wasn't just any man, and he surely did not want to feel relaxed. Each display of generosity now made him suspicious. His life had been one of the road for fourteen years, and the niceties of Catriona troubled him far more than they helped. Talos had only gotten twenty pages into the tome he read before Casiama begged him for his attention, through a stroke of his member through his smallclothes as he sat on the couch near the fireplace. Talos put down the tome, just as he was in the midst of the Emperor's rallying speech to his defeated legions.

"Shouldn't we wait for Alanna, hm?" Talos asked with the raise of a brow towards the grinning elf on her knees before him. Perhaps it would dissuade her from immediate action, and allow him to finish the speech.

Casiama undressed him anyway, revealing Talos' hardened cock springing to life for her. Her smile somehow widened.

"But I am going to take you in my mouth. Don't you like that, honey?" the princess purred as sultrily as she could, her eyes fixed on his manhood. "I know you enjoy it with her."

Oh, so that's what this is about, Talos thought to himself. It seemed both girls' thoughtful actions of late had only been performed to trump one another, as if they were proving their superior compatibility with the man. It wasn't a competition that their family could sustain for long, nor was it one Talos appreciated. He just wanted some damned time to himself.

He willed a smile on his face regardless, leaning down towards Casiama to grip her arm and pull her up to his level.

"You don't have to, Cass. Your womanhood is all I need," Talos replied softly. Perhaps he really did treat her like a princess, he mused. To find Casiama on her knees just seemed out of place, and not befitting of the willowy elf whatsoever. She took his invitation and straddled his lap on her knees, pulling the hem of her long dress up as she did so. Talos placed his hands on her waist as Casiama leaned in for a deep kiss.

"Are you sure?" she asked with a frown after their lips parted wetly. "I've been... watching her do it. I think-"

"I'm sure, honey," Talos reassured her, slowly sliding a hand down her toned midriff and towards her heat. The elf moaned as his touch neared, shifting her panties to the side with a smile and without second thought. Talos pressed his fingers against her pearl through her dress for a moment, then slid his hand underneath to play with her wettened lips.

"Hmm," Casiama sighed, biting her lip while rocking herself against the welcome invaders. She leaned over him to kiss him wetly on the lips for a minute before drawing herself away.

Casiama spun atop him to face away, the fabric of her dress tickled Talos as she did. She rocked her hips against his manhood for a moment, feeling his bell slip between her folds, feeling every vein of his manhood rub against her sensitivity. Casiama guided his shaft to her pussy with gentle touch and a moan of pleasure when she couldn't stand to be without it any longer.

"Nuh..." Casiama moaned breathlessly, leaning away from her man while she held his legs for support. "We lock so perfectly, you and I."

"We do," Talos agreed with a smirk, holding her gently at the waist as she began to rise and fall atop him. He found it just that much more lewd that the princess had decided not to, or merely forgotten to, remove her dress for the endeavor.

Casiama rode him, as she always did, without need of encouragement or assistance. With her limitless grace and vigor she could keep swallowing his cock with her womanhood for a quarter-hour straight, and so she eagerly did once more. Her hips rocked faster and faster as time went on, and the man did his best to keep himself from shooting too soon. A difficult task with one so fair atop you.

Only when Casiama begged him for his seed did he erupt within her, drenching her drenched pussy further. She rode him for another minute afterwards to ensure he was well-spent.

Casiama panted for air as she rose from her man's softening cock, shifting her panties into their proper place to secure his seed within her womb. She turned and conjured a small towel in her hand with a smile, wiping Talos' cock clean of their combined juices.

"I'm going to... keep your seed in me all day, Talos," Casiama admitted through a whisper and deeply blushed cheeks. A lustful statement to make on its own, but now just another point in Casiama's favor in her endless and pointless struggle to prove her worth to Talos.

And Talos was pretty sure he'd heard Alanna say the same statement a couple days ago. He smirked anyway as he rose from the couch and wrapped an arm around Casiama.

"I love you, Cass," he said instead, giving her a tickling flurry of kisses on her soft, thin neck. The elf giggled and squirmed adorably in his grasp, but he refused to let her go as she playfully slapped his back.

"You're my everything, Talos!" she squealed through her laughter. Talos released the princess when he had felt her neck had received the punishment it deserved, then outstreched his arms.

"Get me dressed?" Talos grinned. "Think I'll head out to the markets now."

Casiama nodded, retaining her wide smile from the recent contact. She brought a delicate hand to his neck, summoning a set of his leather and chain armor for him from her ethereal, off-world storage in a flash of light.

"Good choice," Talos said with puckered lips, investigating himself. "I'm glad I didn't give you any other clothes to make a different one, Cass."

"You really should, though," Casiama chided him playfully before pecking his lips again, "you would look positively handsome in a doublet. But go ahead, enjoy your walk." Casiama released him from her grasp, and Talos felt playful enough to gently smack her toned ass before turning towards the door, garnering more giggles from the elf.

A door that, seemingly intentionally, opened as soon as he'd stepped towards it. Talos' smile retreated from the world instantly, finding Alanna carrying all manner of foodstuffs from the marketplace in a worringly-large basket. He helped her carry it to the kitchen.

"What're you all dressed for?" Alanna asked him as he placed a breadloaf on the counter. Talos shrugged, not turning towards her, but knew she was deep within his mind regardless.

"I, uh, was gonna head to the markets," he answered truthfully, but with a shrug. Alanna tsked twice behind him, placing a hand on her hip.

"Without me? Talos, you should know better," she berated him playfully, giving his shoulder a dainty slap. He shrugged again, turning towards her this time.

"Yeah, guess I should," he muttered through his teeth. Talos looked her over, pleased of her modest red dress which fell all the way to her ankles, and did the best to hide her ample busom from onlookers. "Want to come with?" he offered her, hoping she would stay behind to cook supper for-

"Of course!" she answered instantly, hopping towards him and wrapping her arms around him. Talos returned the hug, patting her on the small of her back as he gazed through the kitchen window.

-=-=-

An early fog rolled in off the sea this afternoon, blanketing the city in an eerie haze. One could see the pillar of light emanating from the college off the coast, but couldn't see the rocky island that the college sat upon whatsoever. Such a fog did not deter any Catrionans, of course, as it was a somewhat-common occurence here on the coast. It certainly didn't stop Talos and Alanna from making their way to the market squares arm-in-arm, the sorceress smiling happily as they walked together.

Alanna was, naturally, accosted by one smiling townsperson or another around every bend, offering their greetings and best wishes for her and Talos. A swordsman had found this all very charming at first, but was growing weary of the attention by now. He thought of asking her if she felt the same.

"Hey, Alanna, do all the-"

"More than you know," Alanna interjected, clearly reading Talos' thoughts before he spoke them. Talos felt a wash of gratitude for her answer, if only because he knew he wasn't alone in the feeling.

"The worst part is that they're all being true in their words," she explained with a frown. "I don't have the heart to do anything else but greet them warmly in return. It drives me mad."

"Clearly you're just too friendly, Alanna," Talos smirked. "I can train you in the arts of indifference, if you'd like." Alanna giggled, opening her mouth to reply before she was cut off from another to her left.

"Greetin's Alanna! Best wishes to you and yours," an older woman greeted from a merchant's stall, waving to the sorceress. Alanna's eyes widened from the immediate proof of her quandaries, but she manufactured a smile. Talos was chuckling.

"Hello, Meredith!" Alanna replied warmly. Talos felt the sorceress reading the crone's thoughts. "How's your husband doing?" she asked, tugging on Talos' arm to force him to stop walking away.

"Oh, he's come down with the Forgetter's Disease, I'm afraid. But we're doin' the best we can with it," Meredith said sadly.

"Sorry to hear that," Alanna frowned. "I think the restorers at the college are developing a cure. You should check in with them when you have a chance. Please have hope, Meredith."

Meredith nodded with a half-smile on her lips. "I will, Alanna. Thank you."

Forgetter's Disease was nothing Talos would joke around with, even though he wanted to chide Alanna for her friendly nature at that moment. It wasn't necessarily a disease, per say, as it didn't spread through contact. Forgetter's came out of no where, and left the affected person with less and less of their memories until they'd forgotten who they were entirely. At that point, one could only remember what happened in the past five to ten minutes, before they repeated the cycle endlessly until they perished.

Talos and Alanna walked off momentarily with their happiness just that much receded, reminded of that particular hardship.

"They really are working on a cure, though," Alanna reassured Talos with a pat on his arm. "The restorers at the college figure they don't lose their memories at all. They're just prevented from accessing them, and they've already had some luck in repairing several patients temporarily."

Talos nodded. "That's good," he replied, staring just in front of his feet towards the cobblestones. "If I ever come down with it, just slam a knife through my neck."

"No!" Alanna exclaimed immediately, tugging on his arm and forcing the man to look in her eyes. "I will fix you, Talos. No matter what," she promised.

"Well, I meant if you can't," he shrugged, redressing his statement. Alanna shook her head with a frown.

"You know I'm learning transmutation for you, right?" she asked him with wide eyes. "So I can... keep you from aging. And me. That's the plan, anyway," she shrugged.

Talos rolled his eyes, tugging on her arm wrapped in his so she would continue walking through the market. "Hm. I kind of looked forward to having snow hair, though," he jested warmly, hoping to quell Alanna's worries. "People take you seriously when you do."

Alanna giggled, her eyes currently fixed on a merchant's stall with several glowing balls of blue and white stacked on its shelves. Talos followed her gaze, wondering what in all the hells those were.

"Divination crystals," Alanna answered his thought casually, then flicked her gaze towards him. "And when did you ever have a problem with that, Talos?"

Talos shrugged after giving a moment of thought to the ask, first physically then mentally. Alanna grinned deviously as they continued down the street arm-in-arm. Talos tilted his head to review several scrolls pinned to a notice board as they passed it by, but didn't find much of note.

"So. How are your sword lessons with Cass going?" Alanna asked after a minute of silence, her words dripping with jealousy. Talos cleared his throat, knowing the enchantress was deep within his mind at the moment. Alanna would know his true answer already, so he decided to speak a different one.

"They're going well. She's improving quite rapidly," he answered truthfully, although as a deflection. "She could probably even take me on genuinely, one of these days."

Alanna huffed at the answer, responding after one awkwardly-silent moment. "You know, I'd never get between you and your training, Talos," the enchantress declared, keeping her gaze fixed in front of her to avoid looking at him. "I know how important that time is to you."

Talos squinted at her as she spoke, wondering if she didn't realize the irony of the statement. A brief half-smile on her lips confirmed that she did.

"It's not so bad," Talos replied softly, the girl in his arm now turning her gaze to look him in the eye.

You can't deceive me, Talos.

"Wasn't trying to," he shrugged.

Alanna glanced away instantly after he had responded, now gazing upon the College of Catriona just off the coast instead.

"You know, at the College there was a saying for trysts between students," she explained after a minute. "'Like repels like'. Basically, telling us girls not to have rendevous with others from the same school of magic."

"Mmm," Talos mumbled, knowing absolutely what Alanna was hinting at. The enchantress smirked.

"I was always attracted to the evokers, personally. They always loved to display their... passion, to me," she teased sultrily. Talos wasn't amused this time. "And some might even say that saying applies outside of the College, even."