A Dream of Empire Ch. 006

"Alanna."

The sorceress sighed. "Oh, it's just a thought, Talos. Don't mind me." Talos rolled his eyes. Alanna continued after one clearly-intentional pause, glancing back towards him and running a dainty hand along his arm. "Although, it makes sense for us, doesn't it? You being such a... strong, handsome warrior, and me being a such an adorable little sorceress?"

Talos rolled his head, settling his gaze on the cobblestone road they trode upon. He certainly didn't appreciate this game of mental chess at the moment, what with being capable of reading all of her thoughts while she read his. The worst part was knowing that she was perfectly aware of his discomfort; yet, Talos knew not to disagree.

"Sure does," he replied curtly. Talos knew a way out of the present situation, although he wasn't particularly proud of it that very moment.

He knew the enchantress was deep in his mind, so he conjured the lewdest thought he could as he glanced over her voluptuous breasts, currently hidden from the world within her modest red dress.

Alanna slapped him on the arm soon after, grinning at the thought. "Why would you put it there?" she asked salaciously. Talos shrugged with a smirk.

"Well you won't let me put it up your-"

"Because my-" Alanna paused abruptly and glanced around, realizing they were still very much in public. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Because my pussy is right nextdoor, Talos."

"Well Alanna, back in Evora we had our own saying. 'Variety is the spice of life'," he said with a hand outstreched, as if feigning wisdom. Alanna giggled and slapped his arm again, but agreed silently to his lustful wish. The pair quickly hurried home.

-=-=-

Talos slammed the front door of their house shut, grinning as he watched Alanna bounce down the hall, the curvy girl already sliding the straps of her dress down her smooth shoulders. Talos ambled towards her, unlacing his pants.

"Okay, how's this going to work?" he asked the enchantress, who quickly knelt down on the floor. She slid the top of her dress down, revealing her voluptuous breasts to the world once again, and pointed at the couch to her right.

"You sit, and I do the rest. I think," Alanna replied cutely, tilting her head as she brought an arm to her breasts, holding them up and together now that the pair were free from their support.

Talos shrugged, but found the girl's reasoning sound enough. He pushed his pants down, then ambled towards the couch. He didn't hear Casiama's steps as she made her way down the stairs, but turned his gaze towards her when the elven princess spoke. She was still very much dressed, though grinning at the sight of Alanna and Talos' preparations of lust.

"Hey, Cass. Take a seat," Alanna ordered of the elf, pointing at the couch. "But do not touch Talos. He's mine."

"Y-yes, Alanna," Casiama whimpered, plopping down just beside Talos on the couch with a soft grunt. The man raised a brow, glancing towards the enchantress who was now shuffling towards him on her knees.

She likes it, just play along, Alanna projected into Talos' thought stream. She pulled his underpants off then rested her massive jugs on his thighs, still holding them together with an arm slung underneath.

Alanna gazed into Talos' eyes as she spoke, failing to hide her sultry smile. "Talos, I'm going to make you shoot so hard that you'll forget all about that slutty Casiama," she declared confidently, nodding towards the elf. Talos raised a brow, glancing towards the princess, finding her cheeks had instantly reddened.

What the fuck? he thought to the enchantress.

Play along!

He glanced back towards the girl in front of him, spreading his legs so she could easier access his manhood. "Uh... prove it?" he murmured, unsure what Alanna was going for. The enchantress almost sighed, then, but pushed her curvaceous breasts towards his cock, sliding the throbbing member between them.

"Oh, I will, Talos. And all I'll need are these," she replied, squeezing her breasts together with a inward flex of her elbows. "They're so much bigger than Casiama's, aren't they?"

Well, that's just the truth, Talos thought. He nodded anyway, before he was forced by one of Alanna's charms to speak. "Yes sweetie, they're far bigger than hers. Far more alluring, too," he said without thinking.

Alanna giggled, sliding her tits up and down his shaft before finding the action far more difficult than she'd anticipated. She lifted from him to spit in her hand, then ran her lubricated palm all over his shaft.

"Mmm, your cock is so big," Alanna purred, nestling it between her jugs once more, "I'm glad it's all mine to please." She squished her tits together with both hands, rising and falling easier on his now-lubricated pillar. Alanna kept a sensuous and slow pace at first, hoping the action was far more pleasurable for him than her. She smiled when she heard his first groan.

Faster than that, Talos told her, then glanced towards Casiama. Her eyes were already clenched shut and she had a hand on her lap, pushing through the fabric of her long dress to pleasure her womanhood beyond that. Talos wondered-

"Cass, undress. Talos wants to see how wet you are," Alanna ordered as she started bouncing her jiggling breasts on his lap faster. The elf's eyes opened instantly, a look of pure anxiety present in those orbs.

"Um... um..."

"You don't have to, Cass," Talos assured her sympathetically. The elf shook her head, banishing every inch of cotton on her form in a flash of light, then returned her hand to her cunt.

"Show him," Alanna commanded otherwise as she worked Talos' cock. Casiama whimpered in reply, but shifted on the couch so her pussy was presented for the man. She laid her head on the armrest of the couch, spreading her legs for her lover's view. She was dripping with excitement already, and only then did Talos know the enchantress was correct in saying the elf was enjoying the treatment. He emitted a sigh somewhere between relief and pleasure at the realization.

"That's good, Cass," Alanna cooed. "Go ahead and play with yourself, but do not touch my man."

Casiama nodded as her head leaned away, likely unable to bear the shame as her legs spread further. She rubbed her clit and moaned to the heavens, pinching one of her nipples as she did.

"Not even with your feet," Alanna chided her. Casiama's knees shot up in an instant, retreating her extremeties from Talos.

Enchantment? Talos thought to the girl on her knees in a moment of clarity. Alanna's tits, while epic, were not nearly as pleasing as her pussy, and he was capable of thinking appropriately as she worked him.

Nope, Alanna smirked.

Talos grinned at the thought of Casiama doing all of that on her own, and finally got in the mood to assist as he watched the elf's thin fingers swirl over her button. He thought of looking at Alanna as he spoke, but was fixated on the elf's pleasure. "Mmm, Alanna, you're so fucking good at this," he lied through his teeth, drinking in Casiama's pitiful whimpers.

"Yeah Talos? Am I your favorite little slut?" she asked him with wide eyes, though his face was still turned away. Talos watched Casiama clench her knees shut.

"Yeah, you absolutely are," he agreed, grinning when Casiama moaned and spasmed on the couch.

"Uhn!" the elf yelped.

"Do you want to shoot all over my face?" Alanna cooed as she squeezed her tits further together. Talos looked towards her.

Not gonna happen doing this, he thought.

Oh, Alanna smiled.

"No, you're going to drink me. Just as I know you want to," Talos said instead, his voice now deep and accusatory. Alanna grinned deviously, obviously pleased Talos was finally getting into the mood of humiliating Casiama, as she undoubtably was.

"I really do, Talos! Your seed belongs inside me," she cried salaciously, "and only in me! Not in that slutty elf!"

"Ahh!" Casiama screamed, peaking again before thrusting two of her own fingers into her dripping cunt. Alanna, not to be outdone, finally removed her breasts from Talos' lap, then leaned down over his throbbing hardness to take it into her mouth. She sucked forcefully from the start, bobbing her head with intensity as Talos clutched her hair and groaned.

Between the sight of the princess pleasuring herself wildly and Alanna's sloppily wet mouth working him overtime, Talos wasn't capable of lasting long. He soon shot deep into Alanna's throat, forcing the enchantress to gag on his salty gift. She almost coughed it up, but forced herself to swallow his seed in one gulp.

Even after his orgasm, the man was overwhelemed with lust. As soon as Alanna released him, he shifted towards the moaning elf and leaned over her, pulling Casiama's hand away from her crotch to hold it above her head. Her eyes shot open, a tremulous moan escapaing her trembling lips as Talos thrust his glistening cock between the folds of her sopping pussy.

"But, but, ah! Talos!" Casiama cried as her lover ravaged her, "your seed, does not, belong, in me!"

"Like hells it doesn't," Talos grinned.

-=-=-

One patient man finally found a moment of solitude late in the afternoon that day. Talos figured both Alanna and Casiama would not require his attention for a while, now that they were both well-satisfied and had hopefully spent enough of their day in his presence.

He hadn't bothered reaching out to Alanna to see what she was doing, and also hadn't bothered asking Casiama what her plans were either. Talos only wanted to read his new book. To escape somewhere else, maybe for an hour. He opened up to page twenty of that tome once more, picking up where he left off. He started with the Emperor's inspiring speech to his defeated legions.

Men of Imperia! We stand here today on a razor's edge. Before us, traitors of mankind! Behind us, all that we hold dear. Our homes, our families, our livelihoods, they all rest on our actions here today. Shall we not-

"But Talos wanted fish tonight!" he heard Alanna exclaim from the kitchen. He groaned, hoping the shout would be a one-time occurrence. His eyes drifted back to the tome in his hands.

"That is not true! He wanted to try my salad tonight!" Casiama retorted through the wooden walls of the townhouse. Talos had let out quite possibly the world's most exaggerated sigh upon hearing it, shutting his book once more.

"When did he say that?!" Alanna shouted. "We were just at the markets, and he said he wanted fish!"

"He was just being kind to you, because he wanted my salad this morning!"

Talos made his way to the kitchen, leaning on the room's open door frame with his arms crossed. Alanna and Casiama had fingers pointed at one another, glares boring into one another, but fortunately it didn't appear as if magic had been drawn quite yet.

"Uh... what's up?" Talos asked softly, both girls spinning in his direction with a glare. If they weren't both half-naked, the sight would have made a man nervous.

Tell Cass you don't want her salad for supper!

"Did you tell Alanna you wanted fish tonight?" Casiama frowned.

Talos shrugged gently, his eyes flickering between the girls. A mage had once told him to never pick sides in a spat between sorceresses, and he vowed to see that through for as long as he could.

"Maybe? I don't really care what we're having. But, thank you both for being... enthusiastic, about it?"

"But you said-"

"Look," Talos interjected, "let's just have both. Okay?"

He gazed at Alanna, who was now taking a deep breath to steady herself. Casiama had turned from him, putting a hand on her chest.

"I'm sorry, Cass," Alanna muttered, her sight still fixed on Talos. He knew the apology was still part of some pointless act when he read her. "I'm sure your salad will be lovely."

"No, no, I'm sorry Alanna. Please, we will have your fish and rice today."

Talos shook his head, taking his leave from the kitchen before they could rope him back into the argument once more. He didn't bother listening to Alanna's reply to the elven princess, knowing nothing would come of it.

"No, Cass, really, we'll..."

How could two girls play so nicely together when he was around, yet argue about such trivial matters when he wasn't? Was it all just some act? Talos was starting to believe that it was, but tried to force the thought from his mind. He had no one to give him proper advice on the matter, and he had been trying his best to ensure everything here went smoothly. So far, it seemed his actions were a failure.

He threw himself down on the couch once more, opening to page twenty of 'The Subjugation of Tardia' for a second time.

... Shall we not give our all in this endeavor, to protect all that has given so much in return?! Those Tardian cowards think they're winning this war, yet refuse to leave their city walls even still! They know unquestioningly that they could never defeat the beating heart of Imperia. They are utterly without-

"Taaalos," Casiama whined as she walked towards him with soft steps. Talos miraculously prevented himself from groaning as he put the book down on the side table, once again at page twenty. Casiama fell onto the couch with a huff, then laid on top of him on her side. He brought his hands to her back and her hair, running through it softly, and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm really sorry honey, but I won't get to serve you my salad tonight," the elf sighed, sounding utterly dejected.

"Uh, don't worry about it Cass. Really," he reassured her, not particularly minding that fact. This was just getting ridiculous. Casiama, the strongest woman he had ever met in all his years, was now whining because she wasn't allowed to cook a meal for him today.

Living in a city made one weak, he knew, but he didn't realize how quickly it would set in. He'd seen Casiama kill two dozen armored men not three months ago, without even breaking a sweat. But living where every need could be met with a simple walk down the street clearly made her look for conflict in the simpler things, conjuring pointless arguments where there simply shouldn't be any. Over food? On the road, one eats what they have access to.

Talos was sure, in the entirety of human history, that there had never been an argument around a road-side fire regarding what would be eaten that night. If they would eat that night, perhaps. But not what.

"But I really wanted you to try it," the elf moaned.

"We can have it tomorrow. Don't trouble yourself over it, Cass," Talos reassured her.

"Hmph," she huffed in childish reply. Talos clenched her chin in his hand, forcing her to gaze upon him. Her demeanor lightened up almost instantly, and she sighed after a moment of silence.

"Listen to me complain," Casiama pouted in his strong grasp, "I sound like some ridiculous house elf."

"You do," Talos agreed, pecking her parted lips before releasing her. "It's not very becoming of you."

Talos decided to cheer her up by offering to go on a walk with her, alone, to watch the sunset as he knew she greatly appreciated. He had almost made it out the door with Casiama, even, before Alanna warned him silently to return before sunfall for supper.

Talos agreed after a moment's hesitation. He didn't complain, and knew not to disagree.

-=-=-

The following day began just like any other. Talos trained with Casiama in the nearest park, once again limiting his strikes to a fraction of what he was capable of, once again the princess surprising him with her grace and fluidity with a sword. When they had returned home, Alanna soon departed to perform her studies in the library of the College of Catriona.

Or at least, that's what the enchantress had told Casiama. Talos knew her well enough that, even if she did perform some study, it was mostly an excuse for the buxom sorceress to socialize with her fellow mages. He didn't even have to enter her mind to know that much.

But, a patient man finally had a couple of hours to read. He opened to page twenty of his tome for the third-

"Oh Talos!"

-time. Or, Emmanuel could be here to interrupt him. Talos groaned before he thought of the repercussions of the bard's visit. He had offered Emmanuel his assistance more than a week ago, to help that absurd man recoup his losses from an outlaw's gambling den to the east.

A gambling den which, even at half-gallop, would take almost two days to travel to. A four-day round trip, assuming he didn't run into any obstacles.

But there are always obstacles on the road, he thought with a grin.

Talos lifted himself from the couch in a hurry, equipping his leather travel gear which had been thrown haphazardly into a corner of the hall he occupied. He gathered the gear he knew he needed for such a venture; a tent, a bedroll, rope, flint, bandages, spare crossbow bolts, jerky, hardbread, a spare change of underclothes, and the book he was so looking forward to reading. He heard Emmanuel shout his name once more, but didn't hear Casiama step behind him as he hurried around the house. She cradled the young Talos in her arms.

"Are you going somewhere, honey?" she asked worriedly. Talos spun to look her in the eyes. Those... troubled eyes.

"Yeah," he answered instantly, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "Emmanuel's here. I've decided to assist him."

Casiama gave him a subtle half-smile, one of anxiety over happiness. "Assist him? To... what did you call it? To perform his unnecessary escalation of thievery?"

Talos shook his head, stepping towards her. "I'm sure it isn't like that," he replied, pecking her on the lips. He smirked when their lips unlocked. "I'll be back before Sunfall."

The elf smiled in return, replying to his jest after a moment. "Clever." Talos thought it had been clever as well; the upcoming month was named 'Sunfall', after all. "Be safe, Talos. May the Phoenix guide your sword."

Talos nodded, placing a hand on the sapphire pommel of the phoenix-winged sword on his belt.

"I'm sure I won't need him to, but... thanks," he said, more thankful for the fact that she weren't hassling him further for leaving on such short notice. "I love you, Casiama."

"You're my everything, Talos."

Talos grinned, gazing into the princess's eyes. He couldn't tear himself away from her warm smile for another minute, and he repeated those three true words once more as he turned towards the door, slinging his travel pack over his shoulder. He opened it to find one distraught looking bard.

"Ah, there you are!" Emmanuel said hurriedly, quickly unfurling a lengthy piece of parchment in his hands. "Look, Talos, I know what you're pondering. But before you shut those imaginary and genuine doors on me, I'd like to rattle off some justifications as to why you should, indeed, support my claim to the coin of Pinkwater."

Talos glanced up and down the street once, then stepped outside onto the cobblestones. He shut the door behind him.

"Rattle them off on the way. Let's go," Talos replied gruffly, briskly making his way to his horse.

-=-=-

Talos didn't spend more than the necessary amount of time in Catriona. He told Emmanuel to retrieve his horse and gear as he himself purchased a fill of ale, filled his waterskins, and obtained enough feed for Meadow to sate her for a couple of days. He rejoined Emmanuel at the eastern gates not a half-hour later, both men loaded for bear.

A trot through the city gates soon became a canter along the paved highway leading northeast, and a canter soon turned to a gallop. Only two miles down the wide Imperial highway, Talos and Emmanuel slowed their horses for a journey laid easterly, across the rolling hills of the Catrionan countryside.