A Dream of Empire Ch. 024

That wasn't to say there was no life in Cindervale after dark. Many an elf were enjoying the night after all, laughing, talking, dancing, loving. Some even waved and said hello, and Tanya, against all odds, said hello back. They didn't seem to notice or care that she wasn't like them.

Tanya found herself in front of Casiama's palace of marble before she realized it, and the two handmaidens-in-white standing guard outside intercepted her as she walked up the steps.

"Hail, sorceress of the Lover," the handmaiden Tanya recognized as Vindare greeted. "Our Queen is currently not receiving visitors, nor have I been given instruction to allow you within. You may stay at the guest lodge for the night, if it pleases you."

I'll handle this.

"Gratitude, Vindare. Where's that, if I may ask?" Tanya replied without thinking. Vindare lifted her spear and pointed it down the street.

"The white three-story just down the road, with a statue of a horse-and-carriage out front. You cannot miss it," the elf softly answered. "Food and board are available there without the need of coin, for all visitors to the Vale."

"Ah, thanks. I'll stay there the night," Tanya replied with a smile. She turned about as if to walk down the street before spinning on her heel, then casually walked past the handmaidens and up the palace steps. Neither of them paid her any attention.

Don't worry, they believe you've left. Invisibility spell from here on out, sweetie. Her palace is warded.

-=-=-

Tanya had never been an intruder before. Well, at least not here on Mundus. There was this one time, several years ago and in another world, where she'd assisted in a heist of bank notes from a company known as Shikago; but that was merely a dare, and a million credits was hardly a drop in the bucket according to her acquaintances there.

This felt different. This time she was spying on her soulmate, all because she wasn't aware of what his soulmate would have him do. It felt wrong. Very wrong. But she continued onwards despite that nagging voice in her head telling her to turn back, and tip-toed through the halls and rooms of Casiama's palace in her quest to follow her man's string.

It eventually led her out the back door of the palace and into Casiama's personal gardens. Here was much like elsewhere in the Vale, with its proud trees growing wherever there was room, and its endless flowers in everbloom. But this part of the forest was hers, a fact ensured by the gigantic, natural walls of rosebushes lining the perimeter.

Tanya trode lightly. She was not here.

Near the center of the massive garden was a thick grove of trees, and Tanya noticed the gentle rippling and glimmering of water under moonlight just beyond it. She crept closer to the spring, recognizing two familiar voices - then closer still, until she could hear their words.

"I've had one similar," she overheard Talos say. "I was laying in a field of grain that stretched all the way to the horizon... but the sky was pink, not blue. Late in the day, I suppose. And I did not see the bird-"

"The phoenix," she heard Casiama interject.

"Right, right, the phoenix. Instead there was a maid; radiant, clothed in white from head to toe. She spoke to me, but... I do not recall what she said. And, I've only had the dream once. Last night. After Alanna and I severed our connection."

"Hmm. Similarly unavailing, then," Casiama softly replied. "Perhaps we should see that prophetess of yours after all. Was she pretty?"

"Who?"

"Your dreamy maid, silly!"

"Why's it matter?"

"I am only curious," the elf husked.

"Hm. Well, she was... like starlight. Magnificent, but entirely unfathomable. I do not remember her face," Talos softly answered.

Tanya crept closer to the spring. She was now near enough to see the steam rising from the warm waters as well as the two souls lounging within it. They were both naked, of course. Casiama was laying atop Talos, whilst Talos stroked Casiama's hair in a loving, attentive way; just like he always did with-

"So, you are saying she's prettier than Tatiana?" Casiama warmly mused. Tanya's heart skipped a beat.

"Like I said, I don't remember," Talos chuckled.

Casiama gave him a husky laugh, then gracefully turned about to straddle him. She wrapped her wrists around his neck, and leaned in to kiss him.

"Will you have me love her, Talo'nir? Like I did Alanna?"

"You know I will," Talos smirked as he gazed into her eyes.

"And will you have me... watch?" Casiama moaned, grinding against him.

"Mhm."

A snap of a twig. Tanya froze in place, wincing, unable to look away from Casiama's swiveling ears.

"Someone's here," the elf whispered. Tanya rushed behind the nearest tree, even though she was still invisible. She then heard Talos and Casiama hastily rise from the pool, and the gardens flickered with two bright flashes of light. Fuck! She'd forgotten of Casiama's conjuration magics!

"Hello?" Talos hollered into the trees.

Tanya obviously didn't respond. They couldn't find her if she remained still, after all. Oh, but why had she come here? Why hadn't she trusted him?! Calm breaths, she told herself. Be still, my beating heart.

She took a peek around the tree but a half-minute later, only to have that heart to plunge through her chest. Casiama was now in full battle gear, gleaming a bright white under the gentle moon, and had her bow drawn and nocked as she silently crept closer. Worse off was Talos just behind her, just as quiet, just as armed. Just as fierce.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Tanya cried with arms raised, dispelling her cloak to make herself visible again. Talos pounced forward and lowered Casiama's aim.

"Damnit! Tanya, what the hells?!" he yelled.

"I-I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me!"

"How much did you hear?!" Casiama harshly asked of her, as a sudden gust of wind rushed through the trees. "Speak!"

"A-a-a lot! I'm sorry!"

"We almost killed you!"

"I'm sorry!" Tanya wept. "Talos, Talos, please forgive me!"

Talos glanced at Casiama as he sheathed his sword, raising his brows in resignation. He said nothing. He only stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Tanya, pulling her in to a tight embrace. Nothing more. Tanya hid from her embarrassment within his chest.

"You would reward her after such a breach of trust?" she heard the goddess ask.

"Hugs aren't rewards, Cass. She's scared. Besides, we're not mad, are we? Just surprised. To be honest, we probably should have told her earlier."

"Told me what?" Tanya sniffled, listening to his beating heart. Another flash of light lit up the glade, and Talos soon released his hold on her. Both he and she then looked to the now-unarmored and unarmed Casiama.

"I always thought you good, Tatiana. I always have. So, imagine my sorrow when I learned of your wooing of my man. Kian'ra has flattened cities for less. I personally have created storms that raged for a week during similar quandaries... like in Villjord, if you recall. But, do you hear that?" she asked, wrapping an unimaginably-soft arm around Tanya's neck and leaning in to murmur in her ear.

"Do you hear that whisper of wind rustling through the leaves? That is no hurricane, Tatiana. That is jealousy conquered."

And Casiama danced away again.

"And so I pondered, and I remembered how Alanna taught me that love does not envy. I know I can share him with another. I have done it before. But I am the Queen of Cindervale, and so I must also approach this pragmatically. So, I ask you this; what would you do, Tatiana, if I told you you could not have him?"

"Wha-? What?" Tanya gasped, glancing to Talos for help.

"It is a simple question. What would you do?"

Tanya furrowed her brow. "I would fight," she choked out. "I would deny your demand with every fiber of my being, until I was but an inch from death... and if that failed, I would then appeal to him. Talos would never deny me."

To Tanya's surprise, the elf seemed pleased with her answer. "I am sorry for the ask. Truthfully, I know there is love enough within him for all of us, Alanna included. I know this more surely than I know myself. But I must ensure that you are his, his alone, and will be until your end, and that in being his you understand that you are mine as well - for I am also the Windbringer, and I am the Lover's bride. Betrayal of that sacred union, I fear, cannot be simply undone."

Tanya's eyes were, understandably, quite wide with surprise. She blurted out, "I-I would never! And if he wills it so, then I am yours. That's more than I could have ever possibly wished for. I just wanted to be a part of his story. I think, um, that you and him are fated for great things, Casiama. And that I can help see them so."

"Then we are in agreement," the goddess smiled brightly. "I will inform my handmaidens that you and Alanna are permanent residents of the palace, so next time you won't need to enter under a cloak of magic."

"Truly?!" Tanya beamed.

"Truly. And as for my part of the agreement, I solemnly swear to never abandon you when you require assistance, nor will I ever request that you disentangle yourself from him. Oh, and... Talos?" Casiama twirled towards him, her ears perking an inch.

"Mm?" a so-far-silent Talos mumbled.

"I will slay the next woman or elf you sleep with outside our foursome. I swear it. While kings do practice polygamy in elvendom, it is merely for political purpose, and I will not accept being only one of seven like my mother. One of three is my limit."

"That's more than fair," Talos gruffly replied.

"I will slay her. Whomever it may be," Casiama promised once more.

"I believe you. It won't happen, Cass."

Casiama glared at him for another moment before shoving her gaze away, moaning. "Just listen to me," she murmured. "I have only been matriarch for a season, yet I am already acting tyrannical towards those I care for." She spun towards Tanya and outstretched her arms.

"Friends?"

Tanya wouldn't have described Casiama as 'tyrannical', per say. Nuttier than a squirrel stocking up for the winter perhaps, but not tyrannical. Plus, her hugs were delightfully soft.

"Friends," Tanya softly agreed, tightly embracing the elf.

Most of Tanya's worries were alleviated in Casiama's arms, and the two of them were soon enveloped by a blinding white light, leaving both of them as naked as they were on their name days. And, as the goddess released her, turned away, and dreamily swayed towards the steaming pool behind her, she slid a hand along Talos' chest to dispel his clothes in the same manner.

"Bathe with us, Tatiana. My sorceress should never be unclean," she cooed over her shoulder.

Tanya didn't make a move to cover herself. She felt safe beside her man, and watching Casiama's curves as she confidently strut towards the pool kept her nerves at bay. Tanya's eyes weren't the only ones fixed to Casiama's gently-jiggling backside at that moment; she caught Talos doing the same - not that she could blame him - and decided to playfully pounce on him and plant the wettest, happiest kiss on his lips. It wasn't how the Tanya of two days ago would have acted in this moment, oh no, but that Tanya was already long gone. This Tanya had instead spied on two gods mid-coitus, and in the end they hadn't minded all that much. She and Talos followed in the elf's footsteps towards the pool.

Casiama flicked her wrists as she stepped into the water, summoning bars of hard soaps, soft elven shampoos, and pelts of lions from the aether; goods that would cost a fortune in the Empire, but were merely common pleasures to a Goddess-Queen of elves.

"Be sure to scrub everyplace," Casiama softly-yet-sternly demanded of her. Tanya wondered what the elf had meant by 'everyplace' - for only a second.

Your womanhood, duh! Alanna's thoughts elucidated, making it clear that the gardens weren't warded. And be sexy about it. She's a whirlwind of emotion right now.

That much was evident. Fortunately, Alanna had given Tanya a primer in sexy bathing but two weeks ago, during a successful effort in distracting Talos from his swordplay, where they instead diverted his focus towards... well, his swordplay. And so Tanya gave his ass a hearty smack to goad him into joining his divine elf in the pool, then waded into the warm waters on the opposite side near the soaps and shampoos.

The sensation of warmth felt heavenly on its own, especially after days riding on horseback. Tanya submerged herself in the pristine waters without thinking, rising again with a happy gasp and an exaggerated flick of her long brown hair. She would start her show with the shampoos by 'accidentally' pouring some between her breasts, then soaking the rest into her hair.

"Oh! This is just divine," Tanya gasped, moaned, and giggled to no one in particular. Casiama, already laying atop Talos with her head already nestled on his chest, shot her a grin. Tanya pretended not to notice, sensually swaying side-to-side as she pushed the suds into her long locks of brown.

"I believe I discovered the path to your lover's heart," Casiama murmured from the far side of the pool; Tanya blushed, but looked the other way. "And to yours as well... you are so stiff, my sweet."

"Can you blame me?" Talos softly replied.

"No. She's prettier than any maid of starlight," Casiama moaned, her kind words causing Tanya to blush with pride.

Tanya dunked her head under the water to clear her hair and rose with another soft gasp, stealing a glance in Talos' direction as she did. Casiama was grinding against Talos' crotch, and Talos' hand assuredly betwixt the elf's legs, causing her to bite her lip and moan on occasion. Best yet, they were stealing glances of their own back at her.

And it was at that moment that Tanya learned an undeniable truth about herself; she didn't mind having an appreciative audience after all. In fact, she relished in their attentions, going so far as to bend at the waist when she rose from the water to grab a bar of soap, giving Talos and his lustful elf a generous view of her firm ass and trim legs.

It didn't take long for Casiama to properly mount Talos. She turned about to face him, and placed her soft hands on his shoulders. The elf shuddered as she slowly sunk down onto his cock, leaving Talos as the only one to watch Tanya as she bathed.

And it seemed almost intimate. Tanya needn't be the one riding her man to steal the show. So she blew him a kiss, giggled as silently as she could, and set to scrubbing her pale body as her soulmate gently fucked his elf but a couple feet away. Tanya was so flushed with excitement, and Casiama's quavering words only made the situation all the more arousing.

"Tell me what you like about her," the goddess moaned on Talos' shoulder. He kissed her on the forehead.

"You sure?"

"Yes..." she nodded and gasped. "Physically, I mean."

Talos gazed at Tanya, who had simply forgotten what she was doing as she eagerly anticipated his reply.

"Hm. I like her eyes. Y'know, how big they are. How expressive. I find myself getting lost in them a lot."

"They're really pretty..." Casiama murmured as she rocked.

"Mm. And I like her lips. Those puffy, sad lips," Talos softly continued. Tanya puckered up for him, blushing like a schoolgirl.

"Mhm..."

"Especially when they're wrapped around my cock," he smirked.

"Omigosh," Casiama sighed into his neck. Talos wrapped a hand through the elf's wet hair, pressing her face against him, and slid his other hand down her tummy to stroke her clit as they gently rocked as one. Tanya, who had been gazing at them in silence for a minute or so, finally found the agency to return to washing her body.

"And I like how delicate she is. How simply I can wrap my hands around her waist, or how easy it is to shove her against a wall."

"Mm-mmh!" the elf cried into him.

"And those cute little moans she makes when I make her come. She's a lot quieter than you are, Cass."

Casiama was squirming atop Talos' dick, but she wasn't really riding him at this point; her pleasure instead stemmed from Talos' ministrations on her clit beneath the water, made evident by the slight flexes of his muscles as he worked her. Casiama leaned away from him, moaning towards the heavens and the gently-twinkling stars.

"Ah! She's so pretty, I bet you make love to her every chance you get!"

"Oh yeah, Cass. Every chance."

"That's why you love her, huh?! Because of the good sex!" the elf unabashedly cried. Talos stifled a laugh and glanced towards Tanya, mouthing 'No' as obviously as he could.

"Yeah, Cass. I love her 'cause her tight little pussy chokes my cock whenever I fuck her."

"Yes, yes, yesss!" Casiama squealed, shivered, and came, slumping against Talos and giggling with glee. "Ohh how I missed you. How I missed... nuh... how did I get by...?" she breathlessly asked.

"With your hands, I imagine," Talos chuckled. Casiama shook her head atop him.

"No, no, I... I cannot do it alone. I need you, or to think of you, yet thinking of you made me sad..."

"I'm here now, Cass," Talos murmured, squeezing her lovingly.

"And I am so relieved," she whispered as she snuggled into him.

Tanya smiled at the sight of those contented souls. She briefly wondered how she'd get by without Talos for two seasons, but the thought was so depressing that she quickly brushed it aside. Distractions, and to act on the incredible heat building inside her; that was what was needed here. But how...?

"Um, Casiama?" Tanya said without thinking. "Would you mind washing my back?"

Casiama shivered at the mention of her own name, as if she'd already forgotten of Tanya's presence. She kissed Talos on the lips and rose from his lap, then tilted her gaze to smile at the naked sorceress holding a bar of soap.

"How are you enjoying my pool?" the elf asked rather than answer as she waded through the water towards Tanya.

"It's heavenly. I'll likely visit every night, if given the chance."

Casiama giggled. "And you would have company, for I do the same."

Tanya tried handing her the bar of soap as she neared, but the goddess only put a single finger upon it and banished it from existence. She then placed a hand on Tanya's breast, pushing her backwards, backwards, never lifting eye contact as she guided her to the shallower part of the water. Was it something I said? Does she want me to leave?!

The goddess slid her hand upwards to cup Tanya's cheek, and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Senyamosintusanna." You will never find another like him. It rhymed with a sentence Tanya had spoken to Talos once, in a cave during a fateful night long ago.

"I know," a wide-eyed and confused Tanya exhaled in reply, a kiss of wind brushing against her lips. Casiama then sunk to her knees before her, sensually sliding her hands along Tanya's trim contour as she went.

Tanya's heart was now being pulled in every which way, from her quickly-fleeting fear of being banished in her time of need, to Alanna's sudden outburst of excitement, to Casiama's unimaginably-gentle touches, to Talos' obvious enjoyment of the view; and it was exhilarating. This was insane.

Casiama didn't say a word as she slid her hands between the sorceress's thighs to pull her legs apart. She then licked her lips and dove between Tanya's thighs, planting her mouth on the inferno which was Tanya's womanhood.

"Ah, Cass!" she cried, clutching the elf's long hair. Insane! She barely knew Casiama!