A Dream of Empire Ch. 027

The trio soon roused themselves from bed to prepare for their day of exploration. Talos was up first, unhappy as he was with Alanna's teasing, and so distributed everyone's packs.

Faranya pondered on what to wear for the day. Ideally she'd just remain in her panties so her new man could take her whenever he wished, but Talos would likely find that crass and Alanna, desperate. Thinking against it, she instead pulled out the first garment from her pack - a short blue skirt trimmed with frills - and slipped into it.

Faranya admired herself the best she could without a mirror. It was certainly a cute skirt, with its beautifully-dyed silk and the frills around the hem, but it seemed a size too big for her even when worn low on her hips. Faranya would have never bought this for herself, she realized. Frustrated, she looked to her new friend for advice.

However, it turned out Alanna was having the opposite problem. Her blessed endowments were precariously stretching the fabric of her dress as she tried pulling it down her body. With a pitiful sigh, Alanna soon gave up and took it off.

"Hand that here," Faranya asked of her. She pushed her own skirt down her legs and tossed it at Alanna. "And try that one instead."

Faranya caught Alanna's green dress and threw it on without issue, the fabric clinging perfectly to her form. It felt lovely against her skin, and its high hem gave her all the flexibility in the world while also looking incredibly sexy. This was decidedly her dress, and not Alanna's. Moreover, the silk skirt Faranya had given Alanna fit perfectly around her waist, the fabric seemingly purpose-made to bring out the color of her eyes. Oh no.

Faranya immediately went to rummaging through 'her' travel-pack, finding more garments made of wild reds and blues; colors that Faranya would never wear intentionally. Within the pack she also found a book on the elven history of Falinor, but the name on the cover was human. Faranya felt her heart plunge in her chest.

"Oh no," she worriedly whispered. Talos had mixed up the packs. Faranya hadn't brought the gift for him, Alanna had, which means that she and Talos may not have had relations at all before their dumbening!

Faranya glanced at Alanna with a troubled frown, but the young woman's smile helped settle her heart a pinch. The enchantress, it seemed, already knew what Faranya was going to say.

"Oh, Talos?" Alanna impishly said, raising her voice. "Which pack did you say you found the honey-wine in, again?"

"Faranya's," came Talos' haste answer. He wasn't paying attention.

"Which pack, Talos?" Alanna said again. Talos turned around, looking over his options. He pointed at the pack by Faranya's feet.

"That one."

Alanna giggled, "You dolt! That one's mine! I brought the honey-wine for you."

Talos shook his head. "That's impossible. There was a book in there on elven history."

"This book, Talos?" Faranya squinted, raising the tome. "A Concise History of Elven Falinor, written by an Andrew Hawke?"

"That's right," he shrugged.

Faranya threw the tome his way, forcing him to catch it. "You ignoramus! Why would an elf ever want learn of their history from a human author?"

Talos glanced at the tome, his frown forming into a smirk. "Oops."

"We are not lovers at all!" Faranya exclaimed.

"Pretty sure we are, Faranya," he chuckled.

"But you slew me on false pretenses!" she swiftly advanced on him. "I should have your head for this, you - why are you laughing?!"

"You're cute when you're mad," Talos defiantly grinned. "Look, Faranya, it was an honest mistake, and nobody got hurt by it. Alanna, are you hurt?"

"More amused than anything," Alanna answered red-of-cheek, covering her mouth with a fist.

"See? It's fiine, Faranya. You've no need to protect your modesty with us. If anything, we were probably lovers anyway, honey-wine or no."

"And how do you reason?" the elf squinted. Faranya would kill for something, anything that could justify her actions of yesternight and this morn'.

"Why, we share many things," Talos calmly replied. "A requited fancy, for one. A love of crudely-made drinks for another. We both even carry my seed, even now."

Faranya smacked the insolent man hard across the cheek-

"Feel better?" he groaned, otherwise not reacting.

-and then again, from the other side.

"Yes," Faranya hissed, shaking her throbbing hand. She twisted away from him, sauntering off with her actual pack. "But this is not over, Talos."

And as Talos studied Faranya's jiggling backside, he gruffly replied, "I sure as hells hope not."

Faranya took her actual things to the far end of that hall, deciding to change well away from the man who had deceived and defiled her. Her ears twitched when she overheard Alanna also reprimanding him.

"And here I almost thought you weren't a pig."

"Oh come on, Alanna. You were the one squealing yesternight," Talos dully retorted, only to receive another smack across the cheek.

Faranya smiled at that.