Echoes of Spring Ch. 01

"Let me guess," she moaned, crossing her legs so her naked leg sat atop the other. "You've heard we're all sex-crazed fanatics who hold orgies in the Temple every Sunday."

"More or less," Eric smirked.

"Well, half of it's true -- at least for me," Erika smiled a sad smile. "But Rose Priestesses like myself are only a small part of our Order, so it's not all cocks an' games. I'd say the most good we do comes from the coin us Roses bring in. Our Temple feeds, clothes, and cures thousands of people with it each year."

"But that's not what you're known for."

"No," Erika blushed, shaking her head. "'Cause it's up to us Roses to be the face of the Temple, to proselytize, and share the good word of our goddess. And, well, take in donations... obviously."

"Donations?"

"Mhm. Another way to say, 'coin which persuades me to spread my legs.' Gets us around taxes and laws and the like."

"Ah," he nodded. Eric was more than familiar with the scheme; the local Temple of Lassinia did the same, albeit without the whoring. "And you joined the Temple because...?"

"A lust for lust," Erika grinned, finally sharing her delightful gaze with him. "I met a travelin' Rose during my early years, an' learned a lotta her story. I admired everything about her. The way she carried herself, her independence, how freely she traveled, and her, well, the fun she said she 'ad. So, when I finally came of age I just... went, and the Temple let me join without question, based solely on my looks. Taught me to read, write, pleasure the menfolk, all of it for a li'l more than two years, before I finally got my own rose," Erika reminisced, lifting her tattooed leg an inch.

"That was... almost two years ago now. An' three-and-a-hundred donations, mayhaps." Erika cringed as soon as the number left her lips, her eyes widening like saucers. "Um! I really shouldn't'a told ya that!"

"Why? Doesn't bother me any," Eric shrugged.

"'Cause! 'Cause, any man worth his salt's gonna find that number a bit... high," she winced again. Eric chuckled and sought to calm her.

"A man looking to bed you, perhaps. I only find it fascinating. You were offered a chance for education, to do what you love, and an avenue to praise the gods, all in the same breath. Not many are so lucky."

"But I wasn't lucky," Erika playfully retorted. "I had faith, and the gods rewarded me with a good livin'."

"I disagree. I think everything you have you've earned, Erika, yet luck still played it's part."

"An' you would know of luck, Duke-son," Erika teased. "Yet, many would say that it's your divine right to rule these lands after your father's passed, an' who could blame the gods for that? You seem a nice enough fella to deserve such a blessing, and so they picked you thusly."

"The gods don't know me," Eric scoffed. "Sure, I was born high, but I earned my place by studying law, strategy, history, and the trades of my future subjects. I know what ails them, and I believe I can change things for the better when my time comes."

This was absurd. Talking fates with a priest was like talking sobriety to a drunkard, both of whom being entirely imperceptive to alternate opinions. He had to change to the subject once again.

"I'm, um... sorry for my words, Eric," the priestess softly apologized, biting her lip. "I meant no offense by 'em."

"None taken," he lied, patting Erika's naked leg. "I guess I'm only being cynical for the sake of it. You should try it sometime."

"But where would I be without my blind faith?" she continued, obviously not taking the hint. "Sewing? Planting seeds? No. I wager I'd be pushin' out babes for some toothless farmer out west. A man given everythin' by birthright can afford to be cynical, true, but to those born in the pits it's a only a shovel to dig them deeper. I chose to climb out instead. With faith."

"Sure; and by self-admission, that climb also blinded you. I could be lying to you about my whole story, you know. What if I wasn't a lord at all, Erika?"

"But y'are," she beamed. "'Cause of they way you walk, how tall you are, and your words. Plus, what of Jenna?"

"I could have bribed her. Paid her to tell you I was a lord," he dryly joked.

"Eric!" the priestess giggled so happily. "Now you're bein' nonsensical. Look, if ya want me to be cynical just once, I'll call your bluff to make ya happy. Prove to me you're a lord after this. Show me the castle."

"Dressed like that?" he teased, giving her corset and whorish skirt an obvious once-over.

"I can easily present myself as a proper guest of yours, my Lord Eric," the priestess replied in a suddenly-conjured noblewoman's accent, before breaking into giggles again. Eric raised a brow.

"Yeah? Now I'm even more cynical," he smirked.

"I'll prove it," Erika childishly retorted, taking the challenge personally. She shot up from the couch and strut towards her tiny backpack, putting an extra sway in her step as she moved. She then bent at the waist over it, wiggling her hips excitedly as she looked through her things.

It was a fruitless endeavor. The pack was barely large enough to hold three day's rations, and couldn't possibly contain anything that would-

"There we are," the priestess huffed, pulling a dress and a pair of shoes out of her pack. She twirled to meet Eric's incredulous gaze, holding the garment up for his perusal.

"Uh... where did that come from?"

Erika pursed her lips. "My pack," she innocently answered. "T'was a gift from a sorceress. It holds twenty-fold what ya think it would; forty, mayhaps. 'Tis truly a blessed thing for a travelin' priestess."

Ah. Casual sorcery, then. Eric pretended that he wasn't impressed.

"But does the dress hold up to your noble standards, my lord?" she asked him, once again discarding her peasant's drawl. The garment was a simple thing and undeniably modest, made of blue fabric with brown stitching. Eric nodded his consent, getting a contagious smile out of her. "Then I shall change. You may watch on me, if you wish."

"I probably shouldn't," he gruffly replied, clearing his throat.

Erika brought her forefinger to her lips, again bending at the waist. "I won't tell a soul," she whispered to him, fluttering her lashes flirtatiously.

To Eric's dismay, he actually did ponder on it for a moment, before deciding that his bonds of matrimony were more important. So he stood up, folded his arms, and turned his back on the priestess.

It was a fight between two gods really; the god of devotion and the goddess of lust, one completely noble, and the other created solely to sow chaos. The priestess didn't vocalize any disapproval to his choice, and the sounds of her clothes hitting the floor just after made it apparent that she didn't mind.

Eric's wife, however, would be pounded into oblivion this afternoon. Of that he was sure.

"Decent," Erika informed him two minutes later. Eric turned to meet her.

'Decent' wasn't the half of it. The new blue dress fell all the way to her ankles, showing none of her skin that Eric was now used to, as well as similarly covering her arms and breasts. The priestess had even tied her hair in a bun, deciding to wear it up like everyone else, rather than down like a whore or a sorceress. In fact, the only hint that there was more to her than met the eyes was the single rose she wore tucked behind her ear.

"Gods damn. Alright. I can show this Erika the castle," he playfully conceded.

"You can?! Oh thank you, my lord," Erika sarcastically replied, curtseying properly for him. The two of them then heard Jenna's footsteps as she hastily descended the stairs, and both souls turned in her direction.

"Well, Eric and 'ka, this will be far simpler than anticipated," an excited sorceress eagerly explained as she rushed towards Erika, holding out a white vial for her. "You merely need to drink this to be instantly cured of your affliction! Aren't modern magics just grand?!"

-=-=-

Eric kept his word to the priestess, taking her to town once they said their goodbyes to Jenna. Erika rode atop his chestnut mare as they made their way over the western drawbridge, Eric walking beside them and leading the horse by the reins. Proof of his lordship came quickly, what with the guards at the western gate bowing to him as they passed.

"Hail, Lord Eric."

"Gentlemen," he nodded, glancing at the giggling and blushing Erika just after.

"Hey. Don't laugh. I could have bribed them, too," he smirked.

"And still he teases me!" Erika giggled harder. "You're too much, twin Eric." What a delight she was to have around, he thought, as they entered the city proper.

The city of Moradria was a rare sight this far east, what with its burgeoning population of near sixteen-thousand souls. The city's castle had been built atop a towering rock almost two-hundred years ago, a rock so sturdy that it split the rushing Sapphire River into two parts. The two ends of the river rejoined but a few miles downstream, creating a natural moat that made besieging the city nigh-impossible. The castle, meanwhile, resting atop its daunting fifty-foot cliff and ringed by another set of walls, could called impregnable.

But, that's where they were going on this fine summer day, Erika's cheerful gaze never given rest as she looked about the markets and musicians of Moradria, and Eric greeting the many a soul who he'd been acquainted with over the years. The people were in a joyous mood this week, what with Midsummer being but a couple sunsets away. With the Solstice came revelry, dance, song, and so much drink that the day after had to be called a holiday as well. And what was not to love? Last year's harvest had been bountiful beyond measure, and Eric's father had only called for half the usual tax in the spring, much to the surprise of all. Times were good in the Duchy.

They soon turned away from town and made their way up the road to the castle, a narrow set of switchbacks carved into the side of the rock. Once at the top - and the pair had passed another three postings of soldiers - Eric helped the priestess off his horse, tied the mare to a hitching post, and left his things there. No man would ever touch them here, especially beside Eric's favored steed. Erika did the same.

He then decided to lead Erika around the side of the castle, venturing through the gardens rather than enter through the main gate; mostly to avoid his father. Instead, they entered the keep through its postern gate located towards the rear, and made their way through the barely-decorated hall within.

"See, Erika? A true lord would have gone through the front," he dryly reasoned.

"Stop it, ya dolt!" she exclaimed, slapping his arm. "I swear, I'll never believe a word ya say, ever, ever again. I know you're jus' embarrassed of me."

"Nooo. That's not-"

"May I remind the Lord Eric that he married but three months ago?" a gruff voice suddenly asked from behind. The two of them spun around quickly, guiltily, meeting the harsh gaze of a white-haired and aging man dressed in the colors of the Duchy.

"Chancellor!" Eric warmly greeted the man as he trode nearer. "I'm offended that you would assume I had any intentions to break said vows."

The Chancellor glanced at Erika before returning his squint to the young lord. "And what else should I assume, Eric, when I find you sneaking about the halls with such a comely maid?"

"Comely or no, she's but a priestess and a friend. And was it not you who told me to make good with the gods?" Eric impishly replied, sharing a smirking chuckle with the man just after. He introduced the two souls.

"Erika, this is Chancellor Cedric, a man who's served my family for longer than I've been alive. Cedric, this Erika; a priestess of-" don't say Fiona, "of Pelagius."

"A pleasure, Erika," Cedric bowed.

"Pleasure's all mine, my lord," she smiled so brightly, curtseying like a noblewoman. It took more than a second for Cedric's eyes to leave her adorable visage, but when he did he raised a scolding finger at Eric.

"Introduce her to your wife, so that no rumors are presented to her from another's mouth. And for the gods' sakes, Eric; don't sneak around your own castle," he gruffly chided him.

"I will! I won't," Eric replied with a playful indignation. The Chancellor groaned, waved him off, and let them continue about their merry way.

Erika glanced to her rear but a minute later, to ensure the Chancellor was out of sight. She then playfully bumped into Eric as they walked. "I'm gonna meet your Lushy-anna? That should go over well," she giggled.

"Luciana, and, in due time. I want to show you something first."

He led her further down the bare stone hallway, turning left down a smaller passage flanked by another pair of guards. This hall was even darker and more spartan than the first, with not even a carpet laid out on the floor. It only held a single door as well, nondescript and gargantuan at the very end of the passage. Eric led her there.

"And where does that door lead, I wonder?" Erika sweetly said.

"To the vaults of Moradria," Eric seriously replied. "I want to show you something unique today. Wanted you to get a taste of what true inequity looks like. Who knows? Next time you're here, I might be Duke, and these vaults might be considerably less rich."

"How come?"

"Because the gods have told us many a time that greed is a sin. Because I've learned in my years that the true wealth of Moradria comes not from its gems, but its people."

"S'not what I heard," Erika husked, teasing him. "And do ya always show the girls your vaults, twin Eric?"

"Only those who would be impressed by its size. So, yeah," Eric boorishly replied. He retrieved a key from his pocket and unlocked the door, the massive tumblers within making audible clicks and clanks as he twisted. He held the door open for the priestess.

"Ladies first," he said. Erika cutely pursed her lips and glanced about the hall, as if she were looking for a maid to fit said criteria, before Eric laughed and pushed her inside. He followed her in, making sure to lock the door behind him.

The two of them then tread down many a stone step leading to the subterranean vault, hidden away within the gigantic rock that the castle stood upon. The passage only got darker, darker, and almost pitch black before any semblance of the day returned once they had reached the bottom, where light beams streamed in through a couple of tiny slits in the ceiling, serving as vents for the vault. Their footsteps echoed in the dark, and Eric could barely see Erika but five feet in front of him before he took a torch from the wall and lit it, revealing the chamber in all its splendor.

The wealth of Moradria came from its sapphire mines, truthfully. The room they were now standing in was about forty feet in width and a hundred-and-two in length, and near half of it was filled by three-foot piles of glimmering gemstones in blue and pink, sorted by color and size.

"Oh... my goodness..." Erika muttered in surprise, her wide, green eyes shining just as brightly under the torchlight. "Eric... you could buy the world with this..."

"Maybe. My father once told me that if we took them all out at once, that bread would be worth more than sapphires by volume. Inflations, or something. So, we... keep them all down here, but for one in ten that go to the Emperor instead."

Erika treaded softly between the piles of stones, raking her hand along them as if to verify their existence, the gems clicking and clacking against one other as she disturbed their ever-slumber.

"Gods... there's more here than there's stars in the sky," she whispered incredulously.

"A thousand-thousand more, perhaps. Do you want one?"

She twirled towards him, grinning ear-to-ear. "Are they... yours to give?" she asked, also incredulously.

"No. But I'll take responsibility for its loss," he truthfully replied.

The priestess rocked her head side-to-side, likely pondering the ramifications of almost-theft with her goddess; a decision which took all of a second.

"Yes!" she giggled, casually pulling on Eric's wrist to bring his torchlight closer to the nearest pile. She took a stone from the top - a two-inch wide, uncut sapphire - and examined it by flamelight for a moment before quickly hiding it in her bosom.

"Gratitude, Eric. Seriously," she whispered with furrowed brow, fixing her dress.

He shrugged. "You should see the one at the end. It's bigger than me, I think, and certainly bigger than you. The Star of Moradria, we call-"

Eric cut himself off when he heard a bang of metal-on-stone, the door to the vault being opened at the top of the stairs. He hastily snuffed out his torch and grabbed Erika's hand, leading her to a corner of the chamber to crouch behind a pile of sapphires. He leaned into her, cupping her ear with his hand.

"I shouldn't've brought you here. Be quiet," he whispered to her.

Who in the hells would come down here? The treasurer, mayhaps? Was it already audit season? Eric could make out two shadows in the dark, making their way down the middle row of the chamber, one looking suspiciously like his father.

"By the gods. Thought that ingrate would never stop moanin' about his pigs."

Oh, it was his father. That was a relief. Eric figured he wouldn't be in for too much of a scolding if he were to find him. But, who was he with?

"He's a pig farmer, Ned. What else would he have to moan about?"

Luciana? Eric was set adrift once again. What business would his father and his wife have down here?

"Come on. I want you to fuck me on the Star today," Luciana then said, her soft words filled with glee.

... Huh?

"Like I'd ever risk the Star," he heard his father chuckle. Luciana's shadow spun away from him, and she ran her hand through a pile of sapphires, forcing many to clatter against stone. "I brought a pillow this time, Luce. That's all you're getting."

"But I thought you loved me?" Luciana husked, throwing a flirtatious inflection into her voice that Eric had never heard before. "Come on-nn! We've not much time 'til Eric returns from his hunt! One or two days, I reckon. Then you'll never have a chance with me."

The two shadows then embraced. Tightly. And Eric's heart plunged in his chest.

"One or two days is all I need to put a babe in you, Luce," he heard his father mutter before those two shadows kissed. Passionately. His father squeezing Luciana's ass. Eric's hands trembling with a rage he'd never felt before.

"I'm afraid not, love," Luciana replied as they broke their kiss. "I won't be fertile for another half-moon, I fear. But, perhaps you can send him out on another task? What was the last one again? A survey of the northern reaches?" she chortled.

"Yes. Perhaps it's time for the east to be surveyed," Edward laughed heartily, leading Luciana by the hand further into the chamber.

Eric had heard enough of this. He clenched his fists and rose to his feet, deciding now the time to confer his wrath. He would show them, show them both that -- that Erika grabbed his wrist.

He glanced at her, finding her wide-eyed and slowly shaking her head, mouthing "No," to him. She then thrust her thumb over her shoulder, pointing towards the vault's exit. Eric jerked his arm away from her.

He would show them both that he was not one to trifle with. Their lives would be extinguished, their souls banished from-

"Let's go!" Erika softly-but-emphatically demanded of him, grabbing his wrist once again.

"Rail the pillow, Ned! You're takin' me on the Star!" his wife exclaimed from far away.

Eric wasn't sure what happened then. He hadn't been thinking of anything but vengeance. Yet, the sincerity in Erika's eyes must have stayed his hand, his heart, his everything from crashing down in that instant. He must have followed her to the entrance. Must have been led up the stairs. Must have been told by Erika to give her the key, or something, for they left the vault and rejoined the world once more, just as the screams of his wife began to echo through the chamber.