Larunalia

"I can't be Gelnadyar," Kir whispered and was horrified at the tremor in her voice. Vitalia blinked slowly, her lips parting in surprise. Kir sat up straight, took a deep breath and forged on, more firmly this time. "I'm not...I can't be the Consort. I'm not going to be appropriate, I hate these clothes, and the priestesses make me nervous. I just...can't." She folded her lips in and wondered how the Eluuar of Lura, the death-deity, would deal with someone who had refused to be their consort.

Vitalia dropped her gaze to her plate. "I understand," she said and that was definitely not what Kir had been expecting. The shock must have been plain on her face, because when Vitalia looked up once more, she huffed a little in dry amusement.

"Do you know where I'm from? Shevalir?" Vitalia reached for a plate of pudding, cutting it into slices. She took up one of the larger pieces and placed it in a clean plate, holding it out to Kir.

Kir reached out so slowly, for she felt a bit confused at the direction of the conversation. "Yes," she answered as she inspected the sweet. "My sister's mother had a craving for some cheese from Shevalir when she was pregnant."

"Yes! The cheese of Shevalir, that's what we're known for!" Vitalia laughed. There was something clear and bright about the sound, when she laughed so openly. Kir found that she wouldn't mind hearing it again.

"I loved living in Shevalir. I was normal, you understand?" Vitalia picked up a spoon and dug into her pudding, retrieving a large piece of dried fruit. "My friend had a pet winged lizard, it was such a playful thing. It would fly so high and let itself fall like a rock! And when it got near the ground again, it would flap its wings and zoom along the ground." She popped the fruit into her mouth and chewed in a contemplative fashion.

"Sounds like fun," Kir said, because it did sound nice. Everyone knew the story of how the Eluuar revealed herself, but to hear it directly from her was an experience in itself.

"One day, the little lizard crashed into a rock." Vitalia searched for another piece of fruit, pouting slightly when she couldn't find any more. "My friend cried so hard, but...its energy was still very close by, so I just held it and pulled it back in. I didn't want it to go." She cleared her throat and covered her mouth. When she removed her hand, a piece of pudding stuck just below her lip.

"My friends all ran away. I didn't know at the time that my hair changed colour. They got over it, though, and the rest of the village was fine. Until the priestesses came for me." Vitalia shrugged. "I haven't been home since that time."

Kir frowned at that. "Never?" She reached out and cupped Vitalia's jaw with one hand, using her thumb to brush the bit of food away. Vitalia looked at her with that clear gaze. Her skin was warm against the palm of Kir's hand. She thought the Eluuar would be cold as ice, like how her hands had been when she'd touched Kir in the Great Hall, but now she was just as warm as anyone.

Just was warm as normal.

"I am the Eluuar," Vitalia said, and Kir to feel the movement of her frail jaw. "I have responsibilities. Sometimes I hate them, and I don't want to do them, but I have to. I understand what it's like to be told who you are, and you really don't want it. And," she said, pulling away from Kir's touch, "I don't want you to be afraid of me when you're near me."

"I'm not afraid of you," Kir said before her brain agreed to release that statement. She sat back as Vitalia gave her a look of scepticism. "I mean, it's easy to be afraid of you, you're the Eluuar. And I was, at first. But I'm getting over it, I would say." She winked at Vitalia, not quite believing her own daring. "The meal you made for me is going a long way, I suppose."

Vitalia gaped at Kir. Then, she tilted her head back and laughed long and hard, gripping her side with one hand. Kir smiled; it hadn't been that funny, not to her, but it was really nice to see the Eluuar in such good spirits. Tears of mirth ran down Vitalia's cheeks and she wiped at them helplessly, her laughter petering out to soft chuckles.

She reached out, pushing aside their used plates to take Kir's hands in hers. Her dark fingers fit so nicely against Kir's paler skin. "You're the Consort. But you don't have to be by my side, right?"

"I'm sure the priestesses wouldn't agree," Kir pointed out. Vitalia wrinkled her nose, dismissively.

"I'll deal with them. Just...you be the Consort wherever you want to be, and keep safe. Don't go getting yourself chopped into pieces." Vitalia grinned at her, but there was a sad tinge to it. When she tried to let go of Kir's hands, Kir rotated them rapidly at the wrist so she ended up holding Vitalia's hands in hers.

"Maybe if I was more than just the Consort," Kir said, slowly picking her way through the words as she pondered at the same time. Arla didn't really need her anymore; and the priestesses were nearly as watchful as Kir, if not more. She liked her job as a sentinel; it was nice but...

"More?" Vitalia cut in through her thoughts. She tilted her head, her expression curious, and some of her silver hair settled against the curve of her neck.

"I could be your personal sentinel," Kir said. "Watch your back." She rolled her eyes when Vitalia's curiosity melted to sheer indulgence. "Yes, I know you're the Eluuar, but you still need companions. And I think you need better security, too."

Vitalia said, "You're right," and she laced her fingers with Kir's. She smiled widely.

"I am?" Kir nodded quickly. "Yes, I am. So, I make sure that you're not bothered all the time and, uh, assassinated, and I can be the Consort at the same time."

"It's very difficult for someone to assassinate me," Vitalia said in a light, musing tone. "But not impossible. I definitely need more effective security than just the consorts, and the ghouls and so on."

Kir looked at her, just observing her face for a moment. She wondered if Vitalia was just humouring her, but the Eluuar appeared perfectly serious; it seemed as if she wanted Kir to be happy.

"All right," Kir said in a rush of breath, more to herself than anything else. "All right. I'm yours, then. Your Consort."

Vitalia's face lit up. It was so odd, because she wasn't smiling, not really; but her whole being was transcendent. In a hazy moment she was absolutely stunning, just like the stories of Lura's unearthly beauty. Kir blinked and Vitalia's face regained its ordinary state once more.

"I'm glad to hear that," Vitalia said, her voice very solemn, but her eyes shone with delight.

+

Chapter 3: At the Necrohal

Kir woke up quickly, a habit that had never been a part of her natural speed. She'd had to train herself to wake up in such a manner, in case the captain roused her squad against intruders to Laru-lel. She wasn't in the dormitories, though. The smell was different, and even though it was dark there was the sensation of a wide room. She was definitely not in the cramped room assigned to her in the Towers.

The memory of the past few weeks flooded her mind; the room wasn't moving, so she wasn't in the massive carriage of the Eluuar, going from city to city and presented as the Consort during the remainder of Luranalia. It had been tiring, and mostly people had wanted to gawk at the Eluuar. However, in the city of Prial, there had been fanatics who had wanted to take a piece of the Eluuar's clothing as a charm. Kir's sentinel training had been put to the test, for the crowd had pressed in close and sharp knives had been brought into play. Kir had had to disarm at least seventeen zealots, and tried to ignore the whispers of "Gelnadyar! Gelnadyar!" that followed the rapid flashing of her sword.

Vitalia's reaction to all of that excitement had been a small smile beneath that beaded veil, and a quick touch to Kir's hand when they had climbed back into the carriage. The Eluuar could have easily reduced the devotees to dust if they had attempted to harm her, but Kir had begun to realise that Vitalia tried to keep a very tight rein on her frightful powers.

"Thank you, Bahjkir," Vitalia had murmured.

"That's what I'm here for," had been Kir's response. She'd had to pull her gaze away from the sweet curve of Vitalia's mouth. As they travelled, they'd talked to each other, and played games. Kir discovered that Vitalia had an underhanded sense of humour, and she didn't mind losing at games at all. The Eluuar was more open to children and older folk, and had a particular soft spot for animals. Kir also found out that underneath the piles of silky ceremonial robes worn by the Eluuar, Vitalia was surprisingly curvy, with a small waist, wide hips and nicely shaped breasts.

That revelation had been by accident, really. They'd been staying at a temple on the outskirts of Prial, and when Kir had knocked on the door, the blasted wraith had given her access. Vitalia had been getting dressed for the morning, standing by the bed in her sheer underclothes as Malon pulled out garments from the travelling trunk. Vitalia was short, yes, but that seemed to only enhance the sensual lines of her figure.

"Sorry!" Kir had blurted out before retreating with great alacrity. She'd glared at the door, which had emanated a contrite air, and didn't look Vitalia in the eye for the rest of the day. If she did, then her cock would have probably gone hard again as it did at the sight of Vitalia's nipples clearly outlined in the thin material. She had large, dark areolas, and Kir could almost detect their taste in her mouth, just by thinking about it.

Now, a bell tolled in the distance and Kir remembered: she was finally at the Necrohal. She stretched a little and then froze when a smaller but solid body rolled against her side. Right, there was also the fact that somehow, Vitalia had convinced her to stay in the private rooms of the Eluuar.

"Your quarters aren't quite ready yet," Vitalia had pointed out. "And I do need my personal sentinel at my side."

"Who would dare attack you in the Necrohal?" Kir had wondered out loud, even though she smiled to soften the sarcasm in her voice. Vitalia had raised both eyebrows with suspicious innocence.

Kir had kept to one side of the bed and Vitalia at the other. Now, they were both in the middle, and Vitalia cuddled even more against Kir's side. One of her hands crept onto Kir's flat stomach and laid there, small fingers splayed loosely. She murmured in her sleep and rocked her hips slightly. Kir let out a soft groan, and her cock began to perk up in interest.

The door-wraith rose up out of its light slumber. While Kir couldn't see them, recently she found that she could sense their presence, like warm oscillations in the air. Each wraith, ghoul and spectre had a different vibration; they were very distinct to her now, even at the individual level, and Kir made an effort to remember their names.

"We're fine, Oloi," she whispered and it hummed before settling back into whatever passed as sleep for wraiths. She took Vitalia's hand by the wrist and placed it in front of her, before she shifted away slightly and tried to go back to sleep. Vitalia moved closer again, and her hand returned to its spot on Kir's stomach. However, instead of staying there, it began to drift down towards Kir's crotch.

"Vitalia?" Kir whispered, wrapping her fingers around the trespassing wrist again. Her eyesight began to acclimate to the darkness, and she could see Vitalia raise her head a little.

"Yes?" Vitalia responded in a sleep-blurry voice.

"Your hand," Kir told her. "It's...touching me," she finished and made a face at how childish that sounded.

"It's...oh. Touching you. I'm so sorry." Vitalia tugged her hand out of Kir's grasp and wriggled backwards, leaving a cold column of space between them. She lay on her back and flung an arm over her eyes. "Sorry. Go back to sleep."

Kir took one deep breath, then another. Vitalia didn't touch others, unless she really wanted to. Kir reached out and held onto her wrist again, pulling her close.

Kir kissed her before she could say anything. Vitalia's lips parted under hers without resistance, and she kissed back eagerly. Kir plucked up the hem of her thin night-gown and stroked the fleshy, shorn lips of her cunt. Vitalia whimpered in the back of her throat as Kir's fingers rubbed light circles over the nub of her clit; when Kir pushed even further, Vitalia's pussy throbbed wetly around her fingers.

Roughly, Vitalia pulled at the tie in the front of Kir's night-robe. When it parted, she pushed her free hand in and grabbed Kir's cock, stroking it with a complete lack of timidity. Her palm was dry, and Kir broke their frantic kiss with a sound that was a mixture of a groan and a laugh. She took that other hand and licked Vitalia's palm from wrist to fingers. When she released the small wrist from her grip, Vitalia grasped her cock again and gave it a long, slippery stroke.

"Better?" Vitalia asked, her eyes gleaming in the dark.

"Much better," Kir agreed and went for her mouth again. She thrust into Vitalia's grip as she fingered her, and bit at Vitalia's bottom lip. Vitalia laughed, and bit her back. In playful retaliation, Kir snatched at the hand which fondled her cock, and pinned both of them over Vitalia's head.

"Don't move," she said and slide down Vitalia's body, releasing her hands to push open her legs. She stroked Vitalia's labia with her thumbs, pulled them apart and bent close to lick up and down the slit in a slow, wet line. Vitalia's hips jerked when Kir used the point of her tongue to tap her clit. Kir reached for her prick with one hand, squeezing it now and again at the base. She didn't want to come as yet.

Vitalia moaned something, words garbled. She grabbed onto the sides of Kir's head, grinding up onto Kir's mouth and lapping tongue. Kir worked at her feverishly, enjoying the gush of Vitalia's juices. Suddenly, Vitalia's thighs clamped at the sides of her head and her whole body shuddered as she released sharp little cries. Kir withstood her orgasm stoically; she'd been through worse during sentinel training, anyway. Besides, it didn't take long for Vitalia's body to cease spasming. She relaxed, and Kir sat back on her heels, wiping at the moisture smeared across her mouth with the palm of her hand. With some satisfaction, she surveyed Vitalia's loose-limbed body. She'd done that to the Eluuar, a being known to demolish entire buildings in between one breath and the next.

Vitalia's eyes had been closed, and she opened them, licking her lips as she watched Kir slowly fist her prick. She sat up with a soft, content groan and pulled off her night-dress completely. Then, she went back on her elbows, drew up her knees and let her legs fall apart. Kir shifted up until she was close enough to rub the flared head off her cock along Vitalia's spit-slicked labia.

"Stop teasing," Vitalia complained in a breathless whisper after she heaved her hips up to get Kir's cock deeper inside, and Kir had pulled away playfully. "Come on."

Kir didn't give her a chance to speak again. Quickly, she braced her fists on either side of Vitalia's head, her night-robe draping down on one side and pushed inside her with one long, steady plunge. She didn't meet any resistance, nor did she expect any. To watch Vitalia's head fall back was a pleasure, and Kir pulled back almost all the way out, and thrust in again, sharper this time. She lunged again and again into the tight, wet warmth of Vitalia's cunt, grunting every time the cradle of their hips met. Her knees slipped on the smooth surface of the sheets and she paused to steady herself, feeling trails of sweat down her cheeks and the middle of her back. Vitalia stared up at her, panting. Her hair lay in a tangled mess across the pile of pillows. Kir reached between them, running her thumb against the swollen lips of Vitalia's cunt stretched over her thick cock.

Surging up, Vitalia threw her arms around Kir's neck and almost blindly sought out her mouth again. Kir sat back on her heels, bringing the smaller woman with her. Vitalia shuddered and moaned brokenly as she slid down on Kir's prick. She wrapped her legs around Kir's waist, and they were so close now; their breasts mashed together, both of Kir's arms holding Vitalia tightly. Vitalia's hair tickled Kir's skin: the backs of her arms, her shoulders, those silver tresses seemed to be everywhere. Kir was so deep inside, and she put the muscles of her thighs to good use, jabbing up into Vitalia with a merciless rhythm. With every push, Vitalia released a truncated gasp and at one point sobbed, "Kir!" The walls of her pussy clenched tight and seemed to ripple around Kir's cock.

Kir came hard. The cadence of their movement sped up and disintegrated to rough, graceless bucking. Kir grunted as her seed flooded Vitalia's body and she jerked helplessly with every spurt. Spent, she managed to loosen her grip on Vitalia, letting her settle back on the bed before collapsing beside her, closing her eyes. She truly meant to get up and find a bit of cloth to wipe away the mingled come from their bodies, but her body disregarded all her weary commands.

The door click open, a quiet noise in comparison to the way Kir heaved for breath. Something warm brushed over her cock; she barely opened her eyes and watched as Vitalia carefully dabbed at her groin, before attending to her own crotch. She held up the used cloth and it twirled out of her hand, floating off to the bathing room.

Too content to feel embarrassed, Kir murmured: "Was there a ghoul out there the whole time?"

Vitalia chuckled. "No. I called for it to fetch me a cloth, just now." She lay near to Kir, but didn't touch her. Kir appreciated that. Her skin still felt a bit oversensitive, and despite the natural chill of the Necrohal, she was hot at the moment.

Kir rolled onto her side, facing her. "You called it with your mind?"

"I suppose?" Vitalia answered and shrugged, even though she lay on her side as well, both hands clasped under her cheek.

"If anyone chooses to attack now, I'll be completely useless," Kir pointed out, reaching out to trail her fingers down Vitalia's bare shoulder, and the soft skin of her arm. "It will be all your fault."

Vitalia grinned widely. "I'll just have to watch your back, then," and laughed out loud when Kir gave her a quick pinch.

fin