Tales of Alavern 02 (Non-Canon)

"Uh...er..." she stuttered out, trying to get her thoughts back on track. "Excuse me, but what are those words you mentioned? Ballpark and boxing?"

"Oh boy." Cyrus muttered under his breath at her question. She cocked an eyebrow in confusion, wondering what he could possibly be so exasperated by.

Chapter 3

Brianna marched through the streets of the city, her stern expression warding off those who would typically greet her when she was on patrol. She had been happy to lose herself in her work, dealing seriously with whatever minor crimes or disturbances that she came across with a bit more vigor than she probably should have. It was working to keep her mind away from the memory of seeing Naomi in bed with the king, so she embraced it fully.

Alexis had been chosen as her partner for today and had been quiet except to assist in assuring their fellow Verni that the man they had seen dragged through the streets was no danger to them and that he was being contained safely in the palace. It wasn't yet common knowledge that the man who had been a captive the previous day now sat upon the throne and none of the few who did know wished to cause a panic. They would figure out how to share the news later, after they figured out how to control the inevitable panic that would ensue.

Alexis kept glancing nervously at her superior officer every now and again as they patrolled, a question obviously on her lips that never seemed to quite make it out into the open. Brianna growled, irritated by the behavior but unwilling to field questions about the king from her soldier on top of the many questions from civilians. She kept shooting glares at Alexis that would make her reconsider saying anything for a short while, but eventually...

"Are you okay, Captain?" she asked Brianna when they were a ways from the city, out of earshot of the civilians. Brianna whipped around to face her soldier, hearing the sincere concern in her voice matched by the expression on her face. "Is the new king so distressing, or is your distress caused by keeping the secret of his status from our people?"

"I.." Brianna started to reply, biting her lip to silence herself as she thought about whether or not she cared to actually respond to the question. Her mother had always told her that bottling things up would never help her, but she was hesitant to reveal the weakness of heart that had overcome her this morning. Her emotions were still threatening to plague her and send her whimpering back into that ball she had been stuck in against the wall.

"Are the rumors true then?" Alexis asked, distress apparent in her own voice now. Brianna looked at her soldier with confusion and concern before voicing the question on her lips.

"What rumors?" Brianna asked.

"There are rumors that the man...forced our former queen to share his bed last night. Several servants reported noises in the night and none of the soldiers have been able to find evidence that she slept somewhere other than the royal chambers last night." Alexis said, visible anger becoming clear on her face. "Crown or no crown, such a crime is inexcusable if it turns out to be true."

Brianna found herself growling again, upset for a great many reasons. As fantastic an opportunity to rid themselves of the king via revolution it would be, she couldn't lie to her people. There was no doubt in her mind that the king and former queen had shared a bed last night, in every sense of the word, but the looks and peace she had found them in that morning clearly told her that all parties were very much willing. Even if she had no direct evidence that they had slept together, her knowledge of Naomi and impressions of Cyrus couldn't let her believe so. No, it wouldn't do to lie about what the king did to Naomi last night no matter how tempting it was to do so.

"No. I can safely say after checking in with the both of them this morning that the king did not force himself on our former queen." Brianna said, gritting her teeth. "While it's clear that they both slept in the same bed, I feel that sleeping is all they did last night." she lied, looking away from Alexis as she did. "Naomi seemed very calm, despite everything so I believe they were in discussions last night and fell asleep since she had no room of her own with the sudden transition in power."

"I see." Alexis replied, holding her chin in thought. "That certainly does address the sources of the rumors." Brianna silently sighed in relief, glad to have avoided that particular rumor from spreading. "But it doesn't explain why you're quite so tense today, Captain." Brianna flinched involuntarily, hearing the unspoken question in Alexis' words and silently cursing her intelligence. She decided to shut down the conversation entirely, lest Alexis pry her heart back open to breaking again.

"I fear the coming storm. In one day, our entire world has changed and I feel...unprepared." Brianna said, quickening their pace. "I hope my fears are unfounded but I highly doubt they are. Now come, I want to finish our patrol today and our pace has been abysmal so far."

"Yes Captain." Alexis said, returning to silence as they made their way over towards the shoreline where they had found Cyrus yesterday. A part of her dreaded returning there. Not only for the memories it brought up of how he had become king, but also for the fear that she might find another man there one day. Perhaps even many men. Sure, the one man had proven...alright, but he could merely be the exception that proves the rule their society has had since its inception; men are monsters.

Chapter 4

"You truly spent the night in the same bed as that monster, Lady Naomi?" one of the servant girls asked, her eyes wide as she covered her mouth with one hand. Naomi sighed, rolling her eyes as the two of them walked through the halls together. She had expected these sorts of questions but no longer found herself quite so comfortable with the tone used by her former subjects spoke of the man they didn't yet know was king.

"He's not a monster." Naomi replied, barely managing to keep the irritation out of her voice. "And yes, we did spend the night together. It was surprisingly comfortable and I slept very well."

"But he's a man." the servant replied, her tone stuck in disbelief.

"He's a sweet man, who has a much bigger heart than any of us had the courage to give him credit for until he fought for it." Naomi said. The servant girl had gone silent and looked away from the former queen. Naomi bit her lip, thinking of the right words to diffuse the girl's tension. "I do not know if he is proof that men have changed in the hundreds of years since the Great Mother gave us our sanctuary, or if he's merely the exception that proves the rule. I know only that he fought well, acted honorably and has done nothing so far to abuse his newfound position."

"Forgive my insolence but.." the servant said hesitantly, turning back to face the former queen, "It sounds as though you care for this man, my lady." Naomi blinked, silent for a moment at hearing the accusation. She pondered the consequences and how she felt after everything that had happened the past day and a half.

"I suppose I do." the former queen said, a bit surprised herself at the revelation. The servant girl gasped out, looking at Naomi with wide eyes. "Oh enough of that. It's not as though I've married him. I simply admit that I've come to care for him, now that I've started to get to know him. Though maybe I should marry him. It's not as though any other who has shared my bed has been worthy of my hand before."

"Oh my." the servant girl said, blushing a bit and averting her eyes. "I must admit surprise, highness. I had thought that if you were to ever consider someone worthy of your bed and hand, it would be the Captain. You two always seemed so close."

"We are, but I suppose that simply wasn't in the stars." Naomi replied, pausing a moment before speaking to her again. "Shouldn't you be getting back to work now?"

"Of course. Be well, your highness." the servant girl replied, curtsying before she left. Naomi sighed once she was alone, more bothered by the girl's comment about herself and Brianna than she cared to admit. They had been inseparable growing up, and of course Naomi developed feelings for her best friend, but they never seemed to get reciprocated no matter how obvious she thought she was being. Brianna only ever seemed to find passion in her work, though her friendship had stayed true and the two of them were still inseparable even as adults.

There had been attempts to push things further though. A few times she had even brought a woman to bed, just to see if Brianna would care. Maybe even become jealous and admit feelings that Naomi hoped she had, but nothing had ever come of it. It had become frustrating to an absurd degree and Naomi had eventually given up the hope of having more than a good friendship with Brianna. They had both become consumed in their work, in Naomi's case in an attempt not to think about what she couldn't have.

"Enough." she growled quietly to herself. She had taken this walk with the hope of giving the new king some much needed space before the two of them would have to discuss the difficult matter of what to do moving forward. What she had hoped to be a relaxing stroll to clear her head had become a session of walking around the palace, answering the questions of every servant who came near about the man who had been granted shelter in the palace. She had nearly let slip the truth about the loss of her crown and every time someone would refer to her as "highness", her heart would ache slightly.

She hadn't realized how much her title had meant to her until it had been taken. Now, she felt like there was a piece of herself missing. She felt a little lost and didn't want to admit that she was scared, especially now as she found herself in front of the doors to her chambers. She braced herself, taking a deep breath before grabbing the handle and entering the room.

"What do you mean, it grows?" Megara asked, eyeing down a very naked and uncomfortable-looking Cyrus. He was currently keeping the Head Physic from grabbing his cock, slapping her hands away every time she attempted it. It was taking everything in Naomi's power not to laugh at the ridiculous sight.

"Stop trying to grab it and I'll tell you!" he shouted back, slapping her hands away again. He noticed Naomi standing in the doorway, looking like she was moments away from falling over laughing. "Naomi, please help." he begged with puppy dog eyes. She shook her head and stepped towards Megara, who regarded her only a moment before turning back to Cyrus.

"Alright, alright. You have help now so I'll stop as you wish if you'll tell me how on Alavern that thing grows bigger." Megara said in her usual professional tone.

"Well, when a man gets...aroused, blood flows to it and causes it to expand and become more firm. That makes it easier to...well..." he stopped speaking, blushing like crazy and clearly uncomfortable. Naomi couldn't help the snicker that escaped her at the sight of him, deciding to assist him before he died of embarrassment.

"It's their sexual organ. It grows hard so it can be inserted more easily, like a big, meaty finger that sprays sexual fluid when sufficiently pleasured." she said to Megara. "As I remember, you told me it was called cum?" she finished, turning to Cyrus. He sighed in relief, thankful for her assistance.

"Well, the scientific term would be sperm but most people call it cum where I'm from. We tend to make up words for everything and call it slang. We're silly like that." he said, smiling as he went to grab his pants which were hanging off the nearby chair. Megara was busy writing everything she had been told down onto a scroll she had brought along and Naomi saw several others littering the bed. There were diagrams as well as several notes that Megara had written down. She didn't understand all of it, but looked forward to reading it whenever Megara finally finished.

"I've been meaning to ask, where is Las Vegas? I looked through our oldest records to find some mention of it but found nothing. Is it perhaps near Uragard? I wish to understand the culture you come from." Megara asked, still scribbling her notes away.

"Can we pick that up another time? I've been standing here naked in front of you for at least an hour and a half now. I would like very much to get back to wearing clothes and trying to come to terms with my new normal." he said as he put his pants back on. Megara looked disappointed by silently acquiesced, giving him a slight bow before turning back towards her notes. The Head Physic packed up and left in moments, likely to continue her musings in private, and Naomi found herself alone in her room once again with the man she had lost her crown to the day before.

"An hour and a half alone with Megara when she has something new to study and you're still sane? Clearly I underestimated you, Cyrus." Naomi teased, laughing softly.

"I used to be the same way as her, believe it or not. I thought I was gonna grow up to be a scientist when I was just a kid. I still love learning about new things, even now. Though I definitely didn't become a scientist." he replied, laughing along with her for a moment before his expression turned kind and sympathetic again. "So how are you doing?"

"Are you going to constantly be concerned for my well-being the entire time you're on the isles?" Naomi asked, smirking at him.

"Yeah." he said in a completely casual tone. "I care about other people. It's just how I am. I'll probably continue wondering if you're doing well even if I do ever make it back home. Well, you and the handful of other people I've talked to since coming here." Naomi stared at him a bit dumbfounded, almost unable to believe that before her stood the same fierce warrior who had defeated her unarmed. She understood a little bit of why he was this way after they had talked both last night and this morning, but still...

"Your existence baffles me, Cyrus." she finished her thought out loud. He smiled at her while pulling his shirt back on before replying.

"That'll go away as you get to know me. Though I'll probably never stop seeming weird." he said, laughing softly as he finished speaking. "So what have you been up to all morning? Figure out whatever was bugging you after Brianna left?" Naomi looked at him in surprise.

"Was it that easy to tell?" she asked, sighing. He gave her a sympathetic smile, but silently listened as she continued on. "I...I was just worried about what she thought of me after catching us in bed together. I can't even begin to imagine what she was thinking when she saw us. What she might have been doing out in the hallway before she had come back in..."

"You should go talk to her then." Cyrus said plainly. "You said she's your best friend, right? So you two should be able to talk about anything together."

"But what if she's upset? What if she hates me now?" Naomi asked in a distressed tone, clutching hands at her chest.

"Even if she is upset or does hate you, you'll never know for sure unless you talk to her. You'll definitely never resolve it if you both just keep avoiding each other. Best to nip this in the bud early on. Obsessing over what-ifs never helped anyone." he replied, wincing a bit as he tried to stretch out. "Yep..definitely, definitely sore." Naomi couldn't help but laugh at his awkward movements as he tried to stretch his soreness away.

"Okay, perhaps you're right." Naomi conceded. "Just leaving it as is won't help anything. Based on what she said she was patrolling, she should be back within an hour. I'll track her down and talk with her then."

"Atta girl." Cyrus said to her with a smile.

"So what will you do with your time? Read up on laws? Train your skills?" she asked him. He held up a bare foot and wiggled his toes.

"Shoes." he replied simply. Naomi couldn't help but to burst into laughter at his antics. Her new king was very silly and remarkably simple. Perhaps he was part of what she had felt was missing from her life. If only she could speak with Brianna about her thoughts.

Chapter 5

Brianna walked alone back towards the palace, the sun still hours away from setting. Her patrol had felt far too short for her liking and she had only managed to quiet the storm of her emotions, instead of completely quelling it like she had hoped. Alexis had broken off from her after Brianna had admitted that their patrols were over for the day once the beach was clear. She had been happy to discover that nobody new had washed ashore, but didn't enjoy being alone with her thoughts once again.

She was doing her best to keep her mind blank, but her dedication to her duties meant she was going to have to report about today's patrol to the king. The king, who had given Naomi the smile that had threatened to haunt her every thought this entire day so far. The king, whom she was sworn by duty to serve despite wanting with nearly every fiber of her being to run her spear through his heart to see if he bleeds black like her grandmother had told her.

Brianna noticed that her jaw hurt and realized almost too late that she had been gnashing her teeth together. She forced her body to relax, taking slow breaths as she approached the palace gates. Brianna noticed that the two guards at the gate seemed much more restless than normal and she couldn't blame them. Word had spread quickly amongst the guard and nobody was quite sure how to deal with the fact that a man currently ruled over them. That he had managed to defeat the former queen, who had bested 30 of the strongest warriors they had before she took the throne, with no weapon.

The gate guards saluted her before opening the way to the palace for her, the large palace garden stretching before her being completely ignored as she saw the last face she had expected to see there. Naomi seemed just as surprised to see Brianna there as she was to see her best friend and former queen. The two stood there frozen for a moment, staring at one another as the guards closed the gate behind Brianna.

"You've returned earlier than I expected." Naomi said, the first to shake off the stunned silence. "Is everything well?" Brianna flinched, hearing the voice that had been repeating in her head for hours. Part of her was thrilled to see her best friend right now, yet another part of her hadn't wanted to see her again for a long, long time. It took a supreme effort of her will to not stalk off silently.

"I..yes." she said, slipping as far into her professional mindset as she could. Shielding herself by locking her emotions away behind the rigors of duty. "Excuse me, I must go report to the king." Brianna said, her voice a bit distant to even her own ears as she began walking past Naomi.

"I'll come with you." Naomi said, keeping in stride with Brianna easily despite the captain's efforts to outpace her. "I was hoping to speak with you, honestly. There are things I need to ask you, my friend." Brianna flinched at her words, honestly not sure whether she wanted to speak with her friend anymore. She took a deep breath, strengthening her soul so she could speak without losing herself to her emotions again.

"If you need to ask me then I shall answer as best I can, Naomi." Brianna replied. She saw Naomi's face frown with a tinge of sorrow.