Tannik Veko and Yana

"Why do you turn away from me?" He asked harshly.

The woman closed her eyes preparing for the worst of what he had in store for her. She had turned away from him and was staring at the wall as if removing herself from the situation of being with him. He frowned when he saw her reaction to his intimidation. It just didn't feel right to him to hurt her; Yana's face kept popping up when he thought of violent action toward the young woman.

"Go back to your duties." He said quietly.

Sinking back on the bed, he thought again of Yana and the strange feeling that just hit him. This time when he thought of Yana, none of the thoughts were sexual. Tannik Veko remembered instead her cunning with how she tricked him into believing she was so shy before biting him.

He thought of her beauty and how he was captured by her strength and elegance as he watched her fight off the soldier that grabbed her for walking across his path. He smiled as he thought of how she flirted with him at the cage only an hour before, her smile a dazzling brightness that warmed his heart. Letting these thoughts wash over him, Tannik Veko soon slept and had the most unsettling dreams he'd had since he was a small boy.

Tannik Veko was transported by his dream to the forest by Lake Maka, not too far from the castle. The spring morning was vibrant and green. The summer to come slowly revealing itself in the morning air. It was like the whole world had reverted back to the way it was when he was ten but he remained a man. Memories of the past slowly trickled back to him in his dreams. He smiled when he heard his mother calling him to eat a breakfast picnic by the lake.

Running swiftly, he caught sight of her sitting on the blanket laying out foods for their meal. His mother, Mylara softly singing a song from her homeland. He watched, in his dream, as the wind blew her dark brown hair about wildly for a brief instant before calming. It was always nice when his father, the king Bracha Veko, was away at war and not yelling about the castle beating them both for every conceivable thing. Tannik Veko sat down across from his mother and held out his hands for the sandwich.

"You shouldn't eat so quickly Tannik!" Mylara chastised softly.

She giggled as she watched him attempt to shove half the sandwich into his mouth. Smiling, Tannik bit a smaller piece of the sandwich as he sheepishly looked down at the ground.

The sun rode high in the sky, while his mother and he talked of everything they could think of. It was a normal routine for Tannik's father to keep them separated for punishment or his own amusement. King Bracha Veko never liked Mylara or her people, and would daily remind both Tannik and her of that fact. He rained constant abuse on Mylara and tried to teach poisonous lies to Tannik about his mother's people.

Despite the king's attempts at separating them, the abuse brought them closer than before. Linked by the shared tragedy of their lives that they both escaped from together on the rare moments they got to spend together. The times he was away were a blessing to both because they got to spend time together without being in fear of his tyrannical rule and raging temper.

"Well, we had better get back to the castle befo-" His mother said, stopping in mid-sentence.

Tannik Veko looked up and saw his mothers face a mirror of fear. Following her gaze, he watched as Bracha Veko came stalking from the woods looking none too happy that they were even having this bit of fun together. A crossbow in his hand, Tannik watched in horror as Bracha Veko aimed it right at Mylara.

"Get back to the castle Tannik, I have something to say to your mother." His father asked in an unusually calm manner.

Tannik Veko was so petrified that he failed to heed his father's command. Trembling, he watched as his father rolled his eyes at his son's nervousness before shooting at his mother with a crossbow. The arrow flew just over her head by an inch, causing her to scream. As he reloaded the bow, Tannik's mother lost no time in grabbing Tannik's hand and running as fast as she could into the woods.

Their race through the woods was quick and perilous. Mylara and Tannik ran as fast as they could to escape the bellowing monarch as he chased them through the woods, ready to shoot and kill the queen for her disobedience. Mylara realized her son couldn't run as quickly as she could and sought a good place for him to hide until she could draw his father away from him.

She had hoped the violence they suffered would never come to this point. Mylara had previously discussed getting her young son away from his father in the event of her death with some trusted servants.

"Mother!" The young Tannik Veko screamed as he tripped over an unseen tree root.

Quickly helping him up, she managed to get both behind a tree before the second arrow flew, missing her by an inch. They continued running until Tannik couldn't run any further. His mother, seeing his exhaustion, quickly hid him between a large boulder and an old Oak tree.

"Stay here, Tannik. You'll be safe here until someone can come back for you. No matter what happens, always remember that I love you. Nothing Bracha does can ever change that one thing Tannik." She whispered calmly.

"Mother, you can hide here too! There's enough room for both of us. Please, Mother, he's going to be here soon!" Tannik begged as he sobbed.

"Tannik, you have to be brave for me and stay hidden until someone can come back for you. Can you do that for me?" Mylara said as tears flowed from her eyes. "You have to promise me you'll stay here until someone comes for you. I love you, my son." She stated once more before running in the direction of Bracha Veko.

'Stay here until someone comes for you.' Mylara's words echoed through his frightened mind. At that moment, Tannik Veko realized what his mother was planning to do. Trembling and crying, he ran after her screaming and begging for her to come back. He reached his mother just as she reached his father.

"Running from me does you no good Mylara. I warned you about spending time with the boy in my absence. I don't want you filling his head with your religious nonsense!" His father bellowed at the strangely still form of his mother.

"He's my son Bracha Veko, and therefore a part of me. I have every right to spend time with him. I have every right to teach him about the laws of my people; about my culture. He has to know that people are better than you!" Mylara shot back venomously.

"He's my son and therefore my property, just as you are!" Bracha said menacingly. "As you are my property, I have the right to do what I wish with you. Get on your knees." He stated coldly.

Tannik watched as his mother remained where she was.

"If you're going to kill me, get it over with. I will not die on my knees to please you." Mylara stated coldly.

"Emboldened to the last, Mylara?" Bracha Veko shot back quickly. "We'll see how much talking you do when cold and in the deepest hole I can dump you in." He said as he let loose an arrow from his crossbow.

Tannik Veko screamed out as the arrow found its mark right through his mother's heart.

Tannik Veko cried out to his mother repeatedly as she quickly slipped away, her life force draining from her as he watched tears flow from her eyes. Once she was gone, Tannik Veko felt hatred fill his heart. He stood slowly, waiting for his father to kill him as he had murdered his mother but Bracha Veko only sighed and beckoned the boy forward. When Tannik Veko stood his ground, waiting to die with his mother, the king walked over to him.

"Tannik, you are more important to me that she was. You're my only son and my heir. I'm not about to kill you." Bracha Veko said.

His voice was uncharacteristically comforting after the years of yelling and angry curses Tannik was used to. None of it affected young Tannik in the least though as he remained where he was, tears flowing from his eyes. Death would be welcome if it meant he could be with his mother.

"Come on, boy!" Bracha Veko said harshly.

Tannik still refused to move, showing his father that he wanted death over coming back to the castle with him. Sighing again, Bracha Veko picked the small boy up and slung him over his shoulder. Tannik Veko kicked and screamed, raining ineffective blows against Bracha Veko's armor.

Once they got back to the castle, Tannik Veko was sent to his nursery for bed. He swore to his mirror that he would pay Bracha Veko back for the murder of his mother before bursting into tears. Tannik Veko dropped to the floor and cried himself to sleep.

Tannik Veko woke from his dream with a start. Sweat beaded his face as he looked anxiously about the room. Realizing he was only dreaming, he thought back on the events of his dream. He remembered his mother with a warmth he had forgotten existed within him and his father with a rage he felt all too often. His father barely paid attention to him after he killed his beloved mother in the woods that day. They only saw each other at meals and when he had to go out with him for ceremonial outings.

Tannik hated every moment of their time together and Bracha Veko knew it. He wasn't able to exact his revenge for his mother's murder until his seventeenth birthday. He was challenged by his father to fight when Tannik Veko refused to kill a man his father had ordered him to. He made quick work of the man he had been studying the weaknesses of for the years since that day in the forest.

'The old bastard barely saw it coming when I slit his throat.' Tannik thought to himself, smiling as he drifted back to sleep.

All his dreams after that were dreams of Yana, dreams of things that hadn't occurred, at least not yet. His dreams saw her as his queen and them having lots of children. Tannik saw a future in this young slave woman from Nihma and his dreams gave him a hope that she would trust him beyond trying to bite his fingers off.

The next few days saw his first official day of ruling the land as he saw fit. He presided over the judiciary and heard cases from the people of the land. Tannik Veko watched as throngs and throngs of people who had repeatedly petitioned the Judiciary but been denied hearings snaked their way through the Judiciary halls. They all hoped that justice would finally be met under Tannik Vekos lone rule where it hadn't been under the Judiciary.

A number of petitioners explained that their previous appeals had been denied by the Judiciary based on lack of funds. One old woman who ran an orphanage explained that they cut off funds for the thirty children she cared for. She said that they told her the money had simply run out.

Another petitioner, a merchant, explained that the Judiciary had allowed a man who was a brother-in-law to one of the senior lawmakers to go free on a charge of raping his daughter. The merchant explained that the lawmaker at first tried to buy them off with money. When that didn't work, he tried to offer an arranged marriage with the accused to keep the secret of what the man had done.

A third petitioner explained how he was run over in the street by the chariot of one of the former lawmakers. His legs were both broken beyond repairing and he had a family of seven to feed. All repeated the same speech; that the Judiciary had done nothing in the name of justice.

Tannik Veko outwardly showed compassion towards the stories he heard and immediately sought to ease the burdens of the people petitioning. Inwardly, he couldn't help but chuckle at the gall of the former lawmakers. They stood in judgment over him when he wanted total rule but never did the job of running the country themselves when they had the power to do so?

Tannik Veko congratulated himself for making sure all the lawmakers were dead and their families sent far away from his kingdom to the island prisons. Judging by the peoples feeling towards the members of the Judiciary, the tropical island prisons for royal prisoners was probably safer than the streets of his kingdom.

It wasn't until much later in the week that he was able to get back to his precious Yana in her cage. He sat for hours and watched as she watched him. Her trust in him appeared to have increased with the week and the fresh change of Nihman clothes and food he provided her for. Yana stared at him, her face an unreadable mask. Not knowing what else to do, Tannik Veko sat at the bars of the cage and began telling Yana about his experience that week, starting off with the dream he had.

Yana jumped back as he approached the cage. However, once she saw that he meant no harm, she settled down close enough to hear him. Tannik Veko noted that she stayed far enough away from him to escape any trick he had planned. He watched Yana as her face registered surprise at his dream.

As he told her about his experience in the judiciary, Yana smiled as she heard stories of his actions in each case. She appeared to be pleased by his actions in each one of the countless stories he told. As her trust grew, Yana moved closer to the bars of the cage to listen more attentively to what he was saying. She began smiling more and even asked questions, in Nihman, about the particulars of one case or another.

After a while, Tannik Veko stopped talking. They both sat there, captor and captive, watching each other intently. Only this time, Yana really appeared to be watching Tannik Veko as opposed to judging for weaknesses as she did during their first encounter. Slowly Yana began smiling nervously but this time it was a real smile and not the clever ploy she used to previously injure Tannik Veko. Feeling he could trust her, Tannik Veko called Yana to the bars of the cage for the second time that week.

"Yana, I'm not going to hurt you. Please come to the bars of the cage." He said softly.

Smiling disarmingly, he showed Yana both his hands to show that he meant no harm as he turned the key in the lock. As he opened the door, Yana ran off like a shot but unfortunately for her, he was quicker than her at running. Grabbing her by her waist Tannik Veko gently threw her onto the bed and held her down. Speaking to her in her own language he asked her to calm down. A bit knocked off kilter by the use of her native tongue, she complied and watched as he backed off, allowing her to sit up.

"Where do you come from in Nihma?" Tannik Veko asked Yana softly.

"I lived in Nan, a small town near the heartland of the Nihma Empire. I was born in Valket though. Most of my family is from there." Yana replied cautiously.

"Nihma Province," He corrected her. "I've conquered it and to refer to it as an empire now could be considered an act of sedition against my rule, Yana." Tannik Veko smiled when she didn't flinch at his words and thought to himself that she must be pretty tough indeed.

Both combatants were sweating but not breathless from their brief struggle. For one solid hour, he watched her and she watched him, neither giving quarter on what their thoughts were. Taking in her lovely features was fine by him.

In the well-lit room, her got a chance to study her better and more closely without worrying about the eyes of others seeing his state. At each movement she made, his erection grew more and more until it strained helplessly against his pants. Rolling his eyes and groaning softly at the pressure, he saw that his sounds drew the concern of Yana who thought he was in pain from something.

"Are you in pain?" Yana asked as she saw the constrained look flashing across his face.

"I'll be all right, I'm not in any hurtful pain." Tannik Veko replied evasively. He didn't want to take her by force. Being as young as she was and knowing the laws of her society before his invasion, Tannik Veko knew she would know almost nothing of sexual relations. He found the women of that country quite unknowing in the areas of sex when he conquered their land.

He found it quite frustrating when he wanted quick pleasure from some of the captured women but with this woman, he felt something different. Even though she was twenty years old and most likely knew nothing, he felt the urge to teach her everything he could about the process of lovemaking. Tannik Veko didn't want to traumatize her by taking her forcefully though. He had never felt this about a woman before and it caused his blood to race through his veins.

Yana's concerned gaze stayed on him as she tried to figure out what was wrong with him. Moving closer to him, she tried to offer what comfort she could by hugging him and was shocked to feel the hardness of his member. Remembering the doctors' advances on her from the previous night, she recalled her former owner's member being hard when he tried to force her onto the bed before she beat him senseless.

Staring questioningly into Tannik Vekos eyes, she tried to figure out the meaning of why he felt the same way as the doctor. Seeing the confusion in her eyes and guessing she made the correlation between him and her former owner, Tannik Veko began to explain his condition to Yana.

"Yana, I know among your people, this isn't taught to women your age or your clan until you're much older. When a man has a hard member as I do in the presence of a beautiful woman like you are, it normally means that the man is attracted to the woman sexually. There's no pain involved. Sometimes though, when this reaction happens, the act of holding back from gratification might look like pain." He watched as Yana nodded her head though she still looked confused. Tannik Veko watched as Yana tried to digest what he was saying with very little understanding of what he meant.

'How could she understand when she's had no experience in sexual matters?' He thought to himself as he saw a small frown of confusion blossom across her full lips. He knew she might reject him but he felt he had to try something to make love to this beautiful creature. Something inside him drove him to thoughts of relishing the imagined feel of her lips against his.

"Yana, I'd like to try something and I want your approval. I can show you something of what I'm feeling but to do so, we both have to be naked and I have to touch you. Do you mind if I do this?" He asked Yana.

She thought it over for a moment before slowly nodding yes to his proposal.

Quickly, she began to strip her clothes off but Tannik Veko stopped her before she got her shirt over her head. He began to slowly unbutton her shirt as he moved closer to her on the bed, inviting her to do the same with him. When they both were topless, Tannik Veko stood up and gently pulled Yana up with him. Unbuckling her belt, he watched approvingly as she did the same with him as they both watched each other's pants drop to the floor.

Tannik Veko slowly led Yana back to the bath in the next room. Getting in himself, he held out his hand to a wary Yana to show her it was safe. Sitting on the edge of the bath, she slipped herself in as near to the edge as she could. Tannik Veko surmised by her actions that she couldn't swim.

He had his suspicions confirmed when he tried to gently pull her from the edge of the tub. She shivered more out of fear than cold as she held onto the edge of the tub so as not to drown. The emperor smiled as he pulled her to him and held her up in the water. Swimming over to the shallow end, he placed Yana at the wall of the shallow end before sitting next to her.

Tannik Veko couldn't believe how he felt about this woman. His thoughts were infected with images of her. His body an involuntary slave of desire to her; every waking and sleeping thought of some insignificant aspect to her persona. What was it about her that made him feel so nervous inside?

Tilting her head up to meet his gaze, he slowly leaned in and claimed her lips in a slow passionate kiss. Yana was shocked but showed no signs of protest so he continued kissing her, caressing her tongue with his own as he pulled her into his arms. Feeling her soft wet skin nearly caused him to lose it but he restrained himself so as not to rush this inexperienced woman or leave her emotionally wounded.