The Silken Slit of the Empress Ch. 08

Happy new year guys!

I'm really happy that I was able to get this chapter out now, despite the madness that always come around this time.

This has been a scene that I've been looking forward to writing for a long time. It kind of escaped me a little, so it's a lot longer than I originally anticipated.

I hope that you guys enjoy it, despite that. I'm eager to hear what you think!

......

"This was a disaster," the Emperor said. "This entire week; ever since those fools killed themselves on the track."

He sunk down into a thickly padded divan, rubbing at his eyes. The Empress lowered herself beside her husband, running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

"It's not been that bad, love," she said. "The race was only two days ago."

"Christ," Justinian groaned. "It's felt like a lifetime."

We were in the Empress' sumptuously decorated sitting room; the imperial couple having retreated here after a midday session within the senate hall. I was at my post by the door, fighting to keep myself straight.

It had been a long day.

"And Hypatius," the Emperor said. "You heard him today; like a wolf smelling blood. He spoke well, the bastard. I saw too many of those other old fools nodding their heads along with him."

"All he's got is fear," Theodora said, still stroking her husband's hair. "That will pass in time."

"Perhaps, but we may not have that time." The Emperor let out a long breath. "Maybe we are pushing things too hard, Theodora. Or going too fast. We've changed much in our five years on the throne."

"Change that has been for the better," the Empress said. "You remember how it was."

"Aye, well, traditions die hard."

Theodora snorted. "'Tradition' is just another word for fear. Our predecessors were weak. The Blues, the Greens, and those fools on the senate have long held the wealth and power. Of course, they don't want anything to change."

"Don't forget the men of the Empire," Justinian said, bitterly. "Whom we are apparently oppressing more than our slaves."

"I refuse to believe a law against a father selling his daughter into bondage qualifies as oppression," the Empress snapped. "Neither is the condemnation of rapists."

"How is it that Hypatius said it? 'Men are being run over roughshod by their wives, in full defiance of our traditions and those of Christ himself?"

"And those of 'God' Himself," Theodora corrected. She pressed her lips together. "As if women aren't themselves creatures of God. How is the greater sin not keeping womankind in this soft sort of slavery?"

Justinian let out another long breath, sagging against the divan. "I know that we're right in this, Theodora. I'm just tired. And with yesterday's botched executions..."

"I know," the Empress said.

She relaxed her body. She pulled her husband down into her lap, trailing her fingers over his jaw. "We don't meet the Sassanid delegates for another hour. Rest, my love."

Justinian protested, but had soon loosened into relaxation beneath his wife's gentle hands and murmuring voice.

I turned my attention from them, staring out through a nearby open balcony. The sky was bright, the sun just beginning to descend from its zenith. I couldn't hear any noise from the city. That was strange, as things had not exactly been quiet.

It had taken them a day to finish setting up the gallows. And since then, the Emperor had put them to work. A dozen and more men; both Blues and Greens had been hanged without much ceremony or fanfare. That had been yesterday, the day having proceeded smoothly from the morning onward.

This morning, however, Helena and I had returned from our training to find the Empress already waiting to leave. Two men had escaped justice, she'd told us on the way to the senate chambers. A Blue and Green. They were holed up in a church, surrounded by some of Belisarius' men.

And therein lay the problem.

As long as they stayed within the church's walls, they were safe from any sort of secular interference. And the longer they stayed there, an obvious spectacle of the Emperor's oppressive might; the more a people already on edge would seethe.

The Empress' voice pulled me from my reverie. She motioned me over to where Helena had already joined her by her divan.

Both women smiled when I approached; the Empress, bare-footed in a thin dress, and my shield mate in her stratiotai kit.

"Leontius," the Empress spoke softly. Her fingers still stroked her husband's hair and face; the man's breathing having deepened into sleep. "You look tired."

I forced a little stiffness into my spine, matching her tone of voice. "I am fit for duty, Augusta. "

She smiled. "As you always are, my soldier. Though, neither of you have had much rest, have you?"

I exchanged a glance with Helena. The Empress continued. "You train every morning, and attend me all day until I go to sleep. Even then, there are nights when one of you guards my door. You need rest."

Neither of us spoke, sensing that the Empress had more to say. She was looking down at her husband now, her smile, a little sad.

"Like my husband. He works so hard. There is always something that needs his attention. I'm happy he has these moments, but it is not enough. And so, I am imposing a night of relaxation. On all of us."

"Highness?" Helena said.

"Once the day's duties are done, I will retire to my husband's chambers. There, I will spend the hours making love to him and ensure that, for this night at least, he thinks no more of our Empire."

My face reddened. I averted my eyes, but not before I saw her smile tick a notch higher. "Perhaps I'll even invite 'Nina and Beli; and one or two others."

I squirmed. Luckily, Helena was there to speak. "They are trustworthy, but even so, highness. We should--"

"Not concern yourself with it," Theodora interrupted firmly. "The Excubitors are fully capable of guarding us on their own. Go down into the city, spend some of your wages. With the way things are going...it may be a while before you have another chance."

"Augusta," I started.

"No, Leontius, enough. I will hear none of it."

I shut my mouth and bowed. She was my Empress, and it was my place to obey; even if I didn't agree with the command.

Helena and I returned to our posts; she at her desk and I by the door. A night off, the thought electrified me. And as the Emperor woke up, and we started moving through the palace, I thought about all that I could do. Where might I go? Who might I see? I had a few friends in the city, a few places I'd found to relax.

We went first to his chambers; allowing him to change into something more regal before his meeting with the Persians. Theodora went with him, Helena and I, stationed outside the door.

As I pulled the door shut, I became sure of one thing; no matter how I spent these next few, precious hours of freedom, I wanted to spend them with Helena.

She was beside me in the suddenly quiet hallway, already looking up towards my face. I met her gaze, my heart starting to pound.

"Tonight, would you--" I coughed. Why in God's name was my throat so dry? I tried again. "Would you like to go down into the city? With me, I mean," I added hurriedly. "Together."

Heat crawled up my neck. Why the hell had I said it like that? What was wrong with me? I'd ruined it. No way she would ever--"

"Sure," she said.

A faint pink rose to color her cheeks. She smiled, reaching one hand up to brush at a lock of hair. I saw the warmth in her eyes, and I suddenly felt like I would float away.

"Let's go into the city," Helena said. "Together."

......

Evening came, and I was in my room.

I'd stripped out of my armor, and the tunica beneath. I stood bare chested, in nothing but my loincloth in sandals; trying to decide which of my two remaining tunica's was the cleanest.

Knuckles rapped on my door, and my stomach lurched.

"One second," I called. "I'm not ready."

I threw on my darker tunica, deciding that the small wine stain on it couldn't really be seen, and pulled open the door.

Helena was there, her lip quirked into a small smile. She was naked, save for the training wraps she'd worn that morning.

"I...ahem--guess you're not ready either," I said.

The scent of her filled the hallway, making my heart quicken. Helena shook her head, a smile still pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"I suspected as much," she said. "We sweated together this morning. Were you really not planning on taking a bath first?"

I blinked. "I, uh, wanted to get there fast."

"Why? We have all night."

I didn't have an answer to that, staring at her stupidly until she laughed. She hooked an arm around mine, pulling me into the hallway.

"Come on," she said. "You stink."

She looked me up and down, peering back into my room. "And bring the white tunica instead. It looks better on you."

We were stepping through into the Empress' bath chamber before I could really wrap my head around what was happening.

The room was empty; though the tiled pool had already been filled with steaming water. Great clouds of humidity billowed through the room, moisture quickly beading onto our skin.

Helena and I had carried our clothes bundled within our arms, we left them and our sandals in a sheltered wooden cubby. We were in nothing but our training wraps now, and I hesitated to follow Helena as she drifted towards the water.

What the hell was I supposed to do? Bathe with her?

My heart was pounding now, heat rising through me. Is that why she had brought me here? No. Surely not. That wasn't possible. There had to be some other reason why--

"Leo," Helena said.

My gaze snapped back to her. She was standing within the clouds of steam, facing me from only a handful of paces away.

"Don't look away."

She reached a hand up to the cloth that bound her chest. Her fingers pulled on a single loop, slipping it free from the rest of the cloth. My heart beat against my chest, like a smith at his anvil, sending sparks of heat flashing through me.

I watched her, following the slow unraveling of the cloth around her chest.

Helena's eyes, deeper than ever before, never left my face. She shifted her body beneath the unwinding loops of cloth; drawing me further in. I glimpsed her nakedness through the tumbling lengths of fabric. And with every heartbeat, with every one of her breaths, more of her was revealed to me.

I saw the plunging valley between her breasts; deep enough lose myself in. The flesh rising above it was smooth, stained pink by heat and moisture. It curved gently outward, blooming into the full shape of her chest.

A nipple peeked out at me through the still falling curtain; shockingly pink next to the warm bronze of her flesh.

"Well?" Helena asked. She flexed the naked muscles of her stomach, shifting to let the last of the cloth tumble away.

The motion swung her naked breasts from side to side. Air was lodged in my throat, stopping whatever answer I might eventually find. I was mesmerized by the ripple of her chest; trapped within its sway.

There was more of her than the Empress. Her breasts were full, straining against the warm, softness of her skin. They were heavy, pert; the steam clinging deliciously to their rounded shape. Her nipples, round and stiff, were two rose petals lain upon a silken blanket.

"Do I still have to repeat myself?" She teased me with her smile, the light dancing in the depths of her cypress eyes. "I'm going to get tired of that."

The breath I released was ragged, frayed along the edges. "Get used to it. I don't think I'll ever be able to look away from you again."

Her smile softened, and I saw the heat rise to color her cheeks. Embers flew within me, making my stomach buzz.

God she was beautiful. Stomach-flutteringly, heart-poundingly, soul-shatteringly beautiful.

Helena moved towards me, her bare feet gliding over the tiled floor. I met her halfway, jerky where she was graceful. We stopped before each other, not quite touching.

I gazed into her. My heart pounded, my head a roiling storm of wants and doubts and needs. I heard my mother's voice, shrieking about the error I was about to commit.

This last sliver of space was all that remained between us. I thought back to when I'd first arrived; to all the shame and twisting doubt I'd felt. I'd fought to keep myself apart, then, focused on a path that I'd been so sure was the one for me.

But I'd found something new. Another trail, one shown to me by an Empress and those that surrounded her.

My life had forked; and I was stretched tight. The gulf between those two paths had grown too wide to bridge. I didn't know what to do, didn't know which path was right. Perhaps I never would. But what I did know was that Helena was here.

And right now, the thought of there being any space between us sickened me to my very core.

"Leo, I'm standing here with my tits out. If you don't kiss me in the next three seconds, I--"

My lips found hers; a shock of such gentle softness that I thought I might lose myself right there. We broke apart, the glory of her wide-open features all I saw before me.

"Finally," she breathed.

I laughed, my hands sliding along the cloth at her waist. I pulled her into me. Her body melded into mine. She was so warm; the slopes and valleys of her naked flesh slipping into place within my own.

I kissed her once more, that second touch made clumsy by the smiles we both wore.

"You're going to have to lose that idiotic grin," she told me.

"I can't help it," I said.

Her eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed by steam and heat. I was raised my hand, slipping it past her steam-darkened locks of copper hair to cup her cheek.

"Finally," I said, leaning down towards her lips once more.

And it was this kiss; long and slow and without reservation, that made my spirit sing. I was breathless when we parted; my head filled with the taste of her. She laughed softly; an airy little sound.

I pressed my forehead against hers. We felt the beating of the other's hearts; holding still against each other. I closed my eyes, my every breath filled with her scent. Then, I felt her shift, her mouth reaching up towards mine. I met her eagerly, my lips already craving the velvety sweetness of hers.

I felt her move while we kissed. Her fingers trailed down my naked side. She traced the lines of my ridges and scars, leaving a tingle of gentle heat in her wake.

Her hand eventually slipped down to my navel; her fingers digging into the wrap at my waist.

I started, suddenly feeling raging fire between my legs. I was hard. God help me, I was so fucking hard. My manhood bulged painfully against my loincloth, pushing into the tightness of Helena's lower stomach.

Her kiss became hungrier, her fingers brushing my hardness, tugging more and more insistently at the cloth that caged me.

I was afire with her. Her scent, her touch and her taste and the glory of her body beneath my eyes; all of her making my blood sing. I ached with need for her; longed to bury myself into her deepest crevice and empty myself within her.

But not yet.

I wasn't ready, not when I could see the bruises and sweat that still stained her body. She stiffened when I accidentally brushed a bloom of discolored flesh; and I felt the tremble of her tired muscles against me. These were the results of our training. I'd caused her so much pain. It wasn't right for me to take from her now.

Not before I gave.

I pulled away, breaking our kiss and twisting so her hand fell away from my manhood. Surprise flashed across her features, hurt.

"Leo, what--"

Her question turned into a squeak as I scooped her up into my arms. She threw her own arms around my neck, shifting so that I felt the bare flesh of her legs and back against my limbs. I looked down in time to catch her glare.

"What are you doing?"

I smiled, starting to move. I felt her arms tighten.

"Leo!"

"You stink," I said.

She choked, and I grinned at the sight of the outrage in her reddening face. I squeezed her a little tighter against me, cradling her body against mine.

"But don't worry," I added. "Thats what we're here for, right?"

She glared at me for another heartbeat. She wanted to say more, but I suspected she already knew some of what I intended.

I was stepping into the pool a moment later. The water was hot, but not uncomfortably so. I was waist deep after a few more steps, lifting Helena a bit higher.

"I'm going to put you down," I said, reaching the long, lounge-shaped seat.

She nodded, letting out a small moan of pleasure as the hot water enveloped her. I made sure that she was comfortable, lowering her gently onto the sculpted seat. Her arms slipped from around my neck; and she leaned her head back against the rounded edge of the pool.

"Come join me," she said. "Its nice."

"In a minute," I said. And then, on a whim, I bent down and kissed her forehead. "Relax."

She made that small sound again, her lips curling lazily up into a pleased smile. She settled herself lower into the water, closing her eyes and exhaling deeply.

Within a few heartbeats I was out, heading towards a nearby corner. There were two stone massage tables there, not far from the desk at which Helena normally sat.

The Empress came down here nearly every day. When she did, a pair of muscled body slaves usually waited for her by these tables. They weren't here tonight, thankfully; but the soaps, oils, perfumes and soft towels they used were at their place.

Soon I was stepping back into the pool, bearing a few strips of rough cloth and the softest, butteriest bar of soap I'd found. I lowered myself down into by Helena's feet, quickly soaking and then lathering up the first piece of cloth.

Helena's eyes were still shut, her breathing steady. She hadn't reacted to my presence, other than a slight tilt of her head in my direction. She was totally relaxed, luxuriating in the bath's simple pleasure.

"Helena," I said when I was ready, reaching beneath the water to touch her leg.

"Hmmmm?"

"Just lie still."

I ran my palm along the shape of her leg, moving from the tips of her feet to the swell of her thigh. I learned the shape of her, finding every cut, every bruise and every scrape.

Helena let out a pleased sigh, shifting her leg towards me. Her skin was so smooth, so tight over her muscles. I felt my manhood twitch beneath the water, but I ignored it, focusing my attention on her.

With the soap lathered cloth, I started scrubbing at her skin. I worked up from her foot, washing her. I was slow, thorough in my ministration. I was gentle around her scrapes and bruises, making sure I left nothing but clean, pink skin in my wake.

I bathed her as high as the loops of cloth that were still wound her waist, skipping up to her stomach once I'd finished both of her legs. The muscles there were taunt, rippling beneath my hands as she arched her back towards me, letting me slip the cloth beneath her.

"Don't forget my breasts," she murmured, not opening her eyes.

I chuckled, not missing the slight curl of her lips. I began with the underside of them, running along their rounded edges. God, but they were soft. The flesh silken and pillowy. And as I ran hands over them, my fingers couldn't help but to periodically squeeze and play.

I was as thorough here as I'd been with the rest of her; making sure that even the rosy stiffness of her nipples was clean.

Helena's smile didn't fade.

When all that was left was her hair, I slowed even further, beginning by wetting it with water from my cupped palms. I was careful not to let any trickle down her face. And when her hair was dark and saturated, I lathered by hands with soap and cleaned that too.