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She’d always known that she was an awful person. There was no other explanation for the things that she did, and enjoyed doing. As much as Kaia enjoyed the comforts and security of being one of Princess Asia’s retainers, Kaia was still a killer and a thief. She was born into the life of taking from those who couldn’t defend what they had and killing those who stood in her way. Where she could, she targeted the most vile miscreants, like the slavers from Megaris, but sometimes she had to kill simply because they’d have killed her if she didn’t get them first.
And she often enjoyed it, that was the problem. Kaia didn’t go out of her way to kill people, but there was no denying the satisfaction she felt when she watched the life drain from a man’s eyes after he’d assumed to take advantage of her. Or when she saw smug confidence rapidly dissolve into pathetic cowardice or fear. She was more than how others saw her, but she took advantage of those incorrect impressions of her.
Now though, this was different. She felt guilty and ashamed. The Kotas had been nothing but generous and hospitable to her. They did not deserve her deception. Her task would be so much easier if the royal family were a band of assholes, but unfortunately, they were the epitome of honour and kindness. They didn’t deserve it, but she had no other choice. This was her only chance at fixing her wrongs. She couldn’t allow her mistakes to have her and Aea thrown out. Aea didn’t deserve it, she’d had no part in Kaia’s troubles. As for the babe, well Kaia was certain she owed the unborn child her best effort at securing it a comfortable life. Was that not what she was supposed to do as a mother? Weren’t parents supposed to do everything in their power to ensure their children were healthy, warm and fed? Kaia had her doubts that she could be a decent mother without help and who would help some low-born, unmarried, pregnant woman? She had no hopes of marrying above her status now, which meant she had no way to find a husband who would or could support her babe. She had to do something though, otherwise she would likely fail at keeping the innocent thing alive.
And it wasn’t like she wanted to bleed the Kotas dry. Not at all. They had been so gracious already. She just hoped that maybe they would resist throwing her and Aea out if they thought her baby was fathered by a Kotas prince. Kaia had no desire to blackmail or extort the royal family. She just hoped that they might provide care and assistance with raising it. If there were servants or Kotas family members about, then the baby was less likely to starve or die of sickness. If they continued to live with and work for the Kotas, then Kaia could ensure that her child would have a roof over their head and a full belly each night when they went to sleep. That was all she wanted. She wasn’t expecting to be made a royal or even noble woman. She didn’t expect them to legitimise the child. They were destined to be a bastard, no matter who she claimed the father to be, so there was no need for any concern there. Kaia wasn’t after a chance to marry into the family, or have her child stake a claim to the crown. She wasn’t looking for drama, the family didn’t even need to make the situation public. None of that. She just needed the support of others to help raise the child.
Kaia discarded the mint leaf she’d been chewing to freshen her breath. She thanked the gods that she did not feel like she was in immediate danger of puking, but her stomach was still churning with nausea and now butterflies too. She glanced at her reflection and gave a deflated sigh. She did not look as beautiful as she did the night Lady Rene had dressed her in the princess’ fine clothes, but at least she looked more presentable than she had of late. Kaia had made an attempt to braid her hair and had scrubbed her face clean. Kaia wore the nicest peplos she’d been given, which was an off-white colour. She wrapped the fabric over her shoulders in such a way that the material did not cross over again until just below her cleavage. The front of her peplos fell lightly down past her knees, though was nearly down to her ankles at the back. To finish the look, Kaia tied a simple golden rope around her waist to pull the shape of the gown in, just as Lady Rene had shown her. Kaia had no fine jewellery to wear this time, but there was no point dwelling on that. At least she wasn’t dressed in her old campfire clothes.
With determination, Kaia willed herself out of her bedchamber and down the hall, her footfalls soft against the cool floor. As much as she wished she didn’t have to do what she’d set out to do, her window of opportunity was now. Kaia dared not tell Aea of her plan, for she knew Aea would disapprove. Even Kaia disapproved. She did not want to manipulate the Kotas princes and she knew Aea would try to stop her. But it was because of Aea and the baby that Kaia was doing it at all. At least if it worked, she could tell Aea that she’d fixed the problem, just as she’d promised.
Since Aea was watching Asia, Kaia only now to do what needed to be done. She just hoped the gods would see fit to have her plan succeed. If Prince Vangelis could not be seduced, then Kaia would have one last shot with Prince Silas. She didn’t bother considering Zanon or Yiannis. Zanon was married and Kaia had an inkling that Aea fancied Prince Yiannis.
The seduction though would absolutely be the challenge. Why would either prince have her when they could have their pick of any woman? She was not after marriage or anything of that nature, but even so, why would either prince bother themselves with bedding a common-born nobody when they could take any high-born woman into their chambers? Still, Kaia had to try. For Aea and the baby.
All too soon, Kaia found herself outside Prince Vangelis’ bedchamber. Kaia took a long, slow breath to steady herself. She could do this. Vangelis was a prince, but he was still only a man, and a man had needs. She just had to focus on that and nothing else. It was only sex. She could do it. She had to.
Feeling as calm as she would ever be, Kaia lightly knocked her knuckles against the frame of the doorway. Her heart was beating rapidly and the thought of abandoning the plan and running back to her own bedchamber was very tempting. However, she beat down her nerves and waited. She could do this. All she needed was for one of the princes to believe that he could be the father of her child.
Lani
Kaia
Lani
Kaia
Awards
First Impressions:Lean, athletic; Straw-blonde hair, stormy blue eyes, and a nearly permanent scowl.
Address: Your
She’d always known that she was an awful person. There was no other explanation for the things that she did, and enjoyed doing. As much as Kaia enjoyed the comforts and security of being one of Princess Asia’s retainers, Kaia was still a killer and a thief. She was born into the life of taking from those who couldn’t defend what they had and killing those who stood in her way. Where she could, she targeted the most vile miscreants, like the slavers from Megaris, but sometimes she had to kill simply because they’d have killed her if she didn’t get them first.
And she often enjoyed it, that was the problem. Kaia didn’t go out of her way to kill people, but there was no denying the satisfaction she felt when she watched the life drain from a man’s eyes after he’d assumed to take advantage of her. Or when she saw smug confidence rapidly dissolve into pathetic cowardice or fear. She was more than how others saw her, but she took advantage of those incorrect impressions of her.
Now though, this was different. She felt guilty and ashamed. The Kotas had been nothing but generous and hospitable to her. They did not deserve her deception. Her task would be so much easier if the royal family were a band of assholes, but unfortunately, they were the epitome of honour and kindness. They didn’t deserve it, but she had no other choice. This was her only chance at fixing her wrongs. She couldn’t allow her mistakes to have her and Aea thrown out. Aea didn’t deserve it, she’d had no part in Kaia’s troubles. As for the babe, well Kaia was certain she owed the unborn child her best effort at securing it a comfortable life. Was that not what she was supposed to do as a mother? Weren’t parents supposed to do everything in their power to ensure their children were healthy, warm and fed? Kaia had her doubts that she could be a decent mother without help and who would help some low-born, unmarried, pregnant woman? She had no hopes of marrying above her status now, which meant she had no way to find a husband who would or could support her babe. She had to do something though, otherwise she would likely fail at keeping the innocent thing alive.
And it wasn’t like she wanted to bleed the Kotas dry. Not at all. They had been so gracious already. She just hoped that maybe they would resist throwing her and Aea out if they thought her baby was fathered by a Kotas prince. Kaia had no desire to blackmail or extort the royal family. She just hoped that they might provide care and assistance with raising it. If there were servants or Kotas family members about, then the baby was less likely to starve or die of sickness. If they continued to live with and work for the Kotas, then Kaia could ensure that her child would have a roof over their head and a full belly each night when they went to sleep. That was all she wanted. She wasn’t expecting to be made a royal or even noble woman. She didn’t expect them to legitimise the child. They were destined to be a bastard, no matter who she claimed the father to be, so there was no need for any concern there. Kaia wasn’t after a chance to marry into the family, or have her child stake a claim to the crown. She wasn’t looking for drama, the family didn’t even need to make the situation public. None of that. She just needed the support of others to help raise the child.
Kaia discarded the mint leaf she’d been chewing to freshen her breath. She thanked the gods that she did not feel like she was in immediate danger of puking, but her stomach was still churning with nausea and now butterflies too. She glanced at her reflection and gave a deflated sigh. She did not look as beautiful as she did the night Lady Rene had dressed her in the princess’ fine clothes, but at least she looked more presentable than she had of late. Kaia had made an attempt to braid her hair and had scrubbed her face clean. Kaia wore the nicest peplos she’d been given, which was an off-white colour. She wrapped the fabric over her shoulders in such a way that the material did not cross over again until just below her cleavage. The front of her peplos fell lightly down past her knees, though was nearly down to her ankles at the back. To finish the look, Kaia tied a simple golden rope around her waist to pull the shape of the gown in, just as Lady Rene had shown her. Kaia had no fine jewellery to wear this time, but there was no point dwelling on that. At least she wasn’t dressed in her old campfire clothes.
With determination, Kaia willed herself out of her bedchamber and down the hall, her footfalls soft against the cool floor. As much as she wished she didn’t have to do what she’d set out to do, her window of opportunity was now. Kaia dared not tell Aea of her plan, for she knew Aea would disapprove. Even Kaia disapproved. She did not want to manipulate the Kotas princes and she knew Aea would try to stop her. But it was because of Aea and the baby that Kaia was doing it at all. At least if it worked, she could tell Aea that she’d fixed the problem, just as she’d promised.
Since Aea was watching Asia, Kaia only now to do what needed to be done. She just hoped the gods would see fit to have her plan succeed. If Prince Vangelis could not be seduced, then Kaia would have one last shot with Prince Silas. She didn’t bother considering Zanon or Yiannis. Zanon was married and Kaia had an inkling that Aea fancied Prince Yiannis.
The seduction though would absolutely be the challenge. Why would either prince have her when they could have their pick of any woman? She was not after marriage or anything of that nature, but even so, why would either prince bother themselves with bedding a common-born nobody when they could take any high-born woman into their chambers? Still, Kaia had to try. For Aea and the baby.
All too soon, Kaia found herself outside Prince Vangelis’ bedchamber. Kaia took a long, slow breath to steady herself. She could do this. Vangelis was a prince, but he was still only a man, and a man had needs. She just had to focus on that and nothing else. It was only sex. She could do it. She had to.
Feeling as calm as she would ever be, Kaia lightly knocked her knuckles against the frame of the doorway. Her heart was beating rapidly and the thought of abandoning the plan and running back to her own bedchamber was very tempting. However, she beat down her nerves and waited. She could do this. All she needed was for one of the princes to believe that he could be the father of her child.
She’d always known that she was an awful person. There was no other explanation for the things that she did, and enjoyed doing. As much as Kaia enjoyed the comforts and security of being one of Princess Asia’s retainers, Kaia was still a killer and a thief. She was born into the life of taking from those who couldn’t defend what they had and killing those who stood in her way. Where she could, she targeted the most vile miscreants, like the slavers from Megaris, but sometimes she had to kill simply because they’d have killed her if she didn’t get them first.
And she often enjoyed it, that was the problem. Kaia didn’t go out of her way to kill people, but there was no denying the satisfaction she felt when she watched the life drain from a man’s eyes after he’d assumed to take advantage of her. Or when she saw smug confidence rapidly dissolve into pathetic cowardice or fear. She was more than how others saw her, but she took advantage of those incorrect impressions of her.
Now though, this was different. She felt guilty and ashamed. The Kotas had been nothing but generous and hospitable to her. They did not deserve her deception. Her task would be so much easier if the royal family were a band of assholes, but unfortunately, they were the epitome of honour and kindness. They didn’t deserve it, but she had no other choice. This was her only chance at fixing her wrongs. She couldn’t allow her mistakes to have her and Aea thrown out. Aea didn’t deserve it, she’d had no part in Kaia’s troubles. As for the babe, well Kaia was certain she owed the unborn child her best effort at securing it a comfortable life. Was that not what she was supposed to do as a mother? Weren’t parents supposed to do everything in their power to ensure their children were healthy, warm and fed? Kaia had her doubts that she could be a decent mother without help and who would help some low-born, unmarried, pregnant woman? She had no hopes of marrying above her status now, which meant she had no way to find a husband who would or could support her babe. She had to do something though, otherwise she would likely fail at keeping the innocent thing alive.
And it wasn’t like she wanted to bleed the Kotas dry. Not at all. They had been so gracious already. She just hoped that maybe they would resist throwing her and Aea out if they thought her baby was fathered by a Kotas prince. Kaia had no desire to blackmail or extort the royal family. She just hoped that they might provide care and assistance with raising it. If there were servants or Kotas family members about, then the baby was less likely to starve or die of sickness. If they continued to live with and work for the Kotas, then Kaia could ensure that her child would have a roof over their head and a full belly each night when they went to sleep. That was all she wanted. She wasn’t expecting to be made a royal or even noble woman. She didn’t expect them to legitimise the child. They were destined to be a bastard, no matter who she claimed the father to be, so there was no need for any concern there. Kaia wasn’t after a chance to marry into the family, or have her child stake a claim to the crown. She wasn’t looking for drama, the family didn’t even need to make the situation public. None of that. She just needed the support of others to help raise the child.
Kaia discarded the mint leaf she’d been chewing to freshen her breath. She thanked the gods that she did not feel like she was in immediate danger of puking, but her stomach was still churning with nausea and now butterflies too. She glanced at her reflection and gave a deflated sigh. She did not look as beautiful as she did the night Lady Rene had dressed her in the princess’ fine clothes, but at least she looked more presentable than she had of late. Kaia had made an attempt to braid her hair and had scrubbed her face clean. Kaia wore the nicest peplos she’d been given, which was an off-white colour. She wrapped the fabric over her shoulders in such a way that the material did not cross over again until just below her cleavage. The front of her peplos fell lightly down past her knees, though was nearly down to her ankles at the back. To finish the look, Kaia tied a simple golden rope around her waist to pull the shape of the gown in, just as Lady Rene had shown her. Kaia had no fine jewellery to wear this time, but there was no point dwelling on that. At least she wasn’t dressed in her old campfire clothes.
With determination, Kaia willed herself out of her bedchamber and down the hall, her footfalls soft against the cool floor. As much as she wished she didn’t have to do what she’d set out to do, her window of opportunity was now. Kaia dared not tell Aea of her plan, for she knew Aea would disapprove. Even Kaia disapproved. She did not want to manipulate the Kotas princes and she knew Aea would try to stop her. But it was because of Aea and the baby that Kaia was doing it at all. At least if it worked, she could tell Aea that she’d fixed the problem, just as she’d promised.
Since Aea was watching Asia, Kaia only now to do what needed to be done. She just hoped the gods would see fit to have her plan succeed. If Prince Vangelis could not be seduced, then Kaia would have one last shot with Prince Silas. She didn’t bother considering Zanon or Yiannis. Zanon was married and Kaia had an inkling that Aea fancied Prince Yiannis.
The seduction though would absolutely be the challenge. Why would either prince have her when they could have their pick of any woman? She was not after marriage or anything of that nature, but even so, why would either prince bother themselves with bedding a common-born nobody when they could take any high-born woman into their chambers? Still, Kaia had to try. For Aea and the baby.
All too soon, Kaia found herself outside Prince Vangelis’ bedchamber. Kaia took a long, slow breath to steady herself. She could do this. Vangelis was a prince, but he was still only a man, and a man had needs. She just had to focus on that and nothing else. It was only sex. She could do it. She had to.
Feeling as calm as she would ever be, Kaia lightly knocked her knuckles against the frame of the doorway. Her heart was beating rapidly and the thought of abandoning the plan and running back to her own bedchamber was very tempting. However, she beat down her nerves and waited. She could do this. All she needed was for one of the princes to believe that he could be the father of her child.
Vangelis appreciated two very particular times of day. The early morning, before dusk broke and the air was frigid with nighttime dew and felt almost... alive against his skin. He liked going out into the lawns of the Kotas estate to train, his only companion the rising sun in the east. As it dawned, the sky was bleached from Nyx's black to a dovelike grey. Then it would whiten and warm to fresh colors of life. Yellows and oranges. It was the grey he liked. Cool and refreshing. As the warmth was brought to the world, it was Vangelis' prompt to return indoors; a silent message that the day had begun and others would be waking in order to share it.
His second favorite was the last moments of dusk. As the sun went down and the colors shifted in reverse. The sky would catch fire in iridescent shades of maroon, ochre, umber, and gold. Then slowly darken to a deeper, richer tone of burgundy. It was during this period, as the world was returning to slumber, that Vangelis was left with only the sun for company once more. Usually to be enjoyed in his personal rooms.
The chambers afforded to him in the Kotas estate were the traditional rooms of the Crown Prince. The first-born son. King Tython had possessed them before Vangelis and his father before him. They were the formal resting, holding place for the future king of the lands. This meant that, like with everything in his life, Vangelis could not look upon anything in the room without being reminded of his duty and his future. Since he was a boy, he had been honed for his position. Trained to become what the people and the kingdom needed. Forged from responsibility, trial, and expectation. Some days, in the rare moments he was allowed any kind of reprieve from it all and assessed himself internally, Vangelis wondered if there was anything of himself. Anything that was true to the path he would have been on had his birth not been so very particular: the first-born son of a king.
But these were folly thoughts. Pointless and of no use to him now or in the future. Because he had been born as such. And he could not, would not, and saw no desire to change it.
It was in his two favorite moments of the day that such worries slipped away. That his heritage became not so much a present burden of expectation but a simple part of his own being. In these two moments, Vangelis could focus on whatever was most pressing at hand; usually his physical training in the mornings and his duties on paper in the eve. Each was expected of him as a prince but he could handle them without witness and without show. Lose himself in their monotony. It was an exercise in meditation.
As was often the case, this particular evening, as it slipped into the night, found Vangelis in his chambers. Three large rooms were his private domain within the estate. The first and second were used more than the last. His sleeping chamber and the living space in which he entertained. Though, any entertainment was often limited to drinking with his brothers or the occasional and well-received visit with his aunt or cousins. Occasionally, Dion played there, sitting on the rug or jumping over the furniture. It was a room that saw little action in comparison to his mother's social space, for example. Not many came to visit the Stone Prince over his other, more amicable relatives. The third room was reserved for storage, trunks, and chests of his clothing and personal possessions lined the walls and a large tub was kept there for when he desired a private bath instead of utilizing the hot spring waters of the basement bathing rooms. Unlike the other two, the storage space had no door to the main corridor. His bedchamber and solar room both offered a portal to the rest of the house and then a secondary door to join them. A terraced balcony also ran the length of both, columns and thin curtains the only barrier between the chambers and an epic view of the city, the cliffside, and the sea beyond.
It was this view that Vangelis was accompanied by that evening. The sun sinking beneath the watery horizon and staining the sky a deep charcoal. The light had yet to completely diminish but Vangelis could still see, aided by a full fire blazing in the hearth, a torch burning over his bedside, and a candle on the desk beside him. If anyone was to question why Vangelis kept his workspace in his bedroom instead of the open solar room next door, he would have given the excuse of convenience. Though, the simple answer was that if he hadn't his duties, physically stacked in the corner of the room, he would have known little else to do in the space. He had no wife, no children. And his masculine needs were always seen to elsewhere. No lover ever came to his bedchamber.
And no stranger was ever permitted to come near his bedroom door. They were always directed to the other or held back several halls away by the doors that divided the royal estate from the private Kotas living quarters.
So, when there was a soft knock on the doorframe of his personal bedchamber, Vangelis assumed the visitor to be a member of his family. Likely Dion or Asia. Zanon's knock was far louder and Yiannis often dispensed with the protocol altogether and just stormed right on in. He had already bid his mother goodnight and Silas was away with their father.
"Enter," he called, finishing the tablet he had been reading and pressing his Kotas ring into the malleable clay to seal it with a grim set to his jaw. Grain prices in Chaossis and Orebeoa were now officially to rise. It was a measure he detested putting into place but due to high trade and leisure use, the two provinces had been able to enjoy the lowest of taxation rates and still pay towards the royal treasury. Now, with so many towns and cities struggling to rebuild after the revolt, Vangelis had no choice but to ensure that all provinces paid as much as they could withstand so that others could continue to live.
Dusting off his ring, Vangelis glanced over his shoulder as the door was opened and then frowned at the identity of the one who opened it. Neither Dion nor Asia.
His frown of confusion still in place, Vangelis rose from his desk, tilting his head sharply to relieve a crick in his neck. He had been working over the table longer than he thought and his bones had locked into place a little.
The view over the terrace had become a shifting view of greys, from sky, to sea, to land. Interrupted only by the little blazes of light that speckled the city below. Enough to be a pretty vista but of no use to see by. So it was by firelight and torch alone that Vangelis could assess this newcomer.
She was female, blonde, and gowned in a chiton of simple make. He recognized her vaguely as one of Asia's recent acquisitions - a retainer that she had employed in the last month or so. He knew her as little else, nor did he know her name.
It was not that Vangelis was an unobservant person. In fact, observation was a critical skill on the battlefield and one he had honed to its greatest strength. He was simply a man who met several new acquaintances every day, for one reason or another. Dozens every week and hundreds between now and the dinner that celebrated the kingdoms' decade of peace. It was not wholly unsurprising that he saw this woman as his sister's retainer and nothing else. That he had recorded her in his mind for her function over her face.
The prince stood assessing her for only a brief moment, his own thoughts disregarding his appearance with an equal effort that she had attended to her own. He wore a simple tunic. Little more than a knee-length chiton the shade of barley. Black leather of simple design but fine quality held the garment around his waist and matching straps were lashed around his lower legs from his sandals. Barring bronze bracers that molded to his arms from wrist to elbows, he wore no other obvious adornment. No crown, no arm cuffs. Nothing in gold or silver. Just a sheath at his hip for his hunting knife. It was a raiment far unbecoming of a man in his position but it was comfortable to wear. And at this point in the day, after parading around as a royal or marching before his soldiers in armor, comfort was all that mattered to Vangelis. Not that he noticed or cared for his appearance.
"Speak," he told the girl - young woman - before she could make any formal greetings. "Is the princess still well?"
Asia had fallen prey to an illness since her return from Athenia that neither physician nor priest seemed able to heal. It had taken her weeks to recover and only recently had the Kotas been relieved to find her back on her feet. Her suffering with the malady again, falling into its clutches, was the first concern that came to mind. The first reason why this woman might be disturbing him at such an hour...
JD
Vangelis
JD
Vangelis
Awards
First Impressions:Towering; Resting stoic bitch face; monstrous height; the terrifying "Blood General".
Address: Your Royal Highness
Vangelis appreciated two very particular times of day. The early morning, before dusk broke and the air was frigid with nighttime dew and felt almost... alive against his skin. He liked going out into the lawns of the Kotas estate to train, his only companion the rising sun in the east. As it dawned, the sky was bleached from Nyx's black to a dovelike grey. Then it would whiten and warm to fresh colors of life. Yellows and oranges. It was the grey he liked. Cool and refreshing. As the warmth was brought to the world, it was Vangelis' prompt to return indoors; a silent message that the day had begun and others would be waking in order to share it.
His second favorite was the last moments of dusk. As the sun went down and the colors shifted in reverse. The sky would catch fire in iridescent shades of maroon, ochre, umber, and gold. Then slowly darken to a deeper, richer tone of burgundy. It was during this period, as the world was returning to slumber, that Vangelis was left with only the sun for company once more. Usually to be enjoyed in his personal rooms.
The chambers afforded to him in the Kotas estate were the traditional rooms of the Crown Prince. The first-born son. King Tython had possessed them before Vangelis and his father before him. They were the formal resting, holding place for the future king of the lands. This meant that, like with everything in his life, Vangelis could not look upon anything in the room without being reminded of his duty and his future. Since he was a boy, he had been honed for his position. Trained to become what the people and the kingdom needed. Forged from responsibility, trial, and expectation. Some days, in the rare moments he was allowed any kind of reprieve from it all and assessed himself internally, Vangelis wondered if there was anything of himself. Anything that was true to the path he would have been on had his birth not been so very particular: the first-born son of a king.
But these were folly thoughts. Pointless and of no use to him now or in the future. Because he had been born as such. And he could not, would not, and saw no desire to change it.
It was in his two favorite moments of the day that such worries slipped away. That his heritage became not so much a present burden of expectation but a simple part of his own being. In these two moments, Vangelis could focus on whatever was most pressing at hand; usually his physical training in the mornings and his duties on paper in the eve. Each was expected of him as a prince but he could handle them without witness and without show. Lose himself in their monotony. It was an exercise in meditation.
As was often the case, this particular evening, as it slipped into the night, found Vangelis in his chambers. Three large rooms were his private domain within the estate. The first and second were used more than the last. His sleeping chamber and the living space in which he entertained. Though, any entertainment was often limited to drinking with his brothers or the occasional and well-received visit with his aunt or cousins. Occasionally, Dion played there, sitting on the rug or jumping over the furniture. It was a room that saw little action in comparison to his mother's social space, for example. Not many came to visit the Stone Prince over his other, more amicable relatives. The third room was reserved for storage, trunks, and chests of his clothing and personal possessions lined the walls and a large tub was kept there for when he desired a private bath instead of utilizing the hot spring waters of the basement bathing rooms. Unlike the other two, the storage space had no door to the main corridor. His bedchamber and solar room both offered a portal to the rest of the house and then a secondary door to join them. A terraced balcony also ran the length of both, columns and thin curtains the only barrier between the chambers and an epic view of the city, the cliffside, and the sea beyond.
It was this view that Vangelis was accompanied by that evening. The sun sinking beneath the watery horizon and staining the sky a deep charcoal. The light had yet to completely diminish but Vangelis could still see, aided by a full fire blazing in the hearth, a torch burning over his bedside, and a candle on the desk beside him. If anyone was to question why Vangelis kept his workspace in his bedroom instead of the open solar room next door, he would have given the excuse of convenience. Though, the simple answer was that if he hadn't his duties, physically stacked in the corner of the room, he would have known little else to do in the space. He had no wife, no children. And his masculine needs were always seen to elsewhere. No lover ever came to his bedchamber.
And no stranger was ever permitted to come near his bedroom door. They were always directed to the other or held back several halls away by the doors that divided the royal estate from the private Kotas living quarters.
So, when there was a soft knock on the doorframe of his personal bedchamber, Vangelis assumed the visitor to be a member of his family. Likely Dion or Asia. Zanon's knock was far louder and Yiannis often dispensed with the protocol altogether and just stormed right on in. He had already bid his mother goodnight and Silas was away with their father.
"Enter," he called, finishing the tablet he had been reading and pressing his Kotas ring into the malleable clay to seal it with a grim set to his jaw. Grain prices in Chaossis and Orebeoa were now officially to rise. It was a measure he detested putting into place but due to high trade and leisure use, the two provinces had been able to enjoy the lowest of taxation rates and still pay towards the royal treasury. Now, with so many towns and cities struggling to rebuild after the revolt, Vangelis had no choice but to ensure that all provinces paid as much as they could withstand so that others could continue to live.
Dusting off his ring, Vangelis glanced over his shoulder as the door was opened and then frowned at the identity of the one who opened it. Neither Dion nor Asia.
His frown of confusion still in place, Vangelis rose from his desk, tilting his head sharply to relieve a crick in his neck. He had been working over the table longer than he thought and his bones had locked into place a little.
The view over the terrace had become a shifting view of greys, from sky, to sea, to land. Interrupted only by the little blazes of light that speckled the city below. Enough to be a pretty vista but of no use to see by. So it was by firelight and torch alone that Vangelis could assess this newcomer.
She was female, blonde, and gowned in a chiton of simple make. He recognized her vaguely as one of Asia's recent acquisitions - a retainer that she had employed in the last month or so. He knew her as little else, nor did he know her name.
It was not that Vangelis was an unobservant person. In fact, observation was a critical skill on the battlefield and one he had honed to its greatest strength. He was simply a man who met several new acquaintances every day, for one reason or another. Dozens every week and hundreds between now and the dinner that celebrated the kingdoms' decade of peace. It was not wholly unsurprising that he saw this woman as his sister's retainer and nothing else. That he had recorded her in his mind for her function over her face.
The prince stood assessing her for only a brief moment, his own thoughts disregarding his appearance with an equal effort that she had attended to her own. He wore a simple tunic. Little more than a knee-length chiton the shade of barley. Black leather of simple design but fine quality held the garment around his waist and matching straps were lashed around his lower legs from his sandals. Barring bronze bracers that molded to his arms from wrist to elbows, he wore no other obvious adornment. No crown, no arm cuffs. Nothing in gold or silver. Just a sheath at his hip for his hunting knife. It was a raiment far unbecoming of a man in his position but it was comfortable to wear. And at this point in the day, after parading around as a royal or marching before his soldiers in armor, comfort was all that mattered to Vangelis. Not that he noticed or cared for his appearance.
"Speak," he told the girl - young woman - before she could make any formal greetings. "Is the princess still well?"
Asia had fallen prey to an illness since her return from Athenia that neither physician nor priest seemed able to heal. It had taken her weeks to recover and only recently had the Kotas been relieved to find her back on her feet. Her suffering with the malady again, falling into its clutches, was the first concern that came to mind. The first reason why this woman might be disturbing him at such an hour...
Vangelis appreciated two very particular times of day. The early morning, before dusk broke and the air was frigid with nighttime dew and felt almost... alive against his skin. He liked going out into the lawns of the Kotas estate to train, his only companion the rising sun in the east. As it dawned, the sky was bleached from Nyx's black to a dovelike grey. Then it would whiten and warm to fresh colors of life. Yellows and oranges. It was the grey he liked. Cool and refreshing. As the warmth was brought to the world, it was Vangelis' prompt to return indoors; a silent message that the day had begun and others would be waking in order to share it.
His second favorite was the last moments of dusk. As the sun went down and the colors shifted in reverse. The sky would catch fire in iridescent shades of maroon, ochre, umber, and gold. Then slowly darken to a deeper, richer tone of burgundy. It was during this period, as the world was returning to slumber, that Vangelis was left with only the sun for company once more. Usually to be enjoyed in his personal rooms.
The chambers afforded to him in the Kotas estate were the traditional rooms of the Crown Prince. The first-born son. King Tython had possessed them before Vangelis and his father before him. They were the formal resting, holding place for the future king of the lands. This meant that, like with everything in his life, Vangelis could not look upon anything in the room without being reminded of his duty and his future. Since he was a boy, he had been honed for his position. Trained to become what the people and the kingdom needed. Forged from responsibility, trial, and expectation. Some days, in the rare moments he was allowed any kind of reprieve from it all and assessed himself internally, Vangelis wondered if there was anything of himself. Anything that was true to the path he would have been on had his birth not been so very particular: the first-born son of a king.
But these were folly thoughts. Pointless and of no use to him now or in the future. Because he had been born as such. And he could not, would not, and saw no desire to change it.
It was in his two favorite moments of the day that such worries slipped away. That his heritage became not so much a present burden of expectation but a simple part of his own being. In these two moments, Vangelis could focus on whatever was most pressing at hand; usually his physical training in the mornings and his duties on paper in the eve. Each was expected of him as a prince but he could handle them without witness and without show. Lose himself in their monotony. It was an exercise in meditation.
As was often the case, this particular evening, as it slipped into the night, found Vangelis in his chambers. Three large rooms were his private domain within the estate. The first and second were used more than the last. His sleeping chamber and the living space in which he entertained. Though, any entertainment was often limited to drinking with his brothers or the occasional and well-received visit with his aunt or cousins. Occasionally, Dion played there, sitting on the rug or jumping over the furniture. It was a room that saw little action in comparison to his mother's social space, for example. Not many came to visit the Stone Prince over his other, more amicable relatives. The third room was reserved for storage, trunks, and chests of his clothing and personal possessions lined the walls and a large tub was kept there for when he desired a private bath instead of utilizing the hot spring waters of the basement bathing rooms. Unlike the other two, the storage space had no door to the main corridor. His bedchamber and solar room both offered a portal to the rest of the house and then a secondary door to join them. A terraced balcony also ran the length of both, columns and thin curtains the only barrier between the chambers and an epic view of the city, the cliffside, and the sea beyond.
It was this view that Vangelis was accompanied by that evening. The sun sinking beneath the watery horizon and staining the sky a deep charcoal. The light had yet to completely diminish but Vangelis could still see, aided by a full fire blazing in the hearth, a torch burning over his bedside, and a candle on the desk beside him. If anyone was to question why Vangelis kept his workspace in his bedroom instead of the open solar room next door, he would have given the excuse of convenience. Though, the simple answer was that if he hadn't his duties, physically stacked in the corner of the room, he would have known little else to do in the space. He had no wife, no children. And his masculine needs were always seen to elsewhere. No lover ever came to his bedchamber.
And no stranger was ever permitted to come near his bedroom door. They were always directed to the other or held back several halls away by the doors that divided the royal estate from the private Kotas living quarters.
So, when there was a soft knock on the doorframe of his personal bedchamber, Vangelis assumed the visitor to be a member of his family. Likely Dion or Asia. Zanon's knock was far louder and Yiannis often dispensed with the protocol altogether and just stormed right on in. He had already bid his mother goodnight and Silas was away with their father.
"Enter," he called, finishing the tablet he had been reading and pressing his Kotas ring into the malleable clay to seal it with a grim set to his jaw. Grain prices in Chaossis and Orebeoa were now officially to rise. It was a measure he detested putting into place but due to high trade and leisure use, the two provinces had been able to enjoy the lowest of taxation rates and still pay towards the royal treasury. Now, with so many towns and cities struggling to rebuild after the revolt, Vangelis had no choice but to ensure that all provinces paid as much as they could withstand so that others could continue to live.
Dusting off his ring, Vangelis glanced over his shoulder as the door was opened and then frowned at the identity of the one who opened it. Neither Dion nor Asia.
His frown of confusion still in place, Vangelis rose from his desk, tilting his head sharply to relieve a crick in his neck. He had been working over the table longer than he thought and his bones had locked into place a little.
The view over the terrace had become a shifting view of greys, from sky, to sea, to land. Interrupted only by the little blazes of light that speckled the city below. Enough to be a pretty vista but of no use to see by. So it was by firelight and torch alone that Vangelis could assess this newcomer.
She was female, blonde, and gowned in a chiton of simple make. He recognized her vaguely as one of Asia's recent acquisitions - a retainer that she had employed in the last month or so. He knew her as little else, nor did he know her name.
It was not that Vangelis was an unobservant person. In fact, observation was a critical skill on the battlefield and one he had honed to its greatest strength. He was simply a man who met several new acquaintances every day, for one reason or another. Dozens every week and hundreds between now and the dinner that celebrated the kingdoms' decade of peace. It was not wholly unsurprising that he saw this woman as his sister's retainer and nothing else. That he had recorded her in his mind for her function over her face.
The prince stood assessing her for only a brief moment, his own thoughts disregarding his appearance with an equal effort that she had attended to her own. He wore a simple tunic. Little more than a knee-length chiton the shade of barley. Black leather of simple design but fine quality held the garment around his waist and matching straps were lashed around his lower legs from his sandals. Barring bronze bracers that molded to his arms from wrist to elbows, he wore no other obvious adornment. No crown, no arm cuffs. Nothing in gold or silver. Just a sheath at his hip for his hunting knife. It was a raiment far unbecoming of a man in his position but it was comfortable to wear. And at this point in the day, after parading around as a royal or marching before his soldiers in armor, comfort was all that mattered to Vangelis. Not that he noticed or cared for his appearance.
"Speak," he told the girl - young woman - before she could make any formal greetings. "Is the princess still well?"
Asia had fallen prey to an illness since her return from Athenia that neither physician nor priest seemed able to heal. It had taken her weeks to recover and only recently had the Kotas been relieved to find her back on her feet. Her suffering with the malady again, falling into its clutches, was the first concern that came to mind. The first reason why this woman might be disturbing him at such an hour...
“Enter.”
Kaia nearly jumped at the sound of the crown prince’s voice. Part of her had thought that he might come to the door, but of course he wouldn’t. He was a prince. He didn’t wait on people, they waited on him. Even when they came to see him, it was the others that presented themselves to him. She should have expected that.
It didn’t matter, she had her invitation. Ignoring the thundering beat of her heart against her ribs. Kaia pushed open the door and stepped inside. She did not immediately look his way, though she knew she could not avoid it for long. She was hardly going to seduce him if she could not muster the courage to face him. How she would have preferred to be facing down an unlikely opponent in battle over this moment.
Steeling herself, Kaia closed the door then forced herself to look toward the desk. As the prince rose to his feet, Kaia was momentarily caught by the picturesque scene before her. The prince was not dressed in his armour or his fineary, instead in a rather simple tunic. It did not matter though. The light of the nearby torches caught the contours of his face and expression. Even as he frowned at her, Kaia was enraptured by his handsome features. Before that day, Kaia had fancied the prince from afar. A harmless little attraction mixed with wishful thinking and admiration. Now though, she needed to somehow be enticing enough for a man who could charm an angel from the heavens if he so chose.
It was impossible.
No. She couldn’t think like that. He was just a man. Just a man. He was a prince, but still a man. Men had needs. And many men before thought they could help themselves to her. Many men had whispered to her about her beauty and what they would like to do to her, before she turned on them with a blade to their throats. She’d been utilised by her family as a lure for such men enough times to know that her appearance was seen before her talents. Now more than ever, she hoped that to still be true.
Kaia found herself simply looking at the prince with the beautiful view of Colchis behind him. She knew she needed to speak soon, but as she assessed his expression, she noted how his gaze did not roam like most others did. There was no opportunistic upturn at the corner of his lips. Was the plan doomed already? It couldn’t be. It had to work.
“Speak.”
Kaia nearly flinched, but did her best to remain confident in her skin. She could do this. He was just a man, and she was a woman, alone in his bedchambers. Yes, she just needed to look at the odds stacked in her favour. How many men were there—unmarried men might she add—who would turn down the opportunity to have their way with a willing woman in their very chambers? He owed her nothing, didn’t need to promise her anything to get his way. She would never be a princess, she was too lowly born. No one else even needed to know about her. He could treat the moment as a secret. There was nothing he needed to do in exchange. She was there, that was enough.
“Is the princess still well?”
This was it. She needed to act. Nothing would work if she stood there like some mute. She had to act and she had to do it now. “Her condition seems to be improving still,” Kaia answered softly, before stepping further into the room.
She tried to be careful of how she moved. Smooth, slinking movements. She’d seen whores before. She saw the way they moved, like their bodies were all liquid. They drew attention to their curves and feminine features. She could do that. She tried to look up at him through her lashes too. Somehow she got the impression that being demure would work better than not.
“I am not here for the princess,” Kaia admitted quietly, trying to move softly closer. Not too quickly. She didn’t want to come on too strong, but she needed to seem like she wanted to be near him. Well, that was true, she did want to, but she needed to seem like she was not afraid of failure.
Smiling softly, Kaia swallowed her nerves. “The royal family has been nothing but good to us. My cousin and I are so grateful for the opportunity we’ve been given.” She moved a little closer, gaze still on him as she spoke, though—for her benefit as much as his—she did drop her gaze occasionally. Hoping to add to the allure. The whores made it look so easy, but she felt out of place. Even when she was being a lure, she did not need to try so hard. The stakes were higher now though, so she needed all the effort she could manage.
Casting her stormy blue eyes toward him again, Kaia gave a soft smile. She was on the other side of his desk now. She’d never spoken to him before, and whenever she’d been this close, he had never known of her presence. Now though, his attention was on her. He was seeing her. Hearing her. For better or worse.
“We’ve always had to fight. We learnt quickly that nothing in life is for free.” Kaia smoothly rounded the corner of the desk. Not daring to move too fast, in case he thought she was after something important from his workspace. She didn’t need to be mistaken for a thief right now. Well not mistaken. But the irony would not be lost on her if she were to finally be imprisoned when she wasn’t actually trying to steal something. “All my life, I’ve fought to pay my way. One way or another, I’ve paid my debts, with my talents or wares. But this opportunity, there is nothing I own that I can give to show my true and honest appreciation.”
Kaia tilted her head to the side slightly, smiling seductively despite her nerves. This was it. She had to make this work. “Although I’m a fighter, I would not compare to your soldiers, so cannot offer my abilities that way. I have not a single possession that would be of any value either. So all that remains is me.”
She watched him then as she held her bottom lip captive between her teeth. Moving closer to him, Kaia was careful to sway her hips, just a little, hoping to catch his attention. Daringly, she reached her hand out to lightly touch the collar of his tunic. Touching always had a habit of moving things along, but given he was a prince, she nearly felt as if touching him would do her more harm than good. She wouldn’t very well seduce him without it though. “I’m not a high-born woman, so I have no delusions about my place. I will never be a princess or your queen, but tonight I can still be yours.”
Gods, she hoped this worked.
Lani
Kaia
Lani
Kaia
Awards
First Impressions:Lean, athletic; Straw-blonde hair, stormy blue eyes, and a nearly permanent scowl.
Address: Your
Kaia nearly jumped at the sound of the crown prince’s voice. Part of her had thought that he might come to the door, but of course he wouldn’t. He was a prince. He didn’t wait on people, they waited on him. Even when they came to see him, it was the others that presented themselves to him. She should have expected that.
It didn’t matter, she had her invitation. Ignoring the thundering beat of her heart against her ribs. Kaia pushed open the door and stepped inside. She did not immediately look his way, though she knew she could not avoid it for long. She was hardly going to seduce him if she could not muster the courage to face him. How she would have preferred to be facing down an unlikely opponent in battle over this moment.
Steeling herself, Kaia closed the door then forced herself to look toward the desk. As the prince rose to his feet, Kaia was momentarily caught by the picturesque scene before her. The prince was not dressed in his armour or his fineary, instead in a rather simple tunic. It did not matter though. The light of the nearby torches caught the contours of his face and expression. Even as he frowned at her, Kaia was enraptured by his handsome features. Before that day, Kaia had fancied the prince from afar. A harmless little attraction mixed with wishful thinking and admiration. Now though, she needed to somehow be enticing enough for a man who could charm an angel from the heavens if he so chose.
It was impossible.
No. She couldn’t think like that. He was just a man. Just a man. He was a prince, but still a man. Men had needs. And many men before thought they could help themselves to her. Many men had whispered to her about her beauty and what they would like to do to her, before she turned on them with a blade to their throats. She’d been utilised by her family as a lure for such men enough times to know that her appearance was seen before her talents. Now more than ever, she hoped that to still be true.
Kaia found herself simply looking at the prince with the beautiful view of Colchis behind him. She knew she needed to speak soon, but as she assessed his expression, she noted how his gaze did not roam like most others did. There was no opportunistic upturn at the corner of his lips. Was the plan doomed already? It couldn’t be. It had to work.
“Speak.”
Kaia nearly flinched, but did her best to remain confident in her skin. She could do this. He was just a man, and she was a woman, alone in his bedchambers. Yes, she just needed to look at the odds stacked in her favour. How many men were there—unmarried men might she add—who would turn down the opportunity to have their way with a willing woman in their very chambers? He owed her nothing, didn’t need to promise her anything to get his way. She would never be a princess, she was too lowly born. No one else even needed to know about her. He could treat the moment as a secret. There was nothing he needed to do in exchange. She was there, that was enough.
“Is the princess still well?”
This was it. She needed to act. Nothing would work if she stood there like some mute. She had to act and she had to do it now. “Her condition seems to be improving still,” Kaia answered softly, before stepping further into the room.
She tried to be careful of how she moved. Smooth, slinking movements. She’d seen whores before. She saw the way they moved, like their bodies were all liquid. They drew attention to their curves and feminine features. She could do that. She tried to look up at him through her lashes too. Somehow she got the impression that being demure would work better than not.
“I am not here for the princess,” Kaia admitted quietly, trying to move softly closer. Not too quickly. She didn’t want to come on too strong, but she needed to seem like she wanted to be near him. Well, that was true, she did want to, but she needed to seem like she was not afraid of failure.
Smiling softly, Kaia swallowed her nerves. “The royal family has been nothing but good to us. My cousin and I are so grateful for the opportunity we’ve been given.” She moved a little closer, gaze still on him as she spoke, though—for her benefit as much as his—she did drop her gaze occasionally. Hoping to add to the allure. The whores made it look so easy, but she felt out of place. Even when she was being a lure, she did not need to try so hard. The stakes were higher now though, so she needed all the effort she could manage.
Casting her stormy blue eyes toward him again, Kaia gave a soft smile. She was on the other side of his desk now. She’d never spoken to him before, and whenever she’d been this close, he had never known of her presence. Now though, his attention was on her. He was seeing her. Hearing her. For better or worse.
“We’ve always had to fight. We learnt quickly that nothing in life is for free.” Kaia smoothly rounded the corner of the desk. Not daring to move too fast, in case he thought she was after something important from his workspace. She didn’t need to be mistaken for a thief right now. Well not mistaken. But the irony would not be lost on her if she were to finally be imprisoned when she wasn’t actually trying to steal something. “All my life, I’ve fought to pay my way. One way or another, I’ve paid my debts, with my talents or wares. But this opportunity, there is nothing I own that I can give to show my true and honest appreciation.”
Kaia tilted her head to the side slightly, smiling seductively despite her nerves. This was it. She had to make this work. “Although I’m a fighter, I would not compare to your soldiers, so cannot offer my abilities that way. I have not a single possession that would be of any value either. So all that remains is me.”
She watched him then as she held her bottom lip captive between her teeth. Moving closer to him, Kaia was careful to sway her hips, just a little, hoping to catch his attention. Daringly, she reached her hand out to lightly touch the collar of his tunic. Touching always had a habit of moving things along, but given he was a prince, she nearly felt as if touching him would do her more harm than good. She wouldn’t very well seduce him without it though. “I’m not a high-born woman, so I have no delusions about my place. I will never be a princess or your queen, but tonight I can still be yours.”
Gods, she hoped this worked.
“Enter.”
Kaia nearly jumped at the sound of the crown prince’s voice. Part of her had thought that he might come to the door, but of course he wouldn’t. He was a prince. He didn’t wait on people, they waited on him. Even when they came to see him, it was the others that presented themselves to him. She should have expected that.
It didn’t matter, she had her invitation. Ignoring the thundering beat of her heart against her ribs. Kaia pushed open the door and stepped inside. She did not immediately look his way, though she knew she could not avoid it for long. She was hardly going to seduce him if she could not muster the courage to face him. How she would have preferred to be facing down an unlikely opponent in battle over this moment.
Steeling herself, Kaia closed the door then forced herself to look toward the desk. As the prince rose to his feet, Kaia was momentarily caught by the picturesque scene before her. The prince was not dressed in his armour or his fineary, instead in a rather simple tunic. It did not matter though. The light of the nearby torches caught the contours of his face and expression. Even as he frowned at her, Kaia was enraptured by his handsome features. Before that day, Kaia had fancied the prince from afar. A harmless little attraction mixed with wishful thinking and admiration. Now though, she needed to somehow be enticing enough for a man who could charm an angel from the heavens if he so chose.
It was impossible.
No. She couldn’t think like that. He was just a man. Just a man. He was a prince, but still a man. Men had needs. And many men before thought they could help themselves to her. Many men had whispered to her about her beauty and what they would like to do to her, before she turned on them with a blade to their throats. She’d been utilised by her family as a lure for such men enough times to know that her appearance was seen before her talents. Now more than ever, she hoped that to still be true.
Kaia found herself simply looking at the prince with the beautiful view of Colchis behind him. She knew she needed to speak soon, but as she assessed his expression, she noted how his gaze did not roam like most others did. There was no opportunistic upturn at the corner of his lips. Was the plan doomed already? It couldn’t be. It had to work.
“Speak.”
Kaia nearly flinched, but did her best to remain confident in her skin. She could do this. He was just a man, and she was a woman, alone in his bedchambers. Yes, she just needed to look at the odds stacked in her favour. How many men were there—unmarried men might she add—who would turn down the opportunity to have their way with a willing woman in their very chambers? He owed her nothing, didn’t need to promise her anything to get his way. She would never be a princess, she was too lowly born. No one else even needed to know about her. He could treat the moment as a secret. There was nothing he needed to do in exchange. She was there, that was enough.
“Is the princess still well?”
This was it. She needed to act. Nothing would work if she stood there like some mute. She had to act and she had to do it now. “Her condition seems to be improving still,” Kaia answered softly, before stepping further into the room.
She tried to be careful of how she moved. Smooth, slinking movements. She’d seen whores before. She saw the way they moved, like their bodies were all liquid. They drew attention to their curves and feminine features. She could do that. She tried to look up at him through her lashes too. Somehow she got the impression that being demure would work better than not.
“I am not here for the princess,” Kaia admitted quietly, trying to move softly closer. Not too quickly. She didn’t want to come on too strong, but she needed to seem like she wanted to be near him. Well, that was true, she did want to, but she needed to seem like she was not afraid of failure.
Smiling softly, Kaia swallowed her nerves. “The royal family has been nothing but good to us. My cousin and I are so grateful for the opportunity we’ve been given.” She moved a little closer, gaze still on him as she spoke, though—for her benefit as much as his—she did drop her gaze occasionally. Hoping to add to the allure. The whores made it look so easy, but she felt out of place. Even when she was being a lure, she did not need to try so hard. The stakes were higher now though, so she needed all the effort she could manage.
Casting her stormy blue eyes toward him again, Kaia gave a soft smile. She was on the other side of his desk now. She’d never spoken to him before, and whenever she’d been this close, he had never known of her presence. Now though, his attention was on her. He was seeing her. Hearing her. For better or worse.
“We’ve always had to fight. We learnt quickly that nothing in life is for free.” Kaia smoothly rounded the corner of the desk. Not daring to move too fast, in case he thought she was after something important from his workspace. She didn’t need to be mistaken for a thief right now. Well not mistaken. But the irony would not be lost on her if she were to finally be imprisoned when she wasn’t actually trying to steal something. “All my life, I’ve fought to pay my way. One way or another, I’ve paid my debts, with my talents or wares. But this opportunity, there is nothing I own that I can give to show my true and honest appreciation.”
Kaia tilted her head to the side slightly, smiling seductively despite her nerves. This was it. She had to make this work. “Although I’m a fighter, I would not compare to your soldiers, so cannot offer my abilities that way. I have not a single possession that would be of any value either. So all that remains is me.”
She watched him then as she held her bottom lip captive between her teeth. Moving closer to him, Kaia was careful to sway her hips, just a little, hoping to catch his attention. Daringly, she reached her hand out to lightly touch the collar of his tunic. Touching always had a habit of moving things along, but given he was a prince, she nearly felt as if touching him would do her more harm than good. She wouldn’t very well seduce him without it though. “I’m not a high-born woman, so I have no delusions about my place. I will never be a princess or your queen, but tonight I can still be yours.”
Gods, she hoped this worked.
'Her condition seems to be improving still,'
Well, that was something at least. The confession allowed Vangelis to exhale, the concern that had been prickling at the corners of his mind since the blonde walked through the door now put to rest for the moment. He was on the brink of asking after others in his family for, though the girl was retainer to Athanasia, she may have been sent on an errand from another part of the Kotas quarters rendered useful in a moment of emergency outside of her usual duties. But her lack of urgency and assurances that she was not here for the princess, or apparently any note regarding his kin, stopped the words before they could form.
Initially, she gave little else by ways of explanation for why she was now in his chambers. The door shut, the two of them alone... the situation was of no cause for concern for Vangelis but such circumstances were perhaps more worrying for the female of the species. Then again, when the female was a servant and the male of royalty there was little to be judged upon. Vangelis was more than aware that some women enjoyed the trophies of such rumors if the man's rank was of suitable elevation. Alternatively, the rumors never started in the first place, the context explained away by any number of reasons. The girl could be filling a bathtub for him, collecting used dinner utensils...
Neither of which she had come for.
Folding his arms across his chest in a gesture of impatience, Vangelis watched the woman approach without budging an inch himself. He simply planted his weight - an immovable object in the way of her progress as she sauntered around the desk and closer still. She walked with a fluid sort of ease that women often courted. A grace that was at once sinuous and delicate.
'The royal family has been nothing but good to us. My cousin and I are so grateful for the opportunity we’ve been given.'
Vangelis had little to say to this but to offer a short nod of his head. His mother had been the one to employ Athanasia's new retainers and Asia herself the one to champion that decision. Vangelis had had nothing to do with it but he was also head of the Kotas house so he supposed thanks in his direction was logical, if unnecessary.
What he did not require was a woman approaching him so familiarly to offer that gratitude. The closer she grew, the hotter the room seemed to become and Vangelis turned his focus heavily upon her words instead of the sway of her hips.
She spoke of fighting. Of debts owed and good fortune earned at the edge of a blade or after the trials of labor. It was a worldview to which Vangelis appealed and knew well. An attitude of nothing given for free. Perhaps it was a bizarre notion for a crown prince to find familiarity in but of all the royals he was perhaps the most attuned to it. He had a world at his fingertips, of everything he could possibly want, but he had been raised with an understanding that such privileges came with responsibilities; that a crown prince should earn the luxuries that he already possessed, even if it was done so retrospectively.
As she drew closer, the woman - dammit, what was her name? - she tilted her head so that long lengths of blonde hair tumbled over her shoulder. They were pretty. Not curled, yet too rebellious to hang straight. Locks of wanton waves in satin gold.
Vangelis' eyes narrowed.
'Although I’m a fighter, I would not compare to your soldiers, so cannot offer my abilities that way.' That went without saying... 'I have not a single possession that would be of any value either.' He had no absence of anything that she could fill, regardless.
'So all that remains is me.'
Vangelis blinked.
Now standing before him, too close to be appropriate for their formal stations, the woman sunk white teeth into the flesh of her lower lip. It was mildly distracting, given the way she was watching him from beneath her lashes. So much so that Vangelis didn't immediately block her touch when she reached to place a hand upon his tunic. Her fingers drifted over its collar and edge, her palm flattening against his chest. If she could feel his heartbeat, she would notice his reaction as it escalated. Externally, however, he barely flinched.
'I’m not a high-born woman, so I have no delusions about my place. I will never be a princess or your queen, but tonight I can still be yours.'
Exhaling long and steady, Vangelis unfolded his arms and took the hand she had placed upon him. Shackling her wrist between thumb and forefinger, he pried her hold from his clothes, watching her with a stare of stoic detachment.
"I am not in the habit of expecting bedroom favours from those to whom my family are kind."
JD
Vangelis
JD
Vangelis
Awards
First Impressions:Towering; Resting stoic bitch face; monstrous height; the terrifying "Blood General".
Address: Your Royal Highness
Well, that was something at least. The confession allowed Vangelis to exhale, the concern that had been prickling at the corners of his mind since the blonde walked through the door now put to rest for the moment. He was on the brink of asking after others in his family for, though the girl was retainer to Athanasia, she may have been sent on an errand from another part of the Kotas quarters rendered useful in a moment of emergency outside of her usual duties. But her lack of urgency and assurances that she was not here for the princess, or apparently any note regarding his kin, stopped the words before they could form.
Initially, she gave little else by ways of explanation for why she was now in his chambers. The door shut, the two of them alone... the situation was of no cause for concern for Vangelis but such circumstances were perhaps more worrying for the female of the species. Then again, when the female was a servant and the male of royalty there was little to be judged upon. Vangelis was more than aware that some women enjoyed the trophies of such rumors if the man's rank was of suitable elevation. Alternatively, the rumors never started in the first place, the context explained away by any number of reasons. The girl could be filling a bathtub for him, collecting used dinner utensils...
Neither of which she had come for.
Folding his arms across his chest in a gesture of impatience, Vangelis watched the woman approach without budging an inch himself. He simply planted his weight - an immovable object in the way of her progress as she sauntered around the desk and closer still. She walked with a fluid sort of ease that women often courted. A grace that was at once sinuous and delicate.
'The royal family has been nothing but good to us. My cousin and I are so grateful for the opportunity we’ve been given.'
Vangelis had little to say to this but to offer a short nod of his head. His mother had been the one to employ Athanasia's new retainers and Asia herself the one to champion that decision. Vangelis had had nothing to do with it but he was also head of the Kotas house so he supposed thanks in his direction was logical, if unnecessary.
What he did not require was a woman approaching him so familiarly to offer that gratitude. The closer she grew, the hotter the room seemed to become and Vangelis turned his focus heavily upon her words instead of the sway of her hips.
She spoke of fighting. Of debts owed and good fortune earned at the edge of a blade or after the trials of labor. It was a worldview to which Vangelis appealed and knew well. An attitude of nothing given for free. Perhaps it was a bizarre notion for a crown prince to find familiarity in but of all the royals he was perhaps the most attuned to it. He had a world at his fingertips, of everything he could possibly want, but he had been raised with an understanding that such privileges came with responsibilities; that a crown prince should earn the luxuries that he already possessed, even if it was done so retrospectively.
As she drew closer, the woman - dammit, what was her name? - she tilted her head so that long lengths of blonde hair tumbled over her shoulder. They were pretty. Not curled, yet too rebellious to hang straight. Locks of wanton waves in satin gold.
Vangelis' eyes narrowed.
'Although I’m a fighter, I would not compare to your soldiers, so cannot offer my abilities that way.' That went without saying... 'I have not a single possession that would be of any value either.' He had no absence of anything that she could fill, regardless.
'So all that remains is me.'
Vangelis blinked.
Now standing before him, too close to be appropriate for their formal stations, the woman sunk white teeth into the flesh of her lower lip. It was mildly distracting, given the way she was watching him from beneath her lashes. So much so that Vangelis didn't immediately block her touch when she reached to place a hand upon his tunic. Her fingers drifted over its collar and edge, her palm flattening against his chest. If she could feel his heartbeat, she would notice his reaction as it escalated. Externally, however, he barely flinched.
'I’m not a high-born woman, so I have no delusions about my place. I will never be a princess or your queen, but tonight I can still be yours.'
Exhaling long and steady, Vangelis unfolded his arms and took the hand she had placed upon him. Shackling her wrist between thumb and forefinger, he pried her hold from his clothes, watching her with a stare of stoic detachment.
"I am not in the habit of expecting bedroom favours from those to whom my family are kind."
'Her condition seems to be improving still,'
Well, that was something at least. The confession allowed Vangelis to exhale, the concern that had been prickling at the corners of his mind since the blonde walked through the door now put to rest for the moment. He was on the brink of asking after others in his family for, though the girl was retainer to Athanasia, she may have been sent on an errand from another part of the Kotas quarters rendered useful in a moment of emergency outside of her usual duties. But her lack of urgency and assurances that she was not here for the princess, or apparently any note regarding his kin, stopped the words before they could form.
Initially, she gave little else by ways of explanation for why she was now in his chambers. The door shut, the two of them alone... the situation was of no cause for concern for Vangelis but such circumstances were perhaps more worrying for the female of the species. Then again, when the female was a servant and the male of royalty there was little to be judged upon. Vangelis was more than aware that some women enjoyed the trophies of such rumors if the man's rank was of suitable elevation. Alternatively, the rumors never started in the first place, the context explained away by any number of reasons. The girl could be filling a bathtub for him, collecting used dinner utensils...
Neither of which she had come for.
Folding his arms across his chest in a gesture of impatience, Vangelis watched the woman approach without budging an inch himself. He simply planted his weight - an immovable object in the way of her progress as she sauntered around the desk and closer still. She walked with a fluid sort of ease that women often courted. A grace that was at once sinuous and delicate.
'The royal family has been nothing but good to us. My cousin and I are so grateful for the opportunity we’ve been given.'
Vangelis had little to say to this but to offer a short nod of his head. His mother had been the one to employ Athanasia's new retainers and Asia herself the one to champion that decision. Vangelis had had nothing to do with it but he was also head of the Kotas house so he supposed thanks in his direction was logical, if unnecessary.
What he did not require was a woman approaching him so familiarly to offer that gratitude. The closer she grew, the hotter the room seemed to become and Vangelis turned his focus heavily upon her words instead of the sway of her hips.
She spoke of fighting. Of debts owed and good fortune earned at the edge of a blade or after the trials of labor. It was a worldview to which Vangelis appealed and knew well. An attitude of nothing given for free. Perhaps it was a bizarre notion for a crown prince to find familiarity in but of all the royals he was perhaps the most attuned to it. He had a world at his fingertips, of everything he could possibly want, but he had been raised with an understanding that such privileges came with responsibilities; that a crown prince should earn the luxuries that he already possessed, even if it was done so retrospectively.
As she drew closer, the woman - dammit, what was her name? - she tilted her head so that long lengths of blonde hair tumbled over her shoulder. They were pretty. Not curled, yet too rebellious to hang straight. Locks of wanton waves in satin gold.
Vangelis' eyes narrowed.
'Although I’m a fighter, I would not compare to your soldiers, so cannot offer my abilities that way.' That went without saying... 'I have not a single possession that would be of any value either.' He had no absence of anything that she could fill, regardless.
'So all that remains is me.'
Vangelis blinked.
Now standing before him, too close to be appropriate for their formal stations, the woman sunk white teeth into the flesh of her lower lip. It was mildly distracting, given the way she was watching him from beneath her lashes. So much so that Vangelis didn't immediately block her touch when she reached to place a hand upon his tunic. Her fingers drifted over its collar and edge, her palm flattening against his chest. If she could feel his heartbeat, she would notice his reaction as it escalated. Externally, however, he barely flinched.
'I’m not a high-born woman, so I have no delusions about my place. I will never be a princess or your queen, but tonight I can still be yours.'
Exhaling long and steady, Vangelis unfolded his arms and took the hand she had placed upon him. Shackling her wrist between thumb and forefinger, he pried her hold from his clothes, watching her with a stare of stoic detachment.
"I am not in the habit of expecting bedroom favours from those to whom my family are kind."
Sometimes men crossed their arms to make themselves seem more imposing or impressive. And often it worked. Their arms bulged and made them look far more powerful, not to mention closed off from harm. Kaia saw men cross their arms when she lured them plenty of times, though they always had a certain look in their eyes that prince Vangelis did not seem to possess, or at least not yet. That desire wasn’t there. If anything, the crown prince looked impatient.
So while her confidence took a bit of a hit, Kaia persisted. She made herself remember what was at stake. She could not raise this babe on her own, not out on the streets, or it would surely starve. The revolt was evidence enough of how hard it would be. She could hunt and fight, but she could not do that with an infant on her hip. This was not one of her tasks where she just had to distract a man until her family were ready to move in. This wasn’t for a few gold coins or pretty trinkets. She was trying to secure a chance for her baby to live.
That, and she let her gaze run along the lines of the prince’s arms. She’d be lying if she tried to say that she did not find him incredibly attractive. If she were to succeed, she knew she would very much enjoy herself, but while that was a bonus, she could not let it be her driving purpose. There was so much more at stake than enjoying herself with an impossibly handsome prince.
As she spoke, Kaia’s confidence began to build again. He narrowed his eyes at her, but she pressed on. He was still listening, still standing there, allowing her to get closer. It was working!
With her confidence beginning to outweigh her nerves, Kaia touched his collar and slowly flattened her hand against his chest, which was just as warm and solid as she had imagined. There was a slight reaction—or perhaps a flicker from the torchlight—she couldn’t be sure. But she let the idea of it fuel her further. Now that she was feeling like success was within her grasp, Kaia was beginning to enjoy herself. Never would she have allowed herself to proposition the crown prince before. The fantasy would have only been alive in her mind, likely on those nights where it was so cold under the stars that one needed to distract themselves from the chill in order to sleep. Not that she would likely have to experience that again, so long as this worked of course.
When she’d finished saying her piece, Kaia gazed up at him, enticing him to take hold of her. There was no hint of regret or reluctance in her expression, no reason for him to act nobly and let her down. She was all his to have as he pleased.
But then he took her wrist—not erotically. Not with his much larger hand wrapped tightly around it. No, he took her wrist between thumb and finger and pried her away. Kaia felt her confidence shake then, but she couldn’t give up now. He had to be at least somewhat interested, or he would not have let her get this close. She needed to do more. Be more enticing. Show more, perhaps.
Yes, that was it. He could have any woman he wanted, so why would he have his sister’s retainer? Unless she appealed to him. He would have seen many beautiful women before, she was not so vain as to assume she was among them. But in the moment, right now, she could remind him that she was a woman with a woman’s body, not his sister’s retainer.
’I am not in the habit of expecting bedroom favours from those to whom my family are kind.’
Despite the rise of panic in her chest, Kaia smirked, swaying her shoulders slightly, her gaze glancing at his hand holding her wrist then back again. She needed to fix this, and to do that she needed to look as if his rejection did not frighten her. “That’s good. I’m not in the habit of offering bedroom favours to all that are kind.”
She let her smirk become playful then as she dropped her gaze. Shifting ever so slightly closer, Kaia let more of her shoulder slip free of her chiton. Looking back up at him from under her lashes, Kaia let her gaze pause on his lips expectantly, before making the rest of the way back up to meet his cool gaze. “Consider this my way of showing my gratitude. And only that,” she assured him, sounding more confident to herself than she felt in that moment. “After tonight, you may call on me as often or as little as you like.” She tilted her head again, her free hand reaching to touch his chest as well. “It would put my mind at ease if you would accept me,” Kaia murmured, her lips still parted slightly.
Lani
Kaia
Lani
Kaia
Awards
First Impressions:Lean, athletic; Straw-blonde hair, stormy blue eyes, and a nearly permanent scowl.
Address: Your
Sometimes men crossed their arms to make themselves seem more imposing or impressive. And often it worked. Their arms bulged and made them look far more powerful, not to mention closed off from harm. Kaia saw men cross their arms when she lured them plenty of times, though they always had a certain look in their eyes that prince Vangelis did not seem to possess, or at least not yet. That desire wasn’t there. If anything, the crown prince looked impatient.
So while her confidence took a bit of a hit, Kaia persisted. She made herself remember what was at stake. She could not raise this babe on her own, not out on the streets, or it would surely starve. The revolt was evidence enough of how hard it would be. She could hunt and fight, but she could not do that with an infant on her hip. This was not one of her tasks where she just had to distract a man until her family were ready to move in. This wasn’t for a few gold coins or pretty trinkets. She was trying to secure a chance for her baby to live.
That, and she let her gaze run along the lines of the prince’s arms. She’d be lying if she tried to say that she did not find him incredibly attractive. If she were to succeed, she knew she would very much enjoy herself, but while that was a bonus, she could not let it be her driving purpose. There was so much more at stake than enjoying herself with an impossibly handsome prince.
As she spoke, Kaia’s confidence began to build again. He narrowed his eyes at her, but she pressed on. He was still listening, still standing there, allowing her to get closer. It was working!
With her confidence beginning to outweigh her nerves, Kaia touched his collar and slowly flattened her hand against his chest, which was just as warm and solid as she had imagined. There was a slight reaction—or perhaps a flicker from the torchlight—she couldn’t be sure. But she let the idea of it fuel her further. Now that she was feeling like success was within her grasp, Kaia was beginning to enjoy herself. Never would she have allowed herself to proposition the crown prince before. The fantasy would have only been alive in her mind, likely on those nights where it was so cold under the stars that one needed to distract themselves from the chill in order to sleep. Not that she would likely have to experience that again, so long as this worked of course.
When she’d finished saying her piece, Kaia gazed up at him, enticing him to take hold of her. There was no hint of regret or reluctance in her expression, no reason for him to act nobly and let her down. She was all his to have as he pleased.
But then he took her wrist—not erotically. Not with his much larger hand wrapped tightly around it. No, he took her wrist between thumb and finger and pried her away. Kaia felt her confidence shake then, but she couldn’t give up now. He had to be at least somewhat interested, or he would not have let her get this close. She needed to do more. Be more enticing. Show more, perhaps.
Yes, that was it. He could have any woman he wanted, so why would he have his sister’s retainer? Unless she appealed to him. He would have seen many beautiful women before, she was not so vain as to assume she was among them. But in the moment, right now, she could remind him that she was a woman with a woman’s body, not his sister’s retainer.
’I am not in the habit of expecting bedroom favours from those to whom my family are kind.’
Despite the rise of panic in her chest, Kaia smirked, swaying her shoulders slightly, her gaze glancing at his hand holding her wrist then back again. She needed to fix this, and to do that she needed to look as if his rejection did not frighten her. “That’s good. I’m not in the habit of offering bedroom favours to all that are kind.”
She let her smirk become playful then as she dropped her gaze. Shifting ever so slightly closer, Kaia let more of her shoulder slip free of her chiton. Looking back up at him from under her lashes, Kaia let her gaze pause on his lips expectantly, before making the rest of the way back up to meet his cool gaze. “Consider this my way of showing my gratitude. And only that,” she assured him, sounding more confident to herself than she felt in that moment. “After tonight, you may call on me as often or as little as you like.” She tilted her head again, her free hand reaching to touch his chest as well. “It would put my mind at ease if you would accept me,” Kaia murmured, her lips still parted slightly.
Sometimes men crossed their arms to make themselves seem more imposing or impressive. And often it worked. Their arms bulged and made them look far more powerful, not to mention closed off from harm. Kaia saw men cross their arms when she lured them plenty of times, though they always had a certain look in their eyes that prince Vangelis did not seem to possess, or at least not yet. That desire wasn’t there. If anything, the crown prince looked impatient.
So while her confidence took a bit of a hit, Kaia persisted. She made herself remember what was at stake. She could not raise this babe on her own, not out on the streets, or it would surely starve. The revolt was evidence enough of how hard it would be. She could hunt and fight, but she could not do that with an infant on her hip. This was not one of her tasks where she just had to distract a man until her family were ready to move in. This wasn’t for a few gold coins or pretty trinkets. She was trying to secure a chance for her baby to live.
That, and she let her gaze run along the lines of the prince’s arms. She’d be lying if she tried to say that she did not find him incredibly attractive. If she were to succeed, she knew she would very much enjoy herself, but while that was a bonus, she could not let it be her driving purpose. There was so much more at stake than enjoying herself with an impossibly handsome prince.
As she spoke, Kaia’s confidence began to build again. He narrowed his eyes at her, but she pressed on. He was still listening, still standing there, allowing her to get closer. It was working!
With her confidence beginning to outweigh her nerves, Kaia touched his collar and slowly flattened her hand against his chest, which was just as warm and solid as she had imagined. There was a slight reaction—or perhaps a flicker from the torchlight—she couldn’t be sure. But she let the idea of it fuel her further. Now that she was feeling like success was within her grasp, Kaia was beginning to enjoy herself. Never would she have allowed herself to proposition the crown prince before. The fantasy would have only been alive in her mind, likely on those nights where it was so cold under the stars that one needed to distract themselves from the chill in order to sleep. Not that she would likely have to experience that again, so long as this worked of course.
When she’d finished saying her piece, Kaia gazed up at him, enticing him to take hold of her. There was no hint of regret or reluctance in her expression, no reason for him to act nobly and let her down. She was all his to have as he pleased.
But then he took her wrist—not erotically. Not with his much larger hand wrapped tightly around it. No, he took her wrist between thumb and finger and pried her away. Kaia felt her confidence shake then, but she couldn’t give up now. He had to be at least somewhat interested, or he would not have let her get this close. She needed to do more. Be more enticing. Show more, perhaps.
Yes, that was it. He could have any woman he wanted, so why would he have his sister’s retainer? Unless she appealed to him. He would have seen many beautiful women before, she was not so vain as to assume she was among them. But in the moment, right now, she could remind him that she was a woman with a woman’s body, not his sister’s retainer.
’I am not in the habit of expecting bedroom favours from those to whom my family are kind.’
Despite the rise of panic in her chest, Kaia smirked, swaying her shoulders slightly, her gaze glancing at his hand holding her wrist then back again. She needed to fix this, and to do that she needed to look as if his rejection did not frighten her. “That’s good. I’m not in the habit of offering bedroom favours to all that are kind.”
She let her smirk become playful then as she dropped her gaze. Shifting ever so slightly closer, Kaia let more of her shoulder slip free of her chiton. Looking back up at him from under her lashes, Kaia let her gaze pause on his lips expectantly, before making the rest of the way back up to meet his cool gaze. “Consider this my way of showing my gratitude. And only that,” she assured him, sounding more confident to herself than she felt in that moment. “After tonight, you may call on me as often or as little as you like.” She tilted her head again, her free hand reaching to touch his chest as well. “It would put my mind at ease if you would accept me,” Kaia murmured, her lips still parted slightly.
‘…I’m not in the habit of offering bedroom favours to all that are kind…’
Had Vangelis’ body been a little less distracted by the suddenly very close proximity of a warm female, he might have assessed those words more carefully. Considered them evidence, a clue, to what had seen these circumstances unfold. If she was not the sort of women to offer her own form as a sacrifice of gratitude then why was she doing so now? Because the debt owed was so much greater? No, the charity offered by the Kotas had been exchange for her work. They had not supported her but employed her. This was no great feat. Was she lying then when she spoke of no expectations regarding wealth and rank, and actually sought him for the role of princess that lay empty at his side? Also unlikely. Why would such a bold move be her first step in such matters? Perhaps it was simple desire? That she might want his body outside of all other context. Something Vangelis would have thought highly unlikely also. There were far easier ways for a young woman to slake her lust than to brave the dominion of the Blood General.
Vangelis wasn’t blind to his own appearance when confronted with his reflection in water or silver. When women of the court grew to know him and the fear in their eyes slipped away, he was aware of the interest lying beneath. He had been born of generations of fine stock and had the features to prove it. He was not blind to this. Not was it false modesty that saw him confused over this assault in his bedchamber. It was only his inability to detach his self from his circumstance. The inability to believe a woman would take such interest beyond the reality of his birth, no matter the quality of his face.
’After tonight, you may call on me as often or as little as you like.’
That was almost amusing and had Vangelis weight shift just a little awkwardly.
Vangelis was no boy. He had known women. A fair number of them. In fact, his sexual encounters with the opposite sex we’re almost of equal number to the diverse range of women with whom he had shared them. He could not often recall taking the same woman to his bed twice. A deliberate choice.
Vangelis had yet to find a wife. A woman of rank, intelligence, beauty, devout godly faith, political savvy and the excelling quality of authority. The kind of woman whom he could make Queen of Colchis. It was why he remained unmarried at thirty-two. He was not looking for a woman that fit his own desires, whatever those might be, but the needs of his kingdom. And, until he did, Vangelis refused to encourage attachments with those he would never wed. Showing favour for a woman with more than one encounter in bed would encourage ambitions of a future he could not offer her.
His other point of care was that of children. With the Kotas, blood was all binding and all powerful. When Vangelis had children, they would be born to the woman he’d chosen as his queen and no other. They would bear his name as well as his blood. It was for this reason that the majority of his male needs were slaked by professionals. Priestesses in temples or girls in brothels. Both were expected to diet on regular abortive tonic, else their careers in either field were at an end for several months. Vangelis had always been careful to ensure either kind of establishment followed through on such measures.
In the end, therefore, Vangelis had experience with lust and with sex but, in a bizarre twice, not seduction. He avoided the manipulative grasps of courtly ladies and paid for false affection when his own needs were too loud to ignore. A woman approaching him like this…? Not a circumstance he was used to handling.
Which might explain his slow reactions when the blonde drew herself in against him. Her shoulder dipped, her gown sliding over her skin to expose a silky shoulder. That hair was still dancing in the firelight with every turn of her head. Her face was close and indeed quite beautiful. Not a feature overtly oppressive over the rest, no imbalance in the symmetry of her eyes. He wished she’d stop biting that damn lip!
’It would put my mind at ease if you would accept me.’
Barely a breath separated them now, her hip brushing his in a manner he almost believed to be accidental. His reaction to her physically was immediate and the same as any other male, prince or no. His tunic shifting with his altering state. As she pressed her free hand to his chest, Vangelis’ breath grew hot and he could not resist placing the tip of one digit to that exposed skin. Barely touching her, his finger drew along the outline of her form: the line of her neck, down into the hollow of her shoulder, where it came to rest, hovering over the silken softness.
“Your name…?” he finally asked, frustrated with his own lack of recall. After his encounters with his sister and the raven haired retainer, he knew of Aea. But this one was quieter, had kept more to herself since her employment and Vangelis had never learned her name…
JD
Vangelis
JD
Vangelis
Awards
First Impressions:Towering; Resting stoic bitch face; monstrous height; the terrifying "Blood General".
Address: Your Royal Highness
‘…I’m not in the habit of offering bedroom favours to all that are kind…’
Had Vangelis’ body been a little less distracted by the suddenly very close proximity of a warm female, he might have assessed those words more carefully. Considered them evidence, a clue, to what had seen these circumstances unfold. If she was not the sort of women to offer her own form as a sacrifice of gratitude then why was she doing so now? Because the debt owed was so much greater? No, the charity offered by the Kotas had been exchange for her work. They had not supported her but employed her. This was no great feat. Was she lying then when she spoke of no expectations regarding wealth and rank, and actually sought him for the role of princess that lay empty at his side? Also unlikely. Why would such a bold move be her first step in such matters? Perhaps it was simple desire? That she might want his body outside of all other context. Something Vangelis would have thought highly unlikely also. There were far easier ways for a young woman to slake her lust than to brave the dominion of the Blood General.
Vangelis wasn’t blind to his own appearance when confronted with his reflection in water or silver. When women of the court grew to know him and the fear in their eyes slipped away, he was aware of the interest lying beneath. He had been born of generations of fine stock and had the features to prove it. He was not blind to this. Not was it false modesty that saw him confused over this assault in his bedchamber. It was only his inability to detach his self from his circumstance. The inability to believe a woman would take such interest beyond the reality of his birth, no matter the quality of his face.
’After tonight, you may call on me as often or as little as you like.’
That was almost amusing and had Vangelis weight shift just a little awkwardly.
Vangelis was no boy. He had known women. A fair number of them. In fact, his sexual encounters with the opposite sex we’re almost of equal number to the diverse range of women with whom he had shared them. He could not often recall taking the same woman to his bed twice. A deliberate choice.
Vangelis had yet to find a wife. A woman of rank, intelligence, beauty, devout godly faith, political savvy and the excelling quality of authority. The kind of woman whom he could make Queen of Colchis. It was why he remained unmarried at thirty-two. He was not looking for a woman that fit his own desires, whatever those might be, but the needs of his kingdom. And, until he did, Vangelis refused to encourage attachments with those he would never wed. Showing favour for a woman with more than one encounter in bed would encourage ambitions of a future he could not offer her.
His other point of care was that of children. With the Kotas, blood was all binding and all powerful. When Vangelis had children, they would be born to the woman he’d chosen as his queen and no other. They would bear his name as well as his blood. It was for this reason that the majority of his male needs were slaked by professionals. Priestesses in temples or girls in brothels. Both were expected to diet on regular abortive tonic, else their careers in either field were at an end for several months. Vangelis had always been careful to ensure either kind of establishment followed through on such measures.
In the end, therefore, Vangelis had experience with lust and with sex but, in a bizarre twice, not seduction. He avoided the manipulative grasps of courtly ladies and paid for false affection when his own needs were too loud to ignore. A woman approaching him like this…? Not a circumstance he was used to handling.
Which might explain his slow reactions when the blonde drew herself in against him. Her shoulder dipped, her gown sliding over her skin to expose a silky shoulder. That hair was still dancing in the firelight with every turn of her head. Her face was close and indeed quite beautiful. Not a feature overtly oppressive over the rest, no imbalance in the symmetry of her eyes. He wished she’d stop biting that damn lip!
’It would put my mind at ease if you would accept me.’
Barely a breath separated them now, her hip brushing his in a manner he almost believed to be accidental. His reaction to her physically was immediate and the same as any other male, prince or no. His tunic shifting with his altering state. As she pressed her free hand to his chest, Vangelis’ breath grew hot and he could not resist placing the tip of one digit to that exposed skin. Barely touching her, his finger drew along the outline of her form: the line of her neck, down into the hollow of her shoulder, where it came to rest, hovering over the silken softness.
“Your name…?” he finally asked, frustrated with his own lack of recall. After his encounters with his sister and the raven haired retainer, he knew of Aea. But this one was quieter, had kept more to herself since her employment and Vangelis had never learned her name…
‘…I’m not in the habit of offering bedroom favours to all that are kind…’
Had Vangelis’ body been a little less distracted by the suddenly very close proximity of a warm female, he might have assessed those words more carefully. Considered them evidence, a clue, to what had seen these circumstances unfold. If she was not the sort of women to offer her own form as a sacrifice of gratitude then why was she doing so now? Because the debt owed was so much greater? No, the charity offered by the Kotas had been exchange for her work. They had not supported her but employed her. This was no great feat. Was she lying then when she spoke of no expectations regarding wealth and rank, and actually sought him for the role of princess that lay empty at his side? Also unlikely. Why would such a bold move be her first step in such matters? Perhaps it was simple desire? That she might want his body outside of all other context. Something Vangelis would have thought highly unlikely also. There were far easier ways for a young woman to slake her lust than to brave the dominion of the Blood General.
Vangelis wasn’t blind to his own appearance when confronted with his reflection in water or silver. When women of the court grew to know him and the fear in their eyes slipped away, he was aware of the interest lying beneath. He had been born of generations of fine stock and had the features to prove it. He was not blind to this. Not was it false modesty that saw him confused over this assault in his bedchamber. It was only his inability to detach his self from his circumstance. The inability to believe a woman would take such interest beyond the reality of his birth, no matter the quality of his face.
’After tonight, you may call on me as often or as little as you like.’
That was almost amusing and had Vangelis weight shift just a little awkwardly.
Vangelis was no boy. He had known women. A fair number of them. In fact, his sexual encounters with the opposite sex we’re almost of equal number to the diverse range of women with whom he had shared them. He could not often recall taking the same woman to his bed twice. A deliberate choice.
Vangelis had yet to find a wife. A woman of rank, intelligence, beauty, devout godly faith, political savvy and the excelling quality of authority. The kind of woman whom he could make Queen of Colchis. It was why he remained unmarried at thirty-two. He was not looking for a woman that fit his own desires, whatever those might be, but the needs of his kingdom. And, until he did, Vangelis refused to encourage attachments with those he would never wed. Showing favour for a woman with more than one encounter in bed would encourage ambitions of a future he could not offer her.
His other point of care was that of children. With the Kotas, blood was all binding and all powerful. When Vangelis had children, they would be born to the woman he’d chosen as his queen and no other. They would bear his name as well as his blood. It was for this reason that the majority of his male needs were slaked by professionals. Priestesses in temples or girls in brothels. Both were expected to diet on regular abortive tonic, else their careers in either field were at an end for several months. Vangelis had always been careful to ensure either kind of establishment followed through on such measures.
In the end, therefore, Vangelis had experience with lust and with sex but, in a bizarre twice, not seduction. He avoided the manipulative grasps of courtly ladies and paid for false affection when his own needs were too loud to ignore. A woman approaching him like this…? Not a circumstance he was used to handling.
Which might explain his slow reactions when the blonde drew herself in against him. Her shoulder dipped, her gown sliding over her skin to expose a silky shoulder. That hair was still dancing in the firelight with every turn of her head. Her face was close and indeed quite beautiful. Not a feature overtly oppressive over the rest, no imbalance in the symmetry of her eyes. He wished she’d stop biting that damn lip!
’It would put my mind at ease if you would accept me.’
Barely a breath separated them now, her hip brushing his in a manner he almost believed to be accidental. His reaction to her physically was immediate and the same as any other male, prince or no. His tunic shifting with his altering state. As she pressed her free hand to his chest, Vangelis’ breath grew hot and he could not resist placing the tip of one digit to that exposed skin. Barely touching her, his finger drew along the outline of her form: the line of her neck, down into the hollow of her shoulder, where it came to rest, hovering over the silken softness.
“Your name…?” he finally asked, frustrated with his own lack of recall. After his encounters with his sister and the raven haired retainer, he knew of Aea. But this one was quieter, had kept more to herself since her employment and Vangelis had never learned her name…
He still wasn’t pushing her away, which Kaia took to meaning that her plan was working. The peaking in her confidence was nearly instantaneous. It was much easier to feel bold in her actions when she felt like there was little risk of failure.
With her hand against his chest again, and her hip brushing against his, Kaia was beginning to feel her own desire peeking through the layers of confidence, nerves and determination. She would never have thought she would get to bed the royal prince. The thought had only ever been a little private affection of hers. But now, she was so close, and he wanted her too, as was evident from the growth beneath his tunic.
And then he touched her—just a simple movement, his finger against the soft skin of her neck and shoulder. Kaia beamed up at him, less afraid of showing her own desire in her expression. Her skin was already tingling from where he’d touched her and she felt that her body was doing a much better job of wooing him than her words. In reflection, it made sense. He was an educated man, no doubt very clever with his own words. Kaia did not have her uncles honeyed way of speaking or weaving a tale, nor was she educated enough to match the likes of a prince. Words were not going to be her strength now. He had been more right than she realised before, her strength was herself.
’Your name…?’
Kaia’s expression was sultry but playful, as she cut her gaze up at him. “Kaia,” she murmured softly, before letting her hand trail down his chest lightly. Without slipping her other hand free of his hold, Kaia slowly dropped it to her waist, her body already beginning to thrum with the idea of his hand so close to her hip. Without averting her gaze this time, Kaia set about undoing the gold rope at her waist, wanting to let the peplos reveal more of her. She would have preferred to unfasten it at the shoulders, but the movement needed struck her as far less appealing than guiding his hand to her hip.
This was working, everything was going to be okay. The babe would be well looked after. Kaia would do her best of course, but she wouldn’t be beside herself with fear that the thing would die due to her incompetence. There would be someone there to help her, to look after the prince’s child…
Shaking the feeling of guilt away, Kaia let the peplos fall open at her side, revealing the bare skin of her leg, hip and ribs, with his hand so very close by. He wanted her, she could feel his wanting when she brushed against him with her hip. She just needed him to give in.
Lani
Kaia
Lani
Kaia
Awards
First Impressions:Lean, athletic; Straw-blonde hair, stormy blue eyes, and a nearly permanent scowl.
Address: Your
He still wasn’t pushing her away, which Kaia took to meaning that her plan was working. The peaking in her confidence was nearly instantaneous. It was much easier to feel bold in her actions when she felt like there was little risk of failure.
With her hand against his chest again, and her hip brushing against his, Kaia was beginning to feel her own desire peeking through the layers of confidence, nerves and determination. She would never have thought she would get to bed the royal prince. The thought had only ever been a little private affection of hers. But now, she was so close, and he wanted her too, as was evident from the growth beneath his tunic.
And then he touched her—just a simple movement, his finger against the soft skin of her neck and shoulder. Kaia beamed up at him, less afraid of showing her own desire in her expression. Her skin was already tingling from where he’d touched her and she felt that her body was doing a much better job of wooing him than her words. In reflection, it made sense. He was an educated man, no doubt very clever with his own words. Kaia did not have her uncles honeyed way of speaking or weaving a tale, nor was she educated enough to match the likes of a prince. Words were not going to be her strength now. He had been more right than she realised before, her strength was herself.
’Your name…?’
Kaia’s expression was sultry but playful, as she cut her gaze up at him. “Kaia,” she murmured softly, before letting her hand trail down his chest lightly. Without slipping her other hand free of his hold, Kaia slowly dropped it to her waist, her body already beginning to thrum with the idea of his hand so close to her hip. Without averting her gaze this time, Kaia set about undoing the gold rope at her waist, wanting to let the peplos reveal more of her. She would have preferred to unfasten it at the shoulders, but the movement needed struck her as far less appealing than guiding his hand to her hip.
This was working, everything was going to be okay. The babe would be well looked after. Kaia would do her best of course, but she wouldn’t be beside herself with fear that the thing would die due to her incompetence. There would be someone there to help her, to look after the prince’s child…
Shaking the feeling of guilt away, Kaia let the peplos fall open at her side, revealing the bare skin of her leg, hip and ribs, with his hand so very close by. He wanted her, she could feel his wanting when she brushed against him with her hip. She just needed him to give in.
He still wasn’t pushing her away, which Kaia took to meaning that her plan was working. The peaking in her confidence was nearly instantaneous. It was much easier to feel bold in her actions when she felt like there was little risk of failure.
With her hand against his chest again, and her hip brushing against his, Kaia was beginning to feel her own desire peeking through the layers of confidence, nerves and determination. She would never have thought she would get to bed the royal prince. The thought had only ever been a little private affection of hers. But now, she was so close, and he wanted her too, as was evident from the growth beneath his tunic.
And then he touched her—just a simple movement, his finger against the soft skin of her neck and shoulder. Kaia beamed up at him, less afraid of showing her own desire in her expression. Her skin was already tingling from where he’d touched her and she felt that her body was doing a much better job of wooing him than her words. In reflection, it made sense. He was an educated man, no doubt very clever with his own words. Kaia did not have her uncles honeyed way of speaking or weaving a tale, nor was she educated enough to match the likes of a prince. Words were not going to be her strength now. He had been more right than she realised before, her strength was herself.
’Your name…?’
Kaia’s expression was sultry but playful, as she cut her gaze up at him. “Kaia,” she murmured softly, before letting her hand trail down his chest lightly. Without slipping her other hand free of his hold, Kaia slowly dropped it to her waist, her body already beginning to thrum with the idea of his hand so close to her hip. Without averting her gaze this time, Kaia set about undoing the gold rope at her waist, wanting to let the peplos reveal more of her. She would have preferred to unfasten it at the shoulders, but the movement needed struck her as far less appealing than guiding his hand to her hip.
This was working, everything was going to be okay. The babe would be well looked after. Kaia would do her best of course, but she wouldn’t be beside herself with fear that the thing would die due to her incompetence. There would be someone there to help her, to look after the prince’s child…
Shaking the feeling of guilt away, Kaia let the peplos fall open at her side, revealing the bare skin of her leg, hip and ribs, with his hand so very close by. He wanted her, she could feel his wanting when she brushed against him with her hip. She just needed him to give in.
’Kaia…’ she murmured.
Vangelis had been intending to speak. He had simply wanted a means of addressing her when he did so. But the ideas he had planned to weave into words were lost somewhere on the way to his tongue. For the woman before him was set on seduction and he was only human. Using her captive hand as a guide, she drew his fingers towards her hip. Slowly, she worked to expose a long length of golden leg and smooth hip for his inspection.
The skin of her upper thigh, brought into the firelight by her parting gown was warm against the side of his hand, then his knuckles as she tried to shift his hold… to encourage him to loose her wrist and touch her more intimately.
Vangelis swallowed, his mind turning over such an offer. He was male enough to desire a woman of beauty. Human enough that his ego was suitably stroked with such an uninvited offer… And intelligent enough to know that servants did not suddenly offer themselves to their employers without reason…
Servants might be rendered to the back of Vangelis’ mind but he would have noticed doting, desirous eyes from afar. He’d have spotted Asia’s retainer lingering near his rooms or hovering to spend longer in any chance company they shared. If Kaia had desired him with the wailing heart of a romantic, she would have behaved in a way to attract his notice before now. Had this truly been a moment of unencumbered passion or gratitude, she’d be falling over herself with emotive abandon. And yet… it was all very… deliberate.
Allowing her to move his hand to her hip and playing with the garment slowly slipping from her shoulder, Vangelis leaned low to draw their faces closer together. He assessed her: the lines of her mouth, the colour of her eyes, the way her lashes fanned in two perfect little arches.
“Kaia…” he murmured in a tone lower than the flickering crackle of the firewood.
Letting go of her wrist with by unlinking his fingers, Vangelis did not reach for the warmth of that glorious skin. Instead, he took hold of the edge of her peplos. He held it, stilled it from splitting further or falling to the ground. With one hand at her shoulder, the edge of her dress between his fingers and the other at her hip, where the sheath of fabric was parting from itself… Vangelis moved his hands in unison… and determinedly drew her ensemble back into place.
“I think,” he said, in that same calm tone, “you should leave now.”
JD
Vangelis
JD
Vangelis
Awards
First Impressions:Towering; Resting stoic bitch face; monstrous height; the terrifying "Blood General".
Address: Your Royal Highness
Vangelis had been intending to speak. He had simply wanted a means of addressing her when he did so. But the ideas he had planned to weave into words were lost somewhere on the way to his tongue. For the woman before him was set on seduction and he was only human. Using her captive hand as a guide, she drew his fingers towards her hip. Slowly, she worked to expose a long length of golden leg and smooth hip for his inspection.
The skin of her upper thigh, brought into the firelight by her parting gown was warm against the side of his hand, then his knuckles as she tried to shift his hold… to encourage him to loose her wrist and touch her more intimately.
Vangelis swallowed, his mind turning over such an offer. He was male enough to desire a woman of beauty. Human enough that his ego was suitably stroked with such an uninvited offer… And intelligent enough to know that servants did not suddenly offer themselves to their employers without reason…
Servants might be rendered to the back of Vangelis’ mind but he would have noticed doting, desirous eyes from afar. He’d have spotted Asia’s retainer lingering near his rooms or hovering to spend longer in any chance company they shared. If Kaia had desired him with the wailing heart of a romantic, she would have behaved in a way to attract his notice before now. Had this truly been a moment of unencumbered passion or gratitude, she’d be falling over herself with emotive abandon. And yet… it was all very… deliberate.
Allowing her to move his hand to her hip and playing with the garment slowly slipping from her shoulder, Vangelis leaned low to draw their faces closer together. He assessed her: the lines of her mouth, the colour of her eyes, the way her lashes fanned in two perfect little arches.
“Kaia…” he murmured in a tone lower than the flickering crackle of the firewood.
Letting go of her wrist with by unlinking his fingers, Vangelis did not reach for the warmth of that glorious skin. Instead, he took hold of the edge of her peplos. He held it, stilled it from splitting further or falling to the ground. With one hand at her shoulder, the edge of her dress between his fingers and the other at her hip, where the sheath of fabric was parting from itself… Vangelis moved his hands in unison… and determinedly drew her ensemble back into place.
“I think,” he said, in that same calm tone, “you should leave now.”
’Kaia…’ she murmured.
Vangelis had been intending to speak. He had simply wanted a means of addressing her when he did so. But the ideas he had planned to weave into words were lost somewhere on the way to his tongue. For the woman before him was set on seduction and he was only human. Using her captive hand as a guide, she drew his fingers towards her hip. Slowly, she worked to expose a long length of golden leg and smooth hip for his inspection.
The skin of her upper thigh, brought into the firelight by her parting gown was warm against the side of his hand, then his knuckles as she tried to shift his hold… to encourage him to loose her wrist and touch her more intimately.
Vangelis swallowed, his mind turning over such an offer. He was male enough to desire a woman of beauty. Human enough that his ego was suitably stroked with such an uninvited offer… And intelligent enough to know that servants did not suddenly offer themselves to their employers without reason…
Servants might be rendered to the back of Vangelis’ mind but he would have noticed doting, desirous eyes from afar. He’d have spotted Asia’s retainer lingering near his rooms or hovering to spend longer in any chance company they shared. If Kaia had desired him with the wailing heart of a romantic, she would have behaved in a way to attract his notice before now. Had this truly been a moment of unencumbered passion or gratitude, she’d be falling over herself with emotive abandon. And yet… it was all very… deliberate.
Allowing her to move his hand to her hip and playing with the garment slowly slipping from her shoulder, Vangelis leaned low to draw their faces closer together. He assessed her: the lines of her mouth, the colour of her eyes, the way her lashes fanned in two perfect little arches.
“Kaia…” he murmured in a tone lower than the flickering crackle of the firewood.
Letting go of her wrist with by unlinking his fingers, Vangelis did not reach for the warmth of that glorious skin. Instead, he took hold of the edge of her peplos. He held it, stilled it from splitting further or falling to the ground. With one hand at her shoulder, the edge of her dress between his fingers and the other at her hip, where the sheath of fabric was parting from itself… Vangelis moved his hands in unison… and determinedly drew her ensemble back into place.
“I think,” he said, in that same calm tone, “you should leave now.”
His hand brushed against her freshly exposed skin, igniting new tingles in their wake. Already, she was sensitive to every little touch or brush of his skin against hers. Any moment now, she was sure he would throw aside whatever was warring in his mind, and grab hold of her. He wanted to, his wanting was evident between them, giving away his desire, only to fuel hers, along with her confidence. It was working and soon everything would be okay. Her babe would be okay, and she would have done the first good thing as a parent. She may not amount to much more, but she would be damned if she didn’t try.
But for now, she was focused on the prince, especially as he leaned in, bringing their faces even closer. Kaia’s flirtatious smile widened, though she kept her lip caught between her teeth. Her gown was still slipping, and how that she had undone the rope at her waist, it would not take much more to unravel it completely. The hand on his chest instinctively began to travel upwards, gliding until it came to rest on his shoulder. For now at least. She was very much wanting to cup her hand around his face, but she would wait and opt to try it should he continue to resist.
’Kaia…’
Gods, was she seducing him, or was it the other way around? Kaia rather liked hearing her name on his lips in that low rumble of his. Kaia gave a soft hum in response, her gaze fixing on his lips as she nibbled on her own, her smirk still in place.
He didn’t immediately speak again, but his hands did begin to move. He didn’t reach for her waist as she had hoped, but instead he took hold of her peplos, setting her heart aflutter. The thought of him tearing it off her crossed her mind and she was not at all opposed if it were to come into fruition. Kaia slowly released her lip as she flicked her gaze up to meet his. Even in the torchlight, she could see that his eyes were a striking shade of silvery-blue. Kaia nearly didn’t register what he was doing when the prince moved his hands. Instead of feeling the fabric trail down her body as it fell, or feeling it be torn from her, it covered her.
’I think, you should leave now.’
It took Kaia a moment to realise what he’d said. No. No, it wasn’t working. Kaia blinked and tried to think of what to do. She had to salvage the situation. He was just being honourable. Yes, that was it. He wanted her, that was plain to see. She could still fix this.
But what if she could not?
She would be tossed out for accosting the prince and left to fend for herself. Likely Aea would be thrown out too, and then Kaia would have her baby and she would fail to keep it safe. She just knew it. She wasn’t ready for this, she didn’t know how to be a mother. The child did not deserve its fate without the Kotas’ help. The child didn’t deserve to be dragged up by her. She had to get this right. She had to get the prince to bed her. She’d let herself get distracted in the midst of her task, all because of her desire. She couldn’t afford to let the moment pass her, she had to act, else she will have already failed this child.
“My prince, please don’t fight it,” she murmured, only just managing to keep the wavering of her nerves and panic out of her voice. She needed to seem calm, as if this did not rattle or scare her. That failure was not something even possible, let alone condemning. “Let me share this night with you.”
Since the prince was holding her garment secure, Kaia could not easily disrobe without fighting against him, which did not seem entirely seductive in her mind. So, she opted for something else. If he was holding her peplos together, then he could not easily prevent her hand as it lightly came to rest on his hip. Her bottom lip being grazed by her teeth again, Kaia held his gaze as she trailed her hand toward the evidence of his arousal. If he would just have her, everything would be alright.
If only she could stress how much doing this would save her, Aea and her child, but alas. If she told him her intentions, that she wanted to claim her child to be his bastard, then he would probably do more than have her thrown out into the streets of Colchis. It was nothing personal. She liked Asia and the rest of her family. Kaia was no stranger to blackmail or coercion, but she didn’t want to harm the Kotas. She had no interest in causing any political trouble for them. It was just the security granted to the child of a prince—even a bastard one—that she wanted.
Lani
Kaia
Lani
Kaia
Awards
First Impressions:Lean, athletic; Straw-blonde hair, stormy blue eyes, and a nearly permanent scowl.
Address: Your
His hand brushed against her freshly exposed skin, igniting new tingles in their wake. Already, she was sensitive to every little touch or brush of his skin against hers. Any moment now, she was sure he would throw aside whatever was warring in his mind, and grab hold of her. He wanted to, his wanting was evident between them, giving away his desire, only to fuel hers, along with her confidence. It was working and soon everything would be okay. Her babe would be okay, and she would have done the first good thing as a parent. She may not amount to much more, but she would be damned if she didn’t try.
But for now, she was focused on the prince, especially as he leaned in, bringing their faces even closer. Kaia’s flirtatious smile widened, though she kept her lip caught between her teeth. Her gown was still slipping, and how that she had undone the rope at her waist, it would not take much more to unravel it completely. The hand on his chest instinctively began to travel upwards, gliding until it came to rest on his shoulder. For now at least. She was very much wanting to cup her hand around his face, but she would wait and opt to try it should he continue to resist.
’Kaia…’
Gods, was she seducing him, or was it the other way around? Kaia rather liked hearing her name on his lips in that low rumble of his. Kaia gave a soft hum in response, her gaze fixing on his lips as she nibbled on her own, her smirk still in place.
He didn’t immediately speak again, but his hands did begin to move. He didn’t reach for her waist as she had hoped, but instead he took hold of her peplos, setting her heart aflutter. The thought of him tearing it off her crossed her mind and she was not at all opposed if it were to come into fruition. Kaia slowly released her lip as she flicked her gaze up to meet his. Even in the torchlight, she could see that his eyes were a striking shade of silvery-blue. Kaia nearly didn’t register what he was doing when the prince moved his hands. Instead of feeling the fabric trail down her body as it fell, or feeling it be torn from her, it covered her.
’I think, you should leave now.’
It took Kaia a moment to realise what he’d said. No. No, it wasn’t working. Kaia blinked and tried to think of what to do. She had to salvage the situation. He was just being honourable. Yes, that was it. He wanted her, that was plain to see. She could still fix this.
But what if she could not?
She would be tossed out for accosting the prince and left to fend for herself. Likely Aea would be thrown out too, and then Kaia would have her baby and she would fail to keep it safe. She just knew it. She wasn’t ready for this, she didn’t know how to be a mother. The child did not deserve its fate without the Kotas’ help. The child didn’t deserve to be dragged up by her. She had to get this right. She had to get the prince to bed her. She’d let herself get distracted in the midst of her task, all because of her desire. She couldn’t afford to let the moment pass her, she had to act, else she will have already failed this child.
“My prince, please don’t fight it,” she murmured, only just managing to keep the wavering of her nerves and panic out of her voice. She needed to seem calm, as if this did not rattle or scare her. That failure was not something even possible, let alone condemning. “Let me share this night with you.”
Since the prince was holding her garment secure, Kaia could not easily disrobe without fighting against him, which did not seem entirely seductive in her mind. So, she opted for something else. If he was holding her peplos together, then he could not easily prevent her hand as it lightly came to rest on his hip. Her bottom lip being grazed by her teeth again, Kaia held his gaze as she trailed her hand toward the evidence of his arousal. If he would just have her, everything would be alright.
If only she could stress how much doing this would save her, Aea and her child, but alas. If she told him her intentions, that she wanted to claim her child to be his bastard, then he would probably do more than have her thrown out into the streets of Colchis. It was nothing personal. She liked Asia and the rest of her family. Kaia was no stranger to blackmail or coercion, but she didn’t want to harm the Kotas. She had no interest in causing any political trouble for them. It was just the security granted to the child of a prince—even a bastard one—that she wanted.
His hand brushed against her freshly exposed skin, igniting new tingles in their wake. Already, she was sensitive to every little touch or brush of his skin against hers. Any moment now, she was sure he would throw aside whatever was warring in his mind, and grab hold of her. He wanted to, his wanting was evident between them, giving away his desire, only to fuel hers, along with her confidence. It was working and soon everything would be okay. Her babe would be okay, and she would have done the first good thing as a parent. She may not amount to much more, but she would be damned if she didn’t try.
But for now, she was focused on the prince, especially as he leaned in, bringing their faces even closer. Kaia’s flirtatious smile widened, though she kept her lip caught between her teeth. Her gown was still slipping, and how that she had undone the rope at her waist, it would not take much more to unravel it completely. The hand on his chest instinctively began to travel upwards, gliding until it came to rest on his shoulder. For now at least. She was very much wanting to cup her hand around his face, but she would wait and opt to try it should he continue to resist.
’Kaia…’
Gods, was she seducing him, or was it the other way around? Kaia rather liked hearing her name on his lips in that low rumble of his. Kaia gave a soft hum in response, her gaze fixing on his lips as she nibbled on her own, her smirk still in place.
He didn’t immediately speak again, but his hands did begin to move. He didn’t reach for her waist as she had hoped, but instead he took hold of her peplos, setting her heart aflutter. The thought of him tearing it off her crossed her mind and she was not at all opposed if it were to come into fruition. Kaia slowly released her lip as she flicked her gaze up to meet his. Even in the torchlight, she could see that his eyes were a striking shade of silvery-blue. Kaia nearly didn’t register what he was doing when the prince moved his hands. Instead of feeling the fabric trail down her body as it fell, or feeling it be torn from her, it covered her.
’I think, you should leave now.’
It took Kaia a moment to realise what he’d said. No. No, it wasn’t working. Kaia blinked and tried to think of what to do. She had to salvage the situation. He was just being honourable. Yes, that was it. He wanted her, that was plain to see. She could still fix this.
But what if she could not?
She would be tossed out for accosting the prince and left to fend for herself. Likely Aea would be thrown out too, and then Kaia would have her baby and she would fail to keep it safe. She just knew it. She wasn’t ready for this, she didn’t know how to be a mother. The child did not deserve its fate without the Kotas’ help. The child didn’t deserve to be dragged up by her. She had to get this right. She had to get the prince to bed her. She’d let herself get distracted in the midst of her task, all because of her desire. She couldn’t afford to let the moment pass her, she had to act, else she will have already failed this child.
“My prince, please don’t fight it,” she murmured, only just managing to keep the wavering of her nerves and panic out of her voice. She needed to seem calm, as if this did not rattle or scare her. That failure was not something even possible, let alone condemning. “Let me share this night with you.”
Since the prince was holding her garment secure, Kaia could not easily disrobe without fighting against him, which did not seem entirely seductive in her mind. So, she opted for something else. If he was holding her peplos together, then he could not easily prevent her hand as it lightly came to rest on his hip. Her bottom lip being grazed by her teeth again, Kaia held his gaze as she trailed her hand toward the evidence of his arousal. If he would just have her, everything would be alright.
If only she could stress how much doing this would save her, Aea and her child, but alas. If she told him her intentions, that she wanted to claim her child to be his bastard, then he would probably do more than have her thrown out into the streets of Colchis. It was nothing personal. She liked Asia and the rest of her family. Kaia was no stranger to blackmail or coercion, but she didn’t want to harm the Kotas. She had no interest in causing any political trouble for them. It was just the security granted to the child of a prince—even a bastard one—that she wanted.
Vangelis might not have been the most nuanced of individuals, but he was intelligent enough to note Kaia’s surprise over his withdrawal. Her lip, tender from where she had been tormenting the thing, parted from its pair and her lashes shot wide with startlement.
It had been not only her intention but her expectation to decorate his bed for the night and his rejection was clearly a bewildering turn of events. Yet, that was exactly how it was going to be.
I might look as if my head is full of sand, Vangelis thought flippantly, but I know the scent of a rat. Whilst he might not have its name or colouring, he knew it to be there; the ulterior reason behind an unprecedented seduction. Kaia had clearly expected him to think little further than the length of his manhood, guided by desire over sense. Perhaps some men would have been. Perhaps he would have been, if caught after a long voyage or in darker needs for a little female company. But after remaining on Colchian shores for several months now, Vangelis had not suffered the sexual drought of war or seafaring in some time and he was not due to fall at the feet of a beautiful woman… No matter how good they smelt or how warm they felt.
Something else was at play here. He was not so sex-craved that he couldn’t see that. Kaia wanted more from him than a good bedding. Else she would have found such satiation elsewhere. She needed something else. Mayhaps it was money, security, favour, or privilege. Perhaps she sought to spy on him from the proximity of his own pillow or simply plant a nettle thorn in his sheets as some kind of prank, masterminded by his sister. It could be lascivious or conniving, traitorous or innocent… Vangelis didn’t know. But it was there all the same which meant there was nothing that might tempt him to follow his baser instincts in which he imagined taking the blonde beauty to his floor.
’My prince, please don’t fight it,’ Kaia entreated. The hand that had pressed a warm palm to his chest now rose to his shoulder. The other drifted to more dangerous territory, the backs of her knuckles stroking over the fine linen of his tunic and teasing the sensitive flesh beneath.
Swallowing, Vangelis settled Kaia’s clothing into place and then carefully removed both her hands from his person. He held her there, wrists shackled between them. His strength far diminished hers.
“I am not fighting,” he said with affirmation. “I am denying.”
Still holding her wrists, her hands turned up in surrender, Vangelis shifted back a step, deliberately putting distance between them. It was only a few inches but enough to allow a cooling air to filter through, weave between their bodies and dim the heat over Vang’s skin.
“There is night enough for us each to enjoy,” he assured her. “Separately.”
He let her wrists go with the glacial pace of a man releasing a wild bull by the horns. He coughed gently into his fist. “Rest assured your… thanks to my family has been received in full… Kaia.” His eyes flared sharply for a moment. “So I can assure you that any further gratitude expressed to any of my kin will be assuredly unnecessary.”
His voice was neither cruel nor angry. It rolled with the rumble of finality and authority but never unkindness. After all, he still had no name for the rat. It could be entirely innocuous. Either way though, whatever it was Kaia was after, he would not see her attempt to seduce it from his siblings.
“I suggest,” he said, just as calmly, “that you return to your quarters and we not speak if this incident again.”
JD
Vangelis
JD
Vangelis
Awards
First Impressions:Towering; Resting stoic bitch face; monstrous height; the terrifying "Blood General".
Address: Your Royal Highness
Vangelis might not have been the most nuanced of individuals, but he was intelligent enough to note Kaia’s surprise over his withdrawal. Her lip, tender from where she had been tormenting the thing, parted from its pair and her lashes shot wide with startlement.
It had been not only her intention but her expectation to decorate his bed for the night and his rejection was clearly a bewildering turn of events. Yet, that was exactly how it was going to be.
I might look as if my head is full of sand, Vangelis thought flippantly, but I know the scent of a rat. Whilst he might not have its name or colouring, he knew it to be there; the ulterior reason behind an unprecedented seduction. Kaia had clearly expected him to think little further than the length of his manhood, guided by desire over sense. Perhaps some men would have been. Perhaps he would have been, if caught after a long voyage or in darker needs for a little female company. But after remaining on Colchian shores for several months now, Vangelis had not suffered the sexual drought of war or seafaring in some time and he was not due to fall at the feet of a beautiful woman… No matter how good they smelt or how warm they felt.
Something else was at play here. He was not so sex-craved that he couldn’t see that. Kaia wanted more from him than a good bedding. Else she would have found such satiation elsewhere. She needed something else. Mayhaps it was money, security, favour, or privilege. Perhaps she sought to spy on him from the proximity of his own pillow or simply plant a nettle thorn in his sheets as some kind of prank, masterminded by his sister. It could be lascivious or conniving, traitorous or innocent… Vangelis didn’t know. But it was there all the same which meant there was nothing that might tempt him to follow his baser instincts in which he imagined taking the blonde beauty to his floor.
’My prince, please don’t fight it,’ Kaia entreated. The hand that had pressed a warm palm to his chest now rose to his shoulder. The other drifted to more dangerous territory, the backs of her knuckles stroking over the fine linen of his tunic and teasing the sensitive flesh beneath.
Swallowing, Vangelis settled Kaia’s clothing into place and then carefully removed both her hands from his person. He held her there, wrists shackled between them. His strength far diminished hers.
“I am not fighting,” he said with affirmation. “I am denying.”
Still holding her wrists, her hands turned up in surrender, Vangelis shifted back a step, deliberately putting distance between them. It was only a few inches but enough to allow a cooling air to filter through, weave between their bodies and dim the heat over Vang’s skin.
“There is night enough for us each to enjoy,” he assured her. “Separately.”
He let her wrists go with the glacial pace of a man releasing a wild bull by the horns. He coughed gently into his fist. “Rest assured your… thanks to my family has been received in full… Kaia.” His eyes flared sharply for a moment. “So I can assure you that any further gratitude expressed to any of my kin will be assuredly unnecessary.”
His voice was neither cruel nor angry. It rolled with the rumble of finality and authority but never unkindness. After all, he still had no name for the rat. It could be entirely innocuous. Either way though, whatever it was Kaia was after, he would not see her attempt to seduce it from his siblings.
“I suggest,” he said, just as calmly, “that you return to your quarters and we not speak if this incident again.”
Vangelis might not have been the most nuanced of individuals, but he was intelligent enough to note Kaia’s surprise over his withdrawal. Her lip, tender from where she had been tormenting the thing, parted from its pair and her lashes shot wide with startlement.
It had been not only her intention but her expectation to decorate his bed for the night and his rejection was clearly a bewildering turn of events. Yet, that was exactly how it was going to be.
I might look as if my head is full of sand, Vangelis thought flippantly, but I know the scent of a rat. Whilst he might not have its name or colouring, he knew it to be there; the ulterior reason behind an unprecedented seduction. Kaia had clearly expected him to think little further than the length of his manhood, guided by desire over sense. Perhaps some men would have been. Perhaps he would have been, if caught after a long voyage or in darker needs for a little female company. But after remaining on Colchian shores for several months now, Vangelis had not suffered the sexual drought of war or seafaring in some time and he was not due to fall at the feet of a beautiful woman… No matter how good they smelt or how warm they felt.
Something else was at play here. He was not so sex-craved that he couldn’t see that. Kaia wanted more from him than a good bedding. Else she would have found such satiation elsewhere. She needed something else. Mayhaps it was money, security, favour, or privilege. Perhaps she sought to spy on him from the proximity of his own pillow or simply plant a nettle thorn in his sheets as some kind of prank, masterminded by his sister. It could be lascivious or conniving, traitorous or innocent… Vangelis didn’t know. But it was there all the same which meant there was nothing that might tempt him to follow his baser instincts in which he imagined taking the blonde beauty to his floor.
’My prince, please don’t fight it,’ Kaia entreated. The hand that had pressed a warm palm to his chest now rose to his shoulder. The other drifted to more dangerous territory, the backs of her knuckles stroking over the fine linen of his tunic and teasing the sensitive flesh beneath.
Swallowing, Vangelis settled Kaia’s clothing into place and then carefully removed both her hands from his person. He held her there, wrists shackled between them. His strength far diminished hers.
“I am not fighting,” he said with affirmation. “I am denying.”
Still holding her wrists, her hands turned up in surrender, Vangelis shifted back a step, deliberately putting distance between them. It was only a few inches but enough to allow a cooling air to filter through, weave between their bodies and dim the heat over Vang’s skin.
“There is night enough for us each to enjoy,” he assured her. “Separately.”
He let her wrists go with the glacial pace of a man releasing a wild bull by the horns. He coughed gently into his fist. “Rest assured your… thanks to my family has been received in full… Kaia.” His eyes flared sharply for a moment. “So I can assure you that any further gratitude expressed to any of my kin will be assuredly unnecessary.”
His voice was neither cruel nor angry. It rolled with the rumble of finality and authority but never unkindness. After all, he still had no name for the rat. It could be entirely innocuous. Either way though, whatever it was Kaia was after, he would not see her attempt to seduce it from his siblings.
“I suggest,” he said, just as calmly, “that you return to your quarters and we not speak if this incident again.”
His hands moved from her gown to her wrists then firmly pulled her away from him. Kaia felt her smile falter, confusion and panic tricking back into her breast. She’d failed. He was about to have her tossed out and that would be the end of it. Kaia gave the slightest resistance against his hold, but this time, she would not be slipping her wrists from his grasp so easily. Whatever hold she had on him before, it was gone now.
She’d missed her chance. She’d failed. This was the end of it.
’I am not fighting, I am denying.’
Kaia stared at him for a moment, stunned. What had gone wrong? What had she done? No, she couldn’t accept it. She had to keep trying. How hard was it really to make a man give in to his desires? “Please,” Kaia began, trying to return the confident smile to her features, even as the extra space between them seemed to create an invisible barrier.
’There is night enough for us each to enjoy. Separately.’
And with that he released her wrists, a small but firm push behind the motion. He was done with her. It was over.
She’d failed.
Kaia swallowed hard and resisted the urge to wrap her arms around herself. SHe wasn’t a child anymore, she did not need to hide behind her arms.
’Rest assured your… thanks to my family has been received in full… Kaia. So I can assure you that any further gratitude expressed to any of my kin will be assuredly unnecessary.’
“No, please,” Kaia pleaded as her panic and fear roared within her. She needed this to work. It wasn’t a simple fantasy, this was real. She needed this. Sex had gotten her into this mess and so it was only fitting that sex would get her out of it. If she were to fail with the crown prince, then she was supposed to have one last chance with Prince Silas. Now though, even that was taken from her.
’I suggest, that you return to your quarters and we not speak if this incident again.’
Her babe was going to die. She was going to be the reason it died, too. She wasn’t ready. She had no support system outside her cousin and even that was not fair. They had just lost their entire family. Kaia couldn’t expect Aea to fill that void, nor could she expect Aea to leave the Kotas to help her.
Kaia tried to shake the panic stricken thoughts from her mind. “No, please. I need to do this, please,” Kaia begged. Begged! Like a common dog. She was going to be cast out once they learnt of her condition; she was beyond clutching at straws now. Subtlety was not a luxury she could hope to employ, though she knew there was little hope. Why would he suddenly change him mind now, simply because she asked? Those thoughts were not at the forefront of her mind however. All she could think about was how she could not afford to fail. If ever she had mariage prospects, she had ruined them with Alexandros…. She could accept that, but she could not accept letting the child suffer. She was far from innocent, but the child?
Feeling her eyes prickle, Kaia blinked furiously, willing herself to stay calm. Her eyes became glassy, but no tears welled or spilled. She was not a child. Would never be again. She was to be a parent, and already failing so far. “I promise to let you do as you desire with me, but please. I cannot lea—I need this please.”
Lani
Kaia
Lani
Kaia
Awards
First Impressions:Lean, athletic; Straw-blonde hair, stormy blue eyes, and a nearly permanent scowl.
Address: Your
His hands moved from her gown to her wrists then firmly pulled her away from him. Kaia felt her smile falter, confusion and panic tricking back into her breast. She’d failed. He was about to have her tossed out and that would be the end of it. Kaia gave the slightest resistance against his hold, but this time, she would not be slipping her wrists from his grasp so easily. Whatever hold she had on him before, it was gone now.
She’d missed her chance. She’d failed. This was the end of it.
’I am not fighting, I am denying.’
Kaia stared at him for a moment, stunned. What had gone wrong? What had she done? No, she couldn’t accept it. She had to keep trying. How hard was it really to make a man give in to his desires? “Please,” Kaia began, trying to return the confident smile to her features, even as the extra space between them seemed to create an invisible barrier.
’There is night enough for us each to enjoy. Separately.’
And with that he released her wrists, a small but firm push behind the motion. He was done with her. It was over.
She’d failed.
Kaia swallowed hard and resisted the urge to wrap her arms around herself. SHe wasn’t a child anymore, she did not need to hide behind her arms.
’Rest assured your… thanks to my family has been received in full… Kaia. So I can assure you that any further gratitude expressed to any of my kin will be assuredly unnecessary.’
“No, please,” Kaia pleaded as her panic and fear roared within her. She needed this to work. It wasn’t a simple fantasy, this was real. She needed this. Sex had gotten her into this mess and so it was only fitting that sex would get her out of it. If she were to fail with the crown prince, then she was supposed to have one last chance with Prince Silas. Now though, even that was taken from her.
’I suggest, that you return to your quarters and we not speak if this incident again.’
Her babe was going to die. She was going to be the reason it died, too. She wasn’t ready. She had no support system outside her cousin and even that was not fair. They had just lost their entire family. Kaia couldn’t expect Aea to fill that void, nor could she expect Aea to leave the Kotas to help her.
Kaia tried to shake the panic stricken thoughts from her mind. “No, please. I need to do this, please,” Kaia begged. Begged! Like a common dog. She was going to be cast out once they learnt of her condition; she was beyond clutching at straws now. Subtlety was not a luxury she could hope to employ, though she knew there was little hope. Why would he suddenly change him mind now, simply because she asked? Those thoughts were not at the forefront of her mind however. All she could think about was how she could not afford to fail. If ever she had mariage prospects, she had ruined them with Alexandros…. She could accept that, but she could not accept letting the child suffer. She was far from innocent, but the child?
Feeling her eyes prickle, Kaia blinked furiously, willing herself to stay calm. Her eyes became glassy, but no tears welled or spilled. She was not a child. Would never be again. She was to be a parent, and already failing so far. “I promise to let you do as you desire with me, but please. I cannot lea—I need this please.”
His hands moved from her gown to her wrists then firmly pulled her away from him. Kaia felt her smile falter, confusion and panic tricking back into her breast. She’d failed. He was about to have her tossed out and that would be the end of it. Kaia gave the slightest resistance against his hold, but this time, she would not be slipping her wrists from his grasp so easily. Whatever hold she had on him before, it was gone now.
She’d missed her chance. She’d failed. This was the end of it.
’I am not fighting, I am denying.’
Kaia stared at him for a moment, stunned. What had gone wrong? What had she done? No, she couldn’t accept it. She had to keep trying. How hard was it really to make a man give in to his desires? “Please,” Kaia began, trying to return the confident smile to her features, even as the extra space between them seemed to create an invisible barrier.
’There is night enough for us each to enjoy. Separately.’
And with that he released her wrists, a small but firm push behind the motion. He was done with her. It was over.
She’d failed.
Kaia swallowed hard and resisted the urge to wrap her arms around herself. SHe wasn’t a child anymore, she did not need to hide behind her arms.
’Rest assured your… thanks to my family has been received in full… Kaia. So I can assure you that any further gratitude expressed to any of my kin will be assuredly unnecessary.’
“No, please,” Kaia pleaded as her panic and fear roared within her. She needed this to work. It wasn’t a simple fantasy, this was real. She needed this. Sex had gotten her into this mess and so it was only fitting that sex would get her out of it. If she were to fail with the crown prince, then she was supposed to have one last chance with Prince Silas. Now though, even that was taken from her.
’I suggest, that you return to your quarters and we not speak if this incident again.’
Her babe was going to die. She was going to be the reason it died, too. She wasn’t ready. She had no support system outside her cousin and even that was not fair. They had just lost their entire family. Kaia couldn’t expect Aea to fill that void, nor could she expect Aea to leave the Kotas to help her.
Kaia tried to shake the panic stricken thoughts from her mind. “No, please. I need to do this, please,” Kaia begged. Begged! Like a common dog. She was going to be cast out once they learnt of her condition; she was beyond clutching at straws now. Subtlety was not a luxury she could hope to employ, though she knew there was little hope. Why would he suddenly change him mind now, simply because she asked? Those thoughts were not at the forefront of her mind however. All she could think about was how she could not afford to fail. If ever she had mariage prospects, she had ruined them with Alexandros…. She could accept that, but she could not accept letting the child suffer. She was far from innocent, but the child?
Feeling her eyes prickle, Kaia blinked furiously, willing herself to stay calm. Her eyes became glassy, but no tears welled or spilled. She was not a child. Would never be again. She was to be a parent, and already failing so far. “I promise to let you do as you desire with me, but please. I cannot lea—I need this please.”
In the manner that had gained him his pseudonym, Vangelis watched the woman before him with a stony expression. The confidence she had wrapped around herself in replacement for the gown she had been determined to lose was now flaking away. With each word to leave his lips, her smile had faltered and her eyes had grown wild. For a moment, she tried to calm herself, tried to draw some semblance of sweetness back to her face but with his final bid for her to leave, it was replaced with a blaze of abject panic.
Which only assured Vangelis that he had made the correct decision in seeing her from his rooms. Terror wasn’t exactly a normal emotion to be gripped by when turned away from a man’s bed. She wasn’t even blushing in awkward rejection. Just seemingly desperate to change his mind.
With each begged ‘please’, however, Kaia was figuratively walking herself out of his door. Every determination to stay - to go against a prince’s direct order - was evidence of a stronger hand at work. A motive beyond anything she had given thus far. Which meant that the absolute last thing a wise man would now do was crawl into bed with her.
The way in which Kaia seemed driven by an outside force had Vangelis wondering for the first time if perhaps she was acting now, not for herself, but for someone else. She had to stay? Had to be with him? Or else what? What was to happen to her (or someone else) that was so awful she would sell herself so completely as to ‘allow him to do anything he wanted with her’? Was she being blackmailed? Coerced?
With every word from my mouth and every flicker of worry in her eyes, Vangelis’ physical interest cooled and his more natural role as General and authoritarian reclaimed control.
His body lax, with arms at his sides, Vangelis still appeared solid and dominating as he stepped towards Kaia again. This time, when he invaded her personal space, it was neither lulling nor seductive. But looming.
“And just what,” he asked in a severe tone of voice, “or who, would see this need driven so high?” he demanded, scowling down upon her.
Vangelis was less determined to see Kaia leave now without an explanation. If there was someone outside the Kotas estate putting pressure on its employees for intimate knowledge of his family then this issue was bigger than the foolish wants of one woman. It could be a political stroke, an attack under which Vangelis would have to shore their defences. And if Kaia had knowledge of such things, Vangelis would have her spill it before she left his chambers…
JD
Vangelis
JD
Vangelis
Awards
First Impressions:Towering; Resting stoic bitch face; monstrous height; the terrifying "Blood General".
Address: Your Royal Highness
In the manner that had gained him his pseudonym, Vangelis watched the woman before him with a stony expression. The confidence she had wrapped around herself in replacement for the gown she had been determined to lose was now flaking away. With each word to leave his lips, her smile had faltered and her eyes had grown wild. For a moment, she tried to calm herself, tried to draw some semblance of sweetness back to her face but with his final bid for her to leave, it was replaced with a blaze of abject panic.
Which only assured Vangelis that he had made the correct decision in seeing her from his rooms. Terror wasn’t exactly a normal emotion to be gripped by when turned away from a man’s bed. She wasn’t even blushing in awkward rejection. Just seemingly desperate to change his mind.
With each begged ‘please’, however, Kaia was figuratively walking herself out of his door. Every determination to stay - to go against a prince’s direct order - was evidence of a stronger hand at work. A motive beyond anything she had given thus far. Which meant that the absolute last thing a wise man would now do was crawl into bed with her.
The way in which Kaia seemed driven by an outside force had Vangelis wondering for the first time if perhaps she was acting now, not for herself, but for someone else. She had to stay? Had to be with him? Or else what? What was to happen to her (or someone else) that was so awful she would sell herself so completely as to ‘allow him to do anything he wanted with her’? Was she being blackmailed? Coerced?
With every word from my mouth and every flicker of worry in her eyes, Vangelis’ physical interest cooled and his more natural role as General and authoritarian reclaimed control.
His body lax, with arms at his sides, Vangelis still appeared solid and dominating as he stepped towards Kaia again. This time, when he invaded her personal space, it was neither lulling nor seductive. But looming.
“And just what,” he asked in a severe tone of voice, “or who, would see this need driven so high?” he demanded, scowling down upon her.
Vangelis was less determined to see Kaia leave now without an explanation. If there was someone outside the Kotas estate putting pressure on its employees for intimate knowledge of his family then this issue was bigger than the foolish wants of one woman. It could be a political stroke, an attack under which Vangelis would have to shore their defences. And if Kaia had knowledge of such things, Vangelis would have her spill it before she left his chambers…
In the manner that had gained him his pseudonym, Vangelis watched the woman before him with a stony expression. The confidence she had wrapped around herself in replacement for the gown she had been determined to lose was now flaking away. With each word to leave his lips, her smile had faltered and her eyes had grown wild. For a moment, she tried to calm herself, tried to draw some semblance of sweetness back to her face but with his final bid for her to leave, it was replaced with a blaze of abject panic.
Which only assured Vangelis that he had made the correct decision in seeing her from his rooms. Terror wasn’t exactly a normal emotion to be gripped by when turned away from a man’s bed. She wasn’t even blushing in awkward rejection. Just seemingly desperate to change his mind.
With each begged ‘please’, however, Kaia was figuratively walking herself out of his door. Every determination to stay - to go against a prince’s direct order - was evidence of a stronger hand at work. A motive beyond anything she had given thus far. Which meant that the absolute last thing a wise man would now do was crawl into bed with her.
The way in which Kaia seemed driven by an outside force had Vangelis wondering for the first time if perhaps she was acting now, not for herself, but for someone else. She had to stay? Had to be with him? Or else what? What was to happen to her (or someone else) that was so awful she would sell herself so completely as to ‘allow him to do anything he wanted with her’? Was she being blackmailed? Coerced?
With every word from my mouth and every flicker of worry in her eyes, Vangelis’ physical interest cooled and his more natural role as General and authoritarian reclaimed control.
His body lax, with arms at his sides, Vangelis still appeared solid and dominating as he stepped towards Kaia again. This time, when he invaded her personal space, it was neither lulling nor seductive. But looming.
“And just what,” he asked in a severe tone of voice, “or who, would see this need driven so high?” he demanded, scowling down upon her.
Vangelis was less determined to see Kaia leave now without an explanation. If there was someone outside the Kotas estate putting pressure on its employees for intimate knowledge of his family then this issue was bigger than the foolish wants of one woman. It could be a political stroke, an attack under which Vangelis would have to shore their defences. And if Kaia had knowledge of such things, Vangelis would have her spill it before she left his chambers…
If she wasn’t panicking already, she most certainly was when she witnessed his desire for her disappearing. It was over now, there was no repairing her mistake, wherever it lay. She did not have the calmness of mind to reflect on just which action of hers spoiled her chance, but it had to be there. One moment the prince was responding as she’d hoped, then the next he was shooing her from his chambers.
Kaia understood what was to happen. If her situation was dire before, it was downright doomed now. With failure, she had made her situation so much worse. She would be thrown out tonight—now most likely—instead of when her belly swelled. That was if she was not punished for troubling the crown prince.
Incredibly aware of her heart pounding in her chest, the temptation to flee was becoming quite difficult to resist. She was not physically incapable yet. She could still move with agility. She could still fight. Maybe she could escape capture and spare herself. How long would it take to alert the guards that she was to be captured? Could she get away before they were all alerted. She was a familiar face after all. Certainly, they would not immediately assume her to be the criminal in question.
Kaia’s thoughts were interrupted as the prince approached her again, but this time, he used his size and bulk to seem imposing. That was working. Kaia swallowed, trying not to let her panic and fear show in her expression, not that she’d ever been good at that. She tended to showcase whatever she was feeling in her features, or at least her family thought so. Perhaps she was not so easily read by someone who did not know her nearly as well.
Instinctively, Kaia’s hand twitched toward her hip, where she would normally keep a dagger. It was habit, and the reflex passed. She had left her dagger behind, with the assumption that the prince likely would not have reacted well if he found a blade strapped to her waist or inner thigh mid seduction. However, she had never been in such a dangerous position without a weapon of sorts, not that it would really do her any good. If she drew a weapon on the prince, she was as good as executed.
“And just what, or who, would see this need driven so high?”
Kaia swallowed again, the threat of danger dissipating, if only slightly. She was not immediately being detained or thrown out. She had a chance to talk her way out of it. She was not so delusional as to think she had any hope of seducing the prince now, but perhaps she could avoid further punishment or retribution… At least until her condition became clear.
“It’s not like that,” Kaia admitted, her voice wavering, betraying her. Kaia cleared her throat and willed herself to not let her fear show. She could feel the tears threatening to well, but she dared not think about them, or they would surely fall. She wasn’t just scared, she was terrified. Not right now, but for the future. For when the babe inevitably came. She had mere months left before she would be expected to keep another living person alive. She couldn’t do it. She would fail, as she had now. She would fail. She always did, really. In the end. Alexandros fooled her. He did this to her, but only because she let him. Then there was her family, her father. She wasn’t there when they were attacked. She wasn’t there to help them.
She was a fighter, but for what? She fought to steal and kill and trick and maim. She was not someone that should be anywhere near the royal prince or princess for that matter. She had sealed her fate long ago, but the child she would bring into the world was the cruellest punishment. Kaia did not harm the innocent. It brought her no pleasure. So to force her to be responsible for a child and no doubt see to leading it to a miserable death; the Gods truly wished for her to feel their fury.
Absently, Kaia moved her arm that twitched for a weapon to rest in front of her stomach instead. “No one sent me,” Kaia answered, unable to hold the prince’s gaze now, out of shame. Turning her head to face the fire instead, Kaia felt the weight of her fate pressing down on her. In a stubborn attempt to resist letting her tears fall, Kaia closed her eyes and held her breath. She would not cry.
Lani
Kaia
Lani
Kaia
Awards
First Impressions:Lean, athletic; Straw-blonde hair, stormy blue eyes, and a nearly permanent scowl.
Address: Your
If she wasn’t panicking already, she most certainly was when she witnessed his desire for her disappearing. It was over now, there was no repairing her mistake, wherever it lay. She did not have the calmness of mind to reflect on just which action of hers spoiled her chance, but it had to be there. One moment the prince was responding as she’d hoped, then the next he was shooing her from his chambers.
Kaia understood what was to happen. If her situation was dire before, it was downright doomed now. With failure, she had made her situation so much worse. She would be thrown out tonight—now most likely—instead of when her belly swelled. That was if she was not punished for troubling the crown prince.
Incredibly aware of her heart pounding in her chest, the temptation to flee was becoming quite difficult to resist. She was not physically incapable yet. She could still move with agility. She could still fight. Maybe she could escape capture and spare herself. How long would it take to alert the guards that she was to be captured? Could she get away before they were all alerted. She was a familiar face after all. Certainly, they would not immediately assume her to be the criminal in question.
Kaia’s thoughts were interrupted as the prince approached her again, but this time, he used his size and bulk to seem imposing. That was working. Kaia swallowed, trying not to let her panic and fear show in her expression, not that she’d ever been good at that. She tended to showcase whatever she was feeling in her features, or at least her family thought so. Perhaps she was not so easily read by someone who did not know her nearly as well.
Instinctively, Kaia’s hand twitched toward her hip, where she would normally keep a dagger. It was habit, and the reflex passed. She had left her dagger behind, with the assumption that the prince likely would not have reacted well if he found a blade strapped to her waist or inner thigh mid seduction. However, she had never been in such a dangerous position without a weapon of sorts, not that it would really do her any good. If she drew a weapon on the prince, she was as good as executed.
“And just what, or who, would see this need driven so high?”
Kaia swallowed again, the threat of danger dissipating, if only slightly. She was not immediately being detained or thrown out. She had a chance to talk her way out of it. She was not so delusional as to think she had any hope of seducing the prince now, but perhaps she could avoid further punishment or retribution… At least until her condition became clear.
“It’s not like that,” Kaia admitted, her voice wavering, betraying her. Kaia cleared her throat and willed herself to not let her fear show. She could feel the tears threatening to well, but she dared not think about them, or they would surely fall. She wasn’t just scared, she was terrified. Not right now, but for the future. For when the babe inevitably came. She had mere months left before she would be expected to keep another living person alive. She couldn’t do it. She would fail, as she had now. She would fail. She always did, really. In the end. Alexandros fooled her. He did this to her, but only because she let him. Then there was her family, her father. She wasn’t there when they were attacked. She wasn’t there to help them.
She was a fighter, but for what? She fought to steal and kill and trick and maim. She was not someone that should be anywhere near the royal prince or princess for that matter. She had sealed her fate long ago, but the child she would bring into the world was the cruellest punishment. Kaia did not harm the innocent. It brought her no pleasure. So to force her to be responsible for a child and no doubt see to leading it to a miserable death; the Gods truly wished for her to feel their fury.
Absently, Kaia moved her arm that twitched for a weapon to rest in front of her stomach instead. “No one sent me,” Kaia answered, unable to hold the prince’s gaze now, out of shame. Turning her head to face the fire instead, Kaia felt the weight of her fate pressing down on her. In a stubborn attempt to resist letting her tears fall, Kaia closed her eyes and held her breath. She would not cry.
If she wasn’t panicking already, she most certainly was when she witnessed his desire for her disappearing. It was over now, there was no repairing her mistake, wherever it lay. She did not have the calmness of mind to reflect on just which action of hers spoiled her chance, but it had to be there. One moment the prince was responding as she’d hoped, then the next he was shooing her from his chambers.
Kaia understood what was to happen. If her situation was dire before, it was downright doomed now. With failure, she had made her situation so much worse. She would be thrown out tonight—now most likely—instead of when her belly swelled. That was if she was not punished for troubling the crown prince.
Incredibly aware of her heart pounding in her chest, the temptation to flee was becoming quite difficult to resist. She was not physically incapable yet. She could still move with agility. She could still fight. Maybe she could escape capture and spare herself. How long would it take to alert the guards that she was to be captured? Could she get away before they were all alerted. She was a familiar face after all. Certainly, they would not immediately assume her to be the criminal in question.
Kaia’s thoughts were interrupted as the prince approached her again, but this time, he used his size and bulk to seem imposing. That was working. Kaia swallowed, trying not to let her panic and fear show in her expression, not that she’d ever been good at that. She tended to showcase whatever she was feeling in her features, or at least her family thought so. Perhaps she was not so easily read by someone who did not know her nearly as well.
Instinctively, Kaia’s hand twitched toward her hip, where she would normally keep a dagger. It was habit, and the reflex passed. She had left her dagger behind, with the assumption that the prince likely would not have reacted well if he found a blade strapped to her waist or inner thigh mid seduction. However, she had never been in such a dangerous position without a weapon of sorts, not that it would really do her any good. If she drew a weapon on the prince, she was as good as executed.
“And just what, or who, would see this need driven so high?”
Kaia swallowed again, the threat of danger dissipating, if only slightly. She was not immediately being detained or thrown out. She had a chance to talk her way out of it. She was not so delusional as to think she had any hope of seducing the prince now, but perhaps she could avoid further punishment or retribution… At least until her condition became clear.
“It’s not like that,” Kaia admitted, her voice wavering, betraying her. Kaia cleared her throat and willed herself to not let her fear show. She could feel the tears threatening to well, but she dared not think about them, or they would surely fall. She wasn’t just scared, she was terrified. Not right now, but for the future. For when the babe inevitably came. She had mere months left before she would be expected to keep another living person alive. She couldn’t do it. She would fail, as she had now. She would fail. She always did, really. In the end. Alexandros fooled her. He did this to her, but only because she let him. Then there was her family, her father. She wasn’t there when they were attacked. She wasn’t there to help them.
She was a fighter, but for what? She fought to steal and kill and trick and maim. She was not someone that should be anywhere near the royal prince or princess for that matter. She had sealed her fate long ago, but the child she would bring into the world was the cruellest punishment. Kaia did not harm the innocent. It brought her no pleasure. So to force her to be responsible for a child and no doubt see to leading it to a miserable death; the Gods truly wished for her to feel their fury.
Absently, Kaia moved her arm that twitched for a weapon to rest in front of her stomach instead. “No one sent me,” Kaia answered, unable to hold the prince’s gaze now, out of shame. Turning her head to face the fire instead, Kaia felt the weight of her fate pressing down on her. In a stubborn attempt to resist letting her tears fall, Kaia closed her eyes and held her breath. She would not cry.
’It’s not like that.’
Vangelis resisted his natural instincts at that point. Had to stamp down upon them hard. Had he listened to his gut and acted on pure adrenaline he’d have had his hands wrapped around her upper arms and shaken her until she made sense.
If it was not like ‘that’ then just what was it like?!
Vangelis did not like political or social manipulations. He was a simple man who thought in straight lines and frequently wished the rest of the world operated on a similar level of efficiency. Instead the Fates seemed determined to twist and turn the lives of men (and women) until they were so snarled and entangled that they could not put one truthful word in front of another. Delicate, feminine sensitivities only made the whole Damon thing worse. Whichever great God of their honourable pantheon was responsible for coyness… Vangelis would not thank them for it.
As assuredly as he was working to ignore the fresh dew in Kaia’s eyes. If she thought he would ease or weaken at the sight of tears, she had not seen the fields of carnage that he had. Little to nothing fazed Vangelis anymore.
Taking a deep, steadying inhale, Vangelis finally spoke with any sense of volume. No longer rumbling their way through the darkened room, his words were spoken normally. By contrast they were a sharp crack through the air.
“Alright,” he said, taking Kaia’s arm as he had temptingly fantasised. Instead of shaking her, however, he began to drag her towards his door. Significantly larger than her, it wouldn’t have mattered if she’d protested. The path was made and he was forcing her along it, one way or another. “I do not play games, lady Kaia,” he warned. “You either explain to me with honest clarity and without embellishment just why you came to my rooms this eve, or I shall ensure that you are permanently removed from them and any other Kotas property upon the Kirakles Isles.”
Wrenching her around to face him as they reached his door, he scowled down at her, his other hand upon its handle, ready to open and dispense.
“Last chance,” he promised with a raised brow of inquiry, before looking pointedly through the wood panelling of the door. It was time to come clean or never darken a Kotas doorway again. Vangelis wasn’t driven by curiosity. And he had no concern for a problem too far away to touch him. She could keep her secrets if she wished. But she would keep them on someone else’s land.
JD
Vangelis
JD
Vangelis
Awards
First Impressions:Towering; Resting stoic bitch face; monstrous height; the terrifying "Blood General".
Address: Your Royal Highness
Vangelis resisted his natural instincts at that point. Had to stamp down upon them hard. Had he listened to his gut and acted on pure adrenaline he’d have had his hands wrapped around her upper arms and shaken her until she made sense.
If it was not like ‘that’ then just what was it like?!
Vangelis did not like political or social manipulations. He was a simple man who thought in straight lines and frequently wished the rest of the world operated on a similar level of efficiency. Instead the Fates seemed determined to twist and turn the lives of men (and women) until they were so snarled and entangled that they could not put one truthful word in front of another. Delicate, feminine sensitivities only made the whole Damon thing worse. Whichever great God of their honourable pantheon was responsible for coyness… Vangelis would not thank them for it.
As assuredly as he was working to ignore the fresh dew in Kaia’s eyes. If she thought he would ease or weaken at the sight of tears, she had not seen the fields of carnage that he had. Little to nothing fazed Vangelis anymore.
Taking a deep, steadying inhale, Vangelis finally spoke with any sense of volume. No longer rumbling their way through the darkened room, his words were spoken normally. By contrast they were a sharp crack through the air.
“Alright,” he said, taking Kaia’s arm as he had temptingly fantasised. Instead of shaking her, however, he began to drag her towards his door. Significantly larger than her, it wouldn’t have mattered if she’d protested. The path was made and he was forcing her along it, one way or another. “I do not play games, lady Kaia,” he warned. “You either explain to me with honest clarity and without embellishment just why you came to my rooms this eve, or I shall ensure that you are permanently removed from them and any other Kotas property upon the Kirakles Isles.”
Wrenching her around to face him as they reached his door, he scowled down at her, his other hand upon its handle, ready to open and dispense.
“Last chance,” he promised with a raised brow of inquiry, before looking pointedly through the wood panelling of the door. It was time to come clean or never darken a Kotas doorway again. Vangelis wasn’t driven by curiosity. And he had no concern for a problem too far away to touch him. She could keep her secrets if she wished. But she would keep them on someone else’s land.
’It’s not like that.’
Vangelis resisted his natural instincts at that point. Had to stamp down upon them hard. Had he listened to his gut and acted on pure adrenaline he’d have had his hands wrapped around her upper arms and shaken her until she made sense.
If it was not like ‘that’ then just what was it like?!
Vangelis did not like political or social manipulations. He was a simple man who thought in straight lines and frequently wished the rest of the world operated on a similar level of efficiency. Instead the Fates seemed determined to twist and turn the lives of men (and women) until they were so snarled and entangled that they could not put one truthful word in front of another. Delicate, feminine sensitivities only made the whole Damon thing worse. Whichever great God of their honourable pantheon was responsible for coyness… Vangelis would not thank them for it.
As assuredly as he was working to ignore the fresh dew in Kaia’s eyes. If she thought he would ease or weaken at the sight of tears, she had not seen the fields of carnage that he had. Little to nothing fazed Vangelis anymore.
Taking a deep, steadying inhale, Vangelis finally spoke with any sense of volume. No longer rumbling their way through the darkened room, his words were spoken normally. By contrast they were a sharp crack through the air.
“Alright,” he said, taking Kaia’s arm as he had temptingly fantasised. Instead of shaking her, however, he began to drag her towards his door. Significantly larger than her, it wouldn’t have mattered if she’d protested. The path was made and he was forcing her along it, one way or another. “I do not play games, lady Kaia,” he warned. “You either explain to me with honest clarity and without embellishment just why you came to my rooms this eve, or I shall ensure that you are permanently removed from them and any other Kotas property upon the Kirakles Isles.”
Wrenching her around to face him as they reached his door, he scowled down at her, his other hand upon its handle, ready to open and dispense.
“Last chance,” he promised with a raised brow of inquiry, before looking pointedly through the wood panelling of the door. It was time to come clean or never darken a Kotas doorway again. Vangelis wasn’t driven by curiosity. And he had no concern for a problem too far away to touch him. She could keep her secrets if she wished. But she would keep them on someone else’s land.
’Alright.’
His voice was not raised by any means, but given how quietly either of them had been speaking, in comparison, he may as well have yelled. Kaia managed give only the slightest flinch as she snapped her attention back at the prince. He was getting impatient. She couldn’t blame him. Her failure had been a complete and utter waste of his time. Perhaps if she wasn’t so panicked, she might have been embarrassed at her foolish attempt.
The prince’s hand clasped around her arm, not for the first time igniting that reflex to reach for her weapon. Unarmed and unwilling to raise a hand in defence—at least for now, assuming he was not about to harm her—against a prince, Kaia could not help but be dragged rather easily toward the door. He moved her as easily as if she were a little doll, a fact she might have found rather attractive under normal circumstances. Even under recent circumstances really. But for now the action solidified her fears and she knew that her time was up.
’I do not play games, lady Kaia. You either explain to me with honest clarity and without embellishment just why you came to my rooms this eve, or I shall ensure that you are permanently removed from them and any other Kotas property upon the Kirakles Isles.’
“No please, I am sorry,” Kaia helplessly tried to reason. Hearing the prince call her lady Kaia would have normally set her heart aflutter, but in that moment, all Kaia could think about was the very harsh reality of her situation. Her fears were being realised and she would soon be left to her own devices. At least she wasn’t being imprisoned, so she would manage on her own for a time, at least until her babe swollen belly prevented her from her usual means of providing for herself. But that was months away, maybe she could visit the places her family buried their wares.
But what was the point? She still did not know how to be a mother or how to keep a child alive.
When wrenched around to face the prince, Kaia met his gaze with wide eyes of her own. His hand was still on her, holding her arm with a vice grip. If only he’d taken hold of her like this moments ago, she might have succeeded.
’Last chance.’
It was no use. She was found and about to be exiled. What did it even matter now if he knew?
“I’m with child,” Kaia blurted, surprising herself with the strain and waver in her own voice. Kaia scowled as she looked away, trying hard not to let the tears win. Her uncle would have wanted to throttle her for such weakness, but Kaia’s father would have stopped him from raising a hand against her, as he always did. He was a parent. A real parent, just like Kaia’s mother had been. They’d loved her. Even though her life and upbringing had been far from normal, she had been happy. Kaia wanted that for her child, but had not the first clue on how to manage it now on her own.
Swallowing hard, Kaia did not dare meet the prince’s eye again, in fear that his reaction—likely of disgust or perhaps even expectancy—would be all it took to let the tears flow. “I’m with child, and I do not know what to do.” Kaia blinked back her tears furiously, still unable to stop herself from glaring away to her side. Try all she might to hide it, but the pain, hurt and fear she had been carrying with her since discovering her affliction came crashing out in her voice. This was happening and she had failed her first attempt to secure her child’s ability to survive. As much as she steeled herself and cut Alexandros from her heart, he was gone and she would be alone with the child. ALone to watch it suffer and wither at her hand.
“I thought that the child might have a better chance of surviving if….” Kaia stopped herself then. He was going to connect the pieces himself anyway and understand what she had intended to do, but somehow saying it allowed made it seem worse. More sinister than it was ever meant to be.
In a quieter, calmer tone, Kaia spoke again and managed to look toward him, though still unable to meet his eye. “I had no intentions of hurting your reputation.” She wasn’t sure how much difference it would make trying to assure the prince of that. But for what it was worth, it was true.
Lani
Kaia
Lani
Kaia
Awards
First Impressions:Lean, athletic; Straw-blonde hair, stormy blue eyes, and a nearly permanent scowl.
Address: Your
His voice was not raised by any means, but given how quietly either of them had been speaking, in comparison, he may as well have yelled. Kaia managed give only the slightest flinch as she snapped her attention back at the prince. He was getting impatient. She couldn’t blame him. Her failure had been a complete and utter waste of his time. Perhaps if she wasn’t so panicked, she might have been embarrassed at her foolish attempt.
The prince’s hand clasped around her arm, not for the first time igniting that reflex to reach for her weapon. Unarmed and unwilling to raise a hand in defence—at least for now, assuming he was not about to harm her—against a prince, Kaia could not help but be dragged rather easily toward the door. He moved her as easily as if she were a little doll, a fact she might have found rather attractive under normal circumstances. Even under recent circumstances really. But for now the action solidified her fears and she knew that her time was up.
’I do not play games, lady Kaia. You either explain to me with honest clarity and without embellishment just why you came to my rooms this eve, or I shall ensure that you are permanently removed from them and any other Kotas property upon the Kirakles Isles.’
“No please, I am sorry,” Kaia helplessly tried to reason. Hearing the prince call her lady Kaia would have normally set her heart aflutter, but in that moment, all Kaia could think about was the very harsh reality of her situation. Her fears were being realised and she would soon be left to her own devices. At least she wasn’t being imprisoned, so she would manage on her own for a time, at least until her babe swollen belly prevented her from her usual means of providing for herself. But that was months away, maybe she could visit the places her family buried their wares.
But what was the point? She still did not know how to be a mother or how to keep a child alive.
When wrenched around to face the prince, Kaia met his gaze with wide eyes of her own. His hand was still on her, holding her arm with a vice grip. If only he’d taken hold of her like this moments ago, she might have succeeded.
’Last chance.’
It was no use. She was found and about to be exiled. What did it even matter now if he knew?
“I’m with child,” Kaia blurted, surprising herself with the strain and waver in her own voice. Kaia scowled as she looked away, trying hard not to let the tears win. Her uncle would have wanted to throttle her for such weakness, but Kaia’s father would have stopped him from raising a hand against her, as he always did. He was a parent. A real parent, just like Kaia’s mother had been. They’d loved her. Even though her life and upbringing had been far from normal, she had been happy. Kaia wanted that for her child, but had not the first clue on how to manage it now on her own.
Swallowing hard, Kaia did not dare meet the prince’s eye again, in fear that his reaction—likely of disgust or perhaps even expectancy—would be all it took to let the tears flow. “I’m with child, and I do not know what to do.” Kaia blinked back her tears furiously, still unable to stop herself from glaring away to her side. Try all she might to hide it, but the pain, hurt and fear she had been carrying with her since discovering her affliction came crashing out in her voice. This was happening and she had failed her first attempt to secure her child’s ability to survive. As much as she steeled herself and cut Alexandros from her heart, he was gone and she would be alone with the child. ALone to watch it suffer and wither at her hand.
“I thought that the child might have a better chance of surviving if….” Kaia stopped herself then. He was going to connect the pieces himself anyway and understand what she had intended to do, but somehow saying it allowed made it seem worse. More sinister than it was ever meant to be.
In a quieter, calmer tone, Kaia spoke again and managed to look toward him, though still unable to meet his eye. “I had no intentions of hurting your reputation.” She wasn’t sure how much difference it would make trying to assure the prince of that. But for what it was worth, it was true.
’Alright.’
His voice was not raised by any means, but given how quietly either of them had been speaking, in comparison, he may as well have yelled. Kaia managed give only the slightest flinch as she snapped her attention back at the prince. He was getting impatient. She couldn’t blame him. Her failure had been a complete and utter waste of his time. Perhaps if she wasn’t so panicked, she might have been embarrassed at her foolish attempt.
The prince’s hand clasped around her arm, not for the first time igniting that reflex to reach for her weapon. Unarmed and unwilling to raise a hand in defence—at least for now, assuming he was not about to harm her—against a prince, Kaia could not help but be dragged rather easily toward the door. He moved her as easily as if she were a little doll, a fact she might have found rather attractive under normal circumstances. Even under recent circumstances really. But for now the action solidified her fears and she knew that her time was up.
’I do not play games, lady Kaia. You either explain to me with honest clarity and without embellishment just why you came to my rooms this eve, or I shall ensure that you are permanently removed from them and any other Kotas property upon the Kirakles Isles.’
“No please, I am sorry,” Kaia helplessly tried to reason. Hearing the prince call her lady Kaia would have normally set her heart aflutter, but in that moment, all Kaia could think about was the very harsh reality of her situation. Her fears were being realised and she would soon be left to her own devices. At least she wasn’t being imprisoned, so she would manage on her own for a time, at least until her babe swollen belly prevented her from her usual means of providing for herself. But that was months away, maybe she could visit the places her family buried their wares.
But what was the point? She still did not know how to be a mother or how to keep a child alive.
When wrenched around to face the prince, Kaia met his gaze with wide eyes of her own. His hand was still on her, holding her arm with a vice grip. If only he’d taken hold of her like this moments ago, she might have succeeded.
’Last chance.’
It was no use. She was found and about to be exiled. What did it even matter now if he knew?
“I’m with child,” Kaia blurted, surprising herself with the strain and waver in her own voice. Kaia scowled as she looked away, trying hard not to let the tears win. Her uncle would have wanted to throttle her for such weakness, but Kaia’s father would have stopped him from raising a hand against her, as he always did. He was a parent. A real parent, just like Kaia’s mother had been. They’d loved her. Even though her life and upbringing had been far from normal, she had been happy. Kaia wanted that for her child, but had not the first clue on how to manage it now on her own.
Swallowing hard, Kaia did not dare meet the prince’s eye again, in fear that his reaction—likely of disgust or perhaps even expectancy—would be all it took to let the tears flow. “I’m with child, and I do not know what to do.” Kaia blinked back her tears furiously, still unable to stop herself from glaring away to her side. Try all she might to hide it, but the pain, hurt and fear she had been carrying with her since discovering her affliction came crashing out in her voice. This was happening and she had failed her first attempt to secure her child’s ability to survive. As much as she steeled herself and cut Alexandros from her heart, he was gone and she would be alone with the child. ALone to watch it suffer and wither at her hand.
“I thought that the child might have a better chance of surviving if….” Kaia stopped herself then. He was going to connect the pieces himself anyway and understand what she had intended to do, but somehow saying it allowed made it seem worse. More sinister than it was ever meant to be.
In a quieter, calmer tone, Kaia spoke again and managed to look toward him, though still unable to meet his eye. “I had no intentions of hurting your reputation.” She wasn’t sure how much difference it would make trying to assure the prince of that. But for what it was worth, it was true.