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Upon the conclusion of the recent court session, Xene had promptly separated herself from most everyone. Spending a considerable amount of time in her rooms once more, she buried herself in some of her song writing. In the silence and solitude, her thoughts had, for the first time in a long time, turned to the music she had been crafting just shortly after her father and her brother had died. Then, she had been working on a concerto, something to immortalize the two members of her family that had been sent to Hades.
Now, with the absence of Stephanos very clear and blatant in everything that happened at the Palati, the princess had needed a moment to get out from the stone walls and overbearing presence of Prince Irakles.
Dressed in a beautiful dark red and gold chiton, with her skirts trailing the stone floors, the princess had every intention of getting out of her rooms that afternoon. Having given her ladies the morning off, the princess took the time to prepare her own hair, preferring a more simple design for such a casual thing as escaping her rooms. Admittedly, she had no intention of meeting with any courtiers or senators that day.
The princess simply required peace, quiet, and time to practice. Maybe it would help remove the embarrassment of the alst few weeks.
It just so happened that the princess had been met with a summons before she even had a chance to step out of her rooms. The mousy little servant that handed her the small slip of paper was gone almost as soon as she appeared. More than a little confused, Xene ducked back into her room, wondering if it might be a letter from one of her small-time informants. Gossip and chatter, usually, but sometimes also useful.
But it wasn't what she had expected at all. Glancing down at the words on the papyrus, Xene found herself biting her lip. Lord Fotios? He had never outright requested her presence before. Generally, he approached her or she accosted herself on him if either of them wished to see one another. However, the events of one of their last meetings still hung heavily on her, and while court had been relatively peaceful, Xene still struggled with the shame that she had felt that last day at Leventi manor.
The princess could still feel his lips on hers and see the pain in his gaze at her actions. Because she had gone too far.
But she was saved the embarrassment of trecking to the Leventi manor because Fotios had requested a meeting at the scholeio. A place that could offer more privacy than anywhere else in the city. That was... so long as they were not caught together in such a private setting. Swallowing, Xene made sure to burn the litte letter before she left her rooms again, carrying the small stack of papyrus with her that held many of her compositions. Heron, to his credit, did not seem to find this odd. The princess herself was an enigma that he hadn't yet attempted to figure out.
He stayed far enough back to give her the semblance of solidarity, trailing her as she navigated the upper levels of the city and made her way to the scholeio. Xene had a standard room that she frequented that was more private than the others. Unlike most other students of the school, she was not required to share with another individual. She navigated the halls with the ease of a woman who had attended the location most of her life, as if it were realy a second home.
Slipping into the room in which she was expecting Lord Fotios, Xene noted that she was alone as of yet. Either he was giving her time to mentally prepare herself for whatever he needed to speak to her about, or he was simply taking his time in making his presence known. Either way, the when or why did not bother her just yet.
Instead of agonizing over his continued absense, the princess laid out her compositions across the small desk in the room, her blue gaze wandering the delicate writing. Her handwriting. Some of these were written in quick, excited script and others had been written with more thought. Her corrections scrawled in between lines and on the margins of the paper. Some of the last corrections that ord Fotios had helped her in making were still settled toward the top of the page. Silenty, she considered them a moment.
Then, sure that she would have a few minutes to practice before Lord Leventi arrived, the princess turned toward the very small window in the room, pressing her fingers against her abdomen and taking a deep breath. Carefully, the princess' voice carried through the room as she started to sing the first few lines of the piece she had been working on the longest. Unlike the last time she had sang in this room, her words were strong. The anxiety and grief that had nearly stolen her voice before came out in the tone and force with which she sang.
Because now she could add the anger and frustration of Stephanos' defamation to the list of things she refused to face. To the list of transgressions against her family that she desperately wanted resolved. And while resolution would not bring back the King of the Prince... Xene found herself seeking closure that she could not find. No matter how hard she reached for it, she was met with nothing. No information. No little bit of peace.
Her only respite had been the friendship she had forged with Lord Fotios... and even that she had seemed to ruin. Xene was sure, in that moment, that this meeting would be the final nail put on the box that held what she felt was a fading friendship. The distance had become apparent. It felt as if no amount of discussion or attempts to ignore the kiss and the reserved passion between them would solve any of this.
All Xene could do was brace herself and wait for the hammer to drop.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Upon the conclusion of the recent court session, Xene had promptly separated herself from most everyone. Spending a considerable amount of time in her rooms once more, she buried herself in some of her song writing. In the silence and solitude, her thoughts had, for the first time in a long time, turned to the music she had been crafting just shortly after her father and her brother had died. Then, she had been working on a concerto, something to immortalize the two members of her family that had been sent to Hades.
Now, with the absence of Stephanos very clear and blatant in everything that happened at the Palati, the princess had needed a moment to get out from the stone walls and overbearing presence of Prince Irakles.
Dressed in a beautiful dark red and gold chiton, with her skirts trailing the stone floors, the princess had every intention of getting out of her rooms that afternoon. Having given her ladies the morning off, the princess took the time to prepare her own hair, preferring a more simple design for such a casual thing as escaping her rooms. Admittedly, she had no intention of meeting with any courtiers or senators that day.
The princess simply required peace, quiet, and time to practice. Maybe it would help remove the embarrassment of the alst few weeks.
It just so happened that the princess had been met with a summons before she even had a chance to step out of her rooms. The mousy little servant that handed her the small slip of paper was gone almost as soon as she appeared. More than a little confused, Xene ducked back into her room, wondering if it might be a letter from one of her small-time informants. Gossip and chatter, usually, but sometimes also useful.
But it wasn't what she had expected at all. Glancing down at the words on the papyrus, Xene found herself biting her lip. Lord Fotios? He had never outright requested her presence before. Generally, he approached her or she accosted herself on him if either of them wished to see one another. However, the events of one of their last meetings still hung heavily on her, and while court had been relatively peaceful, Xene still struggled with the shame that she had felt that last day at Leventi manor.
The princess could still feel his lips on hers and see the pain in his gaze at her actions. Because she had gone too far.
But she was saved the embarrassment of trecking to the Leventi manor because Fotios had requested a meeting at the scholeio. A place that could offer more privacy than anywhere else in the city. That was... so long as they were not caught together in such a private setting. Swallowing, Xene made sure to burn the litte letter before she left her rooms again, carrying the small stack of papyrus with her that held many of her compositions. Heron, to his credit, did not seem to find this odd. The princess herself was an enigma that he hadn't yet attempted to figure out.
He stayed far enough back to give her the semblance of solidarity, trailing her as she navigated the upper levels of the city and made her way to the scholeio. Xene had a standard room that she frequented that was more private than the others. Unlike most other students of the school, she was not required to share with another individual. She navigated the halls with the ease of a woman who had attended the location most of her life, as if it were realy a second home.
Slipping into the room in which she was expecting Lord Fotios, Xene noted that she was alone as of yet. Either he was giving her time to mentally prepare herself for whatever he needed to speak to her about, or he was simply taking his time in making his presence known. Either way, the when or why did not bother her just yet.
Instead of agonizing over his continued absense, the princess laid out her compositions across the small desk in the room, her blue gaze wandering the delicate writing. Her handwriting. Some of these were written in quick, excited script and others had been written with more thought. Her corrections scrawled in between lines and on the margins of the paper. Some of the last corrections that ord Fotios had helped her in making were still settled toward the top of the page. Silenty, she considered them a moment.
Then, sure that she would have a few minutes to practice before Lord Leventi arrived, the princess turned toward the very small window in the room, pressing her fingers against her abdomen and taking a deep breath. Carefully, the princess' voice carried through the room as she started to sing the first few lines of the piece she had been working on the longest. Unlike the last time she had sang in this room, her words were strong. The anxiety and grief that had nearly stolen her voice before came out in the tone and force with which she sang.
Because now she could add the anger and frustration of Stephanos' defamation to the list of things she refused to face. To the list of transgressions against her family that she desperately wanted resolved. And while resolution would not bring back the King of the Prince... Xene found herself seeking closure that she could not find. No matter how hard she reached for it, she was met with nothing. No information. No little bit of peace.
Her only respite had been the friendship she had forged with Lord Fotios... and even that she had seemed to ruin. Xene was sure, in that moment, that this meeting would be the final nail put on the box that held what she felt was a fading friendship. The distance had become apparent. It felt as if no amount of discussion or attempts to ignore the kiss and the reserved passion between them would solve any of this.
All Xene could do was brace herself and wait for the hammer to drop.
Upon the conclusion of the recent court session, Xene had promptly separated herself from most everyone. Spending a considerable amount of time in her rooms once more, she buried herself in some of her song writing. In the silence and solitude, her thoughts had, for the first time in a long time, turned to the music she had been crafting just shortly after her father and her brother had died. Then, she had been working on a concerto, something to immortalize the two members of her family that had been sent to Hades.
Now, with the absence of Stephanos very clear and blatant in everything that happened at the Palati, the princess had needed a moment to get out from the stone walls and overbearing presence of Prince Irakles.
Dressed in a beautiful dark red and gold chiton, with her skirts trailing the stone floors, the princess had every intention of getting out of her rooms that afternoon. Having given her ladies the morning off, the princess took the time to prepare her own hair, preferring a more simple design for such a casual thing as escaping her rooms. Admittedly, she had no intention of meeting with any courtiers or senators that day.
The princess simply required peace, quiet, and time to practice. Maybe it would help remove the embarrassment of the alst few weeks.
It just so happened that the princess had been met with a summons before she even had a chance to step out of her rooms. The mousy little servant that handed her the small slip of paper was gone almost as soon as she appeared. More than a little confused, Xene ducked back into her room, wondering if it might be a letter from one of her small-time informants. Gossip and chatter, usually, but sometimes also useful.
But it wasn't what she had expected at all. Glancing down at the words on the papyrus, Xene found herself biting her lip. Lord Fotios? He had never outright requested her presence before. Generally, he approached her or she accosted herself on him if either of them wished to see one another. However, the events of one of their last meetings still hung heavily on her, and while court had been relatively peaceful, Xene still struggled with the shame that she had felt that last day at Leventi manor.
The princess could still feel his lips on hers and see the pain in his gaze at her actions. Because she had gone too far.
But she was saved the embarrassment of trecking to the Leventi manor because Fotios had requested a meeting at the scholeio. A place that could offer more privacy than anywhere else in the city. That was... so long as they were not caught together in such a private setting. Swallowing, Xene made sure to burn the litte letter before she left her rooms again, carrying the small stack of papyrus with her that held many of her compositions. Heron, to his credit, did not seem to find this odd. The princess herself was an enigma that he hadn't yet attempted to figure out.
He stayed far enough back to give her the semblance of solidarity, trailing her as she navigated the upper levels of the city and made her way to the scholeio. Xene had a standard room that she frequented that was more private than the others. Unlike most other students of the school, she was not required to share with another individual. She navigated the halls with the ease of a woman who had attended the location most of her life, as if it were realy a second home.
Slipping into the room in which she was expecting Lord Fotios, Xene noted that she was alone as of yet. Either he was giving her time to mentally prepare herself for whatever he needed to speak to her about, or he was simply taking his time in making his presence known. Either way, the when or why did not bother her just yet.
Instead of agonizing over his continued absense, the princess laid out her compositions across the small desk in the room, her blue gaze wandering the delicate writing. Her handwriting. Some of these were written in quick, excited script and others had been written with more thought. Her corrections scrawled in between lines and on the margins of the paper. Some of the last corrections that ord Fotios had helped her in making were still settled toward the top of the page. Silenty, she considered them a moment.
Then, sure that she would have a few minutes to practice before Lord Leventi arrived, the princess turned toward the very small window in the room, pressing her fingers against her abdomen and taking a deep breath. Carefully, the princess' voice carried through the room as she started to sing the first few lines of the piece she had been working on the longest. Unlike the last time she had sang in this room, her words were strong. The anxiety and grief that had nearly stolen her voice before came out in the tone and force with which she sang.
Because now she could add the anger and frustration of Stephanos' defamation to the list of things she refused to face. To the list of transgressions against her family that she desperately wanted resolved. And while resolution would not bring back the King of the Prince... Xene found herself seeking closure that she could not find. No matter how hard she reached for it, she was met with nothing. No information. No little bit of peace.
Her only respite had been the friendship she had forged with Lord Fotios... and even that she had seemed to ruin. Xene was sure, in that moment, that this meeting would be the final nail put on the box that held what she felt was a fading friendship. The distance had become apparent. It felt as if no amount of discussion or attempts to ignore the kiss and the reserved passion between them would solve any of this.
All Xene could do was brace herself and wait for the hammer to drop.
The young princess was so caught up in her singing that she didn't notice when she was being observed. Not that she was in any danger or threat of harm - her bodyguard stood firmly outside the door; a towering giant set in stone and honour-bound to protect the princess. Perhaps that was why she wasn't turning around at his arrival. Her pure acceptance that her giant guardsman would ensure no-one disturbed her. All except for the man who was set to meet her, of course.
Fotios stepped into the room quietly, not wishing to disturb the princess' practice and shut the door behind him with a soft noise masked by one of her bolder notes. Shutting them in together and confident that he had produced enough of a trusting relationship with the girl that she wouldn't feel nervous at the private imprisonment - even within as small a room as the practice chamber they found themselves in - Fotios leaned against the wall beside the door. He folded his arms across his chest and extended his legs so that he could rest one ankle over the other, his head tilting as he watched the princess' back as she performed to the window.
As she changed her position, inhaled anew and tilted her head in order to offer emotion behind each note, her rich honey-coloured hair shifted and danced down her back. Her skirts moved very little but, when they did, they shimmered blood red with hints of gold. A fitting colouring for the eldest daughter of the Mikaelidas Dynasteia.
For Fotios' part, he was clothed in his usual garb of riding pants and a standard tunic, folded across his chest. Given his efforts on ensuring her feelings towards the confidant he had become for her, it would do him no favours now not to look exactly like that man with whom she had developed a connection. The mind was a powerful thing and even such apparently infinitesimal or infantile details like what shirt someone was wearing, or what scent a woman was wearing could do wonders for the memory hidden deep within a person's mind.
With his longer hair tied back in a small knot on the back of his hair, the lower layers allowed to hang down around his neck, and his jaw sporting his usual level of facial hair, he had been careful to groom himself with a casual and familiar essence that would appeal. When it came to manipulations - no detail was too small.
It wasn't until the young princess finished her particular song that Fotios unfolded his arms, keeping his elbows pinned to his sides, his legs outstretched and softly applauded her performance, likely surprising her with his presence.
"I feel as if Cronus is playing some game with me, princess." He told her by way of greeting. His eyes glanced around the room. "Aside from the lack of ladies maid, this meeting feels already lived once through. Yet, I can promise that your skill has only grown in that time..." His compliment read and sounded sincere, but his facial expression suggested something… sorrowful… as if he were stricken that she had progressed in her talents in the last few months of their acquaintance…
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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The young princess was so caught up in her singing that she didn't notice when she was being observed. Not that she was in any danger or threat of harm - her bodyguard stood firmly outside the door; a towering giant set in stone and honour-bound to protect the princess. Perhaps that was why she wasn't turning around at his arrival. Her pure acceptance that her giant guardsman would ensure no-one disturbed her. All except for the man who was set to meet her, of course.
Fotios stepped into the room quietly, not wishing to disturb the princess' practice and shut the door behind him with a soft noise masked by one of her bolder notes. Shutting them in together and confident that he had produced enough of a trusting relationship with the girl that she wouldn't feel nervous at the private imprisonment - even within as small a room as the practice chamber they found themselves in - Fotios leaned against the wall beside the door. He folded his arms across his chest and extended his legs so that he could rest one ankle over the other, his head tilting as he watched the princess' back as she performed to the window.
As she changed her position, inhaled anew and tilted her head in order to offer emotion behind each note, her rich honey-coloured hair shifted and danced down her back. Her skirts moved very little but, when they did, they shimmered blood red with hints of gold. A fitting colouring for the eldest daughter of the Mikaelidas Dynasteia.
For Fotios' part, he was clothed in his usual garb of riding pants and a standard tunic, folded across his chest. Given his efforts on ensuring her feelings towards the confidant he had become for her, it would do him no favours now not to look exactly like that man with whom she had developed a connection. The mind was a powerful thing and even such apparently infinitesimal or infantile details like what shirt someone was wearing, or what scent a woman was wearing could do wonders for the memory hidden deep within a person's mind.
With his longer hair tied back in a small knot on the back of his hair, the lower layers allowed to hang down around his neck, and his jaw sporting his usual level of facial hair, he had been careful to groom himself with a casual and familiar essence that would appeal. When it came to manipulations - no detail was too small.
It wasn't until the young princess finished her particular song that Fotios unfolded his arms, keeping his elbows pinned to his sides, his legs outstretched and softly applauded her performance, likely surprising her with his presence.
"I feel as if Cronus is playing some game with me, princess." He told her by way of greeting. His eyes glanced around the room. "Aside from the lack of ladies maid, this meeting feels already lived once through. Yet, I can promise that your skill has only grown in that time..." His compliment read and sounded sincere, but his facial expression suggested something… sorrowful… as if he were stricken that she had progressed in her talents in the last few months of their acquaintance…
The young princess was so caught up in her singing that she didn't notice when she was being observed. Not that she was in any danger or threat of harm - her bodyguard stood firmly outside the door; a towering giant set in stone and honour-bound to protect the princess. Perhaps that was why she wasn't turning around at his arrival. Her pure acceptance that her giant guardsman would ensure no-one disturbed her. All except for the man who was set to meet her, of course.
Fotios stepped into the room quietly, not wishing to disturb the princess' practice and shut the door behind him with a soft noise masked by one of her bolder notes. Shutting them in together and confident that he had produced enough of a trusting relationship with the girl that she wouldn't feel nervous at the private imprisonment - even within as small a room as the practice chamber they found themselves in - Fotios leaned against the wall beside the door. He folded his arms across his chest and extended his legs so that he could rest one ankle over the other, his head tilting as he watched the princess' back as she performed to the window.
As she changed her position, inhaled anew and tilted her head in order to offer emotion behind each note, her rich honey-coloured hair shifted and danced down her back. Her skirts moved very little but, when they did, they shimmered blood red with hints of gold. A fitting colouring for the eldest daughter of the Mikaelidas Dynasteia.
For Fotios' part, he was clothed in his usual garb of riding pants and a standard tunic, folded across his chest. Given his efforts on ensuring her feelings towards the confidant he had become for her, it would do him no favours now not to look exactly like that man with whom she had developed a connection. The mind was a powerful thing and even such apparently infinitesimal or infantile details like what shirt someone was wearing, or what scent a woman was wearing could do wonders for the memory hidden deep within a person's mind.
With his longer hair tied back in a small knot on the back of his hair, the lower layers allowed to hang down around his neck, and his jaw sporting his usual level of facial hair, he had been careful to groom himself with a casual and familiar essence that would appeal. When it came to manipulations - no detail was too small.
It wasn't until the young princess finished her particular song that Fotios unfolded his arms, keeping his elbows pinned to his sides, his legs outstretched and softly applauded her performance, likely surprising her with his presence.
"I feel as if Cronus is playing some game with me, princess." He told her by way of greeting. His eyes glanced around the room. "Aside from the lack of ladies maid, this meeting feels already lived once through. Yet, I can promise that your skill has only grown in that time..." His compliment read and sounded sincere, but his facial expression suggested something… sorrowful… as if he were stricken that she had progressed in her talents in the last few months of their acquaintance…
It was so easy to find herself lost in her music, in the words that dripped off her tongue in a beautiful chorus. Singing, performing, was always a means of forgetting her problems. A perfectly sensible way to forget that her world was near constantly crumbling about her. Never had she had to keep her senses about her in such an obsessive manner. It took untold self control to remind herself that not everyone could be trusted and not everything was well and good.
Her brother, for instance, was still under house arrest. As far as she knew, at least. With that on her mind, she asserted to herself that she needed to visit him soon. Perhaps later today, even. But first, she needed to focus on the man that had slipped into the room when her back was turned. Xene did not move much when she sang, finding there was an imbalance between her voice and her steps that could often change the very backbone of a song.
With her voice trailing off into the silence of the room, Xene could not find it in herself to be scared that someone had snuck up behind her. Because she knew who it was and she knew in her heart that she was safe. Brushing her fingers back through her golden locks, the princess turned slowly to face her confidant. The only person she trusted within an inch of her life in this den of lions and rabid beasts. Rabid beasts who seemed to be coming for each and every one of her family members.
It was increasingly difficult to figure out who to trust, but the princess felt that Fotios was to be trusted above all. He had not given her a single reason not to. And that was enough.
Xene was content to take his compliment, though his features told a different story. For a moment, she once more felt sick at the idea that he might cut her off now. Now that they had grown too close. Now that they had crossed a line that would be difficult to once more stand on the other side of. Breathing in slowly, visibly, Xene brushed her fingers down the front of her crimson gown. "I cannot reason how that is, my lord," Xene said softly, her gaze lingering on his face.
"As I have found no time nor motivation to continue my craft in recent weeks," Xene admitted. Writing the words and performing them were completely different tasks altogether, after all. Listening for any sound of Heron outside the door, Xene found herself content to know that there was no one else out there with him. The princess took a few steps toward him, her expression soft though reserved. As if she was not sure what he might say or do. The desire to know why he needed to speak with her here was... gnawing at her.
Clearing her throat, her blue eyes drifted back to his face, her expression melting into something thoughtful. "Have you come to tell me that we are not suited to remain friends, Lord Fotios?" she asked softly, expecting this to be the moment that he put too much distance between them. The previous months would soon receed into distant memory and she would attempt to move on. That was what would be expected of her, right?
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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It was so easy to find herself lost in her music, in the words that dripped off her tongue in a beautiful chorus. Singing, performing, was always a means of forgetting her problems. A perfectly sensible way to forget that her world was near constantly crumbling about her. Never had she had to keep her senses about her in such an obsessive manner. It took untold self control to remind herself that not everyone could be trusted and not everything was well and good.
Her brother, for instance, was still under house arrest. As far as she knew, at least. With that on her mind, she asserted to herself that she needed to visit him soon. Perhaps later today, even. But first, she needed to focus on the man that had slipped into the room when her back was turned. Xene did not move much when she sang, finding there was an imbalance between her voice and her steps that could often change the very backbone of a song.
With her voice trailing off into the silence of the room, Xene could not find it in herself to be scared that someone had snuck up behind her. Because she knew who it was and she knew in her heart that she was safe. Brushing her fingers back through her golden locks, the princess turned slowly to face her confidant. The only person she trusted within an inch of her life in this den of lions and rabid beasts. Rabid beasts who seemed to be coming for each and every one of her family members.
It was increasingly difficult to figure out who to trust, but the princess felt that Fotios was to be trusted above all. He had not given her a single reason not to. And that was enough.
Xene was content to take his compliment, though his features told a different story. For a moment, she once more felt sick at the idea that he might cut her off now. Now that they had grown too close. Now that they had crossed a line that would be difficult to once more stand on the other side of. Breathing in slowly, visibly, Xene brushed her fingers down the front of her crimson gown. "I cannot reason how that is, my lord," Xene said softly, her gaze lingering on his face.
"As I have found no time nor motivation to continue my craft in recent weeks," Xene admitted. Writing the words and performing them were completely different tasks altogether, after all. Listening for any sound of Heron outside the door, Xene found herself content to know that there was no one else out there with him. The princess took a few steps toward him, her expression soft though reserved. As if she was not sure what he might say or do. The desire to know why he needed to speak with her here was... gnawing at her.
Clearing her throat, her blue eyes drifted back to his face, her expression melting into something thoughtful. "Have you come to tell me that we are not suited to remain friends, Lord Fotios?" she asked softly, expecting this to be the moment that he put too much distance between them. The previous months would soon receed into distant memory and she would attempt to move on. That was what would be expected of her, right?
It was so easy to find herself lost in her music, in the words that dripped off her tongue in a beautiful chorus. Singing, performing, was always a means of forgetting her problems. A perfectly sensible way to forget that her world was near constantly crumbling about her. Never had she had to keep her senses about her in such an obsessive manner. It took untold self control to remind herself that not everyone could be trusted and not everything was well and good.
Her brother, for instance, was still under house arrest. As far as she knew, at least. With that on her mind, she asserted to herself that she needed to visit him soon. Perhaps later today, even. But first, she needed to focus on the man that had slipped into the room when her back was turned. Xene did not move much when she sang, finding there was an imbalance between her voice and her steps that could often change the very backbone of a song.
With her voice trailing off into the silence of the room, Xene could not find it in herself to be scared that someone had snuck up behind her. Because she knew who it was and she knew in her heart that she was safe. Brushing her fingers back through her golden locks, the princess turned slowly to face her confidant. The only person she trusted within an inch of her life in this den of lions and rabid beasts. Rabid beasts who seemed to be coming for each and every one of her family members.
It was increasingly difficult to figure out who to trust, but the princess felt that Fotios was to be trusted above all. He had not given her a single reason not to. And that was enough.
Xene was content to take his compliment, though his features told a different story. For a moment, she once more felt sick at the idea that he might cut her off now. Now that they had grown too close. Now that they had crossed a line that would be difficult to once more stand on the other side of. Breathing in slowly, visibly, Xene brushed her fingers down the front of her crimson gown. "I cannot reason how that is, my lord," Xene said softly, her gaze lingering on his face.
"As I have found no time nor motivation to continue my craft in recent weeks," Xene admitted. Writing the words and performing them were completely different tasks altogether, after all. Listening for any sound of Heron outside the door, Xene found herself content to know that there was no one else out there with him. The princess took a few steps toward him, her expression soft though reserved. As if she was not sure what he might say or do. The desire to know why he needed to speak with her here was... gnawing at her.
Clearing her throat, her blue eyes drifted back to his face, her expression melting into something thoughtful. "Have you come to tell me that we are not suited to remain friends, Lord Fotios?" she asked softly, expecting this to be the moment that he put too much distance between them. The previous months would soon receed into distant memory and she would attempt to move on. That was what would be expected of her, right?
Fotios smiled softly when the girl offered up bemusement as to why her singing had become better over a time of limited practice. Folding his arms across his chest once more as his applause drew to a close, he offered the rising of one shoulder in a nonchalant gesture.
"Perhaps it is your experiences over your practice." He told her. "I've always thought artists to flourish through maturity as much as dedication." His expression turned compassionate. "You have suffered through much these past few months..." He dropped his gaze, his lips twitching again, as if they wished to break into a smile but he was unsure at what point he would overstep the mark. "All of which was borne with gallantry, considering your age, if you'll permit me to say so..." A little flattery never went amiss in most circumstances but Fotios was sure to remove direct eye contact when he spoke, his frame suggesting he was fearful of the route that his words would take the conversation.
In the end, she turned the conversation in that direction regardless – as he had known she would. He swallowed as the princess cleared her throat and glanced back up when she changed the subject to that of his summons and visitation.
When she mentioned about him severing ties of their friendship, the man pushed up from the wall. He didn't draw closer to her - only straightened so that he was supported by his own feet rather than the chamber around them. As if he were no long at enough ease to slouch. His weight shifted to one side and one of his hands moved to his hip whilst the other reached to pass over his lower lip in thought, his face lowered. He appeared to be struggling with how to phrase his next words as he analysed the leather of his boots.
With a hard exhale that was just a little too soft to be called anything as melodramatic as a sigh, Fotios dropped the touch so that he stood with a hand on each hip, his stance casual but determined. He looked towards the beautiful girl before him. His voice was rough with emotion as he spoke, his expression turning sad.
"Friendship is not something I would ever wish to break between us, princess..." He told her, the timbre of his voice ringing with truth. Then, he seemed to wince a little, his eyes narrowing as if he were almost embarrassed to continue with his next words... "But..." He swallowed and tilted his head questioningly. "Forgive me princess, but I do not feel that it is solely friendship that you want from me...?"
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Fotios smiled softly when the girl offered up bemusement as to why her singing had become better over a time of limited practice. Folding his arms across his chest once more as his applause drew to a close, he offered the rising of one shoulder in a nonchalant gesture.
"Perhaps it is your experiences over your practice." He told her. "I've always thought artists to flourish through maturity as much as dedication." His expression turned compassionate. "You have suffered through much these past few months..." He dropped his gaze, his lips twitching again, as if they wished to break into a smile but he was unsure at what point he would overstep the mark. "All of which was borne with gallantry, considering your age, if you'll permit me to say so..." A little flattery never went amiss in most circumstances but Fotios was sure to remove direct eye contact when he spoke, his frame suggesting he was fearful of the route that his words would take the conversation.
In the end, she turned the conversation in that direction regardless – as he had known she would. He swallowed as the princess cleared her throat and glanced back up when she changed the subject to that of his summons and visitation.
When she mentioned about him severing ties of their friendship, the man pushed up from the wall. He didn't draw closer to her - only straightened so that he was supported by his own feet rather than the chamber around them. As if he were no long at enough ease to slouch. His weight shifted to one side and one of his hands moved to his hip whilst the other reached to pass over his lower lip in thought, his face lowered. He appeared to be struggling with how to phrase his next words as he analysed the leather of his boots.
With a hard exhale that was just a little too soft to be called anything as melodramatic as a sigh, Fotios dropped the touch so that he stood with a hand on each hip, his stance casual but determined. He looked towards the beautiful girl before him. His voice was rough with emotion as he spoke, his expression turning sad.
"Friendship is not something I would ever wish to break between us, princess..." He told her, the timbre of his voice ringing with truth. Then, he seemed to wince a little, his eyes narrowing as if he were almost embarrassed to continue with his next words... "But..." He swallowed and tilted his head questioningly. "Forgive me princess, but I do not feel that it is solely friendship that you want from me...?"
Fotios smiled softly when the girl offered up bemusement as to why her singing had become better over a time of limited practice. Folding his arms across his chest once more as his applause drew to a close, he offered the rising of one shoulder in a nonchalant gesture.
"Perhaps it is your experiences over your practice." He told her. "I've always thought artists to flourish through maturity as much as dedication." His expression turned compassionate. "You have suffered through much these past few months..." He dropped his gaze, his lips twitching again, as if they wished to break into a smile but he was unsure at what point he would overstep the mark. "All of which was borne with gallantry, considering your age, if you'll permit me to say so..." A little flattery never went amiss in most circumstances but Fotios was sure to remove direct eye contact when he spoke, his frame suggesting he was fearful of the route that his words would take the conversation.
In the end, she turned the conversation in that direction regardless – as he had known she would. He swallowed as the princess cleared her throat and glanced back up when she changed the subject to that of his summons and visitation.
When she mentioned about him severing ties of their friendship, the man pushed up from the wall. He didn't draw closer to her - only straightened so that he was supported by his own feet rather than the chamber around them. As if he were no long at enough ease to slouch. His weight shifted to one side and one of his hands moved to his hip whilst the other reached to pass over his lower lip in thought, his face lowered. He appeared to be struggling with how to phrase his next words as he analysed the leather of his boots.
With a hard exhale that was just a little too soft to be called anything as melodramatic as a sigh, Fotios dropped the touch so that he stood with a hand on each hip, his stance casual but determined. He looked towards the beautiful girl before him. His voice was rough with emotion as he spoke, his expression turning sad.
"Friendship is not something I would ever wish to break between us, princess..." He told her, the timbre of his voice ringing with truth. Then, he seemed to wince a little, his eyes narrowing as if he were almost embarrassed to continue with his next words... "But..." He swallowed and tilted his head questioningly. "Forgive me princess, but I do not feel that it is solely friendship that you want from me...?"
Xene couldn't keep her gaze off of her confidant. The man that helped her feel safe in her own home. In her own skin. with the world seemingly crashing down around her. This was the man that left her feeling safe, even when she should feel as if she were in near-constant danger. Content with her life. Content while everything burned away. While her brother slowly buried his short career as a king.
While the thought should have bothered her, she couldn't find it in herself to care that this moment. Because she was hyper-aware of Fotios' change in mannerisms. The way he held himself and the way that he kept his gaze on her. For a moment, the princess found that she could scarcely breathe. It was a wonder that little moments such as this, conversations so small and minute, could turn her attention so fully.
The princess bit down on her bottom lip, her feet bringing her closer with each word he spoke, beautiful and concise. Hardly containing what the Lord Fotios really wished to express. Blue eyes locked to the finger that trailed against his bottom lip. Her mind directed back to the kiss that they had shared days before. There had been reluctance from him. He hadn't seemed inclined to return the sentiment. But she had been wrong in that thought. Because he had pulled her back and claimed her lips as his own. And when she had finally let her shame and propriety take over, Xene had left him standing there. Alone.
Swallowing the words she had been most tempted to blurt out with little thought to their overly bold nature, Xene reached slightly up to her own lips. Delicate fingers ghosted parted lips, her gaze darting away from his form. Suddenly, she found that she couldn't face him. Crimson red skirts trailed alone stone as she faced away from Fotios, taking her a few steps forward and putting distance between them that she had only just closed moments before.
She was inclined to say nothing, not wanting her own emotions to betray her. They already had betrayed her so often and so easily in the past. Always with him. Always with this same topic. Over and over and over again. But his final statement knocked her entirely off her guard. Off her balance that she had been desperate to find and keep since she had humiliated herself with him in his own home and on his own grounds.
The princess let out a shuddering breath.
Xene had to think this through. At least... that was the initial thought. That was not at all how things ended up. Fotios had struck a chord with her. A chord she had been praying for him to leave along. Xene had prayed to the gods to keep him from opening the wound. She didn't want it to fester. She didn't want to suffer. Swallowing once more, Xene turned her gaze back to him, her body following suit. With a blue gaze full of fire that hadn't been there previously, her voice cutting through the measured, purposeful silence.
"Are you saying, Fotios, that you do not feel the same? The way that you kissed me... the way that you taunt me... the way that you look at me and try to hide what you're feeling even though it is written across your face... I struggle to believe that you feel nothing at all," Xene said slowly, letting her feet carry herself back right up to him. The princess got close enough to him to press close, nearly touching, as she gazed up into his face.
"If you do not want me, my Lord," Xene breathed out easily, "Then you should not be here."
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Xene couldn't keep her gaze off of her confidant. The man that helped her feel safe in her own home. In her own skin. with the world seemingly crashing down around her. This was the man that left her feeling safe, even when she should feel as if she were in near-constant danger. Content with her life. Content while everything burned away. While her brother slowly buried his short career as a king.
While the thought should have bothered her, she couldn't find it in herself to care that this moment. Because she was hyper-aware of Fotios' change in mannerisms. The way he held himself and the way that he kept his gaze on her. For a moment, the princess found that she could scarcely breathe. It was a wonder that little moments such as this, conversations so small and minute, could turn her attention so fully.
The princess bit down on her bottom lip, her feet bringing her closer with each word he spoke, beautiful and concise. Hardly containing what the Lord Fotios really wished to express. Blue eyes locked to the finger that trailed against his bottom lip. Her mind directed back to the kiss that they had shared days before. There had been reluctance from him. He hadn't seemed inclined to return the sentiment. But she had been wrong in that thought. Because he had pulled her back and claimed her lips as his own. And when she had finally let her shame and propriety take over, Xene had left him standing there. Alone.
Swallowing the words she had been most tempted to blurt out with little thought to their overly bold nature, Xene reached slightly up to her own lips. Delicate fingers ghosted parted lips, her gaze darting away from his form. Suddenly, she found that she couldn't face him. Crimson red skirts trailed alone stone as she faced away from Fotios, taking her a few steps forward and putting distance between them that she had only just closed moments before.
She was inclined to say nothing, not wanting her own emotions to betray her. They already had betrayed her so often and so easily in the past. Always with him. Always with this same topic. Over and over and over again. But his final statement knocked her entirely off her guard. Off her balance that she had been desperate to find and keep since she had humiliated herself with him in his own home and on his own grounds.
The princess let out a shuddering breath.
Xene had to think this through. At least... that was the initial thought. That was not at all how things ended up. Fotios had struck a chord with her. A chord she had been praying for him to leave along. Xene had prayed to the gods to keep him from opening the wound. She didn't want it to fester. She didn't want to suffer. Swallowing once more, Xene turned her gaze back to him, her body following suit. With a blue gaze full of fire that hadn't been there previously, her voice cutting through the measured, purposeful silence.
"Are you saying, Fotios, that you do not feel the same? The way that you kissed me... the way that you taunt me... the way that you look at me and try to hide what you're feeling even though it is written across your face... I struggle to believe that you feel nothing at all," Xene said slowly, letting her feet carry herself back right up to him. The princess got close enough to him to press close, nearly touching, as she gazed up into his face.
"If you do not want me, my Lord," Xene breathed out easily, "Then you should not be here."
Xene couldn't keep her gaze off of her confidant. The man that helped her feel safe in her own home. In her own skin. with the world seemingly crashing down around her. This was the man that left her feeling safe, even when she should feel as if she were in near-constant danger. Content with her life. Content while everything burned away. While her brother slowly buried his short career as a king.
While the thought should have bothered her, she couldn't find it in herself to care that this moment. Because she was hyper-aware of Fotios' change in mannerisms. The way he held himself and the way that he kept his gaze on her. For a moment, the princess found that she could scarcely breathe. It was a wonder that little moments such as this, conversations so small and minute, could turn her attention so fully.
The princess bit down on her bottom lip, her feet bringing her closer with each word he spoke, beautiful and concise. Hardly containing what the Lord Fotios really wished to express. Blue eyes locked to the finger that trailed against his bottom lip. Her mind directed back to the kiss that they had shared days before. There had been reluctance from him. He hadn't seemed inclined to return the sentiment. But she had been wrong in that thought. Because he had pulled her back and claimed her lips as his own. And when she had finally let her shame and propriety take over, Xene had left him standing there. Alone.
Swallowing the words she had been most tempted to blurt out with little thought to their overly bold nature, Xene reached slightly up to her own lips. Delicate fingers ghosted parted lips, her gaze darting away from his form. Suddenly, she found that she couldn't face him. Crimson red skirts trailed alone stone as she faced away from Fotios, taking her a few steps forward and putting distance between them that she had only just closed moments before.
She was inclined to say nothing, not wanting her own emotions to betray her. They already had betrayed her so often and so easily in the past. Always with him. Always with this same topic. Over and over and over again. But his final statement knocked her entirely off her guard. Off her balance that she had been desperate to find and keep since she had humiliated herself with him in his own home and on his own grounds.
The princess let out a shuddering breath.
Xene had to think this through. At least... that was the initial thought. That was not at all how things ended up. Fotios had struck a chord with her. A chord she had been praying for him to leave along. Xene had prayed to the gods to keep him from opening the wound. She didn't want it to fester. She didn't want to suffer. Swallowing once more, Xene turned her gaze back to him, her body following suit. With a blue gaze full of fire that hadn't been there previously, her voice cutting through the measured, purposeful silence.
"Are you saying, Fotios, that you do not feel the same? The way that you kissed me... the way that you taunt me... the way that you look at me and try to hide what you're feeling even though it is written across your face... I struggle to believe that you feel nothing at all," Xene said slowly, letting her feet carry herself back right up to him. The princess got close enough to him to press close, nearly touching, as she gazed up into his face.
"If you do not want me, my Lord," Xene breathed out easily, "Then you should not be here."
The princess wandered back and forth across the room, her natural instinct to physically act upon her feelings: when she spoke as if she were close to him, her steps drew her near; when her words and thoughts outlined her hurt and fears, she moved away. He did nothing to stop her in either direction. He didn't reach out to draw her back when she put distance between them, nor hold up his hands to slow her approach when she came close. He allowed her the freedom needed for her emotions to take control and guide her in whichever direction she felt most natural. If that was towards him and the feelings that he had worked to engender within her then he had yet another arrow in his arsenal that could be used on the political battlefield. If it was to stay away from him permanently, then he had lost this particular manipulation but would continue to remain her confidant for the information it gave him. He had not criminalised himself because he had not acted on his supposed feelings for her - at least not without her initiating it herself.
When the Princess Xene finally decided to come much closer, to challenge him on the looks and indications he had given her over the last few months, Fotios reacted as if he were frightened of her closeness. His back flattening against the wall as she drew her frame so infinitely near to his own, Fotios was careful to keep himself as far from her as possible but his eyes playing upon her lips as she spoke, seeming to wrench them away when she demanded that were he not to feel anything, he shouldn't be there in the first place.
Ducking around her, Fotios deliberately took several very clear steps away from her. His breathing had escalated since she had drawn near and he now stood with his hands on his hips, half turned in her direction to show her his profile. His chest rose and fell heavily with emotion.
"Princess..." He began, his tone of voice suggesting internal conflict or pain. He winced as if trying to work out how best to put his thoughts into words. He looked over at her from his position, away from the wall, away from her. "My thoughts and feelings... my wants... whatever they may be, are not..." He sighed softly, seemingly at a loss for words for the first time in their acquaintance. He glanced at his boots to try and recover from the failed beginning of his explanation.
In a fit of energy, Fotios turned towards her, a hand up to illustrate his point and his feet sending him just a step closer to her.
"Princess Xene, I am married." He began, before swallowing. "What I may or may not feel for you can never follow..." He seemed to search for the best words. "...the respectable course of things." He looked severely disappointed at the admittance, but then shook his head. "You are young, beautiful, intelligent and talented and those attributes are yours to claim before anything tied to your birth is taken into consideration." He frowned, suddenly certain in his points. "It would be criminal of me to allow things to move beyond friendship between us when I am unable to give you what a woman of your status deserves."
He winced as he lowered his hand, his fingers rubbing at the centre of his chest as if he had a pain and his throat shifting in a swallow. His demeanour was that of someone drawing up courage to say what he intended next.
"I asked to meet you today..." He began slowly, turning to face her with just as cautious a speed. "To tell you this. And to add that... I am not confident in my own powers of self-restraint without your help." He shook his head. "Things cannot continue as they are, princess. I will not be able to maintain a safe distance - you have already detailed the ways in which I have failed to keep myself objective. You share those looks. I see them." There was a pause as he seemed to gather himself. "I will continue in every way that I can as your confidant. I will be careful in my looks and my words... but you must promise me to do the same or I am almost certain that any enterprise to keep our relationship platonic is doomed to fail..."
He looked at her beseechingly, his tone and gaze firm but his frame looking slightly diminished with the admittance. As if he knew that what he was doing was the right thing but that he could not help but be disappointed by it...
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The princess wandered back and forth across the room, her natural instinct to physically act upon her feelings: when she spoke as if she were close to him, her steps drew her near; when her words and thoughts outlined her hurt and fears, she moved away. He did nothing to stop her in either direction. He didn't reach out to draw her back when she put distance between them, nor hold up his hands to slow her approach when she came close. He allowed her the freedom needed for her emotions to take control and guide her in whichever direction she felt most natural. If that was towards him and the feelings that he had worked to engender within her then he had yet another arrow in his arsenal that could be used on the political battlefield. If it was to stay away from him permanently, then he had lost this particular manipulation but would continue to remain her confidant for the information it gave him. He had not criminalised himself because he had not acted on his supposed feelings for her - at least not without her initiating it herself.
When the Princess Xene finally decided to come much closer, to challenge him on the looks and indications he had given her over the last few months, Fotios reacted as if he were frightened of her closeness. His back flattening against the wall as she drew her frame so infinitely near to his own, Fotios was careful to keep himself as far from her as possible but his eyes playing upon her lips as she spoke, seeming to wrench them away when she demanded that were he not to feel anything, he shouldn't be there in the first place.
Ducking around her, Fotios deliberately took several very clear steps away from her. His breathing had escalated since she had drawn near and he now stood with his hands on his hips, half turned in her direction to show her his profile. His chest rose and fell heavily with emotion.
"Princess..." He began, his tone of voice suggesting internal conflict or pain. He winced as if trying to work out how best to put his thoughts into words. He looked over at her from his position, away from the wall, away from her. "My thoughts and feelings... my wants... whatever they may be, are not..." He sighed softly, seemingly at a loss for words for the first time in their acquaintance. He glanced at his boots to try and recover from the failed beginning of his explanation.
In a fit of energy, Fotios turned towards her, a hand up to illustrate his point and his feet sending him just a step closer to her.
"Princess Xene, I am married." He began, before swallowing. "What I may or may not feel for you can never follow..." He seemed to search for the best words. "...the respectable course of things." He looked severely disappointed at the admittance, but then shook his head. "You are young, beautiful, intelligent and talented and those attributes are yours to claim before anything tied to your birth is taken into consideration." He frowned, suddenly certain in his points. "It would be criminal of me to allow things to move beyond friendship between us when I am unable to give you what a woman of your status deserves."
He winced as he lowered his hand, his fingers rubbing at the centre of his chest as if he had a pain and his throat shifting in a swallow. His demeanour was that of someone drawing up courage to say what he intended next.
"I asked to meet you today..." He began slowly, turning to face her with just as cautious a speed. "To tell you this. And to add that... I am not confident in my own powers of self-restraint without your help." He shook his head. "Things cannot continue as they are, princess. I will not be able to maintain a safe distance - you have already detailed the ways in which I have failed to keep myself objective. You share those looks. I see them." There was a pause as he seemed to gather himself. "I will continue in every way that I can as your confidant. I will be careful in my looks and my words... but you must promise me to do the same or I am almost certain that any enterprise to keep our relationship platonic is doomed to fail..."
He looked at her beseechingly, his tone and gaze firm but his frame looking slightly diminished with the admittance. As if he knew that what he was doing was the right thing but that he could not help but be disappointed by it...
The princess wandered back and forth across the room, her natural instinct to physically act upon her feelings: when she spoke as if she were close to him, her steps drew her near; when her words and thoughts outlined her hurt and fears, she moved away. He did nothing to stop her in either direction. He didn't reach out to draw her back when she put distance between them, nor hold up his hands to slow her approach when she came close. He allowed her the freedom needed for her emotions to take control and guide her in whichever direction she felt most natural. If that was towards him and the feelings that he had worked to engender within her then he had yet another arrow in his arsenal that could be used on the political battlefield. If it was to stay away from him permanently, then he had lost this particular manipulation but would continue to remain her confidant for the information it gave him. He had not criminalised himself because he had not acted on his supposed feelings for her - at least not without her initiating it herself.
When the Princess Xene finally decided to come much closer, to challenge him on the looks and indications he had given her over the last few months, Fotios reacted as if he were frightened of her closeness. His back flattening against the wall as she drew her frame so infinitely near to his own, Fotios was careful to keep himself as far from her as possible but his eyes playing upon her lips as she spoke, seeming to wrench them away when she demanded that were he not to feel anything, he shouldn't be there in the first place.
Ducking around her, Fotios deliberately took several very clear steps away from her. His breathing had escalated since she had drawn near and he now stood with his hands on his hips, half turned in her direction to show her his profile. His chest rose and fell heavily with emotion.
"Princess..." He began, his tone of voice suggesting internal conflict or pain. He winced as if trying to work out how best to put his thoughts into words. He looked over at her from his position, away from the wall, away from her. "My thoughts and feelings... my wants... whatever they may be, are not..." He sighed softly, seemingly at a loss for words for the first time in their acquaintance. He glanced at his boots to try and recover from the failed beginning of his explanation.
In a fit of energy, Fotios turned towards her, a hand up to illustrate his point and his feet sending him just a step closer to her.
"Princess Xene, I am married." He began, before swallowing. "What I may or may not feel for you can never follow..." He seemed to search for the best words. "...the respectable course of things." He looked severely disappointed at the admittance, but then shook his head. "You are young, beautiful, intelligent and talented and those attributes are yours to claim before anything tied to your birth is taken into consideration." He frowned, suddenly certain in his points. "It would be criminal of me to allow things to move beyond friendship between us when I am unable to give you what a woman of your status deserves."
He winced as he lowered his hand, his fingers rubbing at the centre of his chest as if he had a pain and his throat shifting in a swallow. His demeanour was that of someone drawing up courage to say what he intended next.
"I asked to meet you today..." He began slowly, turning to face her with just as cautious a speed. "To tell you this. And to add that... I am not confident in my own powers of self-restraint without your help." He shook his head. "Things cannot continue as they are, princess. I will not be able to maintain a safe distance - you have already detailed the ways in which I have failed to keep myself objective. You share those looks. I see them." There was a pause as he seemed to gather himself. "I will continue in every way that I can as your confidant. I will be careful in my looks and my words... but you must promise me to do the same or I am almost certain that any enterprise to keep our relationship platonic is doomed to fail..."
He looked at her beseechingly, his tone and gaze firm but his frame looking slightly diminished with the admittance. As if he knew that what he was doing was the right thing but that he could not help but be disappointed by it...
It was rare for the princess to slip into a state of hyper-awareness. There had been few times in the past in which everything seemed heightened. Even the sound of her own heartbeat pounded through every inch of her. It made her feel tense and weightless all the same. The first time had been when she had been young and attending her first court session. There had been such an array of sounds. Courtiers gossiping, the clinking of goblets, and the sounds of Lords and Ladies alike sipping wine.
Then there had been the sound of her mother's voice as she introduced her eldest daughter to court for the first time. That moment had been one of the only times in her life where the princess had felt completely and entirely watched. All eyes had been on her and the princess had felt so uncomfortable in that moment. Such an event had only solidified her need for privacy and to be seen as a propritious and proper princess. Even if, behind the scenes, she and her brother and her cousin found trouble fit for the rebellious lives of human beings who had been placed on pedestals at the very beginnings of their lives. Human beings who found any way they could to break the mold they had been placed in, if only for some differing sense of normalcy.
Being so blatantly watched and observed. Torn apart and gossiped about. Talks of her future and what good she could do for the Kingdom... it had all been wildly unnerving. It had made her trust less and seek the people she could actually keep close to her heart and her mind. The people in which she could trust with anything and everything and never worry about what judgments may be lain across her feet.
But it was now, again and here that Xene felt that state of hyper-awareness. The slight lift to the beating of her heart and the shallowness of her own breathing. The feeling of her own mouth going dry as she attempted to focus on only one thing at once. The roaring of her own heart in her ears lent itself to her trouble truly focusing on every word that her closest friend and confidant spoke. In that fleeting, slow moment, she was aware of the soft breeze that drifted in through the windows of the school. She could feel its caress on her skin, on her neck, against the tips of her fingers. Somewhere close was a grove of flowers with a scent sweet enough to make the princess’ stomach roil out of sheer nervousness and anxiety.
The last thing that Xene wanted in this word was to lose Fotios. Lord Fotios. Lord Fotios of Leventi. A man who had become a true friend to her despite the implications and despite the struggles that the two of them were facing then and there in this moment. A man that her father may have frowned upon, but a man that Xenon could pass no further judgment on. For his head was buried but his body settled into a limbo. An unknown fate that the rest of Teangea had not yet come to know. She should have found her shame then and there. For desiring a man who could not truly be hers. But never had she herself felt so wanted. Not in the way that Fotios had so clearly illustrated to her.
The slow, deliberate brushes of touch. The proximity when he would lean over her to critique her work. Work that she had been asking for more and more opinions on. Like she was dependent on him for some feeling of validation. Validation that her workings were not useless and would not be lost on those that she was to serve. The influx of correspondence between herself and numerous lords, ladies, merchants, and even citizens had left Xene feeling as if the help was necessary. Propriety in and of itself was her very nature. A skill that she favored and coveted and wished for others to view of her.
But it was the strain of the world that had started to make her quick to anger. Quick to jump to conclusions when in any other circumstance she would have found herself calm and composed. Willing to listen. Willing to think and to sort out options. Solutions. Her silent grief, the silent suffering she had put herself through, it had dampened her spirits. To her, at the time, there had been little direction to go but down. Further down into depths she found herself wary to reach.
Seeking out the friendship and support of Lord Fotios had been a selfish act on her part. One that she could not and would not deny if asked. There had been a manipulation between them. Her manipulation of him. Her want of him close. The need of him to be her confidant. To tell her things and to keep her secrets. Initially, she had found her own idea to be ludicrous. But the princess had quickly found that she rather enjoyed Fotios’ company and the way that he challenged her mind. Challenged her to think and to act and to be better than what she felt. Even if he had not meant it in any way other than cordial, friendly advice, Xene had failed to pinpoint the moment in which she had shifted from want of a friend to want of something more.
Xene had played her hand too well. Because she’d fallen for her own trick.
But so had he. With her so close to him, her blue gaze drank him in. The way that Fotios pressed his back so fully against the wall behind him. The slight intake of breath and the clear need to keep a clear and intense distance between the two of them. Xene was not oblivious to the way that his gaze lingered on her lips, seemingly warring himself between what was proper and what was volatile. Xene silently wished he would act on the volatility of the simmering want that seemed to wash between them. Her own instinct was to close the gap in the same way the both of them had days before. When he had claimed her lips like they were the only thing he wanted to taste in that moment.
But he was gone and all she felt was the slight proximity, the warmth of him passing so close. Like she was the Earth and he was some comet streaking past in the middle of the night, silent, unnoticed, only a flash in the sky above. As if the gods were to toss him from their presence.
The slight and the sight of him turned slightly toward her, his chest heaving with emotion he seemed intent to keep in. To keep from her grasp when the sight of him harried and frustrated had been everything she wanted since that first inkling of falling. This insistence at keeping from her, at keeping distance between them… it was as if she were the hunter and he the prey, but he was the one exenterating her. Leaving her void of life and vibrancy. She was the lion, but he carried the blade. It was true that she held brimming feeling and emotion, but Fotios had the power here.
Against her rank and her position, he would always hold more power over her. Her title meant nothing here. It was not a matter of state or politics that the two of them had found fault over. It was the confusion and strain of emotion and feeling that had them performing this dance with each other. If one had told a young Xene that the man who had escorted the gaggle of Leventi girls to dance lessons years prior would hold her heart, she might have laughed in their face. But this was exactly what had happened. This was exactly why Xene and Fotios stood against one another in this manner.
Unable to hold back the welling of emotion, Xene’s throat felt tight. Blue eyes seemed to pick him apart. Every single tell he exhibited to her. The heavy breathing, the pained look in his eye. The way that his lips moved to form her title but not say her name and the sheer emotion behind such a simple word. A word that, in this moment, meant absolutely nothing to her. Not with her father and brother dead. Not with Stephanos locked away in his rooms with his wife. For these moments, Xene threw away her title, ready to go toe to toe with Fotios. To demand he not treat her as if she would break or as if the choices she were making in regards to her want of him were childish or likely to harm her reputation.
Her own fingers reached back to the wall that Fotios had pressed himself back against only moments before. Her nails dragged slowly against rough-hewn stone, desperate for something to ground her against her own frustration and uncertainty. Fotios spoke of thoughts and feelings and she turned sharply on him, blue gaze filled with a fire she had not been feeling moments earlier. Her feet even brought her just slightly from the wall, though the tips of her fingers were still close enough to touch the stone. Her mouth opened slightly to protest with him, to try and assert what she wanted from him. But she respected this man.
Fotios had his own thoughts and feelings and it was her duty and his right for her to stop and listen. Really listen. Because she could completely disregard everything he said in an instant or she could listen and truly understand what he was feeling. With the last few months lingering over them like a cloud, it was as if they were soon to break. The storm of their own making had been brewing for weeks and it grew heavier, more damaging the longer it was left to fester. Every glance. Every touch. Every thinly-veiled moment of emotion or inappropriate outburst. It had all lead the two of them here.
First, her disrespect and frustration with Eirini and being quietly called out for their behavior. Then her need to distance herself that had only ended in her sinking herself deeper and deeper into the depths of her want. Xene’s desires were those that were not appropriate for a woman of her stature, nor a man of his status. Yet, nothing had stopped either of them from barreling forward without thought. She had to swallow back her biting frustration and shove down the lingering feeling of his lips on her and a hand in her hair. Even the quiet request of her woman days before, when she was in control of the court, had left her feeling more and more reasonable. They had kissed and he had not stayed away even then.
This heinous request for her to meet him in private. In the quiet of this room where everything had started. One part of the plan spoke to his intentions. Not pure in the slightest, she was sure. But the other spoke to her own malleable temperament. A woman so easily coaxed, a woman so easily seduced, and a woman so willing to throw away propriety for the simple knowledge that she was wanted in a way that she had never felt wanted before.
Despite knowing this, despite feeling it, the single step he took toward her with one hand up sent her back in an instant. One, two, three and Xene had flattened herself back against the wall that they seemed to take turns occupying. Lifting her chin and pressing her head back against the stone, she swallowed hard, unsure of how to feel about the words he spoke but knowing beyond anything that they were both vulnerable. And neither of them understood how to deal with this vulnerability. Her own breathing had turned sharp, heavy with emotion that she was struggling to contain in such a moment of weakness. Once more, her gaze followed every single movement he made, remiss to miss anything that might be somewhat important to her sorting this out.
Fotios’ words connected with her on a level that made her very aware that her expectations were inappropriate and not at all conducive to keeping their relationship platonic. The struggle was that he reminded her of so much that she had taken to ignoring.
"Princess Xene, I am married."
Of that she was more than aware. She could still remember the rage, barely concealed, on Eirini’s features. That dinner had been so awkward and Xene had put her foot in her mouth more times than she could count through the night. By the end of it, she couldn’t even bring herself to blame anyone but herself for the frustration and hurt she had caused Lady Leventi. Not just the disrespect but the overly defensive statements she had thrown in her direction. If only to protect her and Fotios from any perceived wrong-doing. But she had made her intentions and her feelings all too clear in that moment. That had been the exact reason she had attempted to escape the entire relationship with her confidant.
The one who was still speaking of beauty and intelligence, talent and status. All things that Xene had stopped considering in her last few run ins with Lord Fotios. None of it seemed to matter at the time. All thoughts of being reasonable were gone. There was absolutely nothing reasonable about what had blossomed between them. Because she was more than aware of his connection to his wife and his reservations about what could or could not happen because of that. Because of her station and the future that she could have. Her mind was already racing with sharp protests and reasonings that could so easily push out every single reason he was giving her not to approach this threshold that they would never be able to cross back over again.
If this ended poorly, she could be ruined, though he would come out majorly unscathed in the eyes of the court. Her? She would not be so lucky. His concern for her propriety and her future was admirable, but Xene could find it in herself to really thank him for such concern. Part of it was because she did not enjoy decisions being made for her. Why couldn’t it be her choice whether she wanted to withstand the risk and the punishment if they were found out? It was well within her right to do so and part of her truly wanted to be stubborn. But his words were subduing her. Calming her. Making her see reason. It was frustrating and not at all tempering to be so full of passion and unable to speak what she was desperate to.
But it was the final admission of Fotios’ inability to keep away from her that left her staggered. Breathing sharply and watching with him a nearly predatory gaze. It took her a moment to formulate the correct words to say to him. After he had finally finished speaking, he at least deserved something from her by way of a coherent response. A response tempered by the reason that he seemed to impress on her. The picture of his movements, his body language, it made it that much easier to say what she truly wanted to.
In the safety of this room, nothing she said here would leave these walls, she was sure. If Lord Fotios was so intent on protecting her and her propriety and her future, then he would likely keep his lips shut about what was going on between them. Especially if she herself requested such silence and secretive nature.
“I know that you see the way I look at you,” Xene finally found her words, the feeling somewhat cathartic. Her goal was not to simply shrug off his concerns, but to make her own concerns known. She would consider him but she was ready to beg him to do the same for her. “And sometimes I struggle to make sense of why you look at me in the same way. Why is it that you can look at me like I’m the only one around and make me feel simultaneously enlightened and terrified? I can’t pretend that I don’t want more. You asking me to keep distance feels forced, my Lord,” Xene breathed, lifting her head and leaning more fully into the wall. Not at all the stance of someone of her position. Her gaze trailed upward to the ceiling above her head, revealing the creamy column of her throat and the way she seemed to swallow whatever apprehension she was feeling in that moment. Her fingertips dragged slowly against the stone once more, her chest rising and falling in her attempt to calm the rising heat and vehement assertion that she wanted nothing more than him.
There was still an apprehension at losing him. At potentially breaking them part right here and now. But if he was here, still here after everything he had already said, then that meant she had somewhat of a chance of keeping him rooted where he stood. At least until she had spoken her piece and made her peace with the situation at hand. It was that final look in his eyes, the way that he held himself, and the implications of his words that told Xene she was moving in the correct direction.
“A woman of my status deserves the ability to make her own choices. If I am to fall from the grace of this hierarchy, I may as well fall having taken and embraced what it is I truly desire,” her tone was self-depreciative. “I will not, cannot lie to you, Fotios,” her words had fallen to somewhat of a hushed whisper. It was finally time to approach him again. “I will not promise you anything at all,” she declared. Arching her body slightly, she pushed off the wall, focusing for a few moments on the low hiss of her scarlet skirts on the stone, the gold embroidery glinting in the warm light of the small working room. Her music was all but forgotten, not at all important when stacked against something that had been broiling for so many meetings.
With delicate, slow, and exceedingly graceful steps befit her status, the princess found herself standing before him. Fotios was finally looking fully at her again, his gaze seemingly locked to her form. “You cannot ask that of me when we have already crossed a line,” she was saying carefully, standing closer than before, though not exactly close enough to touch. Her chin tipped more toward him, her golden curls cascading slowly over her shoulder. “I… can say that I understand,” the princess added slowly, “I understand your reservations… the fears that you have for me and the future. My future. But if I am being a fool, I deserve whatever punishment the gods see fit,” Xene said softly, her gaze flicking away from his face as she considered the entirety of his statements.
There were two ways that things could go between them. One would bring her potential shame and no further prospects in court, but the other would leave her future safe and in her own hands, close to her heart. To her, there was no third option. There was no way that they could not cross that threshold, that point of no return. That had ceased to be an option the moment they started to speak of feelings. But what could she handle? What was Fotios expecting if they were to take that step?
If she were to publically become his mistress, all prospects that she could have had would disappear. Not only would she stoop to the level of Irakles’ own mistress, but she would be a hypocrite. Being paraded about in clear sight of Eirini and the rest of the court was not something that Xene was keenly interested in. She did not want the whispers or the gossip and she could not handle the public nature of such a damning relationship. It wasn’t as if what was going on between her and Fotios was innately shameful, many women became mistresses when they were unhappy in their own marriages or their suitors felt no connection to their wives. As far as Fotios had told her, and as far as she had seen at the dinner, Xene was quite sure there was little between Eirini and Fotios. Could she be wrong? Possibly. Either way, there was no rhyme or reason to bring such shame to both women.
Eirini would be seen as not being enough for a Lord such as Fotios and Xene would be seen as a harlot and a whore.
Not to mention all of her prospects of marriage and having legitimate children would fade away. This in and of itself was not an option for the princess. Not only were her days as a marriageable woman slowly dwindling, but the princess also desired what most other women of her status craved. Connection, power, and heirs. Her children, were they legitimate, could one day have a true, strong claim to the throne of Taengea, no matter how far down the list of potential rulers that child was. Xene was not keen on ruining either her reputation or her chances at the most basic of wants and desires that she held. She could hold a husband and yet feel nothing for him if she chose.
That left her debating something more quiet. Secretive. Known by no one but the two of them. It seemed to be an option that he had not thought of himself. Fotios only seemed to consider the public nature of what they could have and Xene knew for a fact that that was not what she would allow. Xene wanted more than he could give her, but she still wanted anything and everything that Fotios could reasonably give her.
Taking in a slow, measured breath, Xene watched Fotios for the longest time, still warring with herself. Still debating the pros and cons of each situation. It occurred to her that she should have walked away and left him alone in this room, with no risk but also no reward. She could leave with no mark against her, but the princess found that the threat of the heartbreak that would follow was not something she was keen to feel. Having already lost so much, the sincere, desperate part of her was vying for some sort of normalcy and security. With everything around her seeming to crumble and with potential dangers starting to make themselves known to her at nearly every turn, the potential relationship between herself and Lord Fotios was honestly one of the few things she wanted to hold onto. But if neither of them were keen on keeping the distance that Fotios was begging for, then there was no reason to make either of them suffer.
“I came to meet you today out of fear that you would be putting distance between us, my lord,” Xene finally spoke, shifting slightly from one foot to the other, pressing her fingers down the front of her gown with a deliberate slowness. One that would likely draw the gaze of her confidant. “I admit that I initially felt brash and idiotic for kissing you. But you kissed me too. When I tried to put distance between us then, you are the one that pulled me back,” Xene was saying carefully, “Neither of us were thinking of what that could lead to,” her voice dropped nearly to a whisper and she absently brought her fingertips to rest against her bottom lip. With a slow, wavering breath, the princess let her fingers linger there as she considered her next words. She had to do this carefully. It was difficult to know whether he was ready to flee or whether he was going to entertain each and every word that would leave her lips.
Another step closer left her close enough to touch and she reached out to Fotios. Carefully, her fingertips brushed the back of the hand that he had pressed against his chest. The slow, deliberate touch was measured, trailing the curve of his knuckles and then the gentle slope of his hand until she reached his wrist. Carefully taking his hand from his chest, she guided it out to settle palm up in the air. Keeping her hand braced under it, she removed her fingers from her lip and brought them to trail against the lines of his hand as if she were most fascinated with even the most forgettable parts of him. “I do not wish for things to remain platonic between us, Lord Fotios,” she murmured thoughtfully, her blue gaze on his hand instead of his face.
“If I had, I would not have allowed you to steal my breath from my lungs. Nor would I have entertained such a close meeting between us even after court. I would not allow you to stand here and speak to me as you have because it would have become improper to do so. But you have pushed me past a point in which I care little more for propriety, whether you have truly realized it or not,” the slight shake of her head was the only indication that she was still thinking through each word. Each word that could give her exactly what she wanted. Him. “You have stolen my heart, my Lord. It is mine to give and I would rather… explore than let such feelings fade away over time. Especially because I can tell that you feel the same as I in this.” Tilting her head back up to watch him again, her gaze flicked to his lips.
“I’ve wanted you, I do want you. But you do not have to take me in the public eye,” Xene conceded softly, “Remain my confidant in the eye of the vultures… but have me in secret. In the quiet moments that we both seem to find only loneliness,” she was speaking and turning his hand over so that she could now observe the back of it. “Do not turn me away,” she then pleaded, her gaze flicking back up to his face with a fervent need, desire. Her gaze self such staggering depth, a quiet plea for him not to push her aside now. Not now that they had the potential to find some sort of happiness in each others company that exceeded their normal friendly and cordial nature.
The princess had no desire to fall back into the silent routine of catching his gaze and having to turn her attention away for fear of her feelings not being reciprocated. She had no desire for there to be a distance that had never been there before. Whatever did or didn’t happy, the knowledge of that line in the sand, the one that would keep them apart while still keeping them fully in each other’s company? It would be all consuming and painful. If there was one thing that Xene could not handle any more of, it was pain and loss. She couldn’t lose him and she couldn’t let him set her aside based on factors and attributes that would be of little concern to him in the grand scheme of things.
Debating his hand that she held in her own, she carefully brought it against the center of her chest, guiding his palm to rest there. Her heartbeat had picked up and she was levelling him with that same pleading stare from moments before. It then occurred to her that he could still say no to this. To her. To the quiet satisfaction they could find in each other. Her gaze dropped from his face, her thoughts written so clearly across her features. Her thoughts may as well have been written on the wall behind them, in clear view, as if they weren’t secret at all. A slow, trembling breath rattled through her chest and she bit down on her bottom lip as she considered this new thought.
“But if you must, my lord, I need you to realize that I have fallen in love with you. Deeply. Completely. Such is my fault for not keeping myself guarded as I have my entire life,” the words were slow, contemplative. “I will not think of you poorly for refusing to yield to me. To this,” she pressed his hand harder against her chest, “And I will be pleased if you remain my confidant and only my confidant. But I still assert that I can not give you what you wish from me. I cannot remain objective in the way that you wish me to.”
Finally, after everything, it was all said. Days of her warring with herself. Days of her keeping a stark distance and refusing to stand his presence. Xene once thought he might be cross with her for being so uncontrolled and brash, but she realized he was only refraining from being the same. What this was could be a detriment to them both, maybe not from the inside, but from the outside. From the outside forces that neither of them could truly control. And with her fears at the forefront of her mind, she was scared of not acting on her desires.
Never had she been a woman to act without more deep thought, more reason, but the events of weeks past had rattled her. They continued to rattle her and if she was next, then she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip through her fingers. At least not without fighting for it first. Fighting for him. For what he could give her that many had tried but always failed to do. How he had managed to slip past her walls and take her heart for his own was wildly confusing to her.
But the princess had ceased questioning anything and everything that didn’t make sense. This right here made the most sense in the moment. And she was keen to live in the moment rather than the past for the first time since her family had been ripped apart.
This character is currently a work in progress.
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This character is currently a work in progress.
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It was rare for the princess to slip into a state of hyper-awareness. There had been few times in the past in which everything seemed heightened. Even the sound of her own heartbeat pounded through every inch of her. It made her feel tense and weightless all the same. The first time had been when she had been young and attending her first court session. There had been such an array of sounds. Courtiers gossiping, the clinking of goblets, and the sounds of Lords and Ladies alike sipping wine.
Then there had been the sound of her mother's voice as she introduced her eldest daughter to court for the first time. That moment had been one of the only times in her life where the princess had felt completely and entirely watched. All eyes had been on her and the princess had felt so uncomfortable in that moment. Such an event had only solidified her need for privacy and to be seen as a propritious and proper princess. Even if, behind the scenes, she and her brother and her cousin found trouble fit for the rebellious lives of human beings who had been placed on pedestals at the very beginnings of their lives. Human beings who found any way they could to break the mold they had been placed in, if only for some differing sense of normalcy.
Being so blatantly watched and observed. Torn apart and gossiped about. Talks of her future and what good she could do for the Kingdom... it had all been wildly unnerving. It had made her trust less and seek the people she could actually keep close to her heart and her mind. The people in which she could trust with anything and everything and never worry about what judgments may be lain across her feet.
But it was now, again and here that Xene felt that state of hyper-awareness. The slight lift to the beating of her heart and the shallowness of her own breathing. The feeling of her own mouth going dry as she attempted to focus on only one thing at once. The roaring of her own heart in her ears lent itself to her trouble truly focusing on every word that her closest friend and confidant spoke. In that fleeting, slow moment, she was aware of the soft breeze that drifted in through the windows of the school. She could feel its caress on her skin, on her neck, against the tips of her fingers. Somewhere close was a grove of flowers with a scent sweet enough to make the princess’ stomach roil out of sheer nervousness and anxiety.
The last thing that Xene wanted in this word was to lose Fotios. Lord Fotios. Lord Fotios of Leventi. A man who had become a true friend to her despite the implications and despite the struggles that the two of them were facing then and there in this moment. A man that her father may have frowned upon, but a man that Xenon could pass no further judgment on. For his head was buried but his body settled into a limbo. An unknown fate that the rest of Teangea had not yet come to know. She should have found her shame then and there. For desiring a man who could not truly be hers. But never had she herself felt so wanted. Not in the way that Fotios had so clearly illustrated to her.
The slow, deliberate brushes of touch. The proximity when he would lean over her to critique her work. Work that she had been asking for more and more opinions on. Like she was dependent on him for some feeling of validation. Validation that her workings were not useless and would not be lost on those that she was to serve. The influx of correspondence between herself and numerous lords, ladies, merchants, and even citizens had left Xene feeling as if the help was necessary. Propriety in and of itself was her very nature. A skill that she favored and coveted and wished for others to view of her.
But it was the strain of the world that had started to make her quick to anger. Quick to jump to conclusions when in any other circumstance she would have found herself calm and composed. Willing to listen. Willing to think and to sort out options. Solutions. Her silent grief, the silent suffering she had put herself through, it had dampened her spirits. To her, at the time, there had been little direction to go but down. Further down into depths she found herself wary to reach.
Seeking out the friendship and support of Lord Fotios had been a selfish act on her part. One that she could not and would not deny if asked. There had been a manipulation between them. Her manipulation of him. Her want of him close. The need of him to be her confidant. To tell her things and to keep her secrets. Initially, she had found her own idea to be ludicrous. But the princess had quickly found that she rather enjoyed Fotios’ company and the way that he challenged her mind. Challenged her to think and to act and to be better than what she felt. Even if he had not meant it in any way other than cordial, friendly advice, Xene had failed to pinpoint the moment in which she had shifted from want of a friend to want of something more.
Xene had played her hand too well. Because she’d fallen for her own trick.
But so had he. With her so close to him, her blue gaze drank him in. The way that Fotios pressed his back so fully against the wall behind him. The slight intake of breath and the clear need to keep a clear and intense distance between the two of them. Xene was not oblivious to the way that his gaze lingered on her lips, seemingly warring himself between what was proper and what was volatile. Xene silently wished he would act on the volatility of the simmering want that seemed to wash between them. Her own instinct was to close the gap in the same way the both of them had days before. When he had claimed her lips like they were the only thing he wanted to taste in that moment.
But he was gone and all she felt was the slight proximity, the warmth of him passing so close. Like she was the Earth and he was some comet streaking past in the middle of the night, silent, unnoticed, only a flash in the sky above. As if the gods were to toss him from their presence.
The slight and the sight of him turned slightly toward her, his chest heaving with emotion he seemed intent to keep in. To keep from her grasp when the sight of him harried and frustrated had been everything she wanted since that first inkling of falling. This insistence at keeping from her, at keeping distance between them… it was as if she were the hunter and he the prey, but he was the one exenterating her. Leaving her void of life and vibrancy. She was the lion, but he carried the blade. It was true that she held brimming feeling and emotion, but Fotios had the power here.
Against her rank and her position, he would always hold more power over her. Her title meant nothing here. It was not a matter of state or politics that the two of them had found fault over. It was the confusion and strain of emotion and feeling that had them performing this dance with each other. If one had told a young Xene that the man who had escorted the gaggle of Leventi girls to dance lessons years prior would hold her heart, she might have laughed in their face. But this was exactly what had happened. This was exactly why Xene and Fotios stood against one another in this manner.
Unable to hold back the welling of emotion, Xene’s throat felt tight. Blue eyes seemed to pick him apart. Every single tell he exhibited to her. The heavy breathing, the pained look in his eye. The way that his lips moved to form her title but not say her name and the sheer emotion behind such a simple word. A word that, in this moment, meant absolutely nothing to her. Not with her father and brother dead. Not with Stephanos locked away in his rooms with his wife. For these moments, Xene threw away her title, ready to go toe to toe with Fotios. To demand he not treat her as if she would break or as if the choices she were making in regards to her want of him were childish or likely to harm her reputation.
Her own fingers reached back to the wall that Fotios had pressed himself back against only moments before. Her nails dragged slowly against rough-hewn stone, desperate for something to ground her against her own frustration and uncertainty. Fotios spoke of thoughts and feelings and she turned sharply on him, blue gaze filled with a fire she had not been feeling moments earlier. Her feet even brought her just slightly from the wall, though the tips of her fingers were still close enough to touch the stone. Her mouth opened slightly to protest with him, to try and assert what she wanted from him. But she respected this man.
Fotios had his own thoughts and feelings and it was her duty and his right for her to stop and listen. Really listen. Because she could completely disregard everything he said in an instant or she could listen and truly understand what he was feeling. With the last few months lingering over them like a cloud, it was as if they were soon to break. The storm of their own making had been brewing for weeks and it grew heavier, more damaging the longer it was left to fester. Every glance. Every touch. Every thinly-veiled moment of emotion or inappropriate outburst. It had all lead the two of them here.
First, her disrespect and frustration with Eirini and being quietly called out for their behavior. Then her need to distance herself that had only ended in her sinking herself deeper and deeper into the depths of her want. Xene’s desires were those that were not appropriate for a woman of her stature, nor a man of his status. Yet, nothing had stopped either of them from barreling forward without thought. She had to swallow back her biting frustration and shove down the lingering feeling of his lips on her and a hand in her hair. Even the quiet request of her woman days before, when she was in control of the court, had left her feeling more and more reasonable. They had kissed and he had not stayed away even then.
This heinous request for her to meet him in private. In the quiet of this room where everything had started. One part of the plan spoke to his intentions. Not pure in the slightest, she was sure. But the other spoke to her own malleable temperament. A woman so easily coaxed, a woman so easily seduced, and a woman so willing to throw away propriety for the simple knowledge that she was wanted in a way that she had never felt wanted before.
Despite knowing this, despite feeling it, the single step he took toward her with one hand up sent her back in an instant. One, two, three and Xene had flattened herself back against the wall that they seemed to take turns occupying. Lifting her chin and pressing her head back against the stone, she swallowed hard, unsure of how to feel about the words he spoke but knowing beyond anything that they were both vulnerable. And neither of them understood how to deal with this vulnerability. Her own breathing had turned sharp, heavy with emotion that she was struggling to contain in such a moment of weakness. Once more, her gaze followed every single movement he made, remiss to miss anything that might be somewhat important to her sorting this out.
Fotios’ words connected with her on a level that made her very aware that her expectations were inappropriate and not at all conducive to keeping their relationship platonic. The struggle was that he reminded her of so much that she had taken to ignoring.
"Princess Xene, I am married."
Of that she was more than aware. She could still remember the rage, barely concealed, on Eirini’s features. That dinner had been so awkward and Xene had put her foot in her mouth more times than she could count through the night. By the end of it, she couldn’t even bring herself to blame anyone but herself for the frustration and hurt she had caused Lady Leventi. Not just the disrespect but the overly defensive statements she had thrown in her direction. If only to protect her and Fotios from any perceived wrong-doing. But she had made her intentions and her feelings all too clear in that moment. That had been the exact reason she had attempted to escape the entire relationship with her confidant.
The one who was still speaking of beauty and intelligence, talent and status. All things that Xene had stopped considering in her last few run ins with Lord Fotios. None of it seemed to matter at the time. All thoughts of being reasonable were gone. There was absolutely nothing reasonable about what had blossomed between them. Because she was more than aware of his connection to his wife and his reservations about what could or could not happen because of that. Because of her station and the future that she could have. Her mind was already racing with sharp protests and reasonings that could so easily push out every single reason he was giving her not to approach this threshold that they would never be able to cross back over again.
If this ended poorly, she could be ruined, though he would come out majorly unscathed in the eyes of the court. Her? She would not be so lucky. His concern for her propriety and her future was admirable, but Xene could find it in herself to really thank him for such concern. Part of it was because she did not enjoy decisions being made for her. Why couldn’t it be her choice whether she wanted to withstand the risk and the punishment if they were found out? It was well within her right to do so and part of her truly wanted to be stubborn. But his words were subduing her. Calming her. Making her see reason. It was frustrating and not at all tempering to be so full of passion and unable to speak what she was desperate to.
But it was the final admission of Fotios’ inability to keep away from her that left her staggered. Breathing sharply and watching with him a nearly predatory gaze. It took her a moment to formulate the correct words to say to him. After he had finally finished speaking, he at least deserved something from her by way of a coherent response. A response tempered by the reason that he seemed to impress on her. The picture of his movements, his body language, it made it that much easier to say what she truly wanted to.
In the safety of this room, nothing she said here would leave these walls, she was sure. If Lord Fotios was so intent on protecting her and her propriety and her future, then he would likely keep his lips shut about what was going on between them. Especially if she herself requested such silence and secretive nature.
“I know that you see the way I look at you,” Xene finally found her words, the feeling somewhat cathartic. Her goal was not to simply shrug off his concerns, but to make her own concerns known. She would consider him but she was ready to beg him to do the same for her. “And sometimes I struggle to make sense of why you look at me in the same way. Why is it that you can look at me like I’m the only one around and make me feel simultaneously enlightened and terrified? I can’t pretend that I don’t want more. You asking me to keep distance feels forced, my Lord,” Xene breathed, lifting her head and leaning more fully into the wall. Not at all the stance of someone of her position. Her gaze trailed upward to the ceiling above her head, revealing the creamy column of her throat and the way she seemed to swallow whatever apprehension she was feeling in that moment. Her fingertips dragged slowly against the stone once more, her chest rising and falling in her attempt to calm the rising heat and vehement assertion that she wanted nothing more than him.
There was still an apprehension at losing him. At potentially breaking them part right here and now. But if he was here, still here after everything he had already said, then that meant she had somewhat of a chance of keeping him rooted where he stood. At least until she had spoken her piece and made her peace with the situation at hand. It was that final look in his eyes, the way that he held himself, and the implications of his words that told Xene she was moving in the correct direction.
“A woman of my status deserves the ability to make her own choices. If I am to fall from the grace of this hierarchy, I may as well fall having taken and embraced what it is I truly desire,” her tone was self-depreciative. “I will not, cannot lie to you, Fotios,” her words had fallen to somewhat of a hushed whisper. It was finally time to approach him again. “I will not promise you anything at all,” she declared. Arching her body slightly, she pushed off the wall, focusing for a few moments on the low hiss of her scarlet skirts on the stone, the gold embroidery glinting in the warm light of the small working room. Her music was all but forgotten, not at all important when stacked against something that had been broiling for so many meetings.
With delicate, slow, and exceedingly graceful steps befit her status, the princess found herself standing before him. Fotios was finally looking fully at her again, his gaze seemingly locked to her form. “You cannot ask that of me when we have already crossed a line,” she was saying carefully, standing closer than before, though not exactly close enough to touch. Her chin tipped more toward him, her golden curls cascading slowly over her shoulder. “I… can say that I understand,” the princess added slowly, “I understand your reservations… the fears that you have for me and the future. My future. But if I am being a fool, I deserve whatever punishment the gods see fit,” Xene said softly, her gaze flicking away from his face as she considered the entirety of his statements.
There were two ways that things could go between them. One would bring her potential shame and no further prospects in court, but the other would leave her future safe and in her own hands, close to her heart. To her, there was no third option. There was no way that they could not cross that threshold, that point of no return. That had ceased to be an option the moment they started to speak of feelings. But what could she handle? What was Fotios expecting if they were to take that step?
If she were to publically become his mistress, all prospects that she could have had would disappear. Not only would she stoop to the level of Irakles’ own mistress, but she would be a hypocrite. Being paraded about in clear sight of Eirini and the rest of the court was not something that Xene was keenly interested in. She did not want the whispers or the gossip and she could not handle the public nature of such a damning relationship. It wasn’t as if what was going on between her and Fotios was innately shameful, many women became mistresses when they were unhappy in their own marriages or their suitors felt no connection to their wives. As far as Fotios had told her, and as far as she had seen at the dinner, Xene was quite sure there was little between Eirini and Fotios. Could she be wrong? Possibly. Either way, there was no rhyme or reason to bring such shame to both women.
Eirini would be seen as not being enough for a Lord such as Fotios and Xene would be seen as a harlot and a whore.
Not to mention all of her prospects of marriage and having legitimate children would fade away. This in and of itself was not an option for the princess. Not only were her days as a marriageable woman slowly dwindling, but the princess also desired what most other women of her status craved. Connection, power, and heirs. Her children, were they legitimate, could one day have a true, strong claim to the throne of Taengea, no matter how far down the list of potential rulers that child was. Xene was not keen on ruining either her reputation or her chances at the most basic of wants and desires that she held. She could hold a husband and yet feel nothing for him if she chose.
That left her debating something more quiet. Secretive. Known by no one but the two of them. It seemed to be an option that he had not thought of himself. Fotios only seemed to consider the public nature of what they could have and Xene knew for a fact that that was not what she would allow. Xene wanted more than he could give her, but she still wanted anything and everything that Fotios could reasonably give her.
Taking in a slow, measured breath, Xene watched Fotios for the longest time, still warring with herself. Still debating the pros and cons of each situation. It occurred to her that she should have walked away and left him alone in this room, with no risk but also no reward. She could leave with no mark against her, but the princess found that the threat of the heartbreak that would follow was not something she was keen to feel. Having already lost so much, the sincere, desperate part of her was vying for some sort of normalcy and security. With everything around her seeming to crumble and with potential dangers starting to make themselves known to her at nearly every turn, the potential relationship between herself and Lord Fotios was honestly one of the few things she wanted to hold onto. But if neither of them were keen on keeping the distance that Fotios was begging for, then there was no reason to make either of them suffer.
“I came to meet you today out of fear that you would be putting distance between us, my lord,” Xene finally spoke, shifting slightly from one foot to the other, pressing her fingers down the front of her gown with a deliberate slowness. One that would likely draw the gaze of her confidant. “I admit that I initially felt brash and idiotic for kissing you. But you kissed me too. When I tried to put distance between us then, you are the one that pulled me back,” Xene was saying carefully, “Neither of us were thinking of what that could lead to,” her voice dropped nearly to a whisper and she absently brought her fingertips to rest against her bottom lip. With a slow, wavering breath, the princess let her fingers linger there as she considered her next words. She had to do this carefully. It was difficult to know whether he was ready to flee or whether he was going to entertain each and every word that would leave her lips.
Another step closer left her close enough to touch and she reached out to Fotios. Carefully, her fingertips brushed the back of the hand that he had pressed against his chest. The slow, deliberate touch was measured, trailing the curve of his knuckles and then the gentle slope of his hand until she reached his wrist. Carefully taking his hand from his chest, she guided it out to settle palm up in the air. Keeping her hand braced under it, she removed her fingers from her lip and brought them to trail against the lines of his hand as if she were most fascinated with even the most forgettable parts of him. “I do not wish for things to remain platonic between us, Lord Fotios,” she murmured thoughtfully, her blue gaze on his hand instead of his face.
“If I had, I would not have allowed you to steal my breath from my lungs. Nor would I have entertained such a close meeting between us even after court. I would not allow you to stand here and speak to me as you have because it would have become improper to do so. But you have pushed me past a point in which I care little more for propriety, whether you have truly realized it or not,” the slight shake of her head was the only indication that she was still thinking through each word. Each word that could give her exactly what she wanted. Him. “You have stolen my heart, my Lord. It is mine to give and I would rather… explore than let such feelings fade away over time. Especially because I can tell that you feel the same as I in this.” Tilting her head back up to watch him again, her gaze flicked to his lips.
“I’ve wanted you, I do want you. But you do not have to take me in the public eye,” Xene conceded softly, “Remain my confidant in the eye of the vultures… but have me in secret. In the quiet moments that we both seem to find only loneliness,” she was speaking and turning his hand over so that she could now observe the back of it. “Do not turn me away,” she then pleaded, her gaze flicking back up to his face with a fervent need, desire. Her gaze self such staggering depth, a quiet plea for him not to push her aside now. Not now that they had the potential to find some sort of happiness in each others company that exceeded their normal friendly and cordial nature.
The princess had no desire to fall back into the silent routine of catching his gaze and having to turn her attention away for fear of her feelings not being reciprocated. She had no desire for there to be a distance that had never been there before. Whatever did or didn’t happy, the knowledge of that line in the sand, the one that would keep them apart while still keeping them fully in each other’s company? It would be all consuming and painful. If there was one thing that Xene could not handle any more of, it was pain and loss. She couldn’t lose him and she couldn’t let him set her aside based on factors and attributes that would be of little concern to him in the grand scheme of things.
Debating his hand that she held in her own, she carefully brought it against the center of her chest, guiding his palm to rest there. Her heartbeat had picked up and she was levelling him with that same pleading stare from moments before. It then occurred to her that he could still say no to this. To her. To the quiet satisfaction they could find in each other. Her gaze dropped from his face, her thoughts written so clearly across her features. Her thoughts may as well have been written on the wall behind them, in clear view, as if they weren’t secret at all. A slow, trembling breath rattled through her chest and she bit down on her bottom lip as she considered this new thought.
“But if you must, my lord, I need you to realize that I have fallen in love with you. Deeply. Completely. Such is my fault for not keeping myself guarded as I have my entire life,” the words were slow, contemplative. “I will not think of you poorly for refusing to yield to me. To this,” she pressed his hand harder against her chest, “And I will be pleased if you remain my confidant and only my confidant. But I still assert that I can not give you what you wish from me. I cannot remain objective in the way that you wish me to.”
Finally, after everything, it was all said. Days of her warring with herself. Days of her keeping a stark distance and refusing to stand his presence. Xene once thought he might be cross with her for being so uncontrolled and brash, but she realized he was only refraining from being the same. What this was could be a detriment to them both, maybe not from the inside, but from the outside. From the outside forces that neither of them could truly control. And with her fears at the forefront of her mind, she was scared of not acting on her desires.
Never had she been a woman to act without more deep thought, more reason, but the events of weeks past had rattled her. They continued to rattle her and if she was next, then she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip through her fingers. At least not without fighting for it first. Fighting for him. For what he could give her that many had tried but always failed to do. How he had managed to slip past her walls and take her heart for his own was wildly confusing to her.
But the princess had ceased questioning anything and everything that didn’t make sense. This right here made the most sense in the moment. And she was keen to live in the moment rather than the past for the first time since her family had been ripped apart.
It was rare for the princess to slip into a state of hyper-awareness. There had been few times in the past in which everything seemed heightened. Even the sound of her own heartbeat pounded through every inch of her. It made her feel tense and weightless all the same. The first time had been when she had been young and attending her first court session. There had been such an array of sounds. Courtiers gossiping, the clinking of goblets, and the sounds of Lords and Ladies alike sipping wine.
Then there had been the sound of her mother's voice as she introduced her eldest daughter to court for the first time. That moment had been one of the only times in her life where the princess had felt completely and entirely watched. All eyes had been on her and the princess had felt so uncomfortable in that moment. Such an event had only solidified her need for privacy and to be seen as a propritious and proper princess. Even if, behind the scenes, she and her brother and her cousin found trouble fit for the rebellious lives of human beings who had been placed on pedestals at the very beginnings of their lives. Human beings who found any way they could to break the mold they had been placed in, if only for some differing sense of normalcy.
Being so blatantly watched and observed. Torn apart and gossiped about. Talks of her future and what good she could do for the Kingdom... it had all been wildly unnerving. It had made her trust less and seek the people she could actually keep close to her heart and her mind. The people in which she could trust with anything and everything and never worry about what judgments may be lain across her feet.
But it was now, again and here that Xene felt that state of hyper-awareness. The slight lift to the beating of her heart and the shallowness of her own breathing. The feeling of her own mouth going dry as she attempted to focus on only one thing at once. The roaring of her own heart in her ears lent itself to her trouble truly focusing on every word that her closest friend and confidant spoke. In that fleeting, slow moment, she was aware of the soft breeze that drifted in through the windows of the school. She could feel its caress on her skin, on her neck, against the tips of her fingers. Somewhere close was a grove of flowers with a scent sweet enough to make the princess’ stomach roil out of sheer nervousness and anxiety.
The last thing that Xene wanted in this word was to lose Fotios. Lord Fotios. Lord Fotios of Leventi. A man who had become a true friend to her despite the implications and despite the struggles that the two of them were facing then and there in this moment. A man that her father may have frowned upon, but a man that Xenon could pass no further judgment on. For his head was buried but his body settled into a limbo. An unknown fate that the rest of Teangea had not yet come to know. She should have found her shame then and there. For desiring a man who could not truly be hers. But never had she herself felt so wanted. Not in the way that Fotios had so clearly illustrated to her.
The slow, deliberate brushes of touch. The proximity when he would lean over her to critique her work. Work that she had been asking for more and more opinions on. Like she was dependent on him for some feeling of validation. Validation that her workings were not useless and would not be lost on those that she was to serve. The influx of correspondence between herself and numerous lords, ladies, merchants, and even citizens had left Xene feeling as if the help was necessary. Propriety in and of itself was her very nature. A skill that she favored and coveted and wished for others to view of her.
But it was the strain of the world that had started to make her quick to anger. Quick to jump to conclusions when in any other circumstance she would have found herself calm and composed. Willing to listen. Willing to think and to sort out options. Solutions. Her silent grief, the silent suffering she had put herself through, it had dampened her spirits. To her, at the time, there had been little direction to go but down. Further down into depths she found herself wary to reach.
Seeking out the friendship and support of Lord Fotios had been a selfish act on her part. One that she could not and would not deny if asked. There had been a manipulation between them. Her manipulation of him. Her want of him close. The need of him to be her confidant. To tell her things and to keep her secrets. Initially, she had found her own idea to be ludicrous. But the princess had quickly found that she rather enjoyed Fotios’ company and the way that he challenged her mind. Challenged her to think and to act and to be better than what she felt. Even if he had not meant it in any way other than cordial, friendly advice, Xene had failed to pinpoint the moment in which she had shifted from want of a friend to want of something more.
Xene had played her hand too well. Because she’d fallen for her own trick.
But so had he. With her so close to him, her blue gaze drank him in. The way that Fotios pressed his back so fully against the wall behind him. The slight intake of breath and the clear need to keep a clear and intense distance between the two of them. Xene was not oblivious to the way that his gaze lingered on her lips, seemingly warring himself between what was proper and what was volatile. Xene silently wished he would act on the volatility of the simmering want that seemed to wash between them. Her own instinct was to close the gap in the same way the both of them had days before. When he had claimed her lips like they were the only thing he wanted to taste in that moment.
But he was gone and all she felt was the slight proximity, the warmth of him passing so close. Like she was the Earth and he was some comet streaking past in the middle of the night, silent, unnoticed, only a flash in the sky above. As if the gods were to toss him from their presence.
The slight and the sight of him turned slightly toward her, his chest heaving with emotion he seemed intent to keep in. To keep from her grasp when the sight of him harried and frustrated had been everything she wanted since that first inkling of falling. This insistence at keeping from her, at keeping distance between them… it was as if she were the hunter and he the prey, but he was the one exenterating her. Leaving her void of life and vibrancy. She was the lion, but he carried the blade. It was true that she held brimming feeling and emotion, but Fotios had the power here.
Against her rank and her position, he would always hold more power over her. Her title meant nothing here. It was not a matter of state or politics that the two of them had found fault over. It was the confusion and strain of emotion and feeling that had them performing this dance with each other. If one had told a young Xene that the man who had escorted the gaggle of Leventi girls to dance lessons years prior would hold her heart, she might have laughed in their face. But this was exactly what had happened. This was exactly why Xene and Fotios stood against one another in this manner.
Unable to hold back the welling of emotion, Xene’s throat felt tight. Blue eyes seemed to pick him apart. Every single tell he exhibited to her. The heavy breathing, the pained look in his eye. The way that his lips moved to form her title but not say her name and the sheer emotion behind such a simple word. A word that, in this moment, meant absolutely nothing to her. Not with her father and brother dead. Not with Stephanos locked away in his rooms with his wife. For these moments, Xene threw away her title, ready to go toe to toe with Fotios. To demand he not treat her as if she would break or as if the choices she were making in regards to her want of him were childish or likely to harm her reputation.
Her own fingers reached back to the wall that Fotios had pressed himself back against only moments before. Her nails dragged slowly against rough-hewn stone, desperate for something to ground her against her own frustration and uncertainty. Fotios spoke of thoughts and feelings and she turned sharply on him, blue gaze filled with a fire she had not been feeling moments earlier. Her feet even brought her just slightly from the wall, though the tips of her fingers were still close enough to touch the stone. Her mouth opened slightly to protest with him, to try and assert what she wanted from him. But she respected this man.
Fotios had his own thoughts and feelings and it was her duty and his right for her to stop and listen. Really listen. Because she could completely disregard everything he said in an instant or she could listen and truly understand what he was feeling. With the last few months lingering over them like a cloud, it was as if they were soon to break. The storm of their own making had been brewing for weeks and it grew heavier, more damaging the longer it was left to fester. Every glance. Every touch. Every thinly-veiled moment of emotion or inappropriate outburst. It had all lead the two of them here.
First, her disrespect and frustration with Eirini and being quietly called out for their behavior. Then her need to distance herself that had only ended in her sinking herself deeper and deeper into the depths of her want. Xene’s desires were those that were not appropriate for a woman of her stature, nor a man of his status. Yet, nothing had stopped either of them from barreling forward without thought. She had to swallow back her biting frustration and shove down the lingering feeling of his lips on her and a hand in her hair. Even the quiet request of her woman days before, when she was in control of the court, had left her feeling more and more reasonable. They had kissed and he had not stayed away even then.
This heinous request for her to meet him in private. In the quiet of this room where everything had started. One part of the plan spoke to his intentions. Not pure in the slightest, she was sure. But the other spoke to her own malleable temperament. A woman so easily coaxed, a woman so easily seduced, and a woman so willing to throw away propriety for the simple knowledge that she was wanted in a way that she had never felt wanted before.
Despite knowing this, despite feeling it, the single step he took toward her with one hand up sent her back in an instant. One, two, three and Xene had flattened herself back against the wall that they seemed to take turns occupying. Lifting her chin and pressing her head back against the stone, she swallowed hard, unsure of how to feel about the words he spoke but knowing beyond anything that they were both vulnerable. And neither of them understood how to deal with this vulnerability. Her own breathing had turned sharp, heavy with emotion that she was struggling to contain in such a moment of weakness. Once more, her gaze followed every single movement he made, remiss to miss anything that might be somewhat important to her sorting this out.
Fotios’ words connected with her on a level that made her very aware that her expectations were inappropriate and not at all conducive to keeping their relationship platonic. The struggle was that he reminded her of so much that she had taken to ignoring.
"Princess Xene, I am married."
Of that she was more than aware. She could still remember the rage, barely concealed, on Eirini’s features. That dinner had been so awkward and Xene had put her foot in her mouth more times than she could count through the night. By the end of it, she couldn’t even bring herself to blame anyone but herself for the frustration and hurt she had caused Lady Leventi. Not just the disrespect but the overly defensive statements she had thrown in her direction. If only to protect her and Fotios from any perceived wrong-doing. But she had made her intentions and her feelings all too clear in that moment. That had been the exact reason she had attempted to escape the entire relationship with her confidant.
The one who was still speaking of beauty and intelligence, talent and status. All things that Xene had stopped considering in her last few run ins with Lord Fotios. None of it seemed to matter at the time. All thoughts of being reasonable were gone. There was absolutely nothing reasonable about what had blossomed between them. Because she was more than aware of his connection to his wife and his reservations about what could or could not happen because of that. Because of her station and the future that she could have. Her mind was already racing with sharp protests and reasonings that could so easily push out every single reason he was giving her not to approach this threshold that they would never be able to cross back over again.
If this ended poorly, she could be ruined, though he would come out majorly unscathed in the eyes of the court. Her? She would not be so lucky. His concern for her propriety and her future was admirable, but Xene could find it in herself to really thank him for such concern. Part of it was because she did not enjoy decisions being made for her. Why couldn’t it be her choice whether she wanted to withstand the risk and the punishment if they were found out? It was well within her right to do so and part of her truly wanted to be stubborn. But his words were subduing her. Calming her. Making her see reason. It was frustrating and not at all tempering to be so full of passion and unable to speak what she was desperate to.
But it was the final admission of Fotios’ inability to keep away from her that left her staggered. Breathing sharply and watching with him a nearly predatory gaze. It took her a moment to formulate the correct words to say to him. After he had finally finished speaking, he at least deserved something from her by way of a coherent response. A response tempered by the reason that he seemed to impress on her. The picture of his movements, his body language, it made it that much easier to say what she truly wanted to.
In the safety of this room, nothing she said here would leave these walls, she was sure. If Lord Fotios was so intent on protecting her and her propriety and her future, then he would likely keep his lips shut about what was going on between them. Especially if she herself requested such silence and secretive nature.
“I know that you see the way I look at you,” Xene finally found her words, the feeling somewhat cathartic. Her goal was not to simply shrug off his concerns, but to make her own concerns known. She would consider him but she was ready to beg him to do the same for her. “And sometimes I struggle to make sense of why you look at me in the same way. Why is it that you can look at me like I’m the only one around and make me feel simultaneously enlightened and terrified? I can’t pretend that I don’t want more. You asking me to keep distance feels forced, my Lord,” Xene breathed, lifting her head and leaning more fully into the wall. Not at all the stance of someone of her position. Her gaze trailed upward to the ceiling above her head, revealing the creamy column of her throat and the way she seemed to swallow whatever apprehension she was feeling in that moment. Her fingertips dragged slowly against the stone once more, her chest rising and falling in her attempt to calm the rising heat and vehement assertion that she wanted nothing more than him.
There was still an apprehension at losing him. At potentially breaking them part right here and now. But if he was here, still here after everything he had already said, then that meant she had somewhat of a chance of keeping him rooted where he stood. At least until she had spoken her piece and made her peace with the situation at hand. It was that final look in his eyes, the way that he held himself, and the implications of his words that told Xene she was moving in the correct direction.
“A woman of my status deserves the ability to make her own choices. If I am to fall from the grace of this hierarchy, I may as well fall having taken and embraced what it is I truly desire,” her tone was self-depreciative. “I will not, cannot lie to you, Fotios,” her words had fallen to somewhat of a hushed whisper. It was finally time to approach him again. “I will not promise you anything at all,” she declared. Arching her body slightly, she pushed off the wall, focusing for a few moments on the low hiss of her scarlet skirts on the stone, the gold embroidery glinting in the warm light of the small working room. Her music was all but forgotten, not at all important when stacked against something that had been broiling for so many meetings.
With delicate, slow, and exceedingly graceful steps befit her status, the princess found herself standing before him. Fotios was finally looking fully at her again, his gaze seemingly locked to her form. “You cannot ask that of me when we have already crossed a line,” she was saying carefully, standing closer than before, though not exactly close enough to touch. Her chin tipped more toward him, her golden curls cascading slowly over her shoulder. “I… can say that I understand,” the princess added slowly, “I understand your reservations… the fears that you have for me and the future. My future. But if I am being a fool, I deserve whatever punishment the gods see fit,” Xene said softly, her gaze flicking away from his face as she considered the entirety of his statements.
There were two ways that things could go between them. One would bring her potential shame and no further prospects in court, but the other would leave her future safe and in her own hands, close to her heart. To her, there was no third option. There was no way that they could not cross that threshold, that point of no return. That had ceased to be an option the moment they started to speak of feelings. But what could she handle? What was Fotios expecting if they were to take that step?
If she were to publically become his mistress, all prospects that she could have had would disappear. Not only would she stoop to the level of Irakles’ own mistress, but she would be a hypocrite. Being paraded about in clear sight of Eirini and the rest of the court was not something that Xene was keenly interested in. She did not want the whispers or the gossip and she could not handle the public nature of such a damning relationship. It wasn’t as if what was going on between her and Fotios was innately shameful, many women became mistresses when they were unhappy in their own marriages or their suitors felt no connection to their wives. As far as Fotios had told her, and as far as she had seen at the dinner, Xene was quite sure there was little between Eirini and Fotios. Could she be wrong? Possibly. Either way, there was no rhyme or reason to bring such shame to both women.
Eirini would be seen as not being enough for a Lord such as Fotios and Xene would be seen as a harlot and a whore.
Not to mention all of her prospects of marriage and having legitimate children would fade away. This in and of itself was not an option for the princess. Not only were her days as a marriageable woman slowly dwindling, but the princess also desired what most other women of her status craved. Connection, power, and heirs. Her children, were they legitimate, could one day have a true, strong claim to the throne of Taengea, no matter how far down the list of potential rulers that child was. Xene was not keen on ruining either her reputation or her chances at the most basic of wants and desires that she held. She could hold a husband and yet feel nothing for him if she chose.
That left her debating something more quiet. Secretive. Known by no one but the two of them. It seemed to be an option that he had not thought of himself. Fotios only seemed to consider the public nature of what they could have and Xene knew for a fact that that was not what she would allow. Xene wanted more than he could give her, but she still wanted anything and everything that Fotios could reasonably give her.
Taking in a slow, measured breath, Xene watched Fotios for the longest time, still warring with herself. Still debating the pros and cons of each situation. It occurred to her that she should have walked away and left him alone in this room, with no risk but also no reward. She could leave with no mark against her, but the princess found that the threat of the heartbreak that would follow was not something she was keen to feel. Having already lost so much, the sincere, desperate part of her was vying for some sort of normalcy and security. With everything around her seeming to crumble and with potential dangers starting to make themselves known to her at nearly every turn, the potential relationship between herself and Lord Fotios was honestly one of the few things she wanted to hold onto. But if neither of them were keen on keeping the distance that Fotios was begging for, then there was no reason to make either of them suffer.
“I came to meet you today out of fear that you would be putting distance between us, my lord,” Xene finally spoke, shifting slightly from one foot to the other, pressing her fingers down the front of her gown with a deliberate slowness. One that would likely draw the gaze of her confidant. “I admit that I initially felt brash and idiotic for kissing you. But you kissed me too. When I tried to put distance between us then, you are the one that pulled me back,” Xene was saying carefully, “Neither of us were thinking of what that could lead to,” her voice dropped nearly to a whisper and she absently brought her fingertips to rest against her bottom lip. With a slow, wavering breath, the princess let her fingers linger there as she considered her next words. She had to do this carefully. It was difficult to know whether he was ready to flee or whether he was going to entertain each and every word that would leave her lips.
Another step closer left her close enough to touch and she reached out to Fotios. Carefully, her fingertips brushed the back of the hand that he had pressed against his chest. The slow, deliberate touch was measured, trailing the curve of his knuckles and then the gentle slope of his hand until she reached his wrist. Carefully taking his hand from his chest, she guided it out to settle palm up in the air. Keeping her hand braced under it, she removed her fingers from her lip and brought them to trail against the lines of his hand as if she were most fascinated with even the most forgettable parts of him. “I do not wish for things to remain platonic between us, Lord Fotios,” she murmured thoughtfully, her blue gaze on his hand instead of his face.
“If I had, I would not have allowed you to steal my breath from my lungs. Nor would I have entertained such a close meeting between us even after court. I would not allow you to stand here and speak to me as you have because it would have become improper to do so. But you have pushed me past a point in which I care little more for propriety, whether you have truly realized it or not,” the slight shake of her head was the only indication that she was still thinking through each word. Each word that could give her exactly what she wanted. Him. “You have stolen my heart, my Lord. It is mine to give and I would rather… explore than let such feelings fade away over time. Especially because I can tell that you feel the same as I in this.” Tilting her head back up to watch him again, her gaze flicked to his lips.
“I’ve wanted you, I do want you. But you do not have to take me in the public eye,” Xene conceded softly, “Remain my confidant in the eye of the vultures… but have me in secret. In the quiet moments that we both seem to find only loneliness,” she was speaking and turning his hand over so that she could now observe the back of it. “Do not turn me away,” she then pleaded, her gaze flicking back up to his face with a fervent need, desire. Her gaze self such staggering depth, a quiet plea for him not to push her aside now. Not now that they had the potential to find some sort of happiness in each others company that exceeded their normal friendly and cordial nature.
The princess had no desire to fall back into the silent routine of catching his gaze and having to turn her attention away for fear of her feelings not being reciprocated. She had no desire for there to be a distance that had never been there before. Whatever did or didn’t happy, the knowledge of that line in the sand, the one that would keep them apart while still keeping them fully in each other’s company? It would be all consuming and painful. If there was one thing that Xene could not handle any more of, it was pain and loss. She couldn’t lose him and she couldn’t let him set her aside based on factors and attributes that would be of little concern to him in the grand scheme of things.
Debating his hand that she held in her own, she carefully brought it against the center of her chest, guiding his palm to rest there. Her heartbeat had picked up and she was levelling him with that same pleading stare from moments before. It then occurred to her that he could still say no to this. To her. To the quiet satisfaction they could find in each other. Her gaze dropped from his face, her thoughts written so clearly across her features. Her thoughts may as well have been written on the wall behind them, in clear view, as if they weren’t secret at all. A slow, trembling breath rattled through her chest and she bit down on her bottom lip as she considered this new thought.
“But if you must, my lord, I need you to realize that I have fallen in love with you. Deeply. Completely. Such is my fault for not keeping myself guarded as I have my entire life,” the words were slow, contemplative. “I will not think of you poorly for refusing to yield to me. To this,” she pressed his hand harder against her chest, “And I will be pleased if you remain my confidant and only my confidant. But I still assert that I can not give you what you wish from me. I cannot remain objective in the way that you wish me to.”
Finally, after everything, it was all said. Days of her warring with herself. Days of her keeping a stark distance and refusing to stand his presence. Xene once thought he might be cross with her for being so uncontrolled and brash, but she realized he was only refraining from being the same. What this was could be a detriment to them both, maybe not from the inside, but from the outside. From the outside forces that neither of them could truly control. And with her fears at the forefront of her mind, she was scared of not acting on her desires.
Never had she been a woman to act without more deep thought, more reason, but the events of weeks past had rattled her. They continued to rattle her and if she was next, then she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip through her fingers. At least not without fighting for it first. Fighting for him. For what he could give her that many had tried but always failed to do. How he had managed to slip past her walls and take her heart for his own was wildly confusing to her.
But the princess had ceased questioning anything and everything that didn’t make sense. This right here made the most sense in the moment. And she was keen to live in the moment rather than the past for the first time since her family had been ripped apart.
Fotios was careful not to interrupt the woman. As she had offered him the patience and the floor to speak his own mind, to choose his own words and calculate the result of each. He was careful to ensure that she was permitted the same, else he would come across as too domineering in the conversation. Whether the two of them took their relationship further, had to be a decision driven by her.
And she was doing a wonderful job of convincing herself without any input from him.
That was the mistake most negotiators made when trying to orchestrate an eventuality they sought. They found blackmail material, bribes or simply baffled their victims in words and diatribes that convinced them long enough to act in a manner befitting their end goal but not long enough to last. It always led to resentment, anger and a hopeful optimism of retribution.
A true master of the act convinced the other party that everything they did, every step the relationship took, was entirely of their own making and their own volition. Then, you had their undivided and unbending loyalty to your connection, never seeking an escape or revenge.
Fotios watched the princess carefully, ensuring that his gaze followed her with an almost helpless addiction. When she moved to the wall, his body swayed a little towards her. When she looked up to the ceiling, his gaze trailed the long and elegant arch of her neck. When she gave him her own stare, he seemed to move his own to join it, like the pull of the moon and the tides.
When she mentioned the acts that he had committed already - the looks and the words. The encouragement that he had been so careful in ensuring she noticed but not making it obvious that he wished her to, Fotios looked away, as if shamed by his own inability to stifle his desires for a girl so much younger than him and so much greater than he in social rank.
He winced a little when she determined that his desire to separate from her felt forced. As if she had hit a bullseye that he had not wished her to aim for.
He seemed to open his mouth in protest when she began speaking of how she could make her own choices but snapped it shut and ducked his chin in subservience to her determination.
When the princess came close, his boots shifted on the marble flooring, a soft noise emitting from beneath their soles but he held himself in place. His jaw rose, his eyes seeming half cast from where he looked down towards her, watching her approach with a stiffness in his muscles and the flaring of nostrils - like his mind established her scent as that of a predator. His fingers curled beneath her touch, turning into a fist against his chest; a gesture that suggested he was trying to resist the desire to snatch her fingers into his own grasp. But she took it into her own touch and turned it to press against her own chest, digits splayed across her soft and nubile skin. His own was rough, calloused in the places a bridge and rein might sit. The frisson between such a touch and so silken a collarbone had them both drawing in a sharp breath...
When she claimed to have fallen in love with him, Fotios' eyes widened in a look of wonder. And as she made her final and bold statement that romance and passion was what she wanted but only if it was also his own desire, Fotios was rendered still with apparent deliberation.
The room felt quiet but not silent, as their breathing seemed to have become heavier in the still air, the tension between them deafening, as it waiting on his next words. Either he denied his supposed feelings for her and turned her away or he took what she offered with an open heart and succeeded in attaining the loyalty and dependence in the princess of the realm that he had been scheming for.
Self-discipline stopped him from snagging what he wanted in a manner that would render his efforts as a courteous and compassionate confidant moot.
"You tempt a man past all reason, princess..." He murmured, as if to himself.
Slowly, very slowly... he shifted the hand she had pressed to her collar, where her heart beat heavy and hot beneath his touch, shifting the roughness of his palm and fingertips up along that beautiful neck. He inched his touch higher at a rate that was almost slow motion, the locks of her hair shifting further down her back as his touch encouraged her to look up, her neck bending to his will.
The pads of his fingers worked up and along the line of her jaw, a touch so gentle as if she were entirely precious. His gaze followed the line he drew with his touch.
Brushing a thumb up and over her cheek, Fotios finally settled his hand, his palm against her jaw, his fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck, and his thumb brushing at the far edge of her cheekbone.
With the same infinite slowness, delayed still further by several moments of hesitation where he appeared as if he might change his mind, Fotios lowered his face to hers, his lips parting and mouth eager for the touch of hers.
It was as she instinctively leaned up to join them, that Fotios pulled back just an inch, his gaze still firmly on hers as their lips hung a breath apart.
"You are absolutely certain that this is what you want? I do not wish you to regret..." His eyes narrowed as if mimicking the pain that he might feel were she to repent their total abandonment of their solely platonic status as princess and confidant...
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Fotios was careful not to interrupt the woman. As she had offered him the patience and the floor to speak his own mind, to choose his own words and calculate the result of each. He was careful to ensure that she was permitted the same, else he would come across as too domineering in the conversation. Whether the two of them took their relationship further, had to be a decision driven by her.
And she was doing a wonderful job of convincing herself without any input from him.
That was the mistake most negotiators made when trying to orchestrate an eventuality they sought. They found blackmail material, bribes or simply baffled their victims in words and diatribes that convinced them long enough to act in a manner befitting their end goal but not long enough to last. It always led to resentment, anger and a hopeful optimism of retribution.
A true master of the act convinced the other party that everything they did, every step the relationship took, was entirely of their own making and their own volition. Then, you had their undivided and unbending loyalty to your connection, never seeking an escape or revenge.
Fotios watched the princess carefully, ensuring that his gaze followed her with an almost helpless addiction. When she moved to the wall, his body swayed a little towards her. When she looked up to the ceiling, his gaze trailed the long and elegant arch of her neck. When she gave him her own stare, he seemed to move his own to join it, like the pull of the moon and the tides.
When she mentioned the acts that he had committed already - the looks and the words. The encouragement that he had been so careful in ensuring she noticed but not making it obvious that he wished her to, Fotios looked away, as if shamed by his own inability to stifle his desires for a girl so much younger than him and so much greater than he in social rank.
He winced a little when she determined that his desire to separate from her felt forced. As if she had hit a bullseye that he had not wished her to aim for.
He seemed to open his mouth in protest when she began speaking of how she could make her own choices but snapped it shut and ducked his chin in subservience to her determination.
When the princess came close, his boots shifted on the marble flooring, a soft noise emitting from beneath their soles but he held himself in place. His jaw rose, his eyes seeming half cast from where he looked down towards her, watching her approach with a stiffness in his muscles and the flaring of nostrils - like his mind established her scent as that of a predator. His fingers curled beneath her touch, turning into a fist against his chest; a gesture that suggested he was trying to resist the desire to snatch her fingers into his own grasp. But she took it into her own touch and turned it to press against her own chest, digits splayed across her soft and nubile skin. His own was rough, calloused in the places a bridge and rein might sit. The frisson between such a touch and so silken a collarbone had them both drawing in a sharp breath...
When she claimed to have fallen in love with him, Fotios' eyes widened in a look of wonder. And as she made her final and bold statement that romance and passion was what she wanted but only if it was also his own desire, Fotios was rendered still with apparent deliberation.
The room felt quiet but not silent, as their breathing seemed to have become heavier in the still air, the tension between them deafening, as it waiting on his next words. Either he denied his supposed feelings for her and turned her away or he took what she offered with an open heart and succeeded in attaining the loyalty and dependence in the princess of the realm that he had been scheming for.
Self-discipline stopped him from snagging what he wanted in a manner that would render his efforts as a courteous and compassionate confidant moot.
"You tempt a man past all reason, princess..." He murmured, as if to himself.
Slowly, very slowly... he shifted the hand she had pressed to her collar, where her heart beat heavy and hot beneath his touch, shifting the roughness of his palm and fingertips up along that beautiful neck. He inched his touch higher at a rate that was almost slow motion, the locks of her hair shifting further down her back as his touch encouraged her to look up, her neck bending to his will.
The pads of his fingers worked up and along the line of her jaw, a touch so gentle as if she were entirely precious. His gaze followed the line he drew with his touch.
Brushing a thumb up and over her cheek, Fotios finally settled his hand, his palm against her jaw, his fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck, and his thumb brushing at the far edge of her cheekbone.
With the same infinite slowness, delayed still further by several moments of hesitation where he appeared as if he might change his mind, Fotios lowered his face to hers, his lips parting and mouth eager for the touch of hers.
It was as she instinctively leaned up to join them, that Fotios pulled back just an inch, his gaze still firmly on hers as their lips hung a breath apart.
"You are absolutely certain that this is what you want? I do not wish you to regret..." His eyes narrowed as if mimicking the pain that he might feel were she to repent their total abandonment of their solely platonic status as princess and confidant...
Fotios was careful not to interrupt the woman. As she had offered him the patience and the floor to speak his own mind, to choose his own words and calculate the result of each. He was careful to ensure that she was permitted the same, else he would come across as too domineering in the conversation. Whether the two of them took their relationship further, had to be a decision driven by her.
And she was doing a wonderful job of convincing herself without any input from him.
That was the mistake most negotiators made when trying to orchestrate an eventuality they sought. They found blackmail material, bribes or simply baffled their victims in words and diatribes that convinced them long enough to act in a manner befitting their end goal but not long enough to last. It always led to resentment, anger and a hopeful optimism of retribution.
A true master of the act convinced the other party that everything they did, every step the relationship took, was entirely of their own making and their own volition. Then, you had their undivided and unbending loyalty to your connection, never seeking an escape or revenge.
Fotios watched the princess carefully, ensuring that his gaze followed her with an almost helpless addiction. When she moved to the wall, his body swayed a little towards her. When she looked up to the ceiling, his gaze trailed the long and elegant arch of her neck. When she gave him her own stare, he seemed to move his own to join it, like the pull of the moon and the tides.
When she mentioned the acts that he had committed already - the looks and the words. The encouragement that he had been so careful in ensuring she noticed but not making it obvious that he wished her to, Fotios looked away, as if shamed by his own inability to stifle his desires for a girl so much younger than him and so much greater than he in social rank.
He winced a little when she determined that his desire to separate from her felt forced. As if she had hit a bullseye that he had not wished her to aim for.
He seemed to open his mouth in protest when she began speaking of how she could make her own choices but snapped it shut and ducked his chin in subservience to her determination.
When the princess came close, his boots shifted on the marble flooring, a soft noise emitting from beneath their soles but he held himself in place. His jaw rose, his eyes seeming half cast from where he looked down towards her, watching her approach with a stiffness in his muscles and the flaring of nostrils - like his mind established her scent as that of a predator. His fingers curled beneath her touch, turning into a fist against his chest; a gesture that suggested he was trying to resist the desire to snatch her fingers into his own grasp. But she took it into her own touch and turned it to press against her own chest, digits splayed across her soft and nubile skin. His own was rough, calloused in the places a bridge and rein might sit. The frisson between such a touch and so silken a collarbone had them both drawing in a sharp breath...
When she claimed to have fallen in love with him, Fotios' eyes widened in a look of wonder. And as she made her final and bold statement that romance and passion was what she wanted but only if it was also his own desire, Fotios was rendered still with apparent deliberation.
The room felt quiet but not silent, as their breathing seemed to have become heavier in the still air, the tension between them deafening, as it waiting on his next words. Either he denied his supposed feelings for her and turned her away or he took what she offered with an open heart and succeeded in attaining the loyalty and dependence in the princess of the realm that he had been scheming for.
Self-discipline stopped him from snagging what he wanted in a manner that would render his efforts as a courteous and compassionate confidant moot.
"You tempt a man past all reason, princess..." He murmured, as if to himself.
Slowly, very slowly... he shifted the hand she had pressed to her collar, where her heart beat heavy and hot beneath his touch, shifting the roughness of his palm and fingertips up along that beautiful neck. He inched his touch higher at a rate that was almost slow motion, the locks of her hair shifting further down her back as his touch encouraged her to look up, her neck bending to his will.
The pads of his fingers worked up and along the line of her jaw, a touch so gentle as if she were entirely precious. His gaze followed the line he drew with his touch.
Brushing a thumb up and over her cheek, Fotios finally settled his hand, his palm against her jaw, his fingers in the hair at the nape of her neck, and his thumb brushing at the far edge of her cheekbone.
With the same infinite slowness, delayed still further by several moments of hesitation where he appeared as if he might change his mind, Fotios lowered his face to hers, his lips parting and mouth eager for the touch of hers.
It was as she instinctively leaned up to join them, that Fotios pulled back just an inch, his gaze still firmly on hers as their lips hung a breath apart.
"You are absolutely certain that this is what you want? I do not wish you to regret..." His eyes narrowed as if mimicking the pain that he might feel were she to repent their total abandonment of their solely platonic status as princess and confidant...
The effect that Fotios had on her was one that should have terrified the princess. She had had every chance to turn away, every chance to tell him that he wasn't what she wanted. But all of that would have been a lie. A lie to him. A lie to herself. The loss of consistency and stability would have left her feeling wounded, lost, after so long in his company. After so long getting to know him and slowly falling deeper and deeper into oblivion, there wasn't a single thing she wouldn't do for this man. It was a terrifying thought, but one she did not entertain for long.
The trailing of his hand on her skin had her breathing sharp, her blue eyes fluttering closed in the silence of the room. All that the princess could hear was the sharp beating of her own heart. The blood rushing in her head. The low, heavy breathing of both herself and her confidant. As if their lips had joined and both had found the other breathless. But no such brush of lips had occurred in these fleeting moments.
Her mind wandered in that direction as his hand stilled against her jaw and slightly in her hair. Letting her eyes flutter back open, Xene slowly turned her head more into his hand, her lips brushing his palm. A sign of what she truly wanted from him. "Then let it cease to be a temptation, my lord..." she whispered against his palm, shifting closer when he moved toward her. Xene's nose brushed against his just as her lips were about to meet his, but the man pulled back just slightly before he gave her the satisfaction.
Xene could have screamed. Then again, she had found this silent serenity that she could not shrug off. There wasn't an ounce of animosity nor anger in her at that moment. It was hard to feel anything but him, his heat, the lingering hint of his taste on her tongue from the sheer proximity. Blue eyes watching his own, "There is nothing to regret," the princess admitted in a low tone. Xene had few doubts. In fact, she had none at all. Whatever game he had been playing, Xene didn't suspect a thing. If she had, she still would have commended him for playing his part so very well.
But her mind was solely focused on him and the simmering need that bubbled under her skin. Like an iron pot that had been left over the fire for too long. The contents of the pot were wavering on the edge. Her patience, her countenance, her burning need; all of it was about to boil over. The teasing, the nearly tasting, the loss of desperate proximity. Xene couldn't stand it any longer.
With her other hand trailing up his chest, her fingers fisted in the fabric of his shirt. Pulling him back to her, their bodies nearly pressed together and her mouth almost brushing his once more, Xene kept her gaze on his, wanting to see the look in his eye. Like whatever she would see there would be just for her. Her own personal trophy that no one could take from her.
Xene kissed the corner of his mouth once, grazing her nose against his with a terrible slowness. "You know as well as I do, Fotios," Xene whispered, "I know my mind... I have no doubts that this, you, are what I want," she continued, "So hush."
Their lips once more hovering only a breath apart, Xene's gaze dropped to his lips, "Hush, Fotios. Just kiss me and speak no more of choices and regrets," the soft, strained plea left her lips only a heartbeat before her lips really were on his.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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The effect that Fotios had on her was one that should have terrified the princess. She had had every chance to turn away, every chance to tell him that he wasn't what she wanted. But all of that would have been a lie. A lie to him. A lie to herself. The loss of consistency and stability would have left her feeling wounded, lost, after so long in his company. After so long getting to know him and slowly falling deeper and deeper into oblivion, there wasn't a single thing she wouldn't do for this man. It was a terrifying thought, but one she did not entertain for long.
The trailing of his hand on her skin had her breathing sharp, her blue eyes fluttering closed in the silence of the room. All that the princess could hear was the sharp beating of her own heart. The blood rushing in her head. The low, heavy breathing of both herself and her confidant. As if their lips had joined and both had found the other breathless. But no such brush of lips had occurred in these fleeting moments.
Her mind wandered in that direction as his hand stilled against her jaw and slightly in her hair. Letting her eyes flutter back open, Xene slowly turned her head more into his hand, her lips brushing his palm. A sign of what she truly wanted from him. "Then let it cease to be a temptation, my lord..." she whispered against his palm, shifting closer when he moved toward her. Xene's nose brushed against his just as her lips were about to meet his, but the man pulled back just slightly before he gave her the satisfaction.
Xene could have screamed. Then again, she had found this silent serenity that she could not shrug off. There wasn't an ounce of animosity nor anger in her at that moment. It was hard to feel anything but him, his heat, the lingering hint of his taste on her tongue from the sheer proximity. Blue eyes watching his own, "There is nothing to regret," the princess admitted in a low tone. Xene had few doubts. In fact, she had none at all. Whatever game he had been playing, Xene didn't suspect a thing. If she had, she still would have commended him for playing his part so very well.
But her mind was solely focused on him and the simmering need that bubbled under her skin. Like an iron pot that had been left over the fire for too long. The contents of the pot were wavering on the edge. Her patience, her countenance, her burning need; all of it was about to boil over. The teasing, the nearly tasting, the loss of desperate proximity. Xene couldn't stand it any longer.
With her other hand trailing up his chest, her fingers fisted in the fabric of his shirt. Pulling him back to her, their bodies nearly pressed together and her mouth almost brushing his once more, Xene kept her gaze on his, wanting to see the look in his eye. Like whatever she would see there would be just for her. Her own personal trophy that no one could take from her.
Xene kissed the corner of his mouth once, grazing her nose against his with a terrible slowness. "You know as well as I do, Fotios," Xene whispered, "I know my mind... I have no doubts that this, you, are what I want," she continued, "So hush."
Their lips once more hovering only a breath apart, Xene's gaze dropped to his lips, "Hush, Fotios. Just kiss me and speak no more of choices and regrets," the soft, strained plea left her lips only a heartbeat before her lips really were on his.
The effect that Fotios had on her was one that should have terrified the princess. She had had every chance to turn away, every chance to tell him that he wasn't what she wanted. But all of that would have been a lie. A lie to him. A lie to herself. The loss of consistency and stability would have left her feeling wounded, lost, after so long in his company. After so long getting to know him and slowly falling deeper and deeper into oblivion, there wasn't a single thing she wouldn't do for this man. It was a terrifying thought, but one she did not entertain for long.
The trailing of his hand on her skin had her breathing sharp, her blue eyes fluttering closed in the silence of the room. All that the princess could hear was the sharp beating of her own heart. The blood rushing in her head. The low, heavy breathing of both herself and her confidant. As if their lips had joined and both had found the other breathless. But no such brush of lips had occurred in these fleeting moments.
Her mind wandered in that direction as his hand stilled against her jaw and slightly in her hair. Letting her eyes flutter back open, Xene slowly turned her head more into his hand, her lips brushing his palm. A sign of what she truly wanted from him. "Then let it cease to be a temptation, my lord..." she whispered against his palm, shifting closer when he moved toward her. Xene's nose brushed against his just as her lips were about to meet his, but the man pulled back just slightly before he gave her the satisfaction.
Xene could have screamed. Then again, she had found this silent serenity that she could not shrug off. There wasn't an ounce of animosity nor anger in her at that moment. It was hard to feel anything but him, his heat, the lingering hint of his taste on her tongue from the sheer proximity. Blue eyes watching his own, "There is nothing to regret," the princess admitted in a low tone. Xene had few doubts. In fact, she had none at all. Whatever game he had been playing, Xene didn't suspect a thing. If she had, she still would have commended him for playing his part so very well.
But her mind was solely focused on him and the simmering need that bubbled under her skin. Like an iron pot that had been left over the fire for too long. The contents of the pot were wavering on the edge. Her patience, her countenance, her burning need; all of it was about to boil over. The teasing, the nearly tasting, the loss of desperate proximity. Xene couldn't stand it any longer.
With her other hand trailing up his chest, her fingers fisted in the fabric of his shirt. Pulling him back to her, their bodies nearly pressed together and her mouth almost brushing his once more, Xene kept her gaze on his, wanting to see the look in his eye. Like whatever she would see there would be just for her. Her own personal trophy that no one could take from her.
Xene kissed the corner of his mouth once, grazing her nose against his with a terrible slowness. "You know as well as I do, Fotios," Xene whispered, "I know my mind... I have no doubts that this, you, are what I want," she continued, "So hush."
Their lips once more hovering only a breath apart, Xene's gaze dropped to his lips, "Hush, Fotios. Just kiss me and speak no more of choices and regrets," the soft, strained plea left her lips only a heartbeat before her lips really were on his.
Fotios played his part as he kept Xene on tenterhooks. Her body was kept carefully at just a breath from his own - close enough to feel the natural heat of his frame but not breeching the point of touch. His mouth continued to hover, lips parted, the air their breathed mingling as she sought their bodies to. His gaze he kept open, secured on her lips but breaking away whenever she glanced to meet his gaze, focused on meeting her stare whenever it was offered, as if he could only look upon something else when her own orbs turned away.
The posture her kept was guarded, taut... it appeared almost brittle in its restraint of how he touched her, how he didn't touch her and silently communicating that one was far too little and the other far too much. Only when she offered herself entirely to him did he cave and commit himself to the act of loving her.
When Xene's mouth caught the edge of his own, Fotios stopped his breathing in his chest, his mouth seeming to tremble with the sudden lack of air. A soft hiss passed over his tongue and into the space between them, giving Xene had final proof of her effect upon his person. Allowing her to take the initiative and seal their lips together.
The last time the two of them had kissed, it had been hurried; a desperate fumbling from an inexperienced girl and a returned kiss formed from an apparent lack of restraint. It had been neither gentle nor affectionate; more lustful than loving.
This time, Fotios altered his approach.
As Xene leaned up to finally press her soft and pliant lips to his, Fotios's mouth moved against hers in a slow, languid and almost hesitant manner. For a few seconds, the two of them hung as if suspended in time, they each sensing and feeling the texture and touch of each other. Fotios angled his head, allowed his eyes to drift shut and offered her an equally gentle exchange with a closer angle and fit.
Rather than ravish her, he offered her a kiss that was reverent; caring. Worshipful.
His hand moved to cup at her face a little more but the touch was so soft it would have created only an itching friction against her skin. He didn't move his body closer, only ensuring that it was at singular and careful points that they connected.
The softness of their kiss was an equally deliberate choice. For it started a low and simmering burn that was less likely to frighten the inexperienced princess away. It would slowly grow, bringing with it a lustful wave that would be as deeply rooted and torturously aching as the affections he had already planted in her heart.
For this was no domineering sexual game; no arrangement for information as Fotios had with so many others. It was a con of love and devotion. One that he would play both for the political opportunities and advantages it offered but also because he was male and being offered the adoration of a beautiful young woman almost half his age. There were many things that Fotios had had to fake in the course of his relationship as confidant and would-be lover to Xene. His desire for her body was not one of them...
This character is currently a work in progress.
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This character is currently a work in progress.
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Fotios played his part as he kept Xene on tenterhooks. Her body was kept carefully at just a breath from his own - close enough to feel the natural heat of his frame but not breeching the point of touch. His mouth continued to hover, lips parted, the air their breathed mingling as she sought their bodies to. His gaze he kept open, secured on her lips but breaking away whenever she glanced to meet his gaze, focused on meeting her stare whenever it was offered, as if he could only look upon something else when her own orbs turned away.
The posture her kept was guarded, taut... it appeared almost brittle in its restraint of how he touched her, how he didn't touch her and silently communicating that one was far too little and the other far too much. Only when she offered herself entirely to him did he cave and commit himself to the act of loving her.
When Xene's mouth caught the edge of his own, Fotios stopped his breathing in his chest, his mouth seeming to tremble with the sudden lack of air. A soft hiss passed over his tongue and into the space between them, giving Xene had final proof of her effect upon his person. Allowing her to take the initiative and seal their lips together.
The last time the two of them had kissed, it had been hurried; a desperate fumbling from an inexperienced girl and a returned kiss formed from an apparent lack of restraint. It had been neither gentle nor affectionate; more lustful than loving.
This time, Fotios altered his approach.
As Xene leaned up to finally press her soft and pliant lips to his, Fotios's mouth moved against hers in a slow, languid and almost hesitant manner. For a few seconds, the two of them hung as if suspended in time, they each sensing and feeling the texture and touch of each other. Fotios angled his head, allowed his eyes to drift shut and offered her an equally gentle exchange with a closer angle and fit.
Rather than ravish her, he offered her a kiss that was reverent; caring. Worshipful.
His hand moved to cup at her face a little more but the touch was so soft it would have created only an itching friction against her skin. He didn't move his body closer, only ensuring that it was at singular and careful points that they connected.
The softness of their kiss was an equally deliberate choice. For it started a low and simmering burn that was less likely to frighten the inexperienced princess away. It would slowly grow, bringing with it a lustful wave that would be as deeply rooted and torturously aching as the affections he had already planted in her heart.
For this was no domineering sexual game; no arrangement for information as Fotios had with so many others. It was a con of love and devotion. One that he would play both for the political opportunities and advantages it offered but also because he was male and being offered the adoration of a beautiful young woman almost half his age. There were many things that Fotios had had to fake in the course of his relationship as confidant and would-be lover to Xene. His desire for her body was not one of them...
Fotios played his part as he kept Xene on tenterhooks. Her body was kept carefully at just a breath from his own - close enough to feel the natural heat of his frame but not breeching the point of touch. His mouth continued to hover, lips parted, the air their breathed mingling as she sought their bodies to. His gaze he kept open, secured on her lips but breaking away whenever she glanced to meet his gaze, focused on meeting her stare whenever it was offered, as if he could only look upon something else when her own orbs turned away.
The posture her kept was guarded, taut... it appeared almost brittle in its restraint of how he touched her, how he didn't touch her and silently communicating that one was far too little and the other far too much. Only when she offered herself entirely to him did he cave and commit himself to the act of loving her.
When Xene's mouth caught the edge of his own, Fotios stopped his breathing in his chest, his mouth seeming to tremble with the sudden lack of air. A soft hiss passed over his tongue and into the space between them, giving Xene had final proof of her effect upon his person. Allowing her to take the initiative and seal their lips together.
The last time the two of them had kissed, it had been hurried; a desperate fumbling from an inexperienced girl and a returned kiss formed from an apparent lack of restraint. It had been neither gentle nor affectionate; more lustful than loving.
This time, Fotios altered his approach.
As Xene leaned up to finally press her soft and pliant lips to his, Fotios's mouth moved against hers in a slow, languid and almost hesitant manner. For a few seconds, the two of them hung as if suspended in time, they each sensing and feeling the texture and touch of each other. Fotios angled his head, allowed his eyes to drift shut and offered her an equally gentle exchange with a closer angle and fit.
Rather than ravish her, he offered her a kiss that was reverent; caring. Worshipful.
His hand moved to cup at her face a little more but the touch was so soft it would have created only an itching friction against her skin. He didn't move his body closer, only ensuring that it was at singular and careful points that they connected.
The softness of their kiss was an equally deliberate choice. For it started a low and simmering burn that was less likely to frighten the inexperienced princess away. It would slowly grow, bringing with it a lustful wave that would be as deeply rooted and torturously aching as the affections he had already planted in her heart.
For this was no domineering sexual game; no arrangement for information as Fotios had with so many others. It was a con of love and devotion. One that he would play both for the political opportunities and advantages it offered but also because he was male and being offered the adoration of a beautiful young woman almost half his age. There were many things that Fotios had had to fake in the course of his relationship as confidant and would-be lover to Xene. His desire for her body was not one of them...
It was as if the gods themselves had slowed time around them. First she was brushing her lips against the corner of his mouth, internally pausing at the sound of his hissing breath. Like he was restraining himself. She wasn't frightened by this show of restraint. She was burning with curiosity, a want to know just how much he was holding back and just how much he truly wanted her. Xene remembered the feeling of his fingers in her hair. Against the back of her neck. The memory of it all made her want it that much more.
The power behind such an action was what Xene desired to feel. Internally, she was wondering if this was what always drew Stephanos to take woman after woman into his bed. It was a heady feeling. One that would not just fade into the background of her mind for some time after this meeting.
Xene's true test had been her own self control when her lips finally met his. Initially, she found herself nervous that there was none of that forceful, wanting nature. Her stomach dropped and she feared that maybe he didn't want her afterall. But the slow, tender touch of his lips. The slight angling of his head more toward hers.
This time it was she who lost her breath. All at once. In its entirety. Like he had robbed her of that one bodily luxury. Not that she minded. Xene was entirely sure that she would let Fotios drag her down to Hades if that was his intention in that moment. She felt somehow whole and fulfilled all at once, her hand trailing against his body to wander fingers along his jaw.
Fotios' intended slowness was doing everything for her. She had no complaints. Xene couldn't even form words if she had wanted to. Slowly, as if to test whether the action was acceptable to her... confidant? Lover? What did she call him now? Nevermind. Her lips parted slowly, giving Fotios silent, unwavering permission. A signal that everything was fine. There was no fear, only curiosity and that innate need to know more. To feel more.
Their kiss seemed to border on a passion that she was eager, though not impatient to explore, but Xene quickly found herself aching for air. Her fingertips dragging their way down the side of his neck, the princess slowly broke their first kiss. In a moment of heavier breathing, Xene's blue eyes fluttered closed as she tried to steady herself, biting down on her lower lip. Her other hand lifted to her mouth, trailing soft fingers against her bottom lip. Her gaze lifted back to his face and then to his lips once more.
Was this what she was rewarded with for loving this man? This soft tenderness that she had been craving for months, years? Not just from him, but from anyone. She was twenty-seven and no man had ever kissed her like this. The men she had kissed had never wanted her in the way that Fotios seemed to. Not Achilleas. Not the few foreign lords that had drifted through court and caught her eye.
Taking in a wavering breath, Xene found herself swallowing the wave of emotion that threatened this happy union.
"I've tempted you beyond reason, my lord. Yet you have shown me affections I have never known."
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This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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It was as if the gods themselves had slowed time around them. First she was brushing her lips against the corner of his mouth, internally pausing at the sound of his hissing breath. Like he was restraining himself. She wasn't frightened by this show of restraint. She was burning with curiosity, a want to know just how much he was holding back and just how much he truly wanted her. Xene remembered the feeling of his fingers in her hair. Against the back of her neck. The memory of it all made her want it that much more.
The power behind such an action was what Xene desired to feel. Internally, she was wondering if this was what always drew Stephanos to take woman after woman into his bed. It was a heady feeling. One that would not just fade into the background of her mind for some time after this meeting.
Xene's true test had been her own self control when her lips finally met his. Initially, she found herself nervous that there was none of that forceful, wanting nature. Her stomach dropped and she feared that maybe he didn't want her afterall. But the slow, tender touch of his lips. The slight angling of his head more toward hers.
This time it was she who lost her breath. All at once. In its entirety. Like he had robbed her of that one bodily luxury. Not that she minded. Xene was entirely sure that she would let Fotios drag her down to Hades if that was his intention in that moment. She felt somehow whole and fulfilled all at once, her hand trailing against his body to wander fingers along his jaw.
Fotios' intended slowness was doing everything for her. She had no complaints. Xene couldn't even form words if she had wanted to. Slowly, as if to test whether the action was acceptable to her... confidant? Lover? What did she call him now? Nevermind. Her lips parted slowly, giving Fotios silent, unwavering permission. A signal that everything was fine. There was no fear, only curiosity and that innate need to know more. To feel more.
Their kiss seemed to border on a passion that she was eager, though not impatient to explore, but Xene quickly found herself aching for air. Her fingertips dragging their way down the side of his neck, the princess slowly broke their first kiss. In a moment of heavier breathing, Xene's blue eyes fluttered closed as she tried to steady herself, biting down on her lower lip. Her other hand lifted to her mouth, trailing soft fingers against her bottom lip. Her gaze lifted back to his face and then to his lips once more.
Was this what she was rewarded with for loving this man? This soft tenderness that she had been craving for months, years? Not just from him, but from anyone. She was twenty-seven and no man had ever kissed her like this. The men she had kissed had never wanted her in the way that Fotios seemed to. Not Achilleas. Not the few foreign lords that had drifted through court and caught her eye.
Taking in a wavering breath, Xene found herself swallowing the wave of emotion that threatened this happy union.
"I've tempted you beyond reason, my lord. Yet you have shown me affections I have never known."
It was as if the gods themselves had slowed time around them. First she was brushing her lips against the corner of his mouth, internally pausing at the sound of his hissing breath. Like he was restraining himself. She wasn't frightened by this show of restraint. She was burning with curiosity, a want to know just how much he was holding back and just how much he truly wanted her. Xene remembered the feeling of his fingers in her hair. Against the back of her neck. The memory of it all made her want it that much more.
The power behind such an action was what Xene desired to feel. Internally, she was wondering if this was what always drew Stephanos to take woman after woman into his bed. It was a heady feeling. One that would not just fade into the background of her mind for some time after this meeting.
Xene's true test had been her own self control when her lips finally met his. Initially, she found herself nervous that there was none of that forceful, wanting nature. Her stomach dropped and she feared that maybe he didn't want her afterall. But the slow, tender touch of his lips. The slight angling of his head more toward hers.
This time it was she who lost her breath. All at once. In its entirety. Like he had robbed her of that one bodily luxury. Not that she minded. Xene was entirely sure that she would let Fotios drag her down to Hades if that was his intention in that moment. She felt somehow whole and fulfilled all at once, her hand trailing against his body to wander fingers along his jaw.
Fotios' intended slowness was doing everything for her. She had no complaints. Xene couldn't even form words if she had wanted to. Slowly, as if to test whether the action was acceptable to her... confidant? Lover? What did she call him now? Nevermind. Her lips parted slowly, giving Fotios silent, unwavering permission. A signal that everything was fine. There was no fear, only curiosity and that innate need to know more. To feel more.
Their kiss seemed to border on a passion that she was eager, though not impatient to explore, but Xene quickly found herself aching for air. Her fingertips dragging their way down the side of his neck, the princess slowly broke their first kiss. In a moment of heavier breathing, Xene's blue eyes fluttered closed as she tried to steady herself, biting down on her lower lip. Her other hand lifted to her mouth, trailing soft fingers against her bottom lip. Her gaze lifted back to his face and then to his lips once more.
Was this what she was rewarded with for loving this man? This soft tenderness that she had been craving for months, years? Not just from him, but from anyone. She was twenty-seven and no man had ever kissed her like this. The men she had kissed had never wanted her in the way that Fotios seemed to. Not Achilleas. Not the few foreign lords that had drifted through court and caught her eye.
Taking in a wavering breath, Xene found herself swallowing the wave of emotion that threatened this happy union.
"I've tempted you beyond reason, my lord. Yet you have shown me affections I have never known."
The slow and delicate way of kissing her, coaxing her into responding to his ministrations was working its magic on Fotios too. The human body was a simple enough thing and came in the two forms of gender. It wasn't hard to play a body just as you might play an instrument and affections or not, Fotios was male and Xene was a beautiful woman. To woo and draw from her the breathlessness, the light, little mews of need that whimpered in the quiet of the room... it was all a heady seduction that played to his ego nicely. And his body was happy to oblige in return, readying itself for a mating that would not be happening just yet. For, he could not push the princess that far that quickly. But the fact that such an eventuality was impossible, didn't stop him from lengthening in his riding pants and his breathing to turn ragged at such a kiss...
When the princess pulled away, both of them seemed to struggle to draw air down into their lungs, their chests out of sync and their lips parted. Her own appeared a deeper shade, a little swollen from his lascivious attentions. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. He knew that his own features would offer similar symptoms of arousal.
He reached out to touch the tip of his forefinger to the apple of her cheek and then rounded it over her cheekbone and down her jawline. He moved the digit slowly and gently, as if she were made of glass. As if she were a wonder he couldn't behold standing before him and offering him her devotion as she was doing right now.
Her words floated in the room between them and Fotios's lashes fluttered shut, as if he were savouring the sound of them in his ears. His lower lip trembled as he breathed in, needing the air to keep his head cool and calm.
When he opened his eyes again, royal blue clashed with glacial, his pupils blown with passion.
"You hold more talent than I, princess..." Fotios assured her, as he was running the tip of his finger over her facial shape. "You speak of your feelings and yet I struggle to summon words."
And with that, he lowered his head to claim her mouth once more.
This time he offered a little more of himself. A stronger pressure, a deeper passion. His lips claimed hers in a touch that was more assured of his right to do so. One of his hands funnelled deep into her hair and found the nape of her neck in order to hold her in place, but his other did not touch her body. He wished not to push her, to frighten her off with too much stimulation all at once. Instead, he sought out her own hand and with a simple gesture that he knew would win any last scraps of her heart he had not already laid claim to, he interlocked their fingers at their sides, holding sweetly tight as he ran his tongue over her lower lip with infinite slowness and sought entrance to her mouth...
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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The slow and delicate way of kissing her, coaxing her into responding to his ministrations was working its magic on Fotios too. The human body was a simple enough thing and came in the two forms of gender. It wasn't hard to play a body just as you might play an instrument and affections or not, Fotios was male and Xene was a beautiful woman. To woo and draw from her the breathlessness, the light, little mews of need that whimpered in the quiet of the room... it was all a heady seduction that played to his ego nicely. And his body was happy to oblige in return, readying itself for a mating that would not be happening just yet. For, he could not push the princess that far that quickly. But the fact that such an eventuality was impossible, didn't stop him from lengthening in his riding pants and his breathing to turn ragged at such a kiss...
When the princess pulled away, both of them seemed to struggle to draw air down into their lungs, their chests out of sync and their lips parted. Her own appeared a deeper shade, a little swollen from his lascivious attentions. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. He knew that his own features would offer similar symptoms of arousal.
He reached out to touch the tip of his forefinger to the apple of her cheek and then rounded it over her cheekbone and down her jawline. He moved the digit slowly and gently, as if she were made of glass. As if she were a wonder he couldn't behold standing before him and offering him her devotion as she was doing right now.
Her words floated in the room between them and Fotios's lashes fluttered shut, as if he were savouring the sound of them in his ears. His lower lip trembled as he breathed in, needing the air to keep his head cool and calm.
When he opened his eyes again, royal blue clashed with glacial, his pupils blown with passion.
"You hold more talent than I, princess..." Fotios assured her, as he was running the tip of his finger over her facial shape. "You speak of your feelings and yet I struggle to summon words."
And with that, he lowered his head to claim her mouth once more.
This time he offered a little more of himself. A stronger pressure, a deeper passion. His lips claimed hers in a touch that was more assured of his right to do so. One of his hands funnelled deep into her hair and found the nape of her neck in order to hold her in place, but his other did not touch her body. He wished not to push her, to frighten her off with too much stimulation all at once. Instead, he sought out her own hand and with a simple gesture that he knew would win any last scraps of her heart he had not already laid claim to, he interlocked their fingers at their sides, holding sweetly tight as he ran his tongue over her lower lip with infinite slowness and sought entrance to her mouth...
The slow and delicate way of kissing her, coaxing her into responding to his ministrations was working its magic on Fotios too. The human body was a simple enough thing and came in the two forms of gender. It wasn't hard to play a body just as you might play an instrument and affections or not, Fotios was male and Xene was a beautiful woman. To woo and draw from her the breathlessness, the light, little mews of need that whimpered in the quiet of the room... it was all a heady seduction that played to his ego nicely. And his body was happy to oblige in return, readying itself for a mating that would not be happening just yet. For, he could not push the princess that far that quickly. But the fact that such an eventuality was impossible, didn't stop him from lengthening in his riding pants and his breathing to turn ragged at such a kiss...
When the princess pulled away, both of them seemed to struggle to draw air down into their lungs, their chests out of sync and their lips parted. Her own appeared a deeper shade, a little swollen from his lascivious attentions. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. He knew that his own features would offer similar symptoms of arousal.
He reached out to touch the tip of his forefinger to the apple of her cheek and then rounded it over her cheekbone and down her jawline. He moved the digit slowly and gently, as if she were made of glass. As if she were a wonder he couldn't behold standing before him and offering him her devotion as she was doing right now.
Her words floated in the room between them and Fotios's lashes fluttered shut, as if he were savouring the sound of them in his ears. His lower lip trembled as he breathed in, needing the air to keep his head cool and calm.
When he opened his eyes again, royal blue clashed with glacial, his pupils blown with passion.
"You hold more talent than I, princess..." Fotios assured her, as he was running the tip of his finger over her facial shape. "You speak of your feelings and yet I struggle to summon words."
And with that, he lowered his head to claim her mouth once more.
This time he offered a little more of himself. A stronger pressure, a deeper passion. His lips claimed hers in a touch that was more assured of his right to do so. One of his hands funnelled deep into her hair and found the nape of her neck in order to hold her in place, but his other did not touch her body. He wished not to push her, to frighten her off with too much stimulation all at once. Instead, he sought out her own hand and with a simple gesture that he knew would win any last scraps of her heart he had not already laid claim to, he interlocked their fingers at their sides, holding sweetly tight as he ran his tongue over her lower lip with infinite slowness and sought entrance to her mouth...
Xene was far from reach for Fotios’ lips to part from his. The little dance that they had been performing with one another had been blissful, enlightening, and something she did not want to stop. Not in this life or the next. The lightness of his lips and the heat of his breath was a dizzying combination that left the princess struggling to think of anything but him. This room was their only solace at the moment and it was heavily protected by Heron. Even if the man had wanted to gossip, Xene was quite aware that he wouldn’t. He would never break that trust that the two of them had built in the last few months. And Heron would be imperative to keeping her newfound secret.
Feeling flushed and breathless, Xene couldn’t help the small tug of her lips. The very smile she had been wanting to show him since he had slipped into the room when her back was turned. There was absolutely no question that the Lord made her heart sing. Made butterflies flutter through her chest. Every cheesy and utterly girlish thing she could think to describe the feeling in her chest. The things that she had heard servants and silly little girls on the street using to describe their idea of love. Xene had never thought herself to be so lucky to ever be able to express such sentiments, but it was easy to do so now.
Her gaze trailed back to Fotios’ lips, his cheeks, and the flushed tone of his skin. While she didn’t notice his arousal below, she could see it in his eyes and that sent a sharp thrill of some unfamiliar feeling up her spine. Want? Need? She wasn’t entirely sure, but then again, no man had made her feel like this. Everything was new. Like a child receiving a new toy from their parents. It was easy to be careful with such an item and not let it tarnish, but over time Xene knew the opposite to happen. Thus, she found herself saying nothing of the slight ache between her legs.
The last thing she wanted was to ruin such a serene moment with her love.
She was allowed to call him such a thing now, right?
It was the way his eyes fluttered shut at her words that was most staggering. Like she herself spoke the words of a prophet and the world was required to obey. “Sometimes a person does not need words to express what one already knows,” Xene said very quietly, leaning into the slightest touch of his finger. Then he had claimed her mouth once more, the kiss as slow and sweet as the previous one. The added passion was not missed and the princess once more found her breath hitching in her chest.
Her own hand drifted up to his neck, her other willingly thread her fingers with his. They still stood toward the center of the room, but the way Fotios kissed her was dizzying and the tenderness of his hand in hers had the desired effect. The princess was entirely and utterly his. Xene jumped only slightly when his tongue trailed against her bottom lip, but a tentative, curious part of her relaxed immediately. The princess trusted him and she was willing to open up every part of her if it pleased him to taste and to feel.
And then her lips were parting and she allowed him the access he seemed eager for. Such a change in kiss, in passion, in how their lips moved against one another, and the way his tongue grazed hers… Xene could not help the keening, breathy moan that escaped parted lips. The fingers at the back of his neck tightened and Xene pulled herself infinitely closer, trying to press herself to him in sudden desperation for a closeness she had not yet experienced with anyone else. One thing was sure: Xene would let him do anything and everything at that moment, too drawn by desire and curiosity to allow her mind its moments of worry and contemplation. This was what she had needed, a new reality. An escape from the darkness and pain of her current situation.
What she had found was a man who now welcomed her with open arms, open heart.
And she was so utterly at his mercy.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Xene was far from reach for Fotios’ lips to part from his. The little dance that they had been performing with one another had been blissful, enlightening, and something she did not want to stop. Not in this life or the next. The lightness of his lips and the heat of his breath was a dizzying combination that left the princess struggling to think of anything but him. This room was their only solace at the moment and it was heavily protected by Heron. Even if the man had wanted to gossip, Xene was quite aware that he wouldn’t. He would never break that trust that the two of them had built in the last few months. And Heron would be imperative to keeping her newfound secret.
Feeling flushed and breathless, Xene couldn’t help the small tug of her lips. The very smile she had been wanting to show him since he had slipped into the room when her back was turned. There was absolutely no question that the Lord made her heart sing. Made butterflies flutter through her chest. Every cheesy and utterly girlish thing she could think to describe the feeling in her chest. The things that she had heard servants and silly little girls on the street using to describe their idea of love. Xene had never thought herself to be so lucky to ever be able to express such sentiments, but it was easy to do so now.
Her gaze trailed back to Fotios’ lips, his cheeks, and the flushed tone of his skin. While she didn’t notice his arousal below, she could see it in his eyes and that sent a sharp thrill of some unfamiliar feeling up her spine. Want? Need? She wasn’t entirely sure, but then again, no man had made her feel like this. Everything was new. Like a child receiving a new toy from their parents. It was easy to be careful with such an item and not let it tarnish, but over time Xene knew the opposite to happen. Thus, she found herself saying nothing of the slight ache between her legs.
The last thing she wanted was to ruin such a serene moment with her love.
She was allowed to call him such a thing now, right?
It was the way his eyes fluttered shut at her words that was most staggering. Like she herself spoke the words of a prophet and the world was required to obey. “Sometimes a person does not need words to express what one already knows,” Xene said very quietly, leaning into the slightest touch of his finger. Then he had claimed her mouth once more, the kiss as slow and sweet as the previous one. The added passion was not missed and the princess once more found her breath hitching in her chest.
Her own hand drifted up to his neck, her other willingly thread her fingers with his. They still stood toward the center of the room, but the way Fotios kissed her was dizzying and the tenderness of his hand in hers had the desired effect. The princess was entirely and utterly his. Xene jumped only slightly when his tongue trailed against her bottom lip, but a tentative, curious part of her relaxed immediately. The princess trusted him and she was willing to open up every part of her if it pleased him to taste and to feel.
And then her lips were parting and she allowed him the access he seemed eager for. Such a change in kiss, in passion, in how their lips moved against one another, and the way his tongue grazed hers… Xene could not help the keening, breathy moan that escaped parted lips. The fingers at the back of his neck tightened and Xene pulled herself infinitely closer, trying to press herself to him in sudden desperation for a closeness she had not yet experienced with anyone else. One thing was sure: Xene would let him do anything and everything at that moment, too drawn by desire and curiosity to allow her mind its moments of worry and contemplation. This was what she had needed, a new reality. An escape from the darkness and pain of her current situation.
What she had found was a man who now welcomed her with open arms, open heart.
And she was so utterly at his mercy.
Xene was far from reach for Fotios’ lips to part from his. The little dance that they had been performing with one another had been blissful, enlightening, and something she did not want to stop. Not in this life or the next. The lightness of his lips and the heat of his breath was a dizzying combination that left the princess struggling to think of anything but him. This room was their only solace at the moment and it was heavily protected by Heron. Even if the man had wanted to gossip, Xene was quite aware that he wouldn’t. He would never break that trust that the two of them had built in the last few months. And Heron would be imperative to keeping her newfound secret.
Feeling flushed and breathless, Xene couldn’t help the small tug of her lips. The very smile she had been wanting to show him since he had slipped into the room when her back was turned. There was absolutely no question that the Lord made her heart sing. Made butterflies flutter through her chest. Every cheesy and utterly girlish thing she could think to describe the feeling in her chest. The things that she had heard servants and silly little girls on the street using to describe their idea of love. Xene had never thought herself to be so lucky to ever be able to express such sentiments, but it was easy to do so now.
Her gaze trailed back to Fotios’ lips, his cheeks, and the flushed tone of his skin. While she didn’t notice his arousal below, she could see it in his eyes and that sent a sharp thrill of some unfamiliar feeling up her spine. Want? Need? She wasn’t entirely sure, but then again, no man had made her feel like this. Everything was new. Like a child receiving a new toy from their parents. It was easy to be careful with such an item and not let it tarnish, but over time Xene knew the opposite to happen. Thus, she found herself saying nothing of the slight ache between her legs.
The last thing she wanted was to ruin such a serene moment with her love.
She was allowed to call him such a thing now, right?
It was the way his eyes fluttered shut at her words that was most staggering. Like she herself spoke the words of a prophet and the world was required to obey. “Sometimes a person does not need words to express what one already knows,” Xene said very quietly, leaning into the slightest touch of his finger. Then he had claimed her mouth once more, the kiss as slow and sweet as the previous one. The added passion was not missed and the princess once more found her breath hitching in her chest.
Her own hand drifted up to his neck, her other willingly thread her fingers with his. They still stood toward the center of the room, but the way Fotios kissed her was dizzying and the tenderness of his hand in hers had the desired effect. The princess was entirely and utterly his. Xene jumped only slightly when his tongue trailed against her bottom lip, but a tentative, curious part of her relaxed immediately. The princess trusted him and she was willing to open up every part of her if it pleased him to taste and to feel.
And then her lips were parting and she allowed him the access he seemed eager for. Such a change in kiss, in passion, in how their lips moved against one another, and the way his tongue grazed hers… Xene could not help the keening, breathy moan that escaped parted lips. The fingers at the back of his neck tightened and Xene pulled herself infinitely closer, trying to press herself to him in sudden desperation for a closeness she had not yet experienced with anyone else. One thing was sure: Xene would let him do anything and everything at that moment, too drawn by desire and curiosity to allow her mind its moments of worry and contemplation. This was what she had needed, a new reality. An escape from the darkness and pain of her current situation.
What she had found was a man who now welcomed her with open arms, open heart.
And she was so utterly at his mercy.
Fotios sighed into the kiss as the young princess offered herself up to his touch and control. After a trembling moment of hesitation, a shifting into her frame that suggested surprise at the touch of his tongue, her lips parted to allow him access to her mouth. Alerted the sense of victory, Fotios was careful to maintain control over his lust and passion. A sexual man with a hungry appetite, Fotios was able to couple with his wife or any other that needed his attentions multiple times a day. Yet now, he needed control. He needed patience. He needed to be within control of his own reactions if he was ever to hope to lead the princess in hers.
After a moment of hungry passion, as his lips draw from hers and his tongue delved to make love to her own, Fotios was careful to move slowly, to keep the hand in her hair gentle upon her neck whilst the fingers in his own hair were tightening with her lustful surrender. Their hands remained interlocked and Fotios' thumb ran over the back of her hand, brushing her knuckles and offering a touch purely dedicated to affection over sensual pleasure. Then again... the female body knew little of the difference.
The slippery touch of Xene's tongue and now wetted lips, not to mention the way she drew her body in close to his, had Fotios worried for a moment. For she was a beautiful woman and he had not had to fake his physical reactions to her. He needed to be assured that this union was handled by him, rather than manipulated by her in her innocent seductions.
When she drew in close, her thighs brushing his, Fotios hissed a little from between his teeth, breaking their kiss but not the connection of the lips, as he moved his hips back and closed his eyes. His hand had moved from her hair to her cheek as if to restrain her and his features took on a look of great restraint and apology as his brow was braced against hers. For it was impossible that her melting into his shape had not revealed his desire for her beyond simple kisses.
"You tempt a man past all reason, my princess...." He said, deliberately repeating his words from earlier by changing the term to one of possession... my princess... He swallowed and offered a shaky smile as his lids drew up, his gaze fogged with lust and his stare intense. "Please matia mou tell me you have experience kissing men before I and that this potency is not you at your most ignorant." His eyes lit up with a rare flash of humour, and his lungs shuddered with an almost lamenting exhale. "If so, fear for my survival as you learn more devastating ways to bring a man to his knees..."
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Fotios sighed into the kiss as the young princess offered herself up to his touch and control. After a trembling moment of hesitation, a shifting into her frame that suggested surprise at the touch of his tongue, her lips parted to allow him access to her mouth. Alerted the sense of victory, Fotios was careful to maintain control over his lust and passion. A sexual man with a hungry appetite, Fotios was able to couple with his wife or any other that needed his attentions multiple times a day. Yet now, he needed control. He needed patience. He needed to be within control of his own reactions if he was ever to hope to lead the princess in hers.
After a moment of hungry passion, as his lips draw from hers and his tongue delved to make love to her own, Fotios was careful to move slowly, to keep the hand in her hair gentle upon her neck whilst the fingers in his own hair were tightening with her lustful surrender. Their hands remained interlocked and Fotios' thumb ran over the back of her hand, brushing her knuckles and offering a touch purely dedicated to affection over sensual pleasure. Then again... the female body knew little of the difference.
The slippery touch of Xene's tongue and now wetted lips, not to mention the way she drew her body in close to his, had Fotios worried for a moment. For she was a beautiful woman and he had not had to fake his physical reactions to her. He needed to be assured that this union was handled by him, rather than manipulated by her in her innocent seductions.
When she drew in close, her thighs brushing his, Fotios hissed a little from between his teeth, breaking their kiss but not the connection of the lips, as he moved his hips back and closed his eyes. His hand had moved from her hair to her cheek as if to restrain her and his features took on a look of great restraint and apology as his brow was braced against hers. For it was impossible that her melting into his shape had not revealed his desire for her beyond simple kisses.
"You tempt a man past all reason, my princess...." He said, deliberately repeating his words from earlier by changing the term to one of possession... my princess... He swallowed and offered a shaky smile as his lids drew up, his gaze fogged with lust and his stare intense. "Please matia mou tell me you have experience kissing men before I and that this potency is not you at your most ignorant." His eyes lit up with a rare flash of humour, and his lungs shuddered with an almost lamenting exhale. "If so, fear for my survival as you learn more devastating ways to bring a man to his knees..."
Fotios sighed into the kiss as the young princess offered herself up to his touch and control. After a trembling moment of hesitation, a shifting into her frame that suggested surprise at the touch of his tongue, her lips parted to allow him access to her mouth. Alerted the sense of victory, Fotios was careful to maintain control over his lust and passion. A sexual man with a hungry appetite, Fotios was able to couple with his wife or any other that needed his attentions multiple times a day. Yet now, he needed control. He needed patience. He needed to be within control of his own reactions if he was ever to hope to lead the princess in hers.
After a moment of hungry passion, as his lips draw from hers and his tongue delved to make love to her own, Fotios was careful to move slowly, to keep the hand in her hair gentle upon her neck whilst the fingers in his own hair were tightening with her lustful surrender. Their hands remained interlocked and Fotios' thumb ran over the back of her hand, brushing her knuckles and offering a touch purely dedicated to affection over sensual pleasure. Then again... the female body knew little of the difference.
The slippery touch of Xene's tongue and now wetted lips, not to mention the way she drew her body in close to his, had Fotios worried for a moment. For she was a beautiful woman and he had not had to fake his physical reactions to her. He needed to be assured that this union was handled by him, rather than manipulated by her in her innocent seductions.
When she drew in close, her thighs brushing his, Fotios hissed a little from between his teeth, breaking their kiss but not the connection of the lips, as he moved his hips back and closed his eyes. His hand had moved from her hair to her cheek as if to restrain her and his features took on a look of great restraint and apology as his brow was braced against hers. For it was impossible that her melting into his shape had not revealed his desire for her beyond simple kisses.
"You tempt a man past all reason, my princess...." He said, deliberately repeating his words from earlier by changing the term to one of possession... my princess... He swallowed and offered a shaky smile as his lids drew up, his gaze fogged with lust and his stare intense. "Please matia mou tell me you have experience kissing men before I and that this potency is not you at your most ignorant." His eyes lit up with a rare flash of humour, and his lungs shuddered with an almost lamenting exhale. "If so, fear for my survival as you learn more devastating ways to bring a man to his knees..."
Xene’s mind had never ventured so far into the realm of impropriety. Never had she thought of a man’s lips on hers in the way that Fotios’ were in that moment. Of course, she had kissed men, but she had never gone this far. The gentleness and tentative nature of her past encounters were so hollow compared to what she found herself experiencing now. This was entirely different. The passion was raw and palpable, and instinct drove the princess to a kind of wanting she had never once entertained before. Known for being able to sweet talk and flirt with the best of them, that was where her experience ended and Fotios’ began.
Letting him lead each movement, each breath, every brush of fingers through hair or against exposed skin was the purpose of her game. There was nothing else that Xene could allow herself, if only because she was so terrified of chasing this man away. No one had ever outwardly taken an interest in her like this, and now that her closest confidant and friend had, her mind was spinning in circles. Both aware of his tongue in her mouth and not.
There were so many other things to feel, but his fingers twining with her own made the exploration she craved nigh impossible. He had her entirely under his control, even if she was able to press her body closer against his. It was the brush of his arousal that made her tense at the same time the hiss passed from his lips. Fotios shifted slightly away, but Xene let her mind twist around the idea. She knew what sex was, that much was not foreign to her… but she’d never slept with anyone. She didn’t even know where she would start…
And it felt like he wanted her despite the fact that he put very clear, stark distance between them. Whining a little when he pulled back slightly, his fingers moving to her cheek. The princess was dizzied and unsure of where to look, how to move, how to even breathe after such a heated moment. The sudden, sharp ache at her core was yet another thing she struggled to wrap her mind around. Tearing her blue gaze away from his lips, she glanced up to meet his gaze with her own, trying to lean in and capture his lips again before he could move too far from her.
But he spoke and she wanted to shut him up. That glimmer of respect she had for him, however, stopped her from saying a word until he asked her a question. Her own eyes fluttering closed as she tried to think through the proper response, Xene swallowed once. “I’m sorry,” she uttered breathlessly, “but I have had… very little experience, apagorevménos mou,” her breath was but a whisper between her lips and she leaned in to kiss him softly once, twice, and a third time, wishing he wouldn’t continue to tease her in the way he seemed constantly intent to.
There was a small pause as she caught the humor in his gaze. “I like when you look at me like this,” she admitted absently, her own fingers wandering along his jaw, her forehead pressed against his, “Do you intend to teach me, my lord?” Xene asked slowly then, her blue gaze finally meeting his fully. “As you have taught me many other things these past few months…”
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This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Xene’s mind had never ventured so far into the realm of impropriety. Never had she thought of a man’s lips on hers in the way that Fotios’ were in that moment. Of course, she had kissed men, but she had never gone this far. The gentleness and tentative nature of her past encounters were so hollow compared to what she found herself experiencing now. This was entirely different. The passion was raw and palpable, and instinct drove the princess to a kind of wanting she had never once entertained before. Known for being able to sweet talk and flirt with the best of them, that was where her experience ended and Fotios’ began.
Letting him lead each movement, each breath, every brush of fingers through hair or against exposed skin was the purpose of her game. There was nothing else that Xene could allow herself, if only because she was so terrified of chasing this man away. No one had ever outwardly taken an interest in her like this, and now that her closest confidant and friend had, her mind was spinning in circles. Both aware of his tongue in her mouth and not.
There were so many other things to feel, but his fingers twining with her own made the exploration she craved nigh impossible. He had her entirely under his control, even if she was able to press her body closer against his. It was the brush of his arousal that made her tense at the same time the hiss passed from his lips. Fotios shifted slightly away, but Xene let her mind twist around the idea. She knew what sex was, that much was not foreign to her… but she’d never slept with anyone. She didn’t even know where she would start…
And it felt like he wanted her despite the fact that he put very clear, stark distance between them. Whining a little when he pulled back slightly, his fingers moving to her cheek. The princess was dizzied and unsure of where to look, how to move, how to even breathe after such a heated moment. The sudden, sharp ache at her core was yet another thing she struggled to wrap her mind around. Tearing her blue gaze away from his lips, she glanced up to meet his gaze with her own, trying to lean in and capture his lips again before he could move too far from her.
But he spoke and she wanted to shut him up. That glimmer of respect she had for him, however, stopped her from saying a word until he asked her a question. Her own eyes fluttering closed as she tried to think through the proper response, Xene swallowed once. “I’m sorry,” she uttered breathlessly, “but I have had… very little experience, apagorevménos mou,” her breath was but a whisper between her lips and she leaned in to kiss him softly once, twice, and a third time, wishing he wouldn’t continue to tease her in the way he seemed constantly intent to.
There was a small pause as she caught the humor in his gaze. “I like when you look at me like this,” she admitted absently, her own fingers wandering along his jaw, her forehead pressed against his, “Do you intend to teach me, my lord?” Xene asked slowly then, her blue gaze finally meeting his fully. “As you have taught me many other things these past few months…”
Xene’s mind had never ventured so far into the realm of impropriety. Never had she thought of a man’s lips on hers in the way that Fotios’ were in that moment. Of course, she had kissed men, but she had never gone this far. The gentleness and tentative nature of her past encounters were so hollow compared to what she found herself experiencing now. This was entirely different. The passion was raw and palpable, and instinct drove the princess to a kind of wanting she had never once entertained before. Known for being able to sweet talk and flirt with the best of them, that was where her experience ended and Fotios’ began.
Letting him lead each movement, each breath, every brush of fingers through hair or against exposed skin was the purpose of her game. There was nothing else that Xene could allow herself, if only because she was so terrified of chasing this man away. No one had ever outwardly taken an interest in her like this, and now that her closest confidant and friend had, her mind was spinning in circles. Both aware of his tongue in her mouth and not.
There were so many other things to feel, but his fingers twining with her own made the exploration she craved nigh impossible. He had her entirely under his control, even if she was able to press her body closer against his. It was the brush of his arousal that made her tense at the same time the hiss passed from his lips. Fotios shifted slightly away, but Xene let her mind twist around the idea. She knew what sex was, that much was not foreign to her… but she’d never slept with anyone. She didn’t even know where she would start…
And it felt like he wanted her despite the fact that he put very clear, stark distance between them. Whining a little when he pulled back slightly, his fingers moving to her cheek. The princess was dizzied and unsure of where to look, how to move, how to even breathe after such a heated moment. The sudden, sharp ache at her core was yet another thing she struggled to wrap her mind around. Tearing her blue gaze away from his lips, she glanced up to meet his gaze with her own, trying to lean in and capture his lips again before he could move too far from her.
But he spoke and she wanted to shut him up. That glimmer of respect she had for him, however, stopped her from saying a word until he asked her a question. Her own eyes fluttering closed as she tried to think through the proper response, Xene swallowed once. “I’m sorry,” she uttered breathlessly, “but I have had… very little experience, apagorevménos mou,” her breath was but a whisper between her lips and she leaned in to kiss him softly once, twice, and a third time, wishing he wouldn’t continue to tease her in the way he seemed constantly intent to.
There was a small pause as she caught the humor in his gaze. “I like when you look at me like this,” she admitted absently, her own fingers wandering along his jaw, her forehead pressed against his, “Do you intend to teach me, my lord?” Xene asked slowly then, her blue gaze finally meeting his fully. “As you have taught me many other things these past few months…”