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Post by Anactoria IV on Oct 6, 2010 7:35:11 GMT -5
"I have a cousin," Anactoria began.
She stopped there, a frown creasing her face. Where to start? How to explain? How much should she say? She was angry, furious at Freja, yes, but they has shared much over the years... many of those thing had been shared in confidence. Would it be right to share those things with Azhani now? Would it be alright if she became her queen for more 'than just one night'?
"She came to live with my family after the untimely death of her own parents," she went on. Her toes wigged unconsciously as Azhani's finger traced unknown shapes on her foot. "We were raised as close sisters, and as such I love her. I trusted with secrets I would not tell my own diary, she had unlimited access to me the castle, to my room, to my very self."
Anactoria's hands and toes bunched together as one before she went on, her voice shaking with a level of disgust and hatred she had seldom uttered before "In return for my unconditional trust and love, she would take citizens of my empire, and guests in my home to a secert room in this very castle and torture them for her own sick amusement." Aanacotria was no longer looking as Azhani, but was stating daggers at her own headboard, or at least off in that direction. "I do not now for how many yeas she was doing this while also smiling to my face, brushing my hair or laying in my bed. But when I caught t her in the act of her betrayal, having used this very whip to hurt another one of my guest..." Now the princess was literally shaking where she sat. "She had the audacity to claim it was all for me. Because she loved me. And not," she stressed, "as a sister."
Anactoria took in a long deep breath, forcing herself to relax and unclenched her hands and feet. Her toes sought out Azhani's finger at once, wiggling and padding at the mattress. She missed the contact.
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Post by Fa'raazhin Azhani on Oct 6, 2010 16:52:45 GMT -5
Nothing could have prepared Azhani for the following story.
At first, she had to admit, she felt a tad jealous of this cousin. She was, as far as Azhani knew, as close to Azhani as two people could get without being a romantic couple. What she wouldn't give to have a relationship like that with a girl like Anactoria... Then again, under such circumstances, she likely wouldn't have had any sort of romantic interest in her, which would have completely defeated the point. At the very least, she could imagine it.
Azhani glanced at the curled toes under her hand, the balled fist, and was easily able to put two and two together with Annie's unpleasant tone. Now it was Azhani's turn to feel protective. Though she kept a more or less even expression, she couldn't help but clench her own fist as Annie continued. It didn't take long for her to realize which hand she was clenching as pain shot through her entire arm, but the thought of betraying a sweet girl like Anactoria... Obviously, Azhani had a less than objective view, but betrayal - especially of one's own family - was the most heinous crime one could commit in Z'hakaat.
It took Azhani a moment to react, even though it was Anactoria who looked like she needed a few minutes to calm down. She gently placed her hand over Annie's foot, squeezing slightly to calm her. She thought it was cute the way her toes betrayed her emotions. The assassin glanced at her hand. Her hand was bleeding a bit, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't do much more than barely curl her fingers. The price for her passion, she supposed.
After a a few more moments of silence, Azhani sat up and moved beside Anactoria. Without a word, she pulled her into another embrace, holding her closely. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't know what it feels like to be betrayed by a family member, and I pray I never will." She smiled slightly. "You feel guilty over something that you had no control over - you couldn't have stopped." She turned Annie's head to make her face her. "You're the most beautiful, pure, kindhearted person I've ever known. I can assure you, you will be the most beloved empress in the history of Terre de Conte, and if there's any justice in the world, you'll be the most beloved wife as well."
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Post by Anactoria IV on Oct 11, 2010 9:03:44 GMT -5
Anactoria folded into the embrace, but refused to be comforted . "I should have known," she said. "The women who came here did so on good faith. Each for their own reasons, yes, but expecting that while they were here they would not come to harm. Especially not from member of the family that had invited them here. Not in the very castle they lay their head down in. If I am ignorant on what is going on under my own roof, how can I lead an empire that extend for thousands of leagues in all directions?"
There was a deep sigh and Anactoria snuggled closer to Azhani. "But thank you for those kind words. When you say it, I can almost see it." a slight smile. "I never did tell you just what the magic you sensed in me can do, did I?
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Post by Fa'raazhin Azhani on Oct 11, 2010 19:22:38 GMT -5
Azhani laughed. "You can't know everything, Annie. The measure of an empress isn't her ability to predict every little disaster and keep them from happening, it's how she adapts and reacts to them." She squeezed the princess she was growing more and more attached to by the day. "You have a good heart. Listen to it, and everything will work out for the best."
She thought about it for a moment. She'd never actually asked, and honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted to know, but now that she was offering... "No, you didn't." Azhani smiled. "Something spectacular, I'm sure. So tell, what is this amazing magical gift of yours?"
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Post by Anactoria IV on Oct 17, 2010 0:07:31 GMT -5
"Well I actually have two," Anactoria explained, "but I think I will just mention the one for now. Its precognition. Sometimes, I can see the future."
She worked her way deeper into Azhani's arms, a breathed deeply. "It used to only come when I dream. But lately...ever since the incident with Freya, actually... I've been getting flashes when I am awake." She pulled back to look up into the otehr woman's eyes. "It is not terribly reliable I fear , or I would just peek to see whom I marry and go purpose right now. It changes. Every choice is the possibility of new future after all, is it not?"
"But when I hear you say thing like that. I can almost see it. It is not a flash, more akin a trying to look at a room throw a drawn curtain. You can get the gist, but not the details." Her cheeks grew rosy. "I have a good feeling about us, Azahni."
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Post by Fa'raazhin Azhani on Oct 18, 2010 15:12:08 GMT -5
Azhani spread her legs to allow Annie to rest in-between them and be as close to her as possible. If she could, she would have stayed like this with her forever.
She raised a brow at that revelation. Not only did Annie have two abilities, but one of them was precognition. In Z'hakaat, she would have been hailed as a goddess. Then again, her lack of control over her visions was a bit disappointing, but no less impressive.
Azhani hoped Anactoria wouldn't use her power to see who she'd marry. What if it wasn't her? She couldn't very well indulge a future like that. Azhani smiled as she gave the princess a squeeze and kissed her collarbone. "I always feel good when I'm with you, Annie."
Without warning, Azhani laid Anactoria on her back as she hovered above her. She couldn't use her hand, so she supported herself with her elbow. "I can honestly say I've never desired to be around someone so much as you," she whispered. She stared into Annie's eyes, but tried to suppress the heat she felt for the girl and focus more on the sincerity. She reached over for a vine of grapes to hold over her mouth. "It's a foreign feeling for me. I feel like just by meeting you, a part of me I didn't know I was missing has been completed."
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Post by Anactoria IV on Oct 24, 2010 9:45:52 GMT -5
There was a gasp from Anactoria, then she was on her bed with Azhani hovering over her. Her cheeks grew warm. "Is this not how we fist met?" she asked shyly, though she met Azhani eyes eagerly. "Though I must confess, I prefer the grapes to the knife."
Anactoria lifted her head slightly to take a grape in her mouth, then lowered it gain to look up at Azhani as she chewed. Slowly.
Azhani was here. She was in her room, on her bed on top of her, feeding her fruit. Anactoria was glad she was lying down. She might have fainted otherwise. She raised one trembling hand to caress the side of Azhani's face. "I know...exactly. what you mean," Anactoria said carefully." And she did. The moment that she realized that it had been Azhani and not Freja in her room, everything had seemed better. She had been worried before that it was the danger that attracted her to the confessed assassin. But there was no danger here. Azhani had never looked less dangerous, injured as she was. Now there was only deep sense of contentment, masked only by a yearning and an odd sense of completeness.
Heart, mind, and body each line up perfectly for Anactoria, and in that instant she raised her head again. Her lips bypassed the grapes entirely to attached themselves to Azhani's.
The kiss was an eternity, in that way only seconds can be. She pulled back, opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes unfocused for a moment or two before she blinked and focused on Azhani again. She smiled.
"One night wont be enough," she said.
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Post by Fa'raazhin Azhani on Oct 24, 2010 11:45:48 GMT -5
Azhani broke out into laughter, though she tried to conceal her voice enough so that nothing would sound suspicious had anyone been outside. Sans the romantic setting, she was right. Now, Azhani couldn't fathom threatening Annie like that, even if she'd thought it was necessary and had no real intention of hurting her. "I do, too."
The assassin blinked as she felt the soft hand on her face. She wanted to take it and kiss her palm, but both of her hands were a bit preoccupied. Was this the first time Annie had touched her like this? It felt like it...
And then she really did feel a first.
Annie kissed her. For a moment, she couldn't believe it. She blinked, momentarily stunned, but the opportunist in her reminded her that the kiss could end at any moment. She immediately dropped the grapes and kissed back with every bit of passion that she felt for the sweet, beautiful girl beneath her. She wanted to be sad when the kiss ended, but she couldn't. All she could feel was a swelling sense of happiness that it had even happened in the first place. There was another feeling as well, but she couldn't quite identify it...
Azhani returned the princess's smile and opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped and then moved off of Annie. She sat on her knees beside her. The same protective instinct that had spurred her in the tavern was kicking in again; only the threat this time wasn't some thugs who wanted to use Annie. It was her. "Annie... I would gladly spend eternity with you, but...the more time we spend together, the more danger I'll put you in. Could you live with that? Could you live with me? If..." She looked down, pausing for a moment. The next time she spoke, it was much quieter. "If we were to marry?"
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Post by Anactoria IV on Oct 30, 2010 8:20:05 GMT -5
Anactoria rolled over onto her side to look at Azhani. "I am constantly being told that," she said. "That it is dangerous to be near you. You are not planning on hurting me. You have had plenty of chances to hurt or kill or kidnap me, and you have not done so. You know one or two of the secert ways in and out of the castle, if you wanted to rob the place blind or hurt my parents, you would have done it ages ago. You," and here she pressed her finger to Azhani's chest, directly between the woman's breast to where her heart beat, "are no danger to me. Aside from how difficult I find it to think rationally around you, that is.
"I must then assume, that the danger that you speak of comes from beyond you as a person; that it comes from your reputation and your... profession. Have you enemies, Azhani? Would they strike at me to get to you? Would said enemies risk the military might of the Empire being leveled against them for assaulting the crown princess?"
"Or is it the future that presents the danger? Will you continue to assassinate if we were...were to marry? When, in the fullness of time, we assume the throne? Is what that would mean for Terre de cote and its citizen the danger? Is what your own people would think of you if you do stop the danger?
"I hear alot of talk of danger, but no one has offered me specifics. I cannot tell you if I can live with it until I know what I would be living with. Azhani... please explain it to me."
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Post by Fa'raazhin Azhani on Oct 30, 2010 10:16:27 GMT -5
Azhani had never thought of it like that. She had plenty of people after her: knights, bounty hunters, rival assassins. Within the walls of Terre de Conte, so far, she had been safe (not that she thought she had made a big enough splash to warrant anyone coming after her or even knowing she was there), but what of after she left. Could marrying Annie really change all that - the running, the living in constant paranoia? And if she married her, would anyone really risk attacking the Imperial Princess?
Annie's defiance both baffled and amazed Azhani. Any other girl would have taken her cryptic warnings to heart and probably seriously considered cutting all ties with her. Annie was different. Her defiance made Azhani want her even more. She took Annie's hand from her chest and kissed her palm, then held it against her cheek. "I have plenty of enemies, Annie. Some I know and some I've yet to encounter. I'm a thief and an assassin. By all means, I'm a terrible person. I'm a wanted woman with a bounty on my head in more countries and kingdoms than I care to think about. In my line of work, the only way to beat the competition is to get rid of it.
"I've been poisoned, beaten, tortured, I was almost buried alive once, and I honestly can't count how many times I've been cut or stabbed. I have had friends and comrades killed for no other reason than to taunt me." Azhani swallowed, pausing at the painful memories. She laid next to Annie and held her close, burying her face in her neck and kissed it as she tried to bury her pain. "But you're right. None of that matters when I'm with you." Taking a breath, she lifted her head to face the princes, her eyes searing with her conviction. "I can't promise you that the enemies I've made over the years are compassionate or even intelligent enough to leave you and your empire out of their grudge against me." She took Annie's hand and held it tight. "But I swear to you on my life, Annie, if you and I marry, the moment our vows are said, my life as an assassin ends. As you said, my family may have some objection to that, but if it makes our relationship that much more difficult, I'll make that sacrifice." She kissed Annie's cheek. "If that's your wish, I'll gladly comply."
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Post by Anactoria IV on Nov 8, 2010 9:18:54 GMT -5
"If you were a terrible person, Azhani " Anacotira replied, "I would be dead. Or worse, so seduced and so wrapped around your finger that there would not be a thought in my head that you did not put there. Yet, the opposite has happened. You have done nothing but respect me. You have told me nothing but the truth and left it to me to make up my own mind and heart."
Her thumb caressed Azhani's cheek. "You are a good person who has done terrible things. It is possible to be both, I think."
The kiss, even on the cheek, sent Anactoria's head spinning. "That would be my wish," she said. "One of several," she added, a mischievous smile curling her lips. "I would, for example, wish to replace each of those horrible memories with one equally pleasant."
Anactoria rose on the bed only far enough to carefully push Azhani down on to it. There was a flash of color on her cheeks, and a moment of hesitation before she hiked up the hem of her dress, and proceeded to straddle the foreign princes waist, the bulk of her weight on her own knees. Her cheeks were burning, but her movement were as graceful as ever as she seized the grapes from the tray,
"This should blot out one of those stabbings, perhaps?" she asked, before carefully feeding Azhani one of those sweet fruits.
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Post by Fa'raazhin Azhani on Nov 8, 2010 16:48:59 GMT -5
Azhani felt her eyes well with tears she knew she wouldn't shed. There was something so...sweet, so innocent about Anactoria. Every act of kindness touched her, and she hated herself for it. She was an assassin and a dignified princess. She was supposed to have more control over her emotions than this, but where Annie was concerned, may as well have been a young girl. Not that she was that old in the first place...
In Z'hakaat, Azhani had been forced to either mature at a young age or die. When she was with Annie, the more she was with her, she felt the pressure less and less to be the perfect assassin. Annie never asked anything of her other than just being herself. Part of her couldn't stand that. She felt weak and inept around her, but another part - the part that inevitably won - couldn't have been happier for the relief she felt around her. "Thank you, Annie," she whispered.
The smile on Annie's face and the boldness of her actions - at least for her - drove Azhani wild. She loved seeing Annie break out of the reserved shell of hers that she had to hide in in public, and better yet, she loved how cute she looked when she blushed. "Please do..." she mumbled as the Imperial Princess straddled her. She savored the taste of the grape, but the truth was that it wasn't the only thing she wanted to taste. She moaned quietly. "Not quite," she said as she began pulling Anactoria down towards her, "but this might." Cupping her face, she slowly lifted her head to kiss her again.
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Post by Anactoria IV on Nov 14, 2010 10:12:02 GMT -5
Though Anactoria was technically 'on top' so to speak, she allowed herself to be lead as Azhani cupped her face and kissed her again. She kissed back, and forgot to breathe for a moment or two.
The kiss was a long one. Maybe too long, and something became very apparent: Anactoria had no idea how to deepen it. Oh her lips were soft and supple. Delicious really. But it never occurred to her part said lips, or to tilt her head slightly so that they would fit together better. It took her a bit to notice that she had no idea how to proceed...or even if they should. It was a slippery slope, having Azhani so close... in her room, on her bed...
She pulled back, and remembered to breathe. If she was blushing before, it was far more so now. She felt dizzy, as though she was balanced on thin cord, and could fall at any moment. She wasn't sure if she wanted to fall or not.
"Azhani..." she breathed. Was she asking for help regain her balance, or hopping the other woman would pull her over? She wasn't sure.
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Post by Fa'raazhin Azhani on Nov 14, 2010 10:42:37 GMT -5
Azhani had to admit that she was quite surprised by the kiss. She had every intention of tasting Annie's lips, but what she wasn't expecting was the fact that they did indeed have a...well, taste. She supposed it was one of the perks of kissing a princess, and as uncommon as it was, it was far from unwelcomed.
Annie's inexperience was apparent, but Azhani didn't seem to mind. She was kissing Anactoria Sapphis IV, the Imperial Princess of Terre de Conte. She could have been the worst kisser in the world, and it would have made Azhani feel no less triumphant.
"Shh," she cooed, brushing Annie's hair back. She smiled. "I'm still trying to make sure I'm not dreaming." It was incredibly unlikely that she was, because in that case, Annie would already be naked. Azhani pulled Annie against her and kissed her cheek. "I don't dream often, but I have to say, this is the best dream I've ever had. I'm hoping I never wake up from it."
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Post by Anactoria IV on Nov 20, 2010 9:51:32 GMT -5
A slightly mischievous gleam lit up Anactoria's face, and she gave the shoulder of Azhani's uninjured arm a slight pinch. "You are not dreaming, Azhani," she said softly. "Nor am I. If I was ... well... even imperial princess can be impatient in their dreams. And clothing has a way of melting into non existence with surprising swiftness when said impatience strikes. But perhaps... perhaps that is something we can help one another with...?"
((sorry so short))
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