Chapter Text
“I hate it when we come here…” The tall vieran woman stood by the windowsill, staring out at softly drifting snow as it fell and settled as a thin layer over the rigid concrete and metal buildings before her. Dark skyscrapers choked her view and, far below, the black specks of vehicles travelled through the arterial streets between them, ushering Garlemald’s people and its armies throughout the great capital and beyond.
She shivered and wrapped her copper-skinned arms about her. From behind her, she felt a soft, fur-lined blanket drape gently over her shoulders, and with it came the strong arms of a man, wrapping around her and encasing her in a comforting embrace. “I know you hate the cold. We’ll only be here for a couple of days. We’ll be back home before you know it.”
Rael frowned at the reflection of the handsome man embracing her. Tall, with sandy blond hair and bright, blue eyes like zircons, one would almost mistake the young legatus behind her for a native-born Garlean. That is, if it weren’t for the unmistakably missing third-eye. A hyur born in Landis, Noah van Gabranth, and his father before him, had done the unthinkable; risen themselves to the highest position of power ever held by non-native Garleans. Earning the Emperor’s favour and high regard, Basch van Gabranth had been given full command of His Radiance’s IVth imperial legion; command which, in turn, passed to his son after his untimely death more than five years ago now. Despite being so-called, ‘savages’, the Gabranths represented the ideal to which the empire ever strove. They were proof that even the impure races of the world could be civilized and find their place within Garlean society; that loyalty would be rewarded and all men were truly created equal under Garlemald’s banner.
“That’s not what I mean.” She pulled the blanket closer about her and leaned into the sturdy, warm chest behind her, hoping to banish the chill in her bones. “Yes, I hate the cold. Nothing grows here and the air always tastes foul. But it’s more than that. It always feels like someone is watching me here…”
She eyed his reflection’s translucent lips as they stretched into a knowing smirk. Noah leaned down and planted a soft kiss in the crook of her neck. “Of course they look at you. You are the sun in this sun-forsaken land. They have never seen such beauty, deprived as they are in the cold wastes of Ilsabard.”
Rael closed her eyes and couldn’t help but chuckle when he spoke like this. She leaned her head to the side and let him trail kisses up her neck, allowing the heat of his body to envelope her. “More like I am the savage jungle witch who ensorcelled their poor, young, innocent legatus with my devious magics.” His attempt to distract her was working, and she pressed her rear into him as an example of her corrupting powers. He let out a soft grunt and she could feel him grin against her neck. She grinned in return, pleased with his response, and spun around in his arms to face him.
Safety, security, maybe even something as foolish as love; that’s what Rael saw in the depths of those clear, oceanic eyes. She bit her bottom lip and reached up to tuck one of his golden locks behind his ear. Her giddy excitement cooled for a moment as she looked at him, an old fear beginning to rise up from the depths of her mind. His playful smile disappeared and his brows drew tight, mirroring her concern.
“And you’re going to ask him, yes? After the ceremony?” she asked tentatively.
Noah’s smile quickly returned. “Of course.” He brushed her long, smooth ivory hair aside and cupped her cheek with his hand. Relief swelled in her chest and she placed her hand over his. “I have an audience with His Radiance the day after the morrow. Once we have his permission, we can return home and begin planning the wedding.” Rael’s smile widened into a grin as he leaned down to kiss her. She wove her fingers through his hair and let the waves of hope and elation take her.
Married. To Noah van Gabranth, legatus of the the IVth legion, and an honourable man who had loved and defended her for as long as she’d known him. What more could any woman ask for?
Noah pressed his lips against hers more urgently, and she could feel his hand snake up her back to grasp the nape of her neck. She responded in kind by pressing herself more firmly against him, her ample curves compressing against his solid frame. Her lips parted wider to let his tongue explore her mouth and her pulse began to quicken, a roiling desire already growing between her legs. She let her hands run down the sides of his torso feeling every toned sinew and muscle beneath his light skin. His free hand trailed lower and lower down her body as well, stopping at the edge of her smalls. He let his fingers glide teasingly across the smooth, bronzy skin of her abdomen before slipping them beneath the fabric at her hips and towards burning heat at her core.
The minute his fingers past the threshold of her smalls, however, Rael felt it again. “Stop…,” she whispered, tensing in his arms and leaning away. Noah looked down at her with heady confusion, but obeyed her request.
“What’s wrong?” He placed both hands gently on her waist and gazed at her with concern.
“I…” Rael tried to find the words to explain, but knew that he wasn’t going to understand. She barely understood it herself. “I’m sorry, I’m just tired.” The snowy-haired viera stood on her toes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.
Something in the way he looked at her told her that he was not entirely convinced, but Noah nodded anyway and gave her a reassuring smile. “You’re probably right, tomorrow’s a big day and you need to rest. Are you coming to bed?”
She smiled back at him, perhaps a bit too hard to compensate for the pit she felt in her stomach. “You go ahead, I’ll join you shortly.”
After Noah left her, Rael turned to look out at the sprawling metropolis once more. The monolithic buildings felt stifling and she searched their smooth, soulless exteriors for any indication that she wasn’t imagining things. Somebody, somewhere out there, was watching her. When she found no proof to validate the feeling, however, she frowned and closed the curtains tight on Garlemald, doing her best to banish the thought from her mind.
If she had looked a bit longer, perhaps she would have been able to pick out two topaz eyes glowing out of the gloom high above her, before they vanished altogether into a swirling void of darkness.