1992.xx.xx
Told Ya So
By Matthew Sibole
It was morning, or at least what could be called morning. The sky was as gray as it had been for months now. Only the daylight spells cast by the clergy helped marked the time of day, if only for the sake of morale and sanity. The spells worked well enough though, and most of the people of Avalon went on about their business as usual. In the city of Belfort, things were much the same and today's activities were no exception.
Even with the light, a sleepy haze lingered over the city. The night before, Prince Artorius had thrown a lavish celebration feast for its heroes. The party had gone on well into the wee hours and most of the citizens lucky enough to attend were still sleeping off the effects; although the average townsperson was unaware and unaffected and bustled through the streets at the first sign of the magical sunlight to which they’d become accustomed. There did seem to be a certain hush in the streets. Of the heroes honored during the previous night's festivities, only one was up and moving outdoors as of yet.
Valestis was in the stable feeding his mount, Aerie. The horse’s silvery coat glistened even in the false light and she whinnied and stamped her approval of the meal. She did not need to vocalize her desires with him, but she did so anyway to remind him who was really in charge. Aerie was sometimes a bit much for the common garrison stable boy to handle, so Valestis offered to handle the mare as time permitted. It was part of their arrangement anyway, ensuring that his celestial mount was well cared for. She was a demanding mistress and if things were not to her liking, she would let him and anyone within earshot know in a hurry.
Their white eyes exchanged glances when she was communicating in the way they were accustomed. They knew what the other was thinking, and sometimes wished they didn’t. Valestis reached a carrot out to Aerie’s mouth and snapped back just in time to keep his hand.
“Easy girl,” he chided mockingly. This was a game they played and he knew that she was feeling a little left out recently, so he indulged her. “Sorry, girl,” he admitted with a sigh, patting the steed on her head and rubbing. “I’ve been thinking of other women.”
And he had been. He stroked the horse's mane and closed his eyes. He had known two true loves in his young life. One, Kaylessa, was taken from him during an attack on his home by undead. Lost with her was his only son. It took him years to heal from that tragedy and eventually led him to the path he now walked as a paladin of Kelemvor. The second love was still alive, but was now with another man. Tia was a diamond he found in the rough lands of Vontiff being abused by her own father. He saved her and stayed close until he was kidnapped and killed over a year ago. By the time he was raised and healthy enough to return to Avalon, she had moved on. Now she was with Prince Artorious, and if the rumors were true, they had consummated their relationship which she and Valestis never got to do. He had given his blessing when he learned of the relationship, but it still stung.
In spite of all of his terrible luck at love, for a brief time last night, he was able to leave those cares behind and be bewitched by the beauty of a female. It was nearly intoxicating enough to make the paladin forget himself and his willpower… almost. He played out the evening in his mind. First, the rogue, Edea, was quite stunning in her simple, elegant dress. Her black hair and blue eyes contrasted an alabaster gown that made her look as if she was carved from fine marble instead of flesh and blood. Her grace under the eyes of so many strangers was certainly endearing and made her even more attractive. Fortunately for Valestis, she hadn’t stayed at the dinner long enough for him to be tortured by her exquisite appearance throughout the night.
Seated across from him was Lady Sivora, dressed unusually feminine and looking radiant with flowing red hair like a rising sun and a gold dress hugging her perfectly around her lean, athletic body. The announcement of her engagement to marry to his friend Duncan caused him great happiness and quelled any lust he felt for her as well. Duncan had recently joined him in the ranks of the paladins and Valestis had determined that he would help to guide his friend through the path to becoming his own form of holy warrior. Valestis didn't pretend to know all the answers to the questions he had and would have, but then again, he had several years of practice following this path and any light he could shed was not only appropriate, but necessary.
Then his memory reached back to hold her. She was the one that had his attention now, for the duration of last night's festivities, and even through most of his time in Belfort. The half-elf sorceress Raina Jade could make any chaste man pledge everlasting devotion to her with only a wink and a sniff of her perfume. She was as beautiful a female creature as he'd ever encountered, plain and simple. Having seen angels, he could compare her to one without any doubt. Her big, innocent brown eyes seemed never ending and her golden hair flowed about her face like a living thing. Her body demanded thoughts of a sinful nature, but her personality and actions still exuded the mischief of youth. Searching for a word, he grasped one… intoxicating.
Like a true female companion, Aerie did not take kindly to competition for attention from other females, regardless of species. She snorted out her disapproval in the form of a stream of horse-snot that Valestis just managed to avoid with a quick, if awkward, spin and slide.
“Dirty pool, my girl!” he admonished. One of the benefits of the link they shared was a little forewarning of what the other was planning. Aerie nodded her head up and down and bared her teeth while whinnying slowly and lightly. To someone outside the stable, they would have sworn it was a schoolgirl giggling at a naughty joke.
“Laugh it up and I’ll send that stable boy in here with his brush!” the paladin half-threatened. The stable boy wasn’t tall enough or strong enough to brush her properly and the awkward lad often overcompensated and brushed her too hard. She hated that and let him know it. Aerie responded to the threat by rearing up and knocking the empty bucket from his hands. Much to the mare's pleasure, the blow also knocked the paladin from his feet. Valestis knocked the dirt from his clothes and got back to his feet. Picking bits of straw and hay from his clothing and hair, he shook at single finger at the horse. “You want to be treated like a lady, but that was not lady-like behavior” he told her. She just snorted and stamped a hoof. She was tired of his lusty thoughts.
“Fine, you pick a topic then.” Valestis had gotten used to speaking with Aerie even if she knew what he was thinking. The topic she chose entered his mind and he stopped in mid motion as he was scooping up the empty bucket to look at her. “You sly minx! Fancy the ranger, do ya!?” He teased. Although he was starting to convulse with laughter, he managed to dodge a small kick from one of Aerie’s front legs. “You'd better not let Edea find out! I don’t think I can protect you from her! Hahahahaha!”
The momentary hysterics were broken by a melodic voice from the open stable doors. “Find what out?” The sound reminded him of birds singing. It was Raina, standing at the stable door in a low-cut, but otherwise modest blue dress. Her hands were on her hips and she was looking at him with one eyebrow raised. The enchanted light of day enveloped her and shone through her blonde hair in such a way that it gave the impression of an aura. Valestis could do nothing but stare. It was finally a hard hit from a cold nose that helped him find his voice. Aerie spit and turned around in her stall.
“Uh, nothing,” he stammered, regaining his composure. She had been in the doorway long enough to figure out the one sided conversation and although she enjoyed his discomfort, she didn’t pursue the question. She had these conversations with Kylala all the time, and she hated it when the ignorant didn't know that she and her familiar had more intelligent things to say than more than half the men in the town, including the royals. She sashayed his direction, stepping hard so that the force of her walk made her breasts bounce under her dress. It was loose enough not to trace her outline, but still tight enough to show ample movement. He swallowed a lump in his throat and blood quickly left his face to collect in a much more aroused organ. He instinctively held the bucket below his waist, just in case anything was to attempt its own lusty introduction.
“Do you always talk to yourself first thing in the morning?” she teased. Sure, she knew the truth, but that was no reason not to play dumb. Strong men often liked their conquests to be less intelligent, and she had more than a few dreams of being the object of this paladin's geas. He squirmed under the embarrassment enough to confirm two things for her: he was a man, and her charms were not useless against him.
“Shouldn’t you be nursing a hangover?” he parried. The sudden sharpness of his comment caught her off guard. A normal man would have been still drooling over her approach, but he was composed. She was trouble, and they both knew it. Perhaps he did have a more powerful will than she gave him credit for. She feigned an exaggerated pout with her lips and traced a circle with her bare toe. She wore no shoes or undergarments… less to get in the way if things should go well. “Well," she sang, "that's one advantage of not needing much elven wine to do the job. There isn't as much poison left over to sleep off. I do love the early morning with its fresh face and slow pace. It relaxes me.” This was a true statement. Raina was often punished in her youth for her elven trait of wanderlust and general jitters. She often wanted to sing out at the tops of her lungs or execute a perfect back flip just on a whim, but such things are inappropriate in most civilized situations. When she was alone, there was no one to look at her crossly for behaving as she pleased.
“That’s true on both counts,” he replied, backing off his earlier attempt to put her in her place. “You didn’t have much to drink and spoiling the next day for a single night's fun never appealed to me either.” He gathered Aerie’s saddle and bridle and attempted to focus on cleaning the leather and not Raina standing a breath away. He refused to look up at her, but wanted to keep talking. “You should be careful about getting too drunk though," he mock warned, "for there are plenty of men in this town who wouldn’t mind the fact that you’re unconscious.” He heard her giggle and was pleased with himself. He gathered his will for a quick wink, and then went back to concentrating on the leather polish.
The bluntness of his statement made her smile and his wink let her know that he was being playful. He was in a good mood this morning, and that was something she would have to use to her advantage while she had him alone. Too often since he'd arrived was he in the presence of Dycannus, or Sivora, or Tarin… all people who he respected and wanted to respect him. He wasn't usually silly, at least not when she was present. She liked silly, especially from such a serious man. She closed the extra space between them, reached out, and took hold of the saddle for him. He looked at her again and she smiled sweetly.
“But I had my brave knight there to watch over me,” she purred. “I wasn’t worried about my virtue.” There was a hint of sincerity in her voice and that made him blush a bit more. He broke into a rather oversized grin while he worked the polish into the leather and she almost laughed out loud. It was so strange for her to be this attracted to a man so pure of heart. Most of the men she liked were wild like her and often of a bad sort. She'd always been too guarded to get hurt, but it was still no fun having to wiggle out of the grip of danger time after time. She started to say something else, but the heavy saddle slipped from her grip. She dropped to reacquire her hold and it fell from her grasp, knocking her firmly on her butt.
"Ow shit," she snarled, "God damn it all!" She rolled up to one side and rubbed her behind where she fell. That was going to be a strawberry and it was tender to the touch already. "Mother fucker," she said under her breath and then remembered that she wasn't alone. She took her hand away from her backside and looked up sheepishly. Valestis was biting his lip to keep from smiling, but it wasn't working and looked painful.
"Go ahead," she said, "I ruined everything."
He couldn't open his mouth without letting a laugh escape. "Are you all right?" he asked finally. He moved the saddle to the side and helped her to her feet.
"Yes, damn it," she said. "I didn't want to be here cussing myself out in front of a paladin though. I was so worried that I'd say something like 'shit' or 'goddamn it'," she went on and then caught herself again. "I just said all that like three more times, didn't I?"
"Yes," Valestis chuckled, "you sure did." He dusted off her dress where he thought it was appropriate and let her finish the job. Even covered in dirt, she still looked regal. She smiled back at him.
"Thanks for the leg up," she told him. "I guess playing games is out of the question now."
He abruptly changed the subject. “I heard that you helped pick out Edea’s dress,” he said, turning around and reaching for the saddle.
Standing there stunned, she replied, “Yeah, but I originally I voted for leather. You know, something with studs.”
“You two have really seemed to hit it off, huh?” She was a bit surprised at the turn in the conversation. She wasn't sure if it was for her comfort or for his. “Yeah, she's a fun little thief. She turns me on with her spirit. It's hard not to love somebody that spunky.” She was being candid with the celestial and she enjoyed it. Then, she discovered a hole that tore in the back of her dress and she quickly folded it over to cover her bare leg.