feeling that wine always gave her, and the first few steps she took were wobbly at best. But soon, she was putting one foot in front of the other and heading down a dark street in the usually very bright and cheerful elven capital city.
She had to go to the warlock trainers. There was someone there who would know more about the book she had found. And loathe as she was to speak to him, she had to get answers. Turning around a nearly hidden corner in the façade of walls around her, Aree passed through silky blue curtains that kept as much darkness in as they kept light out, and made her way down a winding stairwell that hugged one wall and looked out over the room below on its other side. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she felt her personal resolve waver but felt it steeled to full courage by the wine in her belly.
One foot in front of the other, she told herself in her head as she began to make her way across the training room. She swallowed hard as she realized there were no other trainees present. In fact, the room was absolutely empty. Where was everyone? Oh if only even one other person would be here, besides 'him'. He would always be here, but couldn't there have been one other person?
Suddenly a hand slipped around her waist, the other sliding along her arm from behind. Aree felt familiar kisses dropped onto her neck as someone taller, stronger, began to lead her towards the private cubicle she had already been aiming for, but at a much faster pace. She was almost swept off her feet, half from the strength of the man behind her and half from her sudden weakness at the heated kisses on her skin.
No one kissed her. At least, not like this. It was him, alright. She could see some of his black hair in the corner of her heavy lidded eyes. He was gripping her with such familiarity she was beginning to blush, and as they entered into his office space, his touch was no less controlling. Soon Aree found herself pressed to the dark stone of one of the walls, illuminated by a floating blue lamp of arcane fire. He lifted a finger and drew her pale locks of hair out of the way, giving himself more skin to kiss.
"You taste like adventure," he whispered, and she groaned. She had hoped if he tried anything, he'd taste that road grime any recently returned explorer happened to have and would find her disgusting. But he, of course, was insatiable.
"Let me go," she whimpered and heard him laugh in response.
"I can't. You've been gone so long."
His hands were tugging and pulling at her clothing, releasing the armor he himself had designed for her. He knew it so well that even as she wiggled in objection, there was little point. Her clothes came undone right down to the undergarments, their ties failing her at the last minute and coming free. He kept her firmly pressed against the wall until she was completely naked, and then, when he pulled away, she couldn't help feel a chill.
Was it because she was now standing in the office of the headmaster of the dark arts of her people, or because his own warm body had pulled away from hers and she wished it back?
Please, gods, let it be the former, she thought to herself as she slowly turned around.
Somehow he had gotten all the way across the room and was now laying on the small bed he kept here. A long finger crooked at her and beckoned her forward, but Aree shook her head, using her palms to cover herself. The press of her upper arms kept her little chest from being too exposed, and her fingers cupped over her privacy and left nothing visible for his prying eyes.
"Please," she whispered weakly. "I came here for help…"
"I will help you," the dark haired elven man whispered, sitting up so he could undo his own robes.
"Not like this," Aree said, turning her face away. Even as she closed her eyes, she couldn't get the sight of him out of her mind. It had been so long. And he wanted her, always wanted her.
"Come to me," he said and when he said it like that, she had to obey. Why, she wasn't sure, but slowly Aree moved forward until she felt the bed's edge pressing softly against her knees.
His hands moved out to her arms, stroking them lightly, as if he could caress away any of her tension. It wouldn't be that easy, though. Aree had told herself she was done with him, with his manipulations and control of her life. He'd been controlling her since the day she walked into the academy and made for the warlock quarters. And he controlled her still, her arms slowly releasing their covering hold over her body.
"You missed our wedding," he whispered as he lifted his lips and kissed the side of her jaw. "Again."
"I can't marry you!" she squeaked but he wasn't listening. He never did.
"Your father will approve of it without your presence," he said quietly as he drew her against his body. He still wore dark leggings over his body and it was these that Aree felt pressing against her thighs as he rolled her onto the bed and half covered her with his own form.
"P-please," she whispered. "I came to show you…to show you a book…that's all!"
She could hear him grinning, even though she had her eyes closed. "Show me your book later," he said as he stroked a finger along her cheek, along her neck, and then along more intimate curves.
"Promise…promise you'll help me…" Aree said. She was giving in. How could she not? He was the only man that had ever touched her like this, the only man legally allowed to but also the only one she had ever given in to. She stared up at him, trying to sound firm and commanding of her senses. But as she looked into his almond shaped eyes, she knew she was lost. Oh let him be on her side for once!
"I promise," he said with a wry smile. "I'll take a look at your book, after I've taken you…"
With that, he kissed her. And though Aree did nothing to discourage him from doing more, nor did she do anything to encourage him either. It took him hours to get her to respond with kisses to his own, but eventually, when the next morning came, Aree had almost forgotten the book. Almost.
He looked it over briefly and told her some tale about six warlock masters and the desert lands beyond a dark portal she knew well. Then he tried to draw her back to bed and for an instant, Aree wanted to stay there, stay in his arms. Be with him and never leave. Be his wife officially as he so wanted. She wanted to forget he desired her family's name and wealth as much as her body, but at the last minute, when she had given herself to him yet again, she remembered every painful event that had transpired between them. And once he was fast asleep yet again, spent after what she had allowed him to take from her, Areesal quietly got out of his bed and drew her clothes on.
As she put the book back into her satchel, she looked around his office. Books were strewn everywhere, for he was a studious man to say the least. When he wasn't debauching poor young students who couldn't pay their own way through their classes and had to work out an 'arrangement', he was deep in his books. Aree bit her lip and plucked up one that seemed familiar to her, from the tale he had told her of her own new prized possession. Then she grabbed up the journal of an ancient warlock demon master and put that in her satchel with the other two.
She barely gave a glance to the man sleeping in the blue glow of the lamps. He would not think much of her himself, once she was out of sight. She would also be out of his mind. And his heart? Well, she'd never been inside there, no more than he had been in hers.
Striding across the training room, which of course now was utterly filled with students and trainers, all looking at her, Aree kept her face forward and met no one's gaze. She was the only one officially permitted to the man's bed but she knew that more than a few jealous glances followed her departure. She didn't care. Let them have him. She'd gotten what she needed from him, and the rest, well, he could do what he wished with. She had no use for her name and wouldn’t be held down by a silly marriage certificate.
The journey that came next was long and tiresome. Aree had to portal around to other parts of the world, and then go through a very tall and ominous green glowing portal to strange lands beyond, practically from another dimension. The world there floated mystically rather than being kept together like continents ought to be. She sought out magickal items and made her way into a rathe
r forgotten old temple of black stone. Within the temple was a shrine built to honour so many lost souls that had come before her. The denizens of the temple, dead and undead, fought Areesal hard, pushing her to the brink of her abilities time and again. Still, she pushed on to the inevitable end of the trials the gods had placed before her, defeating all that crossed her path. She had to rely of course on the demons she had chained to her soul, but they were the most capable that one could find. Even the giant talking head that tried to slam Aree into a wall so many times, and flooded its shrine room with wave after wave of demons, failed to best her. In the end, Aree got what she came for and headed out, bloodied and bruised but the victor in all ways.
She made her way back to the city of her people slowly but surely. And when she sat at the inn's bar and was quietly advised of the fact that baths were included upstairs, she looked up with a smile.
"Yes," Aree said, feeling an odd sort of confidence. "I think I'll take that bath now."
The bar wench looked back at Aree with surprise. She'd recalled the girl from last time and was sure she would deny the request. But now, with no other patrons in the bar, the barkeep herself closed the inn to the public and carried Aree's things upstairs to one of the more private of