Thread: An Empire in 100 Nights (Rosewood x LeatrixSage)

He was watchful, observant, careful, and it annoyed her that these things were true. The same eyes that seemed to see past her flesh and into her very soul didnt miss the earthly things around them either. Giving him just enough rope to hang himself didnt seem to be working as well as shed like it to be. Hed made no grand speeches at the pyre, something she had hoped hed be dense enough to indulge in just by being a man in power. Then neither he, nor his men, had held onto a single gift. As word got around, not everyone would appreciate a conqueror that didnt take his spoils, but that notion was already largely conflicted with their first and only Queen being part of those spoils. She tried to decide how she would see it all, from the outside looking, but she was far too biased in her own favor. He was even restraining himself now. He had not missed her intent to flee from him, not by a long shot. It was something he could have easily taken offence to and used to his favor, but he didnt. Yet again, she was dumbfounded by his existence. How did someone like him maintain the careful blend of fear, awe, power, and control that one needed to rule? He did not demand, or insist, he even turned her words over and referred to her people as still her own. It left her frowning up at him while she tried to work out the answers to her questions. Would he be an entirely different man if she accepted his little deal? If she was his property, and not a prize he was trying to win, would he then be the demanding and deadly God-King she had heard so much about before shed laid eyes on his face? Or, did a simple man truly exist beneath all of that the way a simple woman was hidden somewhere behind the Iron and the Ice? There were too many questions and not enough answers to come by. Im exhausted, she confided quietly. The confession was uncomfortable, and she began to stroll along the outside edge of the great hall to ease her discomfort. There were always eyes on her, but now more than ever before they made her feel utterly inadequate. Their collective judgement was ever present. It made it difficult to carry her head high. She had been defeated, after all, and by no narrow margin. I want nothing more in this moment than sleep. Ive fulfilled the duties and demands made on my personage for the day. Feasting and drinking, was something she simply didnt have the stomach for, not when there was so much else that needed doing, will have to wait. Bjorn, Solveig stopped at the head of a table and called out to one of the very few men she trusted. He is a landed man, but he prefers to be a military man, she explained to the emperor as Bjorn rose from his place at the table. He extracted himself from the woman that had been sitting on his lap and brought a horn with him that he handed to Solveig. She accepted it but did not drink. What is your will, my Queen? the man asked with a broad grin born of warm mead and good company, but the expression didnt quite make it to his eyes. He wasnt quite ready to accept the man, something that Solveig didnt miss, and she doubted the God-King missed it either. My will is for you to show this southern how to feast and how to drink, she stated plainly. Hes tall as a giant, she went on before either of them could walk out of the arrangement she was creating. Obviously his ancestors have to be related to ours. Maybe that is why the Gods lent him victory. Perhaps they were just brining a lost giant back home. There was an obvious, albeit silent change that came over Bjorn. He considered her words carefully, and despite the mans argumentative nature, he accepted them well enough for the time being. Come then, he said as he clapped Morgundt on the back to lead him toward the tables, the food, and the people. Solveig was left with little need to excuse herself, but she still saluted the pair as they left. I have not forgotten our agreement, she remined the God-King as he was led away to find his pleasure with the common mass of boisterous mortals. For the evening, she was comfortable in the knowledge that he would find little resistance with Bjorn at his side. It should have meant that there was nothing to disturb her sleep. And yet, Solveig was still wide awake when the pyre had burned down to embers and the city had grown dark late into the night. She knew when the Emperor and his mean road back through the city, she watched them from her window when they crossed the bailey and then vanished into the streets below. They had surely returned to their tents long before she had sat down in bed to stare at the wall and wonder what answers she could force from the stones if only she could look close enough. Of course, there was nothing to be found on the surface of those ancient stones that could answer any of her questions. Sleep took her when exhaustion became a greater weight to bare than her worries could ward off. And yet, her dreams betrayed her in much the same way as her body had betrayed her each time she had found herself too near to the man they called a god. Her dreams made her face those things she had chosen to ignore. The sound of his voice was there first, the dark timber of his laughter floating in the darkness. The oppressive heat of that damned hearth fire followed the sound, and then its flickering light revealed bright eyes that saw far too much and a predatory grin that threatened to devour her soul. Rough fingers touched the sweat slickened skin of her back and slid slowly down her spine. The simple touch wrenched a sound from her lips that was pure, wanton lust, and then that same hand slid over her ribs as his arm wrapped around her middle and drew her body back against his. His other hand slipped between her thighs. When she tried to press them together he resolutely forced them apart, and then his warm palm scaled the core of her as he cupped her mound so that the proof of her arousal coated his palm. The heel of his hand rested over her clit and that taunt little button became the center of every sensation. His teeth found the side of her neck and Solveig writhed in his arms. As she wriggled and squirmed, she ground herself into the hand that held her so intimately. Solveig sat up with a start. She was sweating, and shaking, and a hand fluttered to her neck where she swore she still felt teeth gently holding onto her to keep her still. The sun was just cresting the horizon, her fire had long gone out, and snow was drifting past the windows. Her room was dark, and cold, and He was not there. With a groan, she fell back into her bed and forced herself to breath. The insistent and pulsing need that raced through her blood slowly faded, and when she felt herself again, Solveig crawled from beneath the layers of fur to reignite her small fire. A few quick yanks on a rope by the door brought a sleepy woman to her room. She was one of many women that worked in the castle, and she watched her Queen with bleary-eyed wonder before trotting off to wake the rest of the castle. Food to break her fast was brought up in short order, followed by a tub for a cold bath that made her feel more human. It wasnt long before the rest of Ravenswrath began to stir. Many were recovering from the past nights activities, but that did little to slow the tide. The war was over. Every man, Jack, and Harry was going to be seeking his payment for whatever part he played. First and foremost where the efforts to rebuild at Ravenswrath and distributing what was left of the reserves to keep the peasants fed. Winter was late and harvests had been good. There should be enough grain and meal to keep the majority of the valley fed. It wasnt as bleak as she had made out when she had spoken with Morgundt, but things were not going to be pleasant this year. Solveig set her Barons to various tasks organizing the efforts of rebuilding, making sure the sick and the injured received care, discovering the families of dead soldiers to make sure they were cared for, distributing food but, there was more to do than she had men to devote to. Many would be returning to their homes soon to begin the same work on a smaller scale. She would have to depend on the city watch after that. And then, there was the question of who would sit the throne in her place while she toured the valley with their southern conquer. Until his 100 nights were over, she would find herself beholden to traveling wherever his whims led her. Solveig frowned at the thought, was she then softening to this outrageous scheme of his? To be his mistress for 100 nights. It felt too much like being his property, something she had already escaped by getting rid of her late husband. The thought of the Emperor finding a similar and sudden end to his life crossed her mind, but assassination had already failed, and he was not the witless dolt her husband had been. It was a concept that came and went while she listened to one claim after another and dolled out various forms of payment for the losses of the peasant-farmer, Merchant, and Baron alike. Last edited Apr 22, 2019