Chosen, Chapter 33: The Day Will Come

AidanThe RealmsFirstday, 4th week of the 7th month, Godless Age 597NightStarchaser village, Mistvale Highlands

Ailis was the first of the Councillors to speak. "It is not a good idea to leave the Serenity spell on Aidan for too long; it can have long-term side-effects. Give me just a moment to unravel it gently. Brighid, I am not sure how he will react when he is in touch with his emotions again, so be prepared." So saying, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Aidan felt the emotional dampening effect gradually recede, which was a strange sensation indeed. He shivered and shook his head like a dog drying its fur, then relaxed into Brighid's arms as she wrapped them around him.

"I'm alright, love," he told her, patting her forearm. She squeezed him lightly, but didn't let go; he didn't mind. Aidan turned his attention to the four Council members standing before him and gave Ailis a short half-bow. "Thank you, Lady Councillor, for your spell. I am sorry that I was unable to deliver my report without your assistance."

"Think nothing of it, Aidan. It was our arrogance and negligence that made it necessary. I regret that my magic was incapable of providing lasting relief for your trauma, but I see that my daughter has already made steps in that direction." She arched one eyebrow, eyeing the way Brighid was cradling Aidan in her arms. A slight frown tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Eilwen, too, was paying attention to Brighid and Aidan's interaction. "Indeed," she said drily. "I would like to talk to you both sometime in the near future. Not tonight, however; it is late, and I am tired."

Fionn added, "I imagine we would all like some of your time, Aidan. I know I still have some questions to ask you about Ceallach Macht, and I believe Ailis does as well from her reaction earlier." The silver-haired centaur nodded. "And the three of us who declined to vote tonight would like a chance to get to know you better." This time, Eilwen and Gerwyn murmured their agreement. He clapped Aidan on the shoulder, and the casual strength of that blow would have sent him sprawling to the ground if it weren't for Brighid holding him up. "For tonight, go celebrate with your Companion. You are safe, and deserve a rest from your ordeals."

Fionn, Eilwen, and Ailis turned to leave, but Gerwyn stuck around a moment longer. "As Councillor over outsiders, you fall under my jurisdiction, for now, at least. If you have any complaints or concerns about your treatment, I am the one you should speak to about them. We will spread the word that you are a guest of the Council, which should prevent outright attacks against you, but will only take the edge off the general hostility. You seem like an honorable and well-mannered lad; keep that attitude and will do more towards bringing you acceptance than any decree from us." He leaned in closer and said in a stage whisper, "And between the three of us, I enjoyed hearing about the way you handled Neifion and his cronies. It was about time someone took him down a peg." He winked, then turned and left, leaving Brighid and Aidan alone in the hall.

Once there was no one to observe them, Aidan tilted his head back against Brighid's bosom, then reached up behind her head and tangled his fingers in her hair, tugging her down into a kiss. "Shall we head home?" He asked, lips brushing hers.

"Mmm," Brighid agreed, then scooped him up in her arms. To his laughing protests, she only replied, "Hush. I can feel how much that took out of you; you could barely stand on your own. Let me do this for you, my love." Aidan had to admit that she was right.

AidanThe RealmsFirstday, 4th week of the 7th month, Godless Age 597NightStarchaser village, Mistvale Highlands

Once they returned home, Aidan settled into the thick cushion of Brighid's bed and let out a long breath. Brighid sank down next to him, already pulling her shirt over her head. "I know Fionn told us to celebrate, love, but would you mind terribly if we only cuddle tonight? I am still feeling a bit off from your mother's magic, and we still have things to discuss between us anyway.

"Whatever you wish, Sir," the redhead said demurely.

Aidan frowned slightly. "That's one of the things we have to talk about, actually." Feeling Brighid stiffen beside him, he hurried to explain. "No, no, I just mean that we need to establish boundaries. I told you that I would hold you to what you promised me this afternoon, and I mean it. You are mine, Brighid, for as long as you want to be. What we need to discuss is what, precisely, that means to each of us." He turned to face his lover, reaching out to caress her cheek and smiling when she nuzzled into his hand.

"I have gathered that I am your first real relationship? I know you have some sexual experience before me, but I am the first you have romantic feelings for?" She nodded, still rubbing her cheek into his palm. "Then let me tell you, as someone who has been through several failed romances, that mismatched expectations and lack of communication are the quickest paths to ruining a good thing. I told you before that some of my previous partners told me I was too clingy and didn't give them enough space, right?" Again Brighid nodded. "That's the sort of thing I mean. I wanted to spend more time with them than they did with me. That led to hard feelings between us; I felt like they didn't love me as much as I did them, and they felt like I was stifling them. I don't want that to happen with you."

"I do not think that will be a problem. I want to spend all my time with you. In bed, whenever possible." Brighid spoke earnestly, but all Aidan could think was, Ah, youthful innocence.

"That's something that happens with almost every set of new lovers. Once the newness wears off, you will find that things change."

Brighid shook her head. "No, I do not think so. When you examined my status screen earlier, did you see my Traits?" Confused by the seeming non-sequitur, Aidan nodded. "Longwinded is something every centaur has, but the other two are unique to me. Fireheart gives me bonus Attribute points on every level, but at the expense of Willpower. It also raises my Attractiveness and my affinity for Fire Magic and Smithing as well as giving me high innate fire resistance."

"Ahhh," Aidan said. "I did wonder why you had so many points spent on Attractiveness. It makes a lot more sense if they are automatic; I didn't peg you as being vain."

"Yes, that is all from Fireheart," Brighid confirmed. "Then, more relevantly, there is my other special Trait, Intense Heat. It increases my, ah, sexual characteristics," she bounced her breasts and wiggled her rump for emphasis, "and my responsiveness. It also gives me a 'bonus' to fertility, raises my affinity for Sex and its subskills, and changes my heat cycle to make it rarer, but longer and more intense. Basically, between the two Traits, I become aroused very quickly, am extremely sensitive, and am predisposed towards being impulsively passionate." She was blushing, but held Aidan's gaze. "I am more worried about driving you away by being too needy than the reverse, my love."

"Well," Aidan temporized, "I suppose we can table that particular worry until it becomes an issue. If you ever need time for yourself, though, please tell me, and I will do the same, okay?" Brighid nodded her agreement.

"That wasn't my only concern, though," Aidan continued, trying to decide how to word what he needed to say. "I am by no means an expert on the kind of relationship that we seem to have stumbled into. I know a little about it, but we will be learning together. There are two things I know to do right now, though. First, we need to have a safe word. If you say that word, I stop whatever I'm doing to you. The purpose is to allow you to protect yourself from anything that bothers you, physically or emotionally. It needs to be something that you wouldn't usually say while we, ah, play, and should be short and distinctive."

Brighid thought seriously for a few moments, then asked, "How about pickle? It is short, and you are not likely to mistake it for another word."

"Yes, that's a good word. The second thing is a list of dos and don'ts. What are the things that get you excited, and conversely, what do you never want to have to do? Anything you say no to is totally out of the picture, anything you say yes to I'll do my best to incorporate when I can, and anything you don't mention is open for experimentation. I have some suggestions, but I want to hear your thoughts first."

"You are making me think too much when all I want is for you to make love to me," Brighid complained good-naturedly. "I like it when you touch me, especially when you are forceful or coercive. I want you to give me orders. When you commanded me to kneel and strip for you in front of Siwan..." She shivered and let out a soft moan. "I do not want to be even touched by any man but you, but women are fine. I will happily seduce another woman into our bed if you ask me to. Maybe even if you do not forbid me to," she giggled. Aidan had his reservations about that but resolved to let her finish first. "A little pain heats me up, but I have been cut and bludgeoned and had my bones broken, and those are not sexy. Stick to pulling my hair and tugging on my nipples."

"What about spanking you?" Aidan asked, already suspecting the answer.

Emerald eyes widened, then half-closed. "Mmm, I think coming from you, that would prove an extremely ineffective punishment, but an equally effective way to ensure you have a wet and willing mare on your hands."

"We'll add that to the 'yes' column then," Aidan said with a laugh. "Do you have any strong opinions on where my seed ends up? Do you want me to avoid releasing in your mouth, do you like the idea of having me come on your breasts or rump or anything like that?"

"Mark your territory however you like, Sir," his flame-haired lover replied with a purr. Then she added with a wry smile, "But if you get it in my hair or fur, it is your job to clean it out."

"Fair!" Aidan agreed, laughing. "I'll try to keep the mess to something easily fixable. Here's another for you: what do you think of anal sex?"

"I would be willing to try, for you," she said slowly. "I have never had anything there before, though I know it is possible."

Aidan nodded. "I can work with that. If you don't enjoy it, that's fine. Some women, at least humans, really like it, and some hate it. I think that's enough for now. We can revisit this subject later if we need to. I do have a couple of related topics I wanted to explore, though, if you're not too tired?"

"Of course," she agreed, "but can we get more comfortable? I cannot help but notice that I am the only one who is naked."

"As my lady wishes," Aidan agreed and worked his way out of the clothes. Brighid ran her hands over his body, ostensibly to help him, but she seemed much more concerned with touching him than actually getting his clothes off. Once he was naked, she pulled him against her chest, her breasts providing a natural pillow, and absently ran her hands up and down his chest.

"Do you want me on my side so that we can cuddle as we sleep?" She asked him curiously. "I could not afford to out in the field, but here at home where it is safe, it is no trouble." Aidan nodded, and Brighid lowered herself onto her side, bringing him with her.

Usually, I'm the big spoon, Aidan thought, laughing to himself. This is a new experience. Out loud, he said, "So, twice now, you mentioned bringing other women into our bed. Is that something you want, or are you suggesting it because you think it's something I want?"

Brighid's hands stilled momentarily, then resumed their idle caresses. "Both, I think. It is not unusual among our people for women to have women as lovers, even if they also have a male lover. Sometimes they even share a male. I think I could live without anyone but you, but there is still part of me that wants to feel another woman's breasts, hear her moan, taste her pleasure. And, more practically speaking, I cannot bear your children; humans can cross-breed with most other races, but not centaurs. I love you even more for what you implied when we bathed, but it cannot be, Aidan."

He turned around in her arms, looking into her verdant green gaze. Brighid's hands slid down to his lower back, then froze when he reached up to grip her hair. "Just this afternoon, you promised to do whatever I wanted, but already you're telling me no? That I can't breed you? Are you my mare or not?"

Her breath caught, but she managed to moan out, "Aidan, my love, my heart, my mind is willing, eager, exuberant, but it is not physically possible! No matter how much of your seed you sow in me, it will never sprout. I wish it were not so!"

"So you are willing? You would become my broodmare if it were possible?" His voice was intense, demanding, even harsh.

"By Braihan, I would if I could!" She cried out, half in sorrow, half in lust.

"Well then," Aidan said lightly, letting go of her hair and snuggling back against her, "that's that then." At his lover's look of utter confusion, he explained, "Brighid, magic exists in this world. Gods exist. Further, one of those Gods has given me the ability to raise every single Skill to infinitely high levels. How can you think that anything is impossible, given that? Improbable, maybe. Requiring effort and study, certainly. But impossible? No, Brighid. For you, I will make the impossible possible."

He accepted, then told his lover, "And if you still doubt me, I just received a Quest to do just that. Something tells me that there's no such thing as a completely impossible Quest, is there?"

Eyes wide, trembling all over, Brighid whispered back, "No. No, there is not. Aidan, I..." she trailed off, her voice choking up, then, pleadingly, "hold me? Please?"

She burrowed into his arms, shuddering and sobbing. "I've got you," he told her soothingly. "Always and forever, flame of my heart." Her sobs increased in volume, and she held him even tighter, going so far as to wrap one of her forelegs around his thighs. He murmured to her and stroked her hair until she cried herself to sleep, then brooded on the nature of magic, gods, and impossibility until, at last, he joined her.