Champion, Chapter 13: Relax and Reflect

AidanThe RealmsSecondday, 1st week of the 9th month, Age of the Chosen 1Late AfternoonCaer Macht, Mistvale Highlands

By the time Ailis dismissed him from her lessons, Aidan felt like he'd been through the wringer. His breakdown that morning started things off with a bang, although his ladies' comforting afterward dampened the impact. Following that up by having to shout Ecgwena down and then take an immediate turn into tense negotiations used up a considerable chunk of his mental energy. Then, rather than resting and recharging with Brighid, Ailis waylayed him, leading to a conversation that, while necessary, stressed and taxed them both. And, the maraschino cherry on top of everything was the lessons.

Ailis was an excellent teacher, there was no doubt of that. She took her role as his mentor seriously. As a consequence, however, she demanded his complete attention and focus. She adapted to his learning style and speed on the fly, drawing him out and making him think about the questions she posed from every angle. Every time he pleased her with an answer or solution, she increased the pace and intensity, until Aidan's mind ran at full capacity. He couldn't argue with the results, and on a day that had been less of an emotional rollercoaster, he might even have been pleased with his progress, but he needed today to be over.

"If anything else happens today, I'm gonna scream," Aidan muttered.

"Arghhhh!" Aidan screamed.

"My Lord?" Cai sounded unsure whether to laugh or grab her weapon.

"My Patron thinks They are funny. I just got another quest, and it's a doozy." He groaned. "Fuck it. I'm headed to my chambers. I'm pretty sure the bath in there has a jacuzzi function. Cai, you're dismissed for the evening, but if you can, please find Ailis and ask her to join me before you head to bed?"

"Of course, my Lord. Have a good night. Do you want me to ask Llwyd to watch over Brighid and Sunnild?"

"No, it's fine, give them their privacy. There's nothing in here that can hurt them unless they decide to go into the Labyrinth on their own, and I don't have to worry about that given Brighid's fear of heights."

"As you say, my Lord."

AidanEarly EveningThe Lord's Chambers, Caer Macht, Mistvale Highlands

The bath did, indeed, function as a jacuzzi, much to Aidan's delight. He lounged along one edge of the massive square inset into the bathroom floor, floating along in empty-minded bliss, until the sound of hooves on stone caught his attention. He cracked one eye open to see Ailis standing in the doorway; he waved her in.

"I did not expect you to be this proactive about our relationship," she teased.

Aidan shrugged. "Brighid and Sunnild are spending time together to get to know each other; I figured I should spend some quality time with you. Time waits for no man, as I was reminded not so long ago. Of course, if you don't want to..." he trailed off as Ailis's shirt fell to the floor. He'd seen her naked before, but she was still an attractive woman, and he sunk down a little further beneath the churning surface of the hot tub to hide his reaction to her getting naked for him.

"I did not say it was an unpleasant surprise," she said as she stepped into the water. "Oh, this is nice. Hot baths are a luxury I rarely afford myself." She looked uncertain for a moment, then steeled her resolve and waded over to where Aidan sat. He reached out with his nearer arm, guiding her down to rest her humanoid torso against his. Ailis held herself stiff for a heartbeat, then relaxed into his embrace, resting her head against his. "This is nice, too," she said into his shoulder.

"It is," he agreed. "One rule for tonight: no business, no emotional drama, no serious talk. I have things I need to discuss with everyone—a new quest with deadlines and some severe implications—but I'm too drained, and it's only you and me anyway. Let's just get to know each other, okay?"

Aidan felt Ailis's nod. "That is fine with me. I ... it would be best to take things slow, anyway."

He squeezed her waist a little. "We'll take as long as we need, Ailis. There's no rush, despite how fast things happened with my other relationships. I've got half a century of lifespan left, at least, and if it takes all of that time, I'll still be happy in the end."

"More than that, thank the Gods. Helltouched live longer than normal humans, and one of the benefits of being a Sovereign is extended lifespan. I would expect you to live to 200 at a minimum if you're allowed to live a peaceful life."

"All the more reason to take our time, then." Aidan stroked his hand up and down along Ailis's side. "So, tell me about yourself, Ailis. Do you have any hobbies aside from reading? What's your favorite color? Favorite food?"

Ailis let out a quiet, huffing laugh. "You say you are fine taking it slow, then bury me in questions." Despite her objection, she let her weight settle more fully on Aidan and slid her left arm around his back. "Hmm. Easiest first. My favorite color is red."

"You really do love Brighid, don't you?"

She stilled against him for a moment, then kissed his shoulder. "I had not considered it, but you are right. I cannot remember having any particular attraction to the color before my little spark was born. You are insightful, my Lord."

Aidan grimaced. "Please, at least while we're alone like this, call me by my name. I don't want to get to know you as Lord Aidan, even if my crown is part of what attracts you to me."

"Sorry," she apologized, kissing his shoulder again, "it was habit. I will have to pay more attention. I do want to know you as Lord Aidan, but I want to know you as plain-and-simple Aidan as well. Not that you are either plain or simple, of course."

"I knew what you meant," Aidan chuckled. "I find that I'm slower to take offense when I'm relaxing in a hot tub with a beautiful woman."

"You really think I am beautiful?" Ailis asked.

"Brighid asked me that exact same question once, you know?" Aidan shook his head. "You are no less attractive to me than your daughter, Ailis, and boy is that sentence strange now that I said it."

The druid giggled and rested her right hand on Aidan's chest, fingers brushing through his sparse chest hair. "Yes, if I did not already know Brighid's opinion on the matter, I would have reacted differently to your teasing. I value her happiness above my own."

"We agree on that, at least. Brighid is everything to me."

Ailis sighed and pushed off of Aidan's shoulder so that she could look him in the eyes. "Then it is well that you have others to watch for your happiness, Aidan." She dipped her head toward him, their lips meeting in a tender, unhurried kiss. Neither pushed the envelope, choosing to keep the moment chaste. After a moment, Ailis returned to her spot on his shoulder.

"What were your other questions?" she asked. "My hobbies and favorite food?"

"Yeah," Aidan confirmed, "or anything else you want to talk about. Those were just conversation starters."

"Hmm, I would have to say my favorite food is Nairn tusker steak, one of the fatty cuts, seared over high heat with a garlic-and-butter sauce."

"Huh. I pegged you for more of a salad-and-tofu kind of lady."

Ailis smacked him on the shoulder. "I have no idea what 'tofu' is, but just because I am not a giant barbarian like my daughter or Ysbail does not mean I starve myself. I rarely indulge in such food, but you asked what my favorite is."

"Sorry, sorry," Aidan laughed, hugging her tighter. "I should know better. How about your hobbies?" he asked, hoping to distract her.

"Other than reading, as you already know? I do not know that I have one, to be honest. My ambitions and plots took up too much of my time before, and preparing for the move to Ceallach Macht has been no less consuming. Now that we are here, I have your apprenticeship and the Labyrinth to think about."

Aidan frowned. "That won't do at all. I need you sharp and stable, Ailis. I won't order you to take some time for yourself yet, but I will if I have to."

The silver-haired centaur was silent for long enough that Aidan wondered if she'd drifted off to sleep. Eventually, however, she spoke again, voice soft. "It makes me happy to hear the concern in your voice and know it is for me." The silence stretched on for a while longer before she broke it again. "I suppose I brought that on myself. I will try to take more breaks; it will be difficult for me. Even here with you, a part of me feels like I am wasting time." Ailis sucked in her breath and stiffened in his arms. "I did not mean—"

"Relax," Aidan soothed, "it's okay, Ailis. Right now, your curves pressing into my chest are distracting me from your rough edges."

Ailis snorted and smacked his shoulder again, but relaxed and kissed the bottom of his neck where it met his shoulder. "Flirt. You have two young women—both of them combined are less than half my age!—in your stable already, and you are distracted by my little boobs? I know how I stack up against Brighid, Aidan. You do not need to flatter me."

"Now you're fishing for compliments," he scolded. "I already told you that you are no less beautiful in my eyes than Brighid is. Yes, sure, her breasts are bigger than yours. I'm not that shallow, and since I seem to have blanket permission to pursue who I want, I might as well have some variety. You wouldn't want to eat your garlic-and-butter pan-fried steak every meal, would you?"

"Ah, so you admit that you prefer women with larger chests!"

Now it was Aidan's turn to apply some physical deterrent; he opted for the classic waist-tickle. Ailis squealed in surprise and squirmed against him, bringing a smile to Aidan's face. Old or not, she still felt good. She wriggled away from him, pushing off his chest, which was what he was aiming for. He reached up and cupped both Ailis's breasts in his hands; they fit perfectly in his palms. Aidan gave them a squeeze and smiled up at her shocked expression. "Yes, I'll admit I find large breasts attractive. It's the caveman in me, I guess. But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate smaller ones. Brighid's boobs are too big to hold in my hands like this; they're more fun to grope and knead, but I can't feel her heartbeat through them like I can with you. You should calm down, by the way. It feels like your heart is about to explode out of your chest."

"Calm down, he says," Ailis moaned, "as he touches me in a way I have not been touched for twenty years."

"Oh," Aidan teased with a grin, "if that's the problem, the solution is simple." He slid his hands back around her waist and pulled her into a kiss. The kiss quickly grew heated this time, with Ailis parting her lips and sending her tongue squirming into Aidan's mouth. Her nipples hardened and dug into his chest as her hands began to explore beneath the water. She didn't approach his manhood, but she caressed and stroked his waist and thighs. They made out for a few minutes before Ailis broke the kiss.

"Aidan... I do not deserve your affection." Aidan winced inwardly at echoing his own self-recrimination earlier in the day, but Ailis wasn't done speaking. "I do not deserve it, but I will make myself worthy if you offer it to me. For tonight, though, thank you for making me feel wanted and loved, even if your fondness for me does not run that deep yet. I apologize for working you up to such a state and then leaving you, but I am not ready to progress further."

Aidan gave her a lopsided smile. "By my standards, this was quite a successful first date. I got to share a nice, relaxing soak with a beautiful woman, learned some things about you I never would have guessed, and ended the night with some kissing and petting. Believe me, I have had far less entertaining evenings and still asked the lady in question to join me again afterward. Besides, ask Brighid; she'll tell you that anticipation makes the eventual ending all the more fulfilling. I already told you that I'm willing to take as long as it takes, so let the anticipation build."

Ailis stooped down and brushed her lips across his again. "You are a good man, Aidan Lostlorn. I will see you tomorrow. Pleasant dreams."

Aidan watched her climb up out of the bath, scoop up her shirt, and walk to the door. She looked over her shoulder at him, smiled, then left. Aidan leaned back against the tub. A splash to his right made him open his eyes again.

"I told you she would not resist," Riama sent him. "I will accept praise and scratches for being correct now."