Aidan
The Realms
Thirdday, 2nd week of the 10th month, Age of the Chosen 1
Early Evening
Caer Macht, Mistvale Highlands

Aidan left his bodyguards at Caer Macht's entrance and made his way down the side-tunnel to Ailis's quarters. He knocked at her door, waited for her to call out, "Enter!" then slipped inside.

Ailis stood in front of the fireplace, her back to Aidan as she busied herself cooking. He couldn't see the food, but he could smell the distinctive scent of grilled meat above the faint odor of woodsmoke. Ailis looked over her shoulder as Aidan approached and favored him with a smile.

"Good timing, Lord Aidan," she said. "The steaks are almost ready—unless you like yours charred like my barbarian of a daughter."

Aidan laughed. He'd noticed that tendency of Brighid's himself. "No, thank you. Pink in the middle is fine with me. Red's even better."

"Hmm, I knew I liked you for a reason," Ailis teased before returning her attention to the grill. "Salads are already prepared and on the table, and you know where the drinks are."

Aidan ignored the implied directions and stepped up beside Ailis. Her tail swished from side to side and her hooves tapped against the stone floor as she shifted her weight every few seconds. Aidan rested his hand on Ailis's furred back; she startled at his touch, muscles rippling beneath his fingers.

"You're nervous," he said, stroking her back in an attempt at soothing her down. Her fur felt different from Brighid's, softer, almost like crushed velvet.

"I have no idea what you mean," Ailis responded, although she turned her head away from him.

"Ailis," Aidan scolded.

"...Fine," she said after a drawn-out silence. "Yes, I am nervous about tonight. And why not? I am in the process of cooking a meal for my daughter's mate with the express purpose of luring him into my bed. I am a vassal trying to seduce her liege, an old woman wooing a stallion a quarter of my age, and a monster trying to atone for misdeeds with her body. None of which, I hasten to add, I have any experience with."

Aidan stepped closer and ran his hand along Ailis's spine up onto her elven torso underneath her diaphanous shirt. She shivered but did not pull away. "Right now," he said, "the only woman I'm interested in is my friend and mentor, Ailis Silverhair. We can address all those other Ailises later; they are each valid and deserving of attention, but there's only so much of me to go around. Okay?"

Aidan continued rubbing his hand up and down Ailis's back as he waited for her response. It didn't take long; after only a second or two, Ailis's shoulders relaxed, and she chuckled. "You have a way with words, Lord Aidan. I accept your terms."

"I don't suppose I can persuade you to drop the 'Lord,' at least while we're alone? Maybe just for tonight?"

"Hmm," Ailis hummed as she turned, pressing her chest to his. Aidan could feel the soft swells of her breasts as she tilted her head back the fraction of an inch she needed to look into his eyes from this close distance. "I like it, though. You will need to be persuasive, my Lord."

Well, that was an obvious invitation, and Aidan had no intention of letting it go unanswered. He swayed forward and met Ailis's parted lips with his own. Her tongue darted out to tangle with Aidan's, first probing into his mouth before retreating, drawing him into hers. Aidan flattened his hand against Ailis's spine, pulling her close as he leaned into the kiss. Ailis's breathing picked up within a few seconds, and Aidan felt two hard points digging into his chest.

"Mm," the older centaur moaned, pulling back the barest distance needed to break the liplock. "You are remarkably good at that, Aidan. If you do not stop, we will both be eating blackened steak tonight."

Aidan smirked. She said that, but ... "Do you want me to stop?"

In answer, Ailis reached up and cupped the back of his head, then tugged him forward. "Never," she murmured against his lips.

"I didn't think so," Aidan replied, then leaned forward, forcing Ailis to arch her back as he let loose his hunger upon her. Her slender fingers tightened in his hair as she accepted Aidan's ravenous advances.

Still, Ailis pushed him away a minute later, cheeks flushed and breath short. "I really do need to finish cooking, Lord Aidan."

Aidan felt a growl building in his throat at the deliberate provocation—enhanced by the caress of Ailis's fingers stroking his scalp—but reminded himself that anticipation would make the end of the evening all the sweeter. He backed off, not bothering to hide his reluctance from Ailis.

"We'll finish this later," Aidan rumbled.

Ailis smirked. Familiar flames danced behind her eyes; in that, at least, she and her daughter were alike. "I look forward to it. But I also look forward to dinner, so please, help yourself to a drink and take a seat."

Aidan let his hand slip down to Ailis's hip and gave her a squeeze, then stepped back and turned to find himself something to drink. The larger living quarters in Caer Macht had various useful minor enchantments, including magical iceboxes, and Ailis kept a small stock of blackberry mead in hers. She rarely drank anything but tea or water, but she knew Aidan's preferences by now.

After pouring himself a glass of alcohol, Aidan took a seat at the table. A moment later, Ailis joined him, laying down beside him and depositing a pair of plates on the table. "Seared Nairn tusker steaks with garlic-and-butter sauce?" Aidan guessed, eyeing the cuts of meat.

"You remembered!" Ailis nudged him with her shoulder.

"Of course. You didn't think I was asking those questions for no reason, did you?" Aidan slipped his right arm around Ailis's waist and gave her a tug. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It was one possibility," she admitted. "Please bear with me. I am still struggling to adjust to the recent changes."

"Don't worry," Aidan told her, "you're doing well. Brighid had nothing but good things to say about the way you handled the city while I was away."

Ailis snorted. "Was that before or after you finished pounding her into the bed?"

"Oh, after, of course," Aidan smirked at her. "She was much too busy with Sunnild before."

"And your new Mist Stalker woman, I assume."

"Actually, no." Aidan took a bite of the steak. "Mm, this is excellent. But no, Aoife is ... complicated. But I'd rather not get into that right now; tonight is about you and me."

"Thank you. It is my favorite for a reason—and I confess that it is one of the few meals I know how to cook." Ailis followed Aidan's example, starting in on her meal. After a few bites, she responded with a smile, "Very well, keep your secrets for now, but I will have them out of you eventually.

"It's less of a secret than a problem that doesn't have a good solution." Aidan shrugged, then changed the subject. "So, Brighid comes by her aversion to cooking and cleaning honestly, then?"

Ailis straightened and glanced around the room, a blush suffusing her cheeks. "I spent an hour cleaning! What did I miss?" After a moment, she turned to Aidan, her eyes narrowed, and smacked his shoulder.

"I didn't mean anything by it," he chuckled. "I just know that Brighid hates having to clean and only knows how to prepare a few simple meals. That doesn't seem like the kind of thing you let stand unless you had similar limitations."

Ailis looked away, but Aidan looped his arm around her waist and tugged her close. "Don't worry," he said, "I don't think any less of you for it. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses; they're what make us interesting."

"A philosopher now, are you?" Ailis teased, then took a sip of her tea.

"I wouldn't go that far, but I have my own views on how the world works. And how it should work."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well, okay. Everyone's imperfect, right?" Aidan made a vague gesture with his fork. "Perfection is a worthy goal, but it isn't an attainable one. We should always strive to be better than we are, but people take that too far, at least where I come from. They're so afraid of showing imperfection that they refuse to admit their mistakes."

Ailis nodded. "I am familiar with the phenomenon." She grimaced and shook her head. "Nor am I immune to it."

Aidan rubbed her back. "This isn't directed at you. You know the errors you made, even if it took you a while to realize them and begin to correct them. Anyway, my opinion is that mistakes are the way we learn. If you do things right all the time, that means you already know how to do it. You aren't learning, aren't growing. Accidents are opportunities, not something to be afraid of. Within reason, of course; a mistake that costs someone else their life is still something to avoid. I'm talking about day-to-day things."

"An interesting line of thought," Ailis murmured. "It gives me insight into who you are."

"How about you?" Aidan turned the question around. "What high-minded ideas drive you?"

The silver-haired Druid snorted and smacked his shoulder again. "That is a loaded question. Still..." she chewed on a few forkfuls of salad while she pondered. "Adversity. Much like your view on mistakes, I believe that we only learn when overcoming challenges. A happy, safe, placid life leads to stagnation and decay. I saw an example of it when I was young."

Ailis took another bite of her steak before continuing. "When I was still an apprentice, the hunters almost wiped out the population of blizzard drakes in and around our territory. At first, everything seemed fine, but the lack of apex predators allowed the wolves and other mid-tier predators to breed out of control, and that, in turn, meant that the prey animals almost vanished. The following years were lean—very lean."

Aidan nodded. "I can see how that could happen, yeah. And I understand what you're saying. It's a harsher version of my own ideas, kind of. People rarely make mistakes if they aren't being challenged, after all. But the end result is different, I think, and that's important. Your way encourages pushing people because it's what's best for them, while mine gives them the time they need to grow on their own."

"A matter of perspective, I think," Ailis conceded. "I can see the merits of your way, and mine has led me to ... overreach. But I still believe there is validity in it."

"I agree. And, now that you've made the mistake," Aidan smiled at his Chancellor, "of taking it too far, you'll be better prepared for the future. Another step towards unattainable perfection."

"Hmm," Ailis set down her fork and dabbed a cloth against her mouth, then rose to her hooves with a single graceful movement. "Lord Aidan, do you care to see how close we can come to perfection ... together?" She gave him a sultry look and walked over to the bedroom. At the doorway, she paused to pull off her shirt before looking over her shoulder at him. "Well? Are you coming?"

Aidan looked down at his mostly-finished steak, then back up at the swish of Ailis's tail as she disappeared around the corner. He gave another glance at the remains of his meal, then shrugged and rose from the table. "Not yet," he quipped, "but I'm getting there!"

Aidan followed Ailis into her bedchamber, pausing in the doorway to admire the sight waiting for him. He tugged at the laces of his tunic and shrugged out of it, letting it drop to his feet alongside Ailis's shirt, all the while sweeping his eyes across Ailis's pale, bare skin.

 

---

 

Aidan
Near Midnight

Aidan stroked Ailis's silver hair as she nuzzled his bare chest. He hadn't been sure what to expect from her, but it hadn't been what he got. He knew that she was hardly inexperienced, which meant that her nervous, even shy approach to the evening seemed out of place.

Ailis kissed Aidan above his sternum, then turned her head to face him. "I hope it was worth all the trouble I caused you." Her blue eyes were dark and haunted.

Aidan frowned. He remembered what she'd said earlier—'a monster trying to atone for her misdeeds with her body.' He'd let it pass then, but it looked like Ailis was still dwelling on it.

"This was about the future, Ailis, not the past. I'm here because I'm interested in you, not vengeance. And even if I was out for revenge, this isn't how I'd get it. I hope you didn't bring me here thinking...?"

Ailis let her head drop again. Her hand caressed his chest, fingers tracing through his chest hair. "No," she admitted. "But if that is what you wanted, I would have accepted it."

"You shouldn't," Aidan told her. "You're worth so much more than a salve for my wounded pride."

"Hmm." A slender hand stroked down his chest; sapphire flames sparked to life in Ailis's eyes. "I think I might need more convincing. Are you up for another ... discussion, my King?"

Aidan smiled. "I have Talents for that." He let his hands wander, real and magical alike.

"Mm, yes you do," Ailis moaned, arching her back into his caresses. "Please, Aidan, do not tease me."

"Tease you? I thought we were going to have a discussion?"

A small, slender hand tightened its grip on sensitive equipment. "Yes, ma'am," Aidan gasped, "commencing with the not-teasing!"

 

---

 

Aidan
Fourthday, 2nd week of the 10th month, Age of the Chosen 1
Dawn

Aidan woke to find Ailis's torso draped atop his, her long hair spread across the bed, his arm wrapped around her waist and holding her hip. He chuckled when he realized that the wetness on his chest was a small pool of drool emanating from Ailis's open mouth. He used his free hand to wipe the corner of her mouth.

Ailis made a soft sound at his touch and shifted her head, nuzzling against Aidan's hand. A moment later, her eyes opened, blinking away the sleep. "Mmph," she muttered. "Aidan?"

"You're cute like this," Aidan gave a soft laugh.

"I resent the implication," Ailis mumbled, "that I am not cute at other times."

"No, normally, you're beautiful," he said, speaking from the heart. Ailis's eyes flicked up to his, then away.

"... Acceptable." Ailis levered herself up, looking down at Aidan and giving him an unobstructed view of the soft, pale mounds that had, until a moment ago, been nestled against his chest. Ailis noticed his eyes dip and laughed, a low, pleased sound. "Look all you like, my love, at least while we are in private. You might want to maintain propriety with your Chancellor in public."

Ailis rolled back onto her belly from her side and stretched. "Will you be staying for breakfast, Lord Aidan?"

"That depends. Are you getting dressed before or after?" A light, airy giggle was the only audible response he received, but the kiss Ailis pressed to Aidan's lips was answer enough.