“The Mainland was for a long time considered to be the only landmass in the World, the Humans, Elvin, Werekin and Dendrin establishing their own territories since the beginning of known history; Demonkin keeping to themselves in the magic-abundant west of Dralarag.
Over time, Humans have become the most widespread of the races, being in frequent contact with the others (for better or worse). There were dozens of Human countries to rise, only to fall or be conquered by another.
Elvin have taken residence in the northeast of the continent, establishing several minor Kingdoms, which have since slowly grown apart in culture, the northern Kingdom of Darnas having vastly different appearance to the southern Republic of Krios.”
̶ Geography of the Mainland, Volume One, Royal Cartographer Jonas Maverick, 700 AS
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I wake up in the dawn of the new day, trying to remember how I got into the bed last night. I can barely remember walking up to our room, and then just lying down on the edge. I look around me, almost unable to move, a red arm pressing on my body firmly, while a hoof is sticking out between my legs.
With some light struggle, I slowly squirm away from the oppressing limb, and am finally free to turn around the bed. I look behind me, noticing Cerolus is still asleep, his bare chest in direct view. I look up to his face, his closed eyes making his facial features surprisingly gentle, the only difference between his and a face of a Human being the tougher red skin. And the black horns on the top of his face.
I slowly sit up on the bed, looking at his sleeping face. A sudden thought comes into my mind, my body reacting instinctively, not letting me stop my motions. My hand slowly moves towards his head, caressing his black hair, Cerolus letting out a small sound unconsciously. I move my fingers up his head, moving my hand across one of his horns. They are rough to the touch, my fingers scraping on their surface. I slowly move upwards, feeling every dent and crevice of the pointed horns, the feeling unlike anything I can remember. I reach the top of the horn, where a small visible crack can be seen. I cannot help but wonder where he got that from.
Suddenly the horns move slightly, and my eyes shift to look at the origin of the movement. Cerolus has woken up, his black eyes, with the ever present red glint, watching my face as I stand still, unable to think of anything to say, as if caught in committing a crime.
“You know, you are usually supposed to wake your husband up in a different way.”
He sits up, my eyes letting go of the black pillars adorning the top of his face, and moves his face close to mine. I am able to feel his warm breath on the tip of my nose, the warmth somehow ending up in my chest instead. I am still unable to move or speak, as if dazed or bound.
He slowly presses his lips upon mine, their softness contrasting with the toughness of his skin. The light kiss lasts for a shortest of moments, but it feels like eternity. My face flushes with heat, my thoughts becoming jumbled, as his face slowly moves away, letting the light of the Sun’s rays shine between us once again.
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He opens his mouth: “Good morning, Sophia.”
Our first kiss ends, and a small feeling of somehow wanting more resides in the pit of my stomach.
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Well, I don’t suppose she will let me do anything more for the time being.
Her lips are really soft; completely different from the people I shared a bed with over my long years. They are so light to the touch, so gentle and fickle, as if begging to be taken care of; I simply couldn’t hold myself back, especially after she ran her fingers up my horns. Rarely anyone has ever done that before.
I am starting to develop some feelings for her, but I’m still not sure how she would react if I acted up on them. Better take things slowly, one small step at a time. And time is what I, at least, have plenty of, for better or worse.
“Ummm, good morning.” She is still a bit shaken. We hadn’t really had any intimate contact before, although you could count in those hugs, but I mostly think that was her loneliness taking over rather than any real strong affection towards me. We still have a long way to go before she is able to trust me, but I guess that can only be understandable. Small steps.
“You feeling better? You were pretty exhausted last night, I guess I should’ve stopped our lesson sooner.” She has tried too hard for her first attempt, and I’ll have to stop her from pressuring herself too much, it won’t be good on her. She’s doing completely fine, no one can be expected to master magic as soon as they are introduced to it.
“Yes, I am, actually. I feel refreshed after all that sleep.” Her cheeks are still red, her feelings jumbled up from the kiss we had. The Link has started from it again, and I have no way of stopping that, a curse and a blessing at the same time.
“Excellent, let’s get ready then, you must be hungry.” I rise out of the bed, dressing myself, my back turned to her, trying to get her some semblance of privacy. “I’ll call Tiana on my way out, you can stay here; I won’t look.”
I put on my clothes quickly and get out of the room, Sophia still on the bed, having not moved since I woke up. Small steps.
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Cerolus has dressed and left quickly, my feelings and thoughts still over the place.
What was that kiss supposed to mean. Does he really like me? Has he liked me since the beginning? Is he waiting for me to figure out what I want, what I feel? Is he being kind? Patient?
What do I want? A few days ago, I hated him with every fiber of my being, the Demon that took me away from home, but now it’s different. I’m actually feeling calm next to him, he seems so strong and dependable, I can’t but feel welcomed in here. He’s being so nice to me, so gentle.
Tiana enters the room slowly, visibly happy for some reason.
“Mistress, Master has informed me to come here.” She slowly bows, unsure what to do. What did he actually tell her? What is she thinking about me now? What does she think happened?
“Come here then, and let’s get me ready for the day. Start with the hair as usual.” She complies with my request, brush in hand.