The Oracle of Valcyra (closed)

As Gallus stood to leave the table, Lorelei slowly began to eat. She choked down the tasteless mixture of the hash, knowing that if she didn't eat there might not be anything else for the rest of the day. Punishment for insubordination was starving.

She heard Gallus return, his body pausing next to her to ask if she would need help returning to her own room. She shook her head no, continuing to eat until she was finished. Pushing away from the table, she carefully picked up her bowl and spoon, walking to the basin to place her bowl inside to be cleaned. When she was finished, she left the hall and found her way back to her room, still so unsure of what had happened.

Everything felt...different. The energy of the place was wrong. Everyone was too upbeat. It was a strange contrast to the sounds of the rain and ice pounding on the roof and trickling into the hallway.

Gallus looked over his shoulder one last time as he pushed the door of the girl’s room open. It was odd in his mind to be worried who would see him enter, as it was his duty now to watch over her, but something has changed in this place, and he felt care was needed. To that point, he slid the bolt locked on the door. Brothers had the keys, but it would slow any down who tried to enter.

She sat dutifully in the room, and in the dull light she looked every bit the beauty he tried to flush from his memory over night. The soft pale skin, the warm red hair, the white peering eyes. Gallus could feel his heart build up speed as his breath quickened. Fighting the need to do what he convinced himself would be dangerous.

Gallus swallowed hard, and finally spoke the best explanation he could give. “It seems that the priests feel that yesterday’s reading would bring greater tributes than expected to the brotherhood. It is as if they have found a cache of coins in Valcrya’s words, and they want nothing more to find another cache. As far as I can tell, they hold the nobles at ransom. Telling them more answers will only come if they pay for such things.”

He walked across the room towards her. “I am on orders to watch over you, to make sure you do not grow ill from the weather. If another reading is paid for, they will tell me to prepare you. In the meantime, I am to stay with you.”

He sat down on the bed next to her, facing the same way she was. His hand found hers, and encircled it. She felt cold. “I am sorry they do this. I am sorry I must do this as well. You do not deserve such treatment from them or from me.”

Lorelei laughed ruefully, her fingers curling around Gallus's warm hand. "Keeping me from getting ill. I fear that I've been ill a long time in this place. Better clothing, better food, and more sun would do me wonders."

She never once looks towards him as she thought about Valcyra and how her life had ended up like this. "Perhaps we should run away. Far away from here where we can live and honest life. I would never have to eat hash again. I would never have to drink that bitter brew again. I would never have to talk to Valcyra again. It sounds like a dream to me."

“Run away, to where?” he blurted back. “There is no world that would take me anymore. My father is a senator, and cast me away. Leaving my brothers to rise up and take over for him some day. He sent me to the military, but I was a failure there too. He made it known that this … this botherhood … this is all I have. What would I do … I know not to farm, know not how to build, no not how to work. How can I hope that …”

Gallus stopped mid breath, as a part of what she said sunk into his mind. He turned to the girl, her soft features and pale skin. Her hair that cascaded across her shoulders. Her white eyes peering forward into the nothing that is in her room. His eyes moved slowly down to her hand that still sat on the bed next to him, feeling the warm tendrils of her fingers wrapping around his tighter.

The word she used still stuck in his mind, and he spoke on shaky words, “you said we. You would come with me? If we were able to leave this place?”

He turned in the bed, looked directly at her, hopeful that he didn’t mishear her. Hopeful that she meant what she said that came only in passing. Putting a hand on he knee, he repeated, “you said we.”

"I would not stay here on my own." Lorelei said simply as she felt him shift beside her, squeezing her hand harder as he no doubt stared at her like she were the strangest creature on earth. "I couldn't hope to find my own way away from here. The land is unfamiliar to me. I would probably freeze to death before anyone found me."

She could find her way around her home city without hesitation. However, the place that she found herself now was entirely foreign. It was so much colder, damp, and so incredibly different from what she had grown up with.

"Do not think that I would simply use you, Gallus. If you were to leave here, I would hope that you would consider taking me with you. I don't think that I can survive living in a place where I am not treated well. No one here, save for you, does that." Lorelei confessed to him, her cheeks pinkening under his gaze.

The blush in his cheeks matched Lorelei’s. A subtle reveal of the growing emotions between the two young souls, shared in words. Maybe she couldn’t see the color grow in his cheeks, but as the pace and power of his heartbeat grow, he started to believe she may hear his reaction.

Yet her words reminded him of what is the other worry for him. Of how she thought of his intentions.

“Do not think I would simply use you either, Lorelei,” he stated through dry lips. “I … have a confession. Last night, before I left you to sleep … when … when I offered to keep you warm.” There were long deep breaths as he tried to gather the confidence to say what he felt needed to be said. “I would have … that is … I know you mentioned I could get banished for that.”

His head started to drop as he felt shame for what he was thinking of, and how he thought about it for her. “I spent so much of the evening thinking about what it would have been like to be with you like that; that the only thing that would stop me is banishment. And to go away from this place … where banishment is not a threat … where we could … that is … we could! There would be no threat or worry ... “

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth. This is not how he wanted this to sound. He tightened his mind and tried to find the right words, and just stated: “The rest of them see you as some tool for their own good - I don’t see you like that. Whatever happens to us, whatever we do; don’t ever think that I just see you as something … something I can … use.” With one big breath he finished, “because I never saw you as that. I only saw you as this special girl. Nothing else.”

"I'm not special, Gallus." She murmured, almost recoiling as he mentioned the word. "And I never want to be special. I was born blind and have never known anything else. If given the chance, I'm sure that I could live just as anyone else lives. The moments of seizure are an unfortunate side effect of this. My mother used that to sell me to these men, telling them that I could speak to Valcyra. I don't believe that I've ever had a true conversation with her in my life. I live just as much as lie as anything else."

Lorelei blew out a long breath and her shoulders slumped. "This place will be the death of me. They will use me up until there is nothing left but a shell."

She often had dark thoughts, broken only by small moments of joy that she found in the courtyard when the sun was out and warm. She would never be able to tell him just how much it had meant to have him simply read to her the evening before.

"I wouldn't have stopped you." She murmured softly, giving his hand a squeeze. "If you had wanted to take things further last night, I wouldn't have said no. Not because I thought you were using me, but...because I understand how you feel. It is the most horrible feeling in the world to be alone and think that there is nowhere else to turn."

Gallus turned to look at the girl. The hazy white of her eyes seemed to stare off into nothing, but still seemed to show the strain of someone reaching into their own confessions. She was right, there was nothing more horrible than feeling alone. “You are special, Lorelei.”

He turned on the bed, faced her directly. His hand fell onto her leg subconsciously, an act to just be closer to her. “The message from Valcyra last night, I don’t believe it was meant for some nobel the brothers can ask for coins from. I believe it was meant for me. I think she meant me to protect you … the white daughter.” He reached up and stroked the hair away from her pale face. “I don’t know what it is to protect you from, but if it is nothing more than than the feeling of being alone in this place then that is what I must do.”

He held onto her cheek, and let a thumb brush lightly against her lip. “She asked a meek one to stand up, a brother from the brothers. I don’t speak her words, but I understand their meanings. Valcyra finds you as special; so I find you special. Whatever that may come, that is what you should remember.”

In the moment, as his words stopped, his instinct drove him further. As if guided by Valcyra herself, he leaned forward and placed his lips on hers. A soft, warm kiss, as if to show his words were true.

She felt Gallus shift beside her, the lumpy mattress dipping a little further as he touched her leg. When he mentioned that he didn't think that the message from Valcyra was meant for anyone but him, she frowned slightly. Small little lines creased her forehead as she considered what he was saying to her. She really had a vision and he believed that she was the one that had been spoken about.

"It's never happened before." She said softly as he stroked a lock of her hair away from her cheek and back behind her ear.

His hand was warm against her skin, his thumb brushing against her lower lip with a heart aching intimacy. No one had ever touched her like that before. As he tried to explain, she struggled to understand. Valcyra wanted someone to stand up for her? Why her? Of all the other seers out there, nothing special could really be said about her. She was blind, sure, but that wasn't enough to make her the woman in the vision.

She was barely aware that he had stopped speaking. The silence seemed to stretch on between them before she felt him move towards her once more. Her dead eyes closed as his lips pressed against her own and she let out a startled gasp. It had been so long since a man had kissed her that she had nearly forgotten what it felt like. Never had someone kissed her with such a softness before. Lorelei felt herself moving towards Gallus, her hand moving to touch his cheek gently.

He noticed that there was some reaction when he first pressed his lips against hers, as if he took her by surprise. In moments, though, she seemed to accept and welcome the kiss, and her warm breath against soaked into his skin. Whether it was Valcyra driving him to her, or just the presence of this girl near him, but he never felt so strongly for someone that he did that girl right now - and now in the touch of her hand and the movement of her lips he began to believe that there was something in return.

As if a deep trigger had become flipped, Gallus need for more grew. Since the time in the drapery where she sat dutifully as he bathed her, he wanted to explore her body more, to know more what makes the woman so different than what he was. Now as her willingness became more heartfelt those desires to explore brought forth an assertive mind.

His hands fell to her knees, laying ontop of the rough dress. They started to shift up her legs, stopping at mid-thigh so they can move back down to her knees. Doing so pulled the dress upward, allowing it to bundle near her waist. He repeated this, twice, three times; fighting to contain his boyish eagerness and fighting to not scare her for what he knew she would think of him. When his hands pulled the dress up enough that returning to her knees found flesh not fabric.

All this time, his lips never left hers. Opening his mouth slightly, he would suck her lips in between his. He would nip at her flesh, and taste her skin. His face felt warm where she touched him, the growing heat of need flushing his cheeks.

Slowly, his hands started to move up her legs, pushing her dress upwards, until again he stopped mid-thigh, now slightly reluctant to explore further, aware that to move further would mean something far different.

Lorelei nearly lost the ability to breathe. Gallus kissed her like a starving man, someone who needed friends and connection as much as she did. As she touched him, she felt his hands fall to her legs, stroking along the rough fabric of her gown as if he couldn't see either and only wished to know what she felt like.

He grew more bold with his kisses, sucking on her lips before nibbling upon the flesh. They felt slightly bruised, tingling and sore under his attentions. Then he touched bare flesh and Lorelei gasped loudly, her legs tensing as his warm hands smoothed over her skin. She wasn't really expecting it but she didn't pull away. How many nights had she dreamed of something just like this and now it was happening? Oh, her heart was absolute singing.

Gallus sat back on this heels now, creating the sad separation between the two, but he had other intentions at this time. His hands lay on her bare thighs under her dress, but he wanted to touch further, wanted to see further. Boldness wasn’t always something Gallus could find, but this day he was bold, strong. Experence was something missing from his young life as well, so he found himself thrilled as much to see those parts of a woman he only envisions. While he had seen the girl just the day before free of any clothes, this was different. This was more than stolen glances when he shouldn’t. This was a chance to explore.

He pushed the dress up her legs, his hands wide across her thighs never leaving his full touch from her. When the clothing reached her hips, he could see the beginnings of what was nestled between her legs.

Leaning forward, his chest pressed upon her knees urging them to separate, to open up, to show him more of what was hidden there at the apex. To help her, his hands curled to her inner thighs, his finger tips brushing against the soft mons that lay just within reach.

At that moment, he looked up to her face. He realized he had moved wordlessly, and he had not stated any of his intentions to her. Now gazing up, worried for her reaction.

The warmth from his body suddenly retreated as Gallus pulled back, breaking their contact. She tried to follow, but she felt rooted in her spot. His warm hands and fingers flexed nervously against her thighs, almost as if he were unsure of what he was going to do next. She wanted to talk, to tell him to keep going, but she was afraid of ruining the moment with the sound of her voice. He seemed tense, undecided, and Lorelei didn't have the courage to make that move for him. Instead, she sat stiffly, staring at him with her milky eyes.

The silence for that moment was deafening. Lorelei didn't realize that she was holding her breath, waiting for SOMETHING to happen, until she felt Gallus move. His chest pressed against her knees, parting her legs until he was settled between her thighs. She suddenly felt so exposed as her skirt was pushed up to her hips. This was much different from the day before when he had bathed her before the reading. This was so much more intimate and much more dangerous.

His hands had moved as well, tracing along her skin and leaving gooseflesh in his wake. She shivered at the contact as his fingertips suddenly made contact with her soft lips. Her face showed her slight confusion, her curiosity at trying to figure out what came next. She was breathing heavily, her fingers now tangled in the sheets of her bed as she felt Gallus pause again. His body shifted and she sat still. She wouldn't move in case she ruined the moment.

"Why did you stop?" Lorelei asked in a whispered voice, her lips so incredibly dry that she had to wet them with her tongue a few times.

With her question, he realized he did stop but not intentionally. All he wanted to do was watch her, to see her reaction, see how this made her felt. Yet she should not see him. A reminder that she was still blind, that he did not know what he did unless he did it.

“I … I … just found you … beautiful,” he breathed in response. He swallowed slightly, and breathed, “you can say no … you can stop me if you want. I will get you out of here … even if you ….”

He looked down at her now spreading legs, and gazed at her sex letting his mind become distracted once more of her body. His hands moved up her thighs and rested just short of the vision that lay there.

“I .. can touch you?” It was on the verge of a statement, but floated like a question. “Is that okay … can I touch you now?”

Without looking to her for a response, without waiting for a response, his fingers slide down her mons, and breached the lips of her sex. It was soft in its touch, curious in its exploration, but brave in its boldness. Fearlessly, he slid a finger inside of her, and marveled that the gods could create such a wonderful feeling to feel.

"Beautiful?" Lorelei asked with a slight tilt of her head as she continued to stare in the direction of his voice. "You really think I'm beautiful?"

She had never been called beautiful by anyone, save for a few men in the throws of passion. It was grunted against her ear, hot breath spreading across her cheek and ear. This time, however, it was said in a whisper, a rushed confession that she almost didn't hear. She could almost feel Gallus shaking with nerves, or maybe it was lust? She wasn't quite sure as he swallowed audibly and told her that she could stop him if she wanted to.

"No." She murmured back. "I won't stop you."

Her thighs tensed slightly as he leaned in again, his hands resting against the bare skin as he asked if it was alright to touch her. Ever so slightly, she nodded, gasping out loud as his fingers slid without hesitation against her soft mound. His touch was gentle, but the texture of his fingers were rough. He had worked with his hands and now it seemed that he was completely intent on exploring her intimately.

"Gallus...oh..." She whimpered as he spread her wet lips and slipped his finger inside of her mons, her legs trembling as she pulled at her rough sheets to keep herself still.

She wanted to wiggle and squirm, to show her delight, but she was so afraid that someone would hear and he would be gone. She never wanted that to happen now.

He turned his hand until his palm faced up, his finger still inserted into her opening. The textures were unlike what he expected, soft but taut; smooth but ridged. With his hand upturned, he could curl it inside, stroking inward then up. What was first noticeable in her moisture improved to a wetness constant in it’s growth. It was equal parts fascinating and intoxicating.

Gallus, urged on by her whimpering voice slid closer to her body, kneeling between her legs. He never took his finger from her but now that he neared he could reach her better with his other hand. He reached for her face, soothing against her cheek. His eyes cast up to watch her reaction to his touch.

His actions, his intentions, were centrally located on one thing - to bring about her pleasure. Something in him brought about the feeling that she deserved something greater than the way this world has treated her. She seemed far more the expert on the ways of the flesh than he, but it wasn’t about growing his arousal and finding a place to put it. No, she gave him a trust no one has, in a world where she shouldn’t trust any. This was a reward. This was to prove his worth.

Instinctively he knew what he should do next, and the idea of it excited him like no other.

He slid his hand across her cheek, slowly down her tender neck, until it lay upon her chest. His hand wide, his fingers spread, he pressed on her to lay backward. To rest. To relax. In almost parallel he did the same, but bending forward. He pulled his finger from her sex and bunched her skirt up higher on her waist, now removing any interruption - because now he had intent to taste. His mouth started with light kisses along the furry mons until it nestled on top of her small button. With a little extension of his tongue he brushed it. Then stopped to look up at her, to see again how the blind girl would react, to see if this reward would be welcome.

Lorelei shifted slightly as his hand moved between her thighs. He was now cupping her, his hand slightly rough on her sensitive flesh. She whimpered as his fingers stroked further into her body as he knelt between her legs and reached to touch her face. Her eyes flickered closed for a moment, soaking in the sensations that he was giving to her. No one had ever been this soft and gentle before. It had been so long since anyone had simply touched her with anything but a fist.

Then his hand moved, stroking down over her throat. She was panting, her tongue licking her lips to keep them wet. This was something new, something exciting, something that she had dreamed about so many times in the past. Then he was pushing her backwards, his hand firm on her chest until she was lying back on the scratchy blankets of her bed.

Her dress was being pulled up her hips as the warmth of his body moved over her bare legs. She blew out a breath as he settled his lips suddenly kissing her sensitive flesh before he brushed his tongue over the hard nub between her thighs. Her hips bucked at the unexpected sensation, her fingers clenching in the sheets so tightly that she swore her nails would rip straight through them.

"Why did you stop?" She whispered, unsure of what was happening as he shifted and his head lifted slightly away from her body. "I don't want you to stop."

Gallus flashed brief smile. Even if she hadn’t seen it, it didn’t matter, it was for him only. The sudden thrill that with the simple flick of his tongue, he gave her a great sensation of pleasure led him to take the action further.

His lips encircled the little bud. He sucked on it until he brushed against his teeth. Then he tounge touched her again, flicking at the point before pressing into it fully. His fingers returned to her opening, sliding in under his mouth and testing at her depths. He searched with his finger, looking for what caused her body to shiver, looked even more for what made it do so in tandum with his mouth. His other hand slid up her body, stroking her breast under her dress. It was the first real attention he had given to this sweet flesh since becoming more carnal with her; but now in this state he could appreciate the firm swells and taught nipple atop.

She had given herself to him, allowed him access to her most intimate. More than anything, she was giving him a chance to bring her pleasure. As much as he thought about uncivil things to do with the girl since they met the day before, as much as he thought about uncivil things to do with many women over his young years, he had no idea that trying to give a woman pleasure would give him so much pleasure in return. At this point, he cared little if she ever laid a touch on him, only if he could bring her to the mysterious climax he only envisioned the female form could have.

The more he moved his lips against her folds, the more he could taste her nectar. The intoxicating brew seemed sweet and welcoming, all the more reason to push him further to please her. His tongue worked more frantic, his fingers drove quicker, and the taste of her made him hum and moan into her sex. All of the troubles of this brotherhood, all of the challenges that they could face if they left this place, none of it mattered - only her pleasure.

Lorelei felt Gallus's entire demeanor change. He relaxed and soon she felt him back at action between her thighs. She let out a groan and tipped her head back against the pillow. Even though she couldn't see, she still squeezed her eyes shut tightly. His fingers stretched her wet entrance and his tongue was doing a wicked dance on her nub, giving her more pleasure than she had ever had in her life.

Her hand lifted from the bed and covered his own, helping him to squeeze her breast until her nipples were achingly hard. They both squeezed her flesh together and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She wanted that hand on her bare flesh, but she didn't insist or demand. Instead, she rode the waves of pleasure that he was giving her.

"Oh..." She whimpered, raising her hips towards her lips as his fingers worked and twisted in her body. "Gallus. Oh my Gods."

She bucked hard against his lips as her pleasure suddenly burst across her flesh. It came in warm pulsing waves and she suddenly sucked in a startled, deep breath. She shivered beneath him, her body trembling uncontrollably. It was absolutely beautiful.