She chuckled as she watched him get bandaged. Now, it wasn't that she was enjoying him being injured, she just thought that all the fuss he was making was hilarious. She and K'Tharen had been fighting together for three years now, and no matter how tough and brave he acted when he had that sword in his hand, the instant the battle was over and he had to report to the healers, he became a whimpering child.
"Oh just suck it up and be a man," She said, sitting down next to the healer, giving K'Tharen a lopsided grin.
K'Tharen scowled at her and grumbled, "I'm not a man, remember, Onyx?"
Onyx rolled her eyes and somewhat returned his scowl, "Fine, suck it up and be a daemon then, is that better?"
"You're insufferable, you know that?" He turned his attention from her to the healer that was bandaging up some shallow cuts on his flat, hard muscled stomach, "Aren't you done yet?"
"No," The healer said simply, having been through this several times in the past ten minutes.
K'Tharen's scowl grew darker and he turned back to Onyx when he heard her muffled laugh, "Well, atleast you made it through this unscathed."
Waiting for some sort of witty remark, he was surprised at her silence. He searched her face for some sign and noticed a faint look of pain, as well as noticing that she wouldn't meet his eye, "Alright, your highness, what happened to you? And don't even try telling me nothing."
Onyx sighed, "Just a couple bad knocks, nothing broken, no cuts. Just give me a day's rest and I'll be fine."
He looked at her, some concern showing on his face, "You sure?"
"Yes, I'm positive."
"Then get your arse out of here and go to your rooms for some needed rest. That's a direct order."
Rolling her eyes and giving him a pat on the shoulder, Onyx stood with an audible groan and left the room to make her way back to her rooms. The castle was still in some form of ordered chaos, everyone running one place or another, people hurrying with messages, supplies, virtually anything. The only sign of her royal status in this kind of situation was that people made an effort not to physically collide with her.
Finally, after needing to take several breaks to rest her tired and sore body, Onyx made it to her rooms and stumbled inside, closing the heavy solid wood door behind herself. She didn't even bother stripping off her sweat soaked and blood stained clothes, she just got into her bed and pulled the covers over her head before falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.
At some point, she awoke and a bath was drawn for her, which she gratefully soaked in until the water turned cold. After, she dressed in loose breaches and a looser tunic, her whole body still being too sore to bother with trying anything with laces. As she had known they would, the healers came to see her, not believing her to be able to accurately diagnose her own injuries and ordered her to three days of total bed rest. Before they left, she asked one about K'Tharen, and was told that his injuries had been worse than they had suspected, that he'd had a very bad head injury, and was to be left alone until they deemed him recovered. Respecting the healer's verdict, not liking it, but respecting it, Onyx went back to her own recovery.
Onyx hesitantly knocked on the door. It had been two days since they had returned from the battle, and just a few hours since she had awakened again. The battle had been hard won, many of Vincenahl's soldiers had been killed, but more of Onyx's had been slain. Still, somehow, Zidel found herself able to claim that it had been a glorious victory on their parts. Many were still being tended to by the now very weary healers, Onyx having only recently escaped their attention. Amazing how royal status carried absolutely no weight with healers. K'Tharen, however, was still being tended too.
"Enter," A voice, K'Tharen's voice, called out.
Onyx opened the door, walked in and pushed the door closed behind her. K'Tharen was lying on his bed, his head turned away from the door. He had apparently tossed his blankets aside and was lying there naked, completely naked. The sight of him just lying there like that with the moonlight streaming in from the uncovered window on his pale blue gray skin, glinting on his snow white hair stopped her in her tracks. He looked striking.
"I'm only trying to give you fair warning, if you are going to try to make me swallow another foul poison you claim will heal me, I will throw both you and it out the window."
Onyx started, coming to herself and then gave a relieved smile. After all, if he was able to be this ill tempered, K'Tharen must be healing well. She walked silently up to the bed, so silently that his long ears didn't even twitch, "If you do, I'll pull you with me."
She saw K'Tharen jerk, almost as if he had received an electric shock. He sat up and turned around so quickly that Onyx caught herself taking a step back. A smile lit upon his face. K'Tharen reached out, took a hold of both of her arms and pulled her to him. Onyx half sat half landed in K'Tharen's lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, leaving Onyx seriously wondering if she had accidentally walked into the wrong room and found K'Tharen's long lost twin.
"K'Tharen? What....?" Onyx said, her voice coming out barely above a whisper.
"I thought I'd lost you," K'Tharen said, his voice hoarse.
Onyx felt herself inexplicably near tears, "K'Tharen, I-"
She wasn't able to finish, that was when K'Tharen chose to kiss her. She was even more surprised to find that she was kissing him back, and just how much she was enjoying the kiss. They stayed entwined like that for sometime, both enjoying what they had been wanting for so long. For some reason, K'Tharen pulled back, and, though he looked at her, he was unable to look her in the eye.
Onyx, more surprised than anything for the moment, searched his face for answers, "What's wrong?"
"We shouldn't be doing this," He said simply, releasing her from his embrace so quickly she almost fell off of his lap.
"And why not?" Onyx demanded, letting him go so she could stand up. Her growing hurt was quickly turning into anger, "I want this, you obviously seem to," She cast a meaningful look at his enlarged cock and then looked back up at his face, "So give me one good reason why not."
He sighed, "You're a human princess, the ruler of this land, I'[m just a daemon warrior. Think about what it would do to your reputation. What would your people think if they found out?"
Tears were both in her eyes and her voice when she spoke again, "I don't care about rank or station, and my people already fully believe we're lovers. You're just worried about your own reputation. What would your people think of you if you bed a human, huh?"
Furious now and openly crying, Onyx turned from K'Tharen and ran from him and his room. She was halfway through his sitting room when she felt him catch a hold of her wrist. Half-heartedly she tried to pull her wrist free, but the daemon was far stronger than she was and Onyx was held fast. He pulled her to him and once again wrapped his arms around her. This time though, Onyx remained frozen in his embrace, no matter how badly she longed to melt against him again.
"Onyx, I'm so sorry," K'Tharen whispered into her ear, his voice thick with emotion, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't care what anyone says or thinks about us being together, it's all I've wanted since I first saw you. I just don't want you hurt by slander and I don't want you to regret being with me."
Onyx still refused to look up at him, "I don't care what anyone has to say about it and I doubt I would have regretted it if we had done anything."
Seeing her so upset, and over something he had done, tore at K'Tharen's heart. He had never wanted to upset, never wanted to make her cry. He let her go and went to his knees. Looking up into her hurt filled eyes, he took both her hands in his and softly kissed them.
"Onyx, please forgive me. I love you, I would never want to hurt you. When you came in, I couldn't help myself. The healers put up wards to keep me in here and wouldn't give me any word about you. I was so scared I had lost you, and then you came in and it was like a dream come true. I've wanted something like that to happen for years now. But, I don't want you to think that I am trying to force my attentions on you, and I don't want you hurt by what people will say once they find out."
Onyx looked down at him and her tears dried. He sounded so sincere, so painfully honest, how could she not believe him? Smiling at him, she tugged on his hands until he realized she wanted him to stand. When he was towering over her once again, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.
K'Tharen, though more than a little confused, returned her embrace, enfolding her first with his arms, and then with his wings, "Onyx?"
"I love you K'Tharen," Onyx said, tilting her face up to look at him, "I started falling for you the moment we met, and I haven't stopped yet. There's no one on this world or any other I want more than you."
K'Tharen leaned down and took her mouth with his. This kiss wasn't as fierce as the first, rather soft and sweet. Soon enough though, their passions started rising and it became known in their kiss. Their hands traveled freely over the other's body, both wanting to reassure themselves that this moment was real. His mouth not leaving hers, K'Tharen scooped her up in his arms and carried her back into his bedroom. Gently, almost reverently, he laid her on his bed. Unable to believe he finally had the woman he had been wanting for so long actually in his bed, he just stood and stared at her for a few moments, enjoying the sight.
Onyx looked at him and smiled, "Are you alright?"
