No sex! Only story.
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Freedom Part 11: Catriona
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A portal of purple flames shimmered into existence in one of Catriona's market squares, releasing three travelers from its bond. It snapped out of existence just as quickly, leaving a man, an elf, and a sorceress atop a large, checkered square. The teleporter had no use for the teleportation square she currently stood atop, but figured the portal would make less of a disruption if it appeared there rather than somewhere else.
The man, wearing his bloodied war-torn leathers and chain, looked around. No one had paid them much mind; sorceresses traveling via portal was quite the common occurence in the City of Mages, after all. He stepped off the teleportation square, patting his armor down, then glanced towards his elven lover. She had never removed her gaze from him.
"I think I'll need a new change of clothes, lest someone make me for a bandit," he smirked. She strode towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder. In a flash of light, the man's leather and chain was replaced with clean cloth. He smiled, then glanced towards Tatiana.
"So... do you know where the sorceresses here live? We're looking for one."
Tatiana giggled, shaking her head. "Everywhere. It's Catriona, Talos. You can try..." she trailed off, shifting her gaze towards the bay. She pointed towards an island off in the water, with a large castle atop it, shining brightly in the evening sun. "You can try the bayside district, near the College. That would be your best bet."
"Sure," Talos nodded. Casiama hugged him tightly, refusing to let him go any longer. Tatiana shifted her gaze between the two, sighing audibly.
"I, um... will leave you both to it," she murmured, kneeling beside her black kitty, stroking his fur once.
"Thank you, Tatiana. For everything," Talos said genuinely.
She nodded quickly, unclasping Dusk's collar. She gently lifted it from him, getting a whine from the cat, which was remedied by another stroke of his fur. Tatiana handed the collar to the man when she found her feet.
"Um... here. Please take this," she said breathlessly. He did, pursing his lips as he looked it over. A small, black amulet was fixed to the leather of the collar, stamped with a stylized '
T
'.
"I-its a memento," Tatiana stammered, "to remember me by. Please don't lose it. Keep it safe."
"I will," Talos promised, pocketing it for now. He wouldn't have anything else to give in return. "Will we see you again?"
"Yes," Tatiana immediately replied, chiding herself for her lack of mystery. "I mean... I will find you again. Someday. Someday soon."
The man rolled his head, unsure how she planned on finding him. He had far too much on his mind at the moment to ask. "Looking forward to it, Tatiana. Thank you again."
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It didn't take long for Talos and Casiama to pick up Alanna's scent. It seemed every sorceress they asked knew of her, and had nothing but good things to say of her friendliness and courage. The news was nothing unexpected to Talos, but he was surprised by the omnipresence of her fame.
It also didn't take long to find a sorceress willing to escort the pair to Alanna's sister's house, where she was apparently staying. Talos thanked the sorceress for the assistance, then strode up the staircase towards the front door.
This was it. He had been avoiding this very moment for months now. He knocked on the door after a deep breath.
It was soon answered by a young woman; mid-twenties, brown of hair and blue of eyes. Her face was rounded just like Alanna's was, but lacked the sorceress's charm. Her sister, Talos guessed.
"Hello?" she greeted, her gaze quickly bouncing between Talos and Casiama. It stopped when she reached the man's eyes. "It's... you. Talos, right?"
He nodded. Was she expecting him? "Yeah. Greetings, er?"
She smiled, opening the door wider. "I knew it! He has the same eyes as you. I'm Maria, Alanna's sister. Come in, come in."
They made their way inside with that friendly offer, Casiama getting a glancing glare as she stepped inside. The woman walked towards the stairwell just in front of the door, cupping her mouth.
"Alanna," she shouted, "they're here!" The woman smiled when she turned back towards them, assuaging Talos' confused glance. "Alanna warned me you might come by this eve."
"Ah," he nodded. "Sure."
How in all the hells could she know that?
The thought gave Talos pause, and it meandered through his troubled mind as he waited the half-minute or so it took for Alanna to appear at the top of the stairs. She held a bundle of blankets in her arms, and a tired-yet-satisfied grin as she stepped towards him. A bundle of joy.
"He's... already..." Talos muttered in awe, walking towards the wondrous sight with arms outstreched. Alanna nodded, holding a prideful grin, as she stepped down on to the landing in front of him.
"Just two weeks ago," she said, answering a question unasked. "Meet your son, Talos. He has your name."
His heart skipped a beat upon the revelation, an unexpected yet welcomed sensation. He knew he had a son. He knew Alanna would have bore it. But why, when he finally witnessed something so innocent, so vulnerable, did he only now feel that he had participated in the endeavor? He took the babe in his arms, hoping not to break the fragile soul. He was light, perhaps a couple of pounds. Green eyes shone happily on green eyes.
And just like that, Talos felt as if he had stepped into a world entirely alien. He was the invader here; a wandering, homeless brute, too accustomed to the harshness of the road to appreciate normalcy. He was a blight on Alanna's perfection, her perfect life. A perfect child. How could things be reconciled?
"Come upstairs, you two," Alanna offered in barely a whisper. "We have a lot to discuss."
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"He's beautiful, Alanna," Casiama said as she shut the door to Alanna's room upstairs. She motioned for Talos to hand over the child to her.
"Thank you, Cass. And not just for that, but for keeping true to your word," the enchantress said warmly. Talos, eventually and meticulously, handed his son over to the gleeful elf. She instantly cooed when she took possession. Free from the distraction of life, Talos had questions.
"Your sister said you knew we were coming?" he asked Alanna, quite the hint of confusion present on his words.
"You heard right. I can see all that you see, Talos. For example, I will now call you an
idiot
for teleporting to that massive boat on your own. And I will also thank Casiama again for locating you upon your return."
Casiama's ears perked up at the mention of her name. "Huh? Oh. You are welcome, Alanna," she replied, quickly falling out of conversation once again as she looked over the infant Talos in her arms.
"Not only that, I'm also aware on the same day that we said our farewells, she explained our arrangement to you. Regarding our... shared love for you."
He gulped. "And how would you know all of that?" he asked gruffly. She only smiled at first, taking a step closer to him.
