"Alright..." Rose turned to Raymond and said through clenched teeth, "humph! Today's your lucky day." Since Raymond kept his mouth shut this time, she walked away after Lily.
"Try not to sleep with an-" Raymond quickly dodged the oncoming dagger before he could finish his sentence.
That girl is crazy, scares me to death.
Raymond let out a sigh of relief as he turned his attention to the exquisite dishes Miranda had prepared for him.
Finally, I can enjoy the meal in peace. Oh, Miranda, you are awesome.
...
Raymond was looking out at his sister and his cousin, Rose, as they readied their gear and horses. As he watched them ride out towards the forest, he couldn't help but feel frustrated at his own lack of competence. He muttered, disappointed, "If only I had
awakened
the same as them; I would also go on the hunt and maybe find some treasure. Humph."
Raymond could still remember when all three of them awakened, during the same week, like it happened only yesterday. The first was Rose, followed by Miranda the next day. It was a very exciting time for all four of them. He would follow around his two cousins more than ever, trying to learn some tips from them about how to use the new power.
Though a few weeks later, it came as a great surprise to him and everyone else when Lily also awakened and became the youngest person to do so in the past 400 years of their kingdom's history. Even the kingdoms to the south of them, the major military powers, did not have someone like Lily who had awakened to their attribute three years earlier than the usual age of 17.
Raymond had been beyond ecstatic when he had watched his sister and cousins practicing their techniques with their new element. They could unleash their potential of magic properly by using the elements they had awakened. He would dream of having the same element as Rose, the most destructive of all the major elements: fire
.
He would watch in fascination as Rose would light up her long sword in a flame and attack with a force that would leave the training ground scorched.
While Rose had the fireelement, Miranda awakened to the most versatile one: water. Miranda, proficient in a number of weaponry (sword, spear, mace, ax, shield, etc.) was the most suitable one among all four to awaken the waterelement. Though they were twins, Miranda and Rose had elements that countered each other and were unsuitable to form a traditional two-man hunting party. In Raymond's mind, it was very fortunate, or it could have led to disastrous consequences had those two ever formed a team.
Raymond inspected the beautifully crafted spear sent by his mother as a gift to Miranda for taking charge as the president of the Ryhor City Council. It was a finely crafted piece of magic equipment and one which was hard to buy just by throwing money at it. He let out a chuckle as he imagined Lily holding the same spear.
Lily, who had awakened the earthelement, was never interested in weapons and quite clumsy using them. The only weapons she used were either knives or gauntlets. She would focus more on her magic than fighting techniques. Raymond always thought about the earthelement that while it was very strong for defense, it was too rigid and slow to be used effectively in offense. This hindered her ability to fight as the vanguard.
"At this point,
any
element would do, even the earth element is fine. I have already progressed from a magic warrior to the half-awakened state, still... no matter how hard I try or how good I am with my sword, it isn't enough to fight with someone who has awakened. Unless I have an element, all my magic power is useless." Raymond muttered, dispirited.
I should go see how Shania is doing with her new song.
His thoughts turned to his most recent girlfriend. He was thankful that she was always ready for a romp in the bed.
Yes, I should definitely go. After the meeting starts, I will slip out.
"Anyway, I have not been with her for two days. She must be starving for some action by now," Raymond snickered. "That vixen!"
"Ray! Come here."
"Coming," Raymond responded to Miranda's shout and walked towards her room.
***
"How do I look?" Miranda asked as she did a little twirl in front of Raymond, who had just entered the room.
Raymond stood near the door, his mouth wide open, staring fixedly at Miranda. Standing in the light coming through the window, she looked radiant. He had always thought that Miranda was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but he could not remember if she had ever looked this beautiful before. She was dressed in a long, white and golden gown, which complemented her almost six-foot frame very well. Hidden beneath the gown were her long legs, covered in trousers. Her thin waist was accentuated by the tight, red, jeweled belt. Her long, fair arms, covered in the full sleeves, were tying up the golden breastplate.
He noted that the breastplate was tight and could not cover the ample breasts of Miranda. Her soft flesh spilled out of the sides and gave rise to a large amount of cleavage. He then slowly looked up from the dizzying sight of her breasts to her red thin lips and her straight nose. Her light blue hair was done up in a fancy bun with a lock of hair falling down to her cheek.
Raymond stared intensely into the blue eyes of Miranda and found his stare returned with equal intensity. He walked towards her in a trance. He was unaware of what he was doing and where he was, lost in her eyes. He raised his hands and placed them softly on her cheeks to cup her face. He slightly raised her face and leaned down to press his lips onto hers.
...
Miranda, caught off guard by the sudden boldness of her cousin, stood frozen as she watched his lips slowly leaning towards her own. She felt a jolt race through her entire body, her heartbeat quickened; she felt the world stop around her. Her eyes closed, and she let herself go as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
She leaned into her cousin, her crush, her secret dream lover. His tongue danced around her teeth and she invited it in. She felt tingly all over as her tongue came in contact with his. Her face began to heat up as she was inhaling Raymond's scent, mixed with the earthy smell from training in the forest. She wished for the world to forever freeze at that moment. Nothing else mattered, not the council, the city, their family... nothing.
Her heart raced even faster as she felt one of his hands exploring, inching towards her breasts. She had wished for this, dreamed of this moment. She started to press more fervently at his lips, the same lips she would often put medicine on, the same lips she would stare at when she knew no one else was around: her cousin's lips. Then it all stopped, she felt him taking his hands off of her.
Miranda opened her eyes in confusion to see the panicked look across Raymond's face. She tried to pull his head down towards her bosom, to soothe him, as she had done so often, yet with such different meaning.
"I um...I have to... I have to go."
"Ray, wait-" Miranda grabbed onto his arm, trying to hold him back. The surprise of his sudden boldness had passed and given way to delight and fulfillment. So now, as he tried to run away from her, as he had done so many times before, especially when it came to matters of the heart, she didn't want to let go. It felt terrible to have something she had dreamed of for such a long time so close to coming true and yet be yanked out of reach at the last moment. Regardless, her hand lost its strength when she gazed at his fretful back.
"I have some work!" Raymond commented behind his back and took off, once Miranda slackened her grip.
Why did you stop? Why do you worry so much? What are you afraid of?
Miranda traced a finger over her lips, delving in the taste of Raymond's tongue. A beautiful smile flitted across her face as she breathed in the smell of Raymond's lingering scent.
Miranda took off her breastplate, replacing it with a larger and more modest one, and turned around to look at herself in the mirror. She fixed her hair in a tight bun, getting rid of the loose strand of hair. Giving herself a once over, she nodded at her sharp and imposing look, a far cry from the earlier kind and caring image she displayed for her cousin.
Miranda was fretful, she was angry. It wasn't because she didn't like the advances from Raymond, far from it. What she didn't like was the hastiness of the situation. She was angry at her lack of self-control and also because he left her hanging.
"I won't let you run next time, Ray." She softly spoke and marched outside towards the carriage, a sheathed sword in one hand and the other holding her gown up.
***
Fuck... What did I do? Fuck... Fuck! Why didn't she stop me?
"Ughhh..." Raymond let out a frustrated groan. He briskly stepped towards the theatre troupe in the middle of the main market. Since Miranda had joined the council two years ago, there was rapid progress around the market and all over the city. The roads were cleaner and better, the buildings and houses were more uniform and getting bigger. Earlier, Ryhor was just a glorified base and a border-of-control measure. Now it was slowly changing and becoming much more like the capital of their kingdom.
"Things would be beyond awkward. I should just stay with Shania for the next few days," Raymond grumbled as he walked towards the market. The shops in his path were mostly busy with maintaining their equipment and products, and city guards were on their regular duties, patrolling around the market and city walls.
Occasionally, merchants and guards would nod their heads in his direction, respectfully. Usually, Raymond would return their greeting with a smile, but today he couldn't care less. He would only take a second look when he saw someone with an exceptional weapon, which displayed their importance, or in other words, their power.
