Ronon Masters Kushiel

Chapter 1: Off to Market

A/N: This is part 2 of the Ronon Dex Kushiel unit of fictions…the first is Ronon Finds Kushiel.

If you have not read Ronon finds Kushiel (part 1) then you may find it hard to follow along, so I will recap slightly. Hi to all the Dex Divas! This fiction is a general romantic shippy look into the sensual erotic…um…side of Ronon…nothing more! Enjoy! A big thanks to Tbug a fellow Dex Diva who did a great job as acting Beta and helpful insight into helpful hints to add into the story! Your literary skills and creativity are greatly appreciated!

On the planet Kushiel:

Ronon padded softly behind the silver and gray liveried palace guards, following them to the market. He refuses to use the official name, Selection Service. Today one man will be chosen as consort for a day to the female leader of a planet he wasn't familiar with. She had recently been crowned rightful leader and with the ceremony complete, she was entitled to a nobleman for the day. Ronon had been granted noble status after having saved the Lady Phedre. His new sensual standing with some of the palace ladies didn't hurt any either.

If he could gain the attentions of this young lady, he could then serve the goddess as required. He had to hurry because he needed every team member bought by Midsummer's Masquerade. By then, he would be free to leave or at least that's what the leaders (the Sacred Twins) had told him.

Teyla was waiting in his room with the hope that Ronon would be selected. His reward would then be earned to grant freedom to McKay or Sheppard. She hoped that Ronon would pick Sheppard. She did not want to hear anything else from McKay because his jealousy took a backseat only to his whining. "All through school it was sports and now it's sex parties! Why can't I be picked for anything important? It's always 'fix this McKay' or 'right now McKay' it's never 'you've been selected for dodge ball' or 'it's time to serve the goddess Freja'. He had even made a few snide comments when Teyla was selected for worship. The last thing she'd heard him say was, "Great, now everyone is going to sex parties but me!" Sheppard countered with, "Will you shut up? It's not like I've been picked yet either, you know."

Corridor after corridor Ronon's mind focused on reviewing what had happened in the past few days. He blended what he knew with what Teyla had told him about their abduction. They were researching a planet from a new Stargate address when everything went wrong. When they arrived to take a look around, they saw a woman being stalked by ghostly beings.

Ronon noticed them first and stepped forward to protect this woman. She was wearing a dark red cloak and he later learned that this denoted her royal status. Several of her companions found them moments later and stunned the Atlantis team. They were then carried through several consecutive Stargates, one after the other, to be prisoners in the Lady Phedre's home. Ronon remembered Sheppard's words from another mission, about how you could travel great distances if you travel the gate line. He described it like how the Lord of the Rings' signal flares traveled. When one is lit, then the next would see it and light theirs, until the farthest one away would light up in warning.

Once Ronon purchased Teyla, she explained that their abductors might not have known if the creatures or the team themselves were responsible for the bruised state of the lady. Ronon was soon recognized as a hero and released with honors. He was then given the option to serve the goddess Freyja and in so doing he could garner the release of his teammates. Each purchased teammate in turn had to serve the goddess before being released. So far, he had only managed Teyla's release. He told her he'd seen Jackson and Mitchell in the bathhouse, trying to find out what they could to help. Ronon remembered Teyla laughing at the thought of Daniel and Mitchell being the towel boys in a bathhouse full of naked people.

Selection Service:

The noblemen who were chosen to represent the planet, had been hand picked for their abilities and/or talents in serving the goddess. The majority of them held high-ranking status and prided themselves on being chosen.

Each was given three sets of garments from which to choose. The first set was of golden cloth and had rubies set in the belt. The second was a rough material that had silver embroidery in the shirt and several areas for hanging military or political commendations. Ronon noticed the wealthy men all chose the gold outfit and the military and political men chose the silver. They all looked the same.

The third set of clothing was something more familiar to Ronon. He ran his hand over the fine texture of the black leather pants. It came with a belted white cloth shirt. He pulled the belt from the shirt and dropped it to the floor. The shirt was soft yet thick, and with the black leather pants his boots would suffice. Several men scoffed at him because of his selection, but he knew what he was doing. He didn't want to look like the others. They resembled nothing more than links in a chain.

His thought was that the woman they were trying to attract had just suffered the long public ordeal of ceremony. She will be tired and will wish nothing more than to relax and be entertained. It's the promise of desire and fulfillment that one must bring to this woman's attention. What woman wants to be seduced by metal?

The eligible men were then placed in three lines that stretched the length of the grand hall. A trumpet sounded and every man turned forward, shoulder-to-shoulder, facing the front. Ronon estimated that there were fifty men in each line. He was in the second row about half way down.

A second trumpet sounded, and the men stood stoically with their jaws and chests jutted out. Ronon had to repress the smirk that was threatening to emerge. He refused to act like the other men. He would be himself and lure this young empress into his seductive web.

Light string music began to play as several immaculately dressed women entered the room. An elderly gentleman dressed in black was leading them. Ronon spotted the Empress immediately. She was dressed in a light blue satin ball gown that had small diamonds in the low cut bodice. Her brown hair was swept off her face and danced lightly down her back in subtle curls.

He guessed that she was between nineteen and twenty-two years of age. She had a slender build, with curves enough to make his mouth water. She had large brown eyes in her delicately crafted face. Her body reminded him of a smaller, shorter version of Weir. She was young, breathtakingly beautiful, and yet he could see she was hiding something with her ennui. He took a deep breath, scenting her, and knew that it was an untapped well of passion.

The man who led the procession of ladies turned to the Empress, took her hand and bowed low. He then turned to the one hundred and fifty waiting men and announced, "May I present to you the Empress Keira Solondre of the Travex Empire. Ruler of the planet Vivicala, daughter of Lord Dargon Solondre."

Ronon heard the men around him straighten with a clink of gold, silver, and gems. He had already tied his hair back and was watching the ensuing inspection.

The Empress was holding her hands clasped in a ceremonial manner, watching as her ladies bounced happily around the first section of men. Her trusted Advisor, Lady Gwen, gently took her arm to chat about what they might find. They were walking slightly apart from the ranks of men, so they would not appear too eager or pleased with what they found. After all, an empress needs to project certain airs; and one in particular being that it will take a lot to impress her.

Lady Gwen whispered, "There are many good looking men here. Have you even looked at them? Go on, take a look."

The Empress responded with her voice lowered, "Good looking huh? More like painted statues. I don't know why I let you talk me into this. It's stupid really."

They paused as if they were contemplating one of the men. Gwen continued, "Because it's expected of you. That tall blond one in gold looks interesting enough. Oh wait, that's right. You don't fancy blonds. Okay, how about the one with the short black hair, third line, dressed in silver? I wonder what awards those are hanging from his chest and how you can use them to your…um…advantage."

Keira paused to look at the man for a moment. His cold, unfeeling manner made her shiver. "I don't like this." She said, "I want to go home. At least there I can pretend to know what I am doing while sitting at court. I would actually rather give up my Royal status and live in a shack in the mountains where I can be alone."

Gwen smiled, "Oh, it is not all that bad. I know your father would make you adhere to a strict standard of behavior, but you are Empress now. You can do as you please within reason. Don't let the ghosts of the past destroy your future. Why not stay here and pick an attractive man to play with, so you can grow accustomed to bossing men around? No more being hidden by your father. You are a woman and an Empress. To rule a planet, you may want to try ruling one man for the night. Sounds like fun to me."

Several of her ladies came back to tell of men they thought would make a good choice. Keira listened to their descriptions and reviewed each man as she and Gwen continued to walk. It was customary to look over all of the men presented at least once before making a selection, giving the female the opportunity to pick the one she wanted. The usual response for walking down the line the second or third time would be given in a bland slow voice, "He will do I guess, if this is all you have to offer."

Gwen leaned closer to Keira, "Are you paying attention at all? I think I just saw a man blink as we walked by."

Keira knew it was a joke, but she was not amused. She wanted to hide in a corner and let everyone go about his or her business. She hated walking around pretending to be arrogant for the sake of her station. Her upbringing by her cold and heartless father did nothing to assure her that any of these men would care about her other than to advance themselves. The birthmark on her arm assured the realm that she was the one chosen by the gods and goddesses as rightful leader. Even though she felt as if fate had made a huge mistake.

Gwen and Keira continued the slow walk watching as her ladies came and went with their reports. They stopped as they noticed that a quite had descended over the hall. They took several steps hand in hand to see what had caused such a reaction. It was that precise moment that she saw Ronon.

Arresting predatory eyes met hers. The heat they generated seared her dress and scorched her pale skin. Her heart pounded like a wild thing caught in her chest. Her breath stopped in her throat as she froze in place. She heard Gwen murmur, 'My goddess that man is fine!'

Staring back at Keira was the sexiest man she had ever seen. His attention was focused solely on her. He seemed to be ignoring the dictates of polite society, not caring what was considered proper behavior. He was head and shoulders taller than the other men and she wondered how it had taken so long to notice him. His thumbs were resting in the waistband of his tight black leather pants. It was not his clothing exactly that had mesmerized the group of women. That was part of it, but it wasn't the main obsession.

Empress Keira's eyes traveled up the length of this strongly built man to an open shirt, revealing the bronzed perfection of his skin. Finely toned abs and a chest begging to be caressed. She fisted her hands as they tingled with the desire to touch his warm flesh. She looked again into his erotically wicked hazel eyes. They seemed to say, "Come to me and finally be satisfied…"

A small knowing smile twitched at the corners of his lush mouth. She tried to blink and look away. A gawking Empress was unheard of. She shuddered with the force sensations traveling down her spine, her body's unbidden response to the stranger's call.

Ronon had accomplished what he set out to do. He had gained the Empress' attention, and was determined to maintain it. He watched her eyes, reading every emotion and desire. He slowly shifted to one leather clad leg, flexing his long, strong fingers against the front placket of his pants. The muscles under his shirt bunched and flexed, causing the other ladies to softly sigh. He saw her eyes shift from his face to his hands and back again.

It had been more than a minute and no one was moving or talking. The other ladies were staring at the impressive bulge in his pants. The gentleman who was there to guide the Empress and her Ladies became unnerved at their behavior, "My Empress, my Ladies…" But, none of them moved. They stood transfixed. The other men on display moved only their eyes, hoping to be the object of such rapt attention. Anger flashed for a moment on their faces to be quickly hidden into uncaring restraint.

Ronon tipped his head forward in acknowledgement, his eyes never straying from hers. Sexual energy pulsed off him in waves. He was a primal, feral male offering himself upon the alter of desire. She knew without a doubt that he was a skilled and masterful lover. He would give her what she most wanted.

Keira tried to breath as her face flushed a brilliant red. She hadn't felt embarrassment even when she was standing in front of hundreds of thousands of people for her crowning ceremony. Gwen was the first to gain her senses and started to gently pull Keira along. The problem was that it was bringing them closer to Ronon with every step. Their eyes never broke contact, even when other men's faces or bodies disturbed the line of sight.

Keira did not want to bring herself back to reality. In this sea of men who looked the same it was as if he were the only man there. His eyes followed her every move, as if he were caressing her overheated skin. Keira stopped, refusing to walk any further.

The gentleman guide attempted to gain her attention, "Empress, Ladies…the Selection awaits you."

Keira whispered, "No."

The guide leaned closer to question, "My Empress?"

She took in a deep breath to balance and focus her energy, never taking her eyes from Ronon's. Her voice rose in imperialistic command, "No. I have made my selection."

Gwen stifled a giggle when she heard her friend use her court voice on the exasperated elderly guide.

Keira continued with the demands of ceremony normally spoken after a closer, more thorough inspection, "Come forth and serve the goddess Freyja."

Ronon moved around the two men between them to kneel before the Empress. His eyes were lowered in deference to her. "My Empress, I am specialist Ronon Dex…" He tilted his face up to hers impaling her with the lust in his eyes, "I am yours to command."

A/N: Ok, that was the first chapter and might I say…I wish he were saying that to me…LOL! What could make this even better I ask myself…And all the Dex Divas chant, "naked, naked, Naked!"