A Torrid Affair
By Saphron
Summary: The day after Alanna has sex with Jon, she starts to wonder—what's up with the crazy world of court love affairs? And as things heat up—and cool off—with the prince, the king of thieves seems to provide a strange comfort, and perhaps, an alternative lover? After sex, drama, fights, making up, and make-up sex, who will she chose in the end, the crown prince or the thief king?
Warning: This fic contains some adult sexual content that may not be suitable for younger readers.
A/N: I'm still vaguely working on "Homeward Bound: An Alternate Version of ITHOTG," for any loyal readers still out there, but I thought I'd take a little break and work on something new for awhile. It's the same time/setting/main chars (notice a trend in where my interests lie?) so I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1: Aftermath of the Bubblebath
(Setting: ITHOTG, The day after Alanna's 17th birthday…ie: the morning after she has sex with Jonathan)
Dark tendrils of Alanna's coppery hair swirled lightly in the bathwater, attracting tiny clumps of bubbles that happened to float on by and stick to her red main. A pert, freckled little nose peaked above the suds, breathing deeply the aromatic scent of warm vanilla sugar, her favorite bath-soap. Scented soaps were a luxury in Crous, imported from Carthak as they were, and normally Alanna was content with the standard palace issue brown scrub bar doled out to pages and squires every few months. But today, she needed the comforting scent of warm vanilla sugar to wash over her new womanly skin—because last night, she had lost her virginity. With Jonathan, of all people. The crown prince to the kingdom. Her knight-master. The court's infamous ladies' man. And…her best friend.
Obviously, she needed some serious thinking time after such a momentous milestone in her life.
Accustomed to rising with the dawn to practice with Coram's old broadsword, she had awoken before the sleeping prince that morning, and snuck softly out of his bed and into her own room. Part of her had been tempted to stay snuggled in the warm crook of his arm, especially in the chilly morning air that threatened to bite her toes if they so much as dared peep out from beneath the warm down-feather comforter thrown over the two naked bodies. But another, bigger, part of her wanted nothing more than to escape to the relative peace and safety of her own room, where she wouldn't have to face the extreme awkwardness of waking up in bed next to someone for the first time. She needed time to think, to mentally process and accept what had happened mere hours before. It wasn't that she regretted making love to Jon—far from it—but she simply needed time to think. And besides…what if it was Jon who regretted their night together? Or what if he merely didn't care at all?
No, it was best to have left, and stealthily. It took all her careful consideration not to cuss when she pulled back the covers, exposing her unclothed body to the stinging air. He had let out a tiny inarticulate moan, still asleep, as she pulled away from him and slipped quietly to the floor. Treading softly, she had made it to the smaller bedroom attached to his that she called her very own, got dressed, and headed off to her classes and squire's duties for the day. She didn't encounter him all morning, but when lunchtime rolled around she feared she might run into him in the mess hall. Luckily, he had had a diplomacy meeting with some border lords, which had even kept him too occupied during the afternoon to drop by the squire's training rooms to observe the squires in action, as he was sometimes accustomed to do. She had made a point to take routes she knew he was unlikely to traverse, and so far she had been successful. Now classes and training were done for the day, and she was free to eat dinner with her friends (albeit quietly; "what's up Alan? You seem…lost in thought," Gary had questioned earlier) and then draw a nice long bath to relax and think.
And Mithros was that bath feeling good! She finally had some time to herself to contemplate the fact that she was no longer a virgin.
Virginity is an interesting thing, she mused to herself, while watching soap bubbles infused with the essence of vanilla extract and sticky brown cane sugar drift along lazily. It feels like society prizes a woman's chastity more than any of her other virtues. Women aren't supposed to have sex before marriage, according to Etiquette Master, and men are supposed to value and defend the honors of "flowers of chastity." Yet it seems like all men try and do is seduce women, and women seduce men! No one follows the court rules about not sleeping together…yet no one can admit it. It's like some complicated, elaborate battle and everyone is strategizing on how to gain the enemy's camp without letting anyone know their plans...
Lost in these thoughts, she didn't even hear the door swing open, until the man who had turned the knob coughed politely to attract her attention…while cocking an eyebrow amusedly, as was his custom.
"JON! I'm naked in the bath, get out!' Alanna shrieked in surprise, vainly trying to cover herself with a retinue of vanilla bubbles.
"Why? It's nothing I haven't seen before. Besides, far from encouraging me to get out, the fact that you're naked in the bath rather likely inspires me to stay…" he grinned, leaning one shoulder against the doorframe and giving her an apprising look that practically purred his approval.
Alanna blushed, feeling distinctly embarrassed. Jon had seen her last night in the dark—it was evening time now, but still far too light out for her comfort!
Jon laughed, clearly amused by her discomfort. Reading her mind, he said, "Don't worry, I like everything I see…I like it so much, in fact, that I'm feeling distinctly…dirty. Perhaps I need a bath too?"
Alanna blinked twice, before comprehension dawned on her. "Jon, no, you can't, we can't, I mean, there's not enough room!" Her cheeks felt like they were on fire—partly because she was embarrassed, partly because she was vaguely turned on by Jon's suggestions. The image of him shirtless and covered in warm scented bubbles popped into her mind and refused to dislodge itself. Mithros! Is this what sex did to people, make them think of naked torsos at the most inappropriate times? Good grief…what had she gotten herself into…
"Alright, alright," he chuckled, following up with a sigh, "I'll leave you to your soaking, though I still think we could make room…but if you insist. Get out soon though, I want to talk with you." Shooting her one last furtive glance, he trotted out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Alanna exhaled the breath she didn't even know she had been holding. Mithros. That was an ordeal. Wandering too obsessively for comfort what he meant by "talk," she washed the last of the bubbles out of her hair and died herself off. Tucking the ends of her towel together, she exited the tiny bathroom, smiling shyly as she looked up at the Prince perched on the chair by his desk.
Leaving his papers, he strode over to Alanna and kissed her lightly on the lips, tucking his hands softly on the small of her back. Butterflies churned in her tummy, and she was more than aware of the thinness of the towel that was the only layer of cloth separating him from her naked body. "Mmm…you smell good." Jon practically grunted, moving his lips to kiss her neck and catching a whiff of the lingering baths soap soaked into her hair.
"It's warm vanilla sugar, imported from Carthak. Of course, it's more expensive than the regular scrub soap they pass out around her, but occasionally it's quite nice for long baths. Did you know that in Carthak the emperor has one hundred slaves to wait on him while he takes a bath, to make sure his water never gets cold? Myles told me that the other day while we were playing chess. Of course, he beat me again, but I checked him once before he did, I think I'm getting better at the game, though I'm still hopeless in using my rooks…" Alanna babbled, feeling her brain go completely fuzzy. Damn it, why did Jon have this effect on her!
"Alanaa…"
"Yes?"
"Why are you talking about Myles and chess pieces while I'm kissing you? "
"Um…"
"That's what I thought. Shhh…" Suddenly he deepened his kisses, making them harder, stronger, fiercer. She felt his arms pull her towards him, and the noticeable press of his manhood lodged against her thigh.
"W-wait, Jon, I-I need my, um, my charm, I took it off to take my bath, it's made of metal, I didn't want it to get rusty…"
Jon growled, pulling away reluctantly. "Fine, hurry," he muttered with half-lidded eyes, practically drugged with passion.
As Alanna dashed into the bathroom and pulled the pregnancy charm over her head, she dimly wandered if this was going to be the norm from now on. Would they come home from their respective days at school or work, and instantly hop into bed together? It all seemed so sudden…one day she was a virgin, having experiencing nothing less innocent than the occasional kiss…the next day, she was leaping out of tubs and into the arms of the crown prince…suddenly, a thought struck her. Were things perhaps moving just a tad too quickly? Jon's confidence—some might call it cockiness—was sexy, yes, but what were his intentions behind it? They hadn't even talked about last night before they were jumping into an immediate replay. In the cold glare of the bathroom light, Alanna regained her senses, and exited the room with the towel clutched firmly to her side, determined to slow things down a bit until she could access where Jon stood and how exactly he felt about her.
Jon strode towards her, but she held out a hand against his chest to stop him. He nearly stumbled, pulling his arms forward, leaned against the wall above her head, to keep his balance. She read the expression of huh? Inside his eyes, and bit down on the anxieties churning within her gut.
"Um, we should probably go to bed soon, we have a long day tomorrow," Alanna muttered, not meeting his gaze. Saying no to the longing in those deep azure eyes was going to be difficult indeed.
"If you mean go to bed together, then I'm all for that plan," Jon shot back, still leaning against the wall, trapping her close to him.
Alanna blushed fiercely, and ducked out from under his arms rather than reply. Jon in turn, thinking her blushing was a sign of maidenly coyness, tugged the end of her towel off of her, grinning until she shrieked at him and clutched it back. Except…it wasn't really a playful shriek. More like, a bobcat whose just had her cub stolen kind of shriek.
"What?" he blinked, genuinely confused. One minute he had been kissing her neck and the next she had turned cold as snow, and stood glaring as fiercely as she was blushing.
"I—I need sleep," she said, jutting her lower lip out. "And you can't just go around clutching towels off people!"
Jon shook his head, "you're impossible, Alanna of Trebond, but I suppose I knew that before I started making love to you."
Plucking up her courage—she was dying to know—"Is, is that what we're doing then? Making love?"
"Of course," he asked, perplexed, "what did you think this was? Just sex?"
"I don't know…I mean, er, you do have a bit of a reputation…"
"Alanna!"
"What?"
"Seriously? You seriously think that's all I'm looking for with you, just, just a girl for the night to play with, nothing more?"
"I don't know Jon!"
"Well is that what you want then? Nothing serious, just a romp in the hay?"
"What?? Obviously not!"
"Well then quit acting like you do," he snapped, striding away from her, clearly upset.
"I'm not acting like that," she retorted, stamping her foot.
"Um, let's see—sneaking out of my bed early this morning, ignoring me all day, and then snapping at me when I just tried to kiss you. Kind of sounds to me like you regret last night." The fire in his voice had turned chilly; suddenly he didn't seem angry so much as deadly serious.
Alanna winced; standing alone, the facts didn't exactly speak in her favor. But how was she supposed to know how the whole sex thing worked? It's not like she had a ton of experience in the area! Hugging her arms to her chest—it was cold in the room, she was wet and wearing nothing but a thin cotton towel—she felt her teeth chatter, though whether it was truly because of the cold or because of something else she didn't want to know. "Jon…you know I have no clue how this whole, thing, is supposed to work…I mean, I don't, not a lot of experience, you know, I don't know…how you feel, or how I feel, it's all just so…confusing. And it's all going so fast."
Jon sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I know this is all new to you, I just got a little swept away, I didn't mean to rush you. But I want you to know something right now, Alanna of Trebond. Alanna, please, look at me."
She lifted her gaze, and stared into his deep blue eyes. He leaned closer, and brushing his lips next to her ear, softly murmured, "it can never be 'just sex' between us Alanna. You're my closest friend and my squire, and I would never do anything to jeopardize our friendship. Casual sex would kind of fall into the category of jeopardizing that. I think things are moving quickly because we already know each other so well and already are so close…normally I wouldn't say this to a girl the day after sleeping with her, but it feels right with you, and I'm not just messing around. I'm in this for real. I'm in this for keeps. So you better be to, 'k?"
Touched by his words, all Alanna could do was nod in response, and follow Jon to the bed as he gently took her hand and led her there.
--Saphron
A/N: I don't have my books with me in college; sorry if I get some fact wrong, please just politely let me know. Thanks a bunch.
Oh, and anyone know the exact date of Alanna's birthday? I feel like it's sometime in July, but I could be wrong…
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