He stared at the ancient typewriter a moment longer. The book was almost finished…almost but not quite. Something was missing and he couldn't quiet figure out what.
Pushing the chair back, he stood and walked to the open window, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. The air here was clean and always held the softest scent of wildflowers. He opened his eyes and placing his hands on the sill, leaned out of the window. He looked out over the gently rolling hills of soft green grass. Far in the distance there was a line of trees, flowing as far as the horizon. Everything within eye's sight belonged to him.
He continued to scan the scenery that surrounded his castle. Far below the window he glanced at the courtyard, letting his eyes wander toward the outer wall, built to keep out a non-existent enemy. This castle had never seen an enemy army; its walls had never been pummeled by a barrage of arrows or assaulted by a battering ram. These walls had only stood for five years, and those short five years were an eternity beyond the days of chivalrous knights on horseback.
Sighing contentedly, he moved from the window and walked back to the table, staring down at the page in the typewriter.
"Zarale! I'm back and I've got a surprise for you!" The voice carried up the stone steps, muffled by the tapestries that hung from the walls. It was a sweet, musical voice, and thickly accented. He smiled and slowly left the room, walking silently down the stairs.
"Zarale! Where are you? Are you up there typing again?" Her accent was one of the most erotic he had ever heard. An almost evil grin spread across his lips as he savored it's sound in his ears.
"I'm not calling you again Zarale!" The voice was clearer now; she must have walked past the stairwell. He paused as he came to the last step, looking out into the kitchen area. She stood with her back to him, working on something that sat on the counter.
He wore no shoes, so he was able to move silently up behind her, one arm reaching around her middle to hold her arms tightly to her body, one hand covering her mouth. He pressed his body firmly against hers, pinning her against the counter.
It all happened so quickly that she had no time to resist. A scream came from deep within her throat, but it was nearly silenced by the hand covering her mouth. Her body tensed and she struggled, but it was useless. She looked down with wide eyes and upon seeing the grayish skin of her lover, she relaxed and a smile came to her face. At that he let go and roughly turned her around, keeping her pinned against the counter with his lower body.
"Baby, why do you insist on scaring me?" She looked up into his eyes, her hands slipping down his sides to his waist and around his hips, holding him to her.
"The fear of a woman…there's just something about it that gets to me." He looked deeply into her eyes, the grin on his face so evil that only a Cardassian could pull it off successfully.
"Oh stop it." She reached up to playfully slap his chest, his hand quickly taking her wrist before she could go through with it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
She looked up into his eyes, slight fear showing in them. "Sometimes you really scare me Zarale…"
His expression changed to one of kindness and he backed away from her, letting go of her wrist. It was red, and she gently rubbed it with her other hand, still looking up at him.
"I'm sorry sweetie, you know I don't mean it." He went to stand beside her, looking down at the counter where she had been working. "Is this my surprise?"
The fear left her eyes and she smiled softly, turning back to the counter. "I'm going to make you bread pudding. It's a recipe that's been in my family for thousands of years." She began working again, moving around the kitchen to gather ingredients that she needed.
He turned to watch her, leaning back against the counter. "You know I hate Human food."
"Oh honey, you're mostly Human, there's no reason for you not to like your own species' food." She came back to where he stood and began mixing a few things in a bowl.
"I am only half Human. I have learned it's more advantageous to think of myself as full Cardassian. Hardly anyone knows the difference anyway. Humans aren't taken seriously enough, and besides, their food is disgusting." He stuck a finger into the bowl and put it in his mouth before she could stop him. "Mmm it's good, very sweet…just like you." He leaned towards her, placing gentle kisses on her neck. She stopped mixing and leaned towards his kiss for just a moment before pulling away. "Please let me finish baby." She grinned and continued to mix what was in the bowl.
Zarale watched her in silence as she moved around the kitchen, finally putting the dessert into the oven. She brushed her hands together and looked over at him, a smile on her face. "It'll be ready in thirty minutes."
With a grin on his face, he walked slowly to her, pushing her long hair over her shoulders. "Just enough time." He placed his hands firmly on either side of her neck and leaned down to kiss her soft lips. She returned the kiss, her hands gently rubbing his chest, feeling the firmness of the muscle beneath.
He let his hands fall to her waist, then wrapped his arms around her back, holding her closely to him, her own hands reaching up and slipping around his neck. They kissed for a moment longer until he began to walk her backwards toward his bedroom. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and leaned back, placing the back of her hand to her forehead in a dramatic pose. "Oh save me! The evil Emperor has me in his evil clutches! I can't imagine what evil things he wishes to do to me!"
"You're a horrible actress." He grinned at her as he carried her to his room. She laughed and put her hands around his neck again, staring lovingly into his smiling brown eyes. "I love you Zarale Thrax…no matter how evil you are to me."