It was the dead of night in Senntisten. The Divine Palace, teeming with activity during the day, was quiet at this hour, save for the sounds of the two inhabitants of Zaros's personal quarters.
God and auspah, lord and concubine.
Char sighed as Zaros pulled her against him, her back to his chest, one of his hands stroking her waist, the other shifting higher to trail across her chest. She leaned into his touch, her breathing coming shallow.
His head lowered to rest against the side of hers, their cheeks brushing. The hand that was splayed across her chest slid sideways to the strap of her clothing, sliding it down her shoulder.
Char took the hint and pulled away from his embrace to slip out of her clothing. The straps fell from her arms, then slid down her waist until her clothing fell from her hips to her feet where she stepped out of it.
He spun her around to face him once she was bare, his own clothing simply fading away into nothing, and pulled her against him once more, this time from the front. She pressed a hesitant kiss against his mouthless face as his fingers roamed over her body, one hand trailing down her back, the other tangling in her hair.
She withdrew her lips from his face to instead set her hands ablaze, before slowly pressing her flaming fingertips to the crystals on his shoulders, fire dancing across the pointed outgrowths. Zaros leaned into the heat, pulling her more tightly against him. His hands moved from her back and hair to her face. He stroked her cheeks, her earlobes, rolling them between his fingers. Char whimpered, tilting her head back into his hands.
Zaros released her face to seize her by the hips, lifting her easily. He carried her over to the nearby bed, placing her upon it, before moving to straddle her. His hands trailed over her skin. His fingers traced her lips, the outline of her jaw. They trailed down her shoulders to caress her breasts, cupping the soft flesh and rolling her nipples until they stiffened. Char gasped beneath him, her eyes rolling back in her head.
Zaros parted her legs and moved between them, leaning over her, his weight resting on his hands. His gaze travelled along the length of her body. Char leaned up to kiss his neck.
"You are beautiful", Zaros told her. His voice was soft and distant, almost a murmur.
"Th-Thank you, my lord", Char froze for a heartbeat at the comment. Then she wrapped her arms hesitantly around his shoulders, fingers digging into his back as she tentatively pulled him closer to her. Zaros fell on top of her, their bodies pressed flush against each other. Their faces rested against each other for a moment, Char's nose pressed into the space between his eyes. Then Zaros pulled back, taking her chin in one hand, tilting her head so that she was looking up at him. He guided the fingers of his other hand to her mouth, pressing them against her lips. Char took two of the digits into her mouth, sucking on them.
Zaros permitted her to continue for a few moments, before pulling away. His eyes held hers for a moment longer, before his now wet fingers slipped down between her thighs and began to knead the sensitive area.
Char uttered a strangled yelp, something between a gasp and a whimper. Zaros rolled her flesh between his fingers. Char moaned and thrust her hips upwards against his hand. He stopped when she lay quivering, blinking up at him, steam rising from her flesh.
Zaros rose from the bed, moving to stand beside it instead. Char got the message and scrambled to join him. She moved until she stood before him, their eyes locking for a brief time, before dropping to her knees. Zaros's hands gripped her hair. Char took him in her mouth.
Zaros remained silent as she worked, but his grip on her hair tightened and he shivered subtly when her tongue swirled around him or she dipped her head particularly fast. She stroked him with one hand, the other resting on his thigh to steady herself. After a while she allowed fire to fill her mouth, heating her breath and tongue. Zaros uttered the faintest of sighs before pulling away from her.
Char looked up at him, and he reached down to grip her beneath her arms, pulling her to her feet. He jerked his head towards the bed, and she hastily crawled back onto it. He was on top of her a moment later. She quivered all over as he moved between her legs, aligned his hips with hers, then joined with her.
Char whimpered, her body going rigid. Zaros did not slow down. Char winced as he moved deeper, then cried out. Zaros continued to move, indifferent to her pain. Char turned her head aside and bit her lip. Eventually her body adjusted to him and she relaxed. Zaros gripped her hips and held her firmly to him.
Char closed her eyes and threw her arms around his shoulders, clinging to his back. She arched upwards into him as he moved deep within her. Zaros released her hips to pin her down with his arms on either side of her. He lowered his head until their faces were brushing. Char kissed him tentatively. He tangled his fingers in her hair in response. She whimpered.
Steam rose from her body as it went on. She clung to him more tightly, her hands roaming all over him. She stroked his arms, his head, his back, anywhere, everywhere within her reach. Zaros trailed his hands along her legs and buried his face between her breasts. His movements grew stronger, rougher. Char's whimpers became moans, then screams.
Zaros pulled his head up until his face was level with hers.
"Fire", he ordered. "Make fire."
Char obeyed, her hands and feet erupting into flames. She wrapped her legs around his waist, lifting her feet off the bed. Zaros sighed as the fire shone before his eyes. Light blazed through the room, lighting up the night.
He stilled on top of her, his weight pressing her down into the bed. Char lay silently beneath him, breathing weakly, hands and feet still burning faintly. Eventually he lifted himself from her and lay down on his back beside her. Char remained where she was until he reached over and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder and draped an arm—her hand still wreathed in fire—across his midsection.
They watched the flame together as it burned, a lone light in the dark.
AN: So this is the third RuneScape fic that I've written focusing on Zaros's sex life. I'm not sure why I seem to be so interested in such a thing. This will likely be my final fic involving such a theme though, at least for a while. I hope to experiment with some other themes and characters. So far all of my fics have involved angst to some extent, even this one, which wasn't intended as an angst fic when I started writing it. I just can't seem to help myself.
If you have read my first two RuneScape fics, 'Substitution' and 'Twice Shattered', you'll understand Zaros's fascination with fire and perhaps notice some similarities between how he treats Seren and Char when he has sex with them. Also, if you are wondering why in the name of the Elder Gods Zaros enjoys Char setting him on fire during sex, keep in mind that he's made of crystal, not flesh. She's not burning him; she's raising her body temperature to a point that he can really feel it. A regular human body temperature would probably seem cold to him. He needs it hotter to really enjoy its warmth.
Although I am very fond of Zaros/Char as a pairing, I don't personally see it as a loving relationship. In my opinion he is simply using Char as a substitute for Seren. He has also manipulated Char in canon, arranging for her to be abducted and tortured without her consent in the lore 'Twice Burnt' in order to cause her hidden fire abilities to surface. So while he may be attracted to her, I don't think he genuinely cares for her too strongly. She's just a convenient replacement for the being that he actually wants. Notice that he didn't care when he was hurting her in this fic. Poor Char. Go and find yourself a new lover—Zaros is a scumbag.
I am pleased that this fic gave me an opportunity to try out one new thing—a new POV. This was my first time writing in third person objective rather than third person limited. I hope I did it correctly. If anyone reading this has experience with the third person objective viewpoint, please give me feedback as to whether or not I used it correctly. I'd like to learn how to write in a variety of different styles.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I certainly enjoyed writing it. It can arguably be considered a prequel to 'Substitution', so perhaps should be read before it for maximum impact.
Please read and review.