Long ago in the Master Bedchamber of the Former Khuβhrénir Castle… (^_~)

Trieze…

…meticulously planted each soft luxurious kiss down and then back up the other side of his wife's neck; Each of his strong dark skinned arms cradling her lithe pale body so that his Lady needn't exert any more effort then that of bearing the pleasures that shuddered throughout her form as he continued his 'interior' labors nearing his own climax.

His jet black locks of hair, which he kept long enough to dangle past his knees when he was standing, formed its own curtain about the two lover's form. His exotic brilliant blue eyes gazed passionately out from under his elegantly forked brow– it was like staring at two patches of clear sky after being lost underground for days.

The Khuβhrénir, and now to be Khushrenada, bloodline had been intermingling in the European continent for several generations but it only took one captured Persian princess for a mother to have brought out many of the features of the twin's true heritage:

A clan from the Indian Kshatriyas caste that had left their homeland behind after a disagreement with the Brahmins over the altering of the religious rituals involving the divine Soma; They then sought to conquer all they could of the world, through either love or war, as it seemed the natural destiny of the Indo-Aryan decedents – All because of a little defenseless mushroom…

Trieze felt the gripping pulses as Aria cried out, thrown over her edge once more, and could no longer bear to drag his own wanting out any further; withdrawing quickly to spill forth into a rag as his tongue now continued to see her pleasures to their own end. Considering the siege his brother Godrick was attempting on his latest campaign, Aria might otherwise be heavy with a child by the time he returned – something that would not please his warrior brother one bit since it would deprive him his own chance to lay with his wife.

His brother Godrick would just never understand why it was Trieze insisted on having part in this woman. Truly enough Trieze could have any women …and often did! Even if he were engaged in a typical Christian union of the time, mistresses never counted.

…But that was just it, what was the point to any woman? A man alone with himself could produce the same technical results with a little imagination – it was the rules and boundaries that outlined a game that gave it any fun. …and how Godrick loved making rules and giving orders…

Trieze liked the obstacles… therefore, he liked sharing his love.

Godrick however, only yielded to the undeniable fact that he was already dedicated to another lover of his own – his sword. Accepting the reality that his frequent absence from the castle would make it impossible for his own will to dictate Trieze's conduct from afar – he settled on compromise out of guilt to his own inability to tend to both duties, as had always been the case.

Their lands, and the lands of their allies, had indeed expanded a great deal in the years since; Godrick's frustration at having to leave his wife and her 'other husband' alone together being felt by any who dared face him as an enemy.

The cloth bundle steamed and smoked before catching alight in the fireplace where Trieze discarded it as he smoothly returned to nuzzle his love's face, softly purring with satisfaction.

"My brother sent word that he already has them with their backs to their gate…" Trieze nibbled affectionately on her ear as he softly spoke, "…which of course we both know means he could be cracking open the best of their wine cellar in celebration, by now."

Aria smile glowed as she slid her arms under the black sheet of his hair, to wrap them around his neck and pull her self against him and into his enveloping embrace,

"I do hope that's true… it worries me so much when he's on the front for so long…"

"…Ah yes, how terrible it would be if you never had any relief from my affections at all!"

She laughed at that. It was true that Trieze's endurance could sometimes be an issue – it once left her so weary that she demand him finish having his pleasures else where or else she would be forced to send complaint to Godrick; who would surly return with all haste and rage in such a case.

Trieze did make sure to try and be more attentive to her limitations from then on,

"You have been looking pale of late my dear… perhaps I should have food sent up?"

"No, I think I shall wait till the dinner hour –"

…Her chest suddenly convulsed in a cough.

"…Our Lady!" Trieze quickly snatched up the blankets scattered to the edges of the bed, "It would be dreadful indeed if you've caught a cold…I'll be blamed for sure!"

As selfish as his words were, Aria could hear the waver of deep concern in his melodic tone and see the glimmer of fear that had appeared in his eyes: Illness on any level was a very bad omen in deed in that time. She tried laugh at his fretting as he wrapped her in their downy warmth… but the coughing came again…

…her eyes froze with fear at the sight of the droplet of blood on the hand that had tried to contain their force.

Trieze, his own blue orbs wide, pulled her hand away to see for him self what the matter was in the firelight…

"…I will send for him at once; our children as well."

Trieze Khuβhrénir flew from the room calling forth his retainers and demanding the fastest messenger be roused at once and sent on his way…

…still dressed in nothing but spare sheet tied haphazardly about his waist. His sweat drenched locks, which now formed into snake like tendrils about his body, was all the formal regalia he ever needed…


On the front lines…

Godrick Khuβhrénir's great sword smashed down through another man's helm and proceeded to cleave through the rest of his soft body – the poor craftsmanship of his armor allowing it to wrench apart as the blade drove down; hardly providing much of an obstacle once the initial metal barrier was breeched.

His own finely made armor covering only his right arm and side, leaving the left side of his torso bare to taunt his enemies in battle. His head was adorned with it's own solid helm and left arm hooked into a shield bearing the new family emblem; consisting of an Oak tree its branches split in two to embrace a golden egg containing a red dragon. A pair of full greaves protected his legs up to his thighs and a substantial armored 'belt' about his waist protected his own family 'jewels'.

The sound of his army's horns unexpectedly blaring out a retreat did not please the man one bit…

Godrick stormed into the circle of tents where a group of his commanders were huddled together with what looked like a messenger sent by his brother still gasping from his journey. His helm hit the ground and, ringing like a gong, bounced off to get its self lost,

"WHAT may I ask WAS THAT! Who is it that DARES to command MY men to retreat!"

"Your brother has sent word, my lord…"

"…MY BROTHER DOES NOT COMMAND MY ARMY…!"

"…your wife has fallen ill."

Godrick's rage came to a screeching halt. His blue eyes were wide as his shoulder length hair was whipped up by the wind.

He vaulted back onto his war horse and set off with all speed for home, not caring to take provisions or leave any orders and simply tearing the burdening armor from his steed as he flew across the hills.


In the Master Bedchamber Once More…

Trieze had been unable to bring him self to leave Aria's side as her condition worsened daily. Already lacking his brother's hard bulk of muscles he became even leaner, and his face gaunt. It was as if his life was draining away with hers.

When Godrick finally threw open the door, he too looked far from his normal undefeatable self having ridden non-stop since receiving the news. He struggled to detach the armor that still encased his arm and torso from the field and let it drop in a heap before rushing to the bedside.

"Aria…" He clasped her hand as he sat on the edge of the bed before desperately kissing her lips. Trieze who sat cross legged on the other side of her silently watched his brother greet their dying wife. "…I'm so sorry, I should never have left."

"It's not your fault brother; I doubt your presences would have made a difference…" Godrick's eyes hardened into cold diamonds as they shifted to regard Trieze.

"Well it's obvious YOURS didn't help."

"…Godrick…" Aria coughed and spent a few moments gasping to regain her breath, "…You know Trieze does his best, and if it weren't for your efforts our allies would not enjoy the prosperity they do now." Godrick bowed his head silently accepting the chastisement for his bitter words. The coughing came again, "I worry for you both, my husbands… I would hope after my passing something might see you understand each other better and bring peace between you… Spending a life endlessly warring is no life at all…"

Aria did not live to see the end of the week.

The two brothers remained by her side till, on the night of the lunar eclipse, her final breath passed from her lips and her body settled into its final rest…

…surely enough in their grief the two brothers turned on one another once more,

"…And DID you even take care of her? NO!"

"Well I'm not the one who WORRIED HER TO DEATH!"

Godrick was cradling Aria's cold body across his lap and let out a soft moaning wail; tears streamed down both brothers' faces.

Trieze could almost feel the pain his words inflicted on his grieving brother, but he didn't care – Once again, Godrick was assuming just because emotions were so rare for him self that it was impossible for his brother to feel them as well.

It was not so however: Trieze lived in the world of emotions surrounded by their color and brightness at all times, controlling and being controlled by them in equal turn.

"Brother, I never will seek the pleasure of another woman. Perhaps you should watch me carefully and learn what real love is like… But FINE, so be it!" Godrick finally brought himself to carefully lay their dead wife's body back as it was, "Have your "memorial" as you like!" he went to storm out the door preferring to take his grief else where.

"WAIT! BUT…!" Trieze was wearing a blue silken robe as he swayed, one hand extended as if to reach out to his brother, "…Will you not stay?"

Godrick scoffed and spat,

"Why? So I can watch you use her to glorify yourself AGAIN?" He turned his back on his brother, "I think NOT."

Trieze's arm dropped to his side, his shoulders slumped. He was alone again with Aria, his dead lovetheir dead love.

…Things…were not as they should be… or at least not as they once were…

…and while the two brothers did spend nearly a month locked alone with their own grief – Godrick camping in the near by woods, Trieze unable to leave the bed he had shared with his wife (and brother).

They did eventually step outside their cells of grief to seek the things that once brought them pleasure…

Godrick however, after a day of hunting wild boars, found himself becoming increasingly troubled as it came nearer the time to seek out his bedroll and sleep…

…it was a warm wash that came over him – a strange thing indeed considering how cold and dead he'd been feeling for weeks – it slowly intensified and he could almost feel as though invisible hands were caressing him…

…it felt as though…

…His eyes went wide as somehow his instincts revealed the impossible truth. He ran to the castle with all speed…

"STOP!" Godrick literally smashed the bed room door into kindling (it was not the master bedchamber, but another chamber… his brother was not so honor-less in such matters).

His brother, clad in nothing and poised to plunge, gave Godrick a slack-jawed stare.

"Excuse me?" he looked meaningfully at the nude woman beneath him, his hardened shaft but an inch from its goal, before glaring at his brother once more.

"You can't!" That made Trieze growl as he indignantly pushed him self back and sat up to face his brother fully.

"What do you mean I can't?" Godrick scooped up the pile that was obviously the woman's cloths and threw it over her face.

"Woman leave us!" The maid moved to quickly be gone, but Trieze caught her wrist as she struggled to re-dress.

"She will not! I do not go bursting onto YOUR battlefield and ordering YOUR men to go home!"

"As I do not DRAG you onto that battlefield and FORCE you to join in the fray!" Trieze's disbelief was back, had his brother truly gone insane?

"Drag? Force? BROTHER, you just came BURSTING in here! I never ASKED you! In fact I wasn't aware you even WANTED to come back to civilization so soon!"

Godrick closed his eyes and steadied his breaths, had it been a mistake? No he was sure… He drew forth his dagger. Trieze froze at the sight of the steel blade.

"Perhaps I am wrong, but…" he brought the blade to his own arm…

"Godrick… look I know how terrible it is that Aria is gone but you MUST get a hold of yourself!"

Godrick dug the tip in and quickly drew a thin red line across the top of his forearm, the pain it caused being nothing to him…

…Trieze shrieked! And clasped his OWN arm!

"WHAT THE…!"

"You see? If you take your pleasures with her… it would be as if I were taking pleasures with her, You CAN'T."

The Twin Brother's eyes remained locked as they both came to grips with this horrifying new obstacle before Trieze gave a frustrated growl and threw himself back, his hardness becoming more then uncomfortable,

"Then what would you have me do! Would you see me DIE from trying to contain myself?"

Godrick thought about it very deeply… he knew while he never enjoyed sharing himself so casually with the women who made up their court, Trieze did indeed LIVE for indulging in intimate pleasures…

…Godrick helped the maid finish re-dressing and once they were alone went to sit on the bed besides his moping brother...

"Trieze…"

Trieze propped himself up on one elbow to glare hatefully at him, but couldn't keep it up with the strange look that was in his eyes…

"What –?"

Godrick leaned forwards… he brought his right hand up to cradle the frame of Trieze's jaw… as his lips connected with his brother's.

The shock of the two fold back-feed of pleasure was more then enough to instantly nullify any protests Trieze would have otherwise given.

…The two brothers fell into a tangle of mirrored passions.


YAY! And now THAT'S out of the way onto the ACTUAL ADVENTURE in ch3!