Sudden changes in a young man's life are often perceived two different ways- the weak-willed fool will feel powerless, disheartened. The ambitious, determined individual sees change as an opportunity for adventure, excitement, and a gain in the life experience vital for maturing into a man. The wise man seeks change, instead of rejecting it. Tatsumi has had this recited to him many times, but he had never truly experienced what this had meant for himself. Until now.
Tatsumi felt his head bob to the carriage's vibrations and rocking. The return of strength that began to fill his body told him that he must have recently been asleep. Opening his eyes, he noticed two snow-white mounds in front of his face. Barely awake, Tatsumi haphazardly reached to them, gripping, poking, and trying to figure out what they were. Tatsumi noticed that they felt soft initially, but were suddenly hard if he pressed his finger too deep into the mounds.
"Do you have a fetish for my knees, Tatsumi?" a bewildered Esdeath teased.
"Knees?" Tatsumi thought.
Suddenly he was wide awake. He tried to sit up, but something kept him from moving even an inch. He struggled to get free, but something on his neck kept him from rising.
"I love it when you struggle, Tatsumi" Esdeath's voice cooed.
"Wh- what…" Tatsumi stuttered.
Then he realized what was happening. He must have unconsciously rested his head on Esdeath's lap while asleep. But if he did it unknowingly, then why was Esdeath's hand on his neck forcing him to stay on her lap?
"She forced my head onto her lap" Tatsumi reasoned to himself. "Why would she do that?"
"Is everything alright back there, Lady Esdeath?" a man's voice asked.
"Yes, everything is alright, River. More than alright, to be precise" Esdeath chuckled.
"We are going to arrive at the ice cream shop in about a minute, General" River explained. "Then we will be heading straight for the south gate and towards camp."
"Thank you, River." Esdeath looked down at Tatsumi, her hand now stroking his jaw line. "Did you hear that Tatsumi?"
"Y-yes Esd- Lady… Esdeath?" Tatsumi responded warily.
Esdeath chuckled.
"River, you and I are going to really enjoy this young man, won't we?"
The mustached driver glanced at Tatsumi and looked back to the horses.
"Yes, my lady" said River, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Tatsumi, you can just call me Esdeath." Esdeath assured, her hand now caressing the back of his neck.
After his initial meeting with Esdeath, Tatsumi was told to pack his things to head to her camp outside of Fisher Village with her servant, River. From there they would hitch a ride on her dragon to the Capitol. Although Tatsumi wanted to bring Ieyasu, Esdeath claimed that there would not be enough room in the horse-drawn carriage and the dragon for Esdeath, Tatsumi, River, and Ieyasu. However, Esdeath promised that she would send a rider for Ieyasu so he wouldn't have to make the trip on foot, though she only seemed to do this to keep Tatsumi happy. Tatsumi remembered he and Ieyasu's parting conversation as Esdeath stroked his shoulder.
"Good luck Tats, I'm happy for you" Ieyasu praised.
"Thanks man, I'm gonna miss you" Tatsumi lamented.
"Don't worry, we'll see each other in a few months" said Ieyasu. "I can make it on my own here until my ride arrives, don't worry about me, worry 'bout yourself. You're th' one who's gonna be havin' all the adventure till I get there."
Ieyasu then leaned in, and whispered; "but dude, I don't really know who she is, but that blue bitch really digs ya. I'd totally go for it if I were you."
Tatsumi then promptly smacked him upside the head. After saying their goodbyes, Tatsumi brought all of his possessions and gear to Esdeath's waiting carriage and rode to the camp, in the backseat with Esdeath.
"Here we are, Tatsu-baby" Esdeath said in a sing-song voice. The cart slowly stopped in, the horses gently putting an end to their momentum. Blushing, she finished; "you don't mind me calling you that, right?"
Tatsumi's face and chest burned. "I k-kinda mind, to be… be honest."
Esdeath finally let Tatsumi sit up. "A shame" she uttered. "Oh well" she continued, leaning in to his ear. "You, however, can call me anything you'd like."
"Y-y-yes, L-lady… I mean Esdeath…" Tatsumi shut his eyes out of embarrassment. "…just Esdeath!"
Chuckling, Esdeath left the carriage after River. Tatsumi slowly followed behind, flustered by what Esdeath just told him.
"Was Ieyasu right?" Tatsumi thought. "Does Esdeath want me? I didn't know girls were this direct with guys."
"Have you ever tasted ice cream Tatsumi?" Esdeath asked as they entered the ice cream parlor.
Tatsumi thought a moment before answering, watching Esdeath order an ice cream cone at the counter. "No but I've heard it's really cold. I'd rather not eat something cold during the winter."
"Well then, does a coffee sound good? It will be my treat."
"I guess I'm more of a tea person. Get me a tea, please. The mint kind" Tatsumi requested. "By the way, uh, Esdeath…?"
"Yes, Tatsu-bunny?"
"Um… if I may… why do you insist on eating ice cream in the middle of winter in the Northern Region? It's really cold up here."
Esdeath looked at him for a moment. Tatsumi felt his chest swell in anticipation whenever she looked at him like that. Anticipation for what, he was unsure. Then Esdeath finally answered.
"I'm… immune to the cold."
Tatsumi received his tea and they both walked outside, Tatsumi blowing his hot drink as discreetly as possible.
"Immune? How is that possible?" Tatsumi inquired.
"Do you know what a teigu is, Tatsu-bunny?"
"I'm not your 'Tatsu-bunny'" Tatsumi pouted. "But I don't know what tigers have to do with being immune to the cold-"
"Teigu Tatsumi, teigu"
"No, I don't know what a teigu is."
River then stepped in.
"Teigu are super weapons created by one of the old emperors" River explained. "He created them to support this country so that we would have weapons to defend ourselves with that were stronger than the average sword or lance."
"Yes River" Esdeath acknowledged. "By the way, River, where have you been?"
"Bathroom, Lady Esdeath" River answered.
"My teigu, the Demon's Extract, allows me to control ice in almost any way I see fit" Esdeath continued to Tatsumi. "Such ability comes with some extra bonuses, of course, and being immune to the cold is among those extra benefits."
Tatsumi was dumbstruck. If it weren't for Esdeath and River's matter-of-fact tones, Tatsumi would have thought they were joking.
"That's… that's magic. Where is your tiger- er, I mean teigu Esdeath?"
To Tatsumi's surprise, Esdeath's cold, porcelain hand grabbed his and forced it to a tattoo on her chest.
"Right… here" she said, whispering the last word deep into his ear.
"Her skin's so soft" Tatsumi found himself thinking. "…and her boobs… I knew they were huge, but they look so big now."
Tatsumi quickly shook his head. Such thoughts were reserved for certain moments, and now was not one of them.
As suddenly as she grabbed his hand, Esdeath let go and looked at Tatsumi with a triumphant smirk.
"She's teasing me. I just know it. But if I'm really honest with myself, I don't mind it at all" Tatsumi thought.
River cleared his throat, taking Tatsumi's mind off his moment with Esdeath. Realizing they had to get going, the three returned to the carriage, Tatsumi finishing his tea and Esdeath playfully shoving the rest of her cone into his mouth.
"Tatsumi…"
Tatsumi struggled to swallow the remnants of the cone without choking and then answered.
"Mmhmm?"
Esdeath patted on her lap looking at Tatsumi expectantly.
"Get to it."
Her meaning took a moment to register for Tatsumi, but then he slowly laid his head on her cool thighs, trying to ignore the swelling feeling in his chest and how Esdeath was stroking his long brown hair.
"Good boy" Esdeath cooed.
"Esdeath, can I ask you something?" said Tatsumi, looking up at Esdeath.
Esdeath smiled. "You can ask me anything."
"If you guys are from the Capitol, why were you in Fisher Village? I mean, I've heard this place doesn't even compare with the Capitol."
Tatsumi felt Esdeath's hand caress his breast.
"You are right, it does seem silly for River and I to travel all the way to a place as quant as this. We came looking for one more potential recruit for my special police force, the Jaegers. And I think you were just what we were looking for, isn't that right, River?"
River didn't seem to hear her.
"Besides, I know River enjoys the rustic charm of the Northern Region, and I do my best to please my subordinates to ensure their loyalty" Esdeath continued. She then again leaned into Tatsumi's ear, stroking her finger across his jaw line. "…as I will do for you."
Her touch sparked an electric sensation from his chin that spread to both sides of his back, her cold, icy breath chilling his ear creating a juxtaposition of feeling, indescribable because of his inexperience.
"Go to sleep, Tatsumi. You can relax to my touch. Dream of ice, blood, sensuality and cold steel" Esdeath's soft voice crooned, her cold breath sending sleepy shivers down his arms.
Tatsumi couldn't control himself anymore. He drifted to the sleeping world; Esdeath's words a mumbling echo to his ears.
I will possess you.
…
The gray tundra has the ability to cool the mind, lift the spirits and destroy the body. Twilight is when the snow is most cool, the sky most grey, and the trees most dark and foreboding. The wolves watch for fresh meat and the wind cries like a banshee. The banshee will find you. It will consume you, freeze you and burn you.
"Gosh, it's so pretty." thought Tatsumi. He was looking outside the carriage window, the carriage already stopped to let its passengers out. Tatsumi exited the carriage and followed Esdeath and River to the camp.
"I don't mean to pry, Esdeath but… why did you want to make camp here outside the village when you could have just booked a room at an inn or something?" Tatsumi asked.
"Well…" Esdeath rubbed Tatsumi's hair and smiled. "I like the peace and quiet of the tundra. It reminds me so much of… myself. The sharp allure, the ice, how only the fittest creatures survive here, it all provides a good opportunity for introspection, which I don't get in the bustle of the Capitol."
Tatsumi didn't exactly like the sound of her statement, but decided to pass it off as banter.
"But still, I better watch myself with this woman" he thought to himself.
"The more logical reason, however…" Esdeath continued; "is that I had no place to keep my dragon in the village. The villagers would get angry and there was no room to put him."
The trio continued walking, the snow crunching beneath their boots, when they reached the camp after a moment's walk. A large black form swooped down from above, surprising Tatsumi, who drew his sword.
"Tatsumi, wait." River ordered.
It was the first time River spoke to Tatsumi directly, so Tatsumi stopped, not taking his eyes off the creature.
"Excellent, Talon. Your master is grateful for your obedience." Tatsumi heard Esdeath say. "Now, down."
The dragon slowly descended to its stomach, the perfect blanket of snow below him suddenly becoming a loose jigsaw puzzle, exposing mud and dead grass beneath. Esdeath tossed a large piece of dried meat into its mouth, which it swallowed in one gulp.
"Now, go." Esdeath ordered.
The dragon got up to its feet and after a few flaps of its wings, the dragon ascended into the cloudy sky. Tatsumi watched all this unfold in bewilderment. He had seen plenty of danger beasts before, but never a creature like Talon. However, that was not the end of the amazement he felt at that moment. Esdeath's domineering aura had returned, capturing the attention of Tatsumi, River, Talon, perhaps even the heavens themselves. The wind blew through the pine trees, giving the impression of the trees literally bending to her will, kneeling servants at the feet of the king.
"This woman never ceases to amaze me" Tatsumi recognized. "She makes me feel so afraid and attracted at the same time."
Esdeath turned back to Tatsumi, the determination never leaving her eyes. She seemed like she could dominate the top of Mount Olympus itself, that she could violate the stars and make them shine even brighter, that she could even strike the sun if it insulted her, cutting it into two with a single swipe of her cold steel rapier. This was the look she gave when she expected to be obeyed, and compliance was the only path, even in a world of many choices and decisions.
"Tatsumi!" she stated in bold urgency.
Tatsumi instinctively sheathed his sword and stood up straight.
"Yes, Lady Esdeath! I mean- Esdeath!"
"You are to sleep in my tent with me tonight. We will leave for the Capitol by tomorrow morning. And you are not to call me Lady Esdeath ever again, or…" her domineering presence was replaced by a more stimulating, sinful aura "…I will punish you myself" she said with an ominous grin.
"Y-yes! Esdeath!" Tatsumi exclaimed, wondering if being punished by Esdeath could really be all that bad. He then shook his head.
"No, what am I thinking, punishment is bad not good!"
…
"You don't mind us… sleeping like this right?"
Tatsumi thought about Esdeath's question for a moment. While he wasn't wholly comfortable with Esdeath using him as a body pillow, sniffing his hair every few minutes, it did indeed feel nice. And even though Esdeath's bed and tent were made of ice, the layers of warm wool blankets and Esdeath's arms kept him warmer than he had been for three days.
"No, I don't… really mind" Tatsumi answered.
"Thank goodness" Esdeath sighed, nuzzling her face into Tatsumi's neck.
"Uh Esdeath, um… I'm not really tired tonight. Can I go outside for a moment?"
Silence.
"Esdeath…?"
Tatsumi heard her sleepily mumble something, but he could tell from the steady rise and fall of her deliciously soft chest that she was already asleep.
"It's gonna be a long night" Tatsumi lamented to himself.
