That did it. The Altmer stormed up the stairs and straight into the room he knew was hers. She wasn't there. Surprise, surprise. She often made herself scarce after interfering with his daily tasks. Very well, he could wait. Above all, he was well trained in the art of waiting.
Ancano flopped onto her bed, and a small whiff of flowers wafted under his nose. Her scent. His room often smelled similar whenever she'd been up to mischief in there. Idly, he wondered if it was a perfumed oil or the type of gel she washed with. Then he shook his head to dispel such an idiot thought from his mind. Imagining her bathing was a waste of time and... unnervingly entertaining.
Instead, he concentrated on what he planned to do to the bratty little prankster when he next got his hands on her.
* * *
She'd stayed away for the night and returned the next afternoon. Certainly that was long enough. He should be somewhat calm now. Though she technically did as he ordered. She hadn't laid one little pinky finger inside his room. Not one. And the wall of pastries was so intricate. Surely he'd see the time and effort that had gone into it, right? He should be thankful that she was willing to spend hours getting it just so. How could he not appreciate such art? Edible art, even!
Snickering to herself, she stopped short as she turned the corner and saw who had taken residence in her bed. Ancano was stretched out, one arm bent behind his head. The other hand held up a very familiar-looking journal; one that he was reading. HER journal.
"Hey!" she cried, "what do you think you're doing with that?!"
"I'm reading it, Breton. I knew your power of observation was limited, but I'd no idea quite how much. How sad for you," the satisfied, amused tone of his voice infuriated her.
"Get out of my room!" Gia shouted, jumping up and down once for emphasis.
"Not so funny when it's happening to you, is it... Dragonborn?"
Suddenly, she was eerily quiet. Gia stared at him cautiously, without any hint of good-humor. "You horse's ass," she said clearly, after a longish silence.
"Now, now. No need for childish name-calling, Brat. I know everything. It's all in here. Idiot move, recording things you'd rather not have anyone know, you realize. A silly novice's mistake. At the very least, you should have booby-trapped this ledger." Slowly, Ancano peered over the journal at her; interest alight on his face.
"I am NOT the Dragonborn. I don't even use those stupid shouts I learned," she sniffed, jutting out her chin.
He smiled thinly, "So you're not practiced then. Is that what you're telling me? Good to know indeed. You know, the Thalmor would be very enthused to know who you are. We've taken an avid interest in the dragon's returning. Having the last Dragonborn at our disposal would be quite useful, at the very least."
Her skin turned cold at the implied threat, "Are you deaf? I just said that I'm NOT the last Dragonborn. I don't want to have anything to do with it."
He stretched, and settled back into her bed comfortably, "No? Let me quote a direct passage from your journal; 'The greybeards are bossy and dull. They gifted me the last two words of power for Unrelenting Force. Good thing, I guess, seeing as I can't possibly kill a dragon to use its soul. Who are they kidding, anyhow? Getting that stupid horn back for them was tough enough. I don't ever want to do anything like that again.'"
Helplessly, she watched as he thumbed through a few pages and smiled, tapping a finger on the page, "Ah! And here. Listen to this; 'Delphine is such a cow. I don't care if she doesn't believe me. She can wait in Kynesgrove forever for all I care. I hope that blasted dragon eats her.' You do realize that we've been searching for that 'cow' for some time now. Thank you for that. I always enjoy having very relevant information to report back to my superiors."
Gia began to tremble. Why did she start all this? How could she have forgotten what the Thalmor were capable of? Tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes; a fact that was not lost on Ancano.
"Tut, tut, brat. No need for sniveling. I never actually said that I was going to turn you over now, did I?"
Faint hope bloomed in her heart, "You-you're not?"
The Altmer eyed her with scant interest, "I never said I wasn't, either."
Her chin began to tremble.
"I read through all your entries, several of the ones near the end were especially interesting. Take this one; Ancano covered me in snow today. Honestly, I was expecting something worse. He did shoot at me with shock spells, but he purposely missed me every time. Maybe he just needs a bit of softening up. I'll bother him again soon."
Gia's cheeks flamed. She had, in fact, written several passages about him. One in particular stood out and she hoped against all hopes that he hadn't seen-
He continued, voice a bit lower now, "Or this one; He stuck me on the wall today and I couldn't move at all. Said he'd let me go and that the next time he had me on the wall wouldn't be pleasant. I bet it would be, though. I don't think I'd mind if he were to interrogate me. How did he do that anyway? Freeze me in place? I wish my magick was as good as his."
Her entire face was as red as a mountain flower now.
Ancano closed the ledger with a brisk snap and tossed it on the end table next to her bed. Clasping both hands behind his head, he settled back to scrutinize her with his full attention, "It was a paralyze spell that I made a few modifications on, brat. It allows you to see, hear, and feel everything just like the original enchantment. But I tweaked it just so the vocal cords were also still able to function. It comes in handy when you catch a stubborn heretic on the road that you wish to interrogate, and lack a table to strap him onto."
Her eyes widened, "You can do that? Modify spells?"
A soft chuckle, "If one is learned enough, yes. You? Currently? Don't make me laugh. All you'd do is botch the process and end up killing yourself."
Still, she didn't respond. Gia didn't believe that she had ever been as terrified as she was at that moment.
"And, if you wish your spell-casting abilities were on par with mine, you should practice much more than you do," amusement flickered across his features.
The girl opened her mouth and tried to speak. After a few attempts, she managed to get past the dryness in her throat, "W-what do you want?"
"What makes you think I want anything of you?"
She swallowed audibly, "You-you're still here."
At this, he couldn't help but smile, "Very astute of you, dear girl. And you're correct. I do have a few queries to ask of you. I'm sure you won't mind, will you? I mean, that's what you wrote, isn't it?"
No response.
The high elf clicked his tongue softly and put on a disappointed expression, "This isn't turning out as informative as I'd hoped it would be. Perhaps I ought to up the ante, hm? How about this; every time I ask you a question and you don't answer, I'm going to remove an article of your clothing. What do you say to that?"
Gia's mouth dropped open. She couldn't quite believe what she'd just heard. Unfortunately, Ancano took her continuing silence as a response. Moving quickly, he shot up and crossed the small distance between her and her bed with frightening speed. He cupped the girl's jaw in a large hand and whispered a soft phrase into her ear. Instantly, she felt her limbs tighten up and become as heavy as steel.
"No," she finally managed to whisper.
Ancano smiled again. It was a kind smile, though, "Yes."
Grasping her about the waist, he hoisted her up and tossed her onto the bed. Slowly, deliberately, he began to undo the ties that held the front of her dress together.
Gia tried to pull away, but was unsurprised when she couldn't, "W-wait! Stop! Please!"
He paused, glancing down at her with mild curiosity, "You wanted my attention, did you not? Well, now you've got it. One would think you'd be grateful."
"Please don't hurt me! They were just jokes!"
He seemed rather taken aback, "You misunderstand my intentions, brat. If I had wanted to hurt you, you'd have been harmed good and proper long before now."
Gia could feel her body wanting to start trembling, but was unable to do even that, "What do you want then? I can't tell you anything! I don't even know anything!"
Ancano drew the cord out of her bodice with a flourish and traced a gloved finger down her neck and between her breasts. Alternate waves of hot and cold began to spread from where he touched her; goose flesh broke out on her arms, "I'm aware that you don't know anything useful. Well aware, honestly. But I've been thinking about your recent behavior towards me. You deserve to be punished."
The waves of heat grew a bit more intense at this assertion, sending out tendrils of a delicious tingling sensation to her lower limbs. The icy-cold sensation traveled upwards, swirling around her breasts and caused her nipples to harden. She wanted to squirm and arch her back but still remained stuck in place. Oh Gods, what was he doing? What-
"Paralyze wasn't the only spell I modified," he murmured, eyes alight with distinct mischief, "Oh, no. I can also put fire, ice and lightning to uses other than what they were meant for. It's a fond hobby of mine, really. Tell me, little Breton, how are you feeling right now? Flustered? Perhaps curiously heated? It's been awhile since I had a test subject and any new reactions will have to be documented."
Gia didn't respond, chin set stubbornly. She would not give him the satisfaction of-
"No answer? Fine," his voice was sharp as he reached under her skirt and took hold of her smalls.
"No! Wait! I-"
"Too late, brat. We've already gone over the terms. You knew full well what would happen should you not answer me," he replied, tugging her small clothes down and slowly sliding them over her legs and ankles.
Tears began to gather in her eyes again. Soon after, they overflowed and slid down her cheeks. Ancano regarded her undergarments for a moment, before pocketing them in his robes. After, he directed his attention back to her and made that clicking sound with his tongue again.
"No tears, girl," he said quietly, using a gloved finger to gently wipe away the wetness on her cheeks, "I've already said I'm not going to hurt you, and I rarely go back on my word."
Hope began to bloom in her chest again, "Let me go. Please."
He shook his head, "No." Ancano leaned in and nuzzled her neck for a moment, inhaling deeply. "What is that scent you wear?"
Gia made sure to reply quickly, "It's a soap that Camilla made for me a long time ago. She used Dragon's tongue and purple mountain flowers to make it smell nice."
She gasped as he began to nibble the flesh of her neck, "Dragon's tongue, you say? How appropriate."
His kisses were light as a feather and heavenly. Little rushes of pleasure began to race up and down her skin, and she couldn't even move her head to the side to give him better access. Frustration began to swirl in her chest, "Please take the spell off. Let me go. Please. I'm sorry for annoying you. I won't do it anymore. I swear."
The Altmer didn't respond, merely began kissing down past her collarbone to the opening of her bodice. Slowly, his tongue snaked out to lick at the side of one of her small breasts, before he nudged the cloth out of the way. Cold air hit her nipple just before his mouth closed over it. Ancano heard her gasp again, and felt himself respond. His trousers began to feel a bit tight and constrictive. Lazily, he rolled his tongue back and forth over the small peak, his ears on high alert; wanting to hear any sort of vocal response he could.
The Breton didn't disappoint, a small moan escaped her lips before she was able to stifle it. Encouraged, Ancano cupped her other breast with his hand and rolled his thumb over her other nipple. His thumb left an icy-cold sensation that gradually began to warm, then tingle with a curious electric current. Not enough to sting, but strong enough to travel down past her navel and center right around-
"Does that feel good?" He asked, voice throaty with lust.
"I- What are you- I can't-"
"Those aren't answers, dear girl," he growled.
In a flash, her dressed was removed, leaving the girl naked, but for a simple-looking pendant that hung around her neck. Gia's cheeks flamed but she was unable to move to try and cover herself. Ancano traced his golden eyes up and down her form, appreciation written all over his features.
"Please," she tried again.
This time, he silenced her with a firm kiss on the mouth. Gia didn't, couldn't, struggle. His lips were softer than they appeared, and as soon as she relaxed, his long tongue slipped through and toyed with her own. His hands restlessly cupped and kneaded her breasts; the cold leather of his gloves combined with the heated tingles of his spell. Gia felt herself growing wet, and desperately tried to arch her back, thrust her hips up... anything. But, she couldn't.
The altmer broke the kiss with a nip on her bottom lip, and drew back. He observed the sheen of perspiration that had gathered on her skin, as well as the scent of her arousal and smiled arrogantly, "Do you want me, Breton? Admit it and I'll take you."
To emphasize, he tugged a glove off and cupped her between the legs. Lazily, he traced tiny circles around her center, all the while never touching her where she needed it most. Still, but for a quivering moan, she refused to answer again.
At her lack of response, Ancano gave her mound a sharp slap with his palm, causing her to let loose a small shriek. Another one landed, and she squealed again.
The cries awoke Onmund, whose room resided across the hall from hers. Concerned, the young Nord sat up and made his way over, "Gia. Are you alright? I thought I heard a scream and-"
Upon witnessing the scene in front of him, Onmund trailed off in surprise and stared. Ancano threw a sharp glance over his should and lifted his upper lip in an annoyed snarl, "Get out."
"What are you doing? Gia, are you alright?"
"Get out!" Ancano roared, removing his hand from between her legs and casting a jagged bolt of lightning his way. It hit just in front of him, leaving a smoking, charred crater in the stone floor. Onmund fell backwards, eyes wide with shock and fear.
Fearing for her friend, Gia cried out, "It's alright Onmund. We're, ah, doing an experiment. Please, just leave. Everything will be alright. Right Ancano?" Desperately, she tried to catch him eye with a pleading look.
Unconcerned, Ancano reached between her legs again. Using the very hand that has cast such a devastating destruction spell, and calmly began caressing her once more.
"Yes," he drawled in a condescending manner, "We're conducting an experiment. Gia has graciously given me permission to use her as a canvass and I'm testing out a new method of spell-casting for the Thalmor. And you are directly interfering with Thalmor business. Be on your way, apprentice."