We talked for perhaps another hour about different topics. Mostly just what one or the other had been doing at certain time periods. We each shared our own stories on the high seas and compared pirating tactics. I regaled her with stories of my time as the hero of skill and my adventure, if you could call it that, with the king's father.

I found myself wanting to tell her about how I became an immortal and my pact with the Shadow Court. I wanted to tell her mostly because I wanted to know how she became an immortal herself, but I was uncertain how she would handle knowing that I regularly sacrifice the youth of others to maintain my own.

After a while Sera started dozing off, so I decided we should both go to sleep. I scooted down first and she nestled up against my side. I held her against my bare chest and felt her hand slide down to hug onto my waist. She fell asleep quickly and I soon joined her. I dreamed about Sera's beach, empty and vast. She was contented lying on the sand with nothing on except the mischievous grin that she sometimes gave me in private.

My vision was disturbed by the sound of knocking. It was faint at first and grew louder. Finally, I opened my eyes and saw the sun shining into the bedroom. Sera was still snuggled up against me, but her eyelashes stirred and she soon awoke as well. The knock came again and then there was the sound of keys.

In a flash, Sera slid out of the bed and climbed underneath it. I heard the door click and in walked a young maid. She looked over and noticed me, lying in the bed alone and only partially covered by a bed sheet. I yawned and said drowsily, "I didn't know I would be getting such a cute wakeup call this morning."

She froze in place. "I'm sorry, sir.. Mr. Reaver, sir. N-n-no one told me you were staying here. I didn't mean to disturb you," she stuttered out.

I scooted up a bit in the bed, revealing a bit more of my chest and torso. I watched as the maid eyed my bare skin and smiled gingerly. "If that's all, then you can excuse yourself. I will be leaving shortly. Please inform the king I will be absent today as I have some business to take care of."

She nodded quickly and ducked out of the room, locking the door behind her. After the lock clicked back in place, Sera emerged from under the bed. "Was that really necessary?" I asked her.

She climbed back into bed before responding, "Yes. The last way I want people to find out about our somewhat strange relations is by a maid finding me in bed with you.

I yawned again. "Somewhat strange? What's strange about it?"

She returned to her place next to my side. "What's not strange about it?"

I kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Hmm, we're two adults, having fantastic consensual sex, so fantastic that I daresay that most living human beings with working genitalia would be jealous."

"So we're just having sex?"

I sighed. Women.

"It's really too early in the morning to be having this discussion. We're lovers. We're having sex. I like being around you. I don't think about killing you very often. What more do you want?"

There was silence and that was always troubling when women were involved. "Sera, use your words. What do you want from me that you aren't getting?"

I looked down at her face and watched as the cogs turned in her head, then she smiled. That was slightly troubling too. "How about you naked in a golden collar, chained to my bed, and you can never leave?"

"Nope. Never going to happen. Perhaps once, if you're lucky, and you return the favor," I reached down and began tickling her exposed flesh.

She laughed as she tried to get away, but I grabbed hold of her by the waist with one arm and tickled her other side. She yelled, "Stop it!" in between laughs and squirmed even harder.

She was trying to inch herself off of her side of the bed, so I used the hand that was around her waist to grab her wrist and pull her back towards me. She wasn't going to get away that easily. "Where do you think you're going?" I asked quietly before biting her shoulder lightly.

She turned her head and smiled. I wanted to make love to her before I went home this morning or perhaps just take her home with me and make a day of it. I pulled her close and kissed her deeply. As I went to release her from the kiss, I felt her hands move quickly to my sides and now she was tickling me. I stifled a laugh and moved to protect myself from her hands. I grabbed her wrist again and as she struggled it made it easier for me to grab the other in the same hand.

I had her now. I pinned her wrists against the bed and sat on her waist, straddling her sides. "Hm, this seems familiar, doesn't it?" I asked her. She scoffed and bucked her hips against me, trying to knock me off. "Now, now, we'll get to that in a moment. I have to savor my victory."

I reached down with my free hand and slowly glided my fingers over her bare skin, which admittedly was most of her. I felt her brace herself as I touched her waist and I smiled down at her. Her face was red and she was breathing hard from struggling. I waited for her breathing to slow down before quickly tickling her again.

She yelled out again and writhed underneath me as I moved my free hand from her waist to her chest and then her arms. I was so focused on the woman below me that I didn't hear the door or perhaps I didn't particularly care. I was bent over her body and about to kiss her when I heard the king's voice yell out at me.

I was genuinely a bit startled, but not so startled as Sera was. For a good couple of seconds her face was frozen in horror. It appeared we had both forgotten ourselves. I coughed and released her wrists as I leaned up.

"Yes, your majesty?" I asked a bit cautiously.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked back.

I looked down at Sera's face which looked pensive before responding. "Sera… came to check on me this morning and we were having a tickle fight. It's something immortals do. You probably wouldn't understand."

"Immortals have naked tickle fights?"

"I sleep in the nude. It's so much more comfortable. I'm afraid poor Sera didn't know what she was in for."

I looked down again and she was covering her face with her hands. I heard her faintly whisper, "Just let me die." This was actually the most amusing thing that had happened to me in weeks.

"Sera, are you alright?" the king asked.

She moved her hands from her face. "Yes, your majesty. I'm fine. I came to check on Reaver because he overslept."

"Well, let her up, Reaver."

I sighed. It took a lot of effort to get her in that position. "Yes, your majesty." I let her up and moved to stand up myself. After we were both standing in front of the king, I took a good look at Sera's bed clothes and realized that they were entirely see through in the morning light.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. I offered the room to Reaver because it was so late. I didn't think you would mind," Sera said in an apologetic tone.

He waved dismissively, "I don't mind, but when I came to speak to Reaver I heard you yelling and was afraid he was taking liberties with you."

I would be right now if you hadn't shown up. "Your majesty, you wound me. I would do no such thing without the other person's consent," I said as I placed my hand on my chest.

"I'm fine, your majesty. Thank you for your concern. I'll be going now if you need to speak to Reaver," Sera said as she walked closer to the king. I watched as he eyed her chest as she approached.

"No, no. That's fine. I have no intention of talking to Reaver until he's properly dressed. Please come see me before you head back to Millfields, Reaver," He said quickly as he turned towards the door and left just as fast as he had come.