Disclaimer: I do not own the Fable universe; I am merely borrowing it for the purposes of this tale. Characters you do not recognize are mine however (Von, Azrael, Ezra, etc). This story contains scenes of an extremely mature nature, so expect dark and sexual themes.
I decided to take a break from studying to give you guys a long overdue update! I really am so sorry this took so long and I hope you all find this worth the wait! A very sincere thank you goes out to every silent reader and kind reviewer that has visited this story. Your patience and support is deeply appreciated! - Fallon.
Chapter Forty-Seven
"And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about." - Haruki Murakami
The castle was quite when Maya returned, its inhabitants blissfully unaware of what had just transpired and enjoying peaceful slumbers.
Ben dismissed the guard escort, swearing them all to secrecy again before dismissing them back to the barracks. When they had all left, he approached Maya and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Shall I escort you to your chambers, your grace?"
"I'll be fine, Ben."
He could tell from her tone she was trying to assure herself of that as much as him. The unease which she had worn entering Reaver's manor remained, though like always she kept it nearly perfectly concealed. Ben saw it, and he knew without a doubt Von would.
"Would you like to talk about it, Maya?" He asked tentatively, "You know I'm here for you, always will be."
She smiled sadly and placed her hand over his. "You've been a loyal friend, Ben. Please just make sure the men are ready...leave the rest to me."
Ben frowned.
"Please," Maya said tenderly, "trust me like you used to."
"I've never stopped, love," he chuckled, "but by Avo, how naive we were back then..."
When he first spotted her at Mourningwood fort, the loss of Elliot was still fresh on her mind. But despite her inner turmoil, the air of strength she projected was contagious. By the time she vanquished Lieutenant Simmons she had every man in the fort believing entirely in her. And even now, after so much time had passed, they continued to.
A genuine smile graced her lips, "Weren't we?"
"I remember thinking the day would never come that we would be here." Ben confessed, "I wanted so badly for it but at the same time it seemed too big to be anything more than a dream."
Everything had been simpler back then, when their only focus was removing Logan from the throne. Back when darkness was nothing more than the absence of light, not the manifestation of all their greatest fears. Before Swift had died, when no bullet could harm them and no sword could touch them.
"And what a dream it turned out to be," Maya said with a heavy sigh, "making deals with devils and staving off one disaster after another. Father would be so proud."
Ben figured that a hero of her father's renown would have had some shred of wisdom or advice to pass along to Maya now that her greatest trial was nearing. He felt horribly inadequate, having nothing profound to say to her that could hope to lift her spirits.
"I for one think you're due for a holiday." Ben said with a cheeky smirk.
Maya laughed, thoroughly amused by such an insane and yet beautiful idea.
"Right after I save Albion...it would be far too selfish of me to do so before."
He saw exhaustion in her eyes, the likes of which no one other than a hero could bear. Ben pulled her in to a tight embrace, one which she returned eagerly.
Titles, protocol and worries cast aside; Maya sank into the kind gesture and found herself feeling normal, content. Ben, sweet and obnoxious Ben, had and never would ask anything of her.
"You of all people deserve to be selfish, Maya." Ben muttered tenderly into her hair, "You need to trust me on that."
Maya passed only guards and servants as she walked solemnly down the hallway. The portraits she passed seem to stare at her with accusatory eyes, as if to say 'we know what you did'.
She quickened her pace.
She entered her study and proceeded to file away the contract and decree she had signed with Reaver. Though it was still new, the details of it were already etched onto her heart. The elegant loops of his signature stared back at her, even when she closed her eyes.
As if to make sure it had really happened, Maya unrolled the parchment to take another look. Much to her dismay, her name remained; signed in ink and yet bound by something greater.
A shiver ran through her and she quickly locked the documents away. It was only when the bolts of the lock slid into place that her breathing evened out and she was able to relax some.
But still Von had not come to her and until she found him she'd not truly be at ease.
When she reached her bedchamber and did not find him waiting for her, she felt a surge of worry wash over her. Maya opened the closet and found his clothing still there, his scent still strong on them. His coat and sword belt remained slung over the back of the chair near the fire as if he had removed them just a moment earlier. She knew he'd leave such things behind if he had to depart suddenly, but she told herself otherwise; clinging to the hope of him like a raft.
Maya grasped the chair that sat before the fireplace but continued to scan the room, at a loss for where to look for him. At this hour he was not in Logan's service and with her mind so scattered she couldn't think of anywhere else he would retreat to. Perhaps she was wrong to think her room was the only place he would seek seclusion and sanctuary in? And if he had learned of where she went…
"Von?" She said in a whisper; testing his name for fear of what it would, or rather, would not bring. "Please…"
He was gone, that was the only answer she kept coming back to. Regardless of all the times he swore he would stay, finally she had done something to push him away. But could she blame him? She sided with Reaver before, but this time she sought him out and practically begged for his help.
What manner of queen begged? Whores begged, the guilty begged; not the Queen of Albion.
Maya knew Reaver had found pleasure in it and that made her feel dirty, like she was covered in a residue of his moral filth. And no matter how many times she reminded herself that all she did she did for Albion the discomfort remained.
She dropped down to her knees and curled up next to the chair, too lost in her own thoughts to bother with moving onto her bed. No matter how many times she told herself to be strong she felt so less and less often. And with time running out, she began wondering how she alone could hope to vanquish the most powerful enemy Albion had faced in the last five hundred years?
Maya spat a curse on Reaver, damning him for stirring up such doubts. Over six million people were counting on her; there was no time for luxuries like doubt. Such things were for simple people with simple lives, those who did not have the weight of Albion's survival hanging over them like a black cloud.
Von entered the room quietly and spotted Maya sitting on the floor. He closed the balcony door. Beads of rainwater dripped from him and hit the floor softly. She looked lost in thought, her brow furrowed and her fingers rubbing circles over her temples. Rain pelted against the windows violently, but even that seemed to go unnoticed by Maya.
Curious and concerned, Von kicked off his muddy boots and crept closer to her.
"Maya?"
She glanced up, and upon realizing it truly was him standing before her, reached up to him. The pleading look in her eyes was worrisome, but he bit his tongue and allowed her to guide him down beside her.
Despite the fact that he was soaked, Maya curled against him. She grabbed the saturated fabric of his shirt and clung onto him as if he were pulling away from her.
"Talk to me," he pleaded softly, "what's happened?"
That was when Von smelled it; the musky scent of expensive cologne clinging to Maya's skin like tar. It was one he had encountered before and one he had hoped to avoid in the future. The mere presence of it conjured up memories of the Silverpines Arena and the treatment he received at the hands of Reaver.
On his back the brand of Reaver Industries burned as if it were fresh. Von found himself wishing for that scent, of his own flesh burning, rather than that musk.
He grabbed her shoulders and held her out at arm's length. The suddenness of the motion startled her, but she said nothing and didn't try to return to the comfort of his arms. Her eyes were puffy from crying, but her cheeks were dry and she looked strangely somber. He realized that she must have been expecting his reaction.
"Why do you smell like him?" Von said in a panicked snarl, "Did he touch you, Maya?"
Had she gone willingly to him, or had the deviant forced himself on her? Von's heart wrenched violently in his chest and his grip tightened on her shoulders. Reaver had tortured him, but nothing would hurt him more than if the monster had dug his talons into Maya.
He felt his balverine blood flare as his frustration with her silence boiled over, "Tell me!"
Maya's eyes opened wide and she tried to speak only to be silenced by the furious glare in Von's eyes. If he was so angered that she had gone to Reaver, how unrelenting would his anger be when he learned what she had done?
She felt sick to her stomach, certain now she was going to lose him.
He growled her name and she could feel his nails digging into her flesh.
"I went to him for help," she looked away from him so as not to see the anger in his eyes, "the Crawler is so close and the treasury wasn't full enough. Reaver made a donation to the treasury in return for a favor."
Von hung his head but didn't loosen his hold on her.
"So I…"
"How could you?"
She hadn't told him Reaver's price, so she was utterly confused by Von's anger. "I gave him Silverpines, Von. He asked to be made the regions' lord. We drew up the papers there so it's already official. I did what I had to in order to save as many as I could. I had hoped you would understand that…"
Von's gaze shot up and she saw relief in his features. Tension left his grip and his nails withdrew from her shoulders. He was surprised, so clearly he hadn't heard what she had done.
"You didn't know? Then why…"
She was confused until she saw embarrassment wash over him; then it all clicked in.
Maya was livid. Her brow furrowed and she jerked free of him.
"Maya, please –
"Did you honestly think I'd have let him touch me?"
The disgust and anger in her voice sent pulses through the will scar on his cheek that reverberated through his body. It hurt more than any strike she could have dealt.
He reached out for her and she swatted his hands away. She stood and glared down at him, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. It had been a long time since she had last looked at him like that and he felt like they were back in the Bowerstone Resistance headquarters, bickering as they used to.
"Clearly you think I'm a damned whore, Von!"
"What was I supposed to think with his scent on you?" Von snapped back before he could stop himself.
Maya gasped and stomped toward the door.
Von leapt to his feet and closed the distance between them in two strides. He grabbed her arm, pulled her back into his chest before pinning her against the wall. She tried to punch him but his closeness made it impossible.
Unable to physically strike him she settled on words to wound him.
"I don't belong to you, let me go!"
A surge of something other than rage pulsed through his veins.
"My mark says otherwise." Von muttered in a dark, husky voice.
He risked letting go of one of her hands to thread his fingers through her hair. Maya was surprised by his change in tone, but when he rocked his hips against her and she felt his arousal she understood.
"Take your wounded pride and leave me."
Von shook his head and proceeded to attack her exposed neck with his lips. He wanted her, desired her body and her forgiveness more than anything else. The desperation of that feeling appeased his balverine blood's animalistic need.
"I cannot, not until I wash his scent from you."
He traced the shell of her ear with his tongue and she relaxed against him some.
"How could you think that?" Maya asked in a whimper, "After everything we have been through?"
She wanted to stay mad at him but his ministrations were working to lift that feeling off of her.
Von sighed against her neck, "Reaver would do anything to get what he wants. I'd not place him about using force. And the thought of you going to him willingly, even for Albion…hurts my heart and my pride. Please, Maya…I'm so sorry."
Maya opened her mouth to speak, but Von captured her lips in a searing kiss that removed the last of the tension from her body. His arm snaked around her waist and she felt him tugging at the laces of her bodice. Before she had a chance to offer her assistance, he was tearing through the fabric and laces with his claws.
She knew she should scold him for ruining something so frivolously, but the dominant air surrounding him was intoxicating and she was more than willing to permit him to express it.
The sound of fabric tearing drowned out the gentle crackle of the fire.
Von tugged the dress down over her shoulders, exposing her breasts and growled into her ear. His fingers clamped down around her already hardened nipples and she gasped as he alternated between tugging and rolling his thumbs over them.
She arched her head back and groaned, "Damn you…"
He paused long enough to pull her feet out from under her. She grunted as she hit the ground but Von was soon soothing away all of her aches.
"Gods, I need you so badly, Maya." He confessed in exasperation as he fumbled with her skirts.
Maya's head was swimming with desire. She loved this side of him, one she had not seen before, and was sopping with excitement. As dark as his eyes were with lust, she trusted him not to hurt her. That trust only made the entire thing more erotic.
Her mind returned to reality as a cool breeze wisped over her womanhood. She hadn't noticed Von remove her bloomers and she suspected it was very likely they were lying in tatters around them.
Von slipped a hand under her hips and rolled her onto her stomach.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, curious as to what he was thinking.
He had started on his belt but his eyes were fixed on her.
"Move onto your hands and knees, my love."
She did as he said, jumping slightly when she felt his hands on her. His fingers spread the lips of her womanhood and the head of his cock prodded her opening. She bit her lip and arched her back, presenting herself to him.
Von whimpered in excitement behind her.
"Oh, Maya…"
Maya moaned his name as he slipped inside of her in one deliciously slow motion. His nails, sharpened once more, dug into her backside a bit as he steadied himself. After a moment his hands moved up to her waist and he pulled her back onto him, filling her completely.
She dug her fingers into the carpet and bit her lips.
Von had never taken her in this position before but once he started thrusting she was certain it was her favorite. With each thrust he pulled her back onto him, earning a delighted squeak from her every time.
"Please…more." She managed to gasp breathlessly.
Her arms gave out but Von continued undeterred, hissing as the new angle sent shivers down his spine. His body felt like it was on fire and his need to claim her intensified.
He pushed her down so she was completely on her stomach but her legs remained parted. He braced himself and continued to pound into her. Her mewling grew louder the more he laid his weight into her and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer; the sounds she was making were like music to his ears.
Von spilt himself inside of her as she pleaded with him for more. Her muscles contracted around him even then, eliciting a helpless whimper from him before he collapsed atop her.
Maya felt him shift above her, moving so his lips were by her ear.
"You're mine." He whispered between pants, "Please say that you're mine."
She smiled in utter contentment, "Always."
"And I'm yours, my love; without reservation."
Von pulled out of her and she groaned. As he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to their bed she knew she would be sore in the morning. But every ache would be worth it; that she knew for sure.
As he held her in his arms, Von explained that he had been sparring with the other guards in Logan's service in the far gardens when she returned to the castle.
"I thought you had heard what I'd done and left."
He chuckled, "Never."
She toyed with the hairs on his chest and averted her gaze from him, "And about what I did…"
She heard him sigh and her heart dropped into her stomach.
"There is bound to be consequences," he admitted, "as any deal with Reaver would."
"I see."
Von rolled her onto her back and stared into her eyes as he brushed her hair out of her face.
"But I think I'd have done the same thing, Maya. He might me Lord of Silverpines but you are the Queen of Albion. He still answers to you. And Silverpines was never a home to me; you don't need to fear me feeling betrayed or any such nonsense."
She searched his eyes, hoping to see the truth in them, "Are you certain? That was what I feared."
Von smiled and nodded, "That was never my home; this is."
He pressed his hand to her chest.
Maya kissed his chin, elated to hear him say so.
"And it's even better now." Von said as he squeezed her tightly to him, feeling sleep fast approaching.
She arched a brow curiously, having heard the coy tone in his voice, "And why is that?"
"You no longer smell so off-putting."
Maya playfully punched his arm but admitted to herself that she felt far less disgusting than she had before.
As she began to doze off, Maya pressed her ear to Von's chest and listened to the steady beating of his heart; a smile plastered upon her lips.
A continent away, Darkness began to slither toward the sea…
