The Bonfire
RYATT
I finish dinner with my brother Slade and Auren. I watch her sip the last of her cup of wine- a drink I have noticed she is extremely fond of. Our conversation consisted mostly of Slade quizzing Auren on what sorts of books she found interesting while she was at the castle in the heart of Fourth Kingdom. Auren was happy to explain that she had managed to get her hands on a couple of books about the Fae.
My interest is piqued at this turn of topic considering that only hours ago I had been introduced to Auren's new companion. My mind could not stop replaying the events of that afternoon in the Fight Circle.
"Speaking of the Fae, where did your friend, Lady Alanna, go?" I ask curiously. I had thought that Alanna might have dined with us, but I found myself disappointed when she did not join us in the tent. Instead, I continue to hear the searing final comment Alanna had said to me before she had simply turned and strutted away from me. I could not help my gaze as I tracked the swaying of her hips and the shape of her in her tight training outfit.
"I actually need to get going to meet her or else I'll be late," Auren quickly stands up from the table and pushes her chair in to walk away. Her golden ribbons wrap around her waist tightly as she maneuvers.
Slade and I immediately lock gazes, twin sets of emerald green eyes with brows raised in confusion.
"I'm sorry, but what could you possibly be late for?" Slade growls suspiciously.
Auren is almost out the door of the tent when she throws back at us, "Come with me and find out".
Damn, I have no idea what she could mean. Yet I follow her and my brother out of the tent, stepping into the crisp autumn evening. The days are still filled with warm sun at the training camp and the turn of day to night brings the much needed relief of the cooler temperature. I can see that the sun has just set past the horizon line and stars begin to shimmer in the midnight blue sky.
Then a lone violin sounds in the distance, strumming an ethereal melody that floods my ears. My attention immediately follows the sound to a slightly far off glowing fire. My body tenses as the violin calls to me, the music a language that I don't understand just yet, but I can feel it surge and heat in my blood.
I stride towards the light and sound as fast as my long legs can take me, yet somehow Auren is faster even as she drags Slade by the hand behind her. It appears that she knows the reason behind this glorious music as it is surely a surprise to me. As Commander of the Fourth Kingdom Army I know everything, and I mean everything, that happens at my camp. A surprise like this is extremely rare, and while normally I might be more aggravated by it, right now my intense curiosity gets the better of me. I must get to the fire and see where the music is coming from.
A crowd of my soldiers, both the men and women, are already gathered around in a circle as the violin continues to play its lofty melody. I shoulder gently through the group until I get to the edge closest to the fire.
The bonfire looms tall and towering over us, a dance of warm orange and yellow flames flicker up into the night air. This is no ordinary fire however, as I look closer I can see that there is no firewood and the center is empty, no fire burning or embers lay there. That is definitely not something that would happen naturally…in fact it pricks my senses as supernatural, otherworldly…Fae.
In that moment I look across through the flames and see the lone figure that is pulling the bow back and forth across the violin, and it's her.
Alanna, red hair unbound and flowing in the breeze, wears a dress that is a pale shimmery green and tight on her torso with a plunging neckline that shows off her ample curves. The sleeves are short lines that crest her shoulders leaving her arms bare. The dress flows out and away from her and I can see it sway with her movement as she plays her instrument. My eyes catch on a large slit in her dress that goes all the way up her leg and stops just below her….my mouth dries when I realize how much her clothing reveals. Or rather almost doesn't reveal.
I drink in the sight of her, all the while Alanna plays with her eyes closed as if in the sweetest pain. I see her mouth open to sing, lush lips rounding out the notes that soar in time with the song she plays on her violin.
There's an old familiar silence
When I'm lost inside my heart
I can't hear the voice inside me
So I look up to the stars
I'm transfixed by her until I notice that Auren, in her golden splendor, has joined Alanna and is dancing to the music by the fire. Auren spins and her golden ribbons twirl out around her in a dazzling sight. The fire glints off her golden body and I can see my brother snared in her sensual movements. As Auren moves around the bonfire, Alanna begins to follow her in her own dance. She dips and sways with the notes that she plays, her dress swirling with her body. In one moment, I am both paralyzed by the beauty of her dance and feel a ferocious need to move and touch her. I wonder what her hips would feel like in my hands, to turn her in a spin and catch her in my arms.
When the wind bends
The branch to softly
Touch me
When the band plays
Your song
I feel strong enough to keep dreaming
Even when I'm all alone
Our love goes on and on
The two Fae women are joined in movement by the other females from the Right Flank of soldiers. The soldiers are dressed in their civilian shifts instead of their usual black leather and armor. The addition of bodies to the dance makes me lose track of Alanna, yet her song plays on, and I know she is there in the thick of the group.
The violin surges with power and her song soars into the night sky, a rich and brilliant melody. It truly seems otherworldly as I can feel the vibrations from the instrument against my skin. I'm not sure if it is due to my heightened senses or if it is Alanna's Fae magic that brings the music to life this way. I look to the stars as emotion swells in my chest, a need rising in me to answer the call of the violinist.
In another moment the violin lulls from its frenzy as Alanna softens her plucking and I hear her command to the crowd,
"Raise your cups and toast to Fourth Kingdom, to your King Ravinger and to the best gods damned army in all of Orea. Raise up and drink you glorious bastards!" She tosses her fiery hair behind her and she again closes her eyes as she furiously plays her violin, as if the instrument is a mouth piece for her tormented heart. I hear the roar that comes up from the soldiers as they bellow and cheer as one. I feel my own breath sucked away in awe at her sheer brazenness, at the camaraderie she has solidified with her song and command. I've lost track of how many times at this point that Alanna has surprised me today.
One last piercing, high pitched note shoots up into the air as her song ends-as if it could reach the moon and play for the stars. Everyone is utterly still as for one second we all bask in the warmth of her music and soak up the magic Alanna has brought us. I can see her standing by the fire, the instrument and stick held by her sides as her chest heaves up and down with the effort of her art. I can see a glisten of tears that leave a trail down her cheeks, and I want nothing more than to taste them with my lips, to inhale the scent of her hair and neck.
Before my wanton thoughts can travel farther, I watch Alanna flick her eyes open, and with a flip of her head and hair she calls out, "Alright boys, let's go!". She places her violin into the empty center of the bonfire, I note that her instrument must be magical too because it does not seem to catch on fire even though it has come into contact with the flames. I hear from the left side of the circle a duo of string instruments and a drummer begin to play another song. One of the soldiers is Colson from left flank on his fiddle. While he may not have any magic to play with, Colson can well carry a tune on his instrument. He starts to play a pulsing melody, joined by the steady deep thumping of the drums, and as if on command the bodies in the crowd begin to sway and dance.
I'm still merely a spectator as I watch the females link arms and circle the fire, dipping and twirling at intervals. Once the second string instrument joins in, the men have also formed a moving outer circle, and on every fourth beat they switch places with one of the females. Limbs tangle and touch, arms and hips sway. At a peak in the melody the dancers partner up and I watch the men grab onto the females and together they dance as one. I frantically scan for Alanna and her telltale red hair in the dancing fray when I find her partnered with Judd.
Fuck. I can feel my pulse quicken and heat slither in my veins as I tighten my hands into fists. It should not be Judd dancing with her, no, not this gorgeous goddess of a woman. An irrational need to possess rises in my throat and I think violent thoughts towards the fact that Judd is the lucky man holding her beautiful figure. I see that he has one arm around her waist, and he uses the other to send her into a twirl away from him before pulling her back against him, all while Alanna is lit up with delight. I haven't decided yet what action to take when the melody breaks and the circles form up again, the inner circle made of the females and outer of the males. A tightness loosens in my chest just a fraction as I see Alanna part from Judd to join the inner circle. Now I see the dancing pattern as again on every fourth beat the dancers mingle and switch places. This time I'm joining and I'm damn well going to make sure that Alanna ends up in my arms.
I see a couple looks of confusion and smirks from my men as I join the outer circle. I think this may be the first time in the five years of serving this army that they have seen me partake in any sort of merry making. Usually, I sit on the sidelines of these type of music nights or drinking events in favor of observing and overhearing any solider gossip.
"Looks like the Commander doesn't have two left feet after all!" I hear the joke cracked by Keg who dances in the circle three people down from my spot. I grit my teeth and flash him a wolfish smile as I say, "You're not too bad yourself Keg, your imitation of a dancing ape is spot on". Laughter barrels out of the soldiers around us as the music continues and we turn in time with the women. I can sense that the melody is about to peak again, and I am anxious to find Alanna in this melee.
I feel a finger poke me on my shoulder from behind and I spin around to face eye to eye with her- the pools of her amethyst irises stare into my emerald gaze. It's as if she could hear my thoughts and answered them with a tap. Alanna's full mouth quirks up into a smile as she breathes, "Dance with me". It is not a command, but rather a lifeline, a damn prayer that I want to catch with my lips. Alanna reaches up to place her right hand in mine and her left hand on my shoulder. I grip her waist with my other hand, and we begin to move.
All thoughts leave my body and are replaced by only the sensation of touch, the heat from her body and the sublime feeling of her hip under my hand. Once again, Alanna is so damn close to me, her head tipped up towards mine only a breath away from my face. She doesn't close her eyes as we dance, instead her gorgeous eyes caress my face and I can see them travel down to my mouth, jaw and lower to my bare throat and chest. Earlier she had seen me shirtless in the fighting circle, but somehow this feels more exposed. I take the opportunity to do the same and let my sight trail along the planes of her face, noting again the roundness of her mouth. Her neck is a delicate curve that leads to her generous breasts, which are exquisitely pressed up against me at this moment.
I twirl her with the music and swing her into me with her back pressed to my front. I drop my other hand so both grasp her hips, and she places one hand on top of mine and the other reaches up and back around my neck. Our bodies merge closer as we sway with the melody. I have the perfect angle to inhale the scent of her hair- she smells deeply seductive like a penetrating blend of citrusy bergamot and a woodsy floral dark rose, both caressed by sweet sultry jasmine undertones. To say that I am aroused is an understatement, just one whiff of her delectable scent has my length straining down below. I wonder if she can feel me pressed against her ass, but I can't even summon up the appropriate amount of embarrassment because I am lost in her scent and touch.
I feel Alanna squeeze my hand and I take that to mean that the music is changing again, and I need to release her from my hold. I begrudgingly spin her around, but instead of coming back into me she loosens herself and flings back into the circle of women. I catch a peak of her gaze and see humor in her eyes at the shared secret of my…state before she is moved away from me, and I fall back in with the outer circle.
I'm not exactly thinking with my brain at this point of the dance, I only feel the need to get back to Alanna and to hold her again. My legs step in time with the beat of their own accord as I wait for the melody to peak and break again, hoping I can get the timing right to capture that damn Fae woman in my hands. This time I'm ready for the partnering as I find her, scooping her up in a spin before I land her on her feet with one hand on her waist and her other hand in mine as before.
"You found me again, Commander" Alanna says to me with her gaze fixed on mine.
"I can't take my eyes off of you," I murmur back to her.
Her expression changes from one of humor to one of apprehension as she asks, "Do you feel it too?" I grind my hips into her in answer, but her gaze remains unphased. "I'm not sure you're prepared for what could come of this Commander-"
"Ryatt, please call me by my name." I cut her off.
"Ryatt," she amends softly, "I'm not like your typical mortal female. I operate on a different Fae instinct than you might be familiar with…" she trails off. I wonder what she could be getting at, I am well aware that she is stunningly different than any woman I have ever met in my entire life. Although Alanna is correct that I am not as knowledgeable about the ways of the Fae since I left that realm when I was such a young child and grew up mostly in the human land of Orea.
"I'm not sure if you're trying to warn me away or draw me in closer Alanna, although I think you can feel which one I'm more inclined to at the moment," I say to her with a smirk on my lips. My heart leaps for a moment as I see my words also bring a smile to her lips and the humor reaches her eyes once more.
She draws a breath in to say, "I appreciate your humor and I found our sparring earlier today thrilling. But," Alanna pauses for a moment as she looks at my hand holding hers, "I was caught off guard when I bloomed for you this afternoon. You can tell I have no reason to filter what I say when my damn magic literally shows the truth anyways". I think about the tiny white flower that she had given me at our first introduction, the flower that is now tucked in my pants pocket. I'm not sure when I put it inside there, or the moment that I innately knew that I would treasure that small token more than a dragon covets gold.
Alanna raises her arms and places them both around my neck, returning her gorgeous eyes back to look into my own with a vividly sizzling stare. She takes another deep breath, whether from hesitation or perhaps from anguish, and says, "If you choose to kiss me, our whole world is going to change." My eyes widen at her bold declaration, and I choose this moment to spin and dip her body as I process what she means. I relish the movement as I hold her taut body horizontal, hoisting one of her legs up as I slide my hand down her thigh to grasp high up on her thigh. My hand has no trouble traveling her body with the tantalizing slit in her dress. My fingers are mere inches away from her more private parts and the thought makes me throw even more caution to the wind as I bow my lips down to her breasts and drag them up along the line of her neck to her jaw, ending at a delicate spot just underneath her tiny, pointed ear. I press barely a whisper of a touch to that spot that pulses with her heat and heartbeat.
Alanna responds with a shiver and I feel her acquiesce to my shameless touch when she makes no attempt to move out of the dip. I again shift and spin her back up into my arms so we are face to face again and I have made my decision and I tell her,
"Not if, I kiss you, Alanna. But when".
Her violet eyes widen and I think I see a flicker of hope flare in their depths. Before I can make a move one way or the other, the last note of the song rings out and with it Alanna slips from my grasp. Her fingers trail down my outstretched arm and clasp onto my hand until she fully pulls away. I don't know if I should feel rejection by our interrupted moment, but I don't have much time to consider it as I see Alanna pick up her violin from the centermost circle of fire and twirl to the other side of the blaze.
"Chug your drink and get back on your feet. This next song was created with me by our own golden girl- the lovely Auren. King Ravinger, this is dedicated to you!" she cries to the crowd who cheers in response. Alanna is passed a cup of what I assume is wine and she takes a deep sip before passing it back. Then Auren is by Alanna's side and I notice that she is settling a violin made of pure gold to her shoulder, nestling her chin on its base. The two women face each other and lock eyes, both stand entirely still and slowly bring their violin bows up to the strings of the instrument. Alanna nods at Auren who is prompted to take a big breath-perhaps to still her nerves.
Alanna gracefully drags the bow over the strings of her violin to play the opening notes of the song- this time with a regal and rich baritone sound. Then Auren joins in playing the same notes but an octave up and the sounds of the two instruments twine together in perfect harmony. It is a sweeping and strong melody, I can envision it being played in the grand hall of the Fourth Kingdom castle. I glance around and see my brother opposite of me standing near the violinists- his face overtaken with awe. I knew that Auren could play the harp since I was at that disastrous dinner with her and my brother back in Fifth Kingdom. It seems that all that time the two women spent together paid off with the skilled way that Auren can play her violin. Fighting and playing instruments, what else does Alanna know how to do, I wonder. The two play in tandem, letting the music swell and wrap around us with its enchanting melody.
I see Alanna nod once again at Auren, which is seemingly her cue to put her golden violin to the side and walk over to Slade. Alanna continues to play the song on her own as Auren offers a golden hand to King Ravinger to dance. He immediately takes her hand, picks her up completely in a spin and the two begin to move. That is all the signal needed for the rest of the soldiers to join back in on the dancing. The notes of the violin continue to soar, going from one crescendo to the next as Alanna resumes her dancing. One moment her back is completely arched while she strums and then she snaps up with a high kick of her leg, the movement sending her dress ever swirling around her.
The atmosphere is already hot and there is the taste of salt in the air from all the sweat generated by the dancing bodies. I can't help but smile at the feeling of freedom and joy I see on the faces of my soldiers as they dance. Some have formed into groups that tangle together and others have partnered up, changing partners intermittently, seemingly without care of who they dance with, only caring to dance.
Just when I think the music can't be any closer to perfection, I can feel the sound of the violin sing into my very core, every trill and nuance in the melody felt in my bones. I see Alanna step again into the circle of fire and a feeling of panic pricks at my senses. Yet, as she stands there playing her violin, she is unharmed and the flames swirl up and up into the night sky. I watch the color shift to a pale blue, which surges through the fire in a way that can only be possible with magic. I had witnessed some of Alanna's power back in the fight circle, but this is something else entirely new. The flames seem to flicker in time to the melody, growing impossibly higher until Alanna plays the final note of her song. On the echo of that last ringing musical note, the bonfire completely dies out, all light goes with it, and we are all left standing under the blanket of darkness. It seems too perfect of an ending as we all stand and pant, steam from our hot breaths rising as one into the chill of the night sky. This stillness lasts for a minute before with surprise the bonfire roars back to life, returning again to more normal shades of yellow and orange.
The crowd cheers and claps, their way of begging for another song. Yet the violinist is no longer inside the circle of fire. I scan my eyes feverishly through the crowd trying to spot her telltale red hair, but it appears that she has disappeared into the night just like the note of her last song.
Colson and the boys start to play their instruments again to get the crowd moving and dancing. I choose to turn away and walk back towards my tent. All I want to do is go search and find her, but I don't even know where Alanna could have escaped to. I can still hear her song in my mind and feel the heat from her body when we danced earlier. I huff in realization that this will probably be a long sleepless night.