[Authoress's Notes:
[Alright, you lot, put away the tar and feathers! I've finally finished it!
[And the way you people were begging me for this chapter (especially Julia and her Oliver-Twist impression), I expect every bloody one of you to review this chapter!
[Alright. So I've got to put a PG-15 rating on this. At least. And there's a… well, you'll see. Another Authoress's Note inserted towards the end. Explaining things. Anyway. (Christine, you should be able to tell when it's heading the direction it's heading and skip ahead if you so desire. I mean, I don't go into great detail, but I'm terrified I'll spoil your virtue somehow and Erik will Punjab me for it).
[And someone is so going to kill me for part of this chapter. ::grin:: It isn't my fault. It's Death's. Get used to it. Because it's not going to be the last time you'll want to lynch me. (Look, if I was making this up…)
[Read on, intrepid explorer! And I don't know why random things don't italicize properly, but I've tried fixing it and it failed. If anyone out there knows why things like size, italics, and bolds never ever upload properly for me, please let me know what I can do to make it better.]
Chapter Eleven "Oh, blessed, blessed night! I am afeard,Being in night, all this is but a dream
Too flattering sweet to be substantial!"
~~Romeo and Juliet, II.ii, Romeo
I told you he'd be good for her, Tessan thought at Selma across the breakfast table.
Selma looked down to the other end of the table, where Cassadraine and Etien were poking each other and giggling. I must admit… even with the Necklace… she's been in a fabulous mood all week!
You see? I told you so.
"You don't eat enough," Etien was teasing. "You're going to blow away in the next strong wind."
"Ha! I'm stronger built than you are!" She gave him a playful shove to prove the point. In retaliation, he threw a biscuit at her head. "Ack! Oh, that does it!" Cassadraine leapt out of her seat and pounced on him.
"Hey!" She knocked him right out of his chair and onto the ground. "Alright, you asked for it! You're not by any chance ticklish, are you?"
"Eep!"
"I'll take that as a yes!"
Etien neatly flipped Cassadraine over and pinned her to the floor, tickling her mercilessly while she squealed and thrashed playfully. Tessan cleared her throat, shot her sister a Look, and stood and left the table. After another moment and some psychic prompting, Selma got up and left the kitchen as well.
"No no no no no no no!" Cassadraine was yelping between laughs. "Stop that!"
"Say please."
"Please!"
"Hmm…" He paused briefly. "No, no, don't think I will!"
"Etien!" Cassadraine promptly threw all of her weight into tossing Etien off of her. Unfortunately, he still had a firm grip on her waist and one arm, and so the defensive gesture succeeded only in flipping her on top of him. She was giggling too madly to keep her superior position, and he knocked her back over rather easily.
"Alright, paola…" He was getting ready to tease her some more, but made the mistake of looking down into her eyes. It was at that moment he realized just how closely they were pressed against each other.
Cassadraine seemed to have realized this as well, and bit her lower lip softly. This, however, only drew more attention to an area Etien was trying very hard to ignore. He put all of his weight on one hand, touching her face with the other. Cassadraine realized with some shame that she was trembling slightly. For a brief moment Etien leaned in as though to kiss her, but at the last moment, he rolled away and stood up. Cassadraine, baffled, propped herself up on her elbows, watching as Etien muttered something to himself and raked a hand through his hair. When he turned back to her, he was again wearing his usual jaunty grin, but it seemed shaky, forced now. "C'mon," he said and put a hand out to help her up, as though nothing had almost happened. "If we're riding north, we'd best get an early start."
~~*~~
Cassadraine and Etien spent the entire day riding northwards. They spoke less than usual, under the pretense of staying alert. The further north they went, the closer they came to the Misokan border and the Misokan camps. The real reason for the silence, however, was the tension that had been mounting since the breakfast incident. Both had laughed it off, but neither could ignore it.
Etien's thoughts chastised his instincts for the duration of the ride. You know better, he told himself. You know much better. She's seventeen. She's innocent. And you… He glanced over at Cassadraine and sighed. What draws you to her?
Another look held the answer. It lay in each bouncing golden tendril, in the flash of her eyes when she noticed something moving in the depths of the forest, in the way she chewed her lip when lost in her own mind. Etien could imagine no girl more beautiful or desirable. The radiance of her form was eclipsed only by her sharp wit and ready mind. Etien had to admit to himself that the girl had charmed him utterly. He had spent most of the day wanting to drag her off her horse and tumble her amidst the bushes, but he had managed to keep that longing in check. Seventeen. Young. New. Meant for someone else, not you.
Life, incidentally, had happened to be looking in on Etien's thoughts at that precise moment and burst out giggling. "Oh, that's precious!" She exclaimed.
"What is?" asked Nature, who had been crocheting in the other room.
"Jamen! Err, Etien, rather. Is currently having a moral dilemma because he doesn't think Cassandra's meant for him."
Life tittered and expected Nature to join in. Instead, the Green Goddess frowned. "Tha' can't be right. He shouldnae be havin' such doubts."
"Shouldn't he?"
"Well, I c'n understand a little apprehension. I gather mortals 're rather afraid o' love sometimes. But thinkin' she's meant f'r someone else…" Nature shook her head. "Not right, tha'."
"I wonder why…"
There was a brief moment of silence as both Goddesses contemplated the situation. "I'm havin' a look," Nature then declared.
"What? Oh, Nature, reading passing thoughts is one thing, but delving into his mind…"
"Whatever's makin' th' lad have those thoughts might come t' interfere with our plan. I think we ought t' know."
Life pouted. "I still don't like it."
"I didnae expect ye would." Nature sat down and closed her eyes, and She was quiet for a few minutes. Life just stood there, still and perfect, glossy hair catching the sunlight and shining prettily.
Nature suddenly bolted to her feet, eyes wide. "Merciful power, Death, what have ye done?" she said in a tight whisper.
"What? What is it?"
Nature rarely appeared startled. Generally She was the Sister who kept on top of things. Even the actions of Her unpredictable Sister Chaos rarely surprised Her. But Nature turned to Life now with eyes that betrayed her astonishment.
"Th' lad's married."
~~*~~
"I think it might rain," Cassadraine said out of nowhere.
Etien looked up, but heavy foliage obscured most of the sky. "You think so?"
Cassadraine nodded. "The winds have shifted. Look at the way the leaves are tossing about."
Etien looked. They didn't look much like anything but normal leaves to him, but he had never professed to be very in touch with the natural elements of the world. "Should we head back, then?"
"That would probably be the best idea… it'll be a long ride… longer if we get slowed down by rain."
They wheeled their horses around and started back towards Jivata at an easy canter. Etien was contemplating how the next few days were going to go. He was due back at the military camp in four days – and he was supposed to bring Cassadraine with him. He just wasn't entirely sure taking a course of action that would likely keep themselves in each others' company for months was the brightest idea he'd ever had. Ah, well… what's done is done, I suppose…
Cassadraine loved riding. Few things could disturb the joy she felt when astride Brianna.
An arrow grazing her arm was one of those things.
She yelped and immediately began grabbing for her bow, looking for the attackers. "Etien!"
"On it!" he cried, unsheathing his sword. Cassadraine wheeled Brianna around so she and Etien were facing opposite directions. Ignoring her bleeding arm, Cass notched an arrow and held it at the ready. There was a still moment before nearly a dozen figures, cloaked and hidden as the attackers several days earlier had been, poured into the path.
Cassadraine started firing arrows in rapid succession, though her wounded arm was affecting her aim a little. Etien, in the meantime, charged Tiernan towards the assailants, slashing and hacking at them as he went, wetting the surrounding trees with blood.
"Etien, behind you!" Cassadraine suddenly cried as she drew another arrow. The warning and bolt came too late, and the presumably goblin attacker managed to carve a gash into Etien's shoulders. He whirled around quickly and gutted the creature, while Cassadraine fired at another one still in a tree.
There was a crack of thunder, and the attackers all paused for a moment, then resumed fighting. Cassadraine thought this brief interlude was very strange, but it gave her the opportunity to shoot through two more of the goblins.
Etien slit the throat of another. "I think… that's all of them…" he said, whirling Tiernan around in a circle.
Cassadraine nodded as she put away her bow. "Let me have a look at that wound."
"But you're—"
"It's just a scratch," she said, swinging off of Brianna. "Now get down from there." She looped Brianna's reins around a tree branch. Etien sheathed his sword, eased himself off of Tiernan, and did the same. He sat down at the edge of the road, some ways away from the fallen bodies of the goblins. Cassadraine pulled something from one of Brianna's saddlebags and sat down next to him. "Take your tunic off," she ordered, and immediately wished she hadn't, because Etien obeyed unquestioningly, and that made it a lot harder for her to concentrate. She opened her little parcel and pulled out a small cloth, which she used to dab away the blood streaming from the wound. The gash was across the back of his shoulder, near to the bone. "You're lucky this didn't cut deeper," she said as she inspected the damage. "It might've seriously damaged the muscle." Etien didn't respond. "I'll have to get my aunts to take better care of it when we get back to the house," she continued as she began to wrap a bandage around his shoulder. "It might need stitches."
"Fabulous."
"There."
Another crack of thunder, and suddenly the heavens opened and rain started pouring from the sky.
"Fine luck," Cassadraine muttered. "Tiernan hates to ride in the rain."
"I wouldn't mind waiting it out a bit, anyway," Etien said. He glanced at her arm, which was still dripping blood. "Would you please let me bandage that?"
"If you insist." She tossed her small bag of medical supplies at him and let him tend to her cut. "Though I maintain it isn't that bad."
"Why do I get the feeling you'd say that even if you'd just cracked your head open?" She just grinned at him.
By the time Etien finished mopping up the blood and wrapping the wound, they were both thoroughly soaked by the rain. Cassadraine leaned back against a tree and tilted her head upwards, eyes closed, letting the raindrops stream over her face and down her neck. Little droplets pooled on the ends of her hair, clung to her eyelashes. Etien was glad her eyes were closed, so that she couldn't tell he was gazing at her.
A sudden compulsion moved him to reach out and touch Cassadraine's cheek lightly. Her eyelids fluttered open, and the look in her sparkling jade eyes nearly unmanned him. "Cassadraine, I…" A single blink robbed him of all eloquence. Despite the niggling voice of his conscience warning him that this was wrong, something deep in his soul insisted it was right, and he leaned in to touch his lips softly to hers.
Cassadraine was utterly thrilled and frightened at the same time. One of his hands slipped to her waist, and she lay one hand on his bare chest. He pulled back from her a bit, and she breathed, "Oh, Etien…"
He was about to kiss her again when an especially loud crack of thunder resounded in the forest. She startled violently, which Etien attributed to the intrusion of the weather. He couldn't know that she was suddenly hearing her Mother's voice in her head.
You shouldn't be doing that.
Who're you to tell me?
Your Mother.
I've told you before, I'm not letting you interfere with this.
It's a bit out of your control, dear.
Cassadraine had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at the fact that she could hear Chaos's sarcasm even in a psychic conversation. Do go away, I'm quite busy.
So I can see.
Deciding she couldn't possibly have a romantic interlude with Chaos in her head, Cassadraine looked up at the sky and said, "I think the rain is letting up." It wasn't, particularly, but Etien decided not to contradict her. "We should start heading for home."
Etien just nodded, more than a little disappointed. "Yes… we should…"
~~*~~
The next two days passed much as the previous ones had, with no mention of the shared moment. Both Etien and Cassadraine put effort into acting normal around each other, rather than being awkward. The charade seemed to be working, and would have even fooled the aymas if Tessan hadn't peeked inside Cassadraine's mind.
Oh, Selma… we've got to give them a nudge in the right direction.
Do you think?
Tessan mentally nodded and set about making plans. By the time the two scouts returned for dinner that night, she had it all worked out. She'd managed to transform their dining room into a romantic atmosphere without making it blatantly obvious she was doing so. She also filled the glasses with a fairly strong wine instead of the usual light ale.
It seemed to be working. Between the sexual tension already in the air and the atmosphere and the alcohol, Cassadraine and Etien were gazing longingly at each other before they'd finished their soup. Tessan gave Selma a meaningful look, and they retreated to their bedrooms before Cassadraine and Etien had even finished eating. C'mon, Selma… let what needs to happen do so.
Cassadraine's heart was all aflutter in her chest. She and Etien had had far too many close calls in the forest the past couple days. She bit her lower lip softly, thinking of when he had kissed her up against that tree during the thunderstorm.
She was unaware of the fact that she was at that moment making Etien want to do nothing more than pounce upon her and ravish her senseless. Damn women… always drawing attention to their lips… The wine they were both drinking wasn't helping much. Cassadraine hadn't even realized she'd been handed wine instead of ale until it was too late. The alcohol was taking its effect on her system, lowering her inhibitions just enough that she no longer cared how forward Etien became.
The oil lamps were running low when Etien walked over to her, took the wine glass from her hand, and said, "You should be going to bed, mistress." His voice was low and husky, containing a seductive quality which sent shivers down Cassandra's spine. All she could do was stare at him, eyes wide, lips slightly parted. Perhaps if she hadn't been quite so overpowered by his charisma, she wouldn't have looked quite so inviting, and Etien wouldn't have had to kiss her.
He really didn't have a choice about it. Her lips were right there, red and plump and seductive, practically begging to be kissed. Etien slipped the hand that was not grasping the wine glass to the back of her head, then leant down and touched his lips to hers. He had intended only to have a taste, to sample what was there so that her image would no longer haunt him with wonder, but once he started, he found he was powerless to stop. Cassadraine didn't seem to mind. She returned the kiss eagerly, opening her mouth to him.
Etien would later reflect that had she really wanted to retain her chastity, she shouldn't have done that. But his thoughts were not so lucid then. He was devoting all his attention to kissing her as thoroughly as possible. When he finally drew away, it was only to set down the wine glass so that he could sweep her up in his arms. He lifted her out of the chair, kissed her neck, then whispered, "Your place or mine?"
Cassadraine giggled. "I've got a bed. You've only a cot."
"But won't your Aymas—"
She smiled. "They sleep upstairs. My room is just over there." She gestured as best she could without removing her arms from around Etien's neck and losing her balance.
"Then just over there we shall go."
With a few quick strides, Etien carried Cassadraine into her room and lay her on the bed. "I don't understand it," he murmured between kisses. "But this feels so completely right…"
[Authoress's Note: Ahem. Alright. So. This is where the camera is going to pan away for a while. There are two reasons for this. One is that if I damage Christine's virtue, I will pay for it dearly. The other is that I don't want to put an R rating on this. However, this missing scene has in fact been written, and is, in fact, NC-17. I love smut novels. So anyone who's really interested, just email me asking for the segment of CICA entitled "That Which Hath Made Them Drunk Hath Made Me Bold." (Ahh, Lady M…). Anyone who isn't interested or is Christine, imagine the curtain closing and reopening on the following scene. End note.]
A time later, Cassadraine was striving to catch her breath, still seeing sparkles and flashes of light in her field of vision. She pressed a kiss into Etien's hair and draped an arm over his chest. "Fabulous…" she managed to say. "Wonderful." She kissed his lips lightly, cherishing the taste of him.
"Damn straight," he murmured, wrapping an arm around her. Before falling asleep, he glanced out the window and thanked the glittering stars for whatever twist of fate had brought beautiful, vibrant Cassadraine into his life.
~~*~~
"Married? Married? Oh, Nature, what are we going to do?"
Nature could do nothing but stand there, shaking her head. "I dinnae know… I cannae imagine how we might go about fixin' this one… without rewritin' th' past…"
"And We're not supposed to do that! Not without better reason than this, at least."
There was a flash of bright red, the smell of smoke in the air, and suddenly their Sister Chaos appeared.
"What are you doing here?"
Chaos smirked. "So, Death told me about the little… surprise… She hid in your Jamen. I must say, I was pretty pissed at first that She helped y'all out, but when I heard about Her plan…" Chaos cackled. "She's brilliant, you know!"
"We were trying to make things right for Your Daughter!" Life cried. "Trying to give her peace and happiness!"
The impudent smirk was still etched on Her lips, making Nature really want to give Chaos a good smack. "Oh, she's pretty happy right now, I can tell that much."
"Eh?"
"Take a look for yourself, Nature. But I wouldn't recommend it for Life. Might scar the poor thing's psyche. Honestly, how d'you ever expect Your Daughter to reproduce?"
Life blinked. "What?"
"I dinnae think Christine's going to," Nature said. "Now what about Cassandra?"
"Just look. Tap into her mind just for a moment. And see how she's spent the past few hours."
Nature took a moment to do so, while Chaos stood there with Her arms crossed, a very triumphant look on Her face. "Ach!" Nature suddenly exclaimed. "Oh, Chaos! How could ye!"
Chaos started laughing. "Thass the best part! I didn't have to do a thing!"
Life looked confused. "Nature, what's she talking about?"
"I'll explain it to ye later."
Chaos was still cracking up. "She's my Daughter, after all! It figures, doesn't it? I'm very proud of her, even if she is being an obstinate brat about listening to me!"
"What? Why?"
"Oh, Life, dearest," a darker voice than Chaos's intervened. "Precious Cassandra just slept with a married man."
[A/N: ::hides under a table:: Please don't lynch me! I wrote it, didn't I? It's here! It exists! That was all you were asking for!
[And, as a random note, I know a lot of people use "Ah" for "I" to indicate a Scottish accent, but I'm an X-Man fan, and "Ah" will always indicate a South'n accent to me because of Rogue.
[Next time… Cassadraine and Etien leave Jivata and head for the army. And Cassadraine starts losing it. Big time.
[Review!!!]
