Disclaimer: See Chapter One. Previous disclaimer applies for all future chapters … I'm just too lazy to type it out every time.

ANs: Well, here's chapter two of Heart's Desire. Thanks to whoever read and reviewed my story so far! This chapter contains sexual content but it's not totally descriptive ... it's actually mild, well, to me that is, after reading others. Be nice, it's my first time actually writing something like this, so I hope it's ok.

Shout Outs:
krazeeMe: I'm glad you like it! It's really great knowing someone appreciates my work.I've only read the first two books of the trilogy, and both of them are a good read. The story is a lot different relationshipwise in the book than what it is that I've written, because personally, I wished it turned out differently than it did in both books, but don't let what I say deter you from reading them.

Chapter Two
Convergence

The next morning brought very little promise of seeing Axis. According to her father, word had spread that bad news carried on the wind from the north and the Earls, Dukes and warlords were called to consultation with the king in his privy chamber. Earl Isend, being one of Priam's advisors, had been called forth as well, and Faraday could only assume that Axis would be one of the many people to be locked up in there.

As for her abrupt disappearance the night before, Faraday had been thoroughly chastised by both her mother and father, with Merlion ranting on about the sudden scandal that Axis and Faraday's possible relationship could do. Faraday thought her mother ridiculous and hastily went to break fast in the Chamber of the Moons without her mother's company.

She dined quietly, lost in her thoughts, before Devera's boisterous form appeared at her side, and after the two were done their light meal, they took it upon themselves to enjoy the wondrous view of the gardens. However, Devera wasn't quite as interested at the roses and tiger lilies as Faraday was.

"I saw Axis drag you out of the chamber last night, Faraday, and don't bother denying that something didn't happen," she burst out, eyes alight with sudden curiosity, causing Faraday to stop in her tracks and her face to blanch.

"I do not know what you are talking about, Devera," she instantly replied, fighting back the sudden flush of crimson that threatened to spread. "We had merely gone for a walk and talked. Whatever you had in mind simply did not occur." And Faraday refused to divulge her friend on what had actually happened. Yet, just thinking of him holding her in his embrace left her feeling giddy and uplifting.

Devera snorted and narrowed her gleaming eyes at Faraday. "Don't be so modest, Faraday. Axis is a very handsome man and many would die just to share his bed for the night."

Faraday paled at Devera's implications and shook her head vigorously, but Devera ignored the gesture and continued on. "However, I do not think it wise to get into any serious doings with the man."

"Why ever do you think so, Devera?"

"Simply because of his heritage. He is the bastard son of a dead princess, Faraday, with nothing really to call his own. He doesn't own any land, and even though he could possibly gain the throne from Priam, he wouldn't even be recognized as a possible heir. Borneheld will most definitely succeed Priam's rule, and Axis will sit idly by as the BattleAxe, for that is as far as he will likely go, even though he is under the good graces of the Brother-Leader," Devera explained, careful to not leave a single fact unsaid. "To go into a marriage with the BattleAxe will bring you no profit whatsoever. He may be honourable as BattleAxe, but that is all he will ever be."

Faraday's face reddened with suppressed anger; to speak such degrading things about him was a disgrace and shameful. He helped protect their country as much as the warlords did, but apparently it seemed not to make much of a difference.

When the hot sun became too unbearable to take, the two young women made their way inside to enjoy the other luxuries provided by the castle, but conversation about Axis and Faraday had been left alone, despite Devera's desire to carry on with the juicy topic.

When midday meal came about, the king and his subjects were still contained within the privy and Faraday became discouraged at the lack of Axis' presence. She lingered for a while in the chamber with Devera until she grew tired of the other woman's idle gossip and took leave of her after making a small excuse.

With nothing left to preoccupy her, Faraday found herself wandering mindlessly through the cavernous corridors, sometimes stumbling upon hidden alcoves with handmaidens and guards foolishly trading affections in secret. Eventually, she had ended up at the fountain where she and Axis had shared their first kiss and she felt a terrible longing for him than she ever had before.

The jewels dimly sparkled their shining light against the walls, and she crouched down to trace the outlining of a ruby with a single finger. As she lazily strummed her nimble fingers through the water, she became oblivious of time; she had become too engrossed in the multiple ripples and waves her hand caused from within the water.

As distracted as she was, she nearly jumped in fright when two large hands seized her upper arms and hauled her to her feet. However, a brilliant flashing smile erupted across her face when she realized who her mystery visitor was.

"I thought you would be in there for a century," she joked mildly, as Axis released his grip on her shoulders, only to seize her hands loosely between his own.

His mouth was drawn into a tight frown, and his eyes were sombre as he gazed into hers; obviously something was distressing him and it had happened only recently. After seeing the caring look in her eyes, he loosened his frown into a neutral expression, but once he had done so, she could instantly see the mark of a split bottom lip.

Emerald eyes widened in concern, and she traced the small injury gently with the tip of her finger; not once had he flinched when she inspected it. "Whatever happened, Axis?" she whispered ever so gently and he led her to sit upon the fountain's edge once more.

"My half-brother and I had a small disagreement, if you can call it that," he replied begrudgingly, wiping the back of his hand against the rim of his lower lip as if to rid any more faint traces of blood. Faraday halted his actions and brought his hand to rest in her lap.

"There must have been a reason for this dispute to happen," she stated again logically, hoping that he would divulge her in whatever had been discussed at the council.

Inhaling a large breath, Axis hastened to recall what had been discussed for the past three or four hours. "The northern regions of Ichtar have been facing some discrepancies as of late, such as with the Ravensbundmen and the sighting of the Forbidden by Smyrton. Gorkenfort had taken the brunt of the trouble; Lord Magariz lost around ninety men on patrol during the winter. And now the king fears that we have new enemies to oppose."

Faraday's eyes widened further at this. "What is it?"

Axis shook his head. "We do not know. Apparently this new foe we face has no shape or form, and likes to inflict pain on their victims rather than giving them a merciful death, and feeds off of their mutilated flesh afterwards. And apparently, these things desecrated my mother's tomb and stole her body, destroying everything inside. That is why I sport such a ridiculous injury; Borneheld blamed me for the occurrences and attacked me."

Faraday's head shot back in horror and her eyes saddened at the despair that clung in his eyes. Pulling his upper body into her arms, she placed a series of gentle kisses to his temple and cheek. "I'm so incredibly sorry, Axis," she sympathized, a few tears of her own escaping from her eyes at the tragic news he carried, and she tried to offer him as much comfort as she could.

Axis remained listless in her arms, his hands facing palm up from his knees, eyes hollow with suppressed pain and anguish. Faraday did not know how it was to lose a parent or to have a mother or father's tomb so mercilessly destroyed, and so she decided to do what she thought was the only solution: distract him from his pain as much as she could.

Grasping his face firmly in her hands, she turned his head in order to meet his parted lips, this time initiating a heated kiss. Axis slowly started to react as she slowly ran her tongue along his lower lip, but once he started to eagerly return her offer, she withdrew from him and took a few steps away from him.

With a clear, yet subtle, seductive smile, she bent low over him to whisper in his upturned ear. "You will have to catch me first if you want another," she murmured lowly, before hitching up her flowing skirts in her hands to make some decent headway.

Axis watched her disappear around the corner in stunned amazement before he jumped to his feet to run after her, all thoughts of his mother temporarily forgotten. Unfortunately for her, Axis practically knew most of the castle layout from the back of his hand, and hastily turned in another direction, knowing undoubtedly that their paths would cross.

As Faraday ran as fast as she could given her heeled slippers and tripping skirts, she tried to ponder out the motive that she had just embarked on. She was inexperienced in the whole concept of romance, even though she had heard many tales of love from her handmaidens and mother. Yet she felt quite at ease being around Axis and she realized that all her inhibitions were suddenly forgotten when she was around him. But despite this new, empowering feeling roiling inside of her, she didn't know what to expect once he had caught her. She had heard of his reputation with women from Devera and could only assume that he would be expecting something of the sort from her, and fear suddenly coiled about her racing heart as she fled the corridors. It was astonishing how few people didn't wander down these halls.

Just as she feared, it wasn't too long before he had caught her. She was panting heavily after her somewhat heavy sprint, and she wasn't prepared as she was caught about the waist and dragged into a secreted alcove. Once her racing heart calmed to a steady, pounding beat, she looked up into the face of her captor and noticed his darkened eyes, full of desire. A sly grin stretched across his handsome face, as he seated her more comfortably on his lap, a hand caressing the side of her face. "Do I get a proper kiss this time?" he whispered low in her ear, just before he claimed her luscious lips.

Faraday returned it eagerly, but her perplexed thoughts still tugged at her brain. "Yes, it is only fair," she murmured against his lips as he continued to ravage her inviting mouth. As the kiss deepened, with Axis exploring her mouth extensively, she shifted her position to straddle him and her hands wound around his neck, straining to be closer to him. But once Axis started to venture to her neck, and she could feel the true extent of his desire and passion from the pressure against her thigh, she immediately pulled away, hesitation alighting in her green eyes.

Noticing the fear instilling in her misted eyes, Axis halted his perusal and lowered his hands to her waist, where he traced soft, gentle circles along her hip. "What's wrong Faraday?" he asked of her, his breath coming in short pants as he strained to maintain control of himself. As much as he wanted her – and oh, did he desire her immensely – he would leave it up to her to allow this to go any further.

Trembling slightly in his hold, Faraday found the need to distance herself from him in order to get some things across, so she slid off his lap and landed awkwardly on the cushioned bench. Grasping for words, she nervously looked up at him and teased her lower lip between her teeth before answering him.

"Axis, what is this exactly?" she whispered, tension constricting her very throat, hoping beyond hope that his answer wouldn't be the opposite of what she expected.

Axis was caught by surprise at her question and stammered slightly in his response. "What do you mean by that, Faraday?"

She shot him an irritated glance before casting her eyes down to her lap. "Axis, I'm young. I've only turned eighteen and if I must admit, this thing we have between us is one of my very first intimate moments with a man. Artor knows how many women have graced your bed before me, but I do not want to be used to sate a man of his desire. I want to give my heart away to a man who is willing to care for me and love me above anything else in this world. So please … this is important to me that you understand this, and if your intentions are any different than what I expect, then I won't hesitate to bid you goodbye, no matter my feelings towards you."

A few tears had escaped at the finale of her confession, leaving a damp sticky trail along her pale cheek, and she feared that her declaration meant little to him. But revelation gripped her when she felt a calloused thumb wipe away the remainder of her tears. He knelt before her, large hands cupping her innocent face, eyes aglow with serious fortitude.

"None of the others held any comparison to you, love. I swear to you, no … I vow to you that my intentions are true and always have been and will be, bond notwithstanding. Artor have mercy on my pitiful soul if I ever do hurt you," he declared firmly, his hands squeezing hers tightly in promise. He raised a hesitant hand towards the neckline of his tunic and extracted a fine silver chain, adorned with a brilliantly engraved pendent, a blue sapphire decorating its centre.

"This was my mother's pendent that was given to me the night she died. In addition to my vow to you, I want you to have it and keep it close to your heart," he explained softly, pressing the pendent into the palm of her hand, but Faraday shook her head vigorously.

"I couldn't possibly. It was your mother's and I wouldn't want you to part with it," she protested adamantly. "Your vow is enough for me, Axis."

But Axis refused to step down and he glared at her in fierce determination, rising to the balls of his feet to tie the pendent about her neck. Once the clasp was settled, the pendent hung heavily just above her breasts and she couldn't help but admire the handiwork of the jewellery. Axis, too, knelt there, admiring the medallion before raising a tentative hand to trace it. His fingers hovered softly over her skin, idly caressing her gently as he slowly reached out for her. Faraday followed his guiding hand and settled herself once more on his lap, brushing her lips softly across his.

In an almost inaudible whisper, she murmured softly against him. "It would be my honour." A small smile tugged at his lips as he seized her mouth in a desperate kiss, knowing that his restraint couldn't be held for much longer.

Ending the passionate kiss, he lifted her up to her feet and drew her from their secreted hideaway in order to find a more suitable room to indulge their hidden fancies.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Once they had reached the security of Axis' bedchamber and the door firmly locked behind them, Faraday had immediately latched onto him, mouth seeking desperately for his own in her heightened sense of desire. Axis drew her as close as he dared, his hands roaming about her delicate body in fervent need.

His trailing kisses ventured down to her neck, where he proceeded to leave a series of harmless bites along the creamy column, erasing the small amount of pleasurable pain with his tongue. Faraday gripped at his shoulders, fingers clenching tightly into his tunic and flesh, as her senses soared from his intimate gestures. Reaching downwards, she tugged forcefully at the hem of his tunic and soon it was discarded on the floor, leaving his broad, muscled chest bare to her own doing.

His mouth wandered back to hers, stealing her very breath away as she ran her hands along the smooth, tanned skin of his chest and back, and he eagerly pulled at the lacing of her dress. The midnight blue gown slipped from her body, pooling to the ground to reveal her slim frame in a slight shift. As desperate need took over them both, Axis lifted her up bodily into his arms, allowing her to wrap her legs about his hips, as he stumbled to the large, plush bed.

As they tumbled down onto the silken sheets, hands still exploring and mouths stealing desperate kisses, Faraday couldn't comprehend the onslaught of emotions that his touches erupted within her. As he removed the dainty shift from her trembling body, his hands and mouth left a flurry of caresses in order to soothe her nerves, and she could have sworn his touches were like liquid fire running through her veins.

As cries of heightened passion filled the room, Faraday was borne on a wave of pleasure and ecstasy as Axis showed her, through his loving caresses and murmured phrases, what love could truly be like between a man and a woman.

> > > > > > > > > > > > > >

When Faraday awoke within a span of four hours, she found herself curled up at Axis' side, head pillowed by his muscled chest and a firm arm wrapped about her naked body. As she adjusted to wakefulness, she watched as he continued to sleep on.

Through slumber, he seemed to look more youthful and carefree; his smooth face was devoid of any worry line and his lips were curled up in a slight smile. Gently, she traced the outline of his face, coming to a stop at his lips.

"Don't you know that it's rude to stare?" he finally murmured after a pregnant pause, and she jumped in fright, clutching the sheet to her chest.

"I thought you were asleep!" she exclaimed, shooting him a narrowed glare, but he simply laughed before he reached for her, holding her above his prone body. She straddled him and gave him a lingering kiss before burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Suddenly, she reared her head back up and pursed her lips in a frown, her eyes downcast and dark. "Axis, what are we going to do?"

He raised a quizzical eyebrow at her question, and she released a small sigh before hastening on to continue. "My parents would be disapproving of a match between us, and I don't know what my father will do if he found out. I don't want to jeopardise what we have," she whispered, fingers lacing through his blonde hair in anxiety, but he reached up to still them.

He caressed her cheek gently and then brought her hand to his mouth, where he proceeded to kiss the tips of her fingers delicately. The action soothed her somewhat and she released some of the tension that gripped her. "Is it really necessary to tell anybody? I think it best if we kept this a secret," he replied in a low murmur, and Faraday nodded her head in compliance.

After lingering in their position for a few more moments, Faraday shifted to get out of bed, her sore body aching as she moved about. As she dressed herself, she grimaced slightly and couldn't help the awkwardness her movements appeared to be.

"I hope I didn't hurt you," Axis' voice drifted out from the bed, and she turned to see a frown creeping across his face and she hastened to reassure him with a comforting smile.

"It's nothing, Axis. I just didn't know what to expect afterwards," she explained, as she hastened to find her shoes in the tumbled pile of clothing littering the floor. He watched on in confusion as she tied her mussed up hair into a loose knot.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my rooms. If my mother finds me not where I should be, there will be certain hell to pay in the morning," she rushed to explain to him, coming to bend over him where he continued to lie prone in his bed so she could give him a farewell kiss.

Axis, unfortunately, felt loathe to part with her and as she was about to lean away from him, his arms clasped about her middle and pulled her off her feet, causing Faraday to shriek in surprise as she tumbled back onto his bed.

"Really Axis, I must go," she pleaded weakly, as Axis continued to trail soft kisses along her jaw line, preventing her from leaving willingly, but she finally gave him a stern look and pulled away.

He huffed in annoyance and sported a feigned expression of rejection. Faraday shook her head at him, and gave him a quick peck on the mouth. "Until next time, Axis. I await the time that we will be together," she whispered in his ear before escaping through the door and into the darkness of the corridors.

AN: Hope you like! R&R and maybe the chapters will come a lot faster!