~*~ Knights & Lovers ~*~

By Vick330

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and its characters are property of Squaresoft. No patent and/or copyright infringement is intended.

Foreword: The following contains erotica scenes, and is meant for mature readers. Please use discretion, and if sexually explicit material offends you do not read any further.

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In your dreams,

Magical thoughts…

All things are real

Unless you dream they're not.

In your dreams,

Love is the plot

Carried on wings of hope…

(Lunar, Silver Star Story - Wings)

~*~ II – A Knight's Castle ~*~

Home.

For so long I didn't know the meaning of that word.

It never was the place where I spent my childhood, for it brings too many painful memories. It wasn't the streets where I lived after I ran away, nor was it the dorm I had when I enrolled at Garden. It wasn't even the quarters I was given by the Sorceress, when I followed the man I loved in the pursuit of his dream.

Unlike most at Garden, I am not an orphan. I had parents who were both handsome, and dark of hair and eyes. I know that I was a disappointment to them, and that might be why my father abandoned us. When he argued with my mother he always made reference to me as 'that red-eyed maggot'. They didn't know I was listening… they never knew how much it hurt…

Part of me came to believe that I was something to be loathed, and too repulsive to expect more than mere tolerance. I came to believe that I was undeserving of affection, let alone love…

I was but a little girl back then, and I used to comfort myself with tales – so I wouldn't cry myself to sleep every night. In those fantasies a noble Knight came to take me away from my loveless family, and we lived happily in a little house with a white fence and a garden. It would be filled by happiness, and the laughter of children.

And then, one cherished day, Seifer Almasy asked me to be his wife. I'll never forget when he took me in his arms to cross the threshold of his… our house in Balamb, after we came back from our honeymoon. He then told me that, even though it might not look like much to others, it was our castle. When my feet touched the floor, it suddenly dawned on me that it was all for real, and that I finally had a place to start building memories – happy ones.

That was nearly fifteen years ago, and since then much has happened. This is where Axandra, our joy and pride, took her first steps, lost her first tooth, and had her first birthday party. This is the place where I learned about sharing my life with my man, and being a mother. This is our castle, a small one for sure, but worth more to me than all the residences in the upper district of Deling City. This is the place I call home.

It is raining outside, and Seifer is already up and about. I reluctantly leave the warmth of our bed, causing an annoyed meow from Aki, the house's resident feline. I also feel the tantalizing aroma of fresh brewed coffee, which convinces me to start the day.

My man is busying himself in the kitchen, only wearing the bottom part of his pajamas. He looks like a golden god, with his tanned skin and proud posture. As he turns around, his eyes draw me to him and I find refuge in his strong arms.

We have the whole place to ourselves, as our daughter is spending the weekend at a friend's country house. I love Axandra, but sometimes it's good to remember that I not only am a mother, but also a wife, a woman, and a lover.

"Want some coffee, Fauna?" he asks me gently. Seifer is one of the few people who know my real name, and that 'Fujin' is something I made up when I enrolled at Garden.

'Affirmative.' – since I started speech therapy I can speak normally, but not this early in the morning.

The cup is deliciously hot, with a cloud of milk and no sugar, just like I like it. Outside the downpour is gaining in strength, and its monotonous pounding against the windows is rather hypnotic. This is what mornings should always be about, scents of coffee, loving embraces, warmth…

Seifer is smiling at me, and his hand gently roams through my hair. I've let it grown since we married, and it reaches now past my shoulders. I know that he loves the feel of it, for he has told me countless times that it reminds him of white satin. His lips are on my neck now, planting soft kisses on my skin. I realize where this is going, and am grateful that even after all these years his desire for me is still very much alive.

I heard that with time passion wanes away, and routine takes over. Whoever said that is a fool, and a sad one at that. We still feel yearning for each other, and celebrate our love in the blessing of the joining of our bodies. Oh, it is true that the ardor of the first moments is now but a cherished memory, but in its place something has grown… something strong and treasured that is like ever-burning embers – as my man put it once.

I feel Seifer's hands glide tentatively underneath the oversized shirt I wear as nighties. I nod encouragingly to him, even though I know I am not totally awake, and not totally sure if this is a dream or not. I submit to his touch, kissing him with abandon, feeling the heat of his powerful body against my now feverish skin. He suddenly lifts me, and I find myself sitting on the kitchen's counter. Before I can utter a word his lips are on mine, demanding and yet giving, making my head spin with the intensity of his need.

I feel my body responding to his caresses and I want him… I am ready for him… I wish to be one with him. I pull the shirt over my head, making as much of my body as possible available to his hungry lips, as he unites us into one flesh. There's so much in this simple embrace, there's all we've built together, all we've shared over the years. We know each other so well, and yet do not tire of this intimacy.

How I wish that such moments would never end, but there is reassurance in knowing that there will be more of them, and so I simply enjoy this one with no reservations. I tighten the embrace of my legs and arms around him, as I feel the tension of his body and his moan of ecstasy, while his seed fills me. His pleasure becomes mine, making me reach heaven… his heaven… our heaven…

I want to remain like this, cradled in his strong arms forever, comforted in his warmth and his love. For a few blissful moments the demands of everyday life are kept at bay, and we're just two souls enjoying a short respite from reality. If this is just a dream, then I pray to all deities to never wake up, to be but a foolish dreamer looking at the starlit sky, hoping on a shooting star.

But I know this is real, I know this is true. I know that my shooting star –the one which made all my hopes come true – is this man I am holding, and with whom I have joined my destiny. My childhood illusions have not only become reality, but also turned out to be much more wonderful than in my wildest dreams.

The rain has redoubled in fury, banging angrily against the windowpanes, as if mad at not being able to reach us in our little castle. The outside world doesn't matter to me at this moment though, for in the shelter of my Golden Knight's embrace I feel warm.

I feel safe

I feel loved

I feel…

…Home

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