We are getting to the final chapter of this tale – after this, we'll just have the epilogue. I hope you people have enjoyed it.
Thank you for the reading, the reviews and commentaries. You are all amazing!
A Nanny Fairy Tale
Chapter 13: …and the Knight in Shining Armor
Sir Niles, the Clever, was trying hard to get interested in the conversation. In fact, there was a lot of interesting things going on around the big table where Fran had taken him.
For starters, there was really a great meal waiting for them, as his friend had announced – and he wouldn't deny he felt drained and hungry…
The chiefs were all there exchanging information with King Maxwell, and the revelations never ceased: it seemed that Colin and Chandler had been contacted by some guys from one of the witch peoples, who were interested in creating a new chain of power.
The idea was putting King Maxwell aside after he reinforced the fact that the forest should be closed to outlanders; and then, offer other forests of his Kingdom, what would bring Colin's and Chandler's names to view, as the open minded owners of beautiful lands.
Niles was a bit surprised to realize there was a web of people following and trying to stop the schemes of the traitors: some relatives of Sara and some people from the clan of his witch were surely involved. They had been the ones to choose her to go and try to know the King better, trying some kind of negotiation, if she sensed it was a good move.
Everybody tried to avoid any mention to the witch, being considerate to his feelings, but it was impossible not to mention the most important character in this story: she was the one who was chosen to go and try to maintain peace. Even if she had decided to fight for freedom, she had on her mind the best for all of them, and maybe had sacrificed herself in order to clarify things.
Maxwell mentioned, a lot of times, that there were decisions to be taken, while looking at Niles, and he knew what the King meant: he was an important part in the Kingdom's politics, and his presence would be required for the building of this alliance that was rising.
Niles sighed every time and averted his eyes from the King. He had promised his life to helping the man, it was clear, but he needed to take care of his witch… and maybe it was good for Maxwell to learn to rely on other people, like Fran…
Fran… There was something about Fran knowing all the stuff that was happening (she kept explaining things to Maxwell, as if it was not the first time she heard it), that made Niles look at her speculatively.
At some point of the night she managed to postpone any further explanations again, offering him some tea and asking if he was feeling better.
He accepted the tea, said he was tired but feeling stronger, and understood she still wanted to wait for something before she would tell him what was missing in this puzzle. Probably, she was waiting for his decision about staying with his witch or not.
That woman seemed to know every thing that passed through his head…
And it seemed she had given him something to drink besides the tea… Years of training made him very aware of his body, and he was feeling sleepy…
He looked at her and she had a knowing smile, and pointed to a small tent that had an improvised bed. Niles grudgingly accepted the offer and went there – one thing was little participation in the conversation, other was to doze off in front of powerful people.
He reached the bed, took away the hard cover that he had on his chest, his sword and decided light white shirt and thick tights were all tight.
And sleep took him.
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Niles woke suddenly, his eyes flying open, feeling surprisingly aware and energized.
Fran was sitting besides him.
He looked at her, letting her know he was surprised. 'What did you do to me?'
'I put some herbs in your drink. You needed deep sleep'.
'It worked. Thank you'.
She smiled. 'After you left us, we commented it is clear you have already decided to stay with her, sweetie. We would like you to know no one will question your decision'.
'Even the King…?'
'Max understands'.
'I see you are very well acquainted with Max, by now'.
'You've seen nothing, yet', she waved a hand at him, and both chuckled. 'But don't try to hide it – you seem thorn'.
'I am. I wish things were different. About me and the witch, I mean'.
'Who doesn't? At least, the good people'.
'It is good to know we, good people, are all in the same side'.
Fran nodded and remained silent, what was a clear signal that she feared blabbing.
Niles sighed, 'Anything I should know? Any decisions taken?'
'Some. But everybody was tired and went to sleep soon'.
'I see'.
'Her relatives were informed of her situation. They probably will arrive tomorrow'.
'Oh. Thank you for telling me'.
Niles noticed that the big table where they were before was being cleaned, and it seemed just the servants were still in movement.
Fran followed his gaze. 'Yes, soon it will be just you and me, here'.
'It is time for us to go, then'. Fran seemed surprised, and he clarified. 'Don't get me wrong. We have two bossy creatures waiting for us. You shall go to the man of your dreams, I shall go to mine'.
The brunette gave a playful swat at his arm. 'Do you have any ideas for this mess?'
'It is the first clear head I have today, Fran. I'm confident that I will be able to think, now'. Niles got up and helped her. 'I will make a vigil and wait for some inspiration. It is not like I have had time to plan anything of it in detail, until now. You gave me the clear head I needed, Fran. Now I must act on it and on my feelings'.
She observed when he took his things from the bed. 'I wish all the wisdom you already have can be at your service, tonight'.
Niles looked at Fran and knew she was trying to say something to him.
She just nodded and turned; Niles understood there was nothing else to be said.
He turned into the direction of the witch's tent and started to slowly walk.
Looking at the tent, he started thinking of how he couldn't even pretend he cared about state affairs during the dinner. Matters of peace and war were not important if she was not here to share them with him.
Of course, he knew it was an egotistical notion: she had fought for freedom, for a negotiation that could lead to the point where they were today – chiefs of different peoples there, sleeping peacefully in the same camp, trying to discover ways of living better together.
The truth was that he had the witch in his head all the time, and at the same time, he couldn't organize his thoughts enough to create some reasonable plan, because he couldn't think of anything reasonable without being sure she would be back.
Now, all Niles wanted was to be with her again – even if she couldn't really be with him.
He felt he had a better chance to formulate something useful if he was close to her. It would help him to focus…
Niles stopped at the entry of the tent, and the two guards of his own Kingdom who were there to protect the body understood they were relieved and nodded. They were going away to give him privacy, but Niles stopped them and gave some orders related to the prisoners. The men seemed very interested in the idea that big groups should be maintained next to those guys, because they must have a lot of connections and power, and that could blind some fighters.
The Clever Knight was feeling slightly calmer by his actions. It was always good to know you may have prevented any problems – and he knew he was very good at that.
Now alone, he noticed the moon shining brightly when he opened the tent's drapery door. They had a full moon that night, and the rays of silver light were filtering through it and reflecting on the figure lying on the bed.
He approached her slowly, enjoying the way the drapery made the light flicker, giving him the impression that the blonde herself was making it just to show she was capable of any magic they needed, even if she seemed out of reach.
It was very like her to act 'behind his back', after all.
He knelt by her side, not feeling the despair he had felt before, just an overwhelming calmness, at her presence. In a way or another, he was sure of her presence in his life, of her strength, of the fact that she taught him that there was a myriad of different ways of seeing reality, and that this knowledge had to give him the tools to fix whatever happened.
He took his time to look at her features.
The first thing that came to his mind was that she really wanted to survive that mission. If she didn't, she wouldn't have risked this shut down. When she did it, her message had already been delivered – it was nothing like they had not listened to her, yet...
Of course, being alive and able to enjoy her own success was a good thing, but would it justify such a danger of never recovering?
He could imagine the tension she had passed when she had to choose between being severely wounded and risking never waking up again.
Looking at her, asleep and glowing in silver light, it was difficult to see that tension. In the contrary, it seemed she had made her decision and now was just resting, like a child. Or an angel.
This thought made Niles feel his despair starting again, and he needed to share what he was feeling.
That is why he started talking to her, in a sweet tone of voice, as if he needed to coach her into something – into understanding him.
'You know, witch, I was ready to say that you seem an angel, lying here with this peacefully expression on your face', he caressed her forehead, 'But now I'm confused, because… I used to like angels… but I don't want you to be an angel… I want you to be yourself… devious and teasing as you are. And, specially, I want you to be here with me, not unreachable as the angels of my religion…', he arched his eyebrows, 'Wouldn't you hate that I dared to think of you as an entity of my religion? I wonder what kind of witty answer you would have for that'.
He smiled and took a lock of her hair around his index finger, 'I never thought I would find someone like you, and I never thought I would love someone like you'. He put his cheek to hers, his mouth very close to her ear. 'I have already told you, don't deny you've heard me – I love you'.
He raised his face, so he was looking directly to her closed eyes. 'When I thought you had tried to kill me, I was not worried about you not loving me. I was thinking of where had I've been wrong to make you let me behind. I was afraid of not being enough for you. You may not love me back, but wouldn't I good enough even for helping you? What this tells about me? I had to correct it…'
He gulped, 'That trick of the dagger was a low blow. I was so shocked that you, the same woman that transported me to the meadows so we could be some moments together… the same woman who would project an image of herself just to be near me and tell me her name… that you would use your magic to hurt me in any way… Because I never thought love could be like this: that it could demand extreme decisions from a person. I guess you wanted me far from danger, now I understand… but you must hear me when I say it is better to be together than apart!'
He sighed, calming down. 'I hope you understand that I had to fight the pain and the fear to prove to you I belonged to your side'.
Niles closed his eyes. 'This is the only truth I care about: I belong to your side, CC'.
His lips descended upon hers, delicately, pressing just enough time for what would be teasing, if she was awake.
And it felt good – felt incredibly good.
Teasing her was always good, because it made her want to answer back, and that was exactly what they needed, right now.
Niles maintained his eyes closed, and kept giving her butterfly kisses, covering all her face with light caresses from his lips, and without thinking about it, he was repeating her name as if in an obsessive prayer. 'CC… Oh, CC…'
And then it happened.
Her hands came blindly to his arms, moving quickly until she felt him, and then hesitantly, as if testing the feeling of him.
Niles stopped his ministrations and looked at her face. Her eyes were still closed, but her forehead was furrowed, in doubt, confusion… maybe fear.
The Clever Knight had no doubt of what to do.
He reached for her hands and put them on the sides of his face, the same way she had done that night, in his room, and resumed talking to her.
'It's me. It's Niles, Knight of Menial Table, the servant that always wanted you in his life. You are safe, now. Come for me, my witch'. His lips touched hers briefly again, 'Look at me, CC...'
Her eyes flew open and focused on him just for a moment.
Understanding settled quickly when she saw him smiling.
Next thing he knew, the hands on Niles' cheeks were pulling him into the most desperate kiss they had ever shared.
When they parted for air, CC was beaming at him, and he was couldn't stop the tears from running on his face.
She got worried, 'What happened? Why are you crying?'
He forced himself to speak coherently, 'You were there talking to the crowd… and then there was confusion… a spear… you shut down… They said me you should never wake up again…'
She seemed to understand what had happened, now. 'Aw, you little fool! Calm down', she sit up, brushed his tears away and pulled him into a hug. 'You're embarrassing yourself'.
He chuckled into her neck, and she closed her eyes in pleasure by the feeling of it. 'There was not even such a possibility…', she started talking, but stopped, took him by the shoulders and forced him to look at her wide eyes, 'How much time was I out?!'
'Just… this afternoon and part of the night', he felt a bit ridiculous saying this because, when you look at it with attention, it was really a short amount of time.
She was relieved, her hand going to her chest, calming down, but then she was a bit indignant. 'Oh, well, if you were missing me so much, you could just awaken me up earlier'.
'Oh, really?!', he was incredulous.
'Of course! I gave you my magic name! What was so difficult?!'
'I don't think it was just a case of name-calling…'
'Even if our way to relate to each other has a lot of it?'. She smiled, because now he preferred pouting instead of agreeing, 'Of course it was a case of name-calling. The proof is I'm awake, now. I heard you calling me!'
'Are you sure it was the only thing that… brought you on?', he said it looking at her with a mix of coyness and malice she found very interesting.
'Are you trying to convince me that… there was something more than this?'
'You should know better than pretend you didn't feel it'.
'Well… maybe I remember something…'
'Of course you do, witch!'
'…but maybe it would be better if we pretended that never happened?'
'What never happened?'
'The things you said could have happened'.
'I didn't mention anything'.
'Yes, that's it. So, nothing happened. Let's move on'.
'No!', he whined, giving up the game. 'We won't pretend I didn't kiss you!'
She smiled at his annoyed stance. 'So… you think your kisses awoke me?'
'Maybe… kinda… sorta…'
'You pretentious man!', she exclaimed but couldn't hide a grin.
He laughed at her teasing grin, and then he sobered. 'Let's make a deal over it: I was able to wake you up because I knew the right name to call you, and the most sincere and loving kisses to give'.
'I can go for that', she committed.
'Really? That easy?'
'Yes. It seems very realistic… this thing of your kisses arousing me… Now come here…', and she reached for him, so they could resume kissing, '… I don't feel fully awake yet'.
He complied, but managed to murmur, 'I should spread the news…'
She answered between open mouthed kisses, 'They think I'm asleep. It won't make any difference until the morning'.
'But they were worried… about the two of us…', her tongue on his ear, now, was making it very difficult to think, 'Listen, I… really want it, but…'
She stopped and looked him in the eye. 'Niles, if you are here and I am here, and we are both well, it means the situation is settled in some satisfying way. I was successful in my mission, you reached me to take care of me, and everything is all right. We have nothing to worry about, now'. She caressed his face, realizing he had passed some hours thinking she would never be with him again, and smiled. 'Everybody is OK, isn't?'
'Yes, they are. We have found the ones who were behind all of it'.
'Good!', she said, in a kind of patronizing tone, 'I knew it!'. Then, she licked her lips and lowered her voice, 'See that beautiful full moon out there?', she moved the white toga a bit aside, showing a bit of shoulder. 'It makes us witches so powerful! Give me a good reason why I should not use my powers on you right now…'
'Well…', he inclined his head to the side, searching for some good reason, while trying not be too distracted by the flesh he was seeing.
'Clever, clever knight…', she mocked him, and laid down, knowing it was just a matter of time for him to give up when she showed herself so relaxed and waiting. She knew he wanted her as bad as she wanted him.
He kept looking at her and having a hard time concentrating, but then he had to adjust on the bed and noticed his predicament. 'I know what is wrong!'
'Amuse me'.
'What people will think if they enter the tent and find me all over you… like this?', he blushed and put his hands on his lap.
She gave him an appreciative stare, 'They will think you are abusing my unresponsive body', and couldn't hold back her laughter.
'Don't laugh! It is a horrible notion!'
'You said you kissed me to awake me!'
It was different! I kissed you because I felt we had a connection… I was not really thinking of what I was doing…'
'It would be so funny! Just think their change of heart:', and she made a different voice, 'Stop it, you abusive man! Oops, she is moving with him…Uhm…'
'Mean woman… It just felt right…'
'Of course it did! It was right…', she winked at him, 'Confess you like the notion of being all over me'.
'I love it', he smiled back, 'because I love you'.
She stopped. 'Hey… So you really said that!'
'Last night in my room? Of course I did'.
'Yeah, yeah, but I mean earlier tonight… I thought I heard you saying it…'
'See? Who is the full moon powerful being, now? The one who can wake up the dead with his words?'
'Oh, please! Keep quiet, Galahad'.
He went closer, they kissed again, and this time Niles didn't complain about her lack of consideration with the others. They really had the right to be thinking just about each other, right now.
Her hands soon were roaming, pushing him to her, so he would be full body against her body, what he joyfully allowed.
Then, in order to reach some places of his, and to put his hands on some places of hers she liked, Niles noticed she was moving.
He complied (kissing side by side was very interesting), and all the movement was starting to get him all hot and bothered. It was like a body-to-body fight, without the pain, but with a lot of desire for the upper hand…
He could feel his blood starting to boil, the urge of giving her pleasure getting the best of him, his hands seeming to have their own will...
Her sighs and moans didn't help him into getting in control.
To his delight, she managed to straddle him.
To his surprise, once she did it, she stopped kissing him.
She started getting free of her toga, and then he realized where it was leading.
'CC…'
She stopped her moves and moaned deeply, looking into his eyes.
It seemed her name had really a strong pull on her…
But it was not this kind of pull he needed, now. 'Listen… we can't do… this… like… this'.
The amount of suppressed desire on her face was almost painful to see, now, and he was sure he was not very far from shoeing the same feeling, too, 'You must be kidding me'.
'No, dear, I am not. I mean, I am a religious man…'
'You know very well that some things in your religion may not be very wise…'
'But thinking about it and taking decisions right now is not… wise, either'.
She pursed her lips, looked at him intensely and shrugged. 'Oh, ok. I will respect you', she seated, elevated her body on her knees and, in a swift movement, was free of her toga, being totally naked in front of him. 'You don't have to do anything', she went to straddle him again. 'I can have fun alone…', she put her face close to his, her breasts touching the light shirt he was using. '…while you decide how to solve your problem'.
'My… problem?', he squeaked when she started to pull his trousers.
'Yeah', she answered, kissing his neck, 'I have nothing to decide. I am free and I will enjoy your body as much as I can. It is you who must decide which is the limit where you can go to not be… sinful'. She felt his body trembling when she freed him of his trousers and was again all over him – the contact of her inner thighs with a very sensitive part of him was almost too much for both. 'So, Clever Knight? You want me but you can't have me… like this. How do you solve this problem?'
'Marry me'.
'What?'
'You know I want you, you know I love you. But I need to be sure you will hear from me, with a lot of people as testimonies, that I want you forever with me'.
'And this ceremony in a church will give me any guarantees?', she was really taking him seriously.
'No. In fact, it will satisfy my need to tell the world where I live that you are my chosen one'.
'Uhm…', she didn't seem very interested.
'Witch, please, marry me! It's a beautiful ritual: you'll be wearing white and walking like a queen while everyone in the room will just be looking at you and waiting for what you have to say… Well, it is not really different from your day to day activities since we met'.
She smiled, humored, 'I got you will feel very happy and socially satisfied because of this… But you didn't tell me what is in it for me…'
'Isn't it clear, yet? You'll have me officially belonging to you. By the laws from where I come, I'll be yours, and you'll be able to use it against me, if you want'.
'Hey! It sounds good!', and she gave a throaty laugh.
'Doesn't it?', he smiled at her good disposition, but then sobered. 'Will you marry me?'
She sobered, too, and sighed. It should not be so difficult to accept… After all, she was a non-believer, but she understood that this kind of thing must be important to him...
Woa, it seemed she really cared for the things that were important to him… She had to think carefully about it later, when there was not a loving-struck knight anxiously waiting for an answer from her.
She was impressed by how much of his happiness were now in her hands.
'All right, you boring Catholic knight. It's not like I have any intention of letting you go. I'll marry you'.
'YES!', he rejoiced and met her lips for a surprisingly tender kiss.
'But I'll still have fun tonight, Niles', she murmured against his skin.
'Now it is all right. I trust you won't abuse my body and left me in shame, afterwards'.
She rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help her own smile. 'You are so lucky I love you back…'
That made him look at her with wide eyes, 'What? You… do?'
'There is no sense in denying it, anymore', she looked lovingly at him, 'I was never this patient with anyone, Niles. I never gave chances, or came closer so slowly, as if I had to woo you… I never worried so much about anyone's happiness and well-being as I do for you', she made a face, 'It is obvious I feel for you this thing people call love, once it is not some magical trick'.
Niles smiled at her, 'It is a kind of magic, CC'.
She smiled back. 'Yes, it must be'.
They stayed looking into each other eyes, deeply happy to be together.
Then, the woman wriggled her body, 'Now, let's stop this tenderness and have our fun'.
Niles' breath was caught for a moment and then he managed to answer her, 'Don't worry. We'll be able to have both, my witch'.