CAPTIVE AND CAPTIVATED

Chapter 4


Fuu gazed blankly out of the window. She sat in a small chair, looking out over Ferio's balcony. She didn't have the energy or desire to venture outside. She was too lonely, too bored. It had been nearly two days since the Prince had left her lying naked in his chambers. An hour or so after he'd left, her Page had come to tend to her, bringing her meals and bathing her, speaking soothing words to her. The Prince had yet to return.

The sky was blue and clear outside. On the grounds below, she could see the wind blowing through the trees, rustling the open fields of wildflowers. Today, there were people milling about below. Tents were being erected. People walked around bearing long, colorful streamers. A special occasion, obviously. Well, the King had said something about the festival season…

Oh, this was wretched. Fuu hated sitting up in that gilded cage all alone. She'd rather be back in the slave hall, lying on small cushions with dozens of other slaves. At least then she'd have some company.

She sighed and relaxed into her chair. She'd been giving a lot of thought to some possible mode of escape. The plans included but were not limited to: jumping from the high castle walls, seizing a flying beast and attempting to fly back into the portal in the sky, poisoning her Prince and fleeing through the open window and even stealing weapons to fight her way out. But all of those plans had huge flaws. She could no sooner survive a jump over the high castle walls than she could fly. Neither did she think she could ever get her hands on any poisons or flying beasts to escape, and she certainly had no weapons training. There was nothing she could do at the present time to return home.

She clutched her fists. It was maddening! Fuu had always been able to think her way through any problem. There was nothing she could never solve with her intellect! There must have been something, some minor detail she had overlooked…

Finally, in bored frustration, she rose and began to pace the floor. The single thin robe she'd been given was draped over the bed. Yes, she was still naked. After a day or so, she no longer noticed how cool the castle air was on her naked skin. She paused, staring at the robe. After a moment, she yanked it from the bed and slung it over her shoulders. Pushing open the wide, balcony doors, Fuu stepped out into the bright sunlight. It was warm out. When Fuu had been stolen from Tokyo, it had been late summer, with hot, dry weather. This world must have been in a similar season. Fuu wrapped the robe loosely around herself and milled about on the balcony. It was spacious enough, with enough room for a few benches and potted plants. She peered over the side and looked down upon the people below. She could see the tents and colorful pavilions, with many different colored flags flying through the air. A breeze picked her loose, golden hair up and blew it over her shoulders.

She adjusted her glasses on her face and squinted at the ground. By her calculations, she must have been about seven or eight stories up. She could see heads, and hair color, but that was about it. She could distinguish no faces. She leaned farther over and gasped when her glasses slid from her face. She reached out frantically to grab them before they fell far to the ground below. She managed to catch the very tip of the frame with her fingers and gave a relieved sigh. When she glanced back down, she paused, noting that it was not blurry. Or rather, not nearly as blurry as it should be. She frowned and looked through the lenses of her glasses. The sky came into slightly sharper focus, but when she removed the frames, she saw that the clouds were only slightly less focused.

"My eyes…" she said aloud. Normally, she has terrible vision if she weren't wearing glasses. But now her eyesight was almost perfect without them on. She frowned again. "Odd."

She considered it for a moment, and decided that perhaps the magic of the world she'd been brought to had something to do with it. She'd never seen a single person in the castle wearing glasses, so perhaps people in this land had perfect vision. It sounded rather silly though, when she thought about it further…

This is something I shall have to investigate, she mused. She folded her spectacles and placed them gingerly on the stones before her. When she looked at the ground, the figures below were still pretty clear. She spotted an untidy mop of green hair and narrowed her eyes. The Prince. Ferio.

Two days he'd left her up in that awful room. What the hell was he doing down there now? She watched as he walked about, swinging around a sword and looking generally cocky. Another man approached him and appeared to converse with him. From her height, all she could hear was the wind and a dull murmur from the crowd below. The new man had dark hair, very dark. She studied his armor and realized it was Lantis, the other Prince. Ah yes, it must be him, she thought, for there is Hikaru on his arm. The little glint of red hair lifted her spirits. Finally, a glimpse of one of the others. At least Hikaru had not been harmed. Then again, neither have I. I've never been given reason to believe that I'd be harmed in any way, other than light punishment for being out of line…

She watched Ferio converse with his stepbrother closely. Ferio was looking resolutely at the crowd while Lantis fixed him with a stern look. Eventually, Ferio lowered his sword and, reluctantly, sheathed it. Ah, chastisement. When Lantis walked away, she saw Ferio turn and stick his tongue out at him.

"Ha!" She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the idiotic laughter. What cared she about his ridiculous comportment?

As if he felt her watching him, Ferio turned his head this way and that, casting his eyes about, before finally looking up and staring at her.

Fuu felt herself blush. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been storming from the room after his wild attempt at ravishment. She'd given the entire situation very careful consideration as of late, of course… it was her nature to do so. She did her best to analyze what had happened from a professional point of view, without any girly, teenage bias. Her physical reactions had been typical. She'd felt pleasure at the touch of his hands in every area that was expected to experience it. Her body reacted as any other normal body would do under such stimulation. So, she did not completely feel that she was at fault for urging the Prince on, nearly against her will.

But of course, there was that completely word…

NOT completely…

She narrowed her eyes down at the Prince and banished the thoughts. He was a lecherous young man with lecherous thoughts and lecherous hands and… an infuriatingly handsome smile. Gold eyes; lion's eyes.

Dirty bastard.

She threw her hands up in the air to signify the thought, What the hell!?

Ferio merely stared up at her, bewildered. Then, he, too, put his hands up as if saying, Sorry…

She stuck her tongue out at him and he smirked that stupid, maddening smirk of his. And was that a wink he'd just given her!?

She gave a loud Hmph! and stormed back into his chambers. If she would have stayed, she'd seen that he stared after her for several long moments, and that he eventually wandered away, casting longing glances at the empty balcony. Let him stay out there all day and night if he wished. She didn't care whether or not he returned.

But she didn't think she'd mind if he smirked at her like that again.

In Clef's chambers, Umi lay sprawled out on a long couch. Her shoulders were propped up on several gilt little pillows and her arms were positioned over her head, as if she were stretching and relaxing lazily. Her hair, left long and flowing over her shoulders as usual, carefully covered each of her breasts. She sighed heavily and stared at the ceiling.

"Aren't you done yet?" she asked.

Clef, who was hidden from view, scooted out from behind the canvas he was working on and frowned. "No."

Umi rolled her eyes. She was getting a cramp. He'd been painting her for several hours now and she was thoroughly sick of it. She didn't dare say a word about it, though. She'd spent the entire night before tied to the canopy of Clef's massive bed. After being nasty to him that day, he'd gotten fed up with her and punished her well. She was forced to spend that whole night looking down at him, naked and ashamed, with nothing to do but watch him sleep. She feared his ire now and kept her mouth shut.

"Please keep your eyes down," he said after a time. She frowned and looked at the floor. She'd been staring at the back of his canvas without knowing it.

Over the past few days, Clef had been busying himself with her in the most ridiculous ways. Apparently the Master Mage of Cephiro didn't have much to do with his time, for he made her accompany him on very long walks, read boring lines of verse to her (or perhaps just aloud to himself), made her sit beside him as he drew out huge, complicated maps, and even had her plot points on a chart as he stargazed. Infuriating things, really. What was she, his servant? Well, she supposed it was better than being forced to copulate with him, which he had yet to attempt. And that, of course, made her wonder, because he'd certainly had his hands on her enough times. In private moments that made her blush to think about, Clef had massaged her naked limbs, very gently combed her hair, or simply studied her, smoothing gentle hands over her body for hours at a time. He didn't seem to be attempting to excite her, but she found herself unknowingly responding to his hands. She would be left after his long ministrations, shivering and heated, with slightly labored breathing.

She closed her eyes and willed herself not to think about it. But really, when he wasn't annoying her or being nasty and cold to her (as a result of her own nasty coldness, of course), he was quite sensual, and very nearly worshiped her long, lean form.

"Umi," he said softly, rousing her from her daydream, "You don't like being my muse?"

She sighed again. "It's not that…"

"You are uncomfortable?"

"…a little."

He peeked at her from around the canvas again, paintbrush in hand. "I'm very nearly done. But we can pause, I suppose. I am rather hungry."

She watched him rise and call for a servant. Umi remained on the couch, unwilling to move without his permission.

He stood by and studied the painting he'd been doing of her. She couldn't see it, but by the colors she could see on his palate, she could tell it would be an interesting one. The only colors he was using were shades of blue and white, even though the couch on which she laid was very bright. Oh well. What did she care for his silly painting?

When a man entered the chamber with a small tray, Clef took it from him and dismissed him. "Sit up," he said to her, "Have something to eat."

She obeyed him. "Tea?" she asked.

"Yes. It's made from rose hips, and is rather sour. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," she said. "I don't really care for sweet things."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Nor do I."

Umi took a gilt teacup from Clef and narrowed her eyes at him, annoyed. She refused to partake in casual conversation with the man, not after last night. She drank the tea but refused the fruit and cream he'd offered her.

Clef sat down on a large cushion in front of her couch and sighed. "I actually may have to leave you soon."

"Why's that?" Umi asked with no real interest.

Clef sipped his tea and said, "Apparently there's a problem in the sky."

"Sorry?"

He looked at her. "The veil between the worlds is torn. Apparently your kidnapping has caused a disruption in the veil that separates our worlds. I'm not sure why or how it happened, but it could be problematic if it doesn't repair itself."

"What do you mean, 'torn'?"

He leaned back on his elbow and studied the carpet. "I'm not sure if I know what it means, myself."

"Oh, well that clears it all up," she muttered into her tea.

Clef looked askance at her. The jibe was said under her breath, so he had an excuse to ignore it. "I've been studying my divining pools, and they tell me something's amiss in the sky. I've watched Lantis and his men try to discern what it means. I don't think they've told the King and Queen yet, but most of his men know. Mostly, they just stare up into the clouds in awe. It's always at twilight, of course. The rip in the fabric can only be seen then."

"Why so?"

He shrugged. "I suppose you can only see something like that in dim light. It may or may not also be visible just before dawn."

Umi pondered this. Surely Clef would be called upon to see about this "tear" himself soon. She doubted she'd be privy to any information shared between him and his officials. She wondered where she would go if he were ever to be summoned away. The Slave Hall entered her mind and she cringed.

Clef gestured dismissal. "That's not my biggest concern, however. Through my divining, I've been able to see that something bigger is going on. Though what it is, I cannot say." He rubbed his eyes slowly. "My vision is clouded as of late."

Umi sighed. "Well, if you'd like, you can continue painting. I feel fine enough to lie down for a while longer." She rubbed her leg, proud of what a cool liar she was. A cramp was developing. Oh, nasty cramp. She thought she would die if she had to lie on that couch much longer.

Clef's eyes followed her hands and after a moment, he moved closer to her and took her leg.

"It's fine," she began, "I'm just a little stiff—"

He raised a hand for her to be silent. With his other hand, he maneuvered her leg into his lap. His gaze was unnerving her. He was staring very intently into her eyes, almost as if he were mesmerizing her with some form of dark magic. She felt no such magic working on her, but allowed him to do whatever he liked with her leg anyway.

"I will resume painting in a moment. And yes, this is how I wile away my time." He looked down at her shin and ran small thumbs along the length of her calf. "Yes, stiff." He began to very gently smooth the skin of her legs with his hands, passing them up and down their length, stopping just at the knee and circling the ankle.

"You are a Pisces, are you not?" he asked suddenly.

Umi frowned. "What?"

"I believe you understood me the first time. Are you, or are you not, a Pisces?"

"Well…" she twisted her fingers together, looking awkwardly at the wall. What the hell was he getting at? "Yeah, I suppose I am…" Her frown deepened. "How do you know anything about the Zodiac? Isn't that an Earth thing?"

Clef shook his head. "The stars here and the stars in your world are the same. In fact, this whole world is the same. They parallel and mirror one another in different dimensions. The truths of this world are the same as in yours. And yes, we have something similar to your Zodiac here. Those of the Old Faith live and die by the constant wheeling of the stars overhead. Their birthdates play vital roles in whom and what they are, just like in the Zodiac." He grinned a grin she didn't quite like as he kneaded his thumbs into her calf. He looked almost mischievous. "Did you know that Pisces rules the feet?"

"Um… no."

"Know you nothing of your Sun?"

"My what?"

He shook his head. "An ancient sorcerer like myself is well versed in the Mysteries. They're more important here than they are in your world, obviously."

"Well, no, I did not know that Pisces rules the feet. I'm not even sure what that means. All I know is that I'm very nearly an Aries, with my birthday near the cusp."

Clef wrinkled his nose. "I'd like it not if you were an Aries. The first sign; the dominant, "me!" sign. No, I like you much better as sensual Pisces."

"Sensual, you say?"

"Yes. Pisces is the sign of dreams and self-delusion. Very romantic." Another dark grin before he finally moved to her foot. "I like that about you. I believe that was what I first noticed about you… your subtle sensuality."

Umi gently tried to tug her foot away from him. She'd never been fond of anyone touching her feet. "Your painting."

"No," he breathed. He grabbed her ankle and pulled himself up to her, quickly trapping her hand in his and yanking her forward to kiss her. It was sudden and caused Umi to squeal and lose her balance. The two fell to the floor together in a small heap, with Clef's lips pressed fervently to hers.

"Mmph!"

His hand capturing her neck was strong. She couldn't pull away. Her fingernails dug into the collar of his robes, but he held tightly to her. When she tried, she could it difficult to resist him. Her limbs did not quite obey her. Perhaps he'd worked spells into her flesh as he massaged her. Black magic indeed; she couldn't turn her mind from him.

He said he wouldn't work spells on me. Liar!

As before, however, she attempted to relax into the embrace. All those hours he'd spent caressing her flesh over the past few days had left her somewhat malleable and docile. During those times, she'd found it most convenient to just clear her mind and ease into his hands, almost as if she were willing herself out of her body.

His hands found her breasts and she shuddered. The feeling was not entirely unfamiliar, but unsettling nonetheless. All right, just relax. They're only hands. It won't hurt… they're soft, and small… only hands… Be blank.

Two hard points of electricity pulsed on her chest. No, said another voice. Be aware.

It was like being sucked into a vacuum. She was suddenly very aware of her limbs. Pulling… yes, she was being pulled.

No, no, I can't do it….

Another pulse, this one strong. It was hot; very hot. She gasped, a huge breath full of cold, castle air, and felt her limbs all flash with a wave of white-hot, freezing ice. She heard Clef gasp and felt his hands snatch away from her.

Her eyes flew open. Yes, she was in her body fully again. Her fingers were numb and tingly as if she'd just been fitted back into her own suit of flesh. She shook violently. "Painting," she breathed, "I thought you wanted to paint!"

Clef was sitting some feet away from her, clutching one of his hands, which seemed to be smoking with a strange looking glow. He was glaring at her. "What did you do?"

Umi sat up and realized her skin was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. Her shivering continued. "I don't know what you mean—" Sobs escaped from her tightening throat. "What do you expect? I feel as if you're trying to rape me…"

He scoffed. "I've never given you a reason to fear for your precious virginity! If I wanted to take you by force, I would have done so long ago! Be quit of your nasty behavior immediately or I'll send you from my sight!" He began clenching and unclenching his fists. "Stop your weeping, I've not harmed you."

"All right," she said, wiping her eyes. "Just don't — in the future, if you plan to… defile me, just give me some kind of warning or something. And have me do something useful for God's sake! I'm tired of padding around by your side like a puppy while you do stupid, boring things all day!"

Clef very nearly pouted. "I'm not boring…"

"I didn't say you were boring, I said that watching you plot stars or read a book or stirring your damn potions is boring!"

The Mage rubbed the bride of his nose. "You know, I feel I don't entirely have the energy to argue with you right now."

"Well, what makes you think I have energy for you?"

Clef waved her off. "Enough. I didn't want to argue with you today. Let's be peaceable. Come, resume your place on the couch, if you will. I only have a bit left to paint." He looked askance at her. "I'm sorry if you find it boring…"

Umi frowned. "Well, is it a pretty painting?"

"Of course."

She leaned back into her position on the couch. With her arms crossed, she turned to him and said, "Then it isn't boring. It's of me, anyway."

He looked as if he wanted to laugh, but didn't. Umi rested her arm over her head, as she was supposed to, and stared at her master. Clef studied her form for a moment before turning back to his painting. He wasn't hidden behind it now, however, and every once in a while, he would glance at her again and make more dabs on his canvas.

Rather than avert her eyes, she held his gaze steadily whenever he looked up and, after a time, he ceased to look at his painting and stared continuously at her.