An Enjoyable Partnership: A Tale of Two Mages
Part Eight
This wine is really very good. Nalia thought, sipping thoughtfully at a glass of sweet white wine. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. That last dance had been very strenuous, but she was actually having fun, much to her surprise. She generally didn’t like the company of nobles, but this evening, she and Edwin had enjoyed socialising in a rather unique way…
“Oh, Gods…” Edwin had murmured earlier, drying the tears of laughter with one hand, while his other encircled her waist as they waltzed around the dance floor. “Look over there.”
Nalia turned round and looked. Her mouth dropped open. Andorel’s party had just come in through the large double doors of the Hall, decked out in their own versions of finery. Andorel’s armour actually managed to shine, for once, though it still had the odd dent in it. He had removed his helmet and even brushed his coarse dark hair, so that it flowed down to his shoulders. Nalia had never realised how long it was, since it normally resembled a bird’s nest. He was grinning toothily at the assembled nobles, enjoying the effect of a half-orc gatecrashing an upper-class Ball. Keldorn and Anomen had polished their armour so much they were painful to look at, and Anomen had instantly invited the prettiest girl he could spot to dance with him. Jan wore an eye-blinding brilliant green robe that seemed to change colour to blue when the light caught it in a certain way, and Valygar was missing- no doubt sulking in his room. Nalia looked around for Minsc, and starting choking when she spotted him. He was also dressed in sparkling armour, and was showing his hamster off to a group of pretty young nobles. It seemed he- and Boo- had made a big hit. Nalia caught a flash of purple in his hand, and had a sudden horrible feeling that Boo was also dressed up, in whatever the hamster version of finery was, as well.
“Well, that should please Auntie.” Nalia remarked. “I just hope those metal boots don’t leave marks on my floor.”
Edwin snorted. “I shall have to watch out for her reaction. It should be most amusing.”
“Please tell me if you get to see it!”
“I certainly will, my dear Nalia.”
“You know, ‘Dwin, you really are a good dancer.”
Her gave her an extra little spin, still in perfect time to Their Song. “Of course.”
She was telling him the absolute truth, too- he was a good dancer. She had danced with better partners, but dancing with Edwin was…special. It was so wonderful to have someone to talk to while she danced, but it wasn’t just that. Having his arm wrapped around his waist, their other hands clasped together, was so comforting and warm. The simple human contact was so pleasant that she was sorry when the music finally came to an end. They separated, and she noticed that Edwin kept hold of her hand for perhaps a little longer than necessary.
“And now,” He declared, “I am going to inspect the drinks to see if there is anything remotely worth considering imbibing.”
“Good idea. There’s a good vintage red that my…father put down about a decade ago. We decided to finally bring it out. I think I might have some too.”
“In which case, I shall go and search it out.” He said, and wandered off.
“Hey, Nalia, great party you got here!” A voice said behind her. She turned around to face a toothy yellow grin.
“Hello, Andorel,” she said, suppressing a sigh. “Um, how are you?”
“Fine, thanks. Fancy getting trodden on by a half-orc for a bit?”
“Huh?”
His grin widened and he bowed surprisingly gracefully. “I mean that I would love the honour of a dance with you, my Lady Nalia.”
“Er…I’m afraid I can’t. Edwin’s asked me to dance with him for practically every dance tonight, you see.”
“No I haven’t.” Edwin said, appearing behind her, glass in hand.
“Yes you did, don’t you remember?”
“No, you are definitely mistaken, Nalia.” Edwin said, his eyes glittering with mirth. “It would be remiss of me to monopolize you at a dance such as this.”
“Great!” Andorel said, grabbing her arm and pulling her along. “Com’on, let’s boogie.”
Edwin, I’ll get you for this!
Enjoy yourself. He replied, in a distinctly amused tone. As Nalia got dragged off by the warrior, he took a thoughtful sip of his wine, and then winced at a pain in his foot. Damnation! Andorel was treading all over Nalia’s feet in his armoured boots, and it really did hurt.
Serves you right. She replied, tartly.
Edwin shook his head and wandered off, limping occasionally. Actually, he wouldn’t mind dancing with Nalia again. It had been enjoyable, he had to admit. She was a good dancer, and they…
“Ah, there you are, Edwin dear! I saw you dancing with Nalia, so romantic! Of course, it is Traditional that the host and hostess take the first dance, but I could see you were really enjoying yourselves. She’ll make you a wonderful wife, you know.”
“Not you again!”
“Now now, don’t be shy, there are some people whom you simply must meet.” Delcia grabbed him firmly by the arm and pushed him into a group of nobles, then disappeared. A tall young woman in green gave him a sparkling empty smile she no doubt thought looked pleasant.
“Ah, Lord Odesseiron. Nice to meet you, finally. I believe you are a mage, yes?”
“Indeed I am.”
“How fascinating! I’m sure you could tell us lots of interesting tales.”
“I’m certain I can.” He replied. Now, what would he bore them with this time? Hmm, entanglement spells would do nicely. Entanglement…? What had he been talking about? He shook his head briefly. Not again! Ah, yes, spellcraft.
“There are many interesting aspects to the Art. For instance, entanglement spells can be categorized into two groups: those that physically glue the victim to the nearest surface, and those that convince the victim that they are unable to move, when in fact they are. We can include Web and the eponymous druidic spell in the first group, while Stun and the priestly spell Hold Person would belong to the second…”
Edwin talked on enthusiastically, watching their eyes slowly glaze over as they tried to listen. Fools, he thought privately, They never learnt to use their brains. Why don’t these people ever think?
He went cold briefly at that thought. It reminded him of his own situation. No: tonight he would enjoy himself, tonight was a brief pause for him to forget all about it. No! Not forget. That was a word he preferred to avoid at the moment. The list of words he liked to avoid was rapidly growing.
“…thus, the mental entanglement spells are often more easy for those strong of will to break, while the physical entanglement spells can be more easily be broken by people able to quickly dodge their area of effect. Therefore, it is important to choose the right spell for the right victim…”
“Edwin dear!” Delcia said, magically appearing in the circle of almost catatonically bored people.
“What is it now?” He demanded.
“I’ve just been talking to Nalia,” She answered, lifting a hand to her mouth in exaggerated dismay, “I’m so terribly sorry, I didn’t realise that manners were so different in Thay!”
“What?”
“If I had realised that it was traditional in Thay for the women to ask the men to dance, I would have found you a few partners! I’m sorry if you have felt left out. It must be awful not to be asked to stand up!”
“That is not…”
“So, Lord Odesseiron, would you give me the honour of the next dance?” She said, giving a quick curtsey.
“Certainly not!”
“Oh, come now, don’t be so timid!” She said, grabbing hold of his arm firmly and dragging him out to the dancefloor. “I don’t want you to be lonely.”
“But…”
It was no use, though. Edwin was pushed authoritatively onto the dance floor. In the back of his mind, he could sense Nalia’s laughter.
Nalia de’Arnise, I’ll kill you for this!
Nalia had sat with her glass of wine, and laughed at the spectacle of Edwin trying to avoid being smothered by her aunt’s generous bosom…
…Ah yes, Nalia thought, later on, her thoughts spinning slightly with the wine, It’s been fun. How odd, that she could enjoy herself this much when there was the threat of the rakshasa hanging over her. Perhaps it was because it was so certain they’d beat them, she thought with the surety of too much alcohol. Yes. What could a group of silly creatures with stripy faces do to them?
“A final dance, my noble Lords and Ladies, before we retire.” One of the minstrel’s voices rang out, trained to be heard above any crowd. “May I invite you all to partake in one last turn about the floor. I hope you have all enjoyed our music.”
The night was over. What a shame, it had been so much fun. Nalia sighed, and put down her drink. The servants would clear up the mess, which was just as well, since she was rather tired. It never occurred to her that the servants might be tired as well.
“Nalia, a final dance?” Edwin said, offering her his hand, a slight smile on his lips. He looked as if he had drank rather too much, too- his eyes glittered and his face was rather flushed.
“Alright.” She said, standing up. Her head spun. “Woah, think I drank a bit too much.”
“Impossible.” Edwin declared, and swept her off to the dance floor. The last dance was a slow foxtrot, designed to be relaxing and romantic before the revellers went to bed for the night. They put their arms around each other’s waists, clasped their hands together, and started to dance.
Of course, Nalia thought, Our whole life is a dance. She marvelled at the depth of this thought, and realised that she had the makings of a great philosopher. It was so true- she and Edwin, they circled each other, dancing through time while the Gods laughed at them from up on high. They met others briefly, and then they were on their own again, continuing the great dance called Life. But they were always together, her and Edwin. Her familiar, her best friend. He really was quite handsome, actually, when he wasn’t scowling. This dance was making her feel dizzy. She wondered, briefly, if there was any of that wine left, then tried to remember what she had been thinking about before. Ah yes, Edwin. Life. He was very attractive, in fact. His arm was around her waist, and it felt so right for it to be there. She looked up at him and smiled. He blinked in startlement at her sudden gaze, and smiled back, his gaze slightly unfocussed. She pressed herself longingly into his side, enjoying the warmth, the feeling of need, of yearning. How long had she felt like this about him? Always, of course. No, that was not right, her slightly addled mind said. She had originally disliked him intensely, but she had simply not known him well, then. She had been such a fool, but the wine made it all so much clearer. His arm seemed to hold her tighter for the last part of the dance. The musical dance, that was, not the one of their lives. That would continue…forever.
“Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen. May you have a good night’s sleep at Keep de’Arnise, and thank you for attending.”
They separated reluctantly. All over the Hall, couples stopped dancing, wives and husbands poked their sleeping partners, and various people yawned and collected their scattered belongings. Nalia sighed.
“It’s been a fun night, hasn’t it?”
“Surprisingly, acceptable, yes.” Edwin replied, sounding rather distracted. He suddenly yawned and stretched. He looked calculatingly at her. “Time for bed, I think.”
“Yes.” Nalia sighed. “I have to stay until the last guests leave, but you might as well go.”
“Oh. Ah, yes.” He said, fidgeting uncertainly. “I shall do.”
***
Some time later, Nalia finally got to bed. She changed quickly into a linen shift, and sat down on the edge of the feather mattress. The dark room seemed to spin slightly. Such a lot had happened tonight, but that last dance with Edwin stuck in her mind. The feel of his touch as they whirled around the dance floor had been…but her vocabulary couldn’t supply a suitable word. Why had she never felt like this about him before? It couldn’t just be the alcohol, it had to be more than that. When had she gone from liking his company to needing it? And right now, she needed him so much, she wanted him so much, that it made her feel slightly breathless and left her mouth dry.
“Nalia.” Edwin had opened the door quietly, and stood outlined in the gentle candlelight from the corridor beyond. She looked up and squinted at him.
“Edwin.”
“I am your familiar, I know what you feel.” He said, quietly, closing the door behind him. “And I feel it too.”
“I, I should have realised that.” She replied, softly, standing up to face him.
He crossed the room to stand directly in front of her, and placed his hands on her shoulders. She took a sudden deep breath, as all the oxygen seemed to leave the room. Edwin brushed the hair off her face, and kissed her temple softly. She found herself panting, trembling at the touch of his gentle lips, shivering at the slight tickle of his beard. Surprisingly gentle- but then, Nalia realised, Edwin had always prided himself on his talents, and to him, this was simply another talent, one he had always been determined to excel at. He kissed her cheek, this time, then worked slowly down her neck, planting warm, damp kisses at the corner of her throat, the side of her neck, the join with her shoulder. Her arms seemed to move of their own accord to encircle his neck, holding him close to her. He placed a soft hand on her collarbone, and started to move her clothes aside so he could continue his kisses along her shoulder. Nalia grabbed his wrist uncertainly.
“Edwin,” She whispered into his neck, “I’ve never…I don’t know how…”
“I guessed,” He whispered into the side of her neck, his lips touching her ear as he spoke, “I shall show you how.”
She panted with an emotion that was part fear and part need, and tried a hesitant caress across his shoulders. They both gasped, him with desire, her with surprise- for she had felt his excitement at her touch, too.
The familiar link, she thought.
We…should have expected it. He replied, his thoughts blurred and ill-defined.
They moved their hands and lips over each other, exploring, finding pleasure in unexpected and expected places, Edwin with surety, Nalia hesitantly, both feeling all, experiencing every single touch, minds mingling, all barriers down, gasping, sighing, needing. The more they explored, the more the need grew, until it was all they could think of, until it dominated their thoughts, until it was their thought, their only thought. Then, and only then, did they lie down and join physically as well as mentally. There was pain; brief and unexpected.
What…?
Don’t stop. Please. Don’t. Stop.
But there was no way they could stop now; the Dance of Life swept them on, reaching a crescendo, and then finally dying away, leaving one lingering, bittersweet, note.
