forum A Thing You Won't Remember

Started September 18, 2022 by @ElderGod-yellowqueen

tune

Lear nodded. "It's only 4 or 5 hours to dawn now anyway. Do your best to sleep till the sun is up." He watched her tuck in, before moving onto the floor. He looked over at Romulus. "C'mere."

The Prince smiled tiredly at him, and laid down, his head in Lear's lap. They had rested many times this way. People had started rumors many times about the two, but Romulus constantly visiting brothels put any rumors of a steady relationship to rest.

Lear stroked the Prince's hair till he was out again. He kept an eye on Elia, wondering if she would be able to sleep at all. He had positioned himself so he could reach both of them, ready to comfort or fend off, whichever should become necessary.
The night moved on, the camp licking its wounds and resting for the morning.

(Its for a server so I'll stool be active certain parts of the day)

(Sure thing! and again, congrats! happy for you)

Elia laid down on the cot, resting her head on the pillow. It wasn't the most comfortable place to rest. Her bed back at the brothel had certainly been comfier. But she had also slept in places much worse so she wouldn't complain.
She dropped a hand off the cot and placed it on the prince's thigh. She just needed some sort of contact, something to hold on to. She watched Lear and the prince together for a few moments, a soft smile on her face. They truly did care for each other. The look in Lear's eyes could only be described as love. Platonic, but certainly love. She wished to have that sort of connection with someone some day. She doubted she ever would but knowing others did would have to be enough.
Elia's eyes fell close. laying down all tucked in had her body fighting for sleep. There was no use fighting it any longer. She just hoped she didn't embarrass herself further. It didn't take long until she herself fell asleep, her hand never moving from the spot on his leg.

Lear had noted Elia's hand, and had watched Romulus for a reaction. The Prince didn't react, though he was still awake when she did it. So Lear left it.
It had only been a few hours since she had been so angry in the Prince's now demolished tent, but she had definitely either changed her mind or seen that he cared. Somehow, she was willing to work with them.
Lear knew Romulus would be happy with that, and he wondered exactly how much the Prince knew. Romulus usually shared, but sometimes he asked Lear to trust him, and Lear always had.
He'd never been steered wrong.
Elia was asleep pretty quickly, and Lear watched her breathing. It would be the first thing to get wonky if she started to panic or nightmare. He wasn't sure what he would do, but… he'd help her, somehow.

Elia slept peacefully for the first hour or so. She dreamed of sweet nothings. Until it turned into terrible nightmares.

"I'm disappointed in you," Madame Rosette tsked. "I have given you everything you could possibly want. All I've asked for is a small favor. Make them happy. All you have to do is lie there and let them do what they want and you couldn't even do that."
A whip cracked against the ground. Elia couldn't see it, she was blindfolded. But the Madame was letting her know it was there. "I-I'm sorry." She cried. She had only just turned thirteen. Her voice was soft, not yet grown into. And disgusting, disgusting men loved that. It was the whole reason she was there in the first place. He was sweaty and smelly and missing teeth and an eye. He was ugly to look at and had a thing for children. He had tried to buy one of the younger girls who weren't yet prostitutes. They did the housework until they were old enough. But Madame Rosette had politely declined him and offered Elia instead.
She had barely started to develop. Her chest still lay flat, her hips were square. She had wide eyes and an innocent look. The man took one look at her, licked his lips, then took her to a room. She had been so scared. He had pushed her down on the bed and that's when she started screaming. She kicked him in the groin, effectively getting him off her. Madame Rosette stormed in there. She had never seen her look so furious. She took Elia by the arm and took her down, down, down to the cellar. She was thrown into a small room and blindfolded. She had no sense of time. She hadn't known how long she had been there. Only that she was hungry and thirsty and tired.
"Just because you said you're sorry, doesn't mean that you are," Madame Rosette crooned. "We don't hurt paying customers. I let you get away with it the first time because you were new but you know better now. You need a punishment fit the crime."
The whipped cracked again, this time closer. She was trembling so hard her bones rattled. Tears streamed down her cheeks but she didn't let out a cry. "I-I'm sorry. It won't h-happen again."
"That's what you said last time. And see, I trusted your word and now you've broken it. You must be punished. This will hurt but you will be forgiven afterward."
At the first hit of the whip had her crying, the second had her screaming, and the third knocked her out.

In her sleep, Elia began to thrash, screaming. It was as if she was feeling each stroke of the whip all over again. Her back was on fire. Make it stop! Makeit stop! She screamed.

Lear moved, grabbing Elia's head and waking Romulus in the process. He held her head in his palms, stabilizing it so she wouldn't hit it off of anything, but also making sure she could hear him as he spoke directly into her ears.
"Wake up!" He didn't say her name, that had always made him worse in his dreams. He didn't dodge her flailing limbs, hitting something solid would either calm her or at least help her wake up faster. He didn't shake her, just kept talking to her. "You're safe, you're with friends, you're not under attack! Wake up!" He kept his volume up but his voice low, aware that the main abuser in her life had been a woman and high pitched voices would trigger her right now.
Romulus had come awake, groggy, but he got up on his knees now, and nudged Lear out of the way. "Let me."
His hands were so much bigger, his arms so much stronger, that holding her head stilled her entire upper body, despite her flailing. He placed one hand on her back and pulled her up into him, in a sitting position, her face in the crook of his neck, even as she screamed.
"You're safe." he rumbled in her ears. "You're with friends. No on can hurt you. Wake up!"

Elia hit something hard, something solid. Her eyes flew open with a gasp.
She cradled her hand to her chest as she took several large breaths. It took her a few minutes to gain her bearing and remember where she was. However, she was not in the same position she was when she went to sleep. She was sitting in someone's lap, her face in their neck. She moved her head and noticed Lear was sitting to the side. Which meant it was Romulus that was holding her.
This feels oddly familiar.
It had only been hours ago when they were in the same position. She moved her good arm around his waist as she moved her head to hide in his neck. She kept her other hand to her chest. He was hard. And if had hurt her wrist when she had hit him accidentally. It would likely be fine in an hour or so. It just ached.
Elia found her lips pressing to his neck, his shoulder, his collarbone. She needed something. She needed a distraction. She needed something to hold on to, to be held. She needed this.

Lear watched her, noting the moment she remembered where she was, how quickly she shifted. Her wrist definitely had crumpled funny, and he'd need to check it later. Punching Romulus was eerily similar to hitting a blonde, 6'6" brick wall.
Romulus lost his balance yet again, and pitched onto his back, pulling her with him. He wound up laying on his back with her straddling his hips, although with their size difference, she was essentially sitting on him. He didn't realize she was peppering him with kisses until then, his head already swimming.
"Elia, you don't-"

Lear touched the Prince's leg, and shook his head when Romulus glanced at him. This wasn't Elia taking advantage of the situation, this was a trauma response. For Lear, he couldn't stand to be touched after an episode. They were rare now, but when Romulus had first rescued him, they'd happened nightly. He often woke with Romulus over him, and the younger prince had needed to learn to not hug his friend, which was his first instinct. Lear was guessing that wasn't how Elia responded, given that she seemed be frantically working her way across the Prince's upper body, not taking her time in any kind of sexy way.

Romulus noted the look, and stopped his protest. He'd only been about to say she didn't need to, he didn't want it unless she did, but… if she needed this in some way, he definitely wasn't going to tell her no. He kissed her forehead, just once, before he had to lay his head back, the spinning room and his sleepiness combining to make his head hurt every time he lifted it. He kept a hand on her back, rubbing gently, and the other hand he laid across the back of her neck, carding through her hair slowly.

Elia raised her head at his protest. She wouldn't do anything without his consent. But when he stopped protesting and leaned them back, she took a breath of relief. She was straddling his hips and she could feel everything. Her eyes shut briefly at the kiss on her temple, a small smile forming on her lips. She arched her back into the hand on her back, loving the way it felt. She loved being touched, feeling wanted.
She returned to kissing his neck. She worked her way up his neck this time. She was careful not to leave any marks behind. She wasn't sure if that was something he wanted and in her experience, most didn't want any mark they had been with someone.
When she reached his face, she took her time. She kissed both cheeks, both eyes. She kissed his nose. She kissed his forehead. She kissed his chin. Then, so softly, as if they were feathers, she brushed her lips against his, once, twice. She was giving him time to say no, to end this, to just lay down and try to sleep again.
She craved the feeling of the skin when it was her choice. She enjoyed being beneath another but she loved being on top. It was only then she felt like she was in control and she rarely ever got to experience that. She just needed to exist with someone else for a while, take her mind off of things. Later, she could talk about it.

The only thing that had Lear worried was how far out of it Romulus clearly was. He wasn't entirely sure the Prince could say no if he even wanted to. Elia was being extraordinarily gentle with him, although Lear couldn't claim to know she wasn't that way with all her lovers, he had no idea. He let her go on for a minute or two, before very quietly saying "Just remember, he's got a head injury…"
With that, he stood and went to check on Lily and Calvin, who had woken up at Elia's scream and looked a bit scared. He asked them if they would mind to move, and Calvin was ok with trying to walk, so they did, giving Romulus and Elia their privacy, should they need it.

Romulus wasn't entirely aware of what was going on. His head was swimming, and he couldn't decide if it was the concussion and his sudden movements, or her soft kisses all over his face. She was so small in his arms, so soft and delicate, he didn't want to move as he usually would, some part of him afraid he'd break her with his deep incoordination right now. She was responding to his touch, so he didn't change what he was doing.
She kissed his lips, and he kissed her back, somewhat automatically. The second kiss he deepened, largely because he didn't want her to feel he was uninterested. That wasn't quite true, he just-… he couldn't right now like he wanted to.
But that didn't mean he didn't want it.
At some point, she moved where one of her hands was, absentmindedly, and placed part of her weight on his chest, right across one the bandages. Romulus managed not to flinch, but he couldn't suppress the low groan that escaped him. "Easy…"

Elia sighed into his mouth, relieved she wasn't being denied this. She needed to let loose, forget for just a little bit. She placed one hand on his neck and the other high on his chest. She followed his lead as he deepened the kiss. She drew his bottom lip between her lips, giving a gentle tug. She immediately kissed him again, soothing it.
Her hand ran up and down his chest, feeling his hard muscles. He was unlike anyone she had ever been with. He was hard and tall. She doubted there was an ounce of fat on his body. She felt secure in his arms, like nothing in the world could hurt her as long as she was there. It was refreshing and relieving, to lower her walls, even just for a little bit. Forget responsibility, forget who she was or why she was hiding. She just existed.
It was his groan that snapped her out of it. She pulled back sharply, quickly removing her hands. She was sitting on him now, on his hips, just above his pelvic.
"I'm sorry." She winced. She made to get off of him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…um"

He didn't let go of her. "Hey, you're ok…" Romulus was back to slurring his words. He gave her a dizzy smile. "I can't promise you it'll be any good, but take what you need." His hand continued massaging her back, trying to get her to relax like she had been. He cupped her face, his hand so big it nearly covered her face rather than caressing it.
He was as much man as they came, and he wasn't going to flinch from giving this woman what she needed to be ok. His body would respond without him entirely at the wheel, it had before, and he wasn't worried about disappointing her.
Maybe with a clearer head, he would have been, but stringing two thoughts together just now was difficult. He just knew he didn't want her to frantically apologize and run.

Elia closed her eyes and leaned into his palm. She took a few breaths, calming her racing heart. She placed one hand on his wrist, holding his hand to her cheek. She reached forward and placed her other hand on his cheek, stroking it with her thumb. She could feel him under, feel him growing. She did nothing to encourage it or further antagonize him. Now was not the time. She didn't think Romulus would be awake for much longer.
She slowly lowered her body back down on him, flushing their chests together. She was careful to avoid his wounds this time. As much as she wanted to be physical with him, she would settle for this, touching his bare skin. She had half a mind to strip herself of her own shirt so she could touch him but she didn't trust herself with that.
She picked her head up to press one last soft kiss on his lips. "Sleep, darling. I won't go anywhere."

Romulus managed to kiss her back, but as soon as he dropped his head back, knowing she was ok, he was out like a light. His hand on her face slipped down onto her shoulder, his hand on her back went still. They served to hold her close to him, the weight of his arms impressive on its own.

Lear hadn't strayed far. He'd gone enough to give them their privacy, but he'd heard Elia's moment of realization and figured they were taking it easy. He stepped back around the sheet and draped the blanket from the cot over the two of them. "Try to rest again, Elia. There's no place safer than his arms." He could speak from experience there, and he could tell from her body language she was feeling that now.

Elia turned her head to face Lear. In another situation, perhaps she would find herself embarrassed. But she wasn't. She was tired and her throat hurt and she ached. She just wanted a good night's sleep. She hadn't had one in a very long time. "Don't stay up too late, Lear. I don't care if you're used to it. We do need you at your best tomorrow."
She gave him a smile before settling back down on Romulus' chest. She could recount all the different reasons this was a bad idea tomorrow. She could tell herself she was in over head and she was going to get hurt. Tomorrow.
For now, she was comfortable and safe.
For now, she would sleep.

Lear watched over them all night. He woke Romulus 3 more times before the dawn came, managing to wake his friend without jostling or waking Elia. She was sleeping like she was dead, something about skin contact with Romulus comforting and calming her. Lear had to smile. The Prince was like that.
Dawn came, and the guards began stirring. Lear had Alak come and wake Romulus every hour or so, and eventually, when the sun was fully up, but still low in the morning sky, Romulus stayed awake. He ate a little and drank a little, before deciding he needed to get going.
As much as he hated to wake Elia, the rest of the camp was coming awake, and he needed to get things moving. He also didn't know how she would feel about people seeing them like this.

Romulus reached up to card his fingers through her hair gently. "Elia." His voice was super rumbly after the night he'd had. He didn't say her name a lot, just once, but kept moving her head gently, using the motion in place of shaking her awake.

Lear had left already, riding into Calegon to go negotiate with the leaders for the fate of their town. He was gone when Romulus woke up fully. So that left Romulus to handle the soldiers and the kids. Even laying here, he could tell he was still out of it.
Maybe he would ask Elia to help with the kids side.

Elia woke to the feeling of being shaken. She grumbled a few curse words as she dug her face further into the prince's neck. She had been sleeping so peacefully. She had no dreams, no nightmares, only dark bliss. She didn't want to wake up just yet. She hadn't slept like that in so long.
After a few moments, she pulled her head away and sat up. She put her palms to her eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them. She was sleepy and a little disoriented. So fresh out of sleep, she looked calm and peaceful. There was no hint of her venom or the strong walls she had in place. She looked like a young woman, a girl almost. She had only turned twenty-one just a couple of months ago. It was easy to forget her age when she had experienced so much. She felt like it had aged her a few years. And she certainly behaved older.
Her nose twitched as a piece of hair brushed it, tickling it. She moved her hair back and out of her face. It was a bit tangled and frizzy. All she needed was a good comb and she could fix it in no time. Of course, she didn't realize how messy her hair looked. She was barely awake for that matter.

Romulus didn't keep her pinned, his arms sliding down to rest on her hips. "Good morning." She was very cute first thing, and he knew he was watching her a little too closely, but… well.
He still wasn't sure how she was going to react when she remembered the events of the night.
For him, parts of it were a blur. For instance, how he'd ended up on the floor. The bit where he seemed to remember getting kissed a bunch. He still had his pants on, so there was that, but.
For two people who had ended the previous day yelling at each other, this was quite the change.
"How do you feel?" he asked, wondering if she'd slept ok and felt any better. He was waiting to sit up, not sure how his head would react. It didn't hurt as badly as it had, and he wasn't immediately feeling off, so that was a good sign.
He'd asked Alak to leave while he woke her, and the guard would be back in a bit. Carth was supposed to be getting ready to take off for the palace on his Wulf, and Romulus wanted to give him some specific instructions before he left, so Alak had gone to tell him not to leave just yet.
Which left Romulus with the unpleasant job of getting the lovely girl parked on his hips, off of him.

Elia smiled down at him. She placed her hands over his, though had no intention of removing his hands. Later, she would question things. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the moment without worrying or second guessing everything. "Good morning."
She caressed his wrists before pulling away. Her arms stretched over her head and her back arched as she stretched. She made a small noise as she did so. Her body felt a little sore from sleeping how she did. Her shirt raised up to expose her stomach. The skin was tan and smooth. There were no marks on her, at least none that were visible to the prince at the given moment.
She lowered her arms to her side. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. "I'm alright." Her voice was a bit scratchy from screaming the night prior. She needed some water but that could wait. "How are you feeling? You were pretty out of it yesterday."

She was being soft with him, and Romulus was glad for it. Her touch on his wrist was nice.
The stretch though. He wasn't sure it was necessary, but he would never tell her no about that. He tried not to eye her too obviously, not wanting her to feel she was being taken advantage of.
2 can play at that game.
Romulus copied her motion almost exactly, but lying on his back changed a few things. All the rippling muscles of his torso and arms were on display and he threw his arms over his head and arched his back. The arching lifted her like she wasn't there, settling her full weight on his hips, which he swiveled just slightly to handle the movement. He made the same small noise, more of a deep chest rumble than the little sigh she had let loose, before relaxing and settling back down, his hands under his head, arms still flexed out to the sides.
"I'm glad you're alright. And I'm definitely feeling better." He wanted to sit here for a while, but… "Better enough that I need to get going and get on with the day."

While Romulus had hid the fact he was looking at her, Elia watched him unbashfully. She would happily watch any show that was being put on her for her, especially when the show looked like he did.
She placed her hands on his stomach, replicating what she would look like should they be wearing fewer clothes and in the safety of their own room. She even curled her fingers to give him a little scratch. Two could play that game and Elia knew exactly what to do to win. Her back arched just slightly, showing emphasis on her chest. She bit her bottom lip as her eyes looked over him. It was only when she met his gaze did she release her lip.
She put a finger on his lips, stopping him from talking.
"Uh, no. You are not working today. I don't even think you should get up. I've seen you fall three times in the span of a day. If that's not concerning, I don't know what is. Now tell me what you need to get done and I will do it for you."

Romulus grinned as he happily lost the 'fight' over who could make the other squirm more.
After all, he was only a man, and a young one at that, and Elia was gorgeous.
He thought for a moment after she shushed him, before his face went a little more serious.
"Can… can you help get the kids ready for transport?" He asked, knowing full well he was capitulating a lot of things. He would still deal with the guards, and he may need to go back up Lear with the city, but this… he wanted to be able to trust her with this.

Elia nodded her head. "Can I trust that you're going to stay in bed or am I going to end up running around after you scolding you for doing too much activity after getting hit in the head."
She figured it would be the latter but she thought she should at least ask. "I'll make sure they get fed and they're dressed. You don't need to worry about them, darling. I have experience working with children."
She hadn't sired any of her own, thankfully, but she had been there when a couple of the other girls had children. She had helped the best that she could, helping raise them. Ultimately, they always ended up at an orphanage. A brothel was no place to raise a baby. And it would be unfair for the child to end up as their mother. She had always done well enough to control the younger girls and boys as well. They listened to her back at the brothel. Though they didn't necessarily seem to listen to her now.

She hadn't sired any of her own, thankfully…

(not to be critical. Youre very good at this. But siring is the male verb, usually. It just cracked me up is all, thanks. Althought, i shouldn't criticize if I'm not going to offer a solution, and I don't know the female version of the word. 'birthed' maybe? anyway. just made me laugh)