ᴀꜱʜᴇɴ ꜰʟᴏᴡᴇʀ || ᴘᴀꜱꜱɪᴏɴ & ᴅᴇᴠ (ɴꜱꜰᴡ)

Devils Temptation · Oct 6, 2024

Land of Flowers

Here, the earth breathes softly,
its skin covered in a living tapestry of color.
Each blossom opens like a whispered secret,
revealing its heart to the sky.

The air is thick with the scent of life,
wild and unashamed,
and the wind moves gently,
as if careful not to disturb the fragile beauty.

In this place, time forgets to move.
The petals fall slowly,
not as endings, but as beginnings—
a cycle of quiet rebirth.

This is a land where sorrow cannot root,
where even the stones are cradled
by the soft embrace of green,
and all that blooms, blooms forever.

Ash, blood, and the sounds of pleading screams. There were few hallmarks as potent in war as the scent of death. Oftentimes, that stench and noise clung so tightly to the survivors that it followed their every movement and thought until their very last dying days. Unfortunately, that was hardly the worst aspect of it all. Those who perished in a battle were oftentimes the lucky ones. Those that remained? Soldiers that lived were a commodity. Refined gradually through one Hell-like battle after another... each and every single one culling off more and more. Some might have described it as a blessing to make it from one battle to the next, others would refer to it as a curse. Everyone that fell lingered somewhat on the people who remained. Every ally, every family member, every life taken hung on like a ghoul to the backs of those who treaded onto the next day. With everyone single departed, that weight only grew heavier and more bitter.

That desire for revenge only grew stronger.

The hatred only seemed to seethe more, as if everyone taken had collectively aimed their grievances into the remaining few that survived.

If he closed his eyes, he could remember them. Those flowers. Clouds above like pure wisps of sugary floss. Brisk, chilled that slipped into his lungs like a fresh sip of cold water on a hot day. If he kept his eyes closed for too long, that sight was inevitably replaced by the sight of something else -

-

Ash, blood, and the sounds of pleading screams.

"You must understand, don't you?! Just like with us, that foul bitch stole everything that was precious to us! You must have been a good man once, you must have seen what the Empire leaves in its fucking warpath!" Pleading words from a hoarse throat, the palm of an older man clenching the chest plate atop himself. Numerous scarring had woven down the entirety of his facial features, a carve to his lip, a nick to his ear... an eyepatch lingering over his left eye likely after being lost in battle. Saddled against the right half of his chest were numerous medals and honorable accolades from his time in battle, but in that moment he had been steadily tearing them off one by one. Each and every single one was cast onto the ground with another thrust.

Each one at the foot of those black greaves that stood right in front of him. Torn and shattered apart. Stomped furiously as if every shove of his heel would smother the actions that had awarded him those medals in the first place. Pleadingly, he wrapped his hands together and lowered his forehead to the younger raven-haired knight in front of him.

"Why are you throwing all your awards onto the ground? They're the evidence that your loyalty belongs to the Empire. In this world, where the Empire is the one faction that rises above all... you're casting away everything that gives you value." Calmly, with a tone like pure ice, the younger man knelt and picked up the stomped down medals. Five of them that had been torn off the side of the older soldier's jacket. Nestling them into his grip like a delicate bouquet of flowers, he shoved one back onto the man's chest.

"Battle of Nightfall Creek. You bravely lead your cavalry amongst a larger force of infantry and completely eradicated every man in the platoon. To the point that the entirety of that tribal nation's population collapsed and was assimilated over night." One instance of genocide. Not too unusual, for the Empire's tactics. Feeling through the other medals, he picked up another and smashed it next to the first - right back on top of the knight's chest.

"The Siege of Kyraust. For fourteen days and fourteen nights, you sat valiantly at the gates of the fortress city and starved out every man, woman, and child within those walls until - by the end of the siege - the city you entered was so famished and broken that you could count the number of families that survived could be counted on one hand." Smudged the medal with his thumb, he moved to a ribbon next... preparing to award it back to the night once again before his wrist was clenched.

"Please... you know. You know why it had to be done. I live with those mistakes every day of my life... I have had enough. We need to stop the destruction - the loss of life. Somewhere, deep down, you know that too! Do you remember?!" One more plead to the younger knight's sensibilities... a tremor of happiness flickering along the older man's expression when he saw the knight's eyes flutter close and that faint hint of stress to clench against his jawline in a look that was equal parts pensive as it was introspective. Yes. He understood it well... the Empire was the strongest of all the nations on the continent. Spearheaded by an Empress with ultimate control and power over the whole of her empire, they operated through a system of warfare and assimilation. Neighbors and borders were constantly being raided and overtaken. Those who survived the bloodshed were given a place in the Empire - after all, it was a society that put strength above all else.

Former royalty. Generals. Anyone who could have even an ounce of value to the Empire was inevitably assimilated into their territory and their political system. They were given a place in the machine that continued to devour and take in all of those around them who were too weak to defend themselves. He was no different. The former prince of a small, mostly passive nation in the North - a place known for its flowers and a holy site for many. The type of country that one would have never expected to be raided and razed. He remembered it clear as day, when the first regiment of cavalry trampled past those meadows and set one of his villages aflame. The first of many. No amount of pleading or diplomacy would have absolved them - the Empire needed complete control of that small little nation in order to solidify a glaring hole within their borders... and so? They killed everyone that had once been in charge, they left no one but those that could be incorporated.

Out of the nearly fifty-thousand that had been living in the Principality of Floara, one hundred and fifty people survived.

Out of those one hundred and fifty who survived, one hundred and thirty were enslaved.

Nineteen were conscripted into the Empire's army.

One had been given a place among the generals of that Empire.

Prince Tyre Floara VII

A young man that had risen staggeringly quickly amongst the ranks of the Empire as a genius tactician and a fearsome general in war - capable of employing both brutal and courageous tactics while also handling himself with grace and eloquence. Soft spoken at the right times but strong and firm in the others.

When his gaze fluttered open once more, a bittersweet look lingered in his inky black eyes while his gaze remained cast down to the remaining medals on the ground. "You asked me if I remember... I do. Every time I close my eyes, I remember." Solemn, soft words that dripped a sense of understanding at the man's plight. ...And, for just a few moments, there was such an overwhelming look of relief atop the man's expression until the sudden --

CRUNCH.
SPLATTER.
SMACK.

One smooth draw of the sword at his hip, drawing one slice vertically along the man's neck to cut straight through his throat and decapitate him cleanly. A faint splash of blood danced along the tip of that blackened blade to dust Tyre's right cheek and before the head had fully rolled atop the ground, he would catch it by the hair to hold it in front of himself all while that splatter of blood wasted all over the discarded medals below.

"It is precisely because I remember that injustice that I cannot let a sloppy rodent like you get in the way. Do you understand that? You and I are not the same. You lost the moment you tried to strike at the pillars supporting this Empire." Dropping the head atop that fallen body, Tyre would let out an all too gentle laugh for how brutally he had offed the man beneath him.

"There is only one thing that you should've struck. Her Highness, the Empress." That was the only damage that would do anything worthwhile. Swiping his blade off to the side, he let a slick arc of blood splatter onto the ground off his weapon before he sheathed the sword and turned around with one flourish of his cape to make his way out of the barracks where the two had been speaking to one another. It was a simple, poorly thought out plot from one of the more senior generals to recruit Tyre into a coup to overthrow the Empress.

One that failed miserably because of how laughably sloppy it was...

Seemingly from the loyalty of one of her subjects.

But...

That could not be further from the truth.

Tyre would not bother to report this incident to the Empress, however. Something so insignificant was not ultimately worth her time, he had deemed. Indeed, there were countless attempts at rebellion from within the Empire that assimilated all those that it had once declared war on and crushed beneath its boot. In that sea of those who it took under its mantle, there were many who wished to enact revenge. The larger the Empire grew, the more unstable it became. The more common these attempts had become.

Every day was another attempt to overthrow the Empire and the powers that sat atop the throne...

Every day was another failure.

They were sloppy. Their resolve was not ironclad enough. He would show them what it really meant to overthrow an Empire.

There were many pitiful attempts that oftentimes missed the ears of the Empress, but the one Tyre thwarted a few days prior was too momentous to not be heard of, whether through advisors or through traveling gossip - he would've inevitably been summoned to the royal capital to explain why he had kept secret his merciless execution of a senior general. The Royal Capital was a bastion of a city, built atop such profound hordes of gold and riches that some described it as the cradle of Heaven. No less was expected of the one woman who forged the entirety of the Empire, who ensured that all those riches - all that power - all the talent would funnel back into that one city that sat at the very center of the empire.

Tyre had arrived immediately upon being sent the letter demanding his audience to the Empress. Fresh-dressed in similarly dark colors, not a single blemish or hint of mess anywhere along his faintly pale features. Nor was there any type of concern on his expression. Keeping such information from his superior officers, in itself, could have been seen as treason. That he merely killed an accomplice that had gotten too sloppy. Treason was met swiftly with execution. In spite of it all? He merely lifted his index finer within the handle of that tea cup, bringing it to his lips for another leisurely sip until an attendant entered the waiting lounge and gave him a brief salute before announcing firmly.

"The Empress will see you now. Please leave any weapons within the lounge. They will be handled delicately and given to you upon your return!" To which Tyre had grasped the sash holding his sword to his hip and lifted it high enough to sling his arm underneath it and settle it down atop the table. With that, he followed the attendant as he was lead through those massive halls. Past several lines of infantry and numerous royal guards... and then finally brought to the towering red gates of her Highness' throne room.

He had seen those gates only once before. One mere week after his country had been razed to charcoal. When he was forced to meet the Empress' summons and she immediately took him within her army and her country... a night that replayed in his head time and time again. Silently, he treaded towards those gates to push them open with one hand and proceed into the throne room. Exactly five steps. No more, no less, before he settled into a kneel atop that red carpet and in front of the throne.

"My Empress. You have called and I have answered. Please allow me to apologize for keeping the execution of General Garm from you - I wished to lessen your work by keeping the squashing of an insignificant bug from your attention." Holding his head low, he kept his fist on the carpet and kept his other arm folded behind his back - not daring to raise his head to her. "I will accept any punishment you deem fit for my actions." Insignificant. To describe the killing of one of the most affluent and powerful generals of the Empire insignificant was nothing short of amusing. Yet, he had always been like that. No matter what problem she may have had - no matter how overwhelming or how soul-crushing it felt to resolve... he always remained in her shadows and swept it all up. Every single time.

Even this coup was no different. All of it was resolved before she even had a chance to lose a single second of sleep to the thought of it...

Devils Temptation · Jan 25, 2025

I never had the chance to ripen sweetly before I matured into someone bitter, but at least I have survived.

"You played the hand you were given, as all must do. It has brought you here. To me. You cannot reclaim what was taken to you... but there is always more to be gained if you move forward." Not just for her but for him as well. Even as she continued to chew those bitter thoughts of their delay, that irritation that briefly spiked was only met with a gentler touch. Sweet, fleeting caresses and the soft assurance against her ear that everything would work out just fine. Moving too ahead meant nothing if the army did not make their way to them. They had this night and hopefully, they would transition to a more measured pace in the future. A commander was nothing without his army. Keeping his lead tight around his knuckles, he would continue past the woman to tie his own horse up to a post nearby to an open clearing. Momentarily, the man would pause in the midst of it to quietly stare back at her in response to those skeptical words of hers. "You will let me worry about that, Veah. Whether I can, or I cannot... isn't that what drew you to me in the first place?"

A chance to show her that warmth, that intimacy. A chance that he took and proved to her that he was well beyond the others. Once his horse had been properly tied, the soldier would move on to setting up the camp supplies first. One tent because ultimately, in private, both of them knew they would not keep their hands to themselves. Grasping along the iron stake, he would be quick to set up the essentials. Body laid atop a higher patch of smoother grass before he set up the grommets and then eventually pitched the tent - pressing just a bit of pressure onto it from the side to ensure that it would hold comfortably through the colder winter breeze. That request to kiss more had not fallen on deaf ears. Even the simplest intimacy was a new spark for someone so starved and he was more than willing to nurture it for her.

We probably could if we were in fucking Kyrel like we should be.

"But we are not. We are here. In each other's company. Sometimes the world sends us fights we are not capable of winning. It is for that reason that we plan and we adapt... we overcome. You know that best of anyone, Veah. Don't you? Now... come here." Tyre had given her some time to start preparing a fire but not enough to finish it up. An arm curled around her waist, bringing her back against his chest before he took over for her. Settling onto the colder ground, he sat her atop his lap and cupped her jaw - forehead pressed to her own for the two to look into each other's eyes for a few fleeting moments. "What else would you want to do with me? I can tell you a world of what I wish to do to you. Most of which would certainly get me executed." ...Brief, playful smirk covering his features and a quirk of his brow and a passing kiss before pulling away. A joke. Yes... surely.

Sparking against some starter, the flames would rush to life and with it he would nestle a little closer against it - taking a moment to undo his overcoat to guide her a little closer and drape the larger fabric around both of them while they warmed up in front of the flames. "So...what should I fill your mind with today, Veah?" Traces of his fingertip over her collarbone. The fire had grown to a level that the heat was cast upon the entire clearing. Warm breath brushing against her jaw, the constant temptation was right there to grow achingly soaked in the warmth he provided to her. Kissing down her neck and jawline, every word he spoke was a delectable rumble against her bare skin.

Before the heat grew too overwhelming, Tyre had taken the opportunity to leave a pot of snow atop the flames - water to prepare food and to drink later... but it only took a few moments to turn his attention entirely back to her. "I enjoy it when you cry for me, Veah." Cupping her chin, the roam of his thumb over her lower lip was deliberately slow and sensual -- as if at any moment he would tug on her chin or her lips to crash them to his... just to leave her wanting and needy by brushing down her jawline or neck. "Should I care? That you are the strongest woman in this Empire? The one that stands at the top? For me... you embody just one identity. My woman. You are my Veah. Nothing will change that, my little winter blossom." Brushing her locks back, he pressed one more adoring kiss to the center of her forehead... followed by the faint unbuckling of her armor to reach to her undershirt. Broad, masculine palm flattening against her bare breast with a firm squeeze - right against her heart. Possessive, but not necessarily sultry. It was had been less of a grope and more of a mark of ownership.

That she was going nowhere now that she was in his arms. That she fit perfectly within his grasp.

"Would you like to know something vile? Surely something that will make you upset with me -" Tracing his free palm down her stomach, he planted his palm just a moment above her thighs. "-that night I restrained you, I had that temptation you told me never to entertain. I wanted to finish inside of you. More than just for that craving to bury you in warmth, I have urges to claim everything about you. I, too, had a family before the Empire killed them. Did you know?" Perhaps not. His relationship with that woman was a secret. An uglier blight on the royal family that was hidden until the very last moment - she would not have known about Marisol. "So perhaps this is an unsightly, unpleasant attribute for you in a man - I think of us quite a bit... more than just bed warmers. Lovers in proper who can fill that void of what we call family for one another. We have both lost so much, after all..."

Another embrace, hand grasping through her locks to bury her face against his chest. "...Tell me about your family, Veah. Right here, in a place and a time where I alone can keep you safe. I want to know. I want to know about the love you lacked and then... I want you to surrender to me so I can provide it to you. Not just for tonight, but always. You can do that for me, Veah... can't you?" The further she sank into her trust for him, the tighter his grasp around her became. The warmth was the least of her concern now - even though that, too, had began to overwhelm their bodies. The way he held her heart, that was quickly becoming the true danger.

Passion · Jan 26, 2025

As he set up the tent, Veah gathered stones and sticks that could be used as firewood. Luckily, there was plenty around, but it was difficult to find dry wood. At least they shouldn't need their fire for long, although she still was having daydreams about unraveling near a plush fireplace. Such a strange thought for the empress to carry since before Tyre, her fantasies were simply void. Just as she laid out the stones and sticks, he scooped her up by her waist to have her sit on his lap on the ground. Veah was known for her confidence, but she felt meek when it came to the delightful feelings she had for him. She didn't know how to express them very well, but she could no longer deny them.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she nuzzled her nose with him. "Like you haven't already done things that should have gotten you executed." And yet… it was those things that pried her open and allowed him to touch not only a different side of her but her heart. "I… I don't have the words to describe all I want to do with you." Her arms squeezed him a bit tighter, practically clinging to the man. "I guess I would boil it down to saying I want to keep exploring these feelings in as many ways as we can." She wanted to understand; she wanted to sate the soul-deep ache in her core. One that had only been patched up with coldness and bloodshed in her life.

He would manage to kindle their fire, and she would glance at it as he took off his coat to wrap them up. Her icy eyes would flicker back to him, and her breath would still as his question caused her blood to rush. Had he known how much she had been thinking about him? Like a song stuck in her head, she couldn't stop. She kept trying to drown away and control the thoughts with her missions and even tried to turn them into wrath, but… it all just led back to him and the warmth. Not only that, he had shown her that when he filled her mind, she could find a quiet peace. It was one reason why she had slept so soundly and deeply by his side.

It was as if he had known that her emotions were surfacing as his lips teasingly trailed down her neck to her jaw. His words regarding her tears caused her to stir. As a woman who hated weakness, she hated to cry. Or...- "I enjoy it too, even though I shouldn't." That was what truly made her a hypocrite, but was that bad if she was weak but happy when off the battlefield and throne? To let down her title, walls, and personal fears to be raw was nothing short of a breathtaking experience. It was so messy but so liberating.

She could feel that unexplainable magnetic force again as he carefully touched her face; their lips lingered close and yet didn't connect. She would have labeled herself as a woman who didn't like intimacy, but when caught up in his arms, he had a way of making her not only crave it but want to overdose on something she hadn't realized she had been missing.

He had claimed her with his words before unbuckling her armor to physically grasp her as well. With her soft breast in his hand, he surely would have felt how her heart was fluttering and her usually cool skin was warm. She could tell the gesture was beyond sexual. He hinted to her heart... her core… was in the palm of his hand.

This power over her was so utterly dangerous.
Even more so than having his rageful hand around her throat.
He now had the power to break her beyond the physical.
In a way that might bring her to her end without him lifting a finger.

She leaned back a bit to search his face as he hinted at a secret she might not like. She hoped his truth wouldn't pop the bubble of warmth she was wrapped up in. Listening to him closely, her eyes widened slightly as he revealed his craving the last time their bodies were tangled as one. He then mentioned his fallen family, and while there were many reasons people could meet their end in this world, she already knew she had a high chance she was involved, especially since she was there when his homeland was set aflame. Did she feel guilt? No, not really. Honestly, with how many sins she had committed in this world, if she ever started to feel guilt, she simply would not survive. The only hope was to stop her or to use her position to bring healing.

He wanted to be a family? With a woman like her? Even though their hearts were becoming tied, it didn't take much logical thinking to know it was probably a bad idea. Even still… "I am happy you kept your promise to me and didn't." It was more than just the risk of what could happen, but he had kept his word to her. "I've never thought about being part of a family but… I kind of understand. My instincts wanted you to too. I never had such an impulse. I wanted to give you everything." Her lack of self-control in the heat of the moment was quite flustering to the woman who held herself to high standards. "Maybe you can if you somehow make my instincts flare up like that again." She was learning there was a reward in giving into him and the moment. She would try to let her mind stay present and not trip over the consequences. In the end, she was sure she could handle just about anything given the fact she had already conquered more hardships than one girl alone should ever have to handle. So many she spitefully spread her misery as a form of power and control, but what if she could spread something... warmer?

She squeezed him close to her as he brought her in. and she refused to let go as her system realized how much she had already missed his embrace. She wanted to stay locked up in his arms until they collapsed. He had told her to not just open up but surrender to him. He was always so incredibly bold each and every time they were together. Perhaps what was even more puzzling was how she usually went along with it or at least considered it. With everyone being stuttering fools around her, it was a man who spoke clearly and directly that she listened to the most closely.

"There is not too much to say about my family. They handled me like a cursed object until they decided to throw me away since I was not worth the risk and tarnish to the royal name." There simply wasn't any love. She didn't know of love, and there wasn't actually much to say about it. In the absence grew a bitter cold. "I have to wonder, will you feel the same for me if you knew the same truth as my family?" She paused before she explained. "I am not just mad, and it is not just a fable; Xemva is real. This empire is not for me; it is for her." She took a breath, trying to keep herself relaxed enough to keep speaking to him and trusting him. "You must believe me that she is real. Once I have enough control over this world, I will push for religious reform; I will be the icon of Xemva. The more they worship Xemva and I, the stronger we will become. I am willing to do this all for the only one in this world who has always been there for me" She pulled back enough so she could search his eyes that flickered with the reflection of flames. Would he really accept her dark and divine truth? In a twisted way, Veah had proven she would go excessively far for the one who was constantly there for her, even her empire. "But when you are close, her words and influence soften… she doesn't like it but…"

She paused as emotion again gripped her heart. The way he had said her name still resonated in her mind. "This... feeling…" Her blue eyes started to glisten with welled-up tears. She hated how these new emotions and chemicals gripped her, but she loved how they flowed through her and coated her scars. She thought about how he could keep providing these feelings to her, how he sparked her in a way that she could give them back. He was the only soul that could, the only one who knew how to touch her heart and the only one brave enough to even attempt.

What would this unlock in her?
How would she change?

"Am… I in love with you, Tyre?" A question another person shouldn't have to answer, but she was emitting love, and her skill with intimacy was practically nonexistent. "It has to be love... I've had so many highs in my life, but nothing has felt like this. It reminds me of books, songs, and plays… I… thought it was nothing more than an illusion the weak fell for." This is what she had been without? This is what she needed? The emotions and new perspective were getting under her skin to the point she felt dizzy and slightly faint; however, she would not be fading out on him. She needed him far too badly at that moment as her mind and heart blossomed.

Her hand slid over to the side of his face, her forehead again butting against his. "It is so dangerous to need you like this… to have you weaved in my heart… and so if this is all true… if you mean what you said, it truly can't just be for tonight." It was far too profound. "I still must appease Xemva but... I need you, Tyre. I need your love..." With her next blink, tears rolled down her cheeks. - She would surrender.

She could wear all the armor she wanted, and still, she would be defenseless to the man who cultivated and bloomed these feelings inside of her. She was regrowing not as a thorned rose, but as his delicate and beautiful winter blossom.

Devils Temptation · Jan 27, 2025

Something warmer... to think that the two of them would ever even contemplate a thought like that in the world they had created. Carnage-soaked wasteland where a person's life amounted to nothing more than a smear over a dirt floor. Tyre would not even bother to entertain that thread, or that thought for anything more than a few moments... it was too intense of a thought to think of in that moment and something that would invite a far more messier dynamic into something that was already a tangled nightmare. Rather, he turned to her talk of her family. A story passed along through rumors and gossip, some of which immortalized into myth but nothing shed light onto that rumor like words from the woman herself. Every few words, he would squeeze a little tighter around her or press another kiss to her jaw or her cheek to gentle coax her to continue on.

I have to wonder, will you feel the same for me if you knew the same truth as my family?

"This is a relationship not driven by fear. You know that as well as I do. When I made the mistake to think you would despise what you saw on the battlefield... it harmed our relationship. Do not think the same way. You know what this relationship is truly driven by." Passionate, overwhelming heat and a love for one another that practically started to dip into the territory of adoration. Perhaps it was too soon, perhaps she was putting him on a pedestal, perhaps they were merely love starved... but he did not operate on fear, not when it came to her. That was the last thing he felt towards Veah. Until she had finally admitted that 'truth' that had caused her family to so mercilessly ostracize her. Xemva. The Dark Goddess. Words that seemed better comin out of the lips of a religious fanatic rather than the woman grounded in harsh, pragmatic realism that he had come to know the Empress as. There was not a look of acceptance in his eyes, nor was there a look of rejection. Just a simple, passive stare that held no real opinion in particular of what she had said to him. "...Why does she not like it? Does she not love you herself? If she is what has kept you alive, I will adore her all the same... surely she must know that too." No. SHE KNEW WHERE THE LIES STARTED AND WHERE THEY ENDED. Although Tyre himself had not understood that in the moment... he felt a small twinge of longing towards that Goddess.

Not the exact same as the one that they worshipped in the North, but one that was adjacent enough for his head to fill of thoughts of her. Cold, merciless chill that was like the embrace of returning home once more...

...had that been why she had turned out so warped? Divine providence coaxing her to destroy and raze to satisfy her Goddess' tendencies and urges? Maybe there was a split... maybe there was a Veah without the world burning around her. Those absent-minded fantasies would cease at the sudden drip of tears along the edge of her eyes. "...Ah, there you are again. You pile up too much, far too often." As if deliberately encouraging her heart to ache even harder, his tone only grew sweeter and softer - a brush of fingertips on velvet, that was what his voice would feel like against her ear. Pressing a kiss right on to her lips, he nudged his thumb over her lashes for that slow, leisurely acceptance. For a few moments there were no words. Just the intense stare into one another's eyes, the way their foreheads nestled against one another, or the intimate - slower nuzzle of their noses warming one another in the merciless winter night. Tyre had not spoken until she had spoken up herself.

Am… I in love with you, Tyre?

He wished.

He wished he knew.

He wished that the concept of love was something he understood. There was only one woman in the world who had made him taste it and that woman was long since gone... what was it that he felt towards Veah? Or that Veah felt towards him? Obligation? Lust? Some toxic dependence on a scrap of affection? WHAT WAS IT? It drove him wild to try and rationalize it, to reason as to why they were so overwhelmingly attracted to each other. "Would you like to find out, Veah? I hardly have all the answers you seek. A firm and to guide you, yes, but I am learning as much as you are in this moment. You are not the only one who feels in moments like these... I want to wrap my hand around your heart until your pulse quickens and your only thought is that single-minded, obsessive craving for me. Do you know why...?" Grasping her collar with a tug of his fingertip, his achingly hot breath growled against her nape in a small trail of kisses up to her ear.

"...Because every single day you have had me fantasizing about you. In my thoughts. My every waking moment. Filled with you. Your voice, your smile, the sensation of your body beneath me or how you cling so desperately to me as if I have any attention to leave you. Such a fucking joke. I would sooner die before letting anyone else have you." ...Words that might have even reminded her of how possessive her Goddess was over her, now reiterated in the man that made her feel so much more aching heat.

I still must appease Xemva but... I need you, Tyre.
I need your love...

"Shhh... do not worry about your Goddess. She will not turn her back on you. I will make sure to cultivate her as much as she pleases if that is what is required... on your behalf." If what her Goddess wished for was the growth of the Empire, the growth of her faith -- he was happy to provide it to her... but there was no mistake to be made, he would be taking Veah in return. In that moment, the thought of food had long since been forgotten. The raw vulnerability and heat they felt for one another had his hands wandering far more possessively over her frame. Slender, softer feminine curves squeezing and groping along her body before the general picked her up effortlessly. One forearm tucked beneath her rear, another slipping onto the back of her hair to tangle his fingers between her silver locks along with the low drag of his fingernails down her scalp.

"Do you want me tonight, Veah? Then..." Every step they took, she felt that trail of kisses wandering elsewhere. Down her cheek, over her neck, along her collarbone... opening her top up before pressing along her cleavage until he had navigated their way to the tent and the softer furs of their makeshift bed would clash against her back with a softer thud from the larger man pinning her down. Both palms flattened on the ground on either sides of her waist and though she was freezing cold and bitter a mere hour ago, now it felt as if things were too hot. That the clothes were a nuisance atop both of them and they could not wait a single second to strip them off.... if Tyre would allow her. One hand kept grasped tight around her wrist and his lips wandered a little lower to press a line of kisses down her stomach and right against her inner thigh.

"...Should I give you a love mark here, Veah? To show you are mine? Do you really think I will let you have another concubine at this point...?" A deliberate brush of his fingertips against her warmer core, thumb grinding against the softer, clothed entrance. "...All your desires are mine to satisfy. I refuse to fuck you tonight until you tell me how much you love me and how loyal you are to the pleasure only I can provide you tonight." At some point it may have very well been humiliating to her... but now, there was a different tint. Liberation. Pure, complete surrender and admitting whatever was in her heart and on her mind - to let someone else handle everything in that moment instead of constantly having to fight every second of her life, to plan and manipulate with every thought, to ALWAYS struggle to be alive -- he would let her live and feel safer and more loved than she had at any point in her life in the past.

Passion · Jan 27, 2025

Did he not see that what he hated most about her was tied to the Xemva? The goddess was said to bring death, coldness, and war. The problem was that they were mere mortals. This was a force beyond them. Was there a way to free Veah from Xemva's grasp? Would she still breathe if they did? Veah didn't have any plans on leaving the goddess who helped her survive this long, but she did notice her upset ever since she started to develop feelings towards Tyre.

"I believe she doesn't want me to grow close to another or it could distract me from my mission." It already was. She should have forced her men to march even if they fell, but instead, she was camping out with her lover. It was changing her, and if Tyre wanted to help her appease the goddess, he would be feeding her most monstrous side. The side of her that deserved to be killed slowly and painfully. "You soften her voice and her chill… She sees you as an enemy. I always listen to Xemva, but these feelings…" These feelings kept her on a tight leash. "… she does not possess me, but she influences me. She taps on my brain, and whispers to me nearly every night." But... now she had him and the thoughts of him to whisper to her.

Experiencing emotions other than the bitter cold was difficult for Veah. She used to cry so much as a child due to her cursed fate and rejection, but over the years she had accepted it. It was the only way she could keep moving forward with her life. It left her out of touch and with parts of herself frozen away. The warmth of emotions she felt for and from Tyre continued to melt away her ice, lifting the numbness from her heart. It allowed her to cry, to care, to be the girl she was meant to be before she was swept up by the cold.

With her forehead against his, he thumbed away her tears as they kissed. She held that kiss for as long as she could as if desperate for his taste. It was hard to think of the cold or even her once-pressing goals when so locked in this moment with him, allowing him to engulf her senses. So, even though the air around them was freezing, she kept melting to the point she questioned love. His response and confession had her speechless as she did her best to process his words.

How would they find out if this was really love?
Did he truly want a broken and bitter woman so fixated on him?
Did he really think this fondly of her in a world that hated her?

Veah would nod in approval when he spoke of helping her appease her goddess. While right now he was at the forefront of her mind, she knew the divine couldn't be ignored. "She shouldn't interfere as long as I keep making progress." It was a problem that they would have to figure out or at least balance. However, could Tyre stomach growing the brutal empire with her? It was a question for later, as right now their biggest focus was on each other and the warmth between them.

He picked her up, and it made her realize how lightheaded she was feeling. Once motivated with strength to keep marching on, her body now felt feeble as her emotions blazed. He showered her with affection. The kisses had her squirming, tensing, and taking sharp inhales. It even caused her eyes to shine with another round of tears. She was sensitive to the affection that she had been without. It wasn't just the affection but who was giving it to her. The only man she had ever felt this way about…

They would escape the cold wind by entering the tent, and when he laid her on the fur, she felt a wave of intoxication. She would whisper a confession while her mind swam in an ocean of him. "I've wanted you every night since the first time you kissed me." Their first time had horrified her, mostly because she could feel herself being pried open as it was one of the only ways to actually impact the empress. However, lying under him like this, she now felt like her heart was bleeding out for him. She still had clothes on and yet felt bare.

With her armor off, all she had on was a lightweight tan shirt and a pair of fur-lined pants to try to keep her warm. However, under it all, the heat in her core was boiling over, causing her to sweat. The oversized outfit was easy to get into. Allowing his hands and lips to easily explore her flesh.

"Do you really think another could make me feel the way you do?" She let out another shaken exhale as she felt the pressure of his touch between her legs. Subconsciously, she opened up her thighs a bit wider for him. "Or that I'd settle for anything less now?" He was the one who melted her heart, and he may be the only one capable of it. Maybe this was the work of another god, as the way it all aligned floored her.

She squeezed the hand that caught her wrist. "If you want to satisfy my desires, if you want me to speak from the heart, if you want my loyalty… then… you have to be mine too for as long as these feelings last." A month… an eternity… She had no idea if what had bloomed between them would wither or keep blooming anew, but just as she was driven to reach her goals, that drive was now aimed toward him. - Would he regret having the intense woman's fixation that was strong enough to burn down nations?

"But you are supposed to help me figure it out...!" She didn't 100% know if what she was feeling was love or a strong form of infatuation; both she was rather inexperienced with. "But it has to be something deep. Deep enough for Xemva to notice and even bring me to tears." She could feel her heart aching for him. "It has me worried about your happiness, and how you view me, and it has even caused me to fear you slipping away from me or avoiding me." The thought alone caused her lower lip to tremble. "These feelings make me so weak, so vulnerable. I can't stop thinking about you, yet I can't turn away." She let out a sigh. "I need you to keep me safe in a way not even Xemva can..."

She squirmed into the ground a bit more with her heart pounding hard enough she felt the thumping throughout her body. "It has to be love… how else could it be explained?" She was still trying to come to terms with it and wrap her warped mind around the concept before she could speak about it as he commanded.

Her icy eyes melted into clear seas as she allowed her emotions to be verbalized:

"I love you, Tyre."

She had said it without hesitation and let it hang in the air between them to see how it felt… how it fit… and how it seemed to align well. "I've never loved anyone else in this world other than Xemva, but you… somehow captured my heart. I didn't even know it was possible." The corner of her lips curled up for a smirk at the twisted situation she found herself in.

"I love you so much that it makes me want to cry. That I'd allow you to do some unspeakable things to me. That you steal my attention away from my duties and even my goddess. I love you so much I feel like I'm an entirely different woman." It was frightening how deeply these feelings ran, but she wasn't going to turn away while on the cusp of something so sweet and warm.

"My loyalty and my trust are right before you. Me, the queen of many crowns, the empress of the New World, the Crimson Tyrant, lay here with an open heart." He could RUIN her. He could get his revenge or receive the love she was emitting.

"These feelings make me weak, but it is oh so strong. The feelings you give me make me feel… awakened. I need more… I need your love to flood my senses. I need to overdose on you. I need to breathe you in. I want to become so tangled in you that I don't know where I end and you begin." She trembled, holding back the tears she was still ashamed of. "Tyre... I don't want you to fuck me. I want you to make love with me." Were people like them even capable of such tenderness? She would always love the aggression of being fucked, and maybe their love would always have a bite to it even in sweeter moments, but tonight her focus was on trying to understand these feelings. It was why she had been rambling. It wasn't just to communicate, but Veah trying to process it all.

"Will you give me the love I need and desire? I want to forget about everything but you."

Devils Temptation · Jan 30, 2025

I love you, Tyre.

...

Words spoken to him only once before, by one other woman. He could not believe it - he could not fathom the fact that... WHY did they sound so much more intense than when Marisol had spoken those words to him? The low tremble of anger wracked down his spine, practically indistinguishable from delight to anyone else's gaze. He wanted to choke her in that moment, to force her to go silent and to blot those words out to the back of his mind as if just their mere existence was a mistake. Yet, the more she spoke, the more he found himself growing drunk on those words. On the beauty in her smile, the way her eyes practically glistened with his reflection or how the depth of her emotion only grew more overwhelmingly intense the more she admitted how far deep she had fallen for him. Slowly, the clench of his fist began to recede and for once - he took his words to heart and looked at her.

Not the bloodthirsty tyrant, the matriarch of the Empire that had caused countless, hundreds of thousands to be slaughtered... but rather - a woman. In that moment it was just Veah.

My loyalty and my trust are right before you.
Me, the queen of many crowns, the empress of the New World, the Crimson Tyrant, lay here with an open heart--

"I don't give a damn about that --!" Snapping those words out harshly, his hands would grab at her collar and gave a yank in that moment to pull her closer to him - so much so that their lips very nearly crashed against one another. Jagged, harsher tone grew mellowed and sweeter the moment his lips barely grazed over her lower lip. "Queen, Empress... tyrant... I do not care. Right now, you are only one thing to me. You are my lover. You are mine, Veah. So... no more. I do not want to hear about your obligation, your duty. Your Dark Goddess. Let me show you what it feels to be loved for entirely who you are, not what you stand for - or what you can do." Some means to an end... she became the villain that she had to be in order to run this Empire, nothing more than a pawn for a Goddess she thought had adored her.

He would show her how it truly meant to be loved by someone.

Soft, adoring caress over her jawline to bring their lips close in one more deep, passionate kiss. Tangling tongues and the low, needier growl followed by his teeth biting along her lower lip every time she tried to pull away. There was no yank of her hair, no grab of her throat. No force that kept her there other than the overwhelming craving they had for one another. So much so that their back and forth had continued for nearly a minute straight - messier wetness clinging to the corners of their lips along with the missing heave of breath. "Open your legs ...just like that, good." Warm breath splashing down her neck as he slowly traced away from her, taking the opportunity to kiss on her way down. Along her collar, her breasts, down the line of her navel and over her hips and thighs. Feather soft, fluttering kisses that came to a stop right against her inner thigh. One hand planted against her leg, arching it just enough to allow him space between her legs. Eyes locked right with hers, he let her shiver in the anticipation of what was coming next...

The way his lips turned, pressing a kiss to her clothed inner thigh... just to drag them down by the waist and bare his fangs all over again. He bit against her inner thigh harshly enough to bruise, deep hickey ingraining itself into that once pristine, gorgeous skin. Softer flurry of kisses would work to simultaneously soothe and darken that mark that he planned to have her carry for the remainder of her life. "Tonight... you will not hold back. If you want to cry, you will. If you want to scream my name -- you will do exactly that until your vocal chords give out. Rake your nails down my back, chase any decision you crave. It matters not how bad it may seem in the moment - I can promise you one thing..." Lowering himself against her exposed entrance, he nestled his lips right against her wet core for one audible, wet kiss that had his tongue dragging along her lower lips right up against her clit where he would press one more of those feather-soft kisses.

"...I will take care of everything. Every concern, every fear, every desire... right now the only thing you need to do is submit. To act on your feelings. Now..." One more kiss against her core before he pressed his thumb against her, spreading her apart and pushing her legs further up to drape over his more powerful shoulders comfortably. "...I love you too, Veah. You will not orgasm just once or twice tonight. I will make you finish as many times as you can -- and every single time... you will fall deeper into that fuzzy, empty space in your mind. Trust me, my little winter blossom... after we have done this... you will never be able to crave anything but making love with me." One more promise before he was done denying her. Tyre had a vice-tight grip and understanding on her arousal but instead of denying her that night, he had done the opposite. Pushing his tongue into her core, he kept one hand gripped against her thigh - thumb brushing against that hickey to keep her legs helplessly dangled over his shoulders while another arm reached up over her body to caress all along her legs, her hips, her thighs...

...All while he devoured her in that moment. Surely she had plenty of concubines that had gone down on her like this with techniques that made her core tighten in delight but for him... his pace was measured. It was intimate, it was loving. Tyre's tongue dragged slowly and leisurely inside of her wet inner walls, the tip of his tongue flattening on occasion towards those spots that made her shudder in delight. Every time he found one, that all too confident smirk plastered across his handsome features - she would not need to see it. She could feel his lips shifting against her pussy, the pride he seemed to get when he made her cry out for him. Rushing her towards that orgasm was all too easy and though he made sure to savor every inch of Veah's delectable flavor - he never kept his tongue buried within her for anything more than a minute at most. Instead, he alternated, pulling his tongue out to press kisses all over her trembling entrance and especially against her clit while replacing his tongue with rougher, broader fingertips that slipped inside of her.

The curve of his grip focused right around those sensitive patches of nerves, grinding and gyrating until he had felt it adequate to pull out. "Mm... look at how fucking wet you are. What a good girl. You know... it is a waste for your orgasm to make a mess anywhere except...." A press of his lips, kissing against her pussy once more before his tongue buried into her yet again. She was an intelligent woman. She could fill in the blanks of his words, now couldn't she? They should have had more urgency considering that they would only be resting on the road for just one night at most but Tyre could not be bothered to make this into a quick fix. He wanted this night to be raw in her memories to the point it kept her warm throughout the entire campaign... though he doubted they would be sharing separate tents from that point on.

Again.

He denied her again. Right after his tongue deliberately flattened against that one spot again, drawing out of her just as he felt her core clenching in pure delight. "...Have you ever given oral to a man before, Veah? You will tonight. Right after you give me my prize... I will make you learn to crave my taste just as much. Now... just like that... orgasm for me, Veah." One last growl followed by a flick of his tongue against her clit and finally the rougher sensation of him pushing her thighs up towards her body so he could bury his mouth against her core as harshly and deeply as he could achieve with that angle. No more pulling away, no more sensual teasing to make him draw away from her sweet spots. His fingers would even go so far as to force her over that edge with a lighter knead against her clit, thumb and index finger rolling against the sensitive bud while he voraciously savored any of the nectar that spilled out from his lover.

Passion · Feb 1, 2025

She was pulled close so he could make it clear that her titles did not matter to him. It was strange for Veah since she struggled to identify herself as anything other than those titles. This more delicate, feminine side to her was more foreign than these wintery lands. She had figured it was more of a 'mood' than a sense of self, but the more she spent time with Tyre, the more she realized that wasn't the case. This was the side of herself that her heart was tied to. The part of her that managed to somehow fall in love with him. It all had happened so quickly for the pair, but they had found something they both ached for within each other, mixed in with some selfish desire.

Finding herself breathless at the thought of being wholly loved was a concept that was hard for her to wrap her mind around. She usually would have believed this to be impossible or trickery, even more so after making herself difficult to love due to her violent bitterness, but she found herself hanging on the idea. She wanted what she had been deprived of her entire life so badly. If someone could love a monster like her, that love had to be unconditional. Not that she was directly planning on testing that, but with her sins on display for the world, she knew it would have to be deep. Still, Veah was showing she was more than a monster. A hurt and misguided soul that only had herself and a dark goddess to rely on. How was that not a recipe for a twisted disaster?

"Tyre..." Again, all she could do was whisper his name with a tone that dripped with an aching heart. Even if this was somehow all a lie, it was a lie she wanted to believe. She was ready for harshness, as she also knew and even welcomed, but this time he kissed her sweetly. She responded by holding the back of his head and kissing him back with matching depth. Her eyes closed, her heart allowing a sense of love to flow to him and from him as their tongues danced. Strangely, this was more painful than a yank to her hair, as the raw and hot emotions of love were rattling her icy core that was now melting into a beautiful and flowing sea.

The more they kissed, the more she clung to him. Her fingertips sank into his scalp, her body attempting to press against his just to feel closeness. She felt enslaved by the feelings of love, and yet Veah had never felt so whole and happy on a personal level. It didn't make sense considering all the great victories she had claimed, all the parties she had the chance to indulge in, and yet it was in a small tent in the middle of an icy hellscape that she found her greatest happiness.

The kiss would break, but the tight emotional connection between them did not. She bit her lower lip as his kisses trailed down her figure, opening her thighs when he deemed it. Pulling down her bottoms to reveal her smoothness, he would get a sharp gasp from her as he bit her sharply enough to make her a bruise. "Ahh..! Oow…!" If he were anyone else, he would have to face the wrath of the empress, but right now, he had the heart of a fractured woman. Warmed by the idea of being marked by her lover.

She was breathing harder than she needed to, but he had a way of stirring strong reactions out of her. This was increased by the way he spoke to her. He didn't know her all that well, and yet he spoke to her like he saw right through her. How much did he see through the facade that she could hardly see behind herself? He said all the right things to the point she felt excessively dizzy. It drove her crazy how much this man could impact her, but it also drew her right in. She wanted to explore these mind-altering depths with him.

Her hand trailed between her legs to find his face. Her hand caressing his cheek in a show of affection, he raised her legs to his shoulders. Why was she blushing? Out of all the sexual acts Veah was familiar with, it was having a face between her legs that was the most common. It allowed her to get pleasure without the risks and connections of sex, treating others as little more than playthings, but she could already tell having his mouth on her would be different. While it would be easier to view him as some kind of sex object… she didn't.

"I love you too, Veah."

Her ears rang, she wanted to keep hearing it. It took a lot of her will to not start sobbing right there and then. He told her to not hold back, but Veah was so used to it that she would need to be pushed or to get even more lost in the moment to break her defense response. With one hand on the top of his head, she sweetly ran her fingers through his hair, she draped her other forearm over her face. Why did it already feel like she was falling apart…? So weak… so freeing…

She swallowed back enough of her emotions to finally speak. "I'll believe it when I experience it." She knew they had been speaking with an undertone of madness, but that was what they knew. Not only that, she wanted to see if it was true. Would it be impactful enough to cause her mind to blur into the warm haze of love? Could she even submit to that level if she even wanted to? Could he make her so addicted that she would only ever crave being one with him?

Releasing a shaken gasp when she felt his warm muscle slip into her, she took a deep exhale and allowed her body to relax in acceptance. It allowed him to touch her deeper and for her to embrace the pleasure he offered her. Her fingers continued to brush through his hair, and it wouldn't be long until she would start to sing to him in the form of moans and whimpers. Her song guided him to her sweetest of spots. At one point, her body rolled in place when he focused on her clit with his fingertips inside of her. He would find that Veah was nearly dripping wet, her sex heated from the attention mixed with her fiery emotions being on the same page as her lust. With his fingers and mouth working on her, it was a combination that would make just about any woman melt. "Aaah!~ Right… there!" Her body would tremble as she neared the edge of a sweet release.

She understood what he was hinting at as he buried his tongue back into her. He edged her again, and it would be obvious how close she was based on how much sharper, louder, and more feminine her sounds had become. He would recall the pleasure he gave to her, and it caused her core to ache. How could he deny the empress… but… even she felt free from her title in this tent for better or worse. "Don-don't! I need to!" Veah was impatient to reach the height his tongue, fingers, and words had promised.

Before she could answer his question, his commanding words shot through her mixed with the revived pleasure. With a few more seconds of extra stimulation along with his order, both of her hands would grab the back of his head, pulling him into her, uncaring in the heat of the moment if it suffocated him or even if he found it degrading, but she would release a loud cry of pleasure before her sweetness would pour from her for him to savor or at least be marked by. "TYRE!!!!~" She climaxed so hard that her whole body tensed and uncontrollably shook for a few seconds.

Releasing his head, she would try to scoot up and away; overstimulation made her want to protect herself for at least a few critical seconds. "By the gods…" she breathed. She had trained many to service her, but Veah was learning that she had been missing out on how much better it felt when she actually had a connection with someone. It went beyond pure skill. It made everything he did, every word he said, so much more delightful.

"To answer your question…" she spoke between her heavy breaths. "I've only briefly done it a few times. More like I've tasted a man compared to pleasuring one." She never had much of a desire to please anyone. After all, she was sure everyone hated her, so why the hell would she be driven to please? However… Tyre was different. She told him she wanted him to be happy, and she wasn't lying.

"I wouldn't mind exploring your taste. I wonder if I could make you feel as good as me, but..." She hesitated. The way she looked away was hiding a rare meekness she felt. The empress was known for her confidence, and so this was unlike her... but her mask was off. "… I mean, I need to learn how to do it properly." Could she just blank out, read his body language, and trust his guidance? Possibly, as long as she didn't gag too much.

Devils Temptation · Feb 2, 2025

Addictive.

The taste was like a hit of pure adrenaline in that moment, he found himself violently craving for that climax of hers to make a further mess. There was not the slightest resistance to the yank of his hair - only the heated flatten of his lips against her pussy for one final, deep kiss before he lapped up along the mess that had started to drip down along her body. Her attempt to escape was immediately met by a hand grasping against her rear to pull her closer to himself once more. "Will you be able to run away from me when I fuck you through an orgasm...? I wonder..." Wiping his thumb along his lips, he pulled her closer to himself once more. That moment when she hit her high came with the most freedom and the most submission that she would ever taste in her life... and so long as she would pull away from him, he could not force her further into that mindset.

What would she have done...? When forced to submit in that hypersensitive phase of pure bliss? When she would come to realize that those few seconds of pure vulnerability started to stretch longer and longer and her mind had a harder time escaping, putting her walls up, pushing away from him?

Would she finally understand the only place she could go in that state of mind was into his arms?

He would teach her.

Grabbing her chin, he buried a kiss against her lips through that bashful hesitation. The flavor of her own arousal lingered on his lips in that moment and he made sure that it tangled against her mouth with the brief lock of his tongue against her own. The wet smack of their disconnecting lips would have him sitting upright and coaxing her between his firmer, muscular thighs. All her life she had spent looking down on people from her throne... and here in that moment she could not do anything but look up between the legs of the man she was quickly learning to adore. The way he looked down on her, how he kept her beneath him or took the moment to deliberately rest his hardened girth right against her face to remind her of her place. Beneath him, right against his cock. Utterly defeated and submitting in ways that felt like nothing short of pure thrill.

"Does the thought of making me throb in need make you wet, Veah...?" Running a hand through her hair in a single sweeping caress, he grasped tight around her hair to tuck her lips right against the tip of his girth. For a few moments, he guided her to grow acquainted with it. The scent, the warmth, the flavor... every ridge and every vein, the shape of his length that she would obsessively work to pleasure from that point on in her life. To him, it did not matter if she overwhelmingly experienced or if this was her first time on her knees like this, he would discipline her to become single-mindedly capable of bringing the sort of pleasure to him that would make her shudder in delight.

"On your knees. Keep your hands on your lap. You will focus solely on my pleasure in this moment... I have only two rules for you." Gripping her chin, he would glare down at her with that piercing stare. Practically hypnotic in the way he shattered past any icier glare or even meager attempt to try and pretend as if he had not captured her completely in that moment. "You do not take your eyes off of mine. It does not matter if you gag or if you are embarrassed. Look me in the eyes when you pleasure me. When you make me throb. When you have me cum in your mouth. Look at what you are doing to me." Tyre had no intention of telling her to swallow his essence - she would do that of her own volition for no other reason than to grow closer to the one she was starting to be so obsessed over. He tasted her... and he knew she wanted nothing more than to taste him.

"As for the second... take your time and worship every inch, my little blossom. You wish to be the only one who can make me feel this way, don't you...? So explore. Slowly. Lovingly. Eagerly. Only at that point, when you are craving to taste me further will you finally..." Long, broader fingers would part her lips. Pushing past the gap of her lips, he would leisurely roll his fingertip along her tongue before tugging against the edge of her mouth and forcing her to practically drool atop his own cock and her chin by extension. To suck on his fingers, to grow eager in anticipation of what she could make him feel or what she might feel in that moment to, for once in her life, be at the service of another.

With that, she would finally be allowed to begin. The hand in her hair finally grew lax instead turning to slower, sweeter caresses and the encouraging rumble of his tone against her ear. Not as some cheap thrill but as the encouraging tone of a lover guiding her through all that she was uncertain, scared of. Tyre worked to grant her confidence. The confidence to know that she was what he desired most, to know in that moment that all that should have mattered to her was to make the man in front of her feel pure ecstasy.

"I wonder... will the arousal be drenched down your thighs when you have finished with this, my love? Are you thinking of it already? What position I plan to take you in? I covered your eyes on my last night... but don't think I will on this. I want to see the expression you make when I utterly claim you as mine." They would be facing each other. She would not be able to get away, to escape in those few seconds of terrifying vulnerability following a climax... all of that vulnerability she sought to keep hidden away would instead be bared completely raw to Tyre - by design. There was nothing in the world that she should have hidden from him. Nothing in the world she would try to deprive him of. Complete and UTTER submission was the only thing that was ACCEPTABLE.

Passion · Feb 2, 2025

They had met for another feverish kiss, one she welcomed even if his mouth was stained with her taste. It was a reminder of the pleasure he had already rewarded her with. With her arms wrapped around him, she moaned into his mouth. She was hardly thinking, allowing this passion to consume her in order to feel its depths.

When the kiss broke, she gasped. "I'm so dizzy…," she whispered as the rush of emotions and adrenaline overtook her. It wasn't just Tyre that was addicting, but the way he could make her feel. She couldn't tell what was lust, what was love, but these raw feelings didn't need to be defined; all that mattered was how strong and profound they were. A beautiful mix of love, lust, and passion. He was the one etching himself into her mind and rewiring what pleasure, desire, and connection meant to her.

He had sat up and guided her by her hair to his lap. He held her face close to the most intimate part of him, allowing her to grow familiar with the core of his masculinity that brought them both gratification. Just being close enough to feel his warmth on her face was enough to get her heart to flutter. It drove her crazy how he could make her feel like she was starving for an intimate connection ranging from depravity to the warmth of love.

It was strange; she had never been so attracted to a man, especially to the point that she cared about his pleasure and happiness. There was no doubt that his excitement fueled her own as she yearned to mesh again. Something about just knowing he was so hard for her caused her own womanly instincts to stir. Even as she sat there on her knees, she squeezed her thighs together in need of him. With her hands on her lap, she listened to the other rules that he had for her. Wanting his direction so she could become even more lost in the dreamy haze of him, a haze that only became thicker the more fixated she became. A fixation that she risked waking up from earlier but now was revived and only risked becoming even more ingrained in her.

Her pale face turned rosy again when his fingertips breached her mouth. Caught in the trance of him, she followed the flow of the moment and wrapped her lips around his fingers. Her tongue rolled against the digits as if practicing for what was to come and hinting at the enthusiasm she had to do something pretty new. At least from a very different perception. This new outlook went against her ways as an empress. It was something that that side of herself would see as demeaning and weak, but now that she had a taste, she couldn't ignore how famished she was. After a life of ice and hate, there was a chance she would never be fully sated, always hungry for more... which wasn't a terrible fate as long as she had someone like him to feed her and help her bloom into a more tender woman.

Tyre knew the empress struggled with intimacy, but he would keep pushing her. From commanding eye contact to saying he would want to see her face the next time he was inside of her, it was difficult for Veah. However, how right it felt kept her going and not protesting. His anger had caused her feelings to become clouded, but now that she was on her knees before him, allowing him to yet again take control, her admiration towards him took center stage once more.

Veah was not much of the jealous type. She knew her worth as an empress and a woman blessed with beauty. Not only that, she had always gotten everything and anything she desired. However, he just mentioned the idea of needing to wish she would be the only one who made him feel this way caused a strain inside her chest. It was just a second, but her gaze flickered with an intensity. The same intensity that made her burn down villages. Not towards him, but the mere idea of there being ANOTHER. It put in perspective how he also didn't want her getting her fix in other places, although at least in her shoes, she already knew no one could match t h i s .

--- ♫ ---
"Every time you're in me I can feel the pain leave
Flowing through my body, don't you EVER stop
Baby, I'm addicted, to whatever THIS is
Such a perfect habit, I've just gotta have it."

With his loving and commanding reassurance, Veah would allow her mind to empty and to dive in. Starting tenderly, placing kisses along the sides of his shaft towards the base. Getting familiar with his hardness, size, and subtle taste. Just like she was told to, her bright eyes continued to gaze up at him (NSFW), studying his face for his satisfaction, and simply to take in his handsome features that inspired her to work even harder. She would retrace her trail of kisses with her flattened, hot tongue before she would finally take him into her mouth.

Her mouth opened, and she took him into her mouth. Her lips tightened around his girth as she was gifted with a much more vivid taste of him. She tensed up in thrill for a moment, but her body would then relax, accepting this pleasant and submissive blur. It felt so nice to only focus on him, to allow him to take over her senses and mind. It was quiet, warm, and arousing. While she didn't dare break eye contact, her eyelids fell, leaving her half-lidded, an expression of her tranquil acceptance of this fate. Even when she pushed her head forward enough to cause her to recoil slightly to gag, it didn't change that serene expression on her face. It was so much different than how she looked when she was wrapped up in bloodlust, wrath, or iciness. It truly was as if she was a different woman, a woman that was reserved for him and only him. He was the one who had the key to this self, her pleasure, mind, and heart.

HE HAD TOO MUCH POWER.

Yet... she loved him dearly for it.

Her tongue would roll against the underside of his shaft while he was buried down her throat. She was so close to the base, but she would have to continue to work for it. His patience would allow her to train herself to not only take more of him but also to move her mouth and tongue in a way that pleased him. While she kept her thighs squeezed together, at times her nails sank into her lap from the growing anticipation. She wanted his pleasure, she wanted his release, and she wanted to give him a reason to not discard her like the others had when she used to be vulnerable and warm. Not only that, she was addicted to him.; the sound of his voice, his heat, and she would surely learn to crave his seed. The sign of his lust and satisfaction, a taste now only meant for her.

Devils Temptation · Feb 4, 2025

Just like that... there was no need for something flashy and elaborate. No sporadic surge of passion nor the breathlessly skilled act of a woman that could bring him to heel in moments at most - all they needed in that moment was the slow indulgence of mapping out every inch of their beloved other half - to know, in their hearts, there was no one who knew the other better. Squeezing tighter with a handful of her hair, his measured breaths began to err on the side of deeper, firmer inhales. Flash of arousal that spilled through his gaze to turn into a much more intense glare that locked eyes with her in every ounce of that need she was showing him in that moment. "Veah... are you going to keep me waiting? You can feel how much I am throbbing --" Even if she could not, he was happy to show her with the way his palm caressed her jaw before his thumb pressed into the gap of her lips and pried her mouth apart to rest his throbbing, girthy length right against her cheek and open mouth. Every breath, every kiss, every lick was met with a vigorous reaction of pure need. That expression could be as stoic as he wanted it but... she would know his body could not lie.

Slipping his thumb out in time for her to ease his cock into her mouth, there was one particularly sweet moment of a deep, leisurely moan leaving his mouth. Slowly, the hand that grasped the top of her hair would caress towards the back of her head. "Good girl... nngh... look at how much you perk up when you feel me throb against your tongue like that - how adorable." Teasing, taunting tone that felt halfway like flirty banter of an age-old couple. Flattening against the back of her head, he encouraged her to take him steadily deeper. The further she served him, the more of a reward she gained in the form of the man she adored the most. The way his muscles seemed to clench or the faint stiffen of his thigh practically had him preparing... the way a faint drool of pre started to accumulate on her tongue or how she could feel his once quieter tone grow steadily more labored with low, husky moans that recited her name. How good her name would have sounded on his lips. Just as she was an icy fortress to crack, he too was a man of few emotions and even fewer expressions and yet in that moment it felt like she was tasting flavors that he would never have dared to show another. It was just for her eyes. Her ears. His warmth, his pulse, his arousal -- all to commit to her own mind in that moment.

"So close... so very close to leaving that passionate, adoring kiss right on my base. Oh, how I would love to praise you... you do want that, don't you? Then --" Twirling his hand through her hair, he would tighten a bundle around his knuckle and wrist to hold her head in place and prevent her from pulling out any further... though he did not push her any closer to his base. No - he made her focus on him, to eye up his v-line as if that had been her prize just as much as it had been. The delectable carve of such masculine muscles, looking ever more gorgeous with the glisten of drool dripping down it. "-- I will take control from here. You will breathe in through your nose in the midst of the thrust. It may be uncomfortable but... a challenge like this is nothing for you, is it? Ease your throat, relax your body... and give in." One more reminder. The constant reminder that he continued to give her before he slowly started to push forward. The uncomfortable sensation of his tip would graze against her throat, burying deeper than anyone would have dared to force her.

With how well-endowed her lover was... breathing was a struggle, just as much as her gag reflex would have been. Just as much as he could mercilessly dominate her in bed, he was just as loving but assertive of a mentor. When she began to struggle, he eased out further. Small hums of approval with that handsome smirk of his every time she managed to keep him in her throat for longer... so overwhelmingly close to planting her lips right on the base of his cock right where they belonged. So close and yet that last inch seemed practically impossible. Tyre made her work for it. He forced the once haughty Empress to relish in the sensation of her head emptying, of the air leaving her lungs... to savor only his warmth and his taste in that moment until she was so single-mindedly obsessed for his pleasure that she would have happily choked for it.

Every so often, he encouraged that mindset he was guiding her into. Praise, softer adoration, and the oh so sweet mixture of firm dominance with adoring affection. The tight fist along her hair juxtaposed by the loving praise - "Good girl... you're so close for me, aren't you...? Just a little more... mm... my Veah..." Intentionally with a lower, deeper rumble that he knew made her shudder with desire. Perhaps he would make a habit of growling her name into her ear in passing, in the court, to see how it would leave her so utterly flustered for him. Largely, he had merely been holding back up until that point - to keep and deny her from her prize, that one final barrier. Her throat had eased enough to take him but the hand on her hair prevented her from pushing forward all up until finally he was the one to finally thrust forward with one slam, hand burying her mouth harshly against the base of his girth.

"Hands on your lap... hold. Do not fucking move." Pain. Pleasure. Restraint began to mix into obedience, slowly disciplining the once unstructured woman into a proper set of instructions for the man she would grow utterly bound to in those coming months. Only when he saw her gorgeous eyes tearing up, the struggle of holding until she was going to go light-headed did he finally release her by the hair and pulled back enough for one more thrust against her tongue. Thick, hot ropes of stickier cum would splatter into her mouth with the heated pants and moans of Tyre as he finished the entirety of his load in her mouth. Clearly he had not bothered to so much as even think of relieving himself without her presence because of how potent his seed was in that moment. Arousing, heated flavor that was far too much to swallow completely. Instead of forcing her, he grabbed at her jaw with his thumb pushing at the edge of her lips once more -

"Swallow what you can right in front of me."

Before patiently waiting even in the aftermath of something so utterly indulgent, he watched her intently - fingers buried into her mouth to prevent her from closing so that she would have t oreveal to him directly just how lovingly she savored every last drop of his seed. Just the mere sight of it was enough to make the blood start to rush back to him in pure, heated arousal. "Such a good fucking girl... come here." Nestling his palm around her waist, he brought her close - caring not if she ended up staining him with the mess of their explorations just to press one adoring kiss to the center of her forehead after parting her bangs. Simple, sweet gesture no more sultry than an embrace and yet it would make all the difference. The praise, the smaller hints of affection, it showed the two of them how much their lust was just one part of a larger, much more twisted and deeper fascination for one another.

"I won't restrain you... I won't choke you out tonight. Lay back on the bedroll and spread your legs, Veah. Now. Can you feel how soaked you are right now from serving me?" One hand grasped against her core, caressing and squeezing against it with slower kneads of his open palm against her clit. "I will give you a proper reward for doing so well, as a man should to his woman. Missionary. That is the only way I will take you tonight." Facing one another, so close their lips would constantly meet and she would find herself constantly smothered under his rugged, masculine frame. There would be no getting away when she orgasmed underneath him. All she would be able to do was cling tighter to the man who would yank out the deepest, most overwhelming emotions of pure submission from the depths of her mind. ...Would he even pull out?

He had all the control in that moment. If he planned to finish inside, that was exactly where she would have him finishing.

Passion · Feb 8, 2025

With the back of her head secured, she was locked in place as he impaled her. She kept herself composed out of trust for him, but she remained on edge, acutely aware of the compromising and flustering position she was in. Her clear blue eyes stayed fixed on him, searching for his guidance and intent, listening intently... especially while caught under his thumb. A shiver ran up her spine at the thought of surrendering even further.

Veah still couldn't make sense of why the way he treated her, and how she yielded to him, felt so thrilling.... so right. But she couldn't deny it. In fact, as soon as he told her to give in, more of her thoughts faded into the haze clouding her mind, and her stuffed throat relaxed in acceptance, even as he fed her more of himself.

What was perhaps the strangest thing was how desperately Veah craved his praise. It made no sense given her usual demeanor and perception of others. She had never cared what people thought of her; whether they saw her as a monster or a goddess. Yet here, on her knees, free from her titles, she was simply a woman aching for acceptance without the weight of her power or fear influencing others. She couldn't fully comprehend it; she only knew her own twisted perception. Yet, once again, her own nature betrayed the dangerous facade she had carefully built that protected her yet blocked the true Veah from having sunlight. It was no wonder why her growth was stunted, and now he was her sun that allowed her to both melt and bloom.

She had told him she was not very experienced in this, which only made his blessing as a male all the more overwhelming. She had no choice but to yield in order to meet the challenge he set before her. His words echoed in her hazy mind.... praise, reassurance, a tender possessiveness.... it could be felt in the weight of his tone.. A part of her resented how easily he could charm her. Just hearing him say her name sent sparks through her, yet it also inspired her to new emotions and desires. He made her ice flow like water.

She needed him, and she would show that need and appreciation by sacrificing her comfort and some of her dignity for his pleasure. And so, she held still, even as she suffocated on him, the little air she could steal was thick with his personal scent, which further intoxicated her senses. She could feel how hot and hard he was, and it made her ache between her thighs despite the struggle and suffering she was going through. Her throat convulsed around him, swallowing down her own gagging as he pushed her toward the impossible; taking him to the very base. As directed, her hands remained on her thighs, though her nails dug into her flesh as the tension continued to grow. Her eyes blurred with unshed tears, and lightheadedness grew from the lack of proper breath.

Just when she felt like she was about to fade out completely, he guided her head back, and she instantly inhaled. As she did so, she could taste his seed, loosely giving the taste of him and the sound of his husky pleasure the association to a breath of fresh air, survival. The challenge made it all the sweeter, a victory while yet on a path to defeat.

His load would fill the back of her throat and beyond, and he would part her lips in a way that would give him a good view of the gift he had blessed her with. A degrading sight for an empress, but that wasn't who she was at that moment. With his thumb keeping her mouth open, he would watch her obey. Swallowing, his seed would disappear to instead coat her stomach.

His cum… is inside of me. Why does it make me so happy?

Instead of further degrading her or risking ruffling her feathers while she was delicate, he showed her affection that reassured her that there was still compassion between them. That she didn't need to raise her guard to verbally or physically fight back, and possibly more importantly, she didn't need to emotionally close up on him as the warmth between them continued to flow between them not only from their bodies but also their hearts. At least, that was what it felt like. With all her crimes, it was hard to say that Veah deserved this, but it was hard to keep conquering when she became this fixated. In moments like that, the brutal woman was tamed.

"That was difficult, but you taste so good…," she whispered between her heavy panting while basking in the glow of the passion between them. "I love seeing the look in your eyes, the subtle sounds you make when you release." Never had she seen a man in such a light, but never had she been properly attracted to another. It was easy to see why.

"Ty-Tyre…" She didn't need to say anything; he would feel for himself how sobbing wet she was between her thighs. So much so, that the wetness had even collected on her inner thighs from how she squeezed her legs together in desire as she served him. When he mentioned taking her in the most intimate way possible, it made her heart flutter nervously. For someone like Veah, it was so much easier to focus on the lustful side of passion, unlike a lot of women. That disconnect had kept her safe and distant, and he knew that, but it was often out of one's comfort zone did people find truth and fulfillment. Enough that something so simple between couples was difficult for the woman who grew up with more thorns than petals.

"You are the only one that I'd let take me in such a way." She had already confessed her feelings, but she wanted to follow it through by making love. She wanted to keep exploring what had been missing, what she had been secretly deprived of. So, she fell back from her knees to rest against the bed roll. Nearly forgetting there was a frozen landscape outside of the tent that was warm from their bodies and desires. The flames outside still brought enough illumination to the tent that he would see her beautiful naked form on display for him. Her milky skin was painted with the soft caress of flames seen through the effective but thin fabric of the tent.

At this point, even Veah knew that her time with him was better off spent not thinking about any duties or responsibilities. It brought her more pleasure and freedom to not, and it allowed for less friction between them. However, Veah was aware enough of how the two of them got. Also about… what she had impulsively said earlier. "I've told you that in the heat of the moment, I need you to be mentally sound." In battle, wrapped up in passion. It was a part of the reason why she was so upset about his outburst after sleeping with her last time. "I want to keep letting go to dive into this. It is easy to get lost in…" And she wanted to... it was increasingly dangerous from consuming fixations to how vulnerable she was allowing herself. "So please, do not lose your mind completely in this. Do not do something you would regret." From a sudden violent urge to even finishing inside of her, she quickly realized she couldn't even trust herself as she lost control. She would have to give all that trust to the one who was in control.

"But without a doubt… I need you badly, my love." Her thighs parted wider so he could see her pink slit glistening for attention. "It is hypocritical and childish, but I feel like I might have my own fit if you don't follow through," Veah would say with a sly grin despite her disheveled appearance. She parted her lower lips with her index and middle fingers, showing him exactly where she needed him. "As I always have… take what you know should be yours." She desired the bold conviction that originally sparked her blaring attraction toward him to the point that she couldn't help but be commanding.

Devils Temptation · Feb 10, 2025

I've told you that in the heat of the moment, I need you to be mentally sound.
So please, do not lose your mind completely in this. Do not do something you would regret.

The way he smiled... the low, cold manner by which he eyed her up in the midst of those pleading words. The urge was practically sadistic with the level of control he had over her, the Empress, of all people. How she pleaded and begged him to not push over his boundaries, how she surrendered herself with the admittance that this was scary for her - that no other man had ever gotten this far - that she didn't want him to do something he would regret. Oh, if only she had known... that what she was begging to the wrong person in that moment. Those words, they should have been for her. Wrapping his palm against her jawline, he pressed one more adoring kiss to her lips just to speak words that were equal parts addictively sweet as much as they were overwhelming. "Do you think I will finish inside you? Do you think that I will break you in bed. Darling... you misunderstand. The only time I will do that is..." Grasping under her thighs, he pushed them to nestle above his hips - cock pressed against that exposed, faintly parted entrance.

"...when you beg me to cum inside, to break you even fucking harder than I am breaking you now. You will beg me for it. Not tonight... but one day." Her. The one woman that ran from it all. She would be the one to willingly hand him everything, to surrender to him in ways she would not have ever fathomed at any point in her life, in ways that would have infuriated the old Veah. Both of his forearms flattened on the ground beside her body, chest pinning to her own and the sensation of his tip parting her once more to slide against her drenched, dripping wet folds. Low, heated groan blew against her lips with every tantalizing roll of his hips that coaxed him ever deeper inside of her. Inch after inch, to the realization that she had gradually become adjusted to him. His size, his girth. Not perfectly, of course, there was still resistance that he had to adoringly guide her through. Peppered kisses against her neck and jaw, the sweet whispers of praise for every inch she took and how she squeezed around him needily... but it was impossible to deny how much more smoothly she took her lover now.

The satisfying, firm sensation of the base of Tyre's girth would kiss up against her core, finally signifying that she had finally fit everything inside of her - she would feel him with the way his tip kissed against her core. "Make sure to not wrap your legs around me, dear... even though I know how badly you want to. Use your arms... draw your nails down my back. You've seen it before, haven't you? So many times before - completely lacking any scars..." Low, hushed rumble against her ear... merely warming her core up with the continuous roll of their bodies against one another. The occasional throb would coax the two of them towards something a little more intense but with Tyre's grip on her waist, there was no resisting. He would start thrusting when he decided it was time. "...so make sure to leave ALL your love notes carved down my back. Those will be the only scars you will ever see upon them." The general despised war but tragically he was all too blessed at it, he had a knack for openly slaughtering. A strong warrior and an even stronger partner for her to fully submit to.

He would not force her. In that moment, she was to do whatever had felt right to her. Tyre had given her a few moments to adjust and after that grace period had ended, his hips drew back to start thrusting into her with deep, full slams. Every strike had the once quiet tent filled with the sound of pure, blissful pleasure. Veah's moans would have been entirely stifled with the surge forward of his lips locking against her own. Tyre had not just kissed her, he made sure to steal the breath out of her lungs with how intensely their tongues locked, lapping over every individual ridge of her teeth and against her cheek, pushing back and forth as he coaxed her tongue into his mouth and his into hers -- just to distract her from how deeply, how intensely he had begun to fuck her in that moment. Soft, supple body would find itself increasingly flattened, folded under the richer, stronger crevices of harder muscle that kept her simultaneously restrained and drove her increasingly closer to a freedom unlike anything she had before.

Splitting the lock of their mouth just as their lungs were starting to beg and ache for breath, one hand slid beneath her hair to grasp at a fist full just to nestle his forehead against her own with that intense, hypnotic glare of his. "I am going to fuck you through your orgasm... and when I... haah..." Momentary pause as he moaned against her neck, kissing all the way down in a slow trail under he left a bite down against the blade of her shoulder. "...when I do, you will cling closer to me. Do not fucking dare try to pull away." Closer. Even closer than he held her before. As that heat in her core started to tighten or his girth started to throb aggressively, she found instead of the rougher squeeze of his hand in her hair or around her throat, or the way he struck against her ass while demanding her to keep herself buried down to the sheets...

She instead would feel how he wrapped his arms under her shoulders, brought her into a closer, more intimate embrace than anything else she would have had before. Maybe 'making love' was merely a stupid notion for those silly lovesick maiden tales she would have heard in passing...

"You look so gorgeous when you orgasm for me, sweetheart... what a good girl. Make a messy expression for me, Veah. Show me the deepest you can sink and I... in turn..." Deep. So fucking deep. Flattening his body forward, his chest pinned down against her breasts and she could feel that dangerous way he throbbed inside of her in that moment as if he were going to finish at any given moment. "...will show you how much deeper you can sink for me."

Passion · Feb 15, 2025

The empress had tried to hide behind her own words by redirecting. She spoke about him possibly doing something he would regret, but really, she was more worried about herself; it would alter her life a lot more than his if he gave into his base instincts while their bodies were united as one. Not only that, she also didn't quite trust herself. If she let go of too much control, she might be a bit too… receptive.

For as much vulnerability as she showed him, the idea of begging still unsettled Veah for many reasons. She knew she had admitted to him her impulses just as he had, but could he actually get her to beg for such a thing? No, the empress didn't beg, but… Veah…?—she still hardly understood this side of herself, but it filled her with so much pleasure and warmth when she gave into it... when she gave into him. He had a way of beckoning an enigmatic part of her that she could not bring forward alone.

"We will see about that…" was all she could think of saying regarding the begging before he lowered himself down on her. Feeling his chest against hers, Veah seemed to melt against the floor with her next exhale. Her next breath was a sharp inhale as he pushed his way into her needy body. "Aaah…!~" she sang. Her body accepted him even more gracefully than before. Her tightness molding to be his perfect fit. While he was just inside of her the night before, being below him like this had made her feel starved all over again.

She did want to tangle him with all her limbs; to cling, to become even closer, but he spoke against her using her legs. Instead, she was to use her hands and even her nails to adhere herself to him. The way he moved inside of her had her wanting to experience him even more intensely and passionately. When wrapped up like this, there was this desire for more and more of him. She couldn't get enough. Was it even possible to get enough? A part of her didn't care if she overdosed. Her feelings for the crownless prince were consuming but there was nothing sweeter. She no longer itched for victory or violence during times when all she saw was him.

"The more you make me feel love and pleasure, the deeper I'll carve." With her arms wrapped around his middle, Veah lightly scratched his back in a comforting manner, teasing the idea of fulfilling his request to a possible threatening level.

He started to pump his hips, and Veah released a girlish cry. He felt so incredible inside of her that she felt like she needed this daily… endlessly. Perhaps it was just the rapidly deepening addiction talking. Her nails would sink into his shoulder blades, just enough to feel like a bite. "Please don't stop...!" He showed no signs of stopping, but she felt like she would fall apart if he pulled away now.

He would soften her begging and moans by seizing her lips, and Veah kissed him back without a filter. Messy, deep, passionate moaning right into his mouth while he continued to slam into her. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see, she could hardly move. She was drowning in him, and it made her extremely intoxicated in a way that many would struggle to understand. She felt herself becoming so lost in him as he took over all of her senses and control—from her body, her heart, and her mind. At that moment, she was wholly captured, and happily so.

When the kiss broke, her nails sank into his back deeper; it was possessive and needy. It didn't matter if he was the one with control; she would refuse to let go of him. She tilted her head away from him so his lips could trail along her neck. "God, I hate how much I need you!" Her body shook in emotion, and tears rolled down her cheeks. Why did this man have the power to turn her into a totally different woman? He wouldn't allow her to think beyond a surface level as he continued to drive her closer and closer to a climax.

Everything rapidly was turning into a sweet blur. At that point, the empress started to claw at her lover from his upper to midback. Her nails sharply and deeply raked down his back, drawing blood.

"You are MINE!"

" ♥ Tyre! Tyre! TYRE!~ ♥ "
She chanted his name like a prayer.
He was all she could see.
All she could feel.
All she could breathe.

Her hands slid back up his back to only do it again, which further painted the tips of her nails with his crimson hue. This time with the full intent of leaving a long term to permanent mark of her passion, of her love, and her own version of possession.

How much deeper could she really sink into all this? Was it even possible for her to sink deeper at this very moment?

"Show me!" Her voice was commanding despite being in no position to make commands. Not only that, the command was dangerous. She was far too wrapped up in this and was already risking so much, but the empress had a love for excessiveness whether that be in war or apparently love. Her connection with him was profound and intense, and there was no changing that when Veah wanted something; she really wanted it. She would burn down cities just to get it. So… what would she do for him?

Her eyes would roll up, and her body would go numb for a second before being flooded with pleasure. She would tighten around him from within before she would start to stir her hips. A few thrusts later, she was screaming to the high heavens and having a strong enough orgasm that she gushed around his girth while tears streamed down her face.

However, overstimulation hit her hard. He told her to not pull away, but that was nearly impossible. She stirred in place while she clung onto him with her nails sunk deep into his midback. She screamed out with her teary eyes wide, "T-Tyre! I can't-t!!!!" She couldn't help but try to pull away despite her best attempts to obey if he didn't give her nerves a chance to ease. Every push into her would feel like an electrical shock, but his strong body against hers would keep her from going far regardless.

Devils Temptation · Feb 17, 2025

God, I hate how much I need you!

SQUEEZE.

The raw sensation of his knuckles would yank through her hair once more, forcing her head forward once more so she could stare straight into his gaze. "You LOVE me more than ANYTHING you have had before in your life. Hate? Don't... make... me... laugh!" Every individual stroke was deliberately smashed into her with the full weight of his body, flattening the already meager space between them which allowed her any breathing room at all. Any time she attempted to run from him, she was brought right back to Tyre. Her gaze, the feel of her lips being occupied, the surrender of her body when he mercilessly handled her. He would not even let her pretend like she held anything for him but pure affection. Where everyone else had betrayed her... ran from her, hurt her, discarded her -- HE ALONE WAS THE ONLY ONE STILL THERE. Tyre would never let her forget that, he would never let her forget how terrifying it felt to be all alone or how good it felt to finally be reunited with her one and only warmth.

That blur that came was something he wove into her even harsher. The mild pain from her clawing down her back only seemed to encourage him so much more vividly, deeper moans against her bare skin coinciding with the delectable throb of his girth in her body. Everything. She would feel everything from his heartbeat to the sound of her gorgeous name being spoken right against her bare skin. Obsession would not even begin to touch the surface of what he wanted her to feel for him - it was a weak, measly word for how he planned to break her every passing thought about how she needed him in every aspect of her life -

You are MINE!

"Do not DARE ever forget that. Never ONCE. I am yours and you will only ever be MINE. Anyone else who fucking dares... ngh...!" Wince of pain spilling from his lips as her unhinged rakes started to drip blood down his back. Darker flashes in his gaze, mixing between violence and fascination all in the same breath - they were degrading suddenly from love to raw, primal need. When the only thing that remained in her head was how good he felt or how badly she needed to be one with him, he could not blame her. Naturally, the best thing to do had been to encourage that seed in her. "...I will fucking kill anyone else who tries to take what is mine. Prince, king, emperor... YOU WILL ONLY EVER BE MINE!" Legitimacy meant nothing to him. He, too, had been a prince at one point but at that phase the only thing that truly mattered to him was his dominion over her. Pure, raw submission that crashed her final resistances into a weak, flimsy mess...

...and the pleasure he received was unbearable. So much so that he practically wanted to choke on his breath from that delectable way she spasmed her tight little core around his cock. If only she had known how much more aroused she had gotten him when he felt how soaked that splatter of her orgasm had been dripping down his cock or how gorgeous she looked when she hit that peak that only he could take her to. God, he wanted to finish... he wanted to finish right inside of her.

...

Not nearly as much as he wanted her mind to completely go empty with the pure surrender of her hitting a headspace she had never tasted before in her life. He fought that climax, choking it back down and never once daring to even try and pull out of her. Both of his hands would grab at her wrists - nails dripping crimson as he slammed them down to the bed and continued to slam into her hypersensitive core despite her mewls and teary eyes. "Look. At. ME." Three words. Three words were all she received as he fucked her straight through her climax - staring dead into her eyes while her body ravaged itself through one spasm after another. No amount of begging, no amount of pleading would make him slow or ease. Veah could not get away with him and he would not allow her to do anything but completely give into his whims at that moment.

A complete and utter loss of control.

Just as her mind might have started to tap out the sudden... STRIKE of his palm would spank against her ass to snap her back to attention with a faint stroke of pain. "You will obey. You finish when I let you. Cling on to my voice... and cling on to every... last... word --" Stop thinking. Stop thinking. Stop thinking. JUST OBEY. Everything on her body language and his would scream at her to just stop resisting and to just let the Empress down, to let Veah take over entirely as his obedient lover that worshipped his every word... even if she wanted another option, he would not allow it to her at this point. Only the heavier pants against her bare skin and the merciless flatten of her body against his with every deep, overwhelming buck into her core.

"...Five." Husky, low growl in her ear matched with a thrust into her.

"Four..." The grip on her hands tightened even further, the junction between his thumb and pointer finger opening wider to slip onto her open hand and squeeze hard against her -

"Three..." Gaze completely locked onto her own as if she were the most beautiful mess that he had ever made in all his years, no matter how she teared up or babbled helplessly for him.

"Two..." The tent had completely deafened aside from the crash of bodies together, the wet noises of Tyre's bulkier body smashing against those softer, more feminine curves with every thrust.

"One." He drew her closer, releasing her wrists in that moment and wrapping his hands over her cheeks... leaning closer and closer just to whisper his final command to her -

"Orgasm. NOW." Scream or moan completely sealed up by the lock of their lips together and those last few intoxicating grinds of his hips rolling against her own time and time again until they both hit their highs. Tyre had kept himself buried into her for as long as he could have possibly managed, only barely pulling out in time for thick ropes of seed to spill all over her core once more - this time dangerously close in how that tantalizing drip slid down her thighs and drenched over her throbbing entrance before forming a muddled mess with the puddle of arousal between her thighs. Even after she had crashed so mercilessly, after he had his own pleasure... he did not let her go. Instead his arms found their way around the woman's waist once more, encouraging her to cling onto the only form of stability she could find in that state -- him.

Passion · Feb 17, 2025

Her hair was taken, their intense gazes locking. Hers was wild and wide, focused and fiery. As much as she wanted to respond, she couldn't, especially with her mind ablaze with pleasure and intensity. But even if she could, she wouldn't have a rebuttal.

Before Tyre, the empress had loved nothing but her goddess and the idea of power. Such power that she wouldn't have to rely on anything, that no one could reject her existence. She despised the vulnerability that came with having her heart pried open, the way it unearthed the softer, more delicate Veah—a side of her long-buried and forgotten after being thrown to the wolves by her own family and kingdom.

Despite her disdain for this perceived weakness, she had to embrace it to feel this bliss, this connection, this twisted form of liberation when she was caught beneath him. She had expressed hate, but the empress was elated. Their method of making love was just as intense as their feelings and desires, which brought tears and blood, but the communication was crystal clear with every action and word. It was nothing short of unhinged honesty.

"I am yours!
I am YOURS!
I AM YOURS!!!"
the more she said it,
the more she felt it.

No, you are MINE, you stupid girl!

Xemva's haunting voice was drowned out by pure passion. With her mind only focused on him to such a high degree that her whole empire could crumble around her, and she wouldn't notice. It was dangerous to be so fixated, to be so mindless, but it had her dripping wet and even more intoxicated than the nectar he had given her. However, everyone had their limits, and after her orgasm, her sensitivity was blazing.

While her wrists were taken to further restrain her, Veah let out an animalistic cry while tears streamed down her face; she was reduced to little more than instincts and emotions. Every slam into her felt like painful yet delightful static coursing through her. With how overstimulated she was, she felt like she was going to explode, but he kept pushing her.

In that moment, she couldn't even beg; forming words was too difficult, but her body did naturally try to fight. Her hips twisted, her heels digging into the ground to try to kick away. He would respond by telling her to look at him, which she did through her blurry vision. It was so easy to get deeply lost in his eyes when she was in a state like this.

With a sharp smack to her rear, he drew out a startled yelp. He demanded her focus, pulling her back from the blinding white in her mind. For a woman accustomed to giving orders, the idea of obedience was foreign, except when he unearthed her hidden nature.... discovering the roses nestled between her thorns.

It felt like the only thing that was grounding her in reality was his voice and presence. Clinging onto him in every aspect came naturally when she was put in such a precarious state. Despite the involuntary twists and turns of her body as drool seeped from her mouth, she continued to fall deeper and deeper for him.

Had she finally lost her mind?

Not necessarily; she had surrendered—or perhaps, in a strange and backward way, she was ascending beyond the typical human experience.

He would count down, and it felt as if he also controlled space and time. Each descending number weighed heavy on her; his voice and touch were only things keeping her anchored to this reality.

What was probably most shocking was before her blurred mind could even comprehend his order, she was obeying. She would find herself emitting a screaming moan against his lips while simultaneously hitting her gushing climax as her eyes rolled back. For a moment, she was lost in an oblivion of pleasure.

He would also reach his height, but just as he had promised, he exercised enough control to pull out of her. It infuriated her femininity to not have his seed to the point it caused her to tense and growl. She had not begged, and based on her reaction, she was regretting it... at least while her mind was swirling with him and not the cold reality that awaited them outside of their tent.

As everything slowed, her entire body relaxed, basking in the afterglow. She breathed heavily in his arms, a soft groan escaping as her world continued to twist and spin while exhaustion left her mostly limp. She pulled him into a tight embrace, pressing her slender frame against him tight enough that he could feel the subtle tremble running through her that reverberated to her soul.

What was she to say? To do? Instead, she cried. In happiness, shock, fear, bliss, overstimulation… she felt utter chaos, but yet she felt safe from it all when he was close. Having him close made it feel like this was all meant to be, that she was safe even though he pushed her beyond her limits.

She nuzzled her face into his shoulder and whispered her confession again between her mindless and emotional-fueled sobs, "I love you..." Her grip would lessen and her body would sink into the bedroll. He had tired her in so many ways that she would probably doze off in a few long seconds of silence.

Veah, we need to chat later.
I'm disappointed.

Let me be truly happy for once...
PLEASE!!!

Devils Temptation · Feb 19, 2025

I love you...

Silence.

Amidst the mess they had made together, Tyre chose to not return those words to her. Far too gone to likely even note the sort of expression he stared at her with in those moments - an equal mixture of satisfaction that had slowly started to mingle into possessiveness. Not the clean, sweet style of fanaticism that would leave her fantasizing. Quiet, simmering and unhinged obsession that had him wondering just how much he could get from her if she allowed him to go this far with her. Turning against his side, one arm wrapped beneath her waist and a press of his lips settled onto her forehead with slow, sweeter words. "I feel sorry for anyone that tries to stand in the way of you and I, my little winter blossom. It will not matter who it is..." Kings, queens, soldiers, generals... Gods or Goddesses. In that moment he had one immutable truth in his heart -- "You are mine." One final tuck of his lips against her own and with it he would bundle up beside her. It was going to be a brutally cold night... one that she would not feel in the slightest.

Had they been anywhere else aside from on the march to a battlefield he would have loved to have woken up beside her, in the same bed roll. Instead, he opted to slip out just as the morning sun was starting to spill over the horizon - wrapping those extra furs around her and heading to warm a basin of water to clean himself after what the night had entailed. Tyre had fetched the same clothes they had marched in - hardly any time to wash though at that point her scent still lingered in even those. One glance out of the tent had shown that most of the soldiers had caught up and encamped not too far from where Tyre and Veah had opted to stay. Unsurprising that none would dare to approach until the Empress would allow them... and with this it would not be very much of a secret even amongst the military who she had taken as her lover.

None of that mattered to Tyre. To Veah, perhaps -- but not to him.

Scooping a pot full of fresher snow, he would set it to boil atop the fire into some warmer water before returning back to the tent towel in hand to sit down besides the woman and start washing himself off while staring upon her figure. Even when sleeping, she looked far too peaceful for someone capable of such atrocities. "...It feels like your eyes are open even when they are closed." Inexplicable comment to the sleeping Empress. That aura of perpetual unease around her never stopped, not even when she was peacefully asleep. It was something he could never put his finger on no matter how much time he had spent with her - but how could a mortal man ever come to fathom the nature of a curse bestowed upon her by a Goddess? Only she really understood the full depth of what it meant to be chosen by Xemva. Only she understood the power afforded to her by sacrificing everything else...

He did not need to know. All that he needed to offer was the warmth that was so mercilessly torn from her.

When her body began to stir, he had long since finished cleaning up and he would take the opportunity to kneel beside the foot of her bed. "The army has caught up. It is time to march. Are you ready?" Brief pause before his hand wrapped atop her shoulder with a squeeze. "...We can delay it a little. Sit up and let me wash you." - before a softer stroke of intimacy slipped out of his tone and he would dip the towel into the warmer basin to wet it so that he could start to help her wash up in the morning. Neither overly formal nor had it been solely lustful. The sensation of his broader hand would feel all against her body, sometimes grasping against her breast and other times pressing a kiss to her shoulder just so he could sweetly murmur against her ear to raise her arm or turn around. For just a moment it had felt like there was some normalcy in the air between them... even as they knew full well that soon - they would be in a battlefield drenched by gore and ash.

Tyre deliberately eased when the towel came to dry between her thighs, brushing much softer against her core. Evidence of his own arousal had still remained drenched along her thighs and even after washing he doubted the sensation of how he had marked her would pass. "There. Now..." Setting the towel down after a few more minutes of finishing up, broader forearms would drape over her hips to wrap around her waist - pulling her bare body close for a momentary embrace. "...shall we go, Veah? There is still work to be done and unpleasant as I find it... you have yet to see how I am on the battlefield. Do I have your word that you will watch over me and not turn from me when you see the type of soldier I am?" Affectionate press of his lips against her cheek and then one last pause.

Those words he never spoke to her the night prior would resurface. This time, right against her ear in those tender moments of morning daylight.

"I love you, Veah..." Spoken wistfully, as if the mere idea of leaving the tent and returning to their roles -- she an Empress, and he a general was a painful thought to him. Cramped as the tent had been, it was warm. Warm, affectionate, loving. Not at all like what awaited them outside...

Passion · Feb 20, 2025

She slowly opened her eyes before she jolted in surprise, unsure if she had woken up vulnerable in a fight. She had forgotten where she was and what she had been doing. Her heart pounded as she took in the view of the tent and her lover. The sight of him was reassuring, though it also flustered her; once again, he had seen her naked beyond the flesh. It irritated her that he had a way of drawing out a side of her that did not fit her image as a cold empress, yet it moved her each time. At that moment, she would rather indulge in him again than kick him out of the tent.

Wash her? "You don't have to; I can do it myself." Though she had an empire willing to serve her, Veah preferred to handle most things on her own. She wasn't comfortable depending on others for small or major matters, but she softened under his touch. The combination of the warm water and his hands melted some of her unease. "Okay, fine…," she grumbled. With a sharp exhale, she allowed herself to relax and enjoy the quiet before the coming storm.

Though they had both wiped off, the lingering possessive marks on each other remained—a reminder of their night of passion that they would carry with them when they were to march in the cold once more. Veah wished she could stay here... warm, safe, and loved in his arms, sensations that had always felt out of her grasp. She soaked it in like a sponge, basking in the affection and returning it in the form of an embrace, a few blind kisses to his collar, and a caress over the marks she had decorated his back with.

Her heart grew heavy at the thought of facing their cold reality once more. "The only thing that will make me turn away from you is if you were to betray me." She didn't yet understand why she was so worried about it. If he made heads roll, the desensitized empress would care less or perhaps even be amused. She had already seen many horrors of war—this was no different. If anything, she thought it would allow her to see more sides of him, and she wanted to see them all... even the ugly ones.

"If they play nice, no blood will be shed." But she already knew they more than likely wouldn't. It was the only mercy she would offer, but even if her presence was enough to bring waves of change in the empire's favor, could she trust an alliance? Unlikely.

Her ears rang at his declaration of love that he had left her hanging on the night before. It felt as if he had suddenly grasped her heart and lungs. She wanted to hear him whisper it again and again… to let it stain her mind until love resonated through her ACHING soul.

Glancing away, she knew better than to get lost in this right now...

Slowly, she peeled herself away, dressing herself once more in under undergarments and armor. Tension lingered in the tent—they both knew Veah would follow through with what she had started, although now she would much rather make love to him all over again.

Too addictive…

"Maybe after this, we take a leisurely trip." Her lips curled into a smile at the thought. "A very short one since I cannot leave things unattended for long, and Xemva is quite unhappy with me." Could someone like Veah even relax enough to enjoy a getaway? Maybe with him, she could. He had her wanting to experiment in different aspects of life and heart. It was progress alone that she wasn't thinking about blood, power, and battle. "I think we both need something to look forward to." An escape from their grueling life.

Braving the cold, it wouldn't be long before they reached their original checkpoint—Kyrel. A small, amiable town only a few hours away from their goal, the city of Zyrris. Originally, this was where Veah had hoped they would make it to rest, but they could still resupply, nap, eat, and so on while they were here.

Her soldiers feasted on 'free' stew from the local tavern that ended up failing to keep up with the demand of the army that was trying to chase away the chill. Veah had made sure to have her fill, driving the hot strew quickly just to feel the warmth in her stomach. It still didn't make her as warm as him, not even close.

I need him....

FOCUS

After a bit of time to unwind, Veah addressed her army. Her voice was clear and booming. "By the end of this all, I will ensure that Zyrris bows to us and the rest of the North as it is Xemva and I's will!! We were far too kind to them last time, and they killed my men for showing them a bit of mercy?!" Her body tensed and the perceived betrayal. "If they do not bow, they will perish. We will annihilate Zyrris if we must!"

The crowd roared and cheered, their energy and spirits renewed. The empress grinned with pride as her army buzzed with life. Despite the hardships, everyone knew they were on the winning side.

"Eat your food, clear your mind, tie your shoes… We leave in an hour to march to their front door."—With that, the empress turned away to double-check her basic supplies and her steed.

Devils Temptation · Feb 24, 2025

One hour.

One hour that could have been spent with her - but it was one hour she would seldom see Tyre for. Tucked away in the corner, practically blending into the waves of other soldiers. No more important and no more relevant, she could have granted him a better status but he neither asked for it nor cared to accept it. There was no reason to lead from the front for a fight like this that ultimately should have been solved through diplomacy. Even as all the men around him seemed to itch at the mere thought of shedding blood onto the ground, a cold unease started to tighten in Tyre's core. Reflection staring back at him in the somewhat murkier tint of the stew... the feeling was always the same when he went to the battlefield. It had started the day he had went to war on behalf of Marisol. The feeling of potentially returning to absolutely nothing.

He despised it.

There was something much uglier, far more sick waiting to rear its head for the right opportunity and what he feared was not falling in battle -- but the possibility to act upon those foul, vile thoughts that should have remained locked far behind any rationale, stable man's mind.

That hour passed in quiet contemplation, Tyre made no attempt to meet with Veah but she would find him right by her side once more, riding silently in the position directly at her right hand. An air of professional had buried over the two of them from their brief stop and now their march, the man acting solely as a soldier with nothing more between the two of them. Brief advice or relaying information for navigation... on occasion reporting information that would come from the rearguard. He was capable enough in an administrative role... the army moved smoothly with his assistance and within a mere half days worth of a march, their destination awaited them. Towering citadel of Zyrris laid over one last bridge leading to the final road towards the city. Snow had begun accumulating on the ground approximately an hour before they had reached that bridge.

Standing in proper formation had been an army on the other side of it - with one lone man standing at the front of it all. Darker brunette hair offset by yellow, piercing eyes. One single scar running over the side of his cheek and leading down to a clean cut face with a sharper jawline. Approximately, the army opposing them seemed to have roughly a quarter more troops... but undoubtedly they could not have been remotely as well trained as Veah's troops.

Everything about the setup was obvious...

Obvious that they were trying to sue for peace.

That army was capable of a fight but did not wish for one. The lone bridge leading to Zyrris could have been destroyed before Veah's army ever reached there and their superior familiarity over the land would serve to ambush the arriving army easily. Neither of those had been done. Tyre knew the one leading that army - just as well as Veah might have. The Zyrrian Hero. He was practically a legendary veteran from the area, a man just as capable in tactics as he was in personal combat... he was not a fool.

"Welcome, your Highness. I understand how this may appear, but we have no intention of going against the Empire. Our rebellion was a necessity to root out corruption that would have starved and razed our city. We ask that you please understand and if it is possible, that I approach to explain how this has all occurred. I assure you all of the smaller rebellions have been squashed by me and I am solely responsible for any opposition remaining." Tyre had expected those words. Far too organized... and the city looked far too well maintained. The reasons must have been entirely valid. Gesturing with his hand, the rebellion's general would raise his hand to motion his men to remain back as he started down the bridge.

Tensions had been painfully high... naturally he would not be allowed to approach the woman directly. Instead, Tyre would rest a hand on her shoulder to whisper into her ear. "I will meet on your behalf and ensure it is safe." Before releasing his grip and leaning off the horse to tread onto the bridge from the side of Veah's army. Both men took their last few steps forward, stopping directly in front of one another and with it a warm smile would graze the older veteran's features as he peered down at the shorter Tyre. "General. It has been a while. The last war we fought on... I wondered how far you would make it. You struck me as someone unsuited to this Empire." Met not as an enemy, but as an old friend... the younger man's expression faltered for a moment, flitting between a mixture of sympathy and nostalgia. There was a time they fought on the same side.

"May I disarm you?" Tyre asked, not moving until a single nod was given from the other man at which point he would step forward to run his hands beneath his cloak and sides to disarm his sword and dagger -- tossing them all to the side in plain view of Veah and then finally gesturing to the man. "Please. Go ahead and make your rationale known." Most of the threat had been taken away if Veah had trusted Tyre enough, now the only thing remaining in front of her was a subject asking for her consideration and sympathy...

One deep breath and the older man would raise his voice to address both Tyre and Veah -

"Eight months ago, new administration was installed upon this municipality at the orders of her Highness. Approximately six months prior, our lands were razed with an unexpected famine which lowered the usual bountiful harvests of these lands -- so much so that your subjects were starving. Corruption was rampant in that administration, your Highness. The remaining food was planned to be sent off as an offering to your palace and the administration was planning to abandon this municipality. We discovered forged documentation meant to be sent to you, your Highness, explaining that the population in these lands had been curbed and would have to be repopulated... but in actuality it was a plot. To slaughter enough of the villages and take their remaining food so that their inept leadership would not be brought to light." The administration of Zyrris wished to remain in her good favor while trying to cover up the inevitable, slow death of the subjects they were meant to be ruling over... in some attempt of being given a second chance. No one truly understood the full extent of Veah's spies so Tyre had no doubt that would have been unveiled... but at that point, enough of the population in that municipality would have been curbed.

It was a painful time constraint.

"We rebelled against the administration but have no intention to do so against you, your Highness. We only ask for your forgiveness and mercy, our people have struggled long to merely live -" To which he would finally conclude his words, allowing time for her to consider what the right course of action might have been. In the mean time, he spoke up once more to Tyre - this time a little softer and under his breath. Not enough for anyone else to catch but the two of them...

Everything in the rebellious general's story would have matched up with reports that Veah had gotten regarding the state of the municipality of any casualties. There were little to none, nor had they tried to establish themselves as an independent nation. Nothing in how they had handled the situation called for any reprimand. Much the opposite, really, it was practically a plead for someone more powerful and someone they were far more loyal to... to take control and help them in their time of deep need. The choice had been obvious. An entire rebellion could have been put down from a single word from the Empress. That army across the bridge was not hostile to her, they were still her people. They trusted in her, they believed her...

One final squeeze of Tyre's shoulders as the man finally parted to allow the Zyrrian rebel to approach closer to Veah. Up until that point, everything seemed reasonable. All of that would change on the next motion.

Wordlessly and without warning, Tyre would drop to pick up the dagger that had fallen onto the ground and took one step forward to grab at the collar of the soldier from behind, pulling him back just for a brief moment before -- CRUNCH. The plunge of the dagger would bury into his throat, running width-wise against the thickest part of his throat. Cold, empty stare as the man thrashed suddenly, smashing his elbow back and rushing to apply pressure to his throat while blood bubbled from his lips and messily splattered down to the ground. "Y-You...!!" Choking on blood, that was the single lone word he could get out before he crumbled to the ground... yells and screams of half-shock filling the army across the bridge as many of them suddenly grabbed at their weapons and armed themselves for an atmosphere that had utterly shifted after Tyre's seemingly unwarranted execution of a peaceful man.

"I apologize, your Highness... it would have been nice if this resolved peacefully."

...

That was where it had all began.
The Beginning of the End.

"Don't believe his honeyed words. He asked me to turn upon you after your trust was gained later tonight."

Hands drenched in blood as he threw the dagger against the man's body, approaching her with one step after another to stare straight into her gaze. "...Of course, I could not let that happen and you know that well, don't you...? Now... give the order, Veah -" Just as gentle as the snow falling, the low growl against her ear would coax her into something sick and warped. "-to slaughter them all and let me show you what I can really do." Narrow bridge... there were only a few files that could even fight atop it. Already, the opposing army was advancing. Had there been any opportunity for peace, it was abruptly shattered and now the only thing remaining thing to do was to slaughter all of the traitors in front of her.

Passion · Feb 24, 2025

At first, Veah was hesitant about letting Tyre step forward to speak to the renowned hero of Zyrris. She would have much preferred sending some nameless soldier from her army to disarm their foe to sate her paranoia, to protect the man she claimed to love. Yet, she allowed Tyre to take center stage.

Perhaps that was a mistake.

The empress had not foreseen what would happen next... especially from a man who claimed to despise war and violence. The same man who had destroyed his own room at the mere thought of returning to the battlefield. It didn't make sense. While Veah often subdued her enemies with the very real threat of violence, she had hoped the possibility of peace would soothe Tyre's expressed distress regarding war but... instead...

He was the one who painted the snow red.

She was not only shocked by his actions but by how he had carried them out. What gave him the right to pull the trigger of war with HER army? Even if she hadn't demoted him, she had been present on the battlefield herself. He had grown too bold, too reckless again. While she was furious with him, she had sworn never to turn her back on him as long as he did not betray her.

The real problem was that she couldn't grasp why Tyre had done it. From his own expressed hesitance around bloodshed to what the Hero had said actually aligning with her reports, it didn't make sense. She could have left Zyrris with a threat and stationed some more troops in the city to help root out the corruption, and maybe, if she was feeling like she needed to send a blunter message, they could have orchestrated a few creative public displays. She could have softened the blow that Zyrris would now need to face before Tyre designed their bloody fate.

"Tyre, the general who 'hates war', are you an idiot?!" The way she saw him as the empress versus how Veah saw him was entirely different and could be felt in the harsh coldness of her words. Her two sides hadn't yet aligned, and her simmering rage towards him made that clear. It was the same fury she felt whenever he lacked restraint. Had he not learned what TICKED HER OFF?

"You have been withholding critical information from me that led to this reckless decision? You did not have the authority to make that call, especially without speaking to me!" Her icy eyes locked onto the stirring enemy forces in the distance, warriors who had enough self-respect not to remain motionless after such an abrupt attack of their beloved hero. There was no undoing what Tyre had done. If nothing else, his action only justified why she had stripped him of his title as a leader.

He would definitely be hearing about it later.

"No matter. The empire speaks louder with violence anyway. We will destroy those who do not bow to us!" Her soldiers roared in agreement. The problem was that once the Crimson Army's bloodlust ignited, it did not easily burn out. Veah had the final say, but halting the onslaught was like trying to stop a hurricane. It was best to let her men expend their violent energy despite the cruel nature of the empire's raids.

"Seize the city once more! CHARGE!" At her command, her men charged across the bridge on foot and horseback, swords gleaming in hand. Veah remained behind, letting her foot soldiers handle the initial clash. She preferred grace and space for her kills. More importantly, she wasn't a fool; pushing to the front lines was an invitation for injury, fatal or not. Her life was valuable, and she fought like it. Still, that hadn't stopped her from coming here in person instead of sending an advisor, as she probably should have.

She could feel the dismay in the air. It tasted sweet. The sadistic goddess reveled in the violence, death, and agony that Veah and her rule brought. It deepened her connection to Xemva, sharpening her resolve into something colder, more brutal. She felt the heat—that rare, intoxicating heat she only found in limited places like in battle, and in Tyre's arms. It left her sweating beneath her armor, despite her flesh being cold to the touch.

You are angry, you might as well take out that rage on these weaklings, don't you think?

Hah. And he was the one worried about how I'd see him after he got his hands bloody.

HE HAS NO IDEA WHO HE IS DEALING WITH.

Drawing her blade, she waited for her army to carve a path. She soaked in the violence that would surely fuel her divine hex, but she kept her eye on Tyre as well. She didn't like the unpredictability with someone she was closely tied to.

Devils Temptation · Friday at 12:50 AM

Had his Empress expected an explanation, she heard nothing.

Tyre was preoccupied with a much deeper internal dialogue - an apology, yes. Not to her, but to everyone who now faced them. Whether his call had been accurate or not, it mattered little to those that were on the opposing side to what could only be described as a pack of bloodthirsty hounds. Pure, unadulterated sadism tore through that bridge with the thunderous crash of hooves and boots slamming down atop the bridge all at once with both armies advancing on one another. In that moment of violent bliss, it might have passed into her attention that she could no longer see Tyre. Had he escaped to the backlines...? Merely taken this as some opportunity to let her army do the work for him? A man capable in tactics, but perhaps not on the battlefield. Maybe even someone that she would have deemed weak. Those thoughts would last only for all of about a few seconds before something else strange began to occur. Not only had the frontline that she clashed with been in pure disarray at the force of a sharpened spear smashing through their already meager defenses...

...but a small pocket had formed in the opposing phalanx, with several men of the opposing army surrounding a single individual.

Tyre.

When had he gotten so far up...? Already his blade was drenched in blood, half-impaled through one man's torso as a collection of around six would stare at him with a completely baffled stare. "T-There's nothing to be fucking scared of...! It's just one -- one man!" One of them yelled to his comrades, tightening his grip along the hilt of his blade before charging forward with a warcry. It might have been the first time that Veah had witnessed Tyre taking a life - if she had even bothered to watch. Entirely unlike how her battle had been going, the way that Tyre dispatched the man charging at him was... quiet. Completely lacking any sort of vigor, as if it were the brutal execution of livestock. The soldier opened with an overhead swing that had been far too wide amidst his panicking - just to get torn in two with a single cleave along his midsection that spilled all manners of his guts on the ground.

One dismissive shove of Tyre's knuckles pushed the corpse to the ground... but the remaining five hardly waited for him to collect himself as another plunged a sword forward, towards Tyre's throat just to be blocked by the side guard of his weapon. Momentarily, the soldier thrusting forward would let out a relieved grin! With his weapon preoccupied, they could overwhelm him if he just kept him right the-- a piercing scream would escape his mouth with the guttural sensation of Tyre's fingers thrusting forward to smash into his eyeball and momentarily blind him. Blood splattering down the side of his face and an all too merciless grab onto the side of the man's throat to thrust him to the ground before Tyre's blade cleaved through the center of his skull. Tossed to the side was the mashed up remains of the eyeball he had just mercilessly plucked.

It was there that the remaining four just froze. There was only one man in front of them but all they saw was...

"What's wrong...?" Most of the men were shaking with heat. Adrenaline pouring through their bodies. Veah was no different in that regard. The only one who remained so psychotically cold on that battlefield had been none other than her lover. As if he were in a blinding snowstorm, completely and utterly enveloped by a permanent chill.

"You have come all this way, and for what? To lose here? Fight. Fight for your lives. Or... turn away and run. It makes no difference. Just know one thing - if you do not move, I will personally slaughter you." Fathers. Sons. Brothers. Mothers. Daughters. Sisters. No matter who he tore down, there was another family that now no longer had a person to them... and so deep down, knowing full well that he had been the demon that had started this fight, he wished for them to run. To turn away. To choose being a coward over facing him. Why exactly?

It was simple.

In front of them was an unbeatable demon. The worst of their fears. Someone who would execute them without batting an eyelash.

Two had opted to charge, even while screaming and shaking while the remaining two dropped their weapons - ranks of men around them yelling in shock for the two to return back all while they ran through the army and escaped as fast as they could. Tyre made short work of the two remaining men that chose to attack him. One finished off with a swipe of his blade through the throat, the other broken down with a laceration carving over his thigh that had him bleeding out over the ground in pure agony before he was just as quietly dispatched. That had been another thing to note... some thrived off the thrill and sadism on the battlefield. They let their enemies bleed like pigs. To get trampled under the hooves of horses. Not Tyre. No one that faced him lived for anything more than a few seconds -- and so gradually, though he was detached, his mere presence alone had started to leave what could only be described as...

A path of bodies, guts, and gore behind himself.

The battle had not lasted for very much longer after that. Without the Zyrrian Hero to lead as their general, the army they faced was weak and pitiful. Disorderly and in a state of constant panic that had them completely carved down. Tyre would have vanished from her vision at least a few times in that fight - his figure was hard to pick out. He was inconspicuous compared to the other soldiers but at some point it would have become easy to find where he had wandered or gone by the sheer trail of blood that followed him. The bridge had been painted beautifully in all the blood that she might have craved... even fewer casualties than one might have expected on her side. No deaths, only injuries... and it was clear to see why with a force like him in her ranks. It was clear that he had not gotten where he was merely because of his ability to lead on a battlefield.

Even without the rank of general, the battlefield naturally followed around him. Men swarmed to pierce and widen the opening that Tyre had left for them and somehow, he seemed to know right where to strike to make the army utterly collapse and crumble within minutes. Barely even two hours. That was how long the battle had lasted. An army the size they were facing would have taken at least four to grind up like chunks of meat because of how the bridge had been set up. One rank thrown at Veah's army and slaughtered just for the one behind it to take their place... that was how it should have gone if not for Tyre's performance.

It was clear why he had told her that he despised war. Other men cheered, roared in the heat of victory and battle... it was only him who remained completely silent in the aftermath of all the carnage. Sword in hand as he approached her once more.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Red suited him well. Contrasting oh so perfectly with the black of his usual attire, some hints of it smeared along his palm and arm, others splashing against his cheek... it did not matter if he had not taken a fancy to it. One thing was clear. The battlefield seemed to adore a man like him. His talents, his skills - he was made to kill. Tyre slowed to a halt just in front of Veah, dark eyes briefly giving her body a glance over as if he were checking her for... something. Brief sigh of relief at some realization and with it she would once again find him kneeling in front of her. Taking a knee, he grabbed at the tip of his sword with his gauntlets.

So dried and drenched with blood that it was hard to even see a glimmer of the steel that laid beneath it...

The hilt would be pointed towards the Empress for her to take as she pleased. Tyre made no attempt at any sudden movements, nor had he bothered to try and rise - regardless of whether or not the woman had taken the sword from his grip. "I recognize that I have defied the chain of command. If you see fit, please execute me." ...What? There it was. Unpredictability to be squashed right in front of her. He had been kneeling. The sword was right in front of her...

She could have chopped his head off right then and there.

THE VOICE IN HER HEAD MIGHT HAVE PUSHED HER TO DO EXACTLY THAT.

"...But I dedicate the victory on this battlefield to you, my Empress. It matters not to me how I serve you -" Head rising for his gaze to meet her own... at first it had just been the way he exploited the all too vulnerable Veah, Forced her to experience sensations that no woman could ever turn back from... but now? Now, there was an allure and offer to serve another side of her. The sadistic, bloodlusted warmonger. That voice. The Empress. The Goddess herself. He would paint as many battlefields in red for her as her pretty little heart would have desired.

"- I will gladly do it time and time again. I acted out of urgency. I knew not what would happen if I allowed him to live. A collapse of the bridge, an attempt on your life, or his return to the army just for him to lead his forces against us. It does not matter in the end. No one lays a finger upon my Empress." ...Who? Who had he been protecting with that statement? Had it been Veah? Or had it been the Empress herself? It was impossible to tell in that moment. Everything would have blended together into a loyalty that had practically felt like pure obsession at that point. Almost as if he would do anything if it were for her. With those final words, he made no further attempt to plead his case or speak further. Instead, he kept his head bowed and waited for her to take whatever choice she might have wished for.

Passion · Sunday at 2:52 PM

It was as if he had teleported; somehow, Tyre had made it to the heart of the opposing line. From afar, she caught glimpses of him in battle, cold and gruesome. He fought more like a ravenous demonic warrior than a prince who claimed to prefer flowers over battle. She could understand why he worried about how she might see him afterward, but Veah condoned such violence. When the empire fought, it was meant to leave a lasting impression, one with little mercy. Especially in the early years of her reign, Veah's scorn had burned so hot that she wiped out entire cities, even after their surrender. She let her soldiers run wild, indulging in whatever sadistic desires they pleased, as long as their loyalty to her remained absolute until their final breath.

But this battle, the one Tyre had started without her command and without informing her of all the pieces, did not sit right with her. The taboo dynamic they shared in private was not something she would allow to bleed into political matters; she was not that far gone. Had he grown too comfortable, knowing he held the empress's heart?

She needed to release this anger, and Xevma had been restless of late. Though she preferred more space to work, to hunt and chase, she would make do. The bite of cold in the air made it difficult to tell, but Veah's unseen aura had turned dangerously frigid. Her steed cried out in pain as if her coldness were thorns pressing into its flesh, and perhaps it was.

You owe me.
Sacrifice their souls to me, and when you return to the castle,
you will spend half a day praying to me.
You are becoming misaligned because of that boy.

Yes, my goddess.

She dismounted, drawing her longsword, inhaling as she tapped into Xevma's power and influence. This was where fables became reality. It was subtle at a glance, but Veah could transcend human limits. Her strength surged, her speed sharpened, her awareness honed. She was nearing the realm of a demi-goddess when channeling Xemva's darkness.

"I will show you all your true GODDESS!"

With a powerful push-off her back foot, she blurred into motion. Her footing was precise as she ran along the wing of the bridge, closing the distance to Tyre near the tangled mass of bodies.

Pain. Blood. Screams.

It all blurred together as Veah surrendered to her bloodlust and her goddess. She slammed her sword into a man's neck, slicing his throat open before pivoting to slash another who had just raised his weapon against her. Her favorite part of battle was the look in their eyes... the raw, helpless moment when they realized they were going to die. No more breath. No more sight. No more feeling. She was the last thing they would ever see. It made her feel like a god herself, sealing their fates.

But there was no time to savor it. Chaos reigned, and with her blade in hand, she danced through it beside Tyre, leaving pools of blood and hills of corpses in their wake.

By the time Veah sheathed her blood-soaked sword, even her dark armor and the side of her cheek were painted the red of their fallen foes. As the battlefield settled and the injured were tended to, she sought out Tyre, still burning hot with fury. They both had the endurance to fight as long as they could march, but the storm of battle had begun to calm... but was she done?

Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.

Her eyes lingered on the hilt of her sword. The temptation to end it all was there. "You not only defied the chain of command, but you WITHHELD INFORMATION FROM ME!" Trust and loyalty were everything to her. Too many had betrayed her, too many had faked their devotion while plotting against her. "Why WOULDN'T you tell me about the fucking plot? Why WOULDN'T you at least hint at it, at least give me the chance to strike first?"

She seized his wrist with her sword hand and threw it aside. Her other, gloved fist clenched tight before she drove a PUNCH into the side of his face. The force behind it was brutal, fueled by rage and power. It would be no easy blow to endure, but it was the lesser of two punishments. The other option had been slitting his throat, and that was what he truly deserved even if he brought her victory. She didn't need his protection on the battlefield as much as she needed it when they shared a bed.

Subconsciously, she did have the fear that he was the only one who could make her feel love in this lifetime. Maybe she should try to have more lovers and use Tyre as mere inspiration, but they both knew it would all lead back to him.

Her choices were simple: let him live, or... embrace the cold isolation that awaited her without him.

"WHY WOULDN'T YOU JUST COMMUNICATE EVERYTHING WITH ME?!" She could blame him for his transgressions, but the solution was easy if only she weren't hesitating. If only he didn't hold such a grip on her heart. She wanted to beat him into the snow, to make him understand how deeply she felt wronged and insulted. Most would say she should be more concerned with the demon she had seen him become on the battlefield, but she had meant it when she said violence would not deter her.

She needed him as an empress. While she didn't trust him to lead the massive at this point, perhaps he could be part of a specialized squad. He could become the 'hero' or 'demon' of her empire with such skills and coldness. But beyond the empire, she also needed him as a woman who had been starving to feel anything other than coldness and hate. However, it seemed like he had to be kept on an extremely short leash or he would be recklessly bold. The same boldness that attracted her, but it was also a thorn in her side.

She grabbed his shoulders, growling as she pulled him closer. Her aura was ice-cold. Her eyes, were wild, as if the battle had never ended. "If you want to SERVE me, then you must LISTEN to me and be transparent! You must TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE PLANNING!"

Why was she this upset? It made her want to cry. She wasn't just angry but hurt. It had seemed that Tyre was right that a battle would put a strain on their relationship, but not quite for the reason he was thinking. She would accept his darkness in ways many would never, but again... she couldn't handle the thought of betrayal from him.

Her arms trembled, not just from rage but perhaps from something deeper. A fear that she might actually have to kill him. Her glare was sharp enough to tear him apart, but something in her hesitation betrayed her. She wanted to be convinced that his loyalty was true in every and any situation. Convinced that he understood the delicate nature of the bond between them. His very life depended on it.

The message the empire sent was clear. She would leave behind some of her troops to maintain control, and Veah knew she needed to get back to the castle so she could dedicate twelve hours of worship and meditation to her displeased goddess. VBeah was not happy, but... she rarely ever was.

Devils Temptation · Sunday at 8:54 PM

CRUNCH.

It had not been the muscles along his throat that felt searing pain, only a strike against his jaw that felt far too powerful for someone of her size. Gritting his teeth, he reeled back for a moment. Not enough to fall on his back, however. Tyre would spit out some blood where his teeth had cut into his inner cheek from how hard she had hit him. Reddened bruise stretching across that cheek that she had been caressing a mere few days ago... turning, his eyes would lock with her own once more. No words to respond to her previous raging remarks, nor had he tried to defend himself just yet. Only a mere exhale as he prepared for the continued dressing down.

Harsh, seething words... and what was it that she expected to see in his eyes? Guilt? Anger? Emptiness?

Had he looked at her like how he looked at his enemies on the battlefield... that would have been the most painful of all, as if she was nothing to him all over again. The opposite of love, after all, was not hate. It was indifference.

...

WHY WOULDN'T YOU JUST COMMUNICATE EVERYTHING WITH ME?!

"Because I want you to rely on me. Communicate...? Of course you cannot tell what someone is feeling or thinking at all times, but just this once I wished that you would just trust that I am, as always, acting in your best interests. I --" Clenching his hand against his chest, the way he wound those words up... she should have known what was coming next. Those three words that made her weak, without fail, but he would bite them back. Cold emptiness is not what graced his eyes. Just a quieter, soft concern. "...It's not possible, is it? To stand next to you. That's such a shame. That is all I wanted, my Empress." Tyre quietly admitted, wrapping a palm against his jaw. No matter how close he get, would she ever come to trust him with that much power? The politics of a country? To make decisions on her behest like that?

Not at this rate. All of that seemed to be power she greedily clung to in her anxiety and paranoia.

You must TELL ME WHAT YOU ARE PLANNING!

Now it was his turn to grab her by the arm. To her, it might have been a little too much boldness just for one day. Firm but not painful squeeze against her upper arm, pulling her closer to himself to still that trembling. "Look at me." Why...? Why at a time like that would he always have to talk to her so gently? Right now, on the battlefield, they both had to wear masks and it was hardly the time for him to be speaking to her like that and yet still, he did. With care and tenderness. "I understand, Veah. I will not try to push further without you. My only desire has been to serve you... but -- I got angry. When the opportunity to betray you arises, of which it does many times, it enrages me. You..." Closer, lower tone. "...you are mine. It fucking infuriates me that anyone will even try to pull you away from me. I've done bad, my little blossom. Haven't I? I am sorry." The way she looked at him... it was enough to terrify most men into submission. Unnatural, unnerving, as if the slightest hair trigger might have been enough to tip her towards wanting to kill him.

The best thing would have been to keep his head down. Silent, head lowered, showing pure obedience and not daring to talk back to her... but he never took that approach. Not with Veah.

One last affectionate graze of his thumb along her arm and with it he would take a step back finally and lowered his head to her once more. Settling to a kneel once more, he would prop his palm underneath her own and pressed a kiss to the back of it. The very same hand that had just struck him across the face so harshly. "What are your orders, my Empress?" No one would really know the conversation that had taken place between the two men at the end of that meeting. No one except Tyre and a now dead man. Just the way it should have been. Had she wished for him to tell her, he would... but it would not change the fact that the already tumultuous Empire now had another thread that had been causing it to unravel. How much more could it have possibly taken before everything came crumbling down? Veah could not handle all of it on her own.

He was banking on the fact that it was impossible, even for her.

In that moment of vulnerability, back pressed to the wall... would she trust him?

There was only one way to find out.

Passion · Sunday at 9:58 PM

While some might think indifference was the opposite of love, that was not entirely the case for someone like Veah. She was showing her love by not only sparing his life but feeling this strongly. Sure, she was pissed, but she was angry because she cared. Because she wished this could fall in line with what she was visualizing in her head. However, Tyre had information that was critical to the confrontation they had just traveled through a frozen hellscape for. Why wouldn't he let her know about the plotted betrayal? Why was she supposed to trust that he was 100% always right even if he meant well? It wasn't just on a personal level, but despite his smarts, he was only human. He wasn't meant to make all grand decisions alone. Not only that, but he knew how Veah was as an empress; there was only so quickly she could change, and she proved that she already had somewhat by not killing him right then and there.

"Don't make this about ME, Tyre." She wasn't stupid; she knew her lack of connection had left her both starved and alone. "What the real shame is that you are terrible at teamwork, at least when it comes to me." She stared at him as he nursed his jaw. "How am I going to stand beside someone who won't even tell me what they are planning?"

He took her arm, and if looks could kill, he would be on the floor breathless. The nerve. Yet he spoke to her beyond the crown to the woman trembling underneath it in boiling emotion. "You should tell me what infuriates you instead of destroying things and killing without my order!" Leaving her in the dark about anything caused her paranoia to fester. Not only that, his decision is what started a battle. Even if it was easily won, it was still a big move. Maybe it was because he was a general who had to be brave enough to make such moves, but that was far from a traditional method.

After all that had happened, he showed his loyalty to her by kissing the very hand she had struck him with. She stared down at him, wondering what she was going to do with her rebellious lover. She would not ask about the meeting since it did not matter at this point. Still, she was puzzled why he wouldn't enlighten her about all the details before they marched up there. Why wouldn't she want all the information?

"I will be leaving some troops here to secure the city, and then it should properly be under my control." However, with the hero now dead, the morale of the city would be poor and thus less productive. It also increased the chances of another rebel group forming in the shadows. Now she had more to worry about, and raising morale was not one of the empire's strengths. It was true, Veah couldn't do everything alone, but she was going to try.

"We are to go back to Nyxoria so I can make amends with Xemva, and you will be confined to the castle grounds until I figure out what the hell I'm going to do with you." Another headache. Drawing a deep breath, she would finally express the real weight on her chest. "I don't want to have to kill you, Tyre. Please..." Her words were laced with her hopeless heart that he would value his life enough to be more wise with is actions and emotions.

She had hoped on the trip back she could clear her mind enough to decide what she would do with him. Really, she should be planning her next attack, not the fate of a rogue former general, but he was still special enough that somehow he ended up high on the empress' priority list.

She would fetch her steed, and now with her icy aura eased, the horse let her back on. Now they had the grueling trip of traveling back, where they would more than likely need to camp once more. For the time being, Veah would avoid riding too close to him, but she also made sure he was close enough to keep her eyes on him.

At the beginning of their travels, he might have noticed Veah cupping her red face every so often. She was crying. He had a way of making her cry in bliss, love, and pain, a reminder that somehow a ruthless woman like Veah had a heart. One that was both confused and frightened.

Devils Temptation · Monday at 10:04 PM

I don't want to have to kill you, Tyre. Please...

Words that should have made him scoff. To think this woman would have doubts about killing anything. Squeezing his hand into a fist, a darker thought would pass through his mind in that moment... what if he took himself from her? In a moment like that, would she feel the same pain he had at the start of this all? It was just a hypothetical. A hypothetical that had him realizing just how much he had carved his way into what was once a completely icy, barren fortress that was her heart. Loosening his grip, a low exhale would leave his mouth and he would shake his head in response. "You will not have to make that decision, Veah. I promise." Soft as ever -- though whether those words meant that he would not force her to go down that route or if he would not let her was something that even the general himself did not understand in tthat moment.

The soldier would not refute her orders, merely remaining close enough by her side to make sure she was safe but not quite enough to approach her again. That opportunity had passed and now it was the march back. For him, it was fortunate that he had not been right beside Veah - or that the two had not been engrossed in that tangled romance that was quickly blossoming between them. Tyre had the time and opportunity to gaze upon the countryside that had been a few steps away from being doomed if not for the man he had just executed. Several dozens of villages that may have ended up razed, ravaged by famine, or worse. How many people would look upon him now in the way that he now perceived Veah?

What a shame it was... that they lived in a world that those harmed worst by the most painful of experiences would turn around just to inflict them upon others.

The reaction to the victory was... infuriatingly mixed.

The delicate nature of her relationship with Tyre combined with his swift and efficient execution of victory had the castle in an odd sort of split, many that were praising Tyre and seemed to be under the impression that Veah would reward him... while others whom had witnessed their final exchange speaking that the man would instead have been punished for triggering that battle. None would go against her orders, of course, but no one seemed to quite understand why he would be punished. The battle had been won, the territory had been reclaimed, none of her army laid dead on the ground. The general was momentarily placed under house arrest, doors and windows guarded to ensure there was nowhere to go -- not that he bothered to even attempt an escape. Any time the patrol might have stepped in to make sure he was still present they would merely find him seated against the window sill, drinking something and reading through a book.

At least in this sense, he was finally being somewhat obedient.

Rolling the cup and the wine inside back and forth in his hand, his eyes wandered down to the book that was in his hand. A history of the Empire. Or at the very least, the Nyxorian version of it. One that painted every single conquest as justified - it was a bloody book filled with millions of lost lives. It hadn't been the people nor the territories he was concerned about but rather... something else a little more warped that had bothered him from the beginning. The woman he loved... was different. In that war, on the field, when she spoke of appealing to someone that had never turned their back on her - it was almost manic at times and the show she had on the battlefield was wildly sadistic. Of course Tyre had been watching her. Every single move... on the chance that this mess of a relationship they grew enamored with would end in an actual battle with one of them laying dead on the ground.

Xemva.

That was her name in this Empire... but she hardly had just one identity. Despised in some nations, adored in others, forgotten in the rest... so why was it that Veah had been engrossed in so many rumors about her? No one really understood the true nature of that bond other than the Empress herself. "How foolish... fairytales and garbage... but --" Muttering to himself, he would rip the page out of the book detailing the Dark Goddess' mandate and held it up to the open night sky. "--if you are real, I will drown you in as much blood as you desire." He may have been soft and tender at one point in his life, adverse to the death toll on the battlefield - but that man no longer existed. It mattered not if it was for Veah's affection... or for Xemva's favor. He was a useful soldier. Tyre could bring Veah to such luxurious pleasures that took every worry out of her mind in the same breath that he could DRENCH entire nations in a bath of blood so foul that it would leave even seasoned warriors breathless. Nothing mattered to him aside from getting his way. That was what happened when he lost what he considered his humanity.

So...what was his goal at this point?

It was simple, really...

...oh so simple.

When the door swung open, announced or otherwise, Tyre did not bother to stir from his position by the window - merely remarking to the woman who had stepped in. "Veah. Are you sure you want to send the guards away? People will talk even more than they already are." Somehow he already seemed to know it was her. Only one person had that authority and he could tell they were no longer being watched. Perhaps concerning to see he had that level of perception... but he had a feeling she was less worried about him harming her than he was about him doing something too bluntly on the battlefield. A rogue cannon was one that could fire upon her own men and cause a hole to emerge in her army, after all. Setting down his cup, he would rise from his chair and took a few steps forward until he stopped right in front of her.

"...You look thin. Have you slept? Have you ate? I will wait in house arrest as long as you'd like..." Faint touch of concern in his tone and though he reached for her cheek, he made no attempt to touch it. Likely she was fairly secretive on her prayers - at the very least, he seemed to not have known what she was doing for those last twelve or so hours. Another shake of his head and he would choke back that worry to instead face her in proper.

"Talk to me. I will listen." Much softer. He was tender with her on the battlefield, yes, but there were ways his voice melted into so much deeper of a tenderness the moment they were behind closed doors. Siting down onto the edge of the bed, he patted the spot besides himself for her to take...

Passion · Tuesday at 10:42 PM

The basement of the castle was even more restricted than the empress' chambers. Day in and day out, guards stood at the staircase leading below. Very few souls had seen what rested beyond the tightly locked doors. Veah was quiet about it, but a few of her advisors were those in faith. Only Veah and those advisors were allowed in. Sometimes they were empty-handed, other times they carried a fresh body or two, prisoners, and other times they brought buckets of what appeared to be blood.

No one dared to question it.

Dressed in a hooded black robe, Veah knelt before the altar of her goddess—a fountain of crimson and a stone depiction of a breathtaking woman rather than a monster of death. She had been there since returning to the castle, refusing to sleep, eat, or drink. Her only thought was making amends with Xemva, the one being who had never abandoned her, even when she was a despised child. It was dangerous for her to stray. Yet Tyre had that hold on her… one that felt just as powerful as Xemva's, leaving her caught between the two beings she cherished more than anyone in her vast empire.

How many hours had gone by?

She had permitted the guard to knock on the door at the twelve-hour mark, but it had been silent. If she wondered for more than a second or two, a voice would shoot through her head:

FOCUS ON ME.

True worship was what Xemva demanded; to devote even her deepest and even wandering thoughts entirely to the goddess. It was a means of grounding Veah, pulling her back into her place as a loyal follower. But it required immense focus and will to push Tyre to the back of her mind. He had shaken both her heart and thoughts, leaving her uncertain of what to do with him. But now was not the time to dwell on it. Her mind belonged to Xemva alone at this moment and to her vision of an empire united in worship. Conquest had been the focus until now, but the next step was conversion; by force if necessary.

Don't forget your mission.
I am the one who believes in you more than anyone.

Veah took a sharp breath. It was only Xemva who understood her crimes, her bloodlust, and the depths of her pain. When left to die, Xemva's voice kept her going, and it was her power that had propelled Veah into historic battles. It was also Xemva who came when there was a risk of Tyre draining away her life. Xemva should be all she needed, but… Tyre had awakened her to her heart and true passion, which she had once been blissfully ignorant of. He had helped her find such a beautiful thing, but it risked Veah's dependence on the goddess.

Xemva, despite being a god, could not force Veah to do anything until she had many followers—but she could influence, and she was deep in the empress' psyche.

Why won't you obey me and kill that distracting man?
You have always been such an obedient child to me until now.
He does not love you.
He hates you like everyone else who doesn't understand our mission.
Only I love you, Veah.

Silence.

Veah didn't know how to answer. She blamed the feeling in her chest and the sharp fear that no one else could make her feel such a way.

A few more hours passed.

He is praying to me…

Hearing such a thing made Veah shift in place on her numbed legs.

He still doubts my existence, but he promised me blood.
Guess he is rather sweet and can help MY empire,
...but what about you, MY empress?
You are the most important piece,
and he makes you WEAK.

That word made her feel sick... even though it was true. He not only made her weak, but Veah oddly enjoyed the freedom of taking off her many crowns.

I will be stronger around him.
I promise you, my goddess.

To be strong around Tyre was the goal, but maybe she should have at least gotten some sleep and food in her first before marching into his room. Her body and mind were tired, but despite her basic needs and her 'realignment' with Xemva, he was still her most pressing need. She knew Xemva had to be rolling her eyes, but there was silence.

"I don't care if the whole empire knows." If Veah didn't like what they had to say, she would slay them. It was that simple.

She looked up at him when he neared, the clear bags under her eyes revealing her exhaustion. She tensed when he noted her appearance. "I have not eaten or slept since we last camped on our way back." That had been over two days ago.

She hesitated to sit, her knees still numb from hours of prayer. "To be honest, Tyre… I'm not sure where to start." There were so many angles to this, so many emotions… It was hard not to get tangled and confused by it all. It didn't help that she was very tired and already emotional. She reminded herself of the promise she made to Xemva. So, she took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and smoothed out the back of her robe before taking a seat beside him.

She ran her fingers through the roots of her messy blonde hair. "I am still figuring out the details, but you will have two options when it comes to your career. One, you could retire as a general from the battlefield and use your skills and knowledge here at the castle with tactics and training. Two, I'll make you a leader of a specialized team with Tavros Valdrin and those of both of your choosing." Tavros Valdrin—a highly skilled and trusted warrior, a star on the battlefield, devoted wholly to the empire. On paper, a team led by the two of them would be lethal.

"Tyre." She placed a hand on his knee. "When I started to realize how much I admire you, I imagined you standing by my side. It was a thought I played with in my head, and I quite liked it." She cracked a listless smile at the thought, now tampered.

"I had to ask myself what do I expect from someone who stands by my side? What are the bare minimums that I need?" She glanced at him, letting him think about what those standards and needs might be.

The silence stretched a second or two too long...

Then she lunged, throwing her full body weight at him, forcing him to stumble back onto the bed. Her long, blonde hair curtained his peripheral vision, intensifying the look in her piercing blue eyes.

She propped herself up on her arms, hands planted on either side of his head. "What the fuck do you think it would be?!" Her icy gaze narrowed into a glare. She might be tired, might have had time away—but clearly, she had not found the peace she had hoped for. "I expect loyalty. Honesty. Respect. I'd offer it back to the one who would stand by me!"

Huh. What might have been the most important thing to note was her willingness to do the same. It was unlike the empress, who was much more known for taking than giving.

It was clear she longed for a connection. One she felt safe in. And now, he had given her reasons to be paranoid, ruining her rose-tinted filter. It left her sour.

"How am I supposed to trust you as a lover or a general when you don't tell me everything you know about our foe? When I tell you what my plan is; to at least attempt some kind of peace, which you and your distress about battle inspired me to do…" She gritted her teeth, admitting that originally, she would have been as bloodthirsty as him, yet she was trying to tone it down in a way that might appease him. "…you failed to give me insight, and you disrespected my plan by raising your sword." For once, the victory didn't matter to Veah.

"If you agree with me or not, tell me you at least understand where I'm coming from." Her tired, tense body trembled over him as if she were ready to burst at the seams.

She wanted to be heard.

The empress didn't seem well at all—she was running on empty but still mileage. When would she crash?

Devils Temptation · 2025-03-05T18:42:01-0600

I am still figuring out the details, but you will have two options when it comes to your career.

Both options came and went... and with it, he looked no more pleased with either option. At the end of the day, he knew he could not care for either. If he retired from the battlefield, he would grow soft and he would forget the bloodlust and carnage that had brought him here. His influence would grow weak and so too would the ruthless way he wrestled control into the Empire. If he left and remained a general, he would no longer see her. No option was right. Not when it came to his goal. Another pause would fill the room and his eyes wandered down to the hand on his knee. Tyre had not broken that silence yet and he would not even as she gushed to him about her fantasies, about how she wanted it to go. A dream not too different from the one he envisioned - to be beside her to handle those burdens she refused to let go to anyone else.

What are the bare minimums that I need?

Narrowed eyes settling into a glare. Already he knew that he was going to hear something that was all too off from reality. Nothing about their relationship in any manner was healthy. None of those 'baselines' she spoke of were the only things she really needed. The truth of the matter was that he would have been dead several times over had he not accomplished tasks that would have killed most other men several times over.

Bare minimums?

When she fucking sent him to the harsh, merciless Northern front alone with assassins trailing behind him...?

What the fuck do you think it would be?!
I expect loyalty. Honesty. Respect. I'd offer it back to the one who would stand by me!

"...Do you think you are the only one that craves such things? Do you think it is easy to get close to you? To have your walls come down? Do you think I snapped my fingers and got here? I tried. Meticulously. Slowly. To get close to the woman I loved and to be useful to her. Don't talk to me like I intentionally tried to ruin anything. Even now you keep me at your sleeve and you try to force me to stay there. And it's very clear that I have no intention of doing that." Low growl against her ear as he pushed up again, grabbing her by the arms and slowly tracing down until he reached her wrists. Tugs forward would have both her palms flattening down atop his chest and his harsher tone slowly sweetening to something a little more delicate.

When I tell you what my plan is; to at least attempt some kind of peace, which you and your distress about battle inspired me to do…
…you failed to give me insight, and you disrespected my plan by raising your sword.

"I did. And you tried to change for a man that should mean nothing to you." Hand wrapped to her cheek and with it, he would lean forward to tuck his forehead against her own even if she angrily lashed out at him. Deep inhale, followed by the caress of her hair. "I did. I did do all those things. I don't think I can reasonably stand by your side unless I am powerful, unless I can show that I am useful. You may say otherwise - that the only thing that matters is your choice... but we both know that is not true. If it was -" Tilt of his head and the lean forward to press a kiss to her neck. Slow, sweet traces down to her shoulder. "- would you leave your throne and run away with me? To a place where there are no enemies? You can't. Can you? We both know that. And so... I would much rather carve out a place besides the one I adore most." Some place where no one would dare try to dispose of him - knowing full well that he was just as fearsome and influential as she had been. No one could truly stand right beside her without the full brunt of those that also sought to take her down.

If you agree with me or not, tell me you at least understand where I'm coming from.

Momentarily silence, pulling away once more to stare her straight in the eyes. Times like these where it was so easy to harshly tell her off, to crush the already delicate flower stem that was twirling between his fingertips, he instead... chose to gently mold her. "Of course I do. You should know that already yourself. Anything I have done or will ever do is to have you... not just now, not just in a month... for years and years of our lives. I have no interest of letting you go, or letting anyone else have you. So... I understand." Soft as ever, his gentler assurance came in the form of words just as much as actions. Squeezes along her shoulders to ease her shaking and the much more gentle way he guided her off his lap - steadily - at her own consent until she laid down atop his bed and he could drape his arms around her from behind, pulling her into his chest where it was warmer and safer.

"I love you. Isn't it unusual? I try to change to suit your liking... and you to mine. You really are adorable, my little blossom... I would happily dye the battlefield red if it meant that I could see you smile. But - just as easily, I would happily bring a field to heel without a drop of blood to make sure you are satisfied. I am sorry. Now, and back then, the only thing I wished for was to lift that burden on you. I adore you." Slow, leisurely strokes of his hands sliding down her hair - after hours of praying, burying the Goddess in her affection it had now been her turn to get a little bit of much needed attention from the one that she was most shaky against. "I don't like either choice. Will you force them on me? I want to remain by your side... and I want to remain as useful to your Empire as I can. You know where I am strongest. Don't you? You saw it, my love." Swiping some hair away from her cheek, he pressed a kiss right down to her temple and finally released her. That much needed warmth already made the bed feel a little bit cold... empty without him.

"I want to care for you. I want you to rely on me more than anyone else. I want you to feel safest in my presence. Is that wrong of me...? It might be but I cannot help but feel the way those flutters settle in when you are by my side. I wish to only spoil you rotten... as if you are the only thing in the world." Another pause, faintly pensive expression covering his features with furrowed brows and pursed lips. There were few women in the world that would respond just as sweetly to the warm of lips along their neck as they would the drench of blood at their heels... but she had been one of them and he recognized that of her.

"Veah... let me get you something to eat and sleep in my bed tonight, please. I ask only for those two things and I will do whatever you wish in the morning after. Can you do that for me, my little blossom?" Overwhelmingly wound up and yet the only thing that seemed to be worth concerning himself over was her own wellbeing. Mental, physical, emotional - he would give her what she wanted for her peace of mind... even if it went against what he wished for.

ᴀꜱʜᴇɴ ꜰʟᴏᴡᴇʀ || ᴘᴀꜱꜱɪᴏɴ & ᴅᴇᴠ (ɴꜱꜰᴡ)

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