CoS4-1e: Love at First Fight (Part 5) by zaqxsw
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
“It’s all just a lie!” Raven accused as her dark eyes boring through to his soul; “Your whole life… the both of you… nothing but a lie!”
“A front,” Daeron corrected her. “A masquerade for the stage of public view... no different than that of every lord, noble or merchant trying to appear as something he’s not for his own gain.”
Laying her head back on his chest, she let the surprising revelation sink in. She had suspected that there was more to his game than luring her into bed, but she would never had guessed this. Then she raised her head to look into his eyes again and asked curiously; “So what do you get out of this masquerade… and why tell me?”
“I get a chance to make a difference for the better,” he replied sincerely, raising his head so his lips meet hers, “and I told you because the Tel Teukiira needs those with daring and good hearts.”
“But I’m just a thief,” she confessed, but then a thought hit her like a slap in the face and she bolted upright, demanded with a voice nearly choked with hurt and rage; “Was all of this just to recruit me?”
“No,” he retorted, rising up to gather her back into his arms, but she sat stiff and unyielding, her body as tense as a coiled snake about to strike. “I told you the truth because I don’t want to play the fool with you... I want you to know who I really am!”
She looked deep into his eyes and saw nothing hidden there… no secret agenda… no deception… just his soul laid bared to her and the tension slowly drained from her as she yielded to his embrace, letting him pull her against his muscular form and back down into bed.
“I’m hardly the first woman to share your bed,” she taunted, settling comfortable against him again. “If you’ve… confess your sins… to every one of them, half of Waterdeep must know your secret by now.”
“Hardly,” he laughed at her mock flattery; “a few here and at Blackstaff tower… and now you.”
She lay still for a long moment and enjoyed his embrace, the warmth of his naked skin against hers, and the thought that he was risking his life by revealing the truth to her. Then she mused sadly; “You’ve forced your family to shun you to hide your secret… while I’d do almost anything just to find mine.”
“I didn’t force them to shun me,” he replied in voice tainted with regret, “they’ve done that since the day I was born…. I just feed the image they already have of me.”
“And what of Caerden?” she inquired; “Why does he play the black sheep?”
“That’s a very long story,” he replied in a heavy, solemn voice as he gently stroked her hair while thoughts of his friend and partner’s motivation for serving the greater good rambled through his mind.
Comments (13)
A little Forgotten Realms primer for those unfamiliar with the setting: the "Tel Teukiira" (elven for "Moonstars") is a splinter group of a semi-secret organization called the "Harpers" who work behind the scenes to promote peace, justice and the greater good. While most people have heard of the "Harpers" and there are roamers about powerful people who might be members, their activities and agents are secret. The "Tel Teukiira" are a recent off shoot They are less well known, still being widely considered a rumor. Their motives and intensions are more political than the "Harpers"... working in the shadows to promote regime change and undermining evil organizations..
Great chapter. Glad Raven is understanding. Look forward to more
Thanks again for all your kind comments and interest... I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well! I obviously skipped some "inter-action" between them to stay focused on the main storyline, and anyone not familiar with the Forgotten Realms setting may have a little trouble following along due to specific terms I used without realizing it. I put a little guide into the response to a comment on yesterday's post that I hope will be helpful, and I'll be sure to explain any setting specific terms I use on future posts.
very well.
Thanks again for your kind comments... I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well!
ein sehr schöner Render
Thank you for your comment and interest... I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well!
Very proud looking young Man!
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Wonderful story!
Thanks again for your kind comments and interest... I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well!
Nice character
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Great chapter!
Thanks again for your kind comments... I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well!
Nice render, the expression is great, zaq :) Fabulous story as well!
Thank you for your kind comment and interest... I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well! I have to admit, I think I'm much better at rendering women than men... I'm never really happy with them.
Great conversation - well done!
Thanks for your kind comment and interest... I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well! I've never been into the "blood and guts" type of adventure... I'd rather get into a character's mind than get them into a fight.
wonderful work!
Thank you for your kind comment and interest... I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well!
He's looking really good here, and your story is compelling as always! Looking forward to more!
Thanks again for all your kind comments and interest... I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well! I'm never happy with male characters... I think I'm better at women... Or at least I enjoy doing them more.
Very well written story and thank you for the explanations you gave me in the precedent picture.
Thanks for your kind comments and interest... I hope you and your loved ones remain safe and well!
Until it was pointed out to me, I didn't realize how many Forgotten Realms specific terms I used or how hard it would be to follow the story without understanding them.